Tag: beretta

Daily Update: WWE stock, Trent Barreta, AAA on TV Azteca

Posted on by F4W Staff

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News

Latest Audio

F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: WWE’s WrestleMania main event decision

While the first women’s WrestleMania main event is all but official at this point, WWE still has a huge decision to make about who will be in it.

In a sense, WWE is playing with house money. Both options that they have are good ones. Whether the main event is Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship or a triple threat between Rousey, Lynch, and Charlotte Flair for the title, it will be the most heated match on the card and fully deserving of its place in the spotlight on WWE’s most important day of the year. 

WON NEWSLETTER: February 11, 2019: NJPW New Beginning in Sapporo review, more

I have no idea how this issue got done. I had surgery on my left little finger which was broken in three places on 1/30, and it seemingly went well.

NJPW – New Beginnings: The two nights together did 10,957 paid with one sellout up from 10,002 last year. Tanahashi & Okada as The Dream Team vs. Jay White & Bad Luck Fale did the same as Tanahashi vs. Suzuki did last year for the IC title but paid was much higher this year for Naito vs. Taichi in Taichi’s hometown than for Kenny Omega vs. Jay White for the U.S, title last year, although both were sellouts.

At Smackdown on Tuesday, several talents with contracts coming due were asked to sign new long-term deals after Dean Ambrose told the promotion he wasn’t going to sign a new contract. 

Ian Riccaboni signed a new contract with ROH to continue as their play-by-play announcer.

UFC held a press conference today. The big heat seemed to be between Tyron Woodley and Kamaru Usman, building up their Welterweight Title fight at UFC 235 on March 2nd. Jon Jones is facing Anthony Smith on that show.

Conor McGregor will not be fighting Donald Cerrone in April. Khabib still claims he is not fighting for a year.

Jose Aldo defeated Renato Moicano, 44 seconds into the 2nd round. First round was very close. But it was the “old Aldo”, just destroyed him. Aldo is still talking about retiring at the end of this year. 

Filthy Tom Lawlor is the new MLW champion defeating Low Ki at their super fight one hour Bein Sports TV special from the 2300 (ECW) Arena in Philadelphia.

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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THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE

by Bryan Rose and Joseph Currier

WWE

  • After WWE released their fourth quarter/full year 2018 financial report today, WWE stock closed the day at $83.51 per share. That’s up 4.70 percent on the day and gives the company a $6.52 billion market capitalization.
  • WWE announced a stock repurchase program of up to $500 million of their common stock. WWE’s George Barrios said about the announcement: “The authorization of a stock repurchase program underscores our commitment to the Company’s shareholders. The decision is supported by WWE’s strong financial performance and demonstrates our confidence in the Company’s future. We believe we can continue to invest for future growth, maintain financial flexibility and return excess capital to shareholders, all of which should keep us on the path toward building long-term value.”
  • Dean Ambrose will be a guest on Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder’s podcast tomorrow.
  • The Richmond Coliseum, which opened in 1971, is reportedly being shuttered and there are plans to demolish the venue. It was home to several WWE events, most recently Backlash 2016 where AJ Styles pinned Dean Ambrose to win the WWE title.
  • Ronda Rousey made an appearance to help with the opening of the new Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center in Los Angeles.
  • The Rock said he was the Academy’s first choice to host the Oscars, but had to turn it down due to filming the next Jumanji movie.
  • Seth Rollins reflects on his early run in NXT and FCW.
  • Alexa Bliss has been training with Mike Quackenbush at the Performance Center.
  • WWE uploaded video of Eric Bugenhagen’s “encore performance” after his NXT TV debut.
  • There is also a history of Elimination Chamber match winners on WWE’s YouTube page.
  • Bruce Feldman reported that Pep Hamilton is expected to be named the head coach and general manager of the XFL’s Washington D.C. team. Hamilton was the University of Michigan’s assistant head coach/passing game coordinator until leaving this week. He was previously the offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts and Stanford University.

Pro Wrestling

  • From Dave Meltzer on Trent Barreta/AEW/NJPW: “New Japan is not upset at AEW over Trent Barreta. The issue is that they felt Baretta had made a commitment to them for 2019 to key people and then decided to leave but they have no beef with AEW over them signing him.”
  • AAA will start airing on TV Azteca on 2/15, with Lucha Central reporting it will air at 4:30 Central time every Friday. This comes after AAA announced recently that they and Televisia had split.
  • Impact has announced a press conference with former NFL players Floyd Little, Morton Greenwood, Tom Barnt and Lawrence Pinson to formally launch their alliance with the NFLALV’s charity programs ‘Caring for Kids’ and ‘Care for our Own’. It will take place on 2/15 starting at 5:30 p.m. PT at Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas.
  • Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler and Shane Helms have been added to Starrcast II.
  • NJPW’s website has removed Cody Rhodes, Young Bucks, Hangman Page, Trent Barreta, Chucky T and KUSHIDA’s profiles from their website. However, Kenny Omega and Jericho’s profiles are still up.
  • A video by Shaun Ryan is out hyping the feud between David Starr and Jordan Devlin ahead of their OTT match on 2/17.
  • Cody Rhodes and Madison Rayne appeared on this week’s episode of The Ross Report.
  • Ilja Dragunov has been announced for this year’s PROGRESS Super Strong Style 16 tournament, which is taking place from May 4-6. He’s the second wrestler to be confirmed for the tournament, joining Travis Banks.
  • Ian Riccaboni has this weekend’s ROH shows off because he and his wife are expecting the arrival of their second child: “Now feels as good of time as ever to mention this: My wife is pregnant. All signs point to a happy and health birth… this weekend. One of the reasons I re-signed with ROH was because they walk the walk with ‘Family First’. I have off this weekend.”

UFC/MMA

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Money Inc. win WWF Tag Team titles

Ed in San Antonio presents the WRESTLEMANIAWeekend Events (more to be added):

  • Sunday, April 6th, at 12:00 pm: Lunch (all you can eat) at Churrascaria Plataforma ($90 per person), located at 316 W. 49th street in Manhattan. Purchase tickets here~!
  • Luxury Bus to MetLife Stadium for Wrestlemania: We will depart from the Hilton Midtown (site of Wrestlecon) located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas. Departure time is 4:00 pm and will return from MetLife approximately 30 mins after the event. Times are subject to change, and cost $67.00 per person for the round trip. Purchase tickets here~!

CONTACT INFORMATION

NJPW New Beginning USA Nashville results: Elimination tag match

Posted on by F4W Staff

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s three-show New Beginning USA tour wrapped up at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday night.

– Katsuyori Shibata did the pre-show welcome with Clark Connors in the ring with him.

– Karl Fredericks defeated Alex Coughlin in 9:48

Fredericks submitted him with a Boston crab right as the 10-minute time limit was coming up.

– Shane Taylor & Lance Archer defeated Colt Cabana & Jonathan Gresham in 11:12

Taylor got the pin on Cabana after hitting a modified piledriver.

– The Great O-Kharn defeated Harlem Bravado in 10:34

The Iron Claw slam got the win for O-Kharn.

– Marty Scurll defeated Clark Connors in 13:51

Scurll submitted him with the crossface chicken wing.

– Jeff Cobb defeated Brody King in 22:27

The Tour of the Islands got the win for Cobb.

– IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Juice Robinson, David Finlay & Tracy Williams defeated Beretta, Chuckie T & Rocky Romero in an elimination tag match in 31:26

Eliminations could occur via pinfall, submission, or being thrown over the top rope. It came down to Robinson and Romero, with Robinson hitting Pulp Friction to win.

The eliminations were:

  • Finlay threw Chuckie T over the top rope
  • Romero sent Williams over the top rope
  • Finlay pinned Beretta
  • Romero threw Finlay over the top rope right after he pinned Beretta
  • Robinson pinned Romero after hitting Pulp Friction

Robinson got on the microphone and thanked the fans to close the show. Both teams showed each other respect.

NJPW New Beginning USA Charlotte results: IWGP US title match

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by Sammy Eanes

Katsuyori Shibata welcomed everyone to start the show. The crowd at the Grady Cole Center was hot all night, with lots of folks wearing NJPW and Bullet Club gear.

– Karl Fredericks vs. Clark Connors ended in a 10-minute time-limit draw

Very solid opener. It was a physical match where both wrestlers showed a ton of potential. Shibata watched intently from ringside. Fredericks threw some big-time chops, and Connors had a Boston crab applied on Fredericks as time expired.

The fans gave both wrestlers a standing ovation after.

– Colt Cabana & John Skyler defeated Lance Archer & Shane Taylor in 10:13

Archer attacked all the young lions at ringside during his entrance. The early portion of the match mostly consisted of Taylor and Archer working over Skyler. Cabana eventually got a hot tag, and there were some decent exchanges between Skyler and Archer. Cabana rolled up Taylor for the pin.

Archer and Taylor laid out Cabana and Skyler afterwards. They also laid out Fredericks and Connors, who had come to ringside as seconds during the match.

– Great O-Kharn defeated Tracer X in 8:57

This was hyped as O-Kharn’s United States debut. Tracer X got a lot of offense in before losing, including a beautiful hurricanrana, slingshot clothesline, and a slingshot into a downward spiral.

O-Kharn, who kind of seemed like a cross between Killer Khan and Great Muta, used an iron claw, then transitioned it into a unique backbreaker-like submission while still holding onto the claw. O-Kharn then did an iron claw slam for the pin.

– Marty Scurll & Brody King defeated Jeff Cobb & Jonathan Gresham in 13:46

They had the second-best match of the night. The crowd was super into Scurll. There were some “Elite” chants, but nothing overwhelming. Cobb was introduced as the ROH Television Champion and had the belt with him.

King and Cobb started by trading power moves and throws. Scurll and Gresham followed with some great transitions that led to dueling chants for the two.

King really shined at various points of the match, including hitting a hurricanrana on Cobb, then doing a flip dive outside onto both Cobb and Gresham that brought the house down. Back inside, Scurll powerbombed Gresham for a near fall.

From there, Cobb went on an impressive run that included a standing moonsault and doing a double pumphandle suplex on both King and Scurll simultaneously. Despite that, Scurll and King regained control. Scurll broke Gresham’s fingers and hit a piledriver on him for the pin.

– Davey Boy Smith Jr. defeated Alex Coughlin in 10:07

Tiger Hattori came out to referee the match, receiving a standing ovation and loud “Tiger” chants.

A basic match here — both guys worked hard. It was essentially a squash that a lot of fans treated as an intermission.

– David Finlay & Tracy Williams defeated Rocky Romero & Chuckie T in 17:08

The beginning of the match had some good action mixed with comedy. At one point, Finlay hit a pescado on Chuckie T and Williams hit a Death Valley Driver on Romero for a near fall.

Williams eventually secured a crossface on Chuckie T, forcing him to tap. The ending felt somewhat abrupt.

– IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Juice Robinson defeated Beretta in 27:39 to retain the title

Really good match — especially the second half. Beretta hit a running flip dive to the floor, which led to a lot of brawling outside the ring. He draped Robinson on the rail, then jumped off the apron with a stomp to Robinson’s back.

Inside, Beretta went for a tornado DDT, but Robinson blocked it and tossed Beretta stomach-first on the top rope. Robinson followed that with a gutbuster for a near fall. Beretta ended up selling his abdomen the remainder of the match.

Robinson did a diving headbutt to the small of Beretta’s back and hit two powerbombs for two near falls. Outside the ring, Robinson was on the floor and Beretta nailed him with a running shining wizard off the apron. Beretta then hit a tornado DDT on the floor. Back inside, the two traded German suplexes — before Beretta hit another tornado DDT for a near fall.

Beretta did a piledriver on the apron that really got the crowd going, then followed it up with a shining wizard and a snap piledriver for another near fall.

Robinson, who had a bloody nose by this point, came back and hit Pulp Friction — but he was too exhausted to go for the pin. Robinson tried another Pulp Friction, but Beretta countered with La Magistral for a very close near fall. I think part of the crowd actually thought they were going to see a title change.

Robinson nailed Beretta with a hard lariat, but Beretta hit the Dudebuster for yet another near fall. These two had the crowd going completely nuts at this point.

Beretta did a top rope hurricanrana, but Robinson rolled through with a sunset flip for a near fall. Robinson was able to maintain momentum, hitting another Pulp Friction for the pin.

Both received a standing ovation afterwards. This was a very solid New Japan-style main event.

Robinson cut a promo to close the show, thanking the fans for coming and apologizing that there weren’t more Japanese wrestlers on the card, citing the government shutdown. That led to a very loud “FU Trump” chant. Robinson said New Japan would come back with the full crew at some point in the future.

Beretta extended his hand for a handshake. Robinson said he wasn’t going to shake his hand, then held it high. Beretta held his hand high, they high fived, hugged, and wrapped up the show.

Overall, this was a very fun, well-paced show that clocked in right at 2.5 hours. They really made It feel like a true New Japan spot show, with an NJPW ring, young lions from the LA Dojo seconding at ringside, and intros in both Japanese and English.

NJPW New Beginning USA LA results: Robinson-Williams vs. RPG Vice

Posted on by F4W Staff

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s New Beginning USA tour began at the Globe Theatre in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday night.

The three-show tour was affected by the United States’ government shutdown, with NJPW unable to get visas for their Japanese wrestlers in time.

– Katsuyori Shibata did the pre-show greeting with Karl Fredericks (from NJPW’s dojo in California) in the ring with him. He apologized for the issue with the visas but said they and the U.S. dojo all have NJPW in their soul.

– Alex Coughlin vs. Clark Connors ended in a 10-minute time-limit draw.

– Jonathan Gresham defeated Tyler Bateman via pinfall in 11:36

– Colt Cabana defeated Shane Taylor via pinfall in 10:22

– Killer Elite Squad (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) defeated Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll & Brody King) in 13:09

KES pinned King after hitting the Killer Bomb.

– Jeff Cobb defeated Karl Fredericks in 6:57

Cobb hit Tour of the Islands to win.

– David Finlay defeated Chuckie T in a no DQ match in 15:31

Finlay superplexed Chuckie T through a stack of chairs and hit Trash Panda for the win.

– IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Juice Robinson & Tracy Williams defeated RPG Vice (Beretta & Rocky Romero) in 32:20

This was promoted as a one-night reunion of Beretta & Romero as RPG Vice. Robinson hit Pulp Friction on Romero and pinned him.

Robinson and Beretta went face-to-face after but shook hands ahead of their title match in Charlotte on Friday. Robinson closed the show by apologizing for the visa issues and thanking the fans.

Cody Rhodes out of ROH Global Wars match, will undergo MRI

Posted on by Bryan Rose

An injury has put Cody Rhodes out of tomorrow’s IWGP United States title match at ROH Global Wars.

Rhodes made the announcement today on his Twitter account, noting that he would not be able to make his title defense against Beretta tomorrow in Toronto, saying that a replacement would be named.

“Sadly folks I will not be able to wrestle tomorrow in Toronto” he wrote. “I will still be at the pre-show meet/greet to say hello to everybody. ROH & I will find a suitable replacement for the match. I’m extremely sorry. I’ll be able to confirm the extent of the issue after an MRI this week.”

Rhodes also described how the injury happened on 11/9, saying he felt a pop in his knee as he was teasing tossing a t-shirt into the crowd.

“Going from one side of the crowd to the other last night, teasing a t-shirt toss of all things…heard a loud POP in my knee,” he wrote. “Terryfing (sic). Hoping it was just a lil’ meniscus and Sunday I can still deliver.”

Cody and Beretta had been building the feud during the last New Japan tour, with Beretta issuing a challenge to Cody for the championship during a Road to Power Struggle event.

IWGP United States title match set for ROH Global Wars: Toronto

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Cody Rhodes’ first IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship defense will be taking place at next month’s Global Wars tour.

ROH announced today that Cody will defend the IWGP United States title against Beretta at Global Wars: Toronto on November 11. They’ve been building up a match against each other, which has included Beretta issuing a challenge to Cody at an NJPW Road to Power Struggle show and Cody tweeting out a poll asking if Beretta deserves a shot at the title.

Cody won the IWGP United States Championship by defeating Juice Robinson at NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed in Long Beach, California last month.

Kenny King challenging for Jay Lethal’s ROH World Championship will main event the Global Wars event in Toronto. It’s the last stop on the tour, with shows also being held in Lewiston, Maine on November 7, Lowell, Massachusetts on November 8, and Buffalo, New York on November 9.

NJPW Road to Destruction live results: Tanahashi/Juice vs. Okada/Beretta

Posted on by Ethan Renner

NJPW returns to Korakuen Hall this morning as the build to the three Destruction shows taking place later this month continues.

In the main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada will square off again, this time in a tag team match. Tanahashi and Juice will team together to take on the returning Beretta and Kazuchika Okada.

Meanwhile, Tomohiro Ishii and Kenny Omega will face each other, but this time it will be in a trios match. Ishii will team up with Toru Yano and Will Ospreay to challenge Omega, Kota Ibushi and Yujiro Takahashi.

Ayato Yoshida, a Kaientai Dojo regular, continues his New Japan main roster run by taking on Chase Owens. We’ll also see a young lion tag team match, with Shota Umino and Yuya Uemura facing Ren Narita and Yota Tsuji.

Join us for live coverage starting at 5:30 a.m. eastern time. There will be no English commentary.

**********

YUYA UEMURA & SHOTA UMINO DEFEATED REN NARITA & YOTA TSUJI (8:49)

A nice little opener here. Everyone’s selling was top notch. 

Tsuji and Narita worked over Uemura’s lower back with strikes and stomps. Uemura hit a back bodydrop out of desperation, and made a hot tag to Umino. Umino and Tsuji traded palm strikes, and both hit dropkicks. 

Umino hit a spinebuster, then used a crab. After a long struggle, Tsuji made the ropes. Umino hit a top rope woo dropkick, then went back to the crab, and got the submission. 

CHASE OWENS DEFEATED AYATO YOSHIDA (8:33) 

Yoshida is a K-Dojo product. I’ve seen him on at least one Lion’s Gate Project show, and I really like him. He got some good offense in early. 

Lots of mat work early. Yoshida hit a hip toss and went for an armbar, but Owens made the ropes immediately. Yoshida targeted Owens’ left arm, hoping to work back to that armbar. 

Owens used an abdominal stretch. Owens got a nearfall off a roll-up, but Yoshida finally got the armbar. Owens made the ropes, then hit a backbreaker and a running knee, getting another two count. 

Yoshida was able to slap on a kimura, but Owens raked his eyes, and made the ropes. Owens hit the package driver, and got the pin. 

TAMA TONGA, TANGA LOA, BAD LUCK FALE & TAIJI ISHIMORI DEFEATED TOGI MAKABE, MICHAEL ELGIN, DAVID FINLAY & TOA HENARE (9:11) 

Good stuff here. All action. 

Elgin and Loa started out. Elgin lit Loa up with chops. Ishimori tried to attack from the apron, but missed on a seated senton, and hit Loa. Finlay tagged in for some spots with Ishimori, and they worked incredibly fast. 

Tonga and Fale cleared the babyfaces from the apron, and the OG’s went to work on Finlay in their corner. Ishimori hit a standing shooting star press. Fale missed a charge into the corner, and Finlay was able to tag Makabe. 

Makabe ran wild, and took Fale off his feet with a lariat. Tonga and Henare tagged in, and Tonga hit a sweet dropkick. The OG’s hit a series of moves on Henare in the corner, before the match broke down into chaos. 

Tonga went for the gun stun on Henare, but Henare blocked, then hit a samoan drop for a two count. Tonga popped up, then hit the gun stun on his second attempt, and got the pinfall victory. 

HIROOKI GOTO & YOSHI-HASHI DEFEATED TAICHI & YOSHINOBU KANEMARU (9:58) 

This was all about establishing Taichi as Goto’s next challenger for the NEVER title. It had its moments, but was the weakest match on the show to this point. 

Taichi attacked Goto with his mic stand before the bell. Goto made a comeback, and sent Taichi into the security fence. YH and Kanemaru did a couple of spots in the ring, but the action then went into the crowd, where Suzuki-gun took over. 

Back inside, Kanemaru worked over YH with stomps and elbows. Taichi tagged in and raked and gouged YH’s eyes. After Taichi taunted Goto and threw his title belt from the ring to the floor earlier, Goto finally got a hot tag, and the two faced off. 

Goto and Taichi traded kicks and right hands. Taichi tagged out after hitting an enziguri, and Kanemaru worked over Goto’s left leg. Taichi did his pants spot. Kanemaru went for the whiskey mist, but YH ducked it, and hit a superkick. 

Goto hit the ushigoroshi on Kanemaru, and Taichi jumped in with the mic stand for the DQ. 
Taichi hit a last ride on Goto after the match, and got a visual pinfall. 

TETSUYA NAITO, EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI DEFEATED MINORU SUZUKI, TAKASHI IIZUKA, EL DESPERADO & TAKA MICHINOKU (12:37) 

This was a wild brawl, and served its purpose quite well. 

Suzuki brutalized Naito, as Suzuki-gun attacked LIJ before the opening bell. He then turned his attention to EVIL, and used a series of chair shots on him, then took the referee, allowing his teammates to attack three on one in the ring. 

Suzuki used a heel hook on EVIL, but EVIL was able to make the ropes. Desperado took Iizuka’s muzzle off, and Iizuka bit EVIL’s head and foot. SANADA made the save, and tied up TAKA with the paradise lock. SANADA hit the Flair flip into the corner into a springboard dropkick on Iizuka, before Naito and Suzuki got tags. 

Naito hit a swinging neckbreaker and a dropkick to a seated Suzuki. Suzuki missed a yakuza kick, but was able to slide into a rear naked choke. He went for the Gotch piledriver, but EVIL broke it up. 

Naito hit his swinging dropkick in the corner, and tagged in BUSHI. BUSHI hit a missile dropkick, and a BUSHI-rooni, but fell victim to a four-on-one assault. LIJ made the save. BUSHI hit a codebreaker for a nearfall on TAKA, then hit the MX, and got the pinfall. 

Naito attacked Suzuki after the match, and choked him with a banner. Suzuki went after Naito with a chair, but the Young Lions held him back. 

TOMOHIRO ISHII, TORU YANO & WILL OSPREAY DEFEATED KENNY OMEGA, KOTA IBUSHI & YUJIRO TAKAHASHI (9:15) 

A fun sprint. They teased a lot that the people wanted to see with Omega/Ishii and Ibushi/Ospreay, but they saved a lot for their singles matches down the road. 

Pieter accompanied Yujiro to the ring, and got her own introduction from the ring announcer. As she should. 

Omega and Ishii started things off. Ospreay got a tag and hit an Ishii-assisted standing moonsault on Omega, but then demanded that Ibushi tag in. 

Ospreay and Ibushi went razy. Ospreay teased a Sasuke special, but Yujiro cut him off, and the Bullet Club went to work on him. Yano jumped in and tried to untie a couple of turnbuckle pads, but Omega and Ibushi stopped him, and Yujiro continued the assault on Ospreay. 

Ibushi tagged back in, and Ospreay hit him with a handspring kick. Omega tagged in and ate a cutter. Ospreay tagged Ishii, and Ishii and Omega teased their upcoming IWGP title match. Ishii blocked a V-trigger, stopped an interfering Ibushi, and hit a powerslam. 

Omega came back with a kotaro krusher, and tagged Yujiro. Yano got a tag from Ishii, and untied a turnbuckle pad. They did a comedy spot where everyone pulled the hair of the guy next to him. Omega went to do it to Ishii, but Ishii is bald, of course. That was awesome. 

Ibushi, Ospreay, and Omega all hit planchas, leaving Yujiro and Yano the legal men. Yano used a schoolboy on Yujiro for the pin. 

Omega and Ishii had a brief staredown after the match, but there was no physicality in the angle. 

HIROSHI TANAHASHI & JUICE ROBINSON DEFEATED KAZUCHIKA OKADA & BERETTA (21:35) 

This was a good main event. Not a mind-blowing match by any means, but it was a lot of fun. 

Beretta and Juice started off exchanging holds, with neither man gaining a clear edge. Tana and Okada tagged in. Tana did not break cleanly after an early grappling exchange. Okada teased a dropkick, but Tanahashi went low and took out his leg with a dropkick. 

Juice tagged in. He went up top, but Okada hit the ropes, and Juice crashed to the mat. Beretta made a tag and sent both Juice and Tanahashi over the top rope. Both teased skinning the cat, but Beretta dropkicked them to the floor. 

Back in the ring, Okada worked over Juice. Okada kicked Juice low. Okada claimed the kick hit the inside of the thigh, but Red Shoes was not so sure. Okada tagged out, and Beretta sent Juice to the floor, and hit a plancha. 

Juice was able to make a tag, and Tanahashi ran wild with dropkicks. He sent Okada to the floor with a dropkick, and hit another on Beretta. He hit the second rope senton, but Beretta popped right up, and took Tana down with a lariat. 

Okada tagged in, and hit Tana with a back elbow in the corner. He teased a DDT, but Tanahashi blocked it. Okada hit a shotgun dropkick. He went for a tombstone, but Tana slipped out and hit a dragon screw. Okada went for a rainmaker, but Tanahashi hit a palm strike, leading to a double down. 

Juice got a tag. He went for his series of jabs, but Okada cut him off after just one. Juice hit a sit-out lariat, and followed with a pair of clotheslines in the corner. He went for another, but Okada hit a flapjack, and tagged Beretta. Beretta hit a high cross for a nearfall. 

Beretta went for a tornado DDT, but Juice cut him off, and hit a series of jabs. Okada jumped in for the save, knocked Tana off the apron, and hit Juice with a neckbreaker. Beretta covered for a nearfall, while Okada and Tanahashi fought on the floor.

Beretta took a Ray Stevens flip into the corner, and Juice and Tana hit him with a combination Hart Attack/slingblade. Juice missed a cannonball. Tana hit a slingblade on Beretta. Okada hit a tombstone on Tanahashi, and all four men went down. 

Juice recovered and hit a cannonball on Beretta. He went to the top while Okada and Tana fought on the floor, but Beretta cut him off, and hit a top rope belly-to-belly. Juice hit a powerbomb for a two and a half count. 

Juice went for pulp friction, but Beretta reversed it, and hit a piledriver. He covered, but Tanahashi made the save for Juice. Juice went for pulp friction twice, and Beretta twice escaped with enziguris. 

Juice finally hit pulp friction, covered, and got the victory. 

Beretta and Chuck Taylor added to All In

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Best Friends are not only back, but they’re All In.

The event’s Twitter feed confirmed this afternoon that Baretta and Chuck Taylor will be a part of All In next month. After Chuck Taylor asked if he and Baretta were still booked, Cody Rhodes confirmed with him that they will be part of the show. It wasn’t specified what kind of match they would be in, though Nick Jackson mentioned in a Twitter thread that they were originally supposed to face them as part of a six man tag team match.

Jackson also said that they hoped to have an answer in regards to streaming/broadcasting in the next week. Cody Rhodes has said in the past that the show will have both a streaming and pay-per-view distribution service.

Other matches for the show include Kazuchika Okada vs. Marty Scurll, Joey Janela vs. Hangman Page and a six man tag match pitting Rey Mysterio, Bandido and Fenix against Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson and Kota Ibushi.

All In will be held on September 1 at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

Beretta makes return at ROH Honor For All

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Best Friends are back together.

Beretta returned from injury tonight at ROH’s Honor for All house show in Nashville, Tennessee. His return stems from an angle where Chuck Taylor defeated Bully Ray by disqualification after Ray intentionally low blowed Taylor. He continued the assault, beating him with a chain. Colt Cabana tried to make the save, but couldn’t get the job done.

It was at this moment that Baretta came to the ring and chased off Bully Ray, who threw a fit outside of the ring. The two Best Friends and tag team partners embraced after the match. The announcers sold it like he had officially returned to the company.

Beretta has been out since February with a torn triceps, which likely happened during his match against Chuck Taylor at PWG’s Neon Knights event that month. After working the NJPW/ROH Honor Rising events in Japan, he took time off to heal from the injury.