Author: Bryan Rose

Bryan Rose is an editor from California that has been covering professional wrestling for well over a decade. He officially joined F4WOnline as an editor in 2017.

VIDEO: Kenny Omega’s ‘Kenny’s Quest’

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Kenny Omega has released a video just days before Wrestle Kingdom 13 hyping his IWGP title match against Hiroshi Tanahashi.

A note before the video plays says that this was intended to air before the 1/4 main event, but due to circumstances beyond his control, it wouldn’t be airing through any official NJPW channels.

In the video, a kid purchases what looks like a video game with Kenny Omega as the main character. At home, the kid plays the Kenny Omega video game, which stylistically is similar to the 2015 video game Undertale. Toby Fox, who developed Undertale entirely on his own, collaborated with Omega for the video.

The video game features a battle between Kenny Omega and Hiroshi Tanahashi. At one point, Tanahashi defeats the video game version of Omega, but Omega then rallies a comeback through the help of his friends, fans and Kota Ibushi. The video then ends on a dubious note, with the video game Tanahashi noting that this isn’t a video game, and in reality it’s kill or be killed.

Check out the entire six minute video below.

PROGRESS Unboxing Live results: Dunne, Bate finish up

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Here are today’s PROGRESS Unboxing Live results at the Electric Ballroom in London. This appears to be Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne’s last appearance for the company at the moment.

– Trent Seven defeated Los Federales Santos Jr. to retain the Atlas title. 

Seven defeated Santos after two piledrivers to retain the title.

– Chris Ridgeway defeated Spike Trivet, Mark Haskins, Travis Banks, Shigehiro Ire and Jody Fleisch in a six way 

Ridgeway submitted Irie. This was Fleisch’s debut for the promotion.

– Jordynne Grace defeated Jinny Couture to win the PROGRESS women’s title.

– Drew Parker defeated Chris Brookes

Parker hit the Back Seat Driver on Brookes for the win.

– Will Ospreay and Paul Robinson defeated Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher to win the PROGRESS tag team titles

Robinson was said to have suffered a massive cut to the head during the match.

– Eddie Dennis defeated Marcel Barthel

Dennis defeated NXT UK’s Barthel after hitting the Next Stop driver.

– Pete Dunne defeated Tyler Bate 

Dunne defeated Bate in what appears to be their final match in the British independent scene for now.

WWE Raw TV taping spoilers: Steel cage match

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Here are results from tonight’s Raw tapings in Detroit, Michigan ahead of New Year’s Eve this coming Monday.

Main Event: 

– Titus O’Neil defeated Curt Hawkins.

– The Revival defeated Tyler Breeze and Zack Ryder.

Raw:

– Drew McIntyre defeated Dolph Ziggler in a steel cage match

McIntyre destroyed Ziggler, hitting two claymore kicks. He then exited the ring and grabbed a chair. He delivered a third claymore kick between the cage and the chair, then finished Ziggler off with a fourth.

Seth Rollins came out talking about fresh starts. He wanted a rematch against Dean Ambrose for the IC title. Triple H came out and said there are no more automatic title rematches, so instead he will face Bobby Lashley.

– Apollo Crews won a battle royal 

The winner of the battle royal was to face Ambrose for the title later on in the show. Participants included the Lucha House Party, Finn Balor, Curt Hawkins, Zack Ryder, The B-Team, The Ascension, Titus O’Neil, Baron Corbin, No Way Jose and Mojo Rawley. Crews last eliminated Corbin to win.

Backstage, Nia Jax attacked Natalya. She recovered and said she will be in the Royal Rumble.

Corbin was on the mic after the battle royal, mad that he lost. Elias came out and sang. They wind up brawling through the crowd.

– Bayley, Sasha Banks and Ember Moon defeated the Riott Squad.

– Bobby Lashley defeated Seth Rollins by DQ. 

Seth used a chair on Lashley, leading to the disqualification. He continued attacking Lashley with the chair after the match.

– Jinder Mahal and the Singh Brothers defeated Rhyno and Heath Slater

Rhyno took the pinfall.

– Dean Ambrose defeated Apollo Crews to retain the Intercontinental title.

Alexa Bliss announced that her new talk show, A Moment of Bliss, will debut next week. The first guest will be Ronda Rousey.

– Ronda Rousey and Natalya defeated Nia Jax and Tamina Snuka.

WWE announces Women’s Tag Team titles coming next year

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A long-requested championship is coming to WWE in 2019.

During tonight’s Raw, Vince McMahon (who was dressed as Santa Claus) gave out a number of gifts, with one being the women’s tag team titles. Details were vague, as McMahon simply said they would be introduced in the new year.

There had been hints that WWE were planning on adding the set of titles eventually. They were mentioned explicitly by Sasha Banks and Bayley several weeks ago during an open forum held by Alexa Bliss. WWE has also planted signs in the crowd requesting the titles.

This isn’t the first time the WWE has had women’s tag team titles. The first titles were introduced in 1983, with Velvet McIntyre and Princess Victoria becoming the inaugural champions. The belts were more famously held by The Glamour Girls (Lelani Kai & Judy Martin) and the Jumping Bomb Angels (Noriyo Tateno & Itzuki Yamazaki), who feuded over the titles. The belts were dropped by the WWE in 1989.

No serious injuries after Mauro Ranallo involved in car accident

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NXT announcer Mauro Ranallo is shaken up, but otherwise fine following a car accident last night.

On Instagram, Ranallo posted several pictures of what appears to be a nasty accident, with both cars involved in the accident suffering from severe damage. It isn’t known where the accident occurred.

“An Angel was looking over me last night,” Ranallo wrote.  “A car lost control and smashed into me at full speed. Happy to report that no one was seriously injured. I’m still in shock. I guess my work here isn’t done yet. #ChristmasMiracle”

Ranallo currently is the voice of NXT, calling all major TV shows and big events. He’s also well known for his sports broadcasting career, calling boxing, kickboxing and MMA. He currently serves as an announcer for Bellator, calling their most recent events in Hawaii last weekend. He also serves as the voice for Showtime boxing, calling last year’s Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor boxing match.

Stardom coming to the US for WrestleMania weekend

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Another promotion is heading to the New York City area during WrestleMania weekend.

Stardom announced tonight that they will be running a show on April 5, 2019 at the NYC Arena in Queens called American Dream in the Big Apple 2019. Tickets will go on sale Christmas day starting at midnight EST. The show will start at 4 p.m. and finish at 6 p.m.

Founded in 2010, Stardom is one of the top female wrestling promotions in Japan. They also have a working relationship with Ring of Honor, where some of their talent including Mayu Iwatani and HZK, competed in the tournament to crown the first Women of Honor champion.

The current World of Stardom champion is Kagetsu, who defeated Toni Storm for the title on May 23.

Further details regarding ticket sales for American Dream in the Big Apple will be released tonight following Stardom’s year end awards party.

Four new WWE Network shows set to air next week

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A slate of new WWE Network shows will be airing on the WWE Network next week.

The four shows, which appear to be pilots, will debut over the next week starting on Christmas Eve and running through the end of the week on Friday, according to the WWE Network schedule. These all appear to be based off a recent survey asking subscribers what kind of shows they would be interested in.

On Christmas Eve, a new series called Fashion Files: Cold Case Unit will air, apparently a show about solving long-running WWE mysteries. The WWE Network description says “It’s do-or-pie for detectives Tyler Breeze and Fandango, as ‘The Fashion Police’ close in on Kevin Owens’ mysterious Pie Face Perpetrator!”. This is to air following Raw at 11 p.m. EST.

Christmas Day will see Xavier Woods’ show Xavier’s Arcade Challenge debut. This will have Woods examining the arcade scene in each city he visits. The description reads “Xavier Woods invades the arcade scene in The City of Brotherly Love, and he’s seeking a challenge in the retro gaming classic, NBA Jam!” This airs at 7:30 p.m.

A kitchen competition show called WWE Kitchen SmackDown follows on December 27th at 7 p.m. EST. Hosted by Bo Dallas, it will be a cook off show similar to Iron Chef. The description says “Dana Brooke, Alicia Fox and Curtis Axel compete in a cookoff for guest judges Enes Kanter, Noelle Foley and Mark Henry, hosted by Bo Dallas”.

Finally, Botch Club will air at 7:00 p.m. EST on December 28. Hosted by Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, it appears to be similar to the popular Botchamania videos. The description reads “Gallows and Anderson watch acrobatic attempts gone awry, and take a deep dive into the circumstances behind the infamous Titus Worldslide”.

Elgin out with injury, Nagata set for Wrestle Kingdom gauntlet match

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Yuji Nagata will be replacing Michael Elgin in the Gauntlet pre-show match prior to Wrestle Kingdom 13.

New Japan announced this evening that Elgin is out of action with a left knee injury and will undergo surgery shortly. Yuji Nagata, who wasn’t on the show before, will now team with Jeff Cobb and David Finlay.

It isn’t currently known how serious the injury is or how long Elgin will be out for.

The pre-show match, which replaces the New Japan Rumble, will be a gauntlet match to determine the number one contendership for the NEVER six man tag team titles, which are currently held by Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa and Taiji Ishimori.

The other participants in the match include Ryusuke Taguchi, Toru Yano and Togi Makabe, the CHAOS team of Best Friends & Hirooki Goto, the Suzuki-gun team of Killer Elite Squad & Minoru Suzuki, and the Elite team of Marty Scurll, Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page.

Mark Haskins signs with Ring of Honor

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Mark Haskins has officially signed with Ring of Honor, becoming the promotion’s latest talent acquisition.

He posted on Twitter this morning that he has signed with the company.

“I’ve officially signed with ROH. 2019, s*** is going to go down,” he wrote. “Keep watching.  #TheBrass”

It isn’t known when he will make his official debut. Dave Meltzer reported on the December 10 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that he was ROH bound.

Haskins joins a number of other talents that ROH has signed in recent weeks including PCO, Brody King and Bandido. PCO and King have already made their debut for the promotion at the last set of television tapings, aligning themselves with Marty Scurll to form Villains Enterprises.

Haskins has been wrestling since 2006. He’s wrestled for IPW (where he won their world title twice) PROGRESS and Defiant Wrestling in the United Kingdom and Smash Wrestling in Canada. He has also worked PWG dates in the past, competing in the 2017 Battle of Los Angeles.

VIDEO: WWE ARRIVAL featuring Matt Riddle, episode 4

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The fourth episode of ARRIVAL featuring Matt Riddle can be seen below.

The video starts with footage from Matt Riddle’s first WWE try-out back in 2015, cutting a promo. It then shows him, his wife and three children moving to Florida and getting adjusted to their new house and surroundings.

It also shows Matt Riddle entering the WWE Performance Center and participating in drills for the first time with trainer Norman Smiley, who praised Riddle and his try-out from several years ago. Riddle compares his first day at the PC to when he first auditioned, saying that now he felt like he belonged.

Riddle signed with the promotion back in August after spending the last three years making a name for himself on the independent scene, winning titles in EVOLVE and PROGRESS. He made his television debut on the October 31st edition of NXT, defeating Luke Menzies.

You can watch the other three episodes of Arrival here.

OTT books WALTER vs. PAC for Homecoming II

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WALTER and PAC are set to face one another in February.

Over the Top Wrestling announced today that the two will square off at their Homecoming II event, which will take place on February 17 at the National Basketball Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Floor seats have already been sold out.

It is an interesting match as the two are heading in different directions. WALTER has already signed a deal with WWE, and is expected to be a part of the NXT UK roster going forward.

Meanwhile, PAC, who was known in WWE as Neville, left the promotion in August after spending most of 2018 at home due to contractual issues. Since leaving WWE, he has mainly worked for Dragon Gate but is taking independent dates in the UK.

Another high profile match featuring PAC will see him square off against Will Ospreay, as the two are scheduled to meet on February 15 for Rev Pro’s High Stakes event.

WWE SmackDown TV taping spoilers: United States title match

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Here are next week’s SmackDown spoilers from Fresno, California. WWE is taping tonight as they’re now off the road until 12/26.

– Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows and The Usos defeated Sanity and The Bar

The New Day were on commentary wearing Santa outfits during the bout. Anderson and Gallows got the win after hitting the Magic Killer on Cesaro.

R-Truth and Carmella came out. Truth was dressed up like Santa Claus. They are interrupted by Daniel Bryan, who calls the crowd “fickle” for buying into the comedy act and calls Truth’s career a joke. This eventually led to a dance break where Bryan jumped Truth before it could conclude.

– Mustafa Ali defeated Andrade Cien Almas

Ali defeated Almas after hitting the 054.

Shane McMahon was on Miz TV. After asking the WWE Universe (which was said to have gotten a mixed reaction), it appears that they are now a tag team.

– Jeff Hardy defeated Samoa Joe by count out

The finish had Joe escape the Whisper in the Wind by rolling out to the floor. Hardy then attacked him on the outside which eventually led to the cout out. Hardy went for a twist of fate on the announce table after the match but Joe countered with the coquina clutch and choked him out.

– Rusev defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to win the WWE United States title

Rusev won the title after hitting the machka kick. He and Lana celebrated in the ring to close out the show.

US title match, Joe vs. Hardy set for next week’s WWE SmackDown

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Two matches are set for next week’s SmackDown.

Shinsuke Nakamura will face off against Rusev in a United States title defense. Rusev pinned Nakamura in a tag match last week that also had Jeff Hardy and Samoa Joe. This week, both men mocked one another, with Rusev comparing Nakamura to Sonic the Hedgehog due to his new blue attire. Nakamura countered later in the show, showing unflattering clips of Rusev on Total Divas.

Jeff Hardy and Samoa Joe will go one-on-one as well. Joe interrupted Jeff Hardy’s 20 year WWE celebration a few weeks ago, bringing up his “demons” from the past. This week, Hardy and Joe got into an altercation that Hardy got the better of, sending Joe reeling.

Also announced for next week is Miz TV with Shane McMahon serving as guest. Miz has been trying to recruit him as a tag team partner ever since McMahon won the World Cup trophy at Crown Jewel.

These segments will be taped tonight in Fresno as WWE will be off the road until 12/26.

Daily Update: ROH title match set, WWE notes, Jon Jones

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DAILY UPDATE

Latest News

Latest Audio

F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: The revitalization of the new Daniel Bryan

When Daniel Bryan announced his emotional return to the ring, it was fairly inconceivable that he’d end up being a vicious and pompous environmentalist heel just eight months later. But the character change has revitalized Bryan and taken him to the highest points since the immediate aftermath of announcing his comeback. With Bryan completely buying into the change, “the new Daniel Bryan” has been far better in execution than it would have sounded on paper.

WON NEWSLETTER: December 17, 2018 Observer Newsletter: Fantastic Tokyo Dome card, death of Larry Hennig

A look at New Japan going into the Tokyo Dome, notes on lots of new television deals and a story on the life of Larry Hennig heads up this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Our lead story is a preview of the Wrestle Kingdom 13 show, with the lineup, storylines, tag team tournament rundown, this weekend’s shows and full coverage of the tag team tournament finals with match-by-match coverage, star ratings and poll results.

Look at the glory days of the AWA with a story on the life of Larry Hennig. Start with his legit sports background, why he never wrestled or played football in college, how he got started in pro wrestling, and his rise to fame as a heel in the AWA.

Look at one of the 60s most successful tag teams, Harley Race & Larry Hennig, and their feud with Dick the Bruiser & The Crusher. Also look at the rest of Hennig’s career all over the world.

Also look at the future of Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt, George Bush’s connection to pro wrestling, WWE week on USA, WWE rules for what U.K. talent can do, injury and illness updates, John Cena talks on future, notes on and WWE tryouts.

Also look at ONE attempting to become a significant player on the U.S. scene with its deal with TNT, its big signings, but also a look at the company’s real economic numbers.

ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to [email protected]. 

Rates in the United States are $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to [email protected]. For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52. If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.)

If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.

TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

  • Next week’s Christmas day edition of SmackDown is being taped at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California after tonight’s episode.
  • Today is Steve Austin’s 54th birthday, Trish Stratus’ 43rd birthday, and RVD’s 48th birthday.
  • Dixie Carter congratulated EC3 on being called up to the main roster: “So proud of you E! Congrats to @wwe too… Can’t wait to watch you hold those major titles in the air.  Love you, Aunt D #toponepercent #wwe #raw #smackdown”
  • Today’s Hidden Gem is a Christmas night 1983 match from Mid-South Pro Wrestling, with then tag team champions Butch Reed and Jim Neidhart defending the titles against Magnum TA and Mr. Wrestling II.
  • WWE Network News reported that tomorrow’s Hidden Gems addition will be an AWA Christmas night event from 1983 featuring a Nick Bockwinkel vs. Mad Dog Vachon AWA title match. Just over an hour of the show will be uploaded.
  • WWE.com posted an article on a cryptic series of tweets Bray Wyatt made yesterday.
  • John Cena talked to Mike O’Brien on his “7 Minutes in Heaven” talk show on YouTube.
  • The New Day served pancakes to Fort Hood troops at the local Dennys.
  • WWE released their annual happy holidays video.

Pro Wrestling

UFC/MMA

  • Jon Jones’ coach Brandon Gibson feels that the constant layoffs that Jon Jones had had due to various problems actually benefits him in terms of competition. “He’s not getting concussions,” he told Luke Thomas. “He’s taking care of his body and his mind, and this is such a — at this top one percent, these guys are tough. That’s not an aspect that comes with sparring or anything like that. The time off where we’re not having impact, where his body’s not getting beaten up and broken down, where we’re just continuing to evolve the skill and the technique and the strategy and develop Jon that much more as a martial artist is key. And you said he’s 31, he has a long fight career ahead of him still, and he really feels like this time off has prolonged his career that much more.
  • Conor McGregor says he’s “launching rockets in 19’”.
  • A featherweight match between Jeremy Stephens and Zabit Magomedsharipov has been confirmed for UFC 235.
  • Marina Rodriguez has pulled out of a scheduled February 2nd strawweight fight in Brazil against Alexa Grasso due to what is being reported as a hand injury. It isn’t known if she will be replaced or if the match will be scrapped.
  • Cris Cyborg held a open workout at Huntington Beach ahead of UFC 232.
  • JacksonWink and American Top Team’s Instagram accounts have been taken down due to UFC content.
  • Former UFC fighter Chris Leben was on the Comedy Suplex Podcart episode 78 promoting his upcoming appearance for FIST Combat, this Thursday, December 20, at “Jolt’n Joes” in La Mesa, CA.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Daniel Bryan wins World title at TLC 2011

CONTACT INFORMATION

Four matches set for next week’s Raw

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A match for the Raw women’s championship has been made for next week.

Storyline friends Natalya and Ronda Rousey will face off for the title. The match was made after Natalya won a gauntlet match for the number one contendership. As the match went on for the duration of the third hour, it eventually boiled down to Natalya (who beat Ember Moon and Ruby Riott) and Sasha Banks, who entered the match last. After trading submissions, Natalya scored the submission win with the sharpshooter.

Meanwhile, Bobby Lashley and Elias will battle in a Miracle on 34th Street Fight, which is a street fight filled with Christmas items. The two have been feuding over the last several weeks by attacking one another with Elias’ guitar. Elias sent Lashley packing tonight with another guitar shot.

Finn Balor, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre will face off in a triple threat match. All three men have had bad blood with one another in the last few weeks, and it was McIntyre who came to the ring this week to lay both Ziggler and Balor out as they were having a match.

Baron Corbin and Seth Rollins will face off in a singles match as well. During tonight’s Raw, Corbin blamed Rollins for what happened to him at TLC and mocked him for losing the Intercontinental title. Rollins responded by punching him out.

Paul Heyman will also be on the show to “celebrate the holidays”.

These matches will be taped later tonight and will air on next week’s Christmas Eve edition of Raw.