Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.
The build to SummerSlam continued as the Air Canada Centre hosted its second straight night of WWE television on Tuesday.
Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton in a non-title grudge match main evented SmackDown, with Rusev coming out after to get revenge on Orton. Naomi was also involved in a non-title match against Carmella, which led to the return of James Ellsworth to TV.
Elsewhere on the show, John Cena was interrupted by Baron Corbin, Shane McMahon addressed his role in the US title match at SummerSlam, and Arn Anderson made an appearance on Fashion Peaks.
There are now 11 matches officially announced for SummerSlam.
John Cena vs. Baron Corbin was the latest match to be added to the pay-per-view’s card. Cena fought off Corbin in a post-show angle last week, which led to them being involved in the opening segment of tonight’s SmackDown.
Cena started the show before being interrupted by Corbin. Cena challenged him to a fight, but Corbin backed off and said that he doesn’t need to beat Cena because he has the Money in the Bank briefcase. He went to leave, but Daniel Bryan came out and made their match official for the PPV.
The rest of the card for SummerSlam should fall into place on next week’s go-home shows. Here’s where things stand heading into the final week of build on television:
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, and Samoa Joe in a fatal four-way match (Lesnar and Paul Heyman have said that they will leave WWE if Lesnar loses)
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal defending against Shinsuke Nakamura
United States Champion AJ Styles defending against Kevin Owens (with Shane McMahon as the special guest referee)
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending against Sasha Banks or Nia Jax (Banks will face Jax in a number one contender’s match on Raw next week)
SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi defending against Natalya
John Cena vs. Baron Corbin
Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
Randy Orton vs. Rusev
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day defending against The Usos
Big Cass vs. Big Show (with Enzo Amore suspended above the ring in a shark cage)
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defending against Akira Tozawa
On the heels of Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor, another unlikely combat sports event seems to have become a genuine possibility. Jon Jones challenged Brock Lesnar to return to the Octagon after regaining the UFC light heavyweight title against Daniel Cormier last Saturday night. “Brock Lesnar,” Jones said. “If you want to know what it feels like to get your ass kicked by a guy who weighs 40 pounds less than you, meet me in the Octagon.”
A look at the WWE business notes for quarter two is among the top stories of the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Also look at the deja vu of Jon Jones, in-depth on G-1, Io Shirai, the negotiations for Broken Hardys and much more.
Look at what aspects of WWE business right now are the most valuable and how they compare to last year, the state of the company, the future of TV or streaming rights fees, Facebook and Netflix heads talk about content like WWE, the drop in U.K. ratings, the WWE network numbers and what it says, the recent WWE cost cutting measures, as well as the state of live show attendance and real WrestleMania number.
Go in depth as UFC tries to remake Jon Jones as a big star, the Daniel Cormier fight, the story behind it, the potential of a Brock Lesnar fight and where it stands and when it can happen, the similarities between this Jon Jones and the other one, a look at UFC 214, Tyron Woodley’s complaints, Dana White buries him, the realities of being a pro athlete in a sport where fans decide the stars, Cris Cyborg gets a title, all the business notes as well as match-by-match coverage and how much everyone made in their fights.
An update on the G-1 Climax tournament with the MVP race, the standings, the schedule, business notes and coverage of all the tournament matches of the past week, is in this issue.
Also there is an update on the SummerSlam card, who was being groomed for a top spot at the end of the year, the ticket demand for SummerSlam and NXT Takeover, the Bayley injury, a match that won’t be happening at SummerSlam, and much more regarding the show.
Look at Royal Rumble tickets, John Cena getting his biggest Hollywood break, update on Cena’s pro wrestling appearances including his first PPV after SummerSlam, everything you want to know about the fight over the Broken Universe gimmick, Chris Jericho in TMZ, Jericho in WWE, and Jericho’s music.
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.
It all started in late 1995 at the coffee table of the strength coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, Kim Wood’s house. Brian Pillman was 33 years old. His body was breaking down from the years of football and high flying wrestling. His contract was due the next summer. His future was stable in that there was little doubt he’d be able to renew his deal, probably for at about the $250,000 per year on a three-year deal at the level he was at.
Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton in a non-title match is set for tonight’s SmackDown. There will also be a non-title match between Naomi and Carmela, Charlotte Flair will face Lana, AJ Styles and Kevin Owens will continue building to their US title match at SummerSlam, and WWE will follow up on the post-show angle with Baron Corbin and John Cena from last week.
205 Live tonight has Rich Swann vs. TJP advertised.
Sasha Banks will face Nia Jax in a number one contender’s match on next week’s Raw in Boston. That’s the go-home show for SummerSlam and the winner will go on to challenge Alexa Bliss at the pay-per-view.
Indie wrestler Tomer Shalom appeared as enhancement wrestler Jean-Pierre Goulet against Jason Jordan on Raw last night.
Disney announced that its acquired majority ownership in BAMTech, who partner with WWE on the Network, in advance of starting their own streaming service.
HBO has renewed Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s show “Ballers” for a fourth season. Johnson also posted on Instagram that he’s updating his “Brahma Bull” tattoo to reflect who he is at this point in life.
After not appearing on Raw or on WWE’s house shows this weekend, Matt Hardy posted a list of events The Hardys will be appearing at over the next few weeks.
AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn made cameo appearances on the latest episode of The Young Bucks’ “Being the Elite” YouTube series.
Matt Jackson of The Young Bucks sent Scott Dawson a get well message on Twitter: “Hate seeing anyone get hurt. Get well. But #FTR.”
Jinder Mahal appeared on Kiss 92.5 in Toronto this morning ahead of SmackDown taking place in the city tonight.
The Charlotte Observer has an article on Ric Flair and whether he’s mellowing at this point in his life.
Breezango will be the guests on this Friday’s episode of Talk is Jericho.
Charlotte Flair responded to GFW’s Sienna claiming that she stole her look.
Dave Bautista appears in a viral music video with David Hasselhoff to promote Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Pro Wrestling
Today’s G1 show in Kanagawa set things up for the B Block finals. Only Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega remain in contention heading into their match, with Okada at 13 points and Omega at 12. That means that Okada can advance with a win or draw against Omega, but Omega needs to win the match to go to the finals. Okada went to a 30-minute draw with Minoru Suzuki this morning, Omega beat SANADA, and Michael Elgin defeated EVIL to remove him from the mix.
The B Block finals will be on August 12th at Sumo Hall. The A Block will be decided the day before that, with the winner of Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito advancing to face either Okada or Omega on August 13th.
Matt Riddle told Fightful.com that he had a positive conversation with NJPW’s Tiger Hattori after his match against Tomohiro Ishii for Revolution Pro Wrestling in July and called wrestling for NJPW a possibility.
Adam Cole opted for a Revival shirt instead of a Young Bucks one after the angle where he was killed off “Being the Elite.”
Former Tough Enough winner Sara Lee is back in the ring and training at the Team Vision Dojo ahead of a debut for the I Believe in Wrestling promotion.
Thursday: Meet at the High Roller for Bowling at the Link; Party at Carnival Court at Hurrah’s
Friday: Kiss Mini Golf tournament at the Rio; Dinner at Texas de Brazil; Suite party (location TBA)
Saturday: Future Stars of Wrestling show featuring Disco Inferno, Stephan Bonnar, Phil Baron, Shotzi Blackheart, and co-main events: 3-way match with Leva Bates vs. Mia Yim vs. Hudson Envy, and “Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs. Thomas Santell (f.k.a. Antonio “The Promise” Thomas); NXT viewing party at the Sci-Fi Center
Sunday: SUPER CHINA BUFFET DAY at the Wicked Spoon Buffet at 1pm; SummerSlam viewing party at the Sci-Fi Center
Monday: Goodbye lunch at Chen Chen at NY NY
All website members will also receive a 15% discount on any purchases from the Las Vegas Fight Shop for the entirety of the convention
Texas de Brazil, Wicked Spoon, NXT and Summer Slam will all be sign up and pre-paid events, prices and collection begin in mid July~!
Less than two weeks before SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar and his challengers at the pay-per-view were busy on last night’s episode of Raw.
Lesnar opened the show by appearing on Miz TV, which led to him destroying the Miztourage as a preview of what he’s going to do to Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, and Samoa Joe at SummerSlam. Reigns and Strowman closed the episode with a last man standing match, with Joe also making sure his presence was felt.
Elsewhere on the show, two triple threat matches in the women’s division set up a number one contender’s match for next week, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose kept building to a partial Shield reunion, and Finn Balor and Bray Wyatt continued to play mind games with each other.
The card for SummerSlam continued to fill up on tonight’s episode of Raw.
It was officially announced that Finn Balor would be facing Bray Wyatt at the pay-per-view. Their feud has kicked into gear over the last few weeks, with Wyatt again trying to play mind games with Balor tonight. Balor fought him off when Wyatt first tried to surprise him in the ring, but Wyatt vanished before appearing on the video screen and delivering a warning ahead of the PPV.
The feud between Big Cass and Big Show is also set to lead to a match at SummerSlam, and Enzo Amore will be suspended above the ring in a shark cage during it. Kurt Angle approved that stipulation at the request of Cass during a backstage segment tonight.
Alexa Bliss’ SummerSlam challenger will be decided when Sasha Banks faces off with Nia Jax in a number one contender’s match on next week’s go-home show. Both Banks and Jax won triple threat matches on Raw to advance to next week after it was announced that Bayley wouldn’t be able to wrestle at the PPV due to a separated shoulder.
SummerSlam will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on August 20th. The updated card is:
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, and Samoa Joe in a fatal four-way match (Lesnar and Paul Heyman have vowed to leave WWE if Lesnar loses)
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal defending against Shinsuke Nakamura
United States Champion AJ Styles defending against Kevin Owens (with Shane McMahon as the special guest referee)
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending against Sasha Banks or Nia Jax
SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi defending against Natalya
Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
Randy Orton vs. Rusev
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day defending against The Usos
Big Cass vs. Big Show (with Enzo Amore suspended above the ring in a shark cage)
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defending against Akira Tozawa
It appears that Bayley won’t be able to wrestle at SummerSlam.
After she suffered a shoulder injury in a match against Nia Jax last week, WWE released a video updating Bayley’s status today. It claimed that she won’t be able to compete at the pay-per-view following an evaluation that revealed that she separated her shoulder.
Bayley had been scheduled to challenge Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship at the PPV.
It was noted in the video that Bayley will be appearing on Raw tonight to address the crowd, and that there will be two triple threat matches with the key women on the roster on the episode as well. Whoever wins those will move on to a number one contender’s match next week to decide who will replace Bayley at SummerSlam.
Bayley was kept off the weekend house shows. WWE didn’t publicize her injury right away, but did so a day after the match with Jax where she landed badly and appeared to jam her right shoulder.
The storyline nature where, before the injury ever took place, Bliss’ SummerSlam interview last week was all about Sasha Banks, and not Bayley, and the surprise of Bayley and not Banks being the one who won the match for the title shot makes for interesting speculation.
Also advertised for tonight’s Raw is a last man standing match between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman, which will further build to them (along with Samoa Joe) challenging for Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship at SummerSlam.
We’re looking for reports from WWE Raw in St. John, New Brunswick, Smackdown in Montreal, NXT in Largo, FL and GFW in Staten Island, NY (Bobby Lashley & EC 3 & Low Ki vs. John Hennigan & James Storm & ?, LAX vs. Sonjay Dutt & Drago for the tag team titles, Sienna vs. Taya vs. Allie, Trevor Lee vs. Mario Bokara).
NEW JAPAN G-1 CLIMAX TOURNAMENT AT 4 A.M. EASTERN SATURDAY MORNING (1 A.M. TONIGHT PACIFIC) FROM THE EDION ARENA IN OSAKA
Katsuya Kitamura vs. Chase Owens
Yuji Nagata & Tomoyuki Oka & Shota Umino vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi & Desperado
Hirooki Goto & Jado vs. Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi & David Finlay vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi & Gedo
Toru Yano vs. Tama Tonga
Satoshi Kojima vs. Seiya Sanada
Michael Elgin vs. Minoru Suzuki
Kenny Omega vs. Juice Robinson
Kazuchika Okada vs. Evil
UFC FROM ARENA CIUDAD IN MEXICO CITY ON SATURDAY
Fight Pass at 7 p.m. Eastern
Jordan Rinaldi vs. Alvaro Herrera
Joseph Morales vs. Roberto Sanchez
FS 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern
Jose Quinonez vs. Diego Rivas
Rani Yahya vs. Henry Briones
Dustin Ortiz vs. Hector Sandoval
Bradley Scott vs. Jack Hermansson
Alejandro Perez vs. Andre Soukhamthath
Sam Alvey vs. Rashad Evans
Humberto Bandenay vs. Martin Bravo
Alan Jouban vs. Niko Price
Alexa Grasso vs. Randa Markos
Sergio Pettis vs. Brandon Moreno
NEW JAPAN G-1 CLIMAX TOURNAMENT AT 3 A.M. EASTERN (MIDNIGHT PACIFIC) FROM ACT CITY HAMAMATSU
Michael Elgin & Hirai Kawato vs. Evil & Hiromu Takahashi
Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tama Tonga & Yujiro Takahashi
Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Toru Yano & Jado
Kenny Omega & Chase Owens vs. Seiya Sanada & Bushi
Kazuchika Okada & Gedo vs. Minoru Suzuki & Desperado
Yuji Nagata vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Kota Ibushi vs. Yoshi-Hashi
Hirooki Goto vs. Bad Luck Fale
Togi Makabe vs. Tetsuya Naito
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Sunday has WWE Raw in London, Ontario and Smackdown in Ottawa, ONT.
Monday has Raw in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre. Smackdown has a house show in Kingston, Ontario.
NEW JAPAN G-1 CLIMAX TOURNAMENT AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN TUESDAY MORNING FROM YOKOHAMA BUNKA GYM
Tomoyuki Oka vs. Chase Owens
Yuji Nagata & Katsuya Kitamura vs. Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi
Togi Makabe & Kota Ibushi & Hirai Kawato vs. Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi & Gedo
Tomohiro Ishii & Jado vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Desperado
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Ryusuke Taguchi & David Finlay vs. Tetsuya Naito & Bushi & Hiromu Takahashi
Satoshi Kojima vs. Tama Tonga
Juice Robinson vs. Toru Yano
Michael Elgin vs. Evil
Kenny Omega vs. Seiya Sanada
Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki
Tuesday has Smackdown tapings also in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre. Naomi vs. Carmella in a non-title match has been announced. For 205 Live, they’ve announced TJP vs. Rich Swann.
On the heels of Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor, another unlikely combat sports event seems to have become a genuine possibility. Jon Jones challenged Brock Lesnar to return to the Octagon after regaining the UFC light heavyweight title against Daniel Cormier last Saturday night. “Brock Lesnar,” Jones said. “If you want to know what it feels like to get your ass kicked by a guy who weighs 40 pounds less than you, meet me in the Octagon.”
A look at the WWE business notes for quarter two is among the top stories of the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Also look at the deja vu of Jon Jones, in-depth on G-1, Io Shirai, the negotiations for Broken Hardys and much more.
Look at what aspects of WWE business right now are the most valuable and how they compare to last year, the state of the company, the future of TV or streaming rights fees, Facebook and Netflix heads talk about content like WWE, the drop in U.K. ratings, the WWE network numbers and what it says, the recent WWE cost cutting measures, as well as the state of live show attendance and real WrestleMania number.
Go in depth as UFC tries to remake Jon Jones as a big star, the Daniel Cormier fight, the story behind it, the potential of a Brock Lesnar fight and where it stands and when it can happen, the similarities between this Jon Jones and the other one, a look at UFC 214, Tyron Woodley’s complaints, Dana White buries him, the realities of being a pro athlete in a sport where fans decide the stars, Cris Cyborg gets a title, all the business notes as well as match-by-match coverage and how much everyone made in their fights.
An update on the G-1 Climax tournament with the MVP race, the standings, the schedule, business notes and coverage of all the tournament matches of the past week, is in this issue.
Also there is an update on the SummerSlam card, who was being groomed for a top spot at the end of the year, the ticket demand for SummerSlam and NXT Takeover, the Bayley injury, a match that won’t be happening at SummerSlam, and much more regarding the show.
Look at Royal Rumble tickets, John Cena getting his biggest Hollywood break, update on Cena’s pro wrestling appearances including his first PPV after SummerSlam, everything you want to know about the fight over the Broken Universe gimmick, Chris Jericho in TMZ, Jericho in WWE, and Jericho’s music.
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.
With the WWF television situation being straightened out, now all eyes are on the future of ECW, both as far as national television and the company’s survival itself. ECW was officially canceled, as expected, by TNN effective with the show airing on 9/22. This date appears to preclude any chance of USA Network having ECW ready to go on the air the Monday after WWF leaves (which is believed to be the first week of September, although nobody has been able to confirm an official date), in an attempt to have a wrestling show ready to keep at least a small part of the huge audience that by habit tunes to USA in that time slot.
As was noted in our report from the show, Seth Rollins missed last night’s Raw house show in Halifax due to transportation issues. He tweeted an apology to the fans: “Apologies to everyone in Halifax tonight. Was traveling since 4am to make the show, but didn’t land in NS until almost 10pm. I owe ya!” Rollins should be back tonight in Saint John.
HoHo Lun did an interview with WWE.com where he explained why he asked to be released. “I went to Hong Kong for vacation about three weeks ago and that’s when I realized that my mother is sick,” Lun said. “That’s why I decided to tell Matt Bloom, the head coach of the PC, that I wanted to request my release.” The article credits Lun for helping WWE’s Chinese recruits acclimate to the United States and he teases that he may return in the future.
There was a segment on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” last night where Colbert talked about WWE trying to trademark the phrase “3:16.” They had someone playing Jesus and cutting a wrestling promo. (thanks to reader Jake Koch)
Mae Young Classic participant Xia Li posted a picture of her arm in a sling on Instagram.
The Ottawa Citizen interviewed Jinder Mahal about his WWE title reign and being from Calgary.
AJ Styles celebrated 17 years together with his wife.
WWE uploaded Styles vs. Cena from last year’s SummerSlam for free on YouTube.
Charlotte Flair appeared on today’s episode of UpUpDownDown with Xavier Woods.
Pro Wrestling
On a show that was defined by upsets, both Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega lost at this morning’s G1 show in Osaka. EVIL beat Okada in a great main event that seems like it will set up a title match between the two in the fall. Omega lost to Juice Robinson, which could set up Robinson challenging for either Omega’s US title or the briefcase if he wins the G1. Michael Elgin also defeated Minoru Suzuki and could be in line for a NEVER title shot.
Not much changed in the B Block standings with both Okada and Omega losing. Okada tops the block with 12 points, Omega and EVIL have 10, and Suzuki and SANADA are both alive with eight. Omega holds the tiebreaker over EVIL due to his previous win. The next B Block show is on Tuesday morning, with Okada vs. Suzuki, Omega vs. SANADA, and EVIL vs. Elgin as the three most significant matches.
Tomorrow’s A Block G1 show will set up the block finals. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Tetsuya Naito vs. Togi Makabe, Hirooki Goto vs. Bad Luck Fale, Kota Ibushi vs. YOSHI-HASHI, and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Yuji Nagata are the tournament matches.
AXS will begin their coverage of this year’s G1 on August 18th by broadcasting Ibushi vs. Naito and Tanahashi vs. Sabre from the first night.
Impact ratings were down a bit this week, coming in at 276,000 viewers after doing 286,000 the week prior.
CTV News in Vancouver Island ran a story on Chelsea Green (Laurel Van Ness in GFW).
OTT announced at their show today that The Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes, and Marty Scurll will be wrestling at their National Stadium show on December 9th. Fenix and Will Ospreay are also advertised.
TK Cooper clarified that he and Dahlia Black have new five year visas to work in the UK and can apply for residency after three years.
Corey Graves tweeted about the result of his brother’s hair match against Blue Panther for CMLL.
UFC/MMA
Dave Meltzer has a story for MMA Fighting on Stephan Bonnar going into pro wrestling.
Rashad Evans spoke to MMA Junkie ahead of his fight against Sam Alvey at UFC Fight Night in Mexico City tonight.
Marc Ratner criticized the lack of unification rules in MMA.
Bob Sapp lost a kickboxing match in less-than-ideal fashion.
Thursday: Meet at the High Roller for Bowling at the Link; Party at Carnival Court at Hurrah’s
Friday: Kiss Mini Golf tournament at the Rio; Dinner at Texas de Brazil; Suite party (location TBA)
Saturday: Future Stars of Wrestling show featuring Disco Inferno, Stephan Bonnar, Phil Baron, Shotzi Blackheart, and co-main events: 3-way match with Leva Bates vs. Mia Yim vs. Hudson Envy, and “Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs. Thomas Santell (f.k.a. Antonio “The Promise” Thomas); NXT viewing party at the Sci-Fi Center
Sunday: SUPER CHINA BUFFET DAY at the Wicked Spoon Buffet at 1pm; SummerSlam viewing party at the Sci-Fi Center
Monday: Goodbye lunch at Chen Chen at NY NY
All website members will also receive a 15% discount on any purchases from the Las Vegas Fight Shop for the entirety of the convention
Texas de Brazil, Wicked Spoon, NXT and Summer Slam will all be sign up and pre-paid events, prices and collection begin in mid July~!
As they’ve been doing more often recently, WWE is advertising a fairly significant match for Monday’s episode of Raw.
The company announced today that the rivalry between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman will continue as they face off in a last man standing match on the show. They were both involved in a triple threat match last Monday, with Reigns getting the pin on Samoa Joe after taking out Strowman.
Reigns, Strowman, and Joe will be the challengers as Brock Lesnar defends his Universal Championship in a fatal four-way match at SummerSlam on August 20th. Lesnar is also advertised for Monday’s Raw at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto after Paul Heyman added a stipulation to the pay-per-view match last week by saying that both he and Lesnar will leave WWE if Lesnar loses.
In addition to Reigns vs. Strowman, WWE is teasing that there will be more news on Bayley’s shoulder injury and whether she’ll be able to challenge Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship at SummerSlam.
The SmackDown tag titles will again be on the line when The New Day face off with The Usos at SummerSlam.
That rematch was announced in a video that WWE posted today. It will be their third straight meeting on pay-per-view, with New Day having won the titles at Battleground after The Usos retained by countout at Money in the Bank the month prior.
The Usos attacked the champions on SmackDown two weeks ago, then mocked them on last Tuesday’s show to further set up their next match.
Their match is the eighth to be officially announced for SummerSlam heading into the last two weeks of build on television. The updated card is:
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, and Samoa Joe in a fatal four-way match (Lesnar and Paul Heyman have said that they will leave the company if Lesnar loses the title)
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal defending against Shinsuke Nakamura
United States Champion AJ Styles defending against Kevin Owens (with Shane McMahon as the special guest referee)
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending against Bayley
SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi defending against Natalya
Randy Orton vs. Rusev
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day defending against The Usos
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defending against Akira Tozawa
As has been expected for a while, Eva Marie is officially no longer with WWE.
She announced on Instagram today: “Today is a bittersweet day, as @WWE and I have agreed to part ways. It has been an incredible 4 years, and I am truly grateful to Vince, Paul, Stephanie and the entire WWE team. I would not be where I am today without their continued support.”
Marie went on to mention the moments that she got to experience in the company like visiting the troops in Afghanistan and working alongside WWE in their support of the Special Olympics. She thanked her fans and concluded by writing that she’ll continue to pursue a career in acting.
WWE also posted the news on their website: “Eva Marie and WWE have mutually agreed to contractually part ways as of today, Aug. 4, 2017.”
Marie was suspended for a wellness policy violation shortly before SummerSlam in 2016 and never returned to the ring, with her instead focusing on other projects. It was revealed earlier this year that she wouldn’t be returning to Total Divas either.
Another match is official for NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.
It was announced today that Aleister Black would be facing Hideo Itami at the special. The match was set up on last night’s episode of NXT TV after Itami demanded respect and tried to take over the ring before Black’s match with Kyle O’Reilly, with Black then laying out Itami with Black Mass when he tried to attack him from behind.
WWE then uploaded video of a post-show angle where Black and Itami brawled in the parking lot after Itami tried to ambush him. Itami had been feuding with Kassius Ohno before the program with Black began.
Bobby Roode defending his NXT Championship against Drew McIntyre, Ember Moon challenging Asuka for the NXT Women’s Championship, and The Authors of Pain putting their tag titles on the line against SAnitY (Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe) are also official for TakeOver: Brooklyn at the Barclays Center on August 19th.
Though it hasn’t been revealed on TV yet, Johnny Gargano vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas is set for TakeOver as well.
On the heels of Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor, another unlikely combat sports event seems to have become a genuine possibility. Jon Jones challenged Brock Lesnar to return to the Octagon after regaining the UFC light heavyweight title against Daniel Cormier last Saturday night. “Brock Lesnar,” Jones said. “If you want to know what it feels like to get your ass kicked by a guy who weighs 40 pounds less than you, meet me in the Octagon.”
What in many ways is the biggest business news story in sports, the changes in television and future of huge rights fees, in looking at UFC’s opening up negotiations for its 2019 TV deal, is the lead story in the current issue, because it also is the first in a new era of declining cable and perhaps money coming from other places, and will probably indicate how WWE’s negotiations go a year later.
The new issue is a double issue including a feature on the first MMA events ever held in the U.S. that have been forgotten over time, and what pro wrestling star was part of the catalyst for the organizers in coming up with the idea.
Look at what is being said publicly vs. privately regarding what UFC is hoping for out of its new deal, the aspect of timing, what it means to the overall value of UFC as well as WWE going forward, the value of UFC to FS 1 and FS 2, how Fight Pass fits in, the future of PPV for UFC, where ESPN stands and other networks and interest levels.
Read about WWE heading into SummerSlam, with the new matches, new matches being teased, matches announced and current storylines. Explore the situation with Brock Lesnar, the U.S. title match at Battleground with the unique finish, the schedule of Chris Jericho, as well as full coverage of Battleground with match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
This issue updates the G-1 Climax tournament, including a look at how the style has changed over three years, the tournament quality, the good and the bad of the business and physical demands, who is killing it, standings, schedule and a look at all the key matches.
Check out how TV ratings are going to be changing and have changed, talk of a second Superstar shakeup coming soon, a study of what characters are most popular on YouTube videos, why the pyro cutback was made, Ric Flair 30 for 30 piece, Dwayne Johnson once again talks like he was thinking of going into UFC ten years ago, notes on newcomers headed to WWE, new action figure line, new TV shows notes, Bruno Sammartino update, and The Broken Hardys update in detail with claims.
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With the WWF television situation being straightened out, now all eyes are on the future of ECW, both as far as national television and the company’s survival itself. ECW was officially canceled, as expected, by TNN effective with the show airing on 9/22. This date appears to preclude any chance of USA Network having ECW ready to go on the air the Monday after WWF leaves (which is believed to be the first week of September, although nobody has been able to confirm an official date), in an attempt to have a wrestling show ready to keep at least a small part of the huge audience that by habit tunes to USA in that time slot.
After Akira Tozawa defeated Ariya Daivari in a number one contender’s match on 205 Live last night, Neville defending his Cruiserweight title against Tozawa was officially added to the card for SummerSlam (though it may end up on the pre-show).
Gran Metalik also returned to 205 Live in a loss against Tony Nese.
Though he took a rough bump on his neck from a reverse exploder that Shinsuke Nakamura gave him last night, John Cena was involved in a post-show angle with Baron Corbin and was able to joke about the bump on Twitter today. He responded to Kevin Owens joking about him being an actual Transformer by writing: “Did kinda tip my hand there. I know U can’t C me, but there’s #Morethanmeetstheeye much #Respect to @ShinsukeN good luck at #SummerSlam @WWE”
Nakamura seemed to apologize to Cena after the bump, with Cena saying not to be sorry.
WWE has gotten some attention from entertainment websites for the Twin Peaks-inspired edition of Fashion Files from SmackDown, including an article on Entertainment Weekly.
Naomi vs. Carmella in a non-title match is set for SmackDown next week. Lana also said in a post-show video that she’ll be challenging Charlotte Flair to a match.
2K Sports is releasing the first screenshot for WWE 2K18 tomorrow.
In continuing her Twitter angle with Cris Cyborg, Becky Lynch wrote that Cyborg could last a little longer against her than CM Punk did against Mickey Gall.
David Bixenspan’s latest article for Deadspin focuses on WWE’s mishandling of the cruiserweight division.
Pro Wrestling
The G1 has an off day tomorrow before resuming in Ehime on Friday morning. Though the last three days in Sumo Hall aren’t until August 11-13, we’re starting to enter the home stretch for both blocks as each wrestler only has three tournament matches left.
Kazuchika Okada remained undefeated and tops the B Block with 12 points after this morning’s show, with Kenny Omega right behind him at 10 points. EVIL, Minoru Suzuki, and SANADA are still in contention with eight. Tama Tonga, Michael Elgin, Toru Yano, Juice Robinson, and Satoshi Kojima are out of the running. Okada’s remaining matches are against EVIL, Suzuki, and Omega. Omega’s last three are against Robinson, SANADA, and Okada.
Dakota Kai, who was formerly known as Evie before signing with WWE, will team with Dahlia Black against Jinny & Deonna Purrazzo at PROGRESS NYC on August 12th. Jack Gallagher will also be challenging Pete Dunne for the WWE UK title at that show.
PROGRESS co-owner Glen Joseph spoke to Toni Storm on their “Face to Face” series this week.
Busted Open Radio tweeted that Alberto El Patron and Paige will be on their show tomorrow to set the record straight about their airport incident.
DJZ announced that he’s been cleared to return to the ring without restrictions.
UFC/MMA
Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor went back and forth about the size of the gloves for their boxing match, with Mayweather offering to use eight-ounce gloves and McGregor saying that he’s prepared to destroy Mayweather either way. Bob Bennett of the Nevada Athletic Commission told MMA Fighting that Mayweather Promotions has inquired about changing the glove size, but they would need to state their case for a waiver to do so.
Mayweather implied that he’ll be making at least $300 million to fight McGregor.
Tyron Woodley dismissed Robbie Lawler getting the next title shot, citing that Lawler didn’t fight for a year before his win against Cowboy Cerrone.
Michael Bisping said that Daniel Cormier gave Jon Jones the ultimate revenge by crying after his loss at UFC 214.
The UFC 214 prelims averaged 886,000 viewers, though the number was likely hurt by the show being on FXX.
Thursday: Meet at the High Roller for Bowling at the Link; Party at Carnival Court at Hurrah’s
Friday: Kiss Mini Golf tournament at the Rio; Dinner at Texas de Brazil; Suite party (location TBA)
Saturday: Future Stars of Wrestling show featuring Disco Inferno, Stephan Bonnar, Phil Baron, Shotzi Blackheart, and co-main events: 3-way match with Leva Bates vs. Mia Yim vs. Hudson Envy, and “Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs. Thomas Santell (f.k.a. Antonio “The Promise” Thomas); NXT viewing party at the Sci-Fi Center
Sunday: SUPER CHINA BUFFET DAY at the Wicked Spoon Buffet at 1pm; SummerSlam viewing party at the Sci-Fi Center
Monday: Goodbye lunch at Chen Chen at NY NY
All website members will also receive a 15% discount on any purchases from the Las Vegas Fight Shop for the entirety of the convention
Texas de Brazil, Wicked Spoon, NXT and Summer Slam will all be sign up and pre-paid events, prices and collection begin in mid July~!
A dream match headlined the show as Shinsuke Nakamura faced off with John Cena in the main event of last night’s episode of SmackDown.
When it was over, Nakamura had beaten Cena clean and earned the right to challenge for Jinder Mahal’s WWE Championship at SummerSlam. Baron Corbin then tried to attack Nakamura, but Cena was able to fight Corbin off and put him through the announce table.
We also got some clarification about the US title picture heading into SummerSlam, with Shane McMahon set to ref AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens at the pay-per-view. That was announced after Styles retained over Owens when referee Mike Chioda couldn’t see that Owens’ shoulder was up after a ref bump.
Also on SmackDown, Naomi teamed with Becky Lynch against Natalya & Carmella, Randy Orton laid out Rusev with an RKO, and Breezango presented an edition of the Fashion Files that was inspired by Twin Peaks.
Shinsuke Nakamura will be getting a shot at the WWE Championship at SummerSlam.
In a first-time meeting between the two, Nakamura became the number one contender to Jinder Mahal’s WWE title when he defeated John Cena on SmackDown tonight. Nakamura’s win was completely clean, with him finishing the match with a reverse exploder (that Cena took a rough bump on his neck on) and the Kinshasa.
Cena congratulated Nakamura as he raised his hand after the match, but things continued on the WWE Network after the show as Baron Corbin attacked Nakamura. Corbin tried to fight off Cena as he made the save, but Cena ended up countering him and putting him through the announce table with an Attitude Adjustment.
Whether that will lead to a SummerSlam match between Cena and Corbin hasn’t been announced yet, but WWE did make Randy Orton vs. Rusev official for the pay-per-view earlier on SmackDown.
The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York will host SummerSlam on August 20th. The updated card is:
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, and Samoa Joe in a fatal four-way match (Lesnar and Paul Heyman have promised to leave WWE if Lesnar loses)
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal defending against Shinsuke Nakamura
United States Champion AJ Styles defending against Kevin Owens (with Shane McMahon as the special guest referee)
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending against Bayley
SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi defending against Natalya
The United States Championship match between AJ Styles and Kevin Owens on SmackDown tonight didn’t do anything to resolve their feud.
Instead, the two will again face off with the title on the line at SummerSlam later this month. Styles retained against Owens on SmackDown, with the storyline being that Owens’ shoulder was up but referee Mike Chioda couldn’t see it after a ref bump.
Owens pushed Chioda in a backstage segment and demanded that someone capable officiate their next match, which led to Daniel Bryan suggesting that Shane McMahon should be the special guest referee at SummerSlam. Owens initially called Shane incompetent, but he agreed to it when Shane said that it was the only way that he would get his rematch.
Styles and Owens have traded the US title in recent weeks. Styles first won it at a house show at Madison Square Garden last month before dropping it back to Owens in a strange finish at Battleground. Styles regained the championship on SmackDown last week after stealing a pin from Owens in a triple threat match that also included Chris Jericho.
Styles vs. Owens is the second SmackDown match officially set for SummerSlam at the Barclays Center on August 20th. Naomi will also defend her Women’s Championship against Natalya at the pay-per-view.
