The angle at today’s WrestleGate show in Nottingham, England involving PAC and Hangman Page was done largely to present the match that had been built up because the match won’t be taking place at Double or Nothing on Saturday.
The official word from AEW is that there were creative differences regarding the match and PAC won’t be on Saturday’s show. With PAC’s regular matches in the U.K., it’s known that beacuse he takes his status as world champion with Dragon Gate seriously, he has not agreed to any losses since winning the Open the Dream Gate title and to protect that has done 30:00 draws with Zack Sabre Jr. and Will Ospreay. On the flip side, AEW wants to present a sports-like atmosphere and had their own direction for what they wanted.
The PAC vs. Page match will be released this week on the Internet by AEW with the idea that everyone can see the match, even if it had a DQ finish, for free, so fans are getting the hyped up match. Page agreed to fly to England and do the match to make up for the hyped match not happening on the PPV. Page will be wrestling against a new opponent, although the name probably won’t be announced before the PPV show. The DQ finish kept things open ended enough that PAC may be back with the promotion at some point to face Page, although there is no definitive time frame.
There will be at least one more announcement made midweek regarding Saturday’s show.
There was an angle for Saturday’s Double or Nothing shot today in Nottingham, England featuring PAC and Hangman Page.
PAC was wrestling in the main event for WrestleGate, scheduled in a three-way against Jody Fleisch and Robbie X. The claim was that Robbie was injured and Fleisch had transportation issues. PAC issued an open challenge to anyone on the roster.
Adam Page then came out. The two did a 15:00 match, really good with the crowd red hot. PAC was disqualified for using a low blow on the referee. PAC then attacked Page with a chair and put a chair on Page’s leg and Pillmanized him.
After the angle, PAC said his goal was to injure Page and he’s already done that so he’s not coming to Las Vegas, not appearing at Double or Nothing and he’s not coming to AEW at all.
PAC and Page have been feuding since first AEW press conference back in January when the two confronted one another.
With the show now under two weeks away, AEW has added a couple of matches to the card for Double or Nothing.
During this week’s episode of Being the Elite, two tag matches were announced for Double or Nothing. Best Friends (Trent Barreta & Chuck Taylor) will face Angelico & Jack Evans, while Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki & Emi Sakura will team against Hikaru Shida, Riho & Ryo Mizunami in a six-woman tag match.
Angelico & Evans joining AEW was revealed last week. Best Friends had been involved in a storyline where they were refusing to be in the battle royal at Double or Nothing and demanding to be in a different match.
Dave Meltzer reported in the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Riho has signed a five-show deal with AEW and wants to see how she likes working in the United States before she commits to a longer deal. Aja Kong and Sakazaki were announced for Double or Nothing at February’s ticket announcement party, while Shida signing with AEW was confirmed in April.
Double or Nothing is taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 25. Here’s the updated card:
Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho
AAA Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks defending against The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix)
Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes
Hangman Page vs. PAC
Dr. Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose vs. Kylie Rae
SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) vs. Strong Hearts (CIMA, T-Hawk & El Lindaman)
Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki & Emi Sakura vs. Hikaru Shida, Riho & Ryo Mizunami
Best Friends (Trent Barreta & Chuck Taylor) vs. Angelico & Jack Evans
Casino Battle Royale (pre-show, winner gets a title shot against the AEW World Champion)
AEW made the first of what is expected to be a series of announcements regarding both Double or Nothing and future television on 5/8, this regarding the U.K. market.
The announcement is that Double or Nothing on 5/25 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena will be carried in the U.K. as a PPV from 1 to 5 a.m. early Sunday morning 5/26 on ITV Box Office for 14.95 pounds ($19.44 U.S.). The U.K. traditionally has far cheaper PPV prices than the U.S., Canada and Australia whether it be boxing or formerly with WWE. The U.K. was also always WWE’s No. 2 PPV market, ahead of Canada, and behind the U.S. The suggested U.S. PPV price at this point is $49.95, but it is the local companies, not the promotion, that sets the price so it could be higher or lower depending upon the carrier. That figure is similar to what Impact charges.
All Elite Wrestling has revealed how fans in the United Kingdom will be able to watch Double or Nothing.
The Double or Nothing main card will air as a pay-per-view on ITV Box Office at 1 a.m. local time in the UK on Sunday, May 26 (Saturday, May 25 in the United States). There will also be an hour-long pre-show called “Buy-In” that will air for free on ITV4.
AEW’s Casino Battle Royale will be part of the pre-show, along with a singles match between Kip Sabian and Sammy Guevara. The winner of the Casino Battle Royale will receive a future title shot against the first AEW World Champion.
Jimmy Havoc, Billy Gunn, MJF, Michael Nakazawa, Jungle Boy, Glacier, Sonny Kiss, and Joey Janela were listed as Casino Battle Royale entrants in a press release that AEW and ITV issued. There will be 21 wrestlers in the battle royal. Five will start the match, with waves of five entering every three minutes after that. The 21st entrant will then enter on their own.
“We’re delighted to announce this partnership with AEW, whose entry into professional wrestling is already making a massive impact on the industry and promises to deliver an electrifying event later this month, and a fantastic experience for our viewers and wrestling fans in the UK,” Niall Sloane, ITV’s director of sport, said. “Joining forces with AEW for this event is faithful to ITV’s More Than TV strategy to develop direct relationships with viewers through big events available on its platforms.”
“We’ve stated since our launch that we want to make this the greatest time ever to be a professional wrestling fan, and part of this plan is to make our product as accessible as possible to a global audience,” AEW president/CEO Tony Khan said. “Since our launch in January, we’ve signed the best talent, sold out our debut show in record time, and we’ve built relationships and formed bonds with the best media partners like ITV. This collaboration with ITV is so important to AEW, ITV is the best in the UK, they were always my first choice to be our international PPV partner for DOUBLE OR NOTHING, and we’re looking forward to a great show.”
The price for Double or Nothing on ITV Box Office is listed as £14.95. It was noted that a pre-event show called “Before the Bell” will air for free on ITV4 and ITV Box Office in the build up to the Double or Nothing broadcast.
AEW has yet to officially announce broadcast details for Double or Nothing and Buy-In in the United States, though Double or Nothing has already been listed as a PPV on some cable systems.
We’re looking for reports from Raw in Cincinnati tonight with any matches or anything else that’s not on the live show, as well as reports from the Progress Strong Style tournament to [email protected].
We’re looking for your thoughts on both Dontaku shows from New Japan so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match from each show to [email protected].
Smackdown and 205 Live are being taped on Tuesday in Louisville.
The WWE European tour opens on Wednesday in Belfast, Ireland.
A brother vs. brother match will be one of the key pieces of All Elite Wrestling’s Double or Nothing card.
After weeks of teases, Dustin Rhodes was confirmed as his brother Cody’s opponent for Double or Nothing at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, May 25. Dustin issued a statement about his status with WWE after the announcement was made, revealing that he had requested his release from WWE and was granted it. Dustin also posted a video where he said goodbye to his Goldust character.
One of the biggest news issues of the year, a double issue, leads off with a basic state of the industry right now. Read about how WWE business fell in the first quarter, what is and isn’t the long-term prognostication, usage of fake stats in business that history shows are meaningless to growth, WWE injuries, WWE getting behind new talent, changes in October, and more.
Read a lot more on Brock Lesnar staying with WWE and not returning to WWE, such as how the ESPN deal has changed things for top stars in UFC, when Lesnar can command so much money, what has happened over the last year with Lesnar, UFC and WWE and more.
Read the update on Money in the Bank and Double or Nothing and the ticket demand for both.
Look at the front runner for 2021 WrestleMania, notes on 2020 WrestleMania plans including what match is off the books, Dean Ambrose becomes Jon Moxley and what that means, update on situation with Luke Harper, The Revival, Gallows & Anderson and others.
Read rundowns on the UFC and Bellator shows this past week, with business notes, how much the fighters got paid and match-by-match rundowns of both events.
Read more on the Japanese legacy of The Destroyer, listing all of his championship matches in Japan, as well as his biggest wins and his infrequent losses in All Japan in the 70s and 80s.
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MONDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back tonight to talk Raw, XFL, AEW, NJPW Super Juniors and all the other news for what should be a very busy Wrestling Observer Radio show tonight. Only questions on the XFL and its TV deal will be on the show tonight so if you’ve got questions on that subject send to [email protected].
While there has been no official announcement, a number of cable companies are listing Double or Nothing as a regular television PPV event. It’s listed thus far only for cable systems, with nothing announced for Dish or DirecTV, but one would think it would make sense from both sides to be on those systems.
Ryan Callahan, who was the lead writer for the home (the crew that doesn’t travel) team writing crew on Raw was fired. Sean Sapp on Fightful was the first to report this and we confirmed it. We’ll have more on this is the new issue. Callahan clashed with longtime writer Dave Kapoor and Kapoor won the battle.
Sasha Banks has said she wants to do a match with Tessa Blanchard. That will take some work and it’s not likely. I have a feeling WWE will freeze Banks’ contract so long she’ll think she’s in Antarctica.
WWE
Bobby Lashley and Bill Goldberg are going at it on Twitter so that could be the Saudi match.
The Raw crew files out after the show tonight to Belfast, Northern Ireland for the start of the European tour.
Listed for Smackdown tomorrow is Shane McMahon crowning new tag team champions, Ali vs. Andrade, Charlotte Flair & Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville vs. Ember Moon & Bayley & Carmella, plus Mike Kanellis vs. Akira Tozawa in a no DQ match is on 205 Live.
WWE will be involved in the Upfronts on 5/13 from both NBC Universal at Radio City Music Hall and FOX at the Beacon Theater in New York. With most of the talent in Europe for Raw, it’ll be interesting to see who they have as guests.
There is a Table for 3 with wrestler wives tonight after Raw with Reby Hardy (Matt’s wife), Giovanna Angle and Kim Orton.
A lot of WWE talent will be appearing on 5/29 at a benefit show from Samula Anoa’i, who is battling liver cancer. The show will be in Allentown at the Ville Sports Center. Samoa Joe, Michael Hayes and Kassius Ohno will all be appearing at the show.
MISCELLANEOUS
The Super Juniors tournament bracketing and cards will be announced shortly. The information should be out around the time we do our show.
David Starr beat Jordan Devlin to win the Super Strong Style 16 tournament but on the past three days by Progress. There were complaints about so much WWE talent beating the locals with Progress’ affiliation with WWE, but Starr is a non-WWE talent who went over at the end. Heard lots of really strong matches today. (thanks to Karl Giles)
Session Moth Martina will be wrestling for PWA on Friday night in Sydney, Australia.
Slex defends the MCW Intercommonwealth title against Lochy Hendricks on 5/11 in Melbourne.
Robbie Eagles announced he was doing an open challenge for any junior heavyweight on Friday night’s show in Sydney. That’s right before leaving for Japan for Best of Super Juniors. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
Dragon Lee is listed in the main event at Arena Mexico on Friday night. If he’s there, that’ll be his only appearance in Mexico for some time since he’s booked in Japan through Dominion on 6/9.
Ooh La La Lucha from Saturday night in Detroit: Mano de Diablo b Ridiculoso, Joe Coleman & Idris Abraham b Gavin Quinn & Junhtai, Mojo McQueen b Trador & Golden Dragon, Alyx Skyy b Queen Aminata, Ultimo Dragon & Mysterious Movado b Sam Adonis & Gringo Loco.
Gamechanger Wrestling on Saturday night in Summit, IL: KTB won over Nate Webb, AJ Gray & Egotistico Fantastico, JJ Garrett, Isais Velasquez and Reed Bentley, Marko Stung b Tony Deppen, Shane Mercer b Jake Atlas, Orin Viedt b Eric Ryan, Alex Colon b Jimmy Lloyd, Marcus Crane b John Wayne Murdoch, Joey Janela b Orange Cassidy, Nick Gage b Mance Warner to keep GCW title.
Gamechanger Wrestling from Friday night in Asbury Park, NJ: Marko Stunt b MJF, Orange Cassidy b Lucky 13, Mance Warner b Homicide, KTB won over Teddy Hart, Facade, Grim Reefer, Joe Gacy and Pinkie Sanchez, Tony Deppen b Jonathan Gresham, G-Raver b Shlak, Dan Maff b Chris Dickinson, Jimmy Lloyd b Colby Corino, Nick Gage b Joey Janela to keep GCW title. (thanks to Leonard Brand)
The PFL’s first show of the new season takes place Thursday night from the Nassau Coliseum. There will be fights on ESPN+ from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern, and then on ESPN 2 starting at 9 p.m. The main event has changed due to an injury. Kayla Harrison, the two-time gold medalist in judo, will now face Larissa Pacheco from Brazil.
Combate Americas on Friday night from Stockton, CA airs live on Univision at midnight Eastern headlined by Hector Sandoval (14-4) vs. Jorge Calvo Martin (10-4). Sandoval comes from Urijah Faber’s Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, Team Alpha Male’s Erick Sanchez (8-4) vs. Alex Velasco (8-3) and former Bellator champion Zoila Frausto (14-5) faces Simone Duarte (8-1) in a women’s bantamweight fight.
559 Fights on 5/18 in Fresno at the Rainbow Ballroom.
Allisyn Kay, who did not have her NWA title belt, captured the Shine title from Miyu Yamashita earlier today on the Tokyo Pro Wrestling show in Sapporo, Japan. She won with the discus lariat and will return as champion for the Friday night Shine show in Livonia, MI at the Knights of Columbus Hall against the debuting Samantha Heights. (thanks to Shannon Walsh and wresetlingwithdemons.net)
The Shine show will be a prelude to Friday’s Evolve show in Livonia, MI at the same building at 8 p.m. on www.wwnlive.com which has:
Austin Theory vs. Adam Cole non-title
JD Drake vs. Joe Gacy for the WWN title
Kassius Ohno & Harlem Bravado vs. AR Fox & Leon Ruff
Eddie Kingston vs. Curt Stallion
Josh Briggs vs. Adrian Jaoude
Anthony Henry vs. Juntai
Anthony Greene vs, Stephen Wolf
Shotzi Blackheart will also be on the show.
There is a tournament on MLW television with Alexander Hammerstone vs. Gringo Loco on this Saturday’s Fusion show, Rich Swann vs. Brian Pillman Jr. on the following Saturday and the winners meeting for the newly created National open weight championship on 6/1 in Waukesha, WI. Tom Lawlor and a mystery partner face the Contra Unit on that show.
Defy Wrestling on Friday night in Seattle at Washington Hall with Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix vs. Schaff & Chris Ridgeway in the main event, plus Josef Samuel & Jacob Fatu defend the Defy tag titles against former champions the Amerikan Gunz, Ethan HD & Mike Santiago plus Tom Lawler vs. Randy Myers. Spectators must be 21 or older to attend.
Sorry to report the death of longtime reader, promoter and hardcore fan Paul Spiegel of Florida, who passed away today from a stroke at the age of 70. Spiegel was involved in the area independent scene and used to attend a lot of major shows and fan conventions. He was a good guy.
A story on the first famous Tupelo concession stand brawl with Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee vs. Larry Latham (Moondog Spot) & Wayne Farris (Honky Tonk Man). (thanks to Mike Kuzmuk)
Ed in San Antonio presents PODER~! at the FSW arena on Friday 5/24 – Showtime is at noon – Main event: Bryan Alvarez vs. Logan Stunt
Empire dinner on Friday 5/24 at 8:30 p.m. at Texas de Brazil – Price is $82 – All you can eat meat and salad, sodas, tea, and coffee, plus dessert included
Empire suite party on Friday 5/24 for those who were not able to get the Q&A package – Price is $25
All Elite Wrestling has announced a new name and format for the battle royal at Double or Nothing.
On this week’s Being the Elite, it was revealed that the battle royal will now be called the Casino Battle Royale. It was originally announced as the Over the Budget Battle Royale, which was the name for the match at All In.
The Casino Battle Royale will have 21 entrants. It will begin with five wrestlers in the ring, with a new wave of five wrestlers entering every three minutes. The 21st entrant will then enter on their own.
Eliminations will occur when wrestlers are thrown over the top rope. AEW has yet to announce what the wrestler who wins the battle royal will receive.
Double or Nothing is taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, May 25. Sonny Kiss, Kip Sabian, Brandon Cutler, Ace Romero, Glacier, Brian Pillman Jr., Sunny Daze, and MJF have been announced for the battle royal. Joey Janela has also been indicated for it, and Trent Barreta and Chuck Taylor have been announced for the battle royal but are involved in a storyline where they want to be in a different match.
This week’s Being the Elite is available to watch below:
At February’s ticket announcement party, it was announced that CIMA would be teaming with two partners from Oriental Wrestling Entertainment in a six-man tag match against SoCal Uncensored at AEW Double or Nothing.
That was followed up on today, with it being revealed that CIMA, T-Hawk & El Lindaman will be facing SCU (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) at Double or Nothing. The show is taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 25.
AEW’s partnership with OWE was first announced in January. CIMA, T-Hawk, and El Lindaman formerly wrestled for Dragon Gate. They’re part of OWE’s Strong Hearts stable.
CIMA vs. Kenny Omega is set for AEW’s Fight for the Fallen event in Jacksonville, Florida on July 13.
Here’s the updated card for Double or Nothing:
Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho
AAA Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) defending against The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix)
Raw and SmackDown’s post-WrestleMania rosters were confirmed over the past week as WWE held their third annual Superstar Shake-up.
The most notable names to switch brands were AJ Styles and Roman Reigns. Styles had been the face of SmackDown since the 2016 brand split but is now a member of the Raw roster. Reigns had been on Raw since the 2016 draft but was moved to SmackDown in this year’s Shake-up, which comes in advance of SmackDown debuting on Fox in October.
After week one of the Superstar shakeup, things changed again. The who’s and the why’s is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer. Also look at what the original plan for Kevin Owens was and why it changed, and also seems to indicate bad news for one of the company’s biggest stars.
Read an updated depth chart for Raw and Smackdown with new rosters and positioning. This also points out problem areas, and we also look at the card for Money in the Bank, and notes on a lot of directions.
Read about C.M. Punk doing a run-in on an indie show, why and what happened.
Also look at the change for the Backlash PPV and how that affects the schedule, how the Saudi Arabian government made WWE look bad once again, analysts bullish on WWE and what their predictions were that missed, update on the next Saudi Arabia show, and more on WWE ratings drops.
This issue contains a rundown of New Japan’s Sengoku Lord show and the booking direction of the company.
Also look at UFC’s return to Russia.
This issue has a lengthy feature on the Viceland documentary on the 1997 Survivor Series, filling in a lot of the pieces regarding who was in on it, how the finish was done, and a look at some of history’s biggest double-crosses.
Read a feature on Mighty John Quinn, one of the greatest heels in U.K. wrestling including the build for his two big main events at Wembley Arena including the record crowd with Big Daddy.
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SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
We have a new Observer Radio show up today with both Bryan Alvarez and Garrett Gonzalez talking about all the pro wrestling and MMA news. We’ll also have a show tonight talking Impact on PPV and the rest of the news.
Vin Diesel confirmed John Cena will be appearing in the movie Fast & Furious 9.
We don’t have details as to when or where the next NXT Takeover show will be, past that the 6/8 show in San Jose is off because of the Saudi Arabia show the day before. Several ideas have been thrown out but nothing is confirmed, but the decision has to be made by Wednesday, which is the date of the NXT tapings at Full Sail University.
Scorecard notes from the new controversial decisions yesterday on Bellator:
Benson Henderson beat Adam Piccolotti via split decision. Judge Anthony Maness gave Henderson rounds two and three. Judge Michael Guingona gave Henderson only the second round. Judge Marcos Rosales gave Henderson rounds two and three.
In the Rory MacDonald title defense against Jon Fitch, Ron McCarthy (John’s son) gave MacDonald the first, second and fourth round, while giving Fitch a 10-8 third round, as well as the fifth round leading to a 47-47 tie. Judge Anthony Maness scored the last three rounds for Fitch with round three as a 10-8 round. Judge Marcos Rosales gave MacDonald rounds one, three and four, but with a 10-8 third, it ended as a draw. I had Piccolotti and Fitch both winning.
Cody has released a video talking about his match against his brother Dustin at Double or Nothing.
Local advertising in Hartford lists these names for the Money in the Bank men’s match on 5/19: Lars Sullivan, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet, Cesaro, Andrade and Aleister Black. The official names will be announced on Raw tomorrow night.
WWE
Local advertising for Smackdown in Columbus, OH on Tuesday is listing Daniel Bryan. I wouldn’t necessarily read anything into that.
The finals of Pro Wrestling NOAH’s tag team tournament will be airing live on YouTube on early Tuesday morning.
Nothing but to the mainstream this weekend. Thus far, the only thing combat sports related that made the Google trends was Greg Hardy, with 50,000 searches, and was number 4 today when I checked but it’ll probably drop down. Nothing else from UFC made the list, nothing from Bellator did, nor boxing nor wrestling.
In the B block of the Champion Carnival tournament, with the winner facing A block winner Kento Miyahara, Jake Lee beat Joe Doering and Naoya Nomura best Suwama, to both finish 5-3. There was a playoff match where Lee beat Nomura to advance to the finals.
Impact’s Kevin Sullivan produced the entrance videos for Ilima-lei Macfarlane, Jon Fitch, Veta Arteaga, Nathan Stolen and Gaston Bolanos at last night’s Bellator show. I could tell on a few of them without even knowing. Some cool themed stuff. They had a real big crowd last night at the SAP Center.
AAA on 5/11 in Chicago at the Logan Square Auditorium has Sami Callihan vs. David Starr for the AAW title, Jessicka Havok vs. Thunder Rosa for the women’s title, MJF vs. Mance Warner for the Heritage title, Josh Alexander vs. Adam Brooks and TJP vs. Myron Reed, plus LAX, Pentagon, Fenix, Jacob Fatu and The Rascalz are there. Juventud Guerrera returns to AAW on 5/31 in Austin, TX.
AXS TV will be taping the next season of Women of Wrestling on 5/15 and 5/16 in Los Angeles at the Belasco Theater.
BCW on Friday night in Melbourne, Australia: Chavo Guerrero Jr. b Gabriel Wolfe, Mortar won over Kellyanne, Vixsin and Catrina to win the women’s title, Cletus b Vance Adams in a tables match, Famous B b DCT, Ken Shamrock & Sketch b Drago & Aero Star to keep the BCW tag titles (Sketch replaced Carlo Cannon, who had been Shamrock’s championship partner, since Cannonis out with a broken leg), Jonathan Preston & Sean Preston b Mitch Waterman & Nick Bury, P.J. Black b Dowie James, Mad Dog b Mil Muertes in a hardcore match to keep the BCW title. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
BCW had advertised Kellyanne for last night’s show in Adelaide, but she was also booked last night in Melbourne against Millie McKenzie for Melbourne Championship Wrestling. Lots of people gave BCW criticism for false advertising, and she was not on the BCW show.
Melbourne Championship Wrestling from last night in Melbourne: Brat Pack b Street Gang Hooligans to keep tag titles, DCT b Ritchie Taylor, Jonathan Preston & Alan Payne b Helter Skelter, Millie McKenzie b Kellyanne, Indi Hartwell b Avary, Dowie James won three-way over Tommy Knight and T-Rex, Locky Hendricks b Robbie Eagles. Eagles said he was leaving the promotion for now. He’s booked in the New Japan Best of the Super Juniors tournament. He will face Slex on 5/18.
BCW from last night in Adelaide: Drago b Aero Star, Famous B b Jesse Hendy, Mortar b Catrina, P.J. Black won 15 man Aztec Battle Royal, Vixsin b Arya Reign, Gabriel Wolfe b Chavo Guerrero Jr., Handicap match: Ken Shamrock kept tag titles over Jack Rosssely & Joe Mundie, Mad Dog won three-way over P.J. Black and Mil Muertes to keep BCW title.
Jay Lethal has been advertised for 7/27 in Perth, Western Australia for NHPW.
Eve results from Friday in London with Kris Wolf’s farewell match: Killer Kelly won four-way over Session Moth Martina, Erin Angel and Laura DiMatteo, Jinny b Jetta, Jamie Hayter b Viper, Kay Lee Ray b Nina Samuels, Kris Wolf d Laura DiMatteo over 2:00, Kris Wolf b Erin Angel, Kris Wolf b Rhia O’Reilly, Kris Wolf b Jetta, Kris Wolf b Rebel Kinney, Kris Wolf b Killer Kelly, Kris Wolf d Viper 2:00, Kris Wolf b Kay Lee Ray, Kris Wolf b Session Moth Martina, Nina Samuels b Kris Wolf, Jinny d Kris Wolf 2:00, Kris Wolf d Jamie Hayter 2:00, Kris Wolf b Charli Evans. The show ended with a ten bell salute to Wolf. (thanks to Shannon Walsh and wrestlingwithdemons.net)
Northeast Wrestling from Friday night in Danbury, CT: JT Dunn b Scorpio Sky, Randy Shawn won three-way over Chris Battle and Mike Verna, Keith Youngblood & Jerry Lawler (managed by Ricky Steamboat) b Anthony Battle & Daniel Evans to win titles, RJ Rude & Zane Bernardo NC Dexter Loux & Mike Gamble, Bully Ray & Wrecking Ball Legursky b Ron Zombie & Jimmy Preston & Jared Silberkleit in a handicap match, Brad Hollister b Darby Allin to keep NEW title, Tasha Steelz won women’s Battle Royal, Brian Anthony b David Arquette in a no DQ match, Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix b Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian. Arquette turned heel after his match and tried to play Andy Kaufman, so Lawler came out and laid him out with a piledriver.
Northeast Wrestling from last night in Holyoke, MA: Chris Battle b DL Hurst, Karissa Rivera b Tasha Steelz, Mike Verna b Wrecking Ball Legursky, Mike Gamble & Dexter Loux won three-way over Tommy & PJ Grayson and RJ Rude & Zane Bernardo, Fenix & Pentagon Jr. b Christian Casanova & JT Dunn, Brad Hollister & Jerry Lawler & Keith Youngblood b Brian Anthony & Daniel Evans & Anthony Battle. (thanks to Nick Mahmood)
KSW has signed a streaming deal with Bild in Germany.
WSU from Friday in Voorhees, NJ: Violette b Shazza McKenzie, Ruthless LaLa b Izzy McCoy, Ava Everett & Angel Sinclair b Diamante & Valentina, Gabby Gilbert & Luscious Latasha b Nina Monet & Ravna Xin, Megan Mason & Davienne b Veda Scott & Aja Perera, Kasey Catal b Corrine Mix, Brittany Blake b Jinx, Angel Sinclair & Ava Everett won three-way tag team tournament finals over Gabby Gilbert & Luscious Latasha and Megan Moasn & Davienne. The two were given trophies since the belts ordered hadn’t come back yet.
Congrats to Luke Thomas of MMA Fighting, on the birth of daughter Violeta Ani yesterday.
Jungle Boy tapped out Bryan Alvarez last night in Union City, CA to retain the APW jr. title in Union City, CA, before about 325 fans. I was told by someone other than Bryan that it was the match of the night, which is a big deal since Jacob Fatu, who is awesome, worked the main event against Adam Thornstowe, who is very good.
Sawako Shimono had her retirement match on today’s Pro Wrestling WAVE show in Osaka, Japan.
Ladies Night out from last night in Texas City, TX: Jenna Lynn b Jewels Malone, Miranda Alize b Allie Recks, Harlow O’Hara b Rok-C, Keira Hogan b Ivory Robyn, Raychall Rose b Kylie Rae in Rae’s last match with the promotion and Rae was given a cake, that didn’t end up in anyone’ face, Laynie Luck b Su Yung in a no DQ match. Jordynne Grace b Penelope Ford. (thanks to Shannon Walsh and wrestlingwithdemons.net)
Bushwhacker Luke noted that he was billed to be at a Walmart in Ozark, AR on 5/3 and said he wouldn’t be there and knew nothing of it. Walmart then took down the notice. Apparently a supposed agent for Luke tried to scam the Walmart out of a deposit.
Limitless Wrestling on 5/10 in Westbrook, ME with MJF vs. Ashley Vox and Allie Kat vs. Shazza McKenzie.
CWE tonight in Sault Ste Marie, ONT with Psicosis vs. Vinnie DaVinci as the main event.
Ultimo Dragon is coming to North Tonawanda, NY for Empire State Wrestling on 5/18 at the St. Johnsburg Fire Hall. Also on the show are Kevin Bennett, Anthony Greene, MJF, Tyler Bateman, Brandon Thurston vs. Fred Yehi, Josh Briggs vs Bill Collier and more.
Ed in San Antonio presents PODER~! at the FSW arena on Friday 5/24 – Showtime is at noon – Main event: Bryan Alvarez vs. Logan Stunt
Empire dinner on Friday 5/24 at 8:30 p.m. at Texas de Brazil – Price is $82 – All you can eat meat and salad, sodas, tea, and coffee, plus dessert included
Empire suite party on Friday 5/24 for those who were not able to get the Q&A package – Price is $25
After weeks of teases, Cody Rhodes’ opponent for Double or Nothing has been revealed.
Brothers will be facing off when Cody faces Dustin Rhodes at Double or Nothing. The show is All Elite Wrestling’s first event and is taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 25.
The match was built up in episode 13 of AEW’s Road to Double or Nothing series. Dustin was the focus of the video, with him saying he loves Cody and is proud of him but discussing a rift that exists between them. Dustin painted half of his face in the video, saying that the red stands for life and the black stands for death.
Dustin said Cody is making a mistake by having a match with him, that Cody is facing his reckoning, and their fight needs to end and should have ended years ago. Dustin closed the episode by saying: “One last ride — or is it?”
First discussed by Jim Ross in an interview with WFAN Radio and confirmed by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio Saturday night, details on AEW’s impending TV deal are coming together and Double or Nothing might provide further clues.
Meltzer verified Ross’ statement that AEW will have a live, weekly two-hour primetime show on a “key cable station” according to Meltzer beginning this October. The deal wasn’t signed as of Saturday, however.
Meltzer said AEW was negotiating with two major US outlets and that an interest point for both parties was the ability to have AEW as a streaming property which includes events like Double or Nothing. He said both outlets have existing streaming services, and believes the ability to sell PPVs on it would be a key component of the deal.
Meltzer added that with Double or Nothing coming up on May 25th, it will become easier to narrow down who the TV partner is based on those streaming service options.
He also said AEW is working on an international TV deal which, when finalized, would be “pretty significant”.
The AAA Tag Team titles will officially be on the line when The Young Bucks face The Lucha Bros at AEW Double or Nothing.
While appearing with Kenny Omega on Syfy Wire at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo today, The Young Bucks confirmed that their match against Pentagon Jr. & Fenix at Double or Nothing will be for the AAA Tag Team titles. The Young Bucks won the titles from Pentagon & Fenix at AAA Rey de Reyes on March 16.
The Young Bucks being at Rey de Reyes was teased but not announced in advance. They appeared after Pentagon & Fenix won the AAA Tag Team titles from El Texano Jr. & Rey Escorpion, then won the titles from Pentagon & Fenix in an impromptu match.
A partnership between AEW and AAA was announced in February. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that The Young Bucks winning the AAA Tag Team titles from Pentagon & Fenix was “part of a deal put together by AEW to have a championship rematch” at Double or Nothing.
Double or Nothing is taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 25. Here’s the current lineup for the show:
Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho
AAA Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) defending against The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix)
PAC vs. Hangman Page
Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose vs. Kylie Rae
SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) vs. Cima and two partners from Oriental Wrestling Entertainment
Over the Budget Battle Royale (Sonny Kiss, Kip Sabian, Brandon Cutler, and Ace Romero confirmed thus far)
Another participant has been confirmed for the Over Budget Battle Royale at AEW Double or Nothing.
On this week’s Road to Double or Nothing episode, it was announced that Ace Romero will be an entrant in the Over Budget Royale. The episode showed a clip of a match where Romero hit a Pounce inside the ring that sent his opponent flying over the top rope.
Romero, Sonny Kiss, Kip Sabian, and Brandon Cutler are the wrestlers who have been announced for the Over Budget Battle Royale thus far. The winner will receive a “really great incentive,” but that incentive has yet to be revealed.
Double or Nothing is taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday May 25.
Romero wrestles for MLW and will be an entrant in their 40-man Battle Riot match at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York on Friday, April 5. The Battle Riot match will air as part of a two-hour live special on beIN Sports.
This week’s Road to Double or Nothing episode was dedicated to Luke Perry, who passed away on Monday after suffering a stroke on February 27. AEW’s Jungle Boy (Jack Perry) is Perry’s son.
After multiple angles were shot to set up the match, The Young Bucks vs. Lucha Bros is finally official for AEW Double or Nothing.
The Young Bucks vs. Pentagon Jr. & Fenix was confirmed for Double or Nothing at the end of this week’s episode of Being the Elite. The announcement comes after an angle where The Young Bucks showed up at an AAW show over the weekend, cost Pentagon & Fenix the AAW Tag Team, titles, and issued the challenge for Double or Nothing.
That was the follow up to Pentagon and Fenix attacking The Young Bucks at this month’s ticket announcement party. The storyline for their match has been built around both teams thinking they’re the best in the world.
The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada is hosting Double or Nothing on Saturday, May 25. Here’s the updated card:
Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho
The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Bros
Hangman Page vs. PAC
Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose vs. Kylie Rae
SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) vs. Cima and two partners from Oriental Wrestling Entertainment
Over Budget Battle Royale (Sonny Kiss, Kip Sabian, and Brandon Cutler confirmed thus far)
The build to Double or Nothing was furthered with an angle at Saturday night’s AAW show in Chicago, Illinois.
As The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix) were defending their AAW Tag Team titles against LAX (Santana & Ortiz) and AR Fox & Myron Reed, The Young Bucks attacked Pentagon and Fenix while the referee was down. They laid out Pentagon and Fenix with superkicks, Matt Jackson gave Pentagon a package piledriver, and they hit the Meltzer Driver on Fenix.
LAX hit their Street Sweeper finisher on Pentagon to become AAW Tag Team Champions.
The Young Bucks then came back into the ring and got on the microphone. They challenged Pentagon & Fenix to a match at AEW Double or Nothing, and Fenix replied that the best answer is what the people say. Fenix said the people want to watch The Young Bucks vs. the best tag team on the planet — The Lucha Bros.
The angle ended with The Young Bucks superkicking Pentagon and Fenix again. Matt Jackson said they know Pentagon and Fenix’s schedule, and The Young Bucks will see them around.
The Young Bucks’ appearance at AAW was the follow up to The Lucha Bros attacking them at the Double or Nothing ticket announcement party earlier this month. Double or Nothing is taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, May 25.
Video of the Young Bucks-Lucha Bros angle from AAW is available to watch below:
