Author: Bryan Rose

Rey Mysterio moves to WWE SmackDown, becomes IC title number one contender

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Rey Mysterio is the new number one contender to the Intercontinental title, officially making the move to the SmackDown brand.

Mysterio defeated Ricochet, Solo Sikoa, and Sheamus in a fatal four-way match on Friday’s show, earning a future Intercontinental title match against Gunther. The finish had Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, and Brawling Brutes all battling to the back after making the save for their men. Inside the ring, Mysterio managed to cut off Ricochet and connect with the 619 for the victory. 

It was said during commentary that Mysterio was now officially a part of the SmackDown brand.. Earlier in the show, Mysterio spoke to Triple H, insisting he was not going to fight his own son and was upset about Dominik’s recent actions, saying he was ready to quit. Triple H instead talked him into going into his office to work things out.

Mysterio was a replacement for Karrion Kross, who was originally scheduled to compete in the match. However, the opening moments of SmackDown revealed he and Scarlett were involved in a car accident. McIntyre jumped Kross as he was recovering and continued to attack him as referees and officials attempted to break up the altercation.

Brock Lesnar appearance, United States title match set for WWE Raw

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A Brock Lesnar appearance and a United States title match have been announced for next week’s Raw.

During Friday’s SmackDown, it was announced that Lesnar would be appearing on Monday’s Raw, which will be held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. A United States championship match was also announced, with Seth Rollins defending against Matt Riddle.

Lesnar appeared on WWE television for the first time since SummerSlam on this Monday’s Raw, attacking Bobby Lashley with two F5’s and a kimura. Despite being attacked, Lashley insisted on defending the United States title, ultimately losing to Rollins. Lashley made it clear later in a backstage interview that he wanted Lesnar and challenged him to return next Monday.

Riddle and Rollins have been feuding throughout the fall, with Rollins defending Riddle at Clash at the Castle last month. However, Riddle defeated Rollins at Extreme Rules in a Fight Pit match, with Daniel Cormier serving as the special guest referee.

Here is the lineup so far for Monday’s Raw:

  • United States Championship: Seth Rollins defends against Matt Riddle
  • The Miz vs. Dexter Lumis – if Lumis wins, he earns a WWE contract
  • Brock Lesnar will appear
  • Elias will return

Former NJPW young lion Katsuya Kitamura passes away

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Katsuya Kitamura, a former young lion in New Japan Pro Wrestling, has passed away at the age of 36.

Tokyo Sports reported Friday morning that Kitamura had passed away on October 12, with the cause of death currently unknown. He had kept a YouTube page, with the latest video uploading on October 9.

Kitamura first started as an amateur wrestler, at one point being considered for the 2012 Japanese Olympic team. However in 2011 he was banned from amateur wrestling for two years after testing positive for anabolic steroids. He entered New Japan Pro Wrestling’s dojo in 2015 and had his first professional wrestling match in September of 2016, wrestling Tomoyuki Oka (Great-O-Khan) to a time limit draw. He won the 2017 Young Lion Cup, defeating everyone in the block.

Early in 2018, Kitamura was put in a trial series where he would face seven wrestlers in singles matches. In his final match, he was set to face Manabu Nakaniashi. However, the company announced that he had suffered a cerebral concussion and was unable to compete. After a year, he left NJPW in January of 2019.

Following his departure from NJPW, Kitamura had one mixed martial arts match in RIZIN, losing to Bobby Ologun by rear naked choke at Rizin 32 on November 20, 2021.

Orange Cassidy wins All-Atlantic title on AEW Dynamite

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Orange Cassidy is the new AEW All-Atlantic Champion.

Cassidy defeated PAC on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. The finish saw PAC going to use the ring bell hammer, as he has done in recent weeks to earn victories. Danhausen, however, distracted PAC long enough for the referee to notice PAC had a hammer. The referee removed the hammer, but PAC managed to get another one. Before he could strike, Cassidy instead hit the orange punch, then connected with another to score his first championship in the company.

The show ended with the rest of Best Friends, Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor, hugging Cassidy as confetti fell.

PAC had held the All-Atlantic Championship since June, defeating Miro, Aleister Black, and Clark Connors in a four-way match to determine the first-ever champion at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door. During his run, PAC defended the championship overseas in Europe. He also successfully defended the title at AEW’s All Out Zero Hour preshow, defeating a returning Kip Sabian.

Renee Paquette signs with AEW

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Renee Paquette is All Elite.

Tony Khan announced Wednesday afternoon that Paqutte had signed with the company.

“Welcome to the team! @ReneePaquette is ALL ELITE! See you soon coming up at 8pm ET/7pm ET on @TBSNetwork TONIGHT!” he wrote.

Paquette noted on social media today that she was in Toronto, which is also the home of tonight’s AEW Dynamite.

Fightful reported on October 8 that WWE sources, who had recently made inquiries regarding Paquette, believed that she would soon be working for AEW.

Paquette previously worked for WWE under the name Renee Young, joining the company in 2012. She was a backstage interviewer and also did color commentary for the Raw brand. She left the company in 2020 and has since pivoted to podcasting, hosting The Sessions podcast as well as a radio show on Sirius XM with Meisha Tate. It was recently announced that she would be starting a new Cincinnati Bengals podcast called Renee All Dey.

Ariel Helwani: Tony Khan interview was ‘one of the most frustrating of my career’

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Ariel Helwani commented on a recent interview he conducted with Tony Khan, saying it was one of the “not so fun interviews of my career”.

On a recent episode of The MMA Hour, Helwani said his interview with Khan that took place last week was “one of the most frustrating and, to a degree, not so fun interviews of my career”.

“He didn’t want to answer anything,” Helwani said. “You’re going to come on and promote X, Y, and Z, great. And I’ll play that dance with you. I did, at the beginning. But you got to give us something, to not even tell me how you were feeling. I’m not asking for specifics, alright fine I am, but is Punk going to wrestle for you, is he coming back, you don’t want to get into it, fine. But tell me how you were feeling. Give me something.”

During the interview, which was uploaded on October 5, Tony Khan refused to comment on the backstage altercation between CM Punk, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks that took place September 5. When asked about specifics regarding suspensions and the status of those involved in the fight, Khan again said that it was something he didn’t want to talk about.

AEW has not commented publicly regarding the fight or the status of Punk, The Young Bucks, Omega, Ace Steel, and others that were involved. Christopher Daniels, Brandon Cutler, and Michael Nakzaza, who were also suspended around the same time as others, returned to the company shortly after the fight took place.

Zack Clayton signs with All Elite Wrestling

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Zack Clayton is All Elite.

On Tuesday’s AEW Dark, Clayton appeared in a vignette confirming that he had signed a contract with AEW. He said people will respect him now, and now he will do whatever he wants. He ended the promo by asking if everyone’s so tough, why doesn’t someone step up and challenge the Reality.

Clayton has made a handful of appearances in AEW since 2020, but has appeared frequently on AEW Dark and Dark: Elevation since August. He has picked up a few wins in recent months, defeating Conan Lycan and Serpentico. His most prolific appearance was on the August 17 edition of AEW Rampage, where he was unsuccessful in challenging Hook for the FTW Championship.

Clayton is engaged to Jersey Shore reality star JWoww, having appeared on episodes of MTV’s Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. He has also made appearances for WrestlePro, Immortal Championship Wrestling, and Truly Independent Wrestling.

WWE NXT crowns new Tag Team title number one contenders

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Edris Enofe and Mailk Blade are the new number one contenders for the NXT Tag Team titles.

On Tuesday’s NXT, Enofe and Blade defeated Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen and The Dyad (Rip Fowler and Jagger Reid) in a three-way match to determine the next challengers for NXT Tag Team Champions Pretty Deadly. The finish came when Cameron Grimes attacked Joe Gacy and Rip Fowler on the outside, allowing Blade to roll up Reid for the victory.

It was not said when Enofe and Blade will get their NXT Tag Team Championship match.

After the match, Blade and Enofe confronted Pretty Deadly, who were in the crow’s nest inside the WWE Performance Center watching the match.

A three-way to determine the next contenders for the NXT Tag Team titles was made on last week’s program. During a state of the Commonwealth address, all three teams came to confront Pretty Deadly, setting the stage for Tuesday’s match.

Two matches added to WWE NXT Halloween Havoc

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Two new matches have been made for NXT Halloween Havoc on October 22.

Alba Fyre will face Mandy Rose for the NXT Women’s Championship. Meanwhile, Apollo Crews will face Grayson Waller in a singles match.

On Tuesday’s NXT, Fyre told Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne backstage that after she kidnapped Mandy Rose and took her on a “joyride” last week, she was eventually given a match for the NXT Women’s Championship at Halloween Havoc. Later in the show, Fyre was attacked by Sonya Deville, who later reiterated backstage that she had Toxic Attraction’s back. Fyre will meet Deville in a match next week.

In a vignette that aired on Tuesday, Crews said that he has waited two months for his match against Waller, and promised that after Halloween Havoc he will be leaving Waller in the dark.

Here is the lineup for Halloween Havoc, which will air on Peacock:

  • NXT Championship: Bron Breakker vs. Ilja Dragunov vs. JD McDonagh
  • NXT Women’s Championship: Mandy Rose vs. Alba Fyre
  • Grayson Waller vs. Apollo Crews
  • Ladder match for the NXT North American Championship: Carmelo Hayes vs. Oro Mensah vs. Wes Lee vs. Von Wagner vs. Nathan Frazer
  • Weapons wild match: Roxanne Perez vs. Cora Jade
  • Ambulance match: Damon Kemp vs. Julius Creed – if Julius loses, Brutus Creed will have to leave NXT

Five matches set for next week’s WWE NXT

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Five matches have been announced for next week’s NXT.

Channing ‘Stacks’ Lorenzo will meet a mystery opponent, Alba Fyre will meet Sonya Deville, and Cameron Grimes will team with two mystery partners against The Schism (Joe Gacy, Rip Fowler, and Jagger Reid). Additionally, Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez will face off in a Pick Your Poison match, where Perez will select an opponent for Jade and vice versa.

Fyre will meet Deville after Deville made a surprise appearance on Tuesday’s NXT, attacking Fyre after she had defeated Jacy Jayne. Gigi Dolin and Jayne joined in on the attack, putting Fyre through a table. Later in a backstage promo, Deville said that she and Mandy Rose were still friends and would face Fyre next week.

Cameron Grimes this week attacked Joe Gacy and the rest of the Schism at ringside, allowing Edris Enofe and Malik Blade to become the new number one contenders for the NXT Tag Team titles. Later backstage, Gacy made a three on one handicap match for next week, saying that Grimes had no one he could team with. Grimes told McKenzie Mitchell backstage that while it was true there was no one in NXT he could trust, that didn’t mean the entire WWE.

After Stacks lost to Wes Lee, Tony D’Angelo met him backstage and was disappointed with his loss. He said that next week, he would wrestle an opponent of his choosing. Stacks repeatedly asked who his opponent was, but D’Angelo wouldn’t say who.

Cora Jade was interviewed backstage about Roxanne Perez going to SmackDown on Friday, having spoke with people on both Raw and SmackDown. Later, Jade said that while Perez may be going to SmackDown, she got a call from Rhea Ripley and would be heading to Raw this coming Monday.

Here is the lineup for next Tuesday’s NXT:

  • The Schism (Joe Gacy, Rip Fowler, and Jagger Reid) vs. Cameron Grimes and two tag team partners
  • Alba Fyre vs. Sonya Deville
  • Channing ‘Stacks’ Lorenzo vs. an opponent of Tony D’Angelo’s choosing
  • Roxanne Perez vs. an opponent of Cora Jade’s choosing
  • Cora Jade vs. an opponent of Roxanne Perez’s choosing

Sonya Deville appears on WWE NXT, attacks Alba Fyre

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Sonya Deville appeared on Tuesday’s NXT, attacking Alba Fyre.

Fyre had defeated Jacy Jayne and was walking to the back when a hooded figure in the crowd attacked her. Deville revealed herself and continued to attack Fyre, with Jayne and Gigi Dolin joining in. The three eventually powerbombed Fyre through the announcer’s table.

Later backstage, Deville told McKenzie Mitchell that although she and Mandy Rose had their differences in the past, they are still friends. She said she has Toxic Attraction’s back, and she’ll face Fyre in a match next week if she chooses to accept.

On last week’s NXT, Fyre attacked Toxic Attraction and kidnapped Mandy Rose. On Tuesday’s show, Fyre explained that after she “went on a joyride” with Rose, she got a NXT Women’s Championship match for Halloween Havoc, which will take place on October 22.

Deville is a regular on the SmackDown brand. She last wrestled on October 7, teaming with Xia Li in a losing effort against Shotzi and Raquel Rodriguez.

Nathan Frazer qualifies for WWE NXT Halloween Havoc ladder match

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Nathan Frazer is the fifth and final participant in the upcoming ladder match set for NXT Halloween Havoc.

Frazer defeated Axiom in their best of three series to earn the final spot in the ladder match for the vacant North American Championship on October 22. The finish came after the two countered roll-up attempts, with Frazer getting the upper hand for the win. Frazer now joins Carmelo Hayes, Oro Mensah, Wes Lee, and Von Wagner.

The North American title was vacated last month after it was determined Solo Sikoa could not be champion due to not being a contender for the championship. Shawn Micheals instead made a ladder match for Halloween Havoc, with former champion Carmelo Hayes being the first to qualify.

Here is the latest lineup for Halloween Havoc, which will air on Peacock:

  • NXT Championship: Bron Breakker vs. Ilja Dragunov vs. JD McDonagh
  • NXT Women’s Championship: Mandy Rose vs. Alba Fyre
  • Grayson Waller vs. Apollo Crews
  • Ladder match for the NXT North American Championship: Carmelo Hayes vs. Oro Mensah vs. Wes Lee vs. Von Wagner vs. Nathan Frazer
  • Weapons wild match: Roxanne Perez vs. Cora Jade
  • Ambulance match: Damon Kemp vs. Julius Creed – if Julius loses, Brutus Creed will have to leave NXT

Daily Update: Bray Wyatt, Gallows & Anderson, AEW in Canada

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Daily Update

Latest News:

Latest Audio:

Latest Free YouTube Video:

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

  • The legacy of Inoki, his title histories and highlights, where he stands in Japanese culture, record attendances and gates, stadium shows from around the world, merchandise, major opponents, hostage settlement, Ali vs. Inoki, Bruno Sammartino, the complete story on the most famous mixed martial arts match of its generation, the heyday of wrestling in Japanese domed stadiums, Inoki vs. Don Frye, Inoki’s career start, and his heyday over more than 30 year, formation of new Japan and IGF, New Year’s Eve specials on network television, famous programs with Hogan, Andre, Backlund and Singh, his matches against international stars and stars from other sports, his legacy in foreign countries, the Inoki vs. Maeda and Inoki vs. Baba matches that didn’t happen, and so much more.
  • What happened with Sammy Guevara and Andrade, from multiple people who were there
  • WWE PPV business update
  • WWE television changes
  • Giulia, the Five Star Grand Prix, biggest match for Stardom at the end of the year and notes on the show
  • Television ratings for every national show this past week
  • New Japan Declaration of Power
  • New Japan notes from England
  • The story of AEW changing its Latin American distribution
  • New AEW signing and where other potential signings stand
  • Live event business upcoming for WWE and AEW
  • Streaming number updates
  • New A&E docs on wrestling stars
  • International ratings

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

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 [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

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If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

Tuesday News Update

WWE

  • PWInsider is reporting that moving forward, Bray Wyatt will be making appearances exclusively on SmackDown. Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows, who made their return on Raw on Monday, are slated to be exclusive to Raw.
  • Matt Riddle is the guest on this week’s After the Bell with Corey Graves.
  • Today’s new matches on WWE’s YouTube page include Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair from WrestleMania Backlash 2021, Kane vs. Edge in a stretcher match from the July 25, 2005 edition of Raw, and Drew McIntyre vs. Ricochet from the August 26, 2019 edition of Raw.

AEW/ROH

  • This week’s AEW Road to Toronto, focusing on Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Jericho for the ROH World Championship and PAC vs. Orange Cassidy for the AEW All-Atlantic Championship.
  • AEW announced on social media that they will be releasing production holds for ticket sales today ahead of their debut in Toronto on Wednesday.
  • Chris Jericho was interviewed by Now Toronto regarding the upcoming debut. “It’s been a long time coming,” he said regarding the company touring Canada. “Right out of the gate we were a big hit in Canada. I know our numbers on TSN are really good. But we had this little thing called the worldwide pandemic that delayed getting here. I was always asking, “When are we hitting Canada? When’s Toronto?” Now that it’s almost time… it’s really exciting. Toronto wrestling fans are off the charts. Whenever someone asks about the best wrestling cities in the world I always say London, Chicago, Tokyo and Toronto. Toronto is loud. You cheer for who you want to cheer for… sometimes that would drive WWE heads of state crazy. They would call it bizzaro land. But that’s the Canadian way. We’ll go nuts for who we like and we’ll boo who we hate. We don’t care what we are “supposed” to do. I’m excited to see the reaction we get.”
  • The Toronto Star also covered AEW’s debut, including comments from Tony Khan.
  • Our own Dave Meltzer spoke to Nick Hausman of Wrestling Inc. to discuss CM Punk and the AEW All Out media scrum.
  • Mark Sterling on 10/6 filed for the trademark ‘Scissor Me”, likely playing off last week’s Dynamite where he was laid out by The Acclaimed.

Other Wrestling

Karl Anderson vs. Hikuleo still set for NJPW Battle Autumn in Osaka

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Despite making his return to WWE on Monday’s Raw, Karl Anderson is still set for NJPW’s Battle Autumn in Osaka event on November 5.

The company updated the card on Tuesday morning, with Anderson vs. Hikuelo for the NEVER Openweight title still taking place.

“Also already announced for November 5, Karl Anderson will defend the NEVER Openweight Championship gold against Hikuleo,” NJPW’s website reads. “The Machine Gun will go wherever the bright lights will lead him, and that certainly rings true when it comes to November’s big Osaka event. Might it also be true of Wrestle Kingdom and a NEVER Championship defence on the grandest stage? Or will Hikuleo seize the moment and his first career championship?”

NJPW additionally announced that Master Wato, Hiromu Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori, and El Desperado will compete in a tag team match. A random drawing will determine the tag match. The four will compete in a four-way match at Wrestle Kingdom 17 for Ishimori’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight title.

Aussie Open, the Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions, will be making their Japan debut as well. Their opponents have not been named.

Here is the updated lineup for Battle Autumn in Osaka:

  • IWGP United States Championship: Will Ospreay defends against Tetsuya Naito
  • NEVER Openweight Championship: Karl Anderson defends against Hikuleo
  • Aussie Open will be in action
  • Master Wato, Taiji Ishimori, El Desperado, & Hiromu Takahashi to team against one another, teams to be determined at a later date

NJPW reveals bracket for World Television title tournament

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New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced details for a tournament that will crown the first NJPW World Television Champion.

The tournament will begin this Friday at Korakuen Hall as part of the Battle Autumn tour. Each match will have a 15 minute time limit, if a match reaches that limit, a coin flip will decide the winner. The semi finals will take place at the Battle Autumn in Osaka tour on November 5. The finals will take place at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4.

The first round matches, along with the dates in which they will take place, is as follows:

  • David Finlay vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru (10/14)
  • Alex Zayne vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (10/14)
  • YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jeff Cobb (10/15)
  • Aaron Henare vs. EVIL (10/15)
  • SANADA vs. Taichi (10/16)
  • Hirooki Goto vs. KENTA (10/16)
  • Ren Narita vs. Tomohiro Ishii (10/26)
  • Toru Yano vs. The Great-O-Khan (10/26)

NJPW unveiled the new championship at Declaration of Power this past Saturday. It was noted during the presentation that the aim for the championship is to feature younger talent, with each title defense having a fifteen minute time limit.