The promotional push for SmackDown’s move to FOX will include WWE personalities appearing on FOX News’ “FOX & Friends” next week.
Kofi Kingston will be on the morning show on Monday (September 30), Stephanie McMahon will appear on Tuesday (October 1), Charlotte Flair will appear on Wednesday (October 2), and Roman Reigns will be on the show on Thursday (October 3).
The segments will begin at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time. There will then be a meet-and-greet with that day’s guest at 9:15 a.m. Eastern. WWE noted that the meet-and-greets are only for the first 150 fans and will be weather permitting.
“FOX & Friends” is hosted by Ainsley Earhardt, Steve Doocy, and Brian Kilmeade
The SmackDown on FOX premiere is taking place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California next Friday (October 4). Here’s what’s been announced for the episode:
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defending against Brock Lesnar
Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon in a ladder match where both of their careers are on the line
Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks & Bayley
Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan
Legends appearing as part of SmackDown’s 20th anniversary celebration
The final episode of SmackDown on USA Network included a match announcement for the show’s FOX premiere.
Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair will team against Sasha Banks & SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley on SmackDown’s FOX debut. It’s taking place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on Friday, October 4.
The theme of the FOX premiere is SmackDown’s 20th anniversary celebration, and it will also feature Brock Lesnar challenging for Kofi Kingston’s WWE Championship.
Lynch & Charlotte vs. Banks & Bayley is a rematch from the September 9 episode of Raw at Madison Square Garden. Lynch & Charlotte got the win in that match.
The Friday Night SmackDown premiere comes in advance of Lynch defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Banks in a Hell in a Cell match at WWE’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on October 6. Tonight’s SmackDown ended with an angle where Banks attacked Lynch as she was being interviewed backstage.
Banks & Bayley also defeated Charlotte & Carmella earlier on SmackDown tonight. Lynch saved Charlotte from Banks and Bayley after the match.
Immediately before SmackDown makes its FOX debut on Friday, October 4, there will be a half-hour “blue carpet” kickoff show. FOX wrote that “this star-studded show features ‘blue carpet’ arrivals and backstage access to celebrities and athletes, as well as past and present WWE Superstars to kick off the new era of WWE on FOX.”
The kickoff show will air at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, 6:30 p.m. Central time, 6:30 p.m. Mountain time, and 7:30 p.m. Pacific time.
FOX’s press release noted that SmackDown will air live on the channel on Fridays at 8 p.m. Eastern and 7 p.m. Central. The show won’t be live in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. It will air at 7 p.m. Mountain and 8 p.m. Pacific, though SmackDown will stream live nationwide on the FOX Sports App for all authenticated viewers.
SmackDown’s 20th anniversary celebration is the theme of the FOX premiere. Brock Lesnar will also challenge for Kofi Kingston’s WWE Championship on the episode.
In the days leading up to the SmackDown premiere, two hour-long specials will be shown on FOX. “SmackDown’s Greatest Hits” will air on Friday, September 27. It will be hosted by Charlotte Flair and The Miz and will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m. Central, 7 p.m. Mountain, and 8 p.m. Pacific.
On Sunday, September 29, John Cena will narrate a special called “WrestleMania’s Legendary Moments.” FOX advised viewers to “check local listings for air times surrounding Sunday’s NFL on FOX singleheader action.”
Brock Lesnar is getting a title shot on SmackDown’s FOX debut.
After The New Day defeated Randy Orton & The Revival in a six-man tag match on SmackDown tonight, Lesnar returned to WWE television for the first time since SummerSlam. Paul Heyman told Kofi Kingston that Lesnar had officially issued a challenge for Kingston’s WWE Championship on Friday, October 4, the first episode of SmackDown on FOX. Kingston accepted, but was jumped by Lesnar, eventually being laid out with the F5.
This will be Lesnar’s first match on weekly WWE television since 2004. Since returning to the company in 2012, he’s wrestled on pay-per-views, WWE Network specials, and house shows.
WWE is set to make their FOX debut on October 4 a big event. The theme of the episode is SmackDown’s 20th anniversary celebration. Kurt Angle, Lita, Mick Foley, Booker T, Hulk Hogan, Trish Stratus, Goldberg, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Mark Henry, Ric Flair, and Sting are also advertised to appear.
SmackDown’s second episode on FOX will be on October 11. That will be the start of the WWE Draft, which will then conclude on Raw on October 14. The Wildcard Rule will no longer exist after the draft.
WWE confirmed today that the draft will take place across two shows next month. It will begin on SmackDown on Friday, October 11 and then will continue on Raw on Monday, October 14.
Dave Meltzer reported earlier this month that those were the expected dates for the draft. The SmackDown episode is taking place in Las Vegas, while Denver will host the Raw episode.
October 11 is the second episode of SmackDown on FOX. WWE announced that “On both nights of the Draft, Superstars from Raw and SmackDown will appear along with personalities from FOX and NBCUniversal programming to announce select picks that will determine the rosters of each distinct brand.”
Raw airs on the USA Network, which is part of NBCUniversal.
The last time a full WWE Draft took place was in 2016. WWE has done Superstar Shake-ups since then, with the most recent one being held in April. The “Wild Card rule” was introduced in May, allowing wrestlers to make appearances on both brands.
Meltzer noted that next month’s draft is part of a series of moves that will be made to freshen up Raw and SmackDown both with talent and in other ways.
SmackDown will air live on Friday nights when it moves to FOX. The first episode is on October 4, and the theme of it is SmackDown’s 20th anniversary celebration.
Next month’s draft was advertised during the NFL on FOX today.
Bayley going through a long-anticipated character change was the latest step in WWE refocusing on the Four Horsewomen.
Bayley & Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross main evented last Monday’s episode of Raw. Sasha Banks ran in and caused a disqualification by attacking Lynch. Banks struck Lynch with a steel chair until Bayley took it away from her. But instead of playing peacemaker between her friends, Bayley smiled and pummeled Lynch with the chair herself.
After beginning her heel turn and reuniting with Banks, Bayley cut a promo explaining her actions the next night on SmackDown. The crowd alternated between cheering and booing her. Bayley told the fans that their reaction was confusing. Instead of going full bore with the heel turn, Bayley spoke about her friendship with Banks and called Banks the one person who has always had her back. Bayley disingenuously talked about being a hero and a role model. She said she was trying to show kids what it means to be loyal and noted that she couldn’t turn her back on Banks just because things got rough. Bayley said that SmackDown deserves a champion that gets the same kind of recognition as Lynch.
In a move that has great ramifications in pro wrestling, Anthem Sport and Entertainment has purchased a majority interest in AXS TV and HDNet Movies and will begin running the two channels.
The deal also includes purchasing the AXS TV library of concerts, pro wrestling and MMA content, which would include U.S. broadcast rights to old ROH, many years of New Japan, WOW, and some defunct MMA promotions as well as countless smaller MMA shows.
Mark Cuban, who founded the stations, and AEG, his partners, will continue to own a minority interest. Part of the purchase team included Anthem, headed by Leonard Asper, and entertainer Steve Harvey, who will enter into a strategic content development agreement.
The company will continue operating from studios in Los Angeles and Denver, as well as use Anthem studios in Toronto, Nashville and Europe. The office in Dallas was closed down.
While not stated in the sales press release, as noted over the months this day has been in play, that if it was to go through, that Impact would move from The Pursuit Channel, where it has been dying on the vine, and move to AXS.
The deal actually first started with an attempt by Anthem to get Impact on AXS when they got word in the latter stages of 2018 that they weren’t going to be renewed by Pop TV. AXS turned down the initial deal, since Impact did not have a good reputation in the wrestling world at the time and AXS had its own wrestling franchise with New Japan.
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THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE
Just as TNT will be airing a preview show of AEW before its 10/2 debut (current issue covers that), FOX will be airing a one hour special called Smackdown’s Greatest Hits on 9/27 at 8 p.m. the Friday night before the debut.
The first casualty of the Anthem purchase of AXS is the Friday night MMA programming, which, for a long time, was the most popular show on the station. Much of the crew has been let go. Today Ron Kruk, who has been a commentator with the station and with its entire MMA division since 2004, said that tomorrow night he will call his last event for AXS TV.
The Philadelphia Inquirer has a fantastic story on former college football star/pro wrestling superstar Jumping Joe Savoldi, who popularized the sport in the U.S. by utilizing football moves in pro wrestling (yes, the old-timers said it was fake and would kill he business). His story is amazing.
Tickets for the Royal Rumble, which will be at Minute Maid Stadium in Houston, will go on sale on 9/20. They will be available at www.astros.com/rumble or be calling 800-352-0212. There are travel packages already available at RoyalRumbleTravel.com
Scott Coker announced today that double champion Patricio Pitbull Freire will be entering into the Rizin lightweight tournament in Japan. It’s an eight-man tournament with Hiroto Uesaki, Damien Brown, Johnny Case, Freire, Roberto Satoshi Souza, Tatsuya Kawajiri,Tofio Musayev and Luiz Gustavo.
Kambi has come out with the star ratings predictions for Sunday. You can’t bet on over, under or the same:
Drew Gulak vs. Humberto Carrillo vs. Lince Dorado ***
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Miz **1/2
Braun Strowman & Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode **3/4
Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks ***1/2
Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan ***1/4
Big E & Xavier Woods vs. Revival ***1/4
Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair ***1/4
A.J. Styles vs. Cedric Alexander ***3/4
Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman ***1/2
Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton **3/4
Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville**
UFC
Thiago Alves has pulled out of the 9/28 show in Copenhagen, Denmark due to a health issue. Gunner Nelson, who he was scheduled to face, is looking for a new opponent on the show.
Andrei Arlovski vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik has been added to 11/2 in Madison Square Garden.
ROH Final Battle tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m.
Innovate Wrestlnig on 9/28 in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium.
Wrestling & Respect on 10/5 in Lima, OH at the Bradfield Community Center
Vampiro is taking bookings for wrestling matches, autograph signings, photos ops, one men talk shows and seminars through Bill Behrens at [email protected]
KSW welterweight champion Roberto Soldic (16-3) now faces Poland’s Michael Peitrzak (8-3) in a non-title fight at 176 pounds after his title challengers, Patrik Kinel, pulled out of Saturday’s show at SSE Wembley in London due to an injury.
Limitless will be part of the Olympia Weekend Expo in Las Vegas on 9/13 and 9/14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Scheduled as guests are:
Tomorrow:10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Cryme Tyme, David Loiseau
12:30 p.m.. to 1:30 p.m. – Cody Garbrandt
Noon to 2 p.m. – Ken Shamrock
Noon to 2 p.m. – Nick Diaz
1-3 p.m. – Chuck Liddell
2-4 p.m. – Francis Ngannou
3:30-4:30 p.m. – Bill Goldberg
Saturday:10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Cryme Tyme, David Loiseau
Noon to 2 p.m. – Anthony Pettis
1-3 p.m. – Chuck Liddell
1:30-3:30 p.m. – Anderson Silva
2:30-3:30 p.m. – Georges St-Pierre
Superstars of Wrestling fan fest on 10/19 in Rome, GA at the Forum River Center with Road Warrior Animal, Stan Hansen, Tanaka, Bob Orton, J.J. Dillon, Barry Windham, Jimmy Hart, Molly Holly, Disco Inferno Tony Atlas, Missy Hyatt and Raven.
IWA Mid South has the annual Ted Petty Invitational tournament tonight and tomorrow night at 1416 Spring St. in Jeffersonville, IN. Among those appearing are Fed Yehi, Shane Mercer, Jason Kincaid, Monsta Mack, Anthony Henry, Joey Ryan and Kongo Kong.
Premier Championship Wrestling on Saturday in Cleveland at Turners Hall with Wardlow in action.
Valor Bare Knuckle on PPV on 9/21 from New Town, ND promoted by Ken Shamrock has announced these PPV fights:
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Mighty Mo in first round of a one-night heavyweight tournament
Jack May vs Mark Godbeer in the tournament
Ishe Smith vs. Estevan Payan
Mike Richman vs. J.C. Llamas
Pro Wrestling Soul tomorrow at Wimbledon, South London at Merton Arts Space has a one-night women’s tournament with Millie McKenzie,Chakara, Charli Evans, Danni Luna, Bobbi Tyler, Mercedes Blaze, Kanji and Talia Martins.
CWE on 10/25 in Winnipeg at Rookie’s Sports Bar has a show as well as a seminar with Vampiro at 2 p.m.
Shine on 9/21 at Club LaBoom in Woodside, NY with Allysin Kay vs. Shotzi Blackheart, Gabby Gilbert & Luscious Latasha vs. Aja Perera & Big Swole, Mercedes Martinez vs. Ivelisse and the debut of Kris Statlander.
Northeast Wrestling tomorrow night in Waterbury, CT at the PAL with Joey Janela vs. Pentagon Jr. as the main event, plus Private Party, Rey Fenix, Darby Allin, Enzo & Cass appearing.
Progress has a big show Sunday from the Alexandra Palace in London with:
Pete Dunne vs. ?
Tyler Bate & Trent Seven vs. Keith Lee & Matt Riddle
Jordynne Grace vs. Meiko Satomura for the women’s tile
Zack Gibson & James Drake vs. Aussie Open for tag tiles
Walter vs. David Starr for Progress title
30 man Rumble
Combate Americas on 10/11 in Tucson, AZ on Univision.
A story on MLW returning to Orlando in November with a TV taping on 11/9.
A new commercial has been released to promote SmackDown’s upcoming move to FOX.
The theme for the commercial is “We’re All Superstars.” It features actors portraying everyday people and imitating wrestlers from the past and present, along with a couple clips of celebrities/athletes. The ad was first tweeted out by Steve Austin, who makes an appearance at the start of it:
The commercial ends with the new Friday Night SmackDown logo being revealed.
There will be three more ads in the “We’re All Superstars” campaign.
The premiere of SmackDown on FOX will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on Friday, October 4. The theme of the episode is SmackDown’s 20th anniversary celebration. Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, Lita, Mick Foley, Booker T, Hulk Hogan, Trish Stratus, Goldberg, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Mark Henry, Ric Flair, and Sting are advertised for the episode.
SmackDown’s move to FOX was first reported in May 2018. It’s a five-year deal, with the show airing live on Friday nights.
The “We’re All Superstars” campaign will be promoted across FOX’s sports programming starting tonight and tomorrow.
Three 24/7 Championship changes have taken place since the end of this week’s WWE television episodes.
WWE uploaded a video where Drake Maverick interrupted a performance by Elias at FOX Sports’ Founders Day event. While Elias was focused on Maverick, R-Truth rolled up Elias to win the 24/7 title. Maverick then unsuccessfully chased after R-Truth and got thrown in a dunk tank.
In a video filmed on the set of FOX Sports’ college football studio show, host Rob Stone pinned R-Truth to win the title after Truth fell. Elias came up from behind and rolled up Stone to regain the championship.
In storyline, the 24/7 title rules were suspended for the night on this past Tuesday’s SmackDown so that Elias could focus on his King of the Ring first-round match against Kevin Owens. Elias defeated Owens with the help of Shane McMahon.
Ali vs. Buddy Murphy is set for the first round of King of the Ring, with the winner advancing to face Elias in the quarterfinals.
Both 24/7 title change videos are available to watch below:
Ronda Rousey posted on Instagram about the injury:
“So the word is out I nearly lost my finger shooting @911onfox. Freak accident, first take of the day a boat door fell on my hand, I thought I just jammed my fingers so I finished the take before looking (I know it sounds crazy, but I’m used to live audiences and never showing pain unless I’m supposed to) after a break in the action I told our director the situation and was rushed via ambulance to the hospital where they promptly reattached my bone and tendon with a plate and screws. I returned to filming the next day and finished my scenes before returning home to recover. Modern medicine amazes me, I already had 50% range of motion back in 3 days. There’s so much more than I can write here, stayed tuned via @rondarouseydotcom for the full story. And of course tune in to see how well I can act like my finger didn’t just fall off in this upcoming season of @911onfox”
Original —
Ronda Rousey suffered a brutal-looking injury while filming for her next acting role.
TMZ posted a graphic picture of the injury today, reporting that Rousey injured her middle and ring finger while filming in Mexico for FOX’s “9-1-1” last week. TMZ wrote that the middle finger “was broken and her tendon was nearly severed.” Rousey fractured the tip of her ring finger.
It was reported that Rousey was taken by ambulance to a hospital in San Diego. Her middle finger was repaired with bolts and screws and Rousey returned to filming the next day.
TMZ wrote that Rousey slammed a door on her fingers while filming a dramatic action moment.
Last week, it was announced that Rousey will have a recurring role in the third season of “9-1-1.” It’s a scripted drama series about first responders in Los Angeles. Rousey plays Lena Bosko, who is described as “a stoic and fearless member of the Los Angeles Fire Department Station 136 who leaps into action to save lives when a disaster hits.”
Season three of “9-1-1” premieres on FOX at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, September 23.
Rousey has been on hiatus from WWE since WrestleMania 35, with Rousey noting that she and her husband Travis Browne were attempting to start a family. She broke the pinky knuckle on her right hand during her match against Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania.
Joseph Currier gives his thoughts on SummerSlam 2019. Plus, Bryan Rose’s Japan notes, and Vinny’s TV reviews.
This year’s SummerSlam main event was a pivotal moment in the career of Seth Rollins.
If that wasn’t made clear going into the pay-per-view, it certainly felt true in the moment. As much as headlining a Big Four PPV is a huge spot for anyone, Rollins’ match against Brock Lesnar came at a time when Rollins was at a tipping point. He could either win and regain his momentum — or his character would probably have to go in a different direction.
With how WWE built to their match, Rollins winning was the right outcome. He had been viciously beaten down by Lesnar in angles on Raw each of the last two weeks. After the second attack, a subdued Rollins vowed to be at SummerSlam and guaranteed that he would defeat Lesnar.
Rollins came through on his guarantee. After hitting his third curb stomp of the match, Rollins pinned Lesnar to regain the Universal title. The match delivered on a much higher level than Rollins’ previous bouts against Lesnar. Rollins was put over strongly and positioned as the current top babyface in the company.
One of the most shocking and heated angles in modern wrestling is covered as the lead story in the new Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We discuss the angle itself, how it came together, and what it might be leading to.
Reviews of WWE Summerslam and NJPW’s G1 finals, plus tons of news are also covered this week.
We have results and star ratings from SummerSlam, as well as data and analytics on who bought the show on traditional PPV.
Of course we have star ratings and business notes on the final G1shows of the year, as well as the readers’ poll for G1 MVP. We also examine how this year’s tournament compared to last year’s from a business perspective.
We have a story on some changes to upcoming WWE house shows. We also have notes on WWE PPV buying habits in major markets in 2019.
As you might expect, we also have complete coverage of NXT TakeOver: Toronto, as well as star ratings for the matches.
Also in this issue, Ryan Frederick covers this past weekend’s UFC show, and we have detailed TV ratings and business notes on the show.
We have full coverage of all the WWE television shows from the past week.
As always, we have in-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows,the key demos for the WWE shows and what can be learned from them.
We also have the results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE
Very sad to report the death of Eddie Marlin, the longtime wrestler, road manager and television authority figure for Jarrett Promotions and Tennessee Wrestling. Marlin passed away this morning at about 5 a.m. We have a lot of notes on Marlin in the new issue. Marlin,who just turned 89, was in hospice care with multiple organ failures. He started wrestling in 1949, and was a regular for the Gulas Promotion in the 50s and 60s, with his biggest in-ring stardom being in the early 70s as part of a babyface tag team with Tommy Gilbert.
After retiring as a wrestler in 1980, he became “promoter Eddie Marlin” on Championship Wrestling, an always-babyface authority figure who was part of the company’s office staff as well. Marlin was extremely well liked and respected within the business.
When we spoke about Marlin on today’s audio show, before his death, I mentioned seeing him wrestle live. The show was on October 10, 1988, at the Mid South Coliseum in Memphis as part of a Texas vs. Tennessee feud with Kevin & Kerry Von Erich & Frank Dusek (authority figure) & Steve Cox representing Texas against Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee & Jeff Jarrett & Eddie Marlin.
Tickets for the AEW second and third television shows on TNT, on 10/9 in Boston at the Agannis Arena and 10/16 in Philadelphia at the Licouras Center, go on sale at Noon tomorrow. These shows will probably tell a lot regarding how AEW television ticket sales will be going forward.
We’ll have a lot more next week, but Tomohiro Ishii, Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada had the second, third and fourth best G-1 tournaments in modern history based on star ratings. Nobody could break the record set last year by Kota Ibushi. But this is generally considered by those who were following it as being the greatest tournament in wrestling history.
NXT is taping tonight. There were a few major things planned to take place.
A Go Fund Me campaign has been launched for Jeremy Ganger, the former wrestler who prevented the shooter in Dayton from getting into Ned Pepper’s bar and was hit with shrapnel.
WWE
FOX is putting together a Los Angeles based production team for WWE, and hiring for a Production Coordinator, a Senior Associate Producer, a Feature Producer, a Digital :Producer and a Senior Director of Digital Marketing.
Steve Austin will be appearing on Saturday in San Jose at the Convention Center as part of the Silicon Valley Comic Con put on by Steve Wozniak.
In the talk in the current issue about WWE live events and dual branding, a 9/8 show in Syracuse, NY is billed as a supershow with Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton and Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin and Becky Lynch vs. Lacey Evans as the main bouts.
The March 17, 1984 major show at the Greensboro Coliseum, Boogie Man Jam, has been added to the WWE Network. The show features a 60:00 Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat NWA title match before 13,000 fans, plus Jimmy Valiant put up his hair against the mask of The Assassin, Dick Slater vs. Greg Valentine for the U.S. title, Dory Funk Jr. vs. Tully Blanchard, Ernie Ladd vs. Rufus Jones, Bob Orton Jr. & Don Kernodle vs. Wahoo McDaniel & Mark Youngblood and Angelo Mosca & Angelo Mosca Jr. & JYD vs. Ivan Koloff & Great Kabuki & Gary Hart. WWE also has added Dwayne Johnson’s first or second pro wrestling match, with Chris Candido.
Toni Storm is reportedly injured which explains her missing at least one date last week with wXw.
Miz talks WWE’s debut on FOX. (thanks to Mike Kuzmuk)
UFC
Trainer Javier Mendez talks about Daniel Cormier regarding Saturday’s fight with Stipe Miocic.
MISCELLANEOUS
In a correction from the new issue, while Bea Priestley is in the Five Star Grand Prix for Stardom that takes place over the next few weeks, she is not booked on their 9/1 show, which means she is available to appear for AEW at the All Out show in Chicago. That’s a nice way of saying she’s likely on that card as they try and determine the two women who will face off on 10/2 in the first women’s championship match.
An interesting story on EVE Wrestling. (thanks to Lee Wall)
Matt Taven vs. Jay Lethal vs. Jeff Cobb vs. Kenny King was added to the 8/25 ROH show in Nashville in an elimination match. If Taven is pinned, the person who beats him gets a ROH title shot. If Taven wins, the person he beats last can never challenge for the ROH title as long as Taven is champion.
L.A. Park is no longer on tomorrow night’s NEW show in Poughkeepsie, NY. That’s the show headlined by Jon Moxley vs. Pentagon Jr at the Mid Hudson Civic Center.
A preview of Saturday’s B block final on AXS is at
MLW has hired Tom Prichard as a producer and he will start as a coach and producer with the 9/7 show in Dallas.
Legacy Fighting on 9/6 in West Valley City, UT at the Maverick Center is headlined by Division I wrestler Troy Lamson (13-2) vs. BJJ black belt Arthur Estrazulas (11-4) in a lightweight fight. The show airs live on AXS TV.
Chavo Guerrero Jr., Cryme Tyme, Godfather Charles Wright, Ron Simmons, Teddy Long and Stevie Ray are doing an autograph signing on 9/28 from Noon to 3 p.m. at Harry’s Hofbrau in San Leandro,CA.
Southern States Wrestling raised $1,587 in a benefit show on Sunday for Don Wright, who wrestled in the main event on the show. Both lost their home and car in a fire on 7/4 while they were away. Les Thatcher and former referees Mac McMurray and Bobby Simmons were also part of the show.
The Stardom Five Star Grand Prix opens on Saturday at Shinkiba in Tokyo with Bea Priestley vs. Andras Miyagi, Arisa Hoshiki vs. Jamie Hayter, Utami Hayashishita vs. Jungle Kyona, Kagetsu vs. Konami, Natsu Sumire vs. AZM, Tam Nakano vs. Hana Kimura, Momo Watanabe vs. Hazuki and Mayu Iwatani vs. Saki Kashima.
Frank Mir and Alex Shelley have been added to the 9/1 Warrior Wrestling show in Chicago Heights, IL at Marian Catholic High School. It’s a loaded show with a main event of Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix vs. Daga & Tessa Blanchard and Ultimo Guerrero vs. Atlantis vs. Caristico, Dragon Lee vs. Andrew Everett, Lance Archer vs. Alex Zayne, Tom Lawlor vs. Killer Kross, Michael Elgin vs. Brian Cage, Templario vs. Soberano Jr., plus Mick Foley appears.
CWA on 10/12 in Hot Springs AR at the Convention Center Hall D.
Hoosier Pro Wrestling on 9/7 at the 4-H Fairgrounds in Columbus, IN.
CWE from last night in Grande Prairie, Alberta: Danny Duggan b Sigmon, Montana Black & Jordan Kage b Jordan Kingsley & James Tapia, Jude Dawkins won three-way over Shaun Martens and Slave, AJ Sanchez & Kevin O’Doyle b Warlord (80s star) & Giant Orion, Alix Zwicker & Kimberly Ford b Kylie Morgan & Jade, Johnny Devine b Tony Kozina. Next show is 11/15 in Grande Prairie with Juventud Guerrera.
Impact announced a deal with Wrestling Travel, which will sponsor Prelude to Glory on 10/18 in South Bend, IN and will be the Impact travel partner for Bound for Glory on 10/20 in Chicago.
Combate Americas runs 8/23 from Lake Tahoe, CA on Univision, Univision Deportes and DAZN with Gustavo Lopez (10-4-1) defending the bantamweight title against Joey Ruquet (7-1) and Andres Quintana (18-2) vs. Bruno Cannetti (8-6) to determine the first featherweight champion.
Innovate Wrestling on 8/24 in Morristown, TN at the Talley Ward Rec Center.
Jake Atlas, who is one of the most improved wrestlers in the business, has said that the upcoming Ground Zero show in San Diego could be his last show in San Diego.
Deadline reported today that Rousey will have a recurring role in season three of FOX’s “9-1-1.” The show is a scripted drama series about first responders in Los Angeles.
Deadline noted that Rousey “will play Lena Bosko, a stoic and fearless member of the Los Angeles Fire Department Station 136 who leaps into action to save lives when a disaster hits.”
Season three of “9-1-1” involves a tsunami hitting Santa Monica. Entertainment Weekly wrote that “Rousey’s team is lost during the disaster, so her character joins Ryan Guzman’s Eddie and the rest of Station 118 to help save some lives.”
The first episode of the new season of “9-1-1” premieres on FOX at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, September 23. Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear are the creators of the show.
Rousey has been on hiatus from WWE since WrestleMania 35, where Becky Lynch defeated Rousey and Charlotte Flair in the main event. Rousey noted that she and her husband Travis Browne were attempting to start a family.
WWE has officially confirmed the theme of SmackDown’s first episode on FOX.
It was announced today that SmackDown’s 20th anniversary celebration will take place on Friday, October 4. The show is being held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California and is WWE’s FOX debut.
Kurt Angle, Lita, Mick Foley, Booker T, Hulk Hogan, Trish Stratus, Goldberg, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Mark Henry, Ric Flair, and Sting are being advertised for the episode. The Undertaker is featured on WWE’s graphic for the show but isn’t advertised by name.
“SmackDown has been delivering action-packed, family-friendly programming for two decades, and we look forward to entertaining generations to come as we begin this next chapter on FOX,” Vince McMahon said in a press release.
WWE’s deal with FOX is a five-year agreement. SmackDown is moving to Friday nights when the deal starts on October 4. The show will remain live.
Tickets for the FOX premiere will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Pacific time this Friday (August 16). Tickets will be available through the Staples Center box office, AXS.com, and via phone (1-888-929-7849). AXS notes that a pre-sale for tickets will begin at 10 a.m. Pacific this Wednesday.
We’re looking for your thoughts on UFC 237, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected].
We’re looking for reports from these weekend shows:
Raw will be tonight from the O2 Arena in London while there will be a Smackdown house show on Monday in Bornemouth, UK. Raw has announced Roman Reigns on Miz TV, Natalya vs. Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Dana Brooke, Ricochet vs. Baron Corbin and Braun Strowman vs. Drew McIntyre.
NEW JAPAN BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS DAY TWO IN SENDAI ON TUESDAY AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN ON NEW JAPAN WORLD
Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura
Tiger Mask & Jonathan Gresham & Ren Narita vs. Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taka Michinoku
Juice Robinson & Dragon Lee vs. Sho & Shota Umino
Brody King & Marty Scurll vs,. Taiji Ishimori & Gedo
Titan & Toa Henare vs. Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi
Ren Narita vs. Douki
Rocky Romero vs. Robbie Eagles
Bandido vs. Phantasmo
Will Ospreay vs. Bushi
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Yoh
Smackdown and 205 Live will be taped on Tuesday at the O2 Arena in London while Raw has a house show in Paris, France. Announced for the London show is a possible Kevin Owens Show with Kofi Kingston, Finn Balor vs. Ali vs. Andrade vs. Randy Orton and Kairi Sane & Asuka vs. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville plus for 205 Live, Tony Nese vs. El Ligero non-title and a four-way with Humberto Carrillo vs. Jack Gallagher vs. James Drake vs. Mark Andrews.
NEW JAPAN BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS DAY THREE IN AOMORI WEDNESDAY AT 5:30 A.M. ON NEW JAPAN WORLD
Yota Tsuji vs. Brody King
Flip Gordon & Ren Narita vs. Jado & Robbie Eagles
Ryusuke Taguchi & Shota Umino vs. Taichi & Desperado
Juice Robinson & Will Ospreay & Bandido vs,. Rocky Romero & Yoh & Toa Henare
Tetsuya Naito & Bushi vs. Phantasmo & Gedo
Jonathan Gresham vs. Taka Michinoku
Tiger Mask vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Titan vs. Shingo Takagi
Marty Scurll vs. Taiji Ishimori
Dragon Lee vs. Sho
Wednesday has Raw in Birmingham, UK and Smackdown in Magdeburg, Germany.
Coming off of an underwhelming first quarter financial report and a week of record-low ratings, this Monday’s Raw offered WWE the chance to show they understand how to fix the problem.
WWE did acknowledge that the problem exists. Hoping to help out the ratings and counter two NBA playoff games, WWE hyped that SmackDown’s Roman Reigns would be appearing on Raw. His appearance was made apparent but not actually officially announced in advance, with WWE playing up that Reigns was defying a statement they put out claiming that he couldn’t be on the show due to his obligations as a SmackDown wrestler.
An update on AEW distribution, PPV, television and streaming, is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Look at the full distribution around the world for Double or Nothing, as well as updating where things stand when it comes to television.
Look at pricing, preshow, who is carrying it, how strong ITV 4 is, how this compares with WWE’s distribution and probable viewership, where things stand with U.K. television, details on Casino Battle Royale plans, the main championship, updating the show and lots of new signings.
Go in-depth on not just the XFL television deal and finances, but the lessons of the deal and how the deal is a 180 from the UFC deal.
Also look at the changes in Raw and Smackdown this past week, why they were made, where NBC Universal and FOX stand, WWE star power, how the European tour affected this week’s television, how it affects touring, plus updates on the Money In The Bank show.
Also look at the 2019 Best of the Super Juniors tournament, including what matches to watch out for, the schedule, the positioning of Will Ospreay, and the schedule.
Look at the two New Japan Dontaku events, what the events say about both Japan and U.S. popularity, the story behind Okada vs. Sanada, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
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].
Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.
In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.
For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.
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.
MONDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back with Wrestling Observer Radio tonight covering Raw, AEW, New Japan Super Juniors and other topics. You can also send e-mail questions to the show to [email protected].
I haven’t watched Sho vs. Shingo Takagi yet, but have been told it was incredible earlier today in day one of Best of Super Juniors.
The first 2:00 of Being the Elite is hilarious. If you are a really defensive WWE fan you won’t enjoy it, but this was the best episode in some time, especially the Rick Knox thing.
At the WWE upfronts for NBC Universal, the Bellas claimed that Raw would remain the top show. The Bellas presented a highlight reel of Raw that featured John Cena and Ronda Rousey. I was told WWE came off kind of flat in the room. Because all the stars are in Europe, at the FOX upfronts they used Cena and Rousey. People are speculating that means Rousey returns, but they needed her here because they needed big stars that non-fans in the room would know.
Mike Johnson at PW Insider reported that Killer Kross has asked for his release from Impact. There is considerable interest outside Impact in Kross. Johnson reported Kross asked for six figures to stay but was turned down. The report said Impact offered him a new contract for three-years for less than six figures, giving him a guarantee instead of a per date contract. Kross turned down the offer and asked for his release. The company turned down the request noting he’s under contract for several more years.
WWE
The Raw crew will be working a 6/27 show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, which is one of the home bases of ONE.
MISCELLANEOUS
The final episode of the Darkside of the Ring Series will be Wednesday night on Fabulous Moolah.
A feature on Steve Yohe, who may be the single most important person in the world in compiling a legitimate history of pro wrestling before 1950. Before he came along, everything was haphazard at best.
MCW’s Jimmy’s Slamboree on 6/1 in Joppa, MD at the CW Arena with Shawn Spears (Tye Dillinger), Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa in a show to raise money for the family of The Bruiser who is battling leukemia. You can also show support here.
Warrior Wrestling from last night in Chicago Heights, IL: Brian Cage (first match back from injury) won three-way cage match over Wardlow and Austin Aries to keep the title, Brian Pillman Jr. b Robert Ego Anthony which gave Pillman five minutes with Frank the Clown, Space Pirates b Ugly Ducklings, Tom Lawlor b Chris Ridgeway, Sam Adonis b Pat Monix no DQ, Volador Jr. b Gringo Loco, Penta 0M & Rey Fenix b Daga & Kotto Brazil, Tessa Blanchard b Jordynne Grace to become the first Warrior champion with Molly Holly as referee.
WrestleCircus from last night in Austin, TX: Dezmond Xavier b Scorpio Sky, Leva Bates (Librarian) won four-way over Shazza McKenzie, Christi Jaynes, and Alex Gracia, Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel won three-way t take tag titles over Logan & Sterling Riegel and Gregory James & Andy Dalton, Lance Hoyt won six-way over Colin Delaney, Peter (Librarian) Avalon and Fuego del Sol, Sammy Guevara b Joey Janela (super match), Puma King b Jake Atlas, JT Dunn b Sami Callihan, Gentleman Jervis b Orange Cassidy, Sammy Guevera b Dezmond Xavier to win the cacant Ringmaster title, Scorpio Sky b Sammy Guevera in an impromptu match to win the title. The storyline is that Sky is taking their title to AEW. (thanks to Shannon Walsh at wrestlingwithdemons.net)
IWS on 6/22 at Club Unity in Montreal with Sabu vs. Sexxxy Eddy.
Empire State Wrestling on 6/1 in Fairport, NY at Village Sports with The Colony from CHIKARA and John McChesney.
ECCW’s 23rd anniversary show is 5/31 in New Westminster, BC at The Anvil with Jeff Cobb vs. Artemis Spencer with no time limit for the Canadian title.
All Star Wrestling on 6/15 in Vancouver BC at the Maritime Labour Centre with Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Azeem the Dream.
All Star Wrestling also runs 5/25 in Surrey, BC at 6050A 176th St.
Legacy Fighting on 6/7 from Cabazon, Ca at the Morongo Outdoor Pavilion with Maikel Perez (6-1) facing former UFC star Brandon Moreno (14-5) for the flyweight championship. The show airs live on AXS. Former Bellator star Brandon Halsey (12-5) faces Blake Trop (8-5) in the semi.
KSW on DAZN on 5/18 is headlined by a match for the vacant middleweight title with Michal Materla (27-6) vs. Scott Askham (17-4) plus a welterweight title fight with Roberto Soldic (15-3) vs. Krystian Kaszubowski (7-0).
A group called UWF debuts on 6/23 in Santee, CA at the Carlton Oaks Country Club with Jasmin St. Clair as host featuring Buggy Nova, Ruby Raze, Black Mamba and others.
Superkicked on 5/17 in Toronto at the Great Hall and San Andres vs. Jake Something.
Joey Janela vs Slex was signed for World Series Wrestling on 6/22 in Melbourne.
MWE on 6/15 in Eden Prairie, MN at the Champions Hall with Tony Kozina, Mitch Paradise and Danny Duggan.
CZW results from Saturday night in Voorhees, NJ: Jordan Oliver & Griffin McCoy & Eliis Taylor & Charlie Tiger b Gabriel Skye & Tristen Thai & Shawn Kemp & Jonathan Wolf, Nate Carter & Dave McCall b New York Wrecking Krew, Casanova Valentine b Dan O’Hare, Matt Travis b Jimmy Rave, Jimmy Lloyd won three-way over Gary Jay and Cole Radrick, John Silver b Matt Tremont to keep the CZW title, Masada b Brandon Kirk in a tangled web match.
A correction from yesterday. The 6/30 York Hall Pro Wrestling Eve show is WrestleQueendom 2, and the international title match will be a three-way with Jamie Hayter vs. Nina Samuels vs. Utami Hayashishita. (thanks to Chris Gannon)
Randy Couture will be starring in a pro wrestling horror movie (for some reason I think of 1999 WCW) called Manson Brothers Midnight Zombie Massacre. It’s a story about an aging brothers tag team who have fallen from the top and are now in a small promotion and must face each other in a midnight cage match on Halloween with fans who are all infected with rabies. They have to fight for their lives against the rabid fans to prevent being killed by the zombies.
Another wrestling horror film comes out tomorrow from InterVision Pictures called “Masked Mutilator” about a pro wrestler who accidentally kills his opponent in the ring and ends up working at a group home. A psychopath wearing a pro wrestling mask starts killing the teenagers in the rehab center.
Combate Americas on 6/7 in Tucson AZ at Casino del Sol will air live on Univision and Univision Deportes. The main event is Jose Alday (12-4-1) vs. Juan Pablo Gonzalez (7-2-2) in a bantamweight fight.
ICW on 5/17 in Queens, NY with Sami Callihan vs. Nick Gage in a last man standing match plus Rich Swann vs. Marko Stunt and Homicide vs. Joe Gacy vs. Pinkie Sanchez vs. KTB.
Tatanka, Tommy Dreamer, Tony Atlas, Tito Santana, Little Guido, Snitsky and others will be wrestling on Friday night in Long Valley, NJ at the Meadowbrook Fieldhouse for East Coast Pro Wrestling.
Defy on 6/15 in Portland, OR a the Hawthorne Theater featuring Brian Cage, Artemis Spencer and TJP.
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
During an appearance by Triple H on the channel this morning, it was officially confirmed that a weekly WWE studio show is coming to FS1.
Triple H was on “First Things First” today to promote WrestleMania weekend, and the announcement was made that a WWE-focused studio show will premiere on FS1 this fall. The show will air on Tuesday nights.
SmackDown is moving to Fridays when its deal with Fox kicks in, with the first episode taking place on October 4.
It was said that the studio show will discuss everything going on in WWE, including Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. It will feature “some faces very familiar to the WWE Universe — both from the past and the present.”
“Because of the sports entertainment aspect of it, it’s an analyst show where you’re talking about the athletic component of it. It’s also an entertainment — where you’re talking about where things are going and the storylines and the characters and all of it,” Triple H said.
Triple H said the studio show is something he’s wanted to happen for a long time. He noted that it will take people deeper into the day-to-day lives of their roster, what goes on behind the scenes to being a wrestler, and everything that goes with it.
We’re looking for reports on yesterday’s WWE show in Hershey, PA, ROH yesterday in Baltimore, the non-Raw stuff from Washington, D.C. tonight and the Smackdown house show in Roanoke tonight to [email protected].
The final Raw before WrestleMania is tonight in Washington, D.C. with an all-hands on deck show including Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns and Ronda Rousey all advertised. The show has Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair & Ronda Rousey vs. The Riott Squad and if Lynch, Flair or Rousey turn on the other they are out of WrestleMania, Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio (why?), Beth Phoenix & Natalya & Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. The Iicnonics & Nia Jax & Tamina and The Revival vs. Ricochet & Aleister Black for the Raw tag team titles. There is also a Smackdown house show in Roanoke, VA.
The Smackdown and 205 Live tapings are Tuesday in Baltimore. Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade has been announced for the show as well as a contract signing for Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston.
While interest has inevitably decreased over the years, the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony feels like less of an essential part of WrestleMania weekend than ever.
There are a few major reasons why the Hall of Fame ceremony has lost some of its luster. As WrestleMania week has become a destination for promotions from the United States and abroad, fans have to make difficult decisions on how they’re going to spend their time and money.
The Conor McGregor situation is the lead story in the current issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Look at the investigation into him, his retirement, the timing, and why the retirement and Dana White’s reactions are both a public bluffing game.
Read the update on the WrestleMania card, both matches announced and those not yet announced, the Charlotte Flair title win and what it changes about the show, the multiple changes in the top part of the show, the women in the main event, the interest level in the different shows that week and more.
Also look at the New Japan Cup, with match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results, on the entire last week of the tournament and the final show.
Look at Vince McMahon’s stock sale, how much he sold, how much he got and why, as well as the XFL launch and problems with the AAF. Look at the AAF’s new goal.
Look at the retirement of the Bella Twins and their careers, the value of Total Divas and their future plans.
Examine the lawsuit settlement with the wrestlers who have sued Lucha Underground, and the interesting note of the person who backed out of the suit.
Also look at Cain Velasquez’s crossing over into pro wrestling and his deal with AAA, including what they attempted to do with him, the storyline building him up and the wrestlers it looks like he’ll appear with.
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].
Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.
In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.
For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.
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.
MONDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back tonight to talk about the John Oliver show, Raw, late Mania notes and the rest of the news. For tonight’s show, we’re looking for questions on the HBO piece from last night by John Oliver. Any other questions can be sent to later shows. For any questions you can send to [email protected].
Newsweek and Time covered the John Oliver/WWE story.
The injury to Mercedes Martinez yesterday looked like it came from a power bomb by Hiroyo Matsumoto. It was Martinez & Cheerleader Melissa vs. Dash Chisako & Matsumoto on the Shimmer show in Berwyn, IL. Chisako was on the top rope, and was waiting to frog splash Martinez, but could see she was hurt, and came down. Martinez has holding her side. When Melissa saw the injury, she grabbed a chair and hit Chisako in the back for a DQ ending to get the match over. They took a several minute break. Fortunately the injury wasn’t as bad as feared. She was hospitalized with bruised ribs. Charlie Morgan suffered some torn ankle ligaments in a later match where she teamed with Jessica Troy against Kris Wolf & Charlie Evans.
Martinez wrote a thank you message to everyone who thought about her situation. She said when she was in the ring she couldn’t breathe, lost feeing in her face, her left side was in shock and she was in unbearable pain. She said it was very scary.
Results were: Harlow O’hara b Rocky Radley, Martina won Battle royal, Cherry b Veda Scott, Jessicka Havok & Nevaeh b Steph DaLander & Indi Hartwell, Jessica Troy b AQA, Leva Bates won four-way over Miranda Alize, Delmo Exo and Zoe Lucas, Shotzi Blackheart b Sierra, Shazza McKenzie b Thunder Rosa, Samantha Heights & Brittany Blake b Rosemary & Dust, Kimber Lee b Charlie Morgan, Dash Chisako & Hiroyo Matsumoto b Cheerleader Melissa & Mercedes Martinez-DQ, Nicole Savoy b Allysin Kay to keep the Shimmer title, Zoe Lucas b Penelope Ford, Britt Baker b Kimber Lee, Thunder Rosa & Holidead b Miranda Alize & Hyan, Cheerleader Melissa b Solo Darling, Dash Chisako won three-way over Keira Hogan and Cherry, Hiroyo Matsumoto b Su Yung, Charlie Morgan & Kris Wolf (last match for Shimmer before retiring) b Charli Evans & Jesssica Troy, Samantha Heights b Dusty-DQ, Nicole Savoy b Shazza McKenzie to keep the title.
WWE
The first part of the WWE/FOX deal, long before the October start, is that parts of the NXT pre-show will air on FOXSports.com and the Fox Sports app, along with Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. It will include the WWE 2K Challenge. Four finalists from around the world will be competing in semifinals at 1 p.m. on Friday at Fan Axxess. This won’t be on all those streams but will be highlighted on the Xavier Woods Up Up Down Down show as well as WWE 2K on Facebook and Twitter. The winner will face off with A.J. Styles at about 6:30 p.m. on the NXT pre-game show, airing on the WWE Network YouTube, the Fox platforms and USANetwork.com. If the person beat Styles they win the Million Dollar Challenge.
The Miz appears Thursday in New York at BUILD Studio to talk WrestleMania and the WWE/Snickers relationship. It’s a free event.
Roman Reigns has announced he would be raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Eve Torres will be brought to WrestleMania for Fan Axxess. Alicia Fox, who hasn’t been around of late, will also be signing.
UFC
Ruslan Magomedov is the first UFC fighter to get a lifetime ban from the promotion. He tested positive for Ostarine in 2016 and was suspended for two years. Then on 10/10 he tested positive for steroids Methyltestosterone and Stanazolol. And his third strike came on 2/5 when he refused to be tested when USADA came.
A video building Darby Allin vs. Anthony Henry is here.
Premier Championship Wrestling from Saturday night in Winnipeg before a sellout 400 fans: Leo & David London b Jack Pride & Damian, Dragneel b JL Spiker, Moses Luke b Ella Blake, Adam Knight & Darren Dalton b Robby Royce & ATM, Don Callis & Bobby Schink & Travis Cole b Kenny Omega & Chris Stevens, & Donny Dicaprio, Antonio Scorpio won three-way over Jay Walker and Alix Vanna to keep the PCW title. This is the Omega show we wrote about yesterday. (thanks to Andrew Shallcrosas)
AEW is releasing a T-shirt for the next 24 hours with 100 percent of all sales going to Kulture City for autism awareness.
Evolve on Thursday at Noon in Queens, NY at www.wwnlive.com: Austin Theory vs. Kyle O’Reilly for the Evolve title, Eddie Kingston & Joe Gacy vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Mao for Evolve tag titles, Montez Ford vs. Shane Strickland, Angelo Dawkins vs. Colby Corino, Darby Allin vs. Anthony Henry, Kazusada Higuchi vs Curt Stallion, AR Fox & Leon Ruff vs. John Silver & Alex Reynolds, Harlem Bravado vs. Adrian Jaoude.
wXw on Thursday at 4 p.m. in Queens also on WWN Live: Bobby Gunns vs. Shigehiro Irie for the wXw title, Aussie Open vs. Anthony Henry & JD Drake for the wXw tag titles, Marius Al-Ani vs. Emil Sitoci for the Shotgun title, Lucky Kid vs. David Starr, Absolute Andy vs. Chris Brookes, LAX vs. Alexander James & Jurn Simmons, Darby Allin vs. Avalanche, Lufisto vs. Yuu.
DDT on Thursday at 8 p.m. in Queens on WWN Live: Daisuke Sasaki vs. Konosuke Takeshits, Mao vs. Sanshiro Takagi weapons Rumble, Harashima & Kazusada Higuchi vs. Akito & Ethan Page vs. Shigehiro Irie & Jason Kincaid, Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo vs. Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi, Battle Royal for Ironman heavymetalweight title, Danshoku Deino & Antonio Honda vs. Joey Ryan & Royce Isaaacs, Miyu Yamashita vs. MakiIto.
Pro Wrestling Phoenix from Thursday night in Omaha: Branden Juarez b Santos Barbosa, Duke Cornell & Moonshine Russell b Jack Darling & Uncle Ricky, Willy Sweet b Brett Bishop, Tim Boston b Seto Kobara, Preston Maxwell b Bigote, Pat Powers NC Devin Carter, Tony Cortez & Paul Daniels & Joey Daniels b Con Artiest & Branden Juarez & Brett Bishop. Next show is 4/24 at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha.
White Wolf Wrestling from Saturday night in Madrid, Spain: Jason Jupiter won Rumble, Alex Soul & Viral NC Chad Parker & Mike Murdoch, Elvis Harrison b Noah Striker, Jason Jupiter b Pl Badia to win the Triple W absolute title, Will Ospreay b A-Kid. People have been raving about the main event. (thanks to Paul Sosnowski)
Ivelisse Velez is teaching at the Team Vision Dojo in Orlando. Larry Zbyszko has a class on 4/11 at 4 p.m.
I Believe in Wrestling on Friday night at the Team Vision Dojo.
SoCal Val signed with The Wrestling Agency in the U.K., which is handling bookings for a number of U.K. wrestling personalities. For booking info you can send to [email protected].
Barrington Hughes vs. Jacob Fatu has been added to Thursday’s MLW show.
SHIMMER 109: Sierra def. Thunderkitty with a Superkick. Shazza McKenzie def. Alisha Edwards with a splits stunner into crossface for the submission, Indi Hartwell (with Steph De Lander) def. Allie Kat with a springboard dropkick, Shotzi Blackheart def. Miranda Alize, Hyan, AQA, Penelope Ford, and Kiera Hogan in a six-way lucha scramble with the Back Lagoon to Miranda, Dash Chisako and Hiroyo Matsumoto def. Blue Nation (Jessica Troy and Charli Evans) with a frog splash (D’Lo Brown style) from Dash to Charli, Solo Darling (with Willow-on-a-Stick) def. Zoe Lucas with a cloverleaf, Hudson Envy def. Aerial Monroe, Kimber Lee, and Kris Wolf in a four-corners match, Dust retains the Heart of SHIMMER Title by hitting Leva Bates with her flag while the ref is distracted by Rosemary, Cheerleader Melissa and Mercedes Martinez retain the SHIMMER Tag Titles against the Sea Stars (Ashley Vox and Delmi Exo) following a top rope curb stomp to Ashley Vox, Nicole Savoy retains the SHIMMER Title against Britt Baker with the Savolock. Hudson Envy attacks after the match.
SHIMMER 110: Charli Evans def. Cherry, Hyan def. Aerial Monroe with a Glam Slam, Jessicka Havok def. Sonya Strong in a surprisingly competitive match, Steph De Lander (with Indi Hartwell) def. Veda Scott, Nevaeh, and Brittney Blake with a big boot to Nevaeh, Su Yung def. Shotzi Blackheart with an airplane spin into a Michinoku Driver, Hiroyo Matsumoto and Dash Chisako def. Twisted Sisterz (Thunder Rosa and Holidead) with a Rock Drop from Matsumoto to Thunder Rosa, Allysin Kay def. Shazza McKenzie by sitting out a sunset flip attempt and leaning into the ropes, Rosemary def. Samantha Heights with a spear, Charlie Morgan def. Mercedes Martinez with a jumping DDT, Nicole Savoy retains the SHIMMER Title against Hudson Envy with the Savolock.
The Women’s Wrestling Extravaganza podcast covered all three nights of RISE/SHIMMER.
The insane schedule of events this week in New York (thanks to Phil Stamper):
Wed, Apr 3 – Dojo Wars – Colossal Sports Academy at The Coliseum, 333 Preston Ave, Voorhees, NJ – 8 pm – CZWrestling.com
Wed, Apr 3 – Pizza Party Wrestling – Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, NJ – 7 pm
Wed, Apr 3 – UPWA – Wayne PAL Building, 1 Pal DR, Wayne, NJ – 7 pm
Ed in San Antonio presents the WRESTLEMANIAWeekend Event:
Saturday, 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~!
