Author: Bryan Rose

Global Pro Wrestling Summit event in Israel not moving forward as scheduled

Posted on by Bryan Rose

An event featuring international talent in Israel that was set for this September is not moving forward as scheduled.

Haus of Wrestling obtained a statement from Global Pro Wrestling Summit, which had a show featuring international talent such as Sting and Rob Van Dam scheduled for September 14 at Pais Arena in Jerusalem. The promotion cited a falling out with their promoter, AllStars Israel/Stagetime, as the reason for the show not going forward. They are currently working on “aligning with a reputable, major promotional entity” in an attempt to save the show.

The statement from GPWS is as follows:

We regret to announce that the Global Pro Wrestling Summit event will not be going forward, as scheduled for the Pais Arena in Jerusalem on September 14, 2023.

The promoter, All-Stars Israel/Stagetime, is in breach of contract on numerous fronts, inclusive of not delivering deposits to talent as stipulated in the contracts, and has been duly notified that the contracted talent (which includes ALL non-Israeli talent being advertised for the event) will NOT be appearing. THIS promoter has been advised to pull advertisements/promotions containing talent from all platforms and to cease selling tickets immediately in connection with the advertisement/promotion of any of these talents.

In the interest of protecting consumers from fraud, we’ve notified both the Pais Arena and the on-sale platform –Ticket Tailor—that the event, as currently being advertised/promoted by All-Stars Israel/Stagetime, is not going forward.

In the process of producing this event, first-class teams in both the US and Israel have been assembled. Talented professionals such as Rick Bassman. Scarlette Donovan, Todd Keneley, Alon Levin, Jeramie McPeek, Oren Treitman, Pete Trerice, Danny Ly Ziser, and others have put forth a consistently excellent and thoroughly conscientious effort to build and advance what we all hoped would be an unforgettable and wholly-positive experience, for talent and “office” alike, and especially, for the fans.

That said, with this large volume of good work behind us, including booking an unparallel card and having a solid commitment for pay-per-view, we’re all hard at work trying to “save” this event by aligning with a reputable, major promotional entity. Progress is being made, with REPUTABLE promoters, both in Israel and in other territories. In the event we are to move forward on the September 14 date, we will provide updates accordingly, and all ticket sales for Pais will be honored at the new venue. That said, fans who have purchased tickets thus far may wish to elect to request a refund through Ticket Tailor, the platform All-Stars Israel engaged. www.tickettailor.com

A couple of personal notes from our team… doing this show has gotten into our blood. It has been a true pleasure forming a relationship between the US and Israeli teams who have been working so hard on this together, as it has been getting to know the wonderful pro wrestling talent in Israel.

If September 14 does not come to fruition, we will regroup, and continue to put forth our best efforts to bring world-class professional wrestling to Israel in the very near future. But… we’re still fighting the good fight! In any case, we PLEDGE… a “new” event will be announced ONLY when ALL funding is in place.

Stay tuned…

Sincerely,

The Global Pro Wrestling Summit Team

The event was announced earlier this month, promoting international talent including Sting, Rob Van Dam, Ultimo Dragon, El Hijo Del Vikingo, Frankie Kazarian, Psycho Clown, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Paul London, Seleziya, and Oleg Prudius (Vladamir Kozlov).

Don Callis attacked by fan following AAA Triplemania XXXI Tijuana

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Don Callis was assaulted by a fan following Saturday’s Triplemania XXXI event in Tijuana.

Bryan Alvarez is reporting that there was a post-show press conference where Kenny Omega was confronted by Don Callis, leading to an angle where Omega was attacked by Konosuke Takeshita, continuing their AEW feud. As security was breaking up the fight, that was when a fan attacked Callis from behind.

“Everything was an angle up to that point, but then a fan who was apparently upset about what Don had said to Kenny jumped Don from behind, ripped his suit, concussed his eardrum and busted open his mouth while he was trying to choke out Don from behind,” Alvarez said. “ Don was screaming profanities at the fan before he was pulled off, and was said to be livid afterwards.”

Callis’ neck and ankle were both injured in the attack and is heading to San Diego for medical attention. Alvarez reiterates that the situation was “absolutely not a work”.

Callis appeared prior to the main event of Triplemania, where he said he would be in Vikingo’s corner. Before the match started, however, Konnan came out and sent Callis to the back. Vikingo won the match cleanly after pinning Omega with a 630 splash.

Trios title match announced for next week’s AEW Collision

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A Trios title match is set for next Saturday’s AEW Collision.

The Acclaimed, along with Daddy Ass (Billy Gunn), will challenge The House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews) for the Trios titles. On this week’s Collision, Max Caster announced that the team will get a championship match due to their recent success in the division.

At AEW Double or Nothing back in May, The House of Black defeated The Acclaimed & Daddy Ass to retain the titles. In the weeks since, The Acclaimed have won three trios matches, most recently defeating The Blade & The Bollywood Boyz on the July 5 edition of AEW Dynamite.

The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass will also be in action on next Friday’s Rampage. They will face members of QTV after Johnny TV called them out on this week’s edition of the show.

Here is the current card for next week’s Collision:

  • AEW Trios Championship: The House of Black defend against The Acclaimed & Daddy Ass

Severe weather interrupts AEW Battle of the Belts VII broadcast feed

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The feed to AEW Battle of the Belts VII was interrupted on Saturday night.

Towards the end of the AEW Women’s Championship match between Toni Storm and Taya Valkyrie, AEW’s feed fizzled out, eventually leaving a black screen. In the US, TNT went to commercials after around 10 seconds. After commercials, a few minutes of last week’s Collision aired before the feed eventually returned. Overall, the situation lasted under ten minutes.

After Luchasaurus retained the TNT Championship in the main event, footage was shown of the finish to the AEW Women’s Championship match. Ruby Soho got on the apron and attacked Valkyrie, allowing Storm to hit the Storm Zero for the win.

Announcer Ian Riccaboni on commentary said that due to severe thunderstorms in Calgary, the location for Saturday’s AEW programming, the satellite feed died out. It was said that the full show, including the AEW Women’s title match in full, would be available on the TNT app. The rest of Battle of the Belts VII aired with no problems.

Ricky Starks wins men’s AEW Owen Hart Foundation tournament

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Ricky Starks has won this year’s men’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament.

Starks pinned CM Punk on Saturday’s Collision to win the tournament. The finish of the match had the two rolling up one another in a near fall sequence. Starks shifted his weight to cover Punk and grabbed the top rope for leverage, scoring the win.

As Collision ended and Battle of the Belts VII began, Starks exited the ring as CM Punk sat up, stunned. Starks snatched the men’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament trophy from Jushin Thunder Liger, completely ignoring him as he made his exit.

Earlier on Collision, Willow Nightingale defeated Ruby Soho to win the women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament.

CM Punk had defeated Satoshi Kojima at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door and Samoa Joe on last week’s episode of Collision to make it to Saturday’s finals. Ricky Starks, meanwhile, defeated Juice Robinson on the July 1 edition of Collision and Powerhouse Hobbs on last week’s show.

Willow Nightingale wins women’s AEW Owen Hart Foundation tournament

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Willow Nightingale has won this year’s women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament.

Nightingale defeated Ruby Soho in the finals, which took place on AEW Collision Saturday. The finish of the match had Soho plant a spray paint bottle on Nightingale. As the referee was busy, Soho clawed the eyes and hit the no future kick, with Nightingale kicking out. Soho went for another spray paint bottle, but Nightingale connected with a pounce then hit a gutwrench powerbomb to win the match.

Following her victory, confetti was blasted into the ring as Nightingale celebrated. It was mentioned that the official ceremony with Martha Hart would take place during Battle of the Belts VII, which airs immediately after Collision. The men’s tournament final will take place in the Collision main event, with CM Punk taking on Ricky Starks.

Nightingale defeated Nyla Rose to advance to the semifinals. She then defeated ROH Women’s Champion Athena on AEW Rampage this past Friday to make it to the finals.

WOR Video: The AEW ‘banned moves’ list isn’t that new

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The banned list is nothing new, according to Dave Meltzer.

Meltzer talked to Garrett Gonzales on Wrestling Observer Radio Friday afternoon. While talking about a report indicating a new set of rules that would ‘ban’ certain moves, Meltzer said most of the guidelines were already in place prior to it officially being written down.

“The story’s obviously true…it’s really nothing,” he said. “The rules of the banned stuff has been in play since the beginning, since when Chris Nowinsiki and Tony Khan talked…there’s nothing there that’s going to change anything.”

Meltzer emphasized that the way people do matches won’t change based on the “new” rules, because even when it comes to the very top guys in the company, they are going to get leeway towards doing the kinds of matches they want anyway.

“If you’re a pro and a top guy, they’re going to give you the benefit of the doubt. Or at worse, they’ll say hey, look, whatever. They’re not going to take away people’s rights,” he said. “ There’s going to be no changes to the matches of these guys. And it’s not really a major thing.”

Naomichi Marufuji to face Will Ospreay on 25th anniversary show

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Naomichi Marufuji has an opponent for his anniversary show.

The Pro Wrestling NOAH star will face NJPW star Will Ospreay on September 17 in Korakuen Hall as part of his 25th anniversary show. Back in June following his match against Kenny Omega at Forbidden Door, Ospreay expressed interest in facing Marufuji, specifically on his anniversary show. He said that Marufuji was his idol growing up and he would love to be in the ring with him if possible.

This would be the first time Marufuji and Ospreay faced one another in a singles match. However, they teamed up in an undercard tag team match back in October of 2016, teaming with Toru Yano to defeat Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Tomoaki Honma.

Maurufji started his career in 1998, graduating from the All Japan Pro Wrestling dojo and having his first match against Yoshinobu Kanemaru on August 28 of that year. He jumped ship with most of the AJPW roster in 2000 to form Pro Wrestling NOAH, where he has remained ever since.

AEW announces return of Royal Rampage battle royal

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The return of the Royal Rampage battle royal, as well as a six-man trios match, is set for next week’s Rampage.

On Friday’s show, a video package showed Jeff Jarrett blaming Sonjay Dutt for his loss in the Blind Eliminator tournament. Dutt admitted he was wrong to throw the guitar into the ring and demanding Matt Hardy use it. Hardy refused, eventually leading to Jarrett and Hardy’s loss. Hardy, Ethan Page, and Isiah Kassidy in the video package revealed that they would be in the upcoming Royal Rampage match. Jarrett told Dutt that he, Jay Lethal, and Satnam Singh wanted to participate in the match as well.

The Royal Rampage battle royal was introduced last year. Last year’s match was a 20-person battle royal with two rings, as it was held following last year’s Blood and Guts match. The winner of that match, Brody King, eventually got an AEW World Championship match against then-champion Jon Moxley. It was not explained if the same rules applied to this year’s match.

QTV also challenged The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass to a match for next week’s show. After QT Marshall apologized for the way things went with Powerhouse Hobbs on last week’s Collision, Harley Cameron showed footage of Johnny TV emerging from a pool, challenging The Acclaimed to a trios match.

Here’s the lineup for next week’s Rampage:

  • Royal Rampage battle royal
  • The Acclaimed & Daddy Ass vs. QTV

Jey Uso-Roman Reigns Rules of Engagement set for WWE SmackDown

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Roman Reigns and Jey Uso will meet face-to-face on next week’s SmackDown on FS1.

On Friday’s show, it was announced that Reigns will meet Uso where they will discuss the ‘rules of engagement’. After Reigns attacked and hospitalized Jimmy Uso on last week’s SmackDown, Jey Usos ended the show by challenging Reigns to a match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

SmackDown this week had Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa interrupt a Jey Uso promo, telling Uso that he didn’t have the conscious to be a right-hand man and that everything that happened to Jimmy last week was his fault. Sikoa said he’d never forgive Jey, leading to a brawl that ended when Jey sent Sikoa packing with steel chair shots.

A four-way United States Championship Invitational match between LA Knight, Sheamus, Cameron Grimes, and Rey Mysterio will also take place next week. The winner of that match will face Santos Escobar on the July 28 edition of SmackDown. The winner between those two will then get a shot at Austin Theory’s United States title.

Here is the card for next week’s SmackDown, which will air on FS1 due to FIFA Women’s World Cup coverage:

  • Roman Reigns & Jey Uso Rules of Engagement
  • United States Championship Invitational four-way: LA Knight vs. Sheamus vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Rey Mysterio

Bobby Lashley returns on WWE SmackDown

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Bobby Lashley returned to television on SmackDown Friday, teasing something with The Street Profits.

On Friday, The Street Profits were shown waiting for someone in the parking lot backstage. A limo pulled up, with Lashley eventually emerging from the car. He asked the Street Profits if they were “ready to go talk”. The Street Profits said they were, climbing into the limo as it drove away.

Lashley has largely been off television in recent months. He last appeared on the May 12 edition of SmackDown, winning a three-way match to face off against AJ Styles later that night. Styles won, setting up a match between himself and Seth Rollins to determine the first World Heavyweight Champion. Styles went on to win that match before eventually losing to Seth Rollins at Night of Champions.

The Street Profits last wrestled on the June 23 edition of SmackDown, losing a match to Pretty Deadly.

Santos Escobar advances to WWE United States title Invitational finals

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Santos Escobar has advanced to the finals of the SmackDown United States Championship Invitational.

Escobar won the first four-way match on Friday’s SmackDown, defeating AJ Styles, Grayson Waller, and Butch. The finish of the match had Styles preparing to use the Styles Clash on Butch when footage was shown backstage of The OC being laid out by Karrion Kross and Scarlett. Styles exited the match as Santos Escobar managed to pick up the victory, pinning Waller.

Another four-way match will take place between LA Knight, Rey Mysterio, Cameron Grimes, and Sheamus on next week’s SmackDown. The winner of that match will then advance to the finals on the July 28 edition of SmackDown, where they will face Escobar.

Austin Theory, who was on commentary during Friday’s four-way match, has held the WWE United States title since November 26. His last title defense was on the July 7 edition of SmackDown, where he defeated Sheamus to retain the title. 

WOR Video: Fallout from AEW Dynamite

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Nick Wayne made his AEW debut, and Kota Ibushi is heading to Blood & Guts.

Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer discussed the big news coming from Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. Prior to the main event segment. Nick Wayne made his AEW debut losing to Swerve Strickland. Dave thought it was a good, not great match, but wondered if having Wayne lose was the right call.

“He got over really big with the crowd,” he said. “The ringsiders were chanting for him…it would not have been my call for him to lose his debut. Swerve was more polished..the crowd really wanted him to win.”

The main event segment had Don Callis come out to announce his fifth member of the Blackpool Combat Club Blood & Guts team next week. Kenny Omega came out to confront Callis, but it ended up being a trap, with PAC making his return to attack Omega. Moxley, PAC, and Konosuke Takeshita were about to injure Omega when he told them to watch a video, which revealed Kota Ibushi as The Elite’s fifth member.

Meltzer has high expectations for the match, putting over the wrestlers involved.

“As far as the promise of the match goes, it could really be one the best matches of the year. It really could. The expectations are really high on that one.”

Rush says he’ll be at AAA Triplemania XXXI Tijuana

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Rush will be at Triplemania this weekend.

On Wednesday night, Rush posted a video confirming that he would be part of this weekend’s Triplemania event in Tijuana, where he is set to team with LA Park against Sam Adonis and Psycho Clown in the finals of a Guerrera de Rivalidades tournament.

Back on June 10, Rush announced on Facebook that he and his father, Bestia del Ring, quit AAA and were now “totally independent” moving forward. Neither AAA or Rush confirmed whether or not the match was still on until Rush posted the video on Wednesday.

The team that loses the match this Saturday will then face one another in a mask vs. hair match at the third and final Triplemania event, which will take place in Mexico City on August 12.

Here is the updated lineup for Saturday’s Triplemania event:

  • AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo defends against Kenny Omega
  • LA Park & Rush vs. Sam Adonis & Psycho Clown in the Guerra de Rivalidades tournament. The losing team will wrestle in a mask vs. hair match at Triplemania: Mexico City on 8/12
  • Pentagon Jr & Laredo Kid vs. QT Marshall & Taurus in a Lucha de Ambulancia match
  • Team Chilango (Dana, Argenis, Chessman, & Negro Casas) w/Aczino vs. Team Baja (Nicho el Millionario, Damian 666, Rey Horus, & Xtreme Tiger) w/UFC Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno
  • Aramis, Jack Evans & Vampiro vs. Pagano, Bestia 666 & Mega Wolf
  • Sexy Star, Lady Shani, & Dalys vs. Kamille, Viva Van, & Natalia Markova
  • Copa Triplemania entrants: Willie Mack, Mr. Iguana, Jack Cartwheel, La Hiedra, Flammer, Myzteziz, Luchador Sorpresa, Puma King, Nino Hamburguesa, Dinamico, & Gringo Loco

Ruby Soho advances to AEW Owen Hart Foundation tournament finals

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Ruby Soho has advanced in the AEW Owen Hart Foundation women’s tournament.

Soho advanced on Wednesday’s Dynamite, defeating Sky Blue after pinning her with the no future. With the win, she advances to Saturday’s finals on AEW Collision at the Saddledome in Calgary, where she will take on the winner of the Willow Nightingale/Athena match that is scheduled for Friday’s AEW Rampage.

Originally, Nightingale and Athena were set to wrestle on this past Saturday’s Collision event. However, Tony Khan announced on social media that the match was delayed due to injuries Nightingale suffered during the NJPW Strong Independence Day tour in Japan. On that tour, she lost the NJPW Strong Women’s title to Giulia.

The men’s finals were determined on this past Saturday’s Collision. Ricky Starks defeated Powerhouse Hobbs to advance, while CM Punk defeated Samoa Joe. After Punk’s match against Joe, Joe attacked Punk after pretending he would shake Punk’s hand. FTR ran down for the save, and the show ended with Punk and Starks having a staredown.