Author: Bryan Rose

The Great Muta appears at AEW Rampage Grand Slam, helps Sting

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Great Muta appeared at AEW Rampage Grand Slam, helping longtime rival Sting against Buddy Matthews and The House of Black.

Towards the end of a match pitting Sting & Darby Allin against Brody King & Matthews, Matthews had Sting handcuffed in a chair. He was about to strike Sting with a baseball bat when The Great Muta came out. Matthews originally stepped aside, allowing Muta to possibly attack his former rival. However, Muta attacked Matthews with a dragon screw, then misted him. Matthews, blinded, bumped into Julia Hart on the apron, sending her through a table. Sting then picked up the win for his team.

After the match, Muta and Sting shook hands and hugged.

Keiji Mutoh is currently on a retirement tour, with only a few matches left prior to his retirement show on February 21 at the Tokyo Dome. His final match under The Great Muta persona will take place at a Pro Wrestling NOAH event on January 22 at the Yokohama Arena.

WWE’s ‘White Rabbit’ teasers continue on SmackDown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A QR code on Friday’s SmackDown led to another tease regarding the “White Rabbit”.

During Friday’s show, A QR code was seen during a watch party segment with Hit Row. When viewers scanned the code, it led them to WWE’s website for a new teaser. Clicking on the teaser led to a mini-game where players guide a white rabbit to a door. When reaching the door, a new image appears with the word “patricide”, along with coordinates. The coordinates lead to Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, which will host Raw this coming Monday.

Additionally, the song “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane played again during Friday’s show in between commercials.

The “White Rabbit” song first played during last Friday’s SmackDown, continuing throughout the weekend on WWE house shows. On Raw this past Monday, a QR code was seen next to Austin Theory. That QR code led to WWE’s website, with a teaser ending with the date 9.23, the date of Friday’s SmackDown.

McIntyre vs. Kross strap match added to WWE Extreme Rules

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Karrion Kross and Drew McIntyre will meet in a strap match at Extreme Rules.

On Friday’s SmackDown, McIntyre said he was tired of Kross attacking him from behind, and went to the very top of WWE to get the match at Extreme Rules. After Kross managed to lay out McIntyre, he accepted the challenge for October 8.

After McIntyre issued the challenge, Scarlett appeared as Kross’ music played. Kross attempted to attack McIntyre from behind, but McIntyre saw it coming and fought back, attacking Kross with a strap he brought to the ring. Scarlett eventually intervened, shielding Kross and ended up throwing a fireball at McIntyre. The fireball gave Kross the distraction needed, regaining the advantage before eventually choking out McIntyre, accepting the Extreme Rules match.

Here is the lineup for Extreme Rules, which will take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

  • Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair vs. Bayley
  • SmackDown Women’s Championship: Liv Morgan vs. Ronda Rousey in an Extreme Rules match
  • Strap match: Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross

Pro wrestling legend makes surprise appearance at AEW Rampage Grand Slam taping

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The following contains spoilers for Friday’s AEW Rampage Grand Slam.

The Great Muta appeared during Wednesday’s AEW Rampage Grand Slam tapings.

Muta aided Sting and Darby Allin during their match against Buddy Matthews and Brody King, which will air this Friday. Matthews was about to attack a handcuffed Sting with a baseball bat when Muta arrived, spitting mist in the face of Matthews. This caused Matthews to bump into Julia Hart, who went through a table. Sting picked up the win for his team. After the match, Sting hugged Muta.

Sting and The Great Muta were both longtime rivals and tag team partners in WCW and New Japan Pro Wrestling in the late 80s and early 90. The Great Muta defeated Sting for the WCW Television title back in September of 1989.

Keiji Mutoh is currently on a retirement tour with Pro Wrestling NOAH. His last match under The Great Muta persona will take place on January 23 at Yokohama Arena. It was announced earlier this month that his final match will take place on February 21, 2023 at the Tokyo Dome.

Paige/Saraya signs with AEW, debuts at Dynamite Grand Slam

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The former Paige has signed with All Elite Wrestling.

Saraya made her debut on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite Grand Slam following the interim AEW Women’s World Championship match, saving Toni Storm and Athena from Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, and Serena Deeb. The segment ended with Saraya hugging Athena and Storm.

Tony Khan quickly confirmed on social media that Saraya had signed with the company.

Saraya’s contract with WWE expired on July 7 after the company opted not to re-sign her. She has not wrestled since December 2017, suffering a neck injury during a house show match. She had sporadic runs on WWE television in a non-wrestling capacity, most recently serving as a contributor for WWE’s short-lived Backstage show on FS1.

Tonight’s Dynamite had Storm retain the interim title, flash pinning Baker. Baker and Deeb attacked Storm and Athena after the match. Hayter ran down to the ring, at first teasing an attack on Baker after she broke up a pinfall attempt by Hayter back at All Out. However, it was a swerve as Hayter joined in and attacked Storm and Athena until Saraya came out.

Chris Jericho wins ROH World title at AEW Dynamite Grand Slam

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Chris Jericho is the Ring of Honor World Champion.

Jericho defeated Claudio Castagnoli to win the championship for the first time Wednesday night at AEW Dynamite Grand Slam. The finish had Jericho low blowing Castagnoli while the referee was distracted, allowing Jericho to connect with the Judas Effect to score the win. This ends Castagnoli’s reign with the title after 60 days, originally defeating Jonathan Gresham at Death Before Dishonor on July 23.

On last Friday’s Rampage, Castangoli came out and said that there would soon be two world champions in the Blackpool Combat Club, mentioning himself and the winner of Wednesday’s AEW World title match between Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley. Jericho, who was on commentary, called out Castagnoli, saying he wanted to get his “ocho”, or his eighth world title reign. Castagnoli accepted the challenge for next week.

Chris Jericho’s other world title runs include two WCW World title reigns, three reigns as World Heavyweight Champion, one reign as the WWE Undisputed Champion, and one reign as AEW World Champion.

Ilja Dragunov appears on WWE NXT, confronts Bron Breakker & JD McDonaugh

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Ilja Dragunov made his return to NXT on Tuesday, immediately making it clear he wanted the next shot at the NXT Championship.

The main event had JD McDonagh defeat Tyler Bate to become the number one contender for the NXT title. Bron Breakker, who was doing commentary at ringside, entered the ring and the two had a staredown. Dragunov then came out and stared down both men. Breakker held up the title to end the show, indicating he’d defend against both men.

Dragunov, who won the NXT UK Championship from Gunther last August, vacated the title back in July, citing an injury. McDonagh lost to Dragunov earlier this year in a loser leaves NXT UK match on the May 12 edition of the program.

McDonagh challenged Bron Breakker for the NXT Champion back on Heatwave on August 16. Breakker pinned McDonagh to retain the championship, then unified the NXT and NXT UK Championships earlier this month by defeating Tyler Bate at Worlds Collide.

North American title vacated, new champion to be decided at NXT Halloween Havoc

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The NXT North American Championship has been vacated, and a new champion will be crowned in a ladder match at Halloween Havoc.

Tuesday’s show opened with Solo Sikoa and Carmelo Hayes appearing in Shawn Micheals’ office. Michaels said that although Sikoa won the title, he was not a choice in the fan voting and was not a potential opponent, and therefore had to vacate the title. Sikoa relinquished the title. However, when Hayes asked for the title back, Micheals rejected him, saying that Hayes had “played the system” and got burned as a result. Micheals then made a match “in six weeks” at Halloween Havoc, where Hayes will face four other people in a ladder match to determine the new champion.

Micheals additionally said qualifying matches will take place over the next few weeks on NXT to determine who will enter the ladder match.

Sikoa, who made his main roster debut at Clash at the Castle earlier this month, made a surprise appearance on last week’s NXT, challenging Hayes after Hayes and Trick Williams laid out his original opponent, Wes Lee. An impromptu match was held, with Sikoa picking up the win. On last Friday’s SmackDown, Sikoa defended the title successfully against Madcap Moss.

It was reported back on August 31 that a Halloween Havoc Saturday event was being planned for October 22.

Daily Update: AEW Grand Slam, Young Rock, GCW notes

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Daily Update

Latest News:

Latest Audio:

Latest Free YouTube Video:

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

The aftermath of the AEW brawl after All Out
Why suspensions were lifted
The CM Punk injury and how it changes things
AEW video game promotion in Japan
What people under suspension aren’t allowed to do
Tony Khan position
Clearing up some wrestling stories
Ideas for AEW to improve the developmental rate of its young talent
The most important thing for AEW long-term
Ways to get wrestlers more time in the ring
Ways to get wrestlers more time learning promos and angles
Complete coverage of UFC 279
The life and death of UFC star Elias Theodorou
Coverage of this past week’s Stardom PPV show
How every wrestling show this past week did in the ratings, competition, football, where WWE & AEW fall in entertainment standings, how the segments on the major shows did
Unique finish to set up CMLL tournament final
Final build to the anniversary show
CMLL star undergoes surgery
Promotion talk about new reality show idea
Stardom Five Star Grand Prix update
New Japan and Stardom business rundowns, profits, losses, revenue, streaming numbers
Kota Ibushi update
Yuji Nagata celebrates 30 years in the ring
New Japan Strong TV for the future
Talk about the Desperado vs. Jun Kasai bloodbath
Generational dream match announced between 80 legend and modern legend
Konosuke Takeshita’s ten year anniversary
Ricky Steamboat returns to the ring
How viewing is changing
Story behind Steamboat’s comeback
More on movies about 80s stars and a movie on the life of modern star
Hall of Famer from Japan wants match with Moxley
Wrestling cartoon show canceled
Latest on WBD and wrestling
More AEW injury news
Ticket sale numbers for WWE & AEW shows
International TV numbers
Streaming numbers
More on the business of doing major shows
Commission examining UFC backstage brawl
More Clash at the Castle news
WWE projected revenue for this year
Why Raw will have a problem next week
Gable Steveson update
New talent coming to NXT
A&E bio news

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

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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

  • Damian Priest, Finn Balor, and Rhea Ripley will be the guests on WWE’s The Bump tomorrow morning.
  • Matches added to WWE’s YouTube page today include Big E vs. Roman Reigns from the September 20, 2021 edition of Raw, New Day vs. The Bloodline also from the September 20, 2021 edition of Raw, and Goldberg vs. Kane from the December 8, 2003 edition of Raw.

AEW/ROH

  • This week’s AEW Road to, focusing on Wednesday’s Grand Slam event.
  • Tony Khan announced on social media that Grand Slam is now the highest grossing TV show in AEW history.
  • Khan also wrote on Twitter: “To celebrate the biggest live gate tomorrow night at AEW Grand Slam, we have a special gift for the ticket buyer who puts us at or above the $1 million mark for the first time ever: a commemorative Grand Slam chair signed by greats from the Tournament of Champions!”
  • Action Bronson was on Ariel Helwani’s podcast talking about his match at AEW Rampage Grand Slam.
  • John Silver was interviewed by NY Sportsday ahead of Wednesday’s AEW Grand Slam event.
  • Silver also talked to Wrestling Junkie about balancing comedy with wrestling. “The thing is, some of the biggest stars in wrestling have been funny also,” he said. “If you look at The Rock, all his promos are pretty funny. Kurt Angle. These are people that can go in the ring that are the biggest stars ever, but they bring a lot of comedy to it as well. I really don’t worry about it. The real fans are going to appreciate the comedy, but also the wrestling. So I really don’t think about it that much.”
  • In addition to his interview with Helwani, MJF was also on the Rasslin podcast with Brandon Walker.
  • This week’s Sammy Guevara vlog.

Other Wrestling

  • PWInsider reported that the third season of Young Rock officially kicked off production on Monday in Memphis, Tennessee.
  • Tony Deppen will face YAMATO at GCW Fight Club on October 8.
  • Jonathan Gresham will be working dates for GCW, including October 8, 9, 22, 23, and November 20.
  • The second season of Heels on Starz will premiere on October 9.
  • David Finlay was interviewed by NJPW’s website.
  • The upcoming wrestling RPG WrestleQuest has released a new combat trailer.
  • The Rock shared a new poster for the upcoming film Black Adam on social media.
  • Masked Republic announced in a press release that they have teamed with Carlos “Spiff TV” Suarez and DJ Luian will be featured in “a new transmedia franchise” inspired by lucha libre films.
  • NWA stars Cyon, Natalia Markova, and Bryan Idol appear in the new Smashing Pumpkins video “Beguiled”.
  • Greg “The Hammer” Valentine turns 71 today. Other birthdays include Ethan Page and Arn Anderson

Bayley challenges Bianca Belair for WWE Extreme Rules

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Bayley ended Monday’s Raw by challenging Bianca Belair to a match for the Raw Women’s title at Extreme Rules.

Following a win over Alexa Bliss on Monday, Damage Control continued to attack Bliss. This brought out Asuka, who was laid out, and Belair, who managed to hold her own for a while. However, the numbers game played in Damage Control’s favor, and Bayley soon laid out Belair with a Rose plant. Bayley ended the show saying that she wanted the title match at Extreme Rules on October 8.

After Bayley pinned Belair at Clash at the Castle earlier this month, Bayley laid claim to being the next challenger for the Raw Women’s title on the following episode of Raw. Belair came out and said she would defend her championship right then and there. Bayley rejected the offer, saying it would be on her terms.

Here is the current match lineup for Extreme Rules, which will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

  • Extreme Rules match for the SmackDown Women’s title: Liv Morgan vs. Ronda Rousey
  • Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair vs. Bayley
  • Fight Pit match: Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins 

Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins Fight Pit match added to WWE Extreme Rules

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A Fight Pit match has been added to Extreme Rules on October 8.

Seth Rollins will face Matt Riddle in the third-ever Fight Pit match. After both got involved in each other’s matches on Monday’s Raw, the two were seen brawling backstage. As the two were seperated, Riddle issued the challenge for Extreme Rules, with Rollins immediately accepting.

The Fight Pit match is set inside a steel cage with no ring ropes. It has previously been seen in NXT, when Timothy Thatcher defeated Tomasso Ciampa in January of 2020. Thatcher later went on to defeat Riddle in the another Fight Pit match that was held on the May 20, 2020 edition of NXT.

On Raw, Riddle interfered in the finish of the Seth Rollins/Bobby Lashley match for the United States title, distracting Rollins long enough to be speared by Lashley. Later, Rollins came out during a Riddle & Rey Mysterio vs. Damian Priest & Finn Balor match, attacking Riddle.

Here is the current card for Extreme Rules:

  • Extreme Rules match for the SmackDown Women’s title: Liv Morgan vs. Ronda Rousey
  • Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair vs. Bayley
  • Fight Pit match: Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins 

WWE continues ‘White Rabbit’ tease on Raw

Posted on by Bryan Rose

WWE continued the “White Rabbit” tease on tonight’s Raw, leading viewers to a page on their webiste.

During Monday’s show, Austin Theory was shown backstage near a QR code. When the QR code was scanned, it took viewers to a WWE.com page where a white rabbit was shown playing a game of Hangman. The question brought forth during the game was “who killed the world?”, with the answer being revealed as “you did”. The video ended with “9.23”. Friday’s SmackDown will take place on September 23 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Since last Friday’s SmackDown, the song “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Starship has played during commercial breaks. The song also played during weekend house shows, and once again played during a commercial break during Monday’s Raw.

https://twitter.com/Jennife30082359/status/1572027390561497088

Speculation regarding who may be behind the “White Rabbit” song has pointed to Bray Wyatt, who was released from WWE back in July of 2021. Dave Meltzer reported earlier this month that there were “definitely talks in that direction” regarding a Wyatt return to the company.

Kenny Omega unable to appear at AAA Triplemania due to AEW suspension

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Kenny Omega is not going to Triplemania.

On Konnan’s podcast, Konnan confirmed that Omega was set to headline the Triplemania show on October 15, but due to his suspension, is unable to do so.

“Omega was gonna headline Triplemania and [AEW] won’t let him go,” Konnan said. He said both Omega and AEW head of talent relations Christopher Daniels said he would not be able to make the shot.

Omega, along with The Young Bucks, CM Punk, and Ace Steel, have all been suspended from AEW following a confrontation backstage at AEW All Out back on September 4 after CM Punk made negative comments towards The Bucks and Hangman Page. The AEW World championship, which Punk held, and the Trios championship, which the Bucks and Omega held, were all vacated as a result.

Matches announced for the October 15 show in Mexico City include Pentagon Jr. vs. Villano IV in a mask vs. mask match, Taya Valkyrie vs. Kamille for the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship, Hijo del Vikingo vs. an unknown opponent for the AAA Mega Championship, and Pagano vs. Cibernetico in a hair vs. hair match.

NEVER Six-Man Tag Team title match set for NJPW Burning Spirit in Kagawa

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The NEVER Six-Man Tag Team title match has been moved to this coming Friday.

NJPW announced on social media Sunday night that the title match, which originally was set for Saturday in Beppu as part of the Burning Spirit tour, will now be held on Friday, September 23 in Kagawa at the Takamatsu City General Gymnasium. The match will have Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, and YOH defend the titles against House of Torture’s EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, and SHO in a Tornado Dog Cage Survival match.

The match in Beppu was canceled out of concern for Typhoon Nanmadol, which made landfall in southern Japan on Saturday. NJPW canceled both the show in Beppu and their card for Monday in Fukuoka. They are currently set to resume their tour on Wednesday, when they run in Kumamoto.

Also scheduled for the Kagawa show is an elimination tag match, with David Finlay, Ryusuke Taguchi, Master Wato, and The DKC facing off against United Empire’s Will Ospreay, TJP, Francesco Akira, and Aaron Henare.

NJPW cancels Burning Spirit events due to typhoon

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Update:

NJPW has announced the September 19 event in Fukuoka has also been canceled.

Original story:

NJPW has canceled their show set for Sunday morning.

The company announced on their website that with Typhoon Nanmadol expected to make landfall in southern Japan, NJPW has decided to cancel Sunday’s Burning Spirit event that was scheduled to take place in Beppu’s B-Con Plaza. Refunds will be issued to all ticket holders, and those who require English assistance can fill out a contact form here.

Shows set to take place in Fukuoka on September 19 and Kumamoto on September 21 are currently scheduled to take place, however those attending are encouraged to check English and Japanese “web and social media” for the latest involving the typhoon.

The key match set for the show on the 18th was a tornado dog cage survival match for the NEVER Six-Man Openweight Tag Team titles, with champions Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, and YOH defending against House of Torture members EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, and SHO. The show was to be headlined by a ten-man tag team elimination match, with Tama Tonga, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, KUSHIDA, and Jado squaring off against Jay White, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Taiji Ishimori, and Gedo.