Author: Ethan Renner

An F4WOnline Editor since 2019, Ethan has been covering wrestling and MMA since 2011. He has hosted The Wrestling Life Podcast since 2014, and is a former Baltimore Sun TV/Tribune Media contributor. He is also a Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles fan.

Luchasaurus ‘doing much better’ in recovery from double pneumonia

Posted on by Ethan Renner

AEW’s Luchasaurus is on the mend and doing much better as he recovers from a bout with double pneumonia that threatened his life.

Real name Austin Matelson, the 39-year-old AEW star was hospitalized in late September with pneumonia in both lungs after his fiancé found him collapsed.

In an update posted to social media for his subscribers, our Bryan Alvarez notes that Matelson is “doing much better” and credits AEW’s medical staff and Tony Khan with saving his life.

Alvarez writes:

“He is doing much better. I am told he is working hard towards a comeback and credits Tony Khan and AEW medical staff for not only being patient with this, but but also telling him to stay home the week before he collapsed, which may have saved his life. It was very serious.”

Now going by Killswitch in AEW storylines, Matelson last wrestled for the company in August at All In as part of the Casino Battle Royale.

Toni Storm’s in-ring return booked for AEW Rampage Winter is Coming

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Toni Storm will return to in-ring competition in AEW on Friday’s Rampage Winter is Coming.

Storm, who made her surprise return to AEW on Wednesday’s Dynamite following the main event Women’s World title bout between Mariah May and Mina Shirakawa, will take on Harley Cameron on Friday’s show, her first AEW match since dropping the Women’s World Championship to May at All In in Wembley Stadium on August 25.

Friday’s Rampage was taped Wednesday night in Kansas City. Spoilers from the taping are available here.

Three more matches are also set for Friday’s special edition of Rampage.

Mark Davis, formerly of Aussie Open, teams with Powerhouse Hobbs on Friday’s show against Lance Archer & Konosuke Takeshita. Also taped for Rampage, Deonna Purrazzo goes one-on-one with Shazza McKenzie.

Matt Cardona vs. Bryan Keith is also set for Friday’s show as announced during Dynamite.

The AEW Rampage Winter is Coming lineup for Friday, December 13 —

  • Toni Storm vs. Harley Cameron
  • Matt Cardona vs. Bryan Keith
  • Konosuke Takeshita & Lance Archer vs. Powerhouse Hobbs & Mark Davis
  • Deonna Purrazzo vs. Shazza McKenzie

Matt Cardona vs. Bryan Keith set for AEW Rampage Winter is Coming

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The first match has been announced for Friday’s AEW Rampage Winter is Coming.

Before he challenges Chris Jericho for the ROH World Championship at Final Battle, Matt Cardona will get in the ring with “The Bad Apple” Bryan Keith on Friday’s Rampage episode.

Cardona appeared in a backstage promo segment on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, and will also appear in a Final Battle contract signing segment with Jericho on Thursday’s Ring of Honor TV show.

Final Battle takes place on Friday, December 20 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

The Cardona vs. Keith bout is the only item officially announced for Friday’s Rampage. The Winter is Coming branding will also be used for Saturday’s Collision episode.

The lineups for AEW Rampage Winter is Coming, and AEW Collision Winter is Coming:

AEW Rampage Winter is Coming, Friday, December 13, 10 p.m. Eastern time on TNT —

  • Matt Cardona vs. Bryan Keith

AEW Collision Winter is Coming, Saturday, December 14, 8 p.m. Eastern time on TNT or following NBA coverage —

  • FTR call out The Death Riders
  • Continental Classic Blue League: Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe
  • Continental Classic Blue League: Kazuchika Okada vs. The Beast Mortos
  • International Women’s Cup qualifier: Willow Nightingale vs. Jamie Hayter

Tag title eliminator, Continental Classic match, FTR added to AEW Collision Winter is Coming

Posted on by Ethan Renner

FTR will call out Jon Moxley and his Death Riders on Saturday’s AEW Collision, plus two new matches has been announced for the show.

Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler promised to call out Moxley and the Death Riders on Saturday’s Collision episode during a backstage promo on Wednesday’s Dynamite. The Death Riders continue to run roughshod over the promotion as evidenced by the opening match on Wednesday’s Dynamite.

In a match made Wednesday between former allies, Top Flight will take on the new team of Lio Rush & Action Andretti with the winners facing AEW Tag Team Champions Private Party at some point.

A second Continental Classic Blue League bout is also set for Saturday as Kyle Fletcher will take on The Conglomeration’s Mark Briscoe. A Blue League tilt between Kazuchika Okada and The Beast Mortos has already been announced for the show.

Also announced for Saturday’s episode, Willow Nightingale and Jamie Hayter will square off in the International Women’s Cup qualifier finals with the winner advancing to Wrestle Dynasty in the Tokyo Dome on January 5.

Saturday’s Collision is being taped Thursday night in St. Louis, Missouri. The show will air Saturday, December 14 on TNT at 8 p.m. Eastern time, or following the conclusion of TNT’s NBA coverage.

The lineup for the show:

  • FTR calls out The Death Riders
  • Continental Classic Blue league: Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe
  • Continental Classic Blue league: Kazuchika Okada vs. The Beast Mortos
  • Tag Team title eliminator: Top Flight (Darius & Dante Martin) vs. Action Andretti & Lio Rush
  • International Women’s Cup qualifier: Willow Nightingale vs. Jamie Hayter

Bronson Reed undergoes surgery to repair broken foot

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Bronson Reed is on the road to recovery after undergoing surgery on Wednesday to repair a broken foot suffered at WWE Survivor Series.

Reed first revealed in a social media post on Tuesday that he was set for surgery this week after breaking his left foot in the men’s WarGames match at WWE Survivor Series on November 30. Reed jumped off the top of the WarGames cage, with CM Punk pulling Roman Reigns out of the way as Reed crashed through a table. Instead of taking the brunt of the impact on his torso through the table, Reed landed on his left foot, which broke under the pressure.

The WWE star posted a photo from the hospital with the caption:

“On the road to f–k sh– up!“

Reed underwent surgery after being evaluated by Andrews Sports Medicine in Birmingham, Alabama.

As noted on Wrestling Observer Radio this week, Reed is expected to be out of action until after WrestleMania 41 in April 2025.

https://twitter.com/BRONSONISHERE/status/1867021503591747658

NJPW reveals full Strong Style Evolved card, Mercedes Mone vs. Hazuki to main event

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW has revealed the full card for Sunday’s Strong Style Evolved event.

The show will officially be headlined by Mercedes Mone defending the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship against Hazuki, a match made when Hazuki won a four-way number one contender’s match at last month’s Fighting Spirit Unleashed show.

It will be the second NJPW event Mone has headlined this year, as she also headlined Capital Collision for the promotion in August against Momo Watanabe.

The only new match for Sunday’s event is a six-man tag team contest featuring a preview of the Wrestle Kingdom main event, as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. teams with Bad Dude Tito and Shane Haste against Sabre’s Wrestle Kingdom challenger Shota Umino, Fred Rosser, and Tom Lawlor.

Sunday’s event will stream on NJPW World for subscribers, with Triller also offering the show as a pay-per-view for those not subscribed to NJPW World.

The finalized NJPW Strong Style Evolved lineup:

NJPW Strong Style Evolved, Sunday, December 15, 7:30 p.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —

  • NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Mercedes Mone defends against Hazuki
  • Jack Perry & Konosuke Takeshita vs. Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji
  • Zack Sabre Jr., Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste vs. Shota Umino, Fred Rosser & Tom Lawlor
  • NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd defends against Ryohei Oiwa
  • Hiromu Takahashi & Titan vs. Templario & Jakob Austin Young
  • Lio Rush vs. Hechicero
  • TJP vs. Kevin Knight vs. Kosei Fujita vs. Clark Connors
  • NJPW Strong Tag Team Champions Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) defend against West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs)
  • Mina Shirakawa vs. Johnnie Robbie
  • Pre-show: Matt Vandagriff vs. Zane Jay

New match added to TNA Final Resolution pre-show

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A new match has been added to Friday’s TNA Countdown to Final Resolution pre-show.

After squaring off in tag team action on a recent Impact episode, JDC and Leon Slater will go one-on-one in singles competition on Friday’s Countdown to Final Resolution.

Two matches are now set for Friday’s pre-show, as Frankie Kazarian vs. Jonathan Gresham was announced for Friday’s show earlier on Tuesday.

Six matches are advertised for Friday’s main card. The pre-show will stream on TNA’s digital media channels beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, December 13, with the main card streaming on TNA Plus beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Here is the updated card for Friday’s show:

TNA Final Resolution 2024 (Friday, December 13) —

  • TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth defends against AJ Francis
  • TNA Knockouts World Champion Masha Slamovich defends against Tasha Steelz
  • Tables match: TNA Tag Team Champions The Hardys (Matt & Jeff Hardy) defend against The System (Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards)
  • TNA X-Division Champion Moose defends against KUSHIDA
  • TNA World title number one contender’s match: Joe Hendry vs. Mike Santana vs. Steve Maclin vs. Josh Alexander
  • Jordynne Grace vs. Rosemary
  • Pre-show: Jonathan Gresham vs. Frankie Kazarian
  • Pre-show: Leon Slater vs. JDC

Two title matches booked for next week’s WWE NXT

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Trick Williams will defend his NXT Championship in one of two title matches set for next week’s WWE NXT.

Williams will put his NXT Championship on the line against Eddy Thorpe on the Tuesday, December 17 episode. Thorpe signed the contract for his title match next week after an in-ring confrontation between the champion and challenger that also included Oba Femi, who was presented as the likely next challenger for Williams.

Thorpe also revealed in the closing scene of this week’s show that he staged his own attack on last week’s episode to avoid participating in the Iron Survivor Challenge at Deadline.

The NXT Tag Team titles will also be defended next week, as Nathan Frazer and Axiom put their titles on the line against Gallus’s Wolfgang and Mark Coffey.

Two non-title matches have also been announced for next week.

After Nathan Frazer pulled double duty at Deadline, Axiom will try the same feat next week, as in addition to the Tag Team title defense, Axiom will take on Femi.

A tag team bout with Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson vs. Sol Ruca and Zaria is also set for next week.

The announced lineup for the Tuesday, December 17 WWE NXT:

  • NXT Champion Trick Williams defends against Eddy Thorpe
  • NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazer & Axiom defend against Gallus (Joe Coffey & Wolfgang)
  • Oba Femi vs. Axiom
  • Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson vs. Sol Ruca & Zaria

Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn set for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Ethan Renner

A new match has been added to WWE Saturday Night’s Main event on December 14.

Following a pair of angles involving the duo on Monday’s Raw, Sami Zayn and Drew McIntyre will go one-on-one this Saturday on the NBC special.

McIntyre made his surprise return to the company on last week’s Raw, aying out Zayn in the aftermath of a Zayn vs. Seth Rollins matchup. McIntyre again attacked Zayn on the Raw stage on this week’s episode, with Zayn getting retribution in a backstage attack in a later segment:

Five matches are now set for Saturday’s prime time NBC Saturday Night’s Main Event. The updated lineup:

  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Kevin Owens
  • World Heavyweight Champion Gunther defends against Finn Balor and Damian Priest in a three-way
  • Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan defends against IYO SKY
  • Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre
  • WWE Women’s United States title tournament finals
  • Jesse Ventura on commentary

Two title matches booked for next week’s WWE Raw

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The Men’s Intercontinental and World Tag Team titles will be defended on the Monday, December 16 WWE Raw.

As announced by WWE following Monday’s Raw, Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker will defend his title against Ludwig Kaiser on next Monday’s show. Breakker retained his title in a triple threat match at Survivor Series also involving Kaiser and Sheamus.

Kaiser and Breakker were involved in a pull-apart angle in a backstage segment on Raw Monday:

As revealed by Raw authority figure Adam Pearce during this week’s episode, Finn Balor and JD McDonagh of The Judgment Day will put their World Tag Team titles on the line on next week’s show against Erik and Ivar of The War Raiders.

Next Monday’s Raw lineup:

WWE Raw, Monday, December 16 —

  • WWE Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker defends against Ludwig Kaiser
  • World Tag Team Champions The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & JD McDonagh) defend against The War Raiders (Erik & Ivar)

Templario replacing HENARE at NJPW Strong Style Evolved

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NJPW’s United Empire faction has a new member to replace the injured HENARE.

In a vignette posted to NJPW’s social media channels Monday, CMLL star Templario was revealed as the newest member of United Empire, with the added announcement that he will replace the injured HENARE on Sunday’s Strong Style Evolved event in Long Beach.

Nine matches are set for the Sunday, December 15 Strong Style Evolved event. The show will stream live on NJPW World at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time for subscribers, with Triller also offering the show as a PPV for non-subscribers. The updated lineup:

  • NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Mercedes Mone defends against Hazuki
  • NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd defends against Ryohei Oiwa
  • NJPW Strong Tag Team Champions Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) defend against West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs)
  • Jack Perry & Konosuke Takeshita vs. Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji
  • Hiromu Takahashi & Titan vs. Templario & Jakob Austin Young
  • TJP vs. Kevin Knight vs. Kosei Fujita vs. Clark Connors
  • Lio Rush vs. Hechicero
  • Mina Shirakawa vs. Johnnie Robbie
  • Matt Vandagriff vs. Zane Jay

Matt Cardona to appear at AEW Rampage Winter is Coming

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Matt Cardona is set to appear at AEW Rampage Winter is Coming.

The new segment for the Friday, December 13 show was announced during this week’s Rampage episode.

Cardona will challenge Chris Jericho for the Ring of Honor World Championship at Final Battle on Friday, December 20. In a face-to-face confrontation on Friday’s Rampage, Jericho and Bryan Keith of The Learning Tree doubled up on Cardona and left him laying.

The Winter is Coming edition of Rampage will be taped on Wednesday, December 11 in Kansas City, Missouri alongside the live edition of Dynamite.

The lineups for AEW’s Winter is Coming events:

AEW Dynamite Winter is Coming —

  • Continental Classic Gold League: Will Ospreay vs. Claudio Castagnoli
  • Continental Classic Gold League: Brody King vs. Ricochet
  • AEW Women’s World Champion Mariah May defends against Mina Shirakawa
  • Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly for shot at MJF at Worlds End
  • Jon Moxley & PAC vs. Orange Cassidy & Jay White

AEW Rampage Winter is Coming —

  • Matt Cardona appears

Tiffany Stratton advances in US title tournament, semifinals set for next WWE SmackDown

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The semifinals are set for the WWE Women’s United States title tournament to crown the inaugural champion.

Tiffany Stratton won a quarterfinals three-way on Friday’s SmackDown, pinning Elektra Lopez in a bout also featuring Naomi to advance to the semifinals set for next week’s episode.

Stratton will take on Michin on the Friday, December 13 WWE SmackDown with a spot in the finals at stake, while Bayley will face Chelsea Green in the other semifinal matchup next week.

The finals of the tournament to crown the first-ever WWE Women’s United States Champion will be held on Saturday Night’s Main Event on NBC on Saturday, December 14. Cody Rhodes defending the WWE Championship against Kevin Owens, Gunther defending the World Heavyweight title against Finn Balor, plus Liv Morgan defending the Women’s World title against IYO SKY are also set for SNME.

The lineup for the December 13 WWE SmackDown:

  • Women’s United States Championship tournament semifinals: Tiffany Stratton vs. Michin
  • Women’s United States Championship tournament semifinals: Bayley vs. Chelsea Green

WWE provides injury updates on Tonga Loa, Bronson Reed, Jimmy Uso

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WWE has provided injury updates on three of the competitors from last Saturday’s men’s Survivor Series WarGames match.

In a vignette on Friday’s SmackDown, WWE revealed that Tonga Loa suffered a torn biceps in the men’s WarGames match and will be sidelined indefinitely. The promotion showed a still image of Loa with his left arm in a sling, noting that he had undergone successful surgery to repair the injury.

In the same vignette, WWE revealed that Bronson Reed suffered a broken foot in the WarGames bout and will also require surgery to repair the injury. Reed is believed to have been injured while delivering a splash off the top of the cage.

As the company previously noted, Jimmy Uso suffered a broken toe in the WarGames contest and will also be sidelined indefinitely as a result.

The vignette detailing the injuries suffered in the WarGames contest included x-rays of all three injuries, and a close-up of Loa’s surgical incision.

Our full report from Friday’s WWE SmackDown is available here.

Five matches booked for next week’s TNA Impact

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Five matches are on tap for the Thursday, December 12 TNA Impact.

In a matchup with Final Resolution implications, TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth teams with Knockouts World Champion Masha Slamovich, and Joe Hendry in a six-person mixed trios bout against AJ Francis, KC Navarro, and Tasha Steelz. Francis is set to challenge Nemeth for the World title at Final Resolution, while Steelz will challenge Slamovich for her title on that show. Hendry will be part of a four-way to crown a new World title number one contender at Final Resolution.

Two tag team matches, plus two Knockouts Division bouts are also set for next week’s Impact.

In tag team action, PCO and Sami Callihan will team against Jake Something and Hammerstone, plus Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz of The Rascalz will take on Laredo Kid and Leon Slater.

In the Knockouts Division, Dani Luna will face Heather Reckless, plus Lei Ying Lee will take on Rosemary.

The announced card for the Thursday, December 12 TNA Impact, the go-home show for next Friday’s Final Resolution special on TNA Plus:

  • Nic Nemeth, Masha Slamovich & Joe Hendry vs. AJ Francis, KC Navarro & Tasha Steelz
  • PCO & Sami Callihan vs. Jake Something & Hammerstone
  • The Rascalz (Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz) vs. Laredo Kid & Leon Slater
  • Dani Luna vs. Heather Reckless
  • Lei Ying Lee vs. Rosemary