Author: Josh Nason

Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.

John Cena, Goldberg, Reigns & Fiend getting new WrestleMania matches

Posted on by Josh Nason

As expected, the results of Thursday’s WWE Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia will have implications for this year’s WrestleMania 36 card in Tampa, FL.

As reported on Wednesday’s Wrestling Observer Radio (subscription needed), Dave Meltzer reported that the plan is now for John Cena vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns to take place at WrestleMania.

That is a change from the original plan to have Wyatt defend the Universal title against Reigns and Cena to return to the ring against Elias.

Wyatt will defend his Universal title against Goldberg at Super SmackDown while Reigns will take on King Corbin in a steel cage match. Meltzer was unsure what that meant for the finish of the Universal title match today.

As Meltzer has been reporting, the SmackDown side of the Mania card has been undergoing big changes with all of the originally planned matches. Conversely, the Raw side has been fairly stable with WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre, Charlotte Flair challenging NXT Champion Rhea Ripley, Edge vs. Randy Orton, and AJ Styles vs. the Undertaker with the latter two matches to be announced in the weeks ahead.

Lance Archer making AEW debut on next week’s Dynamite

Posted on by Josh Nason

On the same day on which he signed a multi-year deal with AEW, it was announced on Wednesday’s Dynamite that Lance Archer will make his promotional debut on next week’s show.

Days shy of his 43rd birthday, Archer had been with New Japan Pro Wrestling the last three years working as both a singles and tag team wrestler, recently holding the company’s U.S. title before losing it to Jon Moxley at the first night of January’s Wrestle Kingdom.

News of his talks with AEW broke last month with the news becoming official Wednesday morning. 

Archer’s debut was the only thing announced for next week’s Dynamite as the company has their Revolution pay-per-view this Saturday. It’s assumed matches will be announced via their social media channels early next week.

Title matches on the show include AEW World Champion Chris Jericho defending against Moxley, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page looking to defend their AEW tag titles against the Young Bucks, and Nyla Rose defending her AEW women’s title against Kris Statlander.

Tito Ortiz-Alberto Del Rio MMA fight changed to a ‘no decision’

Posted on by Josh Nason

When it comes to MMA, the beleaguered Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has had quite a month, beginning with UFC 247 which featured several bizarre decisions including a major conflict of interest where a judge trained with one of the fighters he was judging.

On Wednesday, it continued as MMA Junkie reported that Tito Ortiz’s lopsided win over Alberto El Patron at December’s Combate Americas PPV has been changed into a no decision. Junkie got a quote from a state official which said the result was changed “pending further investigation.” 

Junkie also reported that the promotion was made aware of the change Tuesday, but they were unable to offer any further information. As of now, neither Combate CEO Campbell McLaren, Ortiz, or El Patron have commented publicly.

Because Ortiz won that night in Hidalgo, the result being changed likely means the issue is with him and not the former WWE star. However, the official gave no details as to what the investigation is regarding and who.

It was the first MMA fight for the former Alberto Del Rio since 2010 while Ortiz had fought the year prior against Chuck Liddell for Oscar De La Hoya’s failed MMA promotion.

WWE WrestleMania 36 card undergoing some major changes

Posted on by Josh Nason

On the Saturday night Wrestling Observer Radio (sub needed), Dave Meltzer said that this year’s planned WWE WrestleMania card is already undergoing some major changes.

Meltzer said that especially on the SmackDown side of the card, every match has “changed or is in danger of changing.” That includes WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns and John Cena vs. Elias which Meltzer said, as of now, appear to be off.

Meltzer didn’t give any reasons why the changes are being made, but he and guest host Garrett Gonzales speculated it might mean a change for the upcoming Fiend-Goldberg title match at the Saudi Arabia Super ShowDown event or perhaps Cena getting a title shot instead.

He also said that the SmackDown women’s title match between Bayley and Naomi was planned for WrestleMania, but was moved to Saudi Arabia instead. 

Here’s a look at some announced/expected matches for this year’s WrestleMania from Tampa, FL:

  • WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre
  • NXT Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair
  • Undertaker vs. AJ Styles
  • Edge vs. Randy Orton

Jurassic Express-Inner Circle six-man tag added to AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Josh Nason

All Elite Wrestling announced a six-man tag team match Thursday for next week’s Dynamite in Kansas City, Missouri.

In that match, the Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Marko Stunt and Luchasaurus) will face Inner Circle members Sammy Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz. 

The match was set up in last week’s tag team battle royal when Guevara grabbed Jungle Boy’s leg while he was on the ring apron, allowing Santana and Ortiz time to knock him off and eliminate him. Santana and Ortiz then joined in with other remaining wrestlers to eliminate Luchasaurus.

The AEW Revolution go-home show will also feature Kenny Omega vs. PAC in a 30-minute Ironman match, Best Friends vs. Butcher and the Blade, and an “official” weigh-in between AEW Chris Jericho and no. 1 contender Jon Moxley. It’s also expected that Cody Rhodes and MJF will have a face-to-face confrontation in order to set up their match at the February 29th pay-per-view.

Samoa Joe suffers concussion during WWE commercial shoot

Posted on by Josh Nason

Samoa Joe is injured again, suffering his second concussion in roughly four weeks during a WWE commercial shoot last week.

The news was first reported by Pro Wrestling Sheet and later confirmed by our Dave Meltzer.

PWS reported that Joe hit his head on a table break spot while filming the commercial. His timetable to return is unknown, but this would be his second head injury in a short period of time as he suffered a concussion on a dive during a tag team match on the January 27th edition of Raw.

The 40-year-old has had a tough run of injuries over the fall and winter, suffering a broken thumb in September that put him on the shelf (and on commentary) until late-December.

In recent weeks, Joe has been involved in an angle with Kevin Owens and the Viking Raiders against Seth Rollins, Murphy, and the AOP.  He last wrestled on the February 10th edition of Raw in a six-man tag match.

NJPW notes: London return planned for 2020, U.S. TV deal update

Posted on by Josh Nason

On Wednesday’s Wrestling Observer Radio (subscription needed), Dave Meltzer gave some updates on New Japan’s UK plans and their effort to get a new U.S. TV deal.

London

He said they are planning to hold a big show in London, England, later this year on a similar scale to last year’s Royal Quest event. Originally, the company was going to focus on shows solely in Japan and the U.S. for 2020, but have changed their plans. Meltzer speculated the show will again be at the Copper Box Arena.

U.S. TV Deal

Meltzer said the company is working on a U.S. TV deal, but would describe them as preliminary at best. AXS TV canceled their deal with New Japan a year early, leaving them without a U.S. TV outlet for the first time in five years. Meltzer said that New Japan chose not to sue AXS for breaking their contract while regional MMA group Legacy Fighting Alliance filed a lawsuit earlier this month.

UFC planning women’s flyweight title fight for June 6 PPV

Posted on by Josh Nason

Valentina Shevchenko will look for the fourth defense of her women’s flyweight title at June 6th’s yet-to-be-announced UFC 251.

Her challenger will be Joanne Calderwood (14-4), who is coming off a win over Andrea Lee last September and has won three of her last four. 

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report the news, adding the fight has been agreed to by both sides but isn’t officially signed. It’s expected to be in Australia, but that is also unofficial.

Shevchenko (19-3) has ripped through the flyweight division and has won five straight overall. She has finishes in three of those fights with two decisions (Liz Carmouche, Joanna Jędrzejczyk). She is coming off a third round TKO win over Kaitlyn Chookagian at February’s UFC 247 which led to questions about who she could face next given the lack of a contender queue. 

If the show is indeed in Australia, it should be expected that men’s featherweight champion and native son Alexander Volkanovski will be in the main event, either in a rematch against longtime champion Max Holloway or the surging “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung.

Next week’s AEW Dynamite to feature Omega-PAC, Moxley-Jericho weigh-in

Posted on by Josh Nason

Unlike previous weeks, next week’s AEW’s Dynamite, the go home show for Revolution, doesn’t have a lot announced as of now.

The featured match is AEW tag team champion Kenny Omega returning to singles action against rival PAC in a 30 minute Ironman match, the first in company history. This will be their third meeting in AEW as PAC took the first one at All Out while Omega evened the score on the November 27th Dynamite.

There will also be a weigh-in between AEW Champion Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley before their title match at Revolution.

The only other announced match was born out of the no. 1 contenders tag team battle royal as the Best Friends (with Orange Cassidy) will face The Butcher and The Blade (with the Bunny). 

The Revolution lineup continued to take shape Wednesday as Cody defeated Wardlow in a steel cage match to complete MJF’s stipulations, clearing the way for their first encounter while the Young Bucks won the aforementioned tag team battle royal to earn a title shot against Omega and Hangman Page at the PPV.

NJPW cancels meet & greets, issues event guidelines due to coronavirus

Posted on by Josh Nason

Following Stardom making some big changes in their schedule and ONE Fighting announcing an empty arena show, New Japan Pro Wrestling has issued some new guidelines for fans as Japan struggles with the coronavirus outbreak.

The company said all future live shows will go on, but are advising fans that if they fell ill, they should stay home. They are also encouraging fans and their staff to wear surgical-style masks in addition to providing disinfectant spray at events.

The statement also said attendee health checks may be part of future shows and that fans that don’t feel well at shows may be asked to leave.

They also said that all meet and greets and autograph signings are canceled until further notice. They have events scheduled in Tokyo all weekend long.

Earlier Tuesday, Stardom canceled their February slate of events and made one of their March events an empty arena show while ONE announced their February Singapore show will also be held in front of no fans.

AEW media call: Cody Rhodes on Jeff Cobb deal, free agents, trademarks

Posted on by Josh Nason

AEW vice president Cody Rhodes spoke to the media for 40 minutes Tuesday afternoon, answering questions on everything from Jeff Cobb’s deal to free agency to Canadian dates and plenty more.

To hear the audio, just click the red button at the bottom of this post.

Some key talking points:

  • He said it’s unlikely to see the Bash At The Beach name or other events he owns the trademarks to with the exception of one.
  • He said AEW and Jeff Cobb are still in a “gestation” stage. He’s signed for more dates, but he needs to keep it vague for now.
  • He said that because of AEW remaining in Las Vegas from Double or Nothing through Dynamite the following Wednesday, they are going to load up those days with AEW appearances, etc.
  • He said that when it comes to free agents, the doors are open.
  • He and Taz want to take a trip to the NCAA wrestling finals and possibly the NFL Combine to scout for talent.
  • He’s taken lead and an ownership role in Norcross, GA’s Nightmare Factory. It’s not affiliated with AEW, but open to all talent and could be something down the road.
  • He talked about how thier women’s division is growing and to be patient as they continue to work on it and make it stronger.
  • They haven’t talked to ROH about getting rights to the original All In, but they have a good relationship there. Young Bucks and Dana Massie own the name, so it could happen down the road.
  • He also talked about Val Venis’ recent comments after Nyla Rose won the AEW women’s title.

Click below to listen:

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‘British Bulldog’ Davey Boy Smith going into WWE Hall of Fame

Posted on by Josh Nason

On the Tuesday edition of Wrestling Observer Radio (subscription needed), Dave Meltzer reported that Davey Boy Smith will be inducted into this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class.

Meltzer said the Hart family has been pushing for his inclusion for years. Smith died in 2002 at just 39 years old due to a heart attack suffered while on vacation in British Columbia.

While not formally announced by WWE yet, he will join Dave Batista, the NWO, Jushin Thunder Liger, and the Bella Twins in this year’s class which will officially be inducted during WrestleMania weekend in Tampa, FL.

Smith was best known for his three runs in WWE with short stints in WCW in between.

Born David Smith, the England native began his pro wrestling career in 1978, eventually making his way to Canada and Stu Hart along with longtime tag team partner Tom Billington (aka the Dynamite Kid). The two were signed by the then-WWF in 1984 and spent four years there in the tag team division as the British Bulldogs, winning the WWF tag titles before leaving after backstage incidents over ribbing.

After working back in Hart’s Stampede Wrestling and Japan, Smith went back to WWF as a singles wrestler for nearly three years, culminating in him defeating Bret Hart for the Intercontinental title at England’s Wembley Stadium at SummerSlam 1992. WWF released he and the Ultimate Warrior after they were caught getting HGH shipments from an England pharmacy.

He eventually returned to WWF for a three year run which included being part of the legendary Steve Austin-Bret Hart rivalry. He left with Hart and Jim Neidhart for WCW following the Montreal Screwjob at the 1997 Survivor Series.

Smith hurt his back in a 1998 match after taking a bad bump on a trapdoor that was part of the mat, leading to him being out of action and eventually released. He would re-sign with WWF before leaving the company in 2002.

Smith was a two-time WWF tag team champion with Billington and Owen Hart, an Intercontinental champion, a European champion twice, and a Hardcore champion twice. He also held a variety of Stampede Wrestling championships.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIwLnCkaFXM

Stardom makes major schedule changes due to coronavirus outbreak

Posted on by Josh Nason

Stardom announced Tuesday they are canceling the rest of their February slate of shows and making a drastic change to their March 8th show Korakuen Hall show due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The following shows and events were canceled:

  • Wednesday, February 19th: Iwatani’s Real Birthday Festival
  • Saturday, February 22nd: Osaka’s 176 BOX Tournament
  • Sunday, February 23rd: Aichi’s Nagoya International Convention Center Event Hall Tournament
  • Saturday, February 29th: Tokyo’s Shinkiba 1stRING Tournament
  • Saturday, March 14th: World Pavilion day/night shows

Their March 7th FC Members Only Event Spring Bus tour set for Gunma has been postponed while their March 8th tournament show at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall will be an empty arena show with no fans allowed in the building. The event will be shown in full on their YouTube channel.

They are offering refunds to those fans who purchased tickets.

The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, broke out in China in 2019 and countries around the world are continuing to try to come up with a cure while attempting to quarantine those who have visited China since the outbreak began.

NXT TakeOver Portland post-show media call audio with Triple H

Posted on by Josh Nason

Following NXT TakeOver Sunday, Paul “Triple H” Levesque talked to the media for roughly twenty minutes about the show and a few other NXT-related questions. Just click the red button below to listen.

In case you missed it, here’s his pre-TakeOver call.

A few topics he hit on:

– He said the show was the highest-grossing WWE event in Portland, OR, since 2008.

– He was asked if USA Network had any involvement/say in the Rhea Ripley-Charlotte Flair angle since both Raw and NXT are on their network. He said they didn’t and things just worked out that way.

– He answered a question about whether TakeOvers could be one of the events that Vince McMahon discussed selling the rights to a streaming service for.

– He talked about Cathy Kelley’s final night with the company.

– He was asked about how the Matt Riddle/Pete Dunne pairing came together.

– He was asked about the different production elements in NXT vs. WWE (less camera cuts and zooming, different lighting, etc).

Click below to listen:

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Riddle & Dunne capture NXT Tag Team gold at TakeOver: Portland

Posted on by Josh Nason

It took a jet trip and a tricked out golf cart to get them to Portland, Oregon, but it was worth it for the Broserweights Sunday at TakeOver as Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle won the NXT Tag Team titles from The Undisputed Era.

The beginning of the finish to the fantastic match came when Riddle hit a ripcord knee to Bobby Fish to take him out of the action temporarily. He and Dunne then focused on Kyle O’Reilly, hitting tandem knees to the head following an assisted power bomb. Fish then came back into the fray, getting hit with a Riddle fireman’s carry into a dropkick by Dunne to get the pin, sending the Portland crowd into a frenzy.

This is the first NXT gold for both Riddle (who signed with WWE in the summer of 2018) and Dunne, the long reigning former WWE UK Champion. They earned the title shot with their tournament victory in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

The victory ended the third reign for the Undisputed Era of Fish and O’Reilly who held the belts for 172 days after defeating the Street Profits in August on NXT TV.