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.

NJPW reveals Konosuke Takeshita’s opponent, finalizes Fighting Spirit Unleashed card

Posted on by Ethan Renner

An AEW title will be defended on Friday’s NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed pay-per-view.

As previously announced, Konosuke Takeshita is bringing the AEW International Championship to Lowell, Massachusetts this Friday, and now NJPW has revealed the challenger — It will be TJP challenging Takeshita for the International title on Friday’s show.

Fighting Spirit Unleashed streams on NJPW World this Friday, November 8 at 7 p.m. Eastern time. The pre-show streams live on NJPW’s digital media channels at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time.

The finalized card:

  • NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd defends against Kosei Fujita
  • AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita defends against TJP
  • Zack Sabre Jr. & Bad Dude Tito vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Shota Umino
  • KENTA vs. Ryohei Oiwa
  • Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji vs Mike Bennett & Matt Taven
  • NJPW Strong Women’s Championship number one contender’s match: Anna Jay vs. Trish Adora vs. Hazuki vs. Koguma
  • 2 out of 3 falls: Fred Rosser & Tom Lawlor vs. Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs
  • Mustafa Ali vs. Lio Rush
  • NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste defend against James Drake & Zack Gibson
  • David Finlay vs. Kevin Knight
  • Pre-show match: Matt Vandagriff vs. Seabass Finn

Karl Anderson undergoes surgery

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Karl Anderson of The OC has undergone surgery and will be sidelined until after WWE WrestleMania 41.

In a social media post Monday, Anderson revealed that he had undergone surgery in Birmingham, Alabama performed by Dr. Dugas. The accompanying photo shows Anderson’s left arm in a sling.

Furthermore, Anderson promised to reveal details regarding his injury and the subsequent surgery on his Talk’n Shop podcast, with a new episode dropping Thursday.

Anderson and tag partner Luke Gallows were last in action at the October 1 WWE NXT taping in a dark match, with the duo’s last televised bout airing on the September 24 WWE NXT episode. The OC’s last main roster televised bout came in July on SmackDown as part of a WWE Tag Team title number one contender’s gauntlet.

Anderson wrote in the caption:

“Thanks to Dr. Dugas in Birmingham, Alabama for fixing me

See you after #WrestleMania 😘 #WWE#wweraw

Details on this weeks #TalkNShop dropping Thursday am.
Link in bio @talknshoppodcast

Monday Night Raw tonight! @wwe”

New number one contender to World Heavyweight title crowned on WWE Raw

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Damian Priest is the new number one contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Priest was victorious in a four-way bout to determine the new number one contender to Gunther’s World Heavyweight title on Monday’s Raw show and is next in line for a shot at the championship.

In a bout that also featured Seth Rollins, Sheamus, and Dominik Mysterio, Priest pinned Mysterio to become the top contender to Gunther’s World title, with the champion coming to the ring after the bout for a confrontation with the next challenger.

The match also featured interference from Bronson Reed who attacked Rollins, indicating that the program between those two will continue.

Priest is a former World Heavyweight Champion, cashing in a Money in the Bank contract at WrestleMania 40 to defeat Drew McIntyre for the title and holding it until SummerSlam this year where he dropped it to Gunther.

No date has been announced yet for the Gunther vs. Priest World Heavyweight title bout.

Our full report from Monday’s taped edition of Raw is available here.

Motor City Machine Guns to appear on Grayson Waller Effect on next WWE SmackDown

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The WWE Tag Team Champions are set for a talk show segment on next week’s SmackDown.

Motor City Machine Guns will appear on The Grayson Waller Effect talk show on the Friday, November 8 WWE SmackDown show, two weeks after MCMG won the WWE Tag Team Championship from The Bloodline.

A backstage confrontation between MCMG’s Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin and Waller & Austin Theory aired on Friday’s SmackDown, establishing former champs Waller & Theory as the likely next challengers to MCMG’s titles.

Next week’s SmackDown will also feature fallout from Saturday’s Crown Jewel PLE. Crown Jewel features Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens, a Women’s Tag Team title bout, plus LA Knight defending the United States title in a three-way against Andrade & Carmelo Hayes.

Next week’s announced SmackDown lineup:

  • The Grayson Waller Effect w/host Grayson Waller, Austin Theory, and guests WWE Tag Team Champions Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin)

X-Division Championship match booked for next TNA Impact

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Mike Bailey will defend the X-Division title against Moose on the November 7 episode of TNA Impact.

In a match set up with a backstage confrontation on this week’s Impact, Bailey will defend the TNA X-Division Championship against Moose on next week’s show. Bailey is the reigning and defending champ, while Moose has never held the title traditionally reserved for junior heavyweights.

Three more matches are also set for next week.

WWE NXT’s Wendy Choo will face former tag team partner Rosemary in a no-DQ bout on next week’s episode after Rosemary turned on Choo at Bound for Glory.

New Knockouts World Champion Masha Slamovich and former champ Jordynne Grace will team next week against Tasha Steelz and Alisha Edwards.

After a main event pairing between Nic Nemeth and Joe Hendry went awry on this week’s show, Ryan Nemeth confronted Hendry in a segment posted to TNA’s digital media channels. Ryan will take on Hendry next week on Impact as a result.

The Thursday, November 7 TNA Impact lineup:

  • TNA X-Division Champion Mike Bailey defends against Moose
  • Wendy Choo vs. Rosemary in a no-DQ match
  • Masha Slamovich & Jordynne Grace vs. Tasha Steelz & Alisha Edwards
  • Joe Hendry vs. Ryan Nemeth

Lio Rush vs. Komander one of five matches set for AEW Rampage

Posted on by Ethan Renner

A battle between two high-flyers is one of five matches set for this Friday’s AEW Rampage as Lio Rush takes on Komander.

Komander’s last AEW victory came in a trios squash match on the September 14th Collision where he teamed with Private Party in a win over Jon Cruz, Lord Crewe & Ren Jones. The luchador has one career victory in 18 AEW singles bouts, that being a July 2023 victory over Kip Sabian. He also will face Kyle Fletcher on Saturday’s Collision.

You have to go back even further for Rush’s last AEW victory which came on the August 31st Collision in a trios match. He has a 2-6 record in eight career AEW singles bouts with his last victory coming on the June 21st Rampage when he defeated Action Andretti.

The rest of the card will see LFI’s Rush, Beast Mortos & Dralistico in trios action agains the patchwork team of The Butcher, JD Drake & Beef; Taya Valkyrie against Zoey Lynn; Queen Aminata against Leila Grey; and a trios match between Top Flight & Action Andretti against the Dark Order.

Here’s the full lineup:

  • Lio Rush vs. Komander
  • LFI (Rush, Beast Mortos & Dralistico) vs. The Butcher, JD Drake & Beef
  • Taya Valkyrie vs. Zoey Lynn
  • Queen Aminata vs. Leila Grey
  • Top Flight (Darius and Dante Martin) & Action Andretti vs. Dark Order (John Silver, Alex Reynolds & Evil Uno)

Adam Cole vs. Malakai Black, Fight Without Honor booked for next AEW Dynamite

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Adam Cole will climb into the ring with Malakai Black on next week’s AEW Dynamite, with more new matches also added to the card.

Cole defeated Buddy Matthews of House of Black on Wednesday’s Dynamite, then was confronted by Black after the bout. The two shook hands in a show of respect, but the match between the two was officially added to next week’s lineup later in the program.

A Fight Without Honor is also set for next week.

ROH World Champion Chris Jericho, Bryan Keith, and Big Bill of The Learning Tree will take on The Conglomeration’s Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly, and Tomohiro Ishii in a six-man Fight Without Honor on next week’s episode.

A tag team bout with Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy fighting for AEW against Claudio Castagnoli & PAC of Jon Moxley’s outlaw group has also been announced for next week. Allin descended from the rafters on Dynamite Wednesday to battle alongside AEW wrestlers as they fought off Moxley and company.

The Patriarchy will also confront Hook on next week’s Dynamite.

Penelope Ford vs. Jamie Hayter has already been announced for the show.

The lineup for the Wednesday, November 6 AEW Dynamite:

  • Adam Cole vs. Malakai Black
  • Fight Without Honor: Chris Jericho, Big Bill & Bryan Keith vs. Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly & Tomohiro Ishii
  • Darby Allin & Orange Cassidy vs. Claudio Castagnoli & PAC
  • The Patriarchy confronts Hook
  • Penelope Ford vs. Jamie Hayter

Kyle Fletcher vs. Komander added to AEW Collision

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Kyle Fletcher will be in action on Saturday’s AEW Collision.

In a new match added to Saturday’s lineup on Wednesday’s Dynamite, Fletcher will face Komander in singles competition on the Saturday, November 2 Collision episode.

Fletcher was confronted by the returning Mark Davis, his tag team partner in Aussie Open who has been sidelined due to injury. Fletcher has received a singles push as a member of the Don Callis Family in Davis’ absence.

Komander will also be in action on Friday’s Rampage episode against Lio Rush.

Two more matches are already set for Saturday’s Collision, with a Day of the Dead match between Thunder Rosa and Harley Cameron booked, plus Anna Jay challenging Mariah May for the AEW Women’s World Championship.

The updated card for the Saturday, November 2 Collision in Philadelphia:

  • AEW Women’s World Champion Mariah May defends against Anna Jay
  • Day of the Dead match: Thunder Rosa vs. Harley Cameron
  • Kyle Fletcher vs. Komander

WWE announces Rhea Ripley to miss ‘undisclosed amount of time’ due to injury

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Rhea Ripley is out for an “undisclosed amount of time” after suffering a fractured right orbital socket, according to WWE.

In a news story posted to their website late Wednesday, WWE says that Ripley suffered the orbital fracture on Tuesday’s WWE NXT episode where Ripley made a surprise appearance. WWE wrote:

“Last night on NXT, Rhea Ripley was heinously attacked in the parking lot by Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan and her enforcer Raquel Rodriguez. Following the brutal attack, it has been revealed that The Nightmare has suffered a fractured right orbital socket, which will put Ripley out of action for an undisclosed amount of time. Make sure to follow all WWE social media platforms as this story develops.”

An injury angle was shot involving Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez of The Judgment Day attacking Ripley in the NXT parking lot on the program.

The attack was never shown on camera, with Ripley shown bloodied after the fact indicating that if legitimate, the injury came at an earlier date and the angle on NXT was to provide a storyline reason for Ripley’s absence. Morgan and Rodriguez were shown walking away from the presumed attack on Ripley.

Ripley missed roughly three months of action earlier this year due to a shoulder injury. Morgan is currently the Women’s World Champion and faces Nia Jax for the Crown Jewel Championship this Saturday at WWE’s Crown Jewel PLE.

Bubba Ray Dudley to team with Trick Williams on next WWE NXT

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An ECW original will be in action at the former ECW Arena for next week’s WWE NXT.

Bubba Ray Dudley is set to team with Trick Williams on next week’s WWE NXT from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia in a new match added to next week’s lineup during this week’s show.

Dudley and Williams will team against Ethan Page and Ridge Holland on next Wednesday’s episode after an in-ring confrontation featuring all four on Tuesday night’s WWE NXT show.

A 10-woman tag team match was also set up for next week’s show.

TNA’s Jordynne Grace made a surprise appearance on Tuesday’s NXT, siding with Giulia, Zaria, Stephanie Vaquer, and Kelani Jordan in a brawl against the Fatal Attraction trio, plus Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade. The match was officially announced for next week’s show.

A hardcore match with Jaida Parker vs. Lola Vice with Dawn Marie as special referee is also set for next week’s special Wednesday night episode.

An appearance from Rob Van Dam is also set for next week.

The lineup for the Wednesday, November 6 WWE NXT:

  • Trick Williams & Bubba Ray Dudley vs. Ethan Page & Ridge Holland
  • Hardcore match: Jaida Parker vs. Lola Vice w/Dawn Marie as special guest referee
  • Roxanne Perez, Cora Jade, Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx vs. Jordynne Grace, Kelani Jordan, Zaria, Giulia & Stephanie Vaquer

Chad Gable vs. Dragon Lee booked for next WWE Raw

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Members of American Made and the LWO will square off on next Monday’s WWE Raw.

In a new match for the Monday, November 4 episode, American Made’s Chad Gable will take on the LWO’s Dragon Lee in singles competition.

The match stems from Gable’s interference in the tag team number one contender’s match on this week’s Raw as he put Lee’s partner Rey Mysterio in an ankle lock on the floor in the bout eventually won by the War Raiders. Gable was at ringside to support the Creed Brothers who also took part in the triple threat number one contender’s match.

The bout was officially announced for next Monday’s episode on the Raw Talk show streaming on Peacock following Raw’s conclusion each week.

Next week’s Raw will also feature the fallout from this Saturday’s Crown Jewel pay-per-view.

Next week’s Raw lineup to this point:

WWE Raw, Monday, November 4 —

  • Chad Gable vs. Dragon Lee

Konosuke Takeshita announced for two NJPW events

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The AEW International Champion will wrestle at two NJPW events in the US before the end of the year.

NJPW revealed in a video promo posted to social media that Konosuke Takeshita will be in action at its remaining pay-per-view cards in the United States in 2024, at Fighting Spirit Unleashed on Friday, November 8 and Strong Style Evolved on Sunday, December 15.

Takeshita issued open challenges for the dates in the promo:

The card for Fighting Spirit Unleashed event streaming on NJPW World as a pay-per-view:

  • NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd defends against Kosei Fujita
  • NJPW Strong Tag Team Champions TMDK (Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls) defend against Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson)
  • Mustafa Ali vs. Lio Rush
  • KENTA vs. Ryohei Oiwa
  • David Finlay vs. Kevin Knight
  • Two-out-of-three falls: Dirty Work (Fred Rosser & Tom Lawlor) vs. West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs)
  • NJPW Strong Women’s Championship number one contender’s match: Anna Jay vs. Trish Adora vs. Hazuki vs. Koguma
  • Konosuke Takeshita vs. TBA

Roman Reigns & The Usos vs. The Bloodline official for WWE Crown Jewel

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Roman Reigns will return to action for just the second time since WrestleMania at Saturday’s WWE Crown Jewel PLE.

In a bout that was hinted at during last Friday’s SmackDown taping, Reigns will team with Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso to face three members of Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline at Crown Jewel in a six-man tag.

All four members of The Bloodline (Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa) Are featured in the WWE-produced match graphic indicating that The Bloodline will operate under Freebird rules for the bout.

Jimmy and Jey reunited on last Friday’s SmackDown after more than a year of storyline strife as they interfered on behalf of Motor City Machine Guns in their Tag Team title bout against The Bloodline.

Seven matches are now set for Saturday’s PLE in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The pre-show will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern time with the main card beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, November 2.

The updated PPV lineup:

  • WWE Crown Jewel, Saturday, November 2, 1 p.m. Eastern time on Peacock —
  • Crown Jewel Championship: Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. World Heavyweight Champion Gunther
  • Crown Jewel Championship: WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax vs. Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan
  • WWE United States Champion LA Knight defends against Andrade & Carmelo Hayes in a triple threat
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill defend against Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson, IYO SKY & Kairi Sane, and Chelsea Green & Piper Niven in a four-way
  • Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
  • Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed
  • Roman Reigns, Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso vs. The Bloodline (three of Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa)

Full lineup for next week’s WWE SmackDown

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WWE has announced several segments for the Friday, November 1 SmackDown episode, the Crown Jewel go-home show.

With the WWE crew set to travel to Saudi Arabia next week for next Saturday’s Crown Jewel PLE, the go-home show was taped Friday night in Brooklyn at Barclays Center. Two matches and a face-to-face segment for the episode were announced on television, with the full lineup coming by way of spoilers.

Before their Crown Jewel match, Cody Rhodes and Gunther will be on opposite sides of a tag team bout on next week’s episode, with Rhodes & Randy Orton facing Gunther & Ludwig Kaiser.

In another match announced on TV, a representative from each team in the Crown Jewel Women’s Tag title match will square off in a four-way, with Bianca Belair vs. Lash Legend vs. Piper Niven vs. IYO SKY.

Also announced for next week, a face-to-face segment between Crown Jewel opponents Liv Morgan & Nia Jax.

Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton, Pretty Deadly vs. The Street Profits, and Bayley & Naomi vs. Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae, plus an in-ring segment featuring Roman Reigns & The Usos were all taped for next week’s show, though not announced on television.

Spoilers for next week’s episode are available here.

The lineup for the Friday, November 1 WWE SmackDown:

  • Cody Rhodes & Randy Orton vs. Gunther & Ludwig Kaiser
  • Bianca Belair vs. Lash Legend vs. IYO SKY vs. Piper Niven
  • Liv Morgan & Nia Jax face-to-face
  • Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton
  • Pretty Deadly vs. The Street Profits
  • Bayley & Naomi vs. Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae
  • Roman Reigns & The Usos face-to-face

The Usos reunite on WWE SmackDown

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Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso have reunited.

One of the most decorated tag teams in WWE history, The Usos put aside more than a year of storyline animosity in the main event of Friday’s SmackDown in reuniting and helping Motor City Machine Guns win the WWE Tag Team Championship.

In an impromptu main event, MCMG defeated The Bloodline’s Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa to win the Tag titles just moments after defeating DIY to become the number one contenders to the belts.

The ensuing Tag title match featured a referee bump, interference from The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu, and counter-interference from Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, and Jimmy Uso.

The slow build to a new Bloodline vs. original Bloodline battle continues to be teased as Reigns did not celebrate or embrace The Usos in SmackDown’s closing scene. Rather, Reigns stayed on his own in the aisle and looked on as the brothers reunited.

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