Alex Windsor is the new NJPW Strong Women’s Champion.
She defeated Syuri for the title on Sunday at Pro Wrestling EVE’s WrestleQueendom 8 from indigo at The O2 in London, England.
The finish of the match saw Syuri fight to get to the ropes while in a sharpshooter, only to be hit with a series of lariats and the Made in Japan by Windsor for the pin.
Windsor is also the current RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Champion after defeating Mercedes Moné for the title at the December 17 AEW Collision taping in Manchester.
Syuri’s reign ends after 63 days and zero title defenses. She won the championship in a title-for-title match against Saya Kamitani at Wrestle Kingdom 20. Syuri most recently defended her IWGP Women’s title against Athena at New Beginning in USA on February 27.
Windsor becomes the eighth champion in the title’s lineage, which dates back to Willow Nightingale becoming the inaugural champion when she defeated Mercedes Moné at NJPW Strong Resurgence 2023 in a match where Moné suffered a significant leg injury.
SYURI & ALEX WINDSOR BEAT THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF EACH OTHER.
Bryan Alvarez expects Bad Bunny to be back in WWE “sooner rather than later.”
Alvarez addressed Bad Bunny’s status with WWE on Friday’s edition of Wrestling Observer Live during a conversation with Lance Storm. He said that despite recent calls by U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego for AEW to sign the recording star, Bad Bunny will be back in WWE soon.
“He’s tweeting for Tony Khan to bring in Bad Bunny,” Alvarez said about Gallego on WOL.
Storm added, “And is apparently unaware that Bad Bunny has wrestled quite a bit.”
Alvarez responded, “Bad Bunny is going to end up back in WWE very soon. Sooner rather than later, everybody, just so you all know.”
Gallego’s comments followed Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite in Las Vegas, which featured an anti-ICE chant during the main event. Bad Bunny has spoken out against the U.S. government’s immigration enforcement agency, most recently on February 1 at the Grammy Awards.
“ICE out,” Bad Bunny said while accepting his award for best música urban performance. “We are not savages, we are not animals, we are not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”
Friday’s edition of Wrestling Observer Live is free and available now. The below video is cued to Alvarez’s comments about Bad Bunny.
.@TonyKhan it’s time for @AEW to solidify a huge fan base. @sanbenito love wrestling, need him to make some appearances. Just no stretcher match please.
Jelly Roll’s performance at WWE SummerSlam is receiving positive reviews from many.
The singer-songwriter was pinned by Logan Paul in his tag team match alongside Randy Orton against Drew McIntyre and Paul on the show.
Brooks Jensen posted to social media on Sunday to say Jelly Roll trained “as hard as the greats” leading up to the event and that he was proud to have trained with him over the past several weeks.
“He may not have won his match, but he won the hearts and respects from the WWE universe. What we do day in and day out is not for the faint of heart. Time, dedication, endurance, and strength are just 60% of what makes a WWE Superstar. The other 40% comes from a love of the game, resilience, and passion. All that said, he trained and worked as hard as the greats and for that I couldn’t have been more proud to share those 4 corners for the past several weeks. He’s a star in and out of the ring. Hell yeah!”
Jordynne Grace also commented on Jelly Roll’s performance, writing, “Jelly Roll top 3 celebrity wrestlers.”
Before SummerSlam, Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo talked about training with Jelly Roll for the match, noting that he broke his finger on his first day of training and “worked his ass off.”
“I’ve been at the PC for 3.5 years. I’ve seen plenty of D1 ATHLETES take a couple of bumps and give up in a few weeks because they can’t handle it. The training. The grind. BROKE them. Jelly Roll, BROKE his finger day 1 of training and he taped that finger up and was punching me in the face with it the next day. We pushed him hard. Expecting more from him everyday and he delivered. He smiled and sang through every minute of training and then grabbed the broom and swept the ring. I’ve watched him commit every ounce of energy he had to this #SummerSlam match tonight. He may not consider himself an athlete, but he’s got that Mamba Mentality. He worked his ass off for this. Tonight, @JellyRoll615 is a @WWE Superstar and he’s gonna put on a show for the whole world.”
Fightful Select is also reporting that Jelly Roll “impressed many” with his work ethic.
Jelly Roll commented on his own training during a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, noting that he was training at the WWE Performance Center every day.
“I have quietly been living in Orlando for about three or four weeks at the PC. Showing up every day like a piece of furniture over there. They can’t kick me out. I’m there from the moment I wake up till it closes almost. Matt Bloom’s my coach.“
I’ve been at the PC for 3.5 years. I’ve seen plenty of D1 ATHLETES take a couple of bumps and give up in a few weeks because they can’t handle it. The training. The grind. BROKE them.
Jelly Roll, BROKE his finger day 1 of training and he taped that finger up and was punching me… https://t.co/7TXflPPhcz
At 22 years old, Kosei Fujita is now the youngest wrestler to ever win the tournament. He defeated YOH in the finals on Sunday’s show in Ota City. He picked up the victory with a Thrill Ride following a back-and-forth match filled with nearfalls and submission attempts.
Kosei Fujita makes history! The Japanese Young Punk has won Best of the Super Jr. 32, becoming the youngest winner ever!#bosj32 report:https://t.co/iSxPrJ2maK
The previous youngest winner of the BOSJ was Will Ospreay, who had just turned 23 when he won the tournament for the first time in 2016.
With the win, Fujita has earned the right to challenge IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado. Originally, the winner was expected to challenge the champion at NJPW Dominion on June 15, but Fujita’s backstage comments cast doubt on this, as he said he wants to wait until after Desperado has wrestled Jun Kasai on June 24 at Korakuen Hall.
Kasai appeared on Sunday’s show after Desperado and his teammates were victorious in a multi-man tag match. He handed Desperado a red envelope, officially inviting him to the Deathpain Invitational show for what is billed as their last-ever match against one another. NJPW officially announced the match on May 20, but Desperado only received his formal invitation today. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship will not be on the line.
Desperado was on commentary for the finals but did not enter the ring to confront Fujita after his victory, allowing him to celebrate with his TMDK teammates and later in the crowd with the fans.
A new match has been announced for Monday’s episode of Raw.
WWE Women’s World Champion IYO SKY will face Roxanne Perez on the show. General Manager Adam Pearce made the announcement in a video published Sunday. The match comes after SKY rescued Rhea Ripley from a two-on-one attack by Perez and Giulia on last week’s Raw. The two were also on opposite sides of a tag match on NXT, where SKY and Jordynne Grace defeated Perez and Giulia.
Pearce also revealed that Becky Lynch will call out Lyra Valkyria on Monday as they prepare for their WWE Women’s Intercontinental title match at Backlash this Saturday.
Today’s WWE Bash in Berlin in Germany (1 PM Eastern on Peacock/WWE Network) should be another fast-paced, three-hour PLE.
The Paul “Triple H” Levesque era is all about these five-match shows. It’s how he ran TakeOver events back in the first black & gold era of NXT and now he’s brought that philosophy to the main roster. The idea is they save some matches for SmackDown, such as LA Knight’s US title defense this week, and each PLE match gets all the time it needs. On top of that, keeping the shows under the three-hour mark helps ensure fans stay hot throughout.
Still, I’ve heard fans express they don’t like the short lineups. When you look at the international shows that have followed this format, however, they’ve all been well-reviewed. Backlash France, King & Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia, Money in the Bank in Toronto, and Clash at the Castle in Glasgow were all excellent shows.
Many of the above-mentioned PLEs benefited greatly from having a hot crowd and Berlin’s fans will likely be bringing their A-game to this show. I’m expecting Gunther to receive a hero’s welcome. I think when this show was announced, many felt this would be where Gunther wins the World title rather than his first defense, but this works too. It’s almost as if Saturday is his home championship parade after having won the title in an away game.
Wrestling fans are spoiled with good PPV/PLEs right now and this won’t be any different. Below are previews and predictions for each match at Bash in Berlin.
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Kevin Owens
Rhodes heads into this title defense against Owens as a -6000 favorite and it’s hard to disagree with those odds.
While the result is not in question, how we get there should be interesting. In recent weeks, WWE has done a good job of reminding the audience (and Rhodes) about all the times Owens has turned on someone who was seemingly his friend. So, will he do it again? It doesn’t feel like anyone is asking for a KO heel turn at the moment, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
The possibility that Owens will turn heel during this program with Rhodes seems high, but it also feels likely Randy Orton and Rhodes will run a similar program sometime before WrestleMania. There’s more history with Orton and Rhodes so if they are going with the jilted friend angle, it makes more sense with Orton.
Rhodes will win clean and either Owens will remain a babyface or we will start to see some signs of him breaking bad again.
Prediction: Rhodes retains
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther defends against Randy Orton
Gunther is also a -6000 favorite to successfully defend against Orton and I, along with many others, would be shocked if anything other than that happens.
This will be a straight match with a clean finish and a chance for the live fans to give Gunther his flowers. I also think many will be surprised at how well these two pair up and the kind of chemistry they have. On the surface, it’s two guys from completely different generations and backgrounds, but this will probably be the best match on the show.
I’m also very interested to see Orton’s approach to taking Gunther’s chops. It feels like it could go either way. Either he won’t want to take many of them, or he’ll want to take more of them than anyone else on the main roster has so far. No middle ground.
Prediction: Gunther retains
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Unholy Union (Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn) defend against Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair
Belair & Cargill are listed as -175 favorites to defeat the Unholy Union, but there are a couple of scenarios that would see the champions retaining.
At some point, either Cargill is turning on Belair or vice versa. It’s just not clear how exactly this match will play into this eventuality.
Three possible things could happen here:
Cargill and Belair go full Road Warriors and run through the Unholy Union to take back their titles
Either Cargill or Belair turns on the other and Fyre & Dawn retain
There is a miscommunication or some other type of mild breakup tease between Cargill and Belair, resulting in the Unholy Union retaining
Blair Davenport and Naomi will also get involved. but will likely just cancel each other out.
As for whether it is Cargill turning on Belair or Belair turning on Cargill, I think it’s more likely that Cargill ends up heel. I have a hard time picturing a heel Belair, but they may go that route too.
Admittedly, part of the reason I’m picking Fyre & Dawn to retain is that I just don’t want to pick all the favorites but I also think there’s a decent chance they win.
Prediction: Unholy Union retains
Dominik Mysterio & Liv Morgan vs. Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley
The Terror Twins are listed as -250 favorites and those seem like fair odds.
Normally, a new or recently restructured faction would win in their first big PLE match but that doesn’t make the most sense here. Ripley and Priest are both coming off losses at SummerSlam, Morgan is on fire right now, but then there is good ol’ Dominik. You can always pin Dominik.
The most likely finish is Dominik taking a Riptide from Ripley and Priest pinning him shortly after. That is the way.
You could have Ripley pin Morgan to set up another title match between them, but that wouldn’t be as satisfying to the audience as Dominik getting his comeuppance. There are lots of ways to get to another match between Ripley and Morgan, and they don’t have to have Morgan take a pin in a tag match to do that.
Prediction: Priest & Ripley
CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre in a strap match
Punk is listed as a -500 favorite to win and probably will.
It was mentioned on Wrestling Observer Radio recently that the rules of this match tend to favor the heel going over. They are going with the touch all four corners rule which is a prime breeding ground for either a fluke or a dirty win. There are examples of babyfaces winning these matches like Eddie Guerrero beating Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at No Way Out in 2004. I think that match might be a blueprint of sorts for what we see in Berlin.
During his AEW run, Punk was often portrayed in his matches as not being as good as the other guy but he uses his veteran skills and high ring IQ to find a way to win. He may do something similar here. The rules of this strap match also provide an opportunity for Punk to win in a fair way, which could be considered clean, but he wins by being smarter, not more athletic, stronger or just being a better wrestler.
Another factor is that it’s rumored/heavily believed Punk vs. McIntyre III will take place inside Hell in a Cell at Bad Blood. So, whatever happens in Berlin should lead to that.
