Gargano and Scott argued on last week’s show after Scott tried to break up a backstage brawl between Candice LeRae and Mia Yim.
LeRae vs. Yim in a street fight is also set for Great American Bash night two.
The final nights of NXT’s Great American Bash and AEW’s Fyter Fest are both airing this Wednesday. The Great American Bash will be headlined by NXT Champion Adam Cole and NXT North American Champion Keith Lee facing off in a winner-take-all title vs. title match. Lee was confirmed as Cole’s opponent for the match by retaining the North American title against Finn Balor and Gargano in a triple threat match on NXT two weeks ago.
Great American Bash night two will also feature Legado del Fantasma (NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) vs. Drake Maverick & Breezango in a six-man tag match.
NXT’s Great American Bash began last night and featured NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai and Sasha Banks facing off in their first-ever singles match against each other.
Shirai defeated Banks in last night’s main event, which was non-title and featured involvement from Bayley and Asuka. After Bayley interfered, Asuka came out to the ring and spit green mist in Banks’ eyes. Banks kicked out of a pinning attempt by Shirai, but Shirai connected with a moonsault from the top rope to get the win.
Last night’s show also featured Dexter Lumis vs. Roderick Strong in a strap match, Rhea Ripley vs. Aliyah & Robert Stone in a handicap match, Timothy Thatcher vs. Oney Lorcan, and Mia Yim vs. Tegan Nox vs. Candice LeRae vs. Dakota Kai in a fatal four-way elimination match to determine Shirai’s first challenger.
Plus, a Prime Target special feature built up the winner-take-all title vs. title match between NXT Champion Adam Cole and NXT North American Champion Keith Lee for Great American Bash night two next Wednesday.
Two new matches have been added to the lineup for night two of NXT’s Great American Bash.
WWE announced tonight that Mia Yim and Candice LeRae will face off in a street fight on night two of the Great American Bash next Wednesday. Legado del Fantasma (NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) vs. Drake Maverick & Breezango has also been announced for the show.
Mercedes Martinez is also set to be part of Great American Bash night two. WWE has recently been airing videos building up her return to NXT television.
Tegan Nox defeated Dakota Kai, Yim, and LeRae in a number one contender’s fatal four-way elimination match at Great American Bash night one tonight. Yim pinned LeRae to eliminate her during the match.
There was a segment later on tonight’s show where LeRae did an interview complaining about everyone ganging up on her in the four-way match. LeRae then attacked Yim backstage and they started brawling until being separated by officials.
Johnny Gargano also argued with Isaiah “Swerve” Scott after Scott tried to break up LeRae and Yim’s brawl.
Also on tonight’s NXT, Breezango made a save for Maverick after he interrupted Legado del Fantasma. Maverick was wearing a neck brace and it was his first appearance since the angle where Escobar put him through a table two weeks ago.
NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. NXT North American Champion Keith Lee in a winner-take-all title vs. title match will headline Great American Bash night two next Wednesday. The show is going up against night two of AEW Fyter Fest.
NXT’s Great American Bash kicks off tonight with a big first-time-ever singles match.
Tonight’s show will feature NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai facing Sasha Banks in a non-title match. After attacking Banks and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley following their Women’s Tag Team title defense on NXT two weeks ago, Shirai declared that this is her NXT.
Bayley will also be in Banks’ corner tonight.
A number one contender for Shirai’s title will be decided by a fatal four-way elimination match between Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, Candice LeRae, and Dakota Kai on tonight’s show. WWE hasn’t announced when the winner will be getting their title shot.
Dexter Lumis vs. Roderick Strong in a strap match, Rhea Ripley vs. Aliyah & Robert Stone in a handicap match, and Timothy Thatcher vs. Oney Lorcan are also set for tonight. Ripley will have to join the Robert Stone Brand if she loses.
Night two of the Great American Bash will take place next Wednesday and will feature NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. NXT North American Champion Keith Lee in a winner-take-all title vs. title match. WWE will finish building to that tonight.
Our coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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The GAB set features two sports cars parked by the entrance ramp. One is a modern sports car, and the other is a classic. The red, white, and blue ropes are back for one night as part of them keeping with the patriotic theme.
Mountain Dew sponsored the show, and the soft drink brand was plugged throughout the show. Please drink responsibly, kids. That is a lot of sugar.
The show opened with the elimination match.
Tegan Nox won a fatal four way elimination match over Dakota Kai, Mia Yim and Candice LeRae to become number one contender
Nox won the match to become the number one contender for the NXT Women’s Championship. The order of elimination was LeRae (pinned by Yim), Yim (pinned by Kai), and Kai (pinned by Nox to win the match).
LeRae looked strong from start. She was on fire, and she did a springboard plancha to the floor at one point among other things. There was one scary spot early on with Kai taking a bump on the apron with LeRae. LeRae got in a lot of offense before Yim and Nox briefly teamed up. Yim with a codebreaker, and then she covered to eliminate LeRae via pinfall.
Mia Yim was next to run wild. She fired up into doing two tope spots after sending the other two outside with hurricanranas. Nox tried to catch Yim with a crucifix, but Yim kicked out to escape. Yim delivered Sole Food to Nox, but Nox fell out of the ring before Yim could pin her. Kai snuck in and caught Yim with an O’Connor roll, and Kai bridged into a cover to eliminate Yim via pinfall.
Kai worked over Nox for heat. The were exchanging strikes as the planted crowd did a half-hearted “yay/boo”. Better than no crowd noise I guess. The crowd chanted “NXT” much louder a few moments later. They also beat on the plexiglass like fans would do with the tin banners at ROH shows. That was a nice touch. Almost music to my ears.
Nox fired up on Kai and showed a lot of determination. Lots of fire too. They traded some near falls. Kai showed her mean streak, and Nox never backed down. Nox went for a Shining Wizard, but Kai avoided it to catch Nox in a crucifix. Nox kicked out, but Kai transitioned into her submission finisher. Nox was able to escape, and she executed the Molly Go Round with a 360 off the top rope into press. Nox then hit the Shiniest Wizard, and she covered Kai for the deciding pinfall.
Many of the commercial breaks are picture-in-picture, but not all.
Damian Priest cut a promo on Cameron Grimes, and he challenged him for a rematch.
Sasha Banks vs. Io Shirai later on tonight will be seen commercial free.
Timothy Thatcher defeated Oney Lorcan
Thatcher submitted Lorcan after they put on a clinic.
They grappled early on and they grappled often, and it was great. There were takedowns, leg locks, arm locks, counters, reversals, two counts, and chain wrestling. Lorcan was the first to use strikes as he hit Thatcher with chops. They went into an Irish whip spot, and Lorcan was knocked over the ropes before a commercial break.
Thatcher set up this belly-to-belly spot that was a thing of beauty for its authenticity. There was a fighting spirit exchange. Lorcan caught Thatcher in a half crab. That was notable because Thatcher talked about how painful that hold was in a skit last week.
Thatcher eventually worked his way into applying a Fujiwara armbar in the middle of the ring. Lorcan was forced to tap out, but Thatcher would not break the submission. He finally did break the hold just as his face broke out in a sadistic smile.
Rhea Ripley defeated Aliyah & Robert Stone
Ripley submitted them both and was put over very strong.
Robert Stone had a ring jacket and gear like he was cosplaying as boxer Marc Mero from the Attitude Era. He also had athletic goggles like he was Horace Grant back in the day. He did an Ali shuffle, and Ripley then proceeded to beat up him.
Aliyah with a title-a-whirl headscissors helped turn the tide for a moment, but Ripley powered out on a second attempt a few moments later. Stone jumped into the ring to break up a pinning attempt, only to beg off and flee. There was a cat-and-mouse spot before Stone crashed and burned on a plancha. Ripley was distracted with Stone, allowing Aliyah to fly in and wipe out Ripley with a dive before the show cut a commercial break.
After the break both Stone & Aliyah were getting heat on Ripley. Stone was applying a Boston crab as Aliyah applied a crossface. There was more man-on-woman violence that WWE usually allows, but it was all tandem offense with Aliyah and Stone both. They gave Ripley a double suplex. That led to a spot a few seconds later where Ripley reversed a second attempted suplex. Ripley then began her comeback.
Ripley cleaned house, and she manhandled Stone. Ripley applied her standing leglock finisher on both Stone & Aliyah simultaneously for a stereo Prism Trap. The heels tapped out, and Ripley stood tall looking like a badass.
Dexter Lumis defeated Roderick Strong in a strap match
Lumis submitted Strong to win the match. The rules were pin and submission inside the ring, instead of the touching all four corners nonsense. The pin and submission rules made for a better match.
Strong was apprehensive, and fought not to get hooked to the strap. Lumis strapped them together and Strong begged off, but there was nowhere to run. Strong bumped around and made Lumis look like a killer.
Strong was eventually able to cut off Lumis — but not for long as Strong took a big bump off the middle rope. They fight spilled outside the ring, and they fought up the ramp to the stage. Lumis opened the trunk on a car parked as part of the set. Strong started to freak out at the sight of the opened trunk, and he peppered Lumis with knees and kicks. Strong gave Lumis an Olympic slam on the floor. From there Strong took over on offense.
Strong grounded Lumis, and he dashed a hope spot. Strong taunted Lumis as he whipped him with the strap. Lumis threw a Western Lariat as he began a comeback. A running bulldog netted him a two count, and then Lumis executed a slingshot suplex. Lumis whipped Strong with the strap. Lumis went for his submission finisher, but Strong escaped to set up him giving Lumis a superplex for a near fall.
Strong hogtied Lumis with the strap, and then he applied the Stronghold. Lumis not only esacped, but was taking over on offense when Bobby Fish ran in to attack Lumis. Fish sewpt the leg of Lumis, and Strong followed with a running high kick. Lumis kicked out, and he hulked up. Fish was suplexed and knocked around by Lumis. Strong was sent colliding into Fish.
For the finish, Lumis wrapped up Strong in the strap and then spun him around with a Rainmaker/uranage combo. Lumis then applied his submission finisher The Silencer, and Strong tapped out for a mostly clean finish — although Lumis did have the strap wrapped around Strong’s throat in the process.
A “Prime Target” featurette hyped the champion vs. champion winner take all main event next week with North American Champion Keith Lee against NXT Champion Adam Cole.
Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano were being interviewed backstage when LeRae suddenly stormed away to start a brawl with Mia Yim. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott tried to break up the fight, and Gargano got in his face. They had a shoving match, which likely sets up a match soon.
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar was flanked by Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde — or El Legado del Fantasma as their new stable is called — for a promo in the ring. Escobar bemoaned the state of lucha libre. It is now a sideshow act he says. El Legado del Fantasma is going to rediscover the true roots of lucha libre in their image. They are going to restore its honor, and they will leave a legacy. They are going to build a empire.
Drake Maverick wearing a neck brace suddenly interrupted the segment as he came to the ring. He rushed into the ring, and proceeded to get his butt kicked trying to get ahold of Escobar. The henchmen held Maverick so Escobar would have a free shot. Tyler Breeze & Fandango ran down for a save. Breezango cleared the ring of the henchmen, and Esobar powdered out. Fandango challenged El Legado del Fantasma to a match next week on night two of The Great American Bash. The match was made official after a commerical break.
Also announced for next week is Mia Yim vs. Canice LeRae in a street fight.
Cameron Grimes in a great promo blew off the challenge by Priest, and he instead called out either Lee or Cole — whoever wins the double championship. Grimes is the top contender and wants a title match.
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defeated Sasha Banks (with Bayley) in a non-title match
Shirai pinned Banks in a long pay-per-view caliber match. They went all out –and there were a few mishaps — but this was pretty darn great overall. The closing minutes were stellar. Bayley interfered, and Asuka made a surprise appearance to make a save as she interjected herself in the match. Asula also used green mist.
Banks arrived riding in a convertible alongside her tag team championship partner, Bayley. Also joining them on the ride was her pet corgi.
They started methodical and soon quickened the pace from there. Shirai with a missle dropkick sent Banks rolling outside, and then Shirai flew through the ropes with a high cross on the floor.
Shirai was looking for a superplex of some sort when Bayley distracted her by honking a car horn. Banks tripped up Shirai and covered her for a near fall. Banks went on to give Shirai a double knee drop for another near fall.
Banks continued to work over Shirai for awhile, until flying headscissors by Shirai caused some separation. Banks tried to cut her off, but Shirai was able to execute a Super Frankensteiner.
There was a double down, and then Shirai started to mow down Banks with tackles after they rose to their feet. Shirai with a flapjack that led into the Tiger Feint Kick. She followed with a springboard missile dropkick for a near fall.
Banks countered a double underhook, and she went to set up her submission finisher. Shirai avoided the hold, and they went into an awkward German suplex spot.
Shirai was caught in the Bank Statement, but Shirai was able to counter by cradling Banks. They traded cradles momentarily before Shirai hit Banks with a double stomp. Shirai went into her finishing sequence as she delivered double knees in a corner. Shirai climbed the ropes seemingly going for her moonsault press, but Banks tripped her up and tied her in the tree-of-woe.
Banks began to taunt Shirai with Shirai hanging helpless upside down in the corner, and Banks slapped her across the face. Banks measured her for a running knee strike — only for Shirai to dodge the move and Banks went crashing into the corner.
Shirai went for a moonsault press, but Banks rolled out of the way. Shirai ran into a kick from Banks, and Banks flew off the ropes into a meteora. Shirai kicked out at two and a half.
Banks avoided a second attempt for a Tiger Feint Kick. They were trading strikes with Banks inside the ropes and Shirai on the apron. Shirai went for a springboard, but Sasha caught her with a kick instead. Banks followed with a sunset flip through the ropes into a powerbomb where she smashed Shirai into the plexiglass.
Banks gloated at ringside with Bayley before she climbed the turnbuckles. Banks went for a frog splash, and Shirai countered to catch her in a crossface. Banks was struggling to make the ropes when Bayley tossed one of the tag team championship betls into the ring. As the referee was removing it from the ring, Bayley with an illegal cheap shot struck Shirai. That broke the submission hold.
Bayley got in a tug-of-war with the referee over the title belt. Meanwhile, Banks went to retrieve the other tag strap. As Banks went to grab the belt, Asuka suddenly appeared to stop her from using the belt. Asuka spat green mist in Banks’ face, and Shirai with a schoolgirl for a two count. Shirai dropped Banks with a palm strike, and then she wiped out Bayley with a wrecking ball dropkick. Shirai then moonsaulted back into the ring on Banks, and she covered Banks for the pinfall.
WWE is promoting that this Wednesday’s episode of NXT will feature limited commercials.
That was announced during an advertisement that aired on tonight’s Raw. This week’s NXT is the first night of the Great American Bash.
The Great American Bash is taking place over the next two weeks of NXT and is going up against both nights of AEW’s Fyter Fest.
NXT had limited commercial interruption for its October 2, 2019 episode, which was the show that went up against Dynamite’s debut and was the first time NXT aired on the USA Network for its full two hours. The Adam Cole vs. Finn Balor NXT Championship match on the December 18 episode of NXT was also presented commercial-free.
Last week’s NXT averaged 786,000 viewers, beating out the 633,000 viewers that Dynamite averaged. Dynamite drew a 0.22 rating in the 18-49 demo to NXT’s 0.19 rating.
Here’s what’s been announced for the Great American Bash thus far:
Night one (July 1) —
Non-title match: NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Sasha Banks
Number one contender’s fatal four-way elimination match: Mia Yim vs. Tegan Nox vs. Candice LeRae vs. Dakota Kai
Strap match: Dexter Lumis vs. Roderick Strong
Two-on-one handicap match: Aliyah & Robert Stone vs. Rhea Ripley (Ripley must join the Robert Stone Brand if she loses)
Timothy Thatcher vs. Oney Lorcan
Night two (July 8) —
Winner-take-all title vs. title match: NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. NXT North American Champion Keith Lee
The worst week in the pro wrestling industry since 2007 is looked back on in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We go through name after name, case after case, the culture, the situations, suggestions on changes and a history dating back to the 30s of women in wrestling’s plight. We look at Joey Ryan, the WWE talent, people fired from every company, companies restructuring, attorney letters, Jim Cornette, Sammy Guevara, Travis Banks, Marty Scurll, the U.K. culture, the legal aspect, the ugliness from the fan base, David Lagana, Michael Elgin, death of CHIKARA, and pretty much the only mainstream place that will touch the story.
We also look at the COVID outbreak in WWE. We look at how it happened, why AEW is at risk, the new taping schedule, the plans to return to shows with fans quicker than you think, how the AEW decision making went, how WWE is getting around the travel ban, the Orlando, the mask ordinance, and much more.
The new issue also covers:
The ending of WWE Backstage, the Tuesday night block and more.
Update on the New Japan Cup tournament with this coming week’s shows.
What was supposed to be a big deal and ended up going nowhere due to COVID, the Tessa Blanchard Impact title win. We talk about the ending, and why it happened the way it did.
Possible end of Undertaker’s career, where wrestling stood this past week in sports ratings, WWE gets new overseas deal, most-watched shows on WWE Network and WWE’s current worth.
This week’s UFC show that featured a guy with a destroyed knee winning one of he best fights of the year.
Next two weeks of Wednesday night wrestling.
Update on Extreme rules.
Ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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.
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If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
MONDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back tonight with Wrestling Observer Radio covering Raw, New Japan Cup and some recent television sports news related to wrestling. You can also send questions to tonight’s show to [email protected].
Cody on Twitter said that Sammy Guevara would be back and he would be a better person and better wrestler for what happened with his being suspended.
Jeff Jarrett’s lawsuit against Impact Wrestling and Anthem is scheduled to go to trial tomorrow. Jarrett had given Impact the rights to use his Global Force Wrestling tapes while he worked for the company, but felt that once he was no longer with the company, they had no rights to the tapes. Impact, which had the master tapes, had deleted them.
WWE’s John Brody has been heavily criticized for his statements regarding how WWE has handled the COVID situation.
After the ratings last week, there is more interest in this week’s Wednesday shows with AEW Fyter Fest vs. NXT Great American Bash.
NXT has:
Oney Lorcan vs. Timothy Thatcher
Rhea Ripley vs. Robert Stone & Aliyah and if Stone & Aliyah win, Ripley must join the Robert Stone brand
Roderick Strong vs. Dexter Lumis strap match
Mia Yim vs. Candice LeRae vs. Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai elimination match
Io Shirai vs. Sasha Banks non-title
AEW has:
Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus vs. MJF & Wardlow
Private Party vs. Santana & Ortiz
Hikaru Shida vs. Penelope Ford for the women’s title
Cody vs. Jake Hager for the TNT title
Kenny Omega & Adam Page vs. Best Friends for the tag title
Chris Jericho will be announcing on this show
WWE tapes in Orlando Wednesday through Friday this week, with the next two weeks of NXT on Wednesday, two episodes of Smackdown and 205 Live on Thursday and two episodes of Raw and Main Event on Friday.
WWE
Raw tonight has contract signings for both Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler and Asuka vs. Sasha Banks for the Extreme Rules PPV show. Matches announced are Apollo Crews vs MVP in a non-title match, Viking Raiders vs. Andrade & Angel Garza and Akira Tozawa vs. R-Truth for the 24/7 title. Also advertised as appearing are Ric Flair and Randy Orton.
Titus O’Neil and Dave Bautista will be on a UNICEF live stream on Amazon tomorrow at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time. Also listed as appearing are the NBA’s Paul Gasol, Laurie Hernandez of gymnastics and Danielle Kang of the LPGA.
The movie “Jumanji: The Next Level” starring Dwayne Johnson comes to Starz on 7/3. Another Johnson movie, “Race to Witch Mountain” starts on Disney+ on 7/3.
FS1 will be airing the 2018 Survivor Series show featuring Daniel Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar, which was a hell of a match, as was Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair. There is also both a men’s and women’s Survivor Series match.
AEW
The lineup for Dark tomorrow night:
Shawn Spears vs.; Max Caster
Butcher & Blade vs. Low Rida & Fuego de Sol
Ricky Stars vs. Griff Garrison
Scorpio Sky vs. Brady Pierce
Brandi Rhodes & Allie vs KLynn King & Skyler Moore
Lance Archer vs. Pineapple Pete
Young Bucks vs. Brandon Cutler & Peter Avalon
MISCELLANEOUS
There will be new Japan Cup shows this week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning at 6 a.m. Eastern. The 7/3 show will bring it down to the final two who will face off on 7/11 in the first New Japan show with fans.
Low Ki made a post about not wearing a mask in public which garnered a ton of controversy. If people haven’t realized our country is not listening to doctors, and Canada’s listening to doctors resulted in what happened, I don’t know what to say, but here was his post.
ONE announced a show called No Surrender for 7/31 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Impact announced it has a TV deal with Pluto TV LATAM, covering Latin America.
Impact also announced a Rumble style match with Kimber Lee, Rosemary, Jessicka Havok, Neveah, Alisha Edwards, Susie, Kiera Hogan, Tasha Steelz, Taya Valkyrie and Kylie Rae for the 7/18 Slammiversary PPV show.
Invicta returns for a Fight Pass show at 8 p.m. on Thursday night headlined by Julianna Lima vs Emily Ducote
Melbourne City Wrestling has announced new procedures for its return. Melbourne had 75 new cases yesterday, so pro wrestling’s return may not be as quick as thought last week.
Oliver Copp announced the first new product from the TNM wrestling simulator line in 17 years to commemorate TNM’s 25th anniversary. People interested can download a free 28-day trial version here.
The fatal four-way number one contender’s match at night one of NXT’s Great American Bash will now have an elimination format.
WWE announced today that Mia Yim vs. Tegan Nox vs. Candice LeRae vs. Dakota Kai on this Wednesday’s NXT will be an elimination match. The winner will become the number one contender to Io Shirai’s NXT Women’s Championship, but when they’ll be getting their title shot hasn’t been revealed.
Kai & Raquel Gonzalez defeated Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter on NXT last week. After the match, Kai said she has her sights set on Shirai and the NXT Women’s Championship.
Shirai is facing Sasha Banks in a non-title match on Wednesday’s episode of NXT. Bayley will be in Banks’ corner for the match.
Shirai became NXT Women’s Champion by defeating Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match at TakeOver: In Your House earlier this month.
The Great American Bash is taking place over the next two weeks of NXT and is going up against both nights of AEW’s Fyter Fest.
Here are the updated lineups for both nights of the Great American Bash:
Night one (July 1) —
Non-title match: NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Sasha Banks
Number one contender’s fatal four-way elimination match: Mia Yim vs. Tegan Nox vs. Candice LeRae vs. Dakota Kai
Strap match: Dexter Lumis vs. Roderick Strong
Two-on-one handicap match: Aliyah & Robert Stone vs. Rhea Ripley (Ripley must join the Robert Stone Brand if she loses)
Timothy Thatcher vs. Oney Lorcan
Night two (July 8) —
Winner-take-all title vs. title match: NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. NXT North American Champion Keith Lee
After asking for the match on Twitter Sunday, NXT General Manager William Regal gave Oney Lorcan his wish shortly thereafter: a match against Timothy Thatcher on this Wednesday’s kickoff to the NXT Great American Bash.
This will be Thatcher’s first match since defeating Matt Riddle in their Fight Pit match on the May 27 episode of NXT. He’s been seen in recent weeks with his “Thatch-as-Thach-can” wrestling school vignettes.
These two aren’t strangers as they have worked together on the indies over the years, but this will be their first clash in NXT.
NXT announced last Wednesday they were reviving the Great American Bash for the next two weeks, going head-to-head with AEW’s Fyter Fest over the same time period. Here’s what’s been announced for the Great American Bash thus far:
Night one (July 1) —
Non-title match: NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Sasha Banks
Number one contender’s fatal four-way match: Dakota Kai vs. Tegan Nox vs. Candice LeRae vs. Mia Yim
Strap match: Dexter Lumis vs. Roderick Strong
Two-on-one handicap match: Aliyah & Robert Stone vs. Rhea Ripley (Ripley must join the Robert Stone Brand if she loses)
Timothy Thatcher vs. Oney Lorcan
Night two (July 8) —
Winner-take-all title vs. title match: NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. NXT North American Champion Keith Lee
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai and Sasha Banks are set to face off in their first-ever singles match against each other.
WWE has announced that a non-title match between Shirai and Banks will take place on Wednesday’s NXT. The show is the first night of NXT’s Great American Bash.
Banks & SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley retained their Women’s Tag Team titles against Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart on the June 17 episode of NXT. After the match, Shirai attacked both Banks and Bayley and said this is her NXT.
After Shirai accepted the challenge, NXT general manager William Regal tweeted that the match is official: “It seems the past and the present are in conflict once again and the #WWENXT Universe will have the pleasure of seeing it happen. It is OFFICIAL. This Wednesday, on night 1 of #NXTGAB, it’ll be #NXTWomensChampion @shirai_io vs. @SashaBanksWWE in a non-title match! #WeAreNXT”
Shirai became NXT Women’s Champion by defeating Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match at TakeOver: In Your House earlier this month.
The Great American Bash will begin on Wednesday’s NXT and then conclude the following week. It’s going against both nights of AEW’s Fyter Fest.
Here’s what’s been announced for the Great American Bash thus far:
Night one (July 1) —
Non-title match: NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Sasha Banks
Number one contender’s fatal four-way match: Dakota Kai vs. Tegan Nox vs. Candice LeRae vs. Mia Yim
Strap match: Dexter Lumis vs. Roderick Strong
Two-on-one handicap match: Aliyah & Robert Stone vs. Rhea Ripley (Ripley must join the Robert Stone Brand if she loses)
Night two (July 8) —
Winner-take-all title vs. title match: NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. NXT North American Champion Keith Lee
WWE has announced that the Great American Bash will be a two-week event on NXT. It will begin with next Wednesday’s show and continue on July 8, going up against both nights of AEW’s Fyter Fest
The July 8 episode of NXT will feature NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. North American Champion Keith Lee in a winner-take-all title vs. title match.
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A former NWA/WCW and WWE event name is returning on next week’s episode of NXT.
WWE announced tonight that the Great American Bash is coming to NXT next Wednesday. This will be the first time WWE has used the Great American Bash name for an event since an episode of SmackDown in 2012. WWE’s last Great American Bash pay-per-view was in 2008, and the name The Bash was used for a PPV in 2009
Three matches have been announced for next Wednesday’s NXT. Dakota Kai, Tegan Nox, Candice LeRae, and Mia Yim will face off in a fatal four-way number one contender’s match on the show, with the winner becoming the first challenger for Io Shirai’s NXT Women’s Championship. WWE hasn’t revealed when the winner will be getting their title shot.
Rhea Ripley vs. Aliyah & Robert Stone in a handicap match and Dexter Lumis vs. Roderick Strong in a strap match are the other two matches that have been announced for next week’s NXT.
If Ripley loses, she’ll have to join the Robert Stone Brand. Lumis vs. Strong will be the first strap match in NXT history.
In a week where the entire landscape of the pro wrestling industry is expected to change, the first tree to fall, All Japan Pro Wrestling, at least in the form it has been for the past 28 years, is no more.
Tokyo Sports confirmed on 6/12 that the long-rumored split talked about in this publication had started with Mitsuharu Misawa, the President and top star of the company, resigning on 5/28. The news was kept quiet by all parties until the end of the tour and they were hoping to keep it quiet for several more days in an attempt to present a smoother public transition. On 6/13 at an emergency meeting of the board of directors once the story had broken publicly, five more members, Kenta Kobashi, Akira Taue, Mitsuo Momota, Yoshihiro Momota (the oldest son of Rikidozan who is a retired pro wrestler who works in the front office) and Kenichi Oyagi (the Managing Director of All Japan) all formally resigned, confirming what was already known by insiders that virtually the entire company was leaving Motoko Baba.
