Tag: queen of the ring

Daily Update: Queen of the Ring, WWE & AEW ticket sale updates, UFC 313

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Friday Update

– This is a big weekend of shows. Garrett Gonzales and I will be doing our regular Friday Wrestling Observer Radio today covering the news of the week, and will continue that tomorrow with a special Saturday show that also covers SmackDown, UFC and Collision. Bryan and I will be back Sunday for AEW Revolution coverage.

– The new issue of the Observer is up on the site today. There is a ton of stuff in the lead article regarding the background leading to the John Cena angle.

Among the highlights:

  • The background of the John Cena angle and different versions of the story
  • What changed on the day of Elimination Chamber and different versions as to why
  • The turn itself
  • Travis Scott injures Rhodes
  • Comparisons with other turns
  • Art imitating real life
  • WrestleMania lineup
  • Elimination Chamber business and how it performed around the world
  • Pat McAfee controversy
  • TKO getting into boxing, what has and hasn’t been talked about and what we know about the details on how Nick Khan and Dana White are involved as well as why this is no risk for TKO
  • Linda McMahon confirmed for Secretary of Education, and then to wipe it all out
  • AEW Revolution preview, business numbers and interest level
  • Why the March 6, 1972 match with Antonio Inoki vs. Karl Gotch is still talked about 53 years after it happened
  • New Japan anniversary show notes, early New Japan Cup news
  • Saya Kamitani vs. Tam Nakano becomes a classic match, as well as a controversial one
  • Fantastica Mania final day coverage
  • Coverage of the deaths of Ciclon Ramirez and Australian Suicide
  • How did SmackDown and Dynamite place in the weekly standings
  • The unique Dynamite rating pattern
  • Full weekly ratings notes including what milestone did Raw on Netflix fall below
  • Notes on the high SmackDown number
  • Takeshita goes to Arena Mexico
  • Arguably the greatest freestyle wrestler of all-time passes away
  • Queen of the Ring notes
  • Giant mask match of legends being teased
  • Tony Khan changes philosophy
  • Forbidden Door title match tease
  • Tony Khan talks Wembley Stadium attendance record
  • Ospreay talks difference between New Japan and AEW
  • Mark Shapiro talks a lot of the future WWE and UFC business deals
  • A look at what level of value UFC PPVs could bring to Netflix and the value WWE brings to Netflix
  • Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones update
  • Freak show fight between two of the strongest men who ever lived
  • Big Tokyo Dome event planned
  • WWE in talks for a unique PPV event including date and place it is tentative for
  • Evolve notes
  • Sonya Deville and Carmella talk being dropped by WWE

– The movie “Queen of the Ring,” which was released in a few markets last night, has its official release tonight nationwide. We’ll be talking more about this tomorrow night on the show. The story is based on an excellent book about the life of Mildred Burke, the first genuine woman pro wrestling superstar who was a legit drawing card in the 1940s but then refused to drop the title. Jim Ross was behind this movie being made. In a trivia note, in the late 1980s, shortly after Burke’s death, Frank Deford wanted to do a movie based on her life but at the time was unable to garner interest in it.

– SmackDown is in Philadelphia tonight and will be sold out as they had more than 15,500 tickets out earlier today. Monday’s Madison Square Garden Raw will not have the usual stage setting as they are trying to get in excess of 17,000 to 18,000 in for that show. Both gates should be enormous. Tonight’s show has Chelsea Green vs. Michin in a street fight for the women’s US title, Jimmy Uso vs. Drew McIntyre, Solo Sikoa vs. Braun Strowman and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. LA Knight for the men’s US title, plus appearances by Cody Rhodes, Jade Cargill and Randy Orton.

– We’re looking for live show reports with anything not on television like Speed matches to [email protected]

– We will be doing a poll for AEW Revolution on Sunday, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]

– I was told from live sources that the Hologram vs. Dralistico match taped on Wednesday for Collision was the best match taped that night, and also that Komander vs. Dark Panther for the ROH TV title was great. That would likely air on the ROH show this coming Thursday.

– The Wednesday AEW ratings number was weird as the show was down 66,000 in under 50 viewers which is a big decrease, and up 68,000 in over 50 viewers which is a huge increase. Obviously the former figure is the important one. Within that age group it was down across the board to incredibly low male numbers, the former core audience. New York, Chicago, and I believe Los Angeles and several other markets aired NXT on Wednesday. That should have explained a drop across the board, but not as much of an 18-49 drop as happened and doesn’t explain the increase.

– Revolution has topped 9,600 tickets out so they will top the goal of 10,000 and could hit 11,000.

-New Japan was to start the New Japan Cup today, but the show was canceled due to the ring post of the ring breaking. They will have a show at 5:30 a.m. Eastern tomorrow morning to start the Cup.

– Yesterday’s anniversary show was quite good. Hirooki Goto vs Hiroshi Tanahashi was an incredible storytelling match. Chris Charlton returned to announce the show and he and Walker Stewart did a great job with the main event story, since it went back nearly two decades.

– UFC 313 is tomorrow from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas

ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. Eastern

  • Djorden Santos (185.5) vs. Ozzy Diaz (185.5)
  • Chris Gutierrez (144.5) vs. John Castaneda (145)
  • Mairon Santos (145.5) vs. Francis Marshall (146)

ESPN at 8 p.m. Eastern

  • Alex Morono (171) vs. Carlos Leal (169)
  • Brunno Ferreira (186) vs. Armen Petrosyan (186)
  • Joshua Van (125.5) vs. Rei Tsuruya (125.5)
  • Curtis Blaydes (262) vs. Rizvan Kuniev (264.5)

PPV on ESPN+ at 10 p.m. Eastern

  • King Green (155.5) vs. Mauricio Ruffy (155.5)
  • Amanda Lemos (116) vs. Iasmin Lucindo (115.5)
  • Jalin Turner (154.5) vs. Ignacio Bahomondes (155)
  • Justin Gaethje (156) vs. Rafael Fiziev (156)
  • Alex Pereira (205) vs. Magomed Ankalaev (205) for the UFC light heavyweight title

– Rich Swann vs. Brian Cage was announced for the 3/23 Chris Bey Benefit show in Las Vegas put on by Future Stars of Wrestling, the promotion that he got started with. Bey has recovered from paralysis to where he can now walk.

– Speaking of recovery, Yoshihiro Takayama after all these years is now able to sit up with help.

– Game Changer Wrestling announced a 7/19 show at the Brooklyn Cyclones Baseball Stadium. Both TNA and ROH over the years have put on successful events in that stadium.

– CMLL has an all women’s show at Arena Mexico tonight with Zeuxis vs. Persephone for the CMLL women’s title, Sanely vs. India Sioux for the Mexican national women’s title and the first part of the tournament for the vacant women’s tag team titles.

– For a week from tonight at Arena Mexico, it’s the B block of the CMLL women’s tag team tournament with Zeuxis & Dark Silueta, Lluvia & Jarochita, Amapola & Princesa Sugehit and the surprise team of Zoey Lucas & Amira Blair from the U.K. Blair is the girlfriend of Michael Oku who has been in a number of angles and was a key part of the phenomenal series of bouts with Oku vs. Will Ospreay over the recent years. Blair was in CMLL when Oku worked there.

– UFC heavyweight Marcos Rogerio de Lima tested positive on 1/13 for anastrozole, a drug used by athletes to jump start testosterone production after coming off steroids. He provided information that he had a prescription for a medical condition and anastrozole was listed on the label. But he never cleared usage and was suspended for one year. He was also suspended in 2017 for the same drug but only suspended for six months as he was able to find proof of a contaminated supplement.

– Oba Femi was on the KTLA news in Los Angeles Wednesday promoting airing of NXT that night because part of it didn’t air the night before due to news coverage of Trump’s speech.

– MLW will be streaming Intimidation Games at 10 p.m. Eastern tomorrow night after Collision ends. The show will air on YouTube with Matt Riddle & Tom Lawlor vs. Contra Unit, Neon vs. Kushida, Matthew Justice vs. Bobby Fish vs. Akira vs. Paul Walter Hauser for the National title and Bomaye Fight Club vs. The Andersons (Brock & CW) in a first blood match.

– United Wrestling Coalition on 3/15 is in New Egypt, NJ at the American Legion for their 29th anniversary event with four Hall of Fame inductees as well as the wrestling show.

Mariah May-Toni Storm attack angle takes place at ‘Queen of the Ring’ premiere

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Just days before their AEW Women’s World Championship match at Revolution, an angle involving Toni Storm and Mariah May took place in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

May blindsided Storm with a sucker punch as she was being interviewed on the red carpet at last night’s “Queen of the Ring” premiere in LA. After the sucker punch, Christopher Daniels stepped in to separate May from Storm and stop the attack from escalating. Video of the angle can be seen below:

“You are nothing without me,” May yelled. “I made you a star.”

“She’s ruined my moment. She’s ruined my red carpet moment,” Storm said. “Bloody hell, look at me — look at the state of me. Where the hell is she? Where is that bitch?”

Revolution will be the third time these two have faced off since May betrayed Storm last summer. May won the AEW Women’s World Championship from Storm at All in 2024, but Storm regained the title last month with a victory at Grand Slam Australia.

Crypto.com Arena in LA is hosting Sunday’s pay-per-view. Storm vs. May has a falls count anywhere stipulation and is being billed as “The Hollywood Ending.”

Last night’s “Queen of the Ring” screening was held at the AMC The Grove 14. The movie is a Mildred Burke biopic, and it features Storm in a role as wrestler Clara Mortensen.

Kamille has no comment on AEW status amid absence from TV

Posted on by Joseph Currier

While doing press to promote “Queen of the Ring,” Kamille had no comment when asked about her AEW status.

Kamille plays wrestling legend June Byers in the Mildred Burke biopic, which is being released in theaters this Friday. She and co-star Damaris Lewis were interviewed by WrestleZone during the press tour, and Kamille was asked if there’s an update on when we’ll see her back on AEW television. Kamille did not answer the question on her own — with Lewis jokingly answering as a PR representative instead.

“My client has chosen not to comment on the matter at hand, but we are open for more questions,” Lewis responded.

A former top star in the NWA women’s division, Kamille signed with AEW in 2024 and arrived in the promotion last summer as a bodyguard for Mercedes Mone. Their partnership broke up in November, but a match between the two has not taken place. It’s not known when or if Kamille will be back on AEW TV. She’s only had six matches for the promotion since being signed.

Kamille was in New York City on Tuesday night for a screening of “Queen of the Ring.” Naomi, Jimmy Uso, Trish Stratus, Lita, Madusa, Jazz, Daria Berenato (Sonya Deville), Athena, Skye Blue, Deonna Purrazzo, Julia Hart, Queen Aminata, and Prince Nana were among the others who attended the screening.

“Queen of the Ring” director Ash Avildsen made an appearance on AEW Dynamite last night to promote the movie. He was in a backstage segment with Toni Storm, who plays Clara Mortensen.

WrestleZone’s interview with Kamille and Lewis can be watched below:

VIDEO: Trailer released for Mildred Burke biopic ‘Queen of the Ring’

Posted on by Ian Carey

A new trailer for “Queen of the Ring,” Mildred Burke’s biopic, has been released. 
AEW wrestlers Toni Storm and Kamille both have roles in the film. Storm plays Clara Mortensen, a popular wrestler in the 30s and 40s who feuded with Burke over the Women’s World title. Kamille plays WWE Hall of Famer June Byers, who missed a WON Hall of Fame induction this year by less than 10 percent. 
A new teaser for the film featuring Emily Bett Rickards as Mildred Burke is available below:

The film debuted at the Newport Beach Film Festival on October 19 and will be released in theaters across the United States on March 7, 2025. It is based on Jeff Leen’s book The Queen of the Ring: Sex, Muscles, Diamonds, and the Making of an American Legend. 

Ash Avildsen directed the project.

“Storytelling has always been my greatest passion, and ‘Queen of the Ring’ represents a culmination of my journey both personally and professionally,” Avildsen said of the film. “At the age of 34, I finally met my father, acclaimed director John G. Avildsen, known for iconic films such as ‘Rocky’ and ‘The Karate Kid.’ Building a beautiful bond with my father as an adult was life-changing, deeply influencing my approach to storytelling and imbuing my work with a profound sense of purpose and authenticity. Growing up without a father defined me in my youth, but becoming best friends with him later in life has been transformative.”

Earlier this year, Storm spoke to Jim Varsallone about her experience working on the film. 

“It was such a pleasure, it really was. It meant a lot to me because it was about Mildred Burke, who was a pioneer of the business that I’m involved in—the business that I love so much. It’s such an honor; I can’t believe this is happening.”

“I’ve never experienced anything like this, to be honest, so I’m a little overwhelmed. I’m going to be honest. It’s a beautiful story. Not a lot of people are aware of how women’s wrestling came to be and the real story behind it. So, you know, I’m excited for people to see it and understand.”

Nia Jax crowned WWE Queen of the Ring

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Nia Jax is heading to SummerSlam for a shot at the WWE Women’s Championship.

Jax was crowned WWE’s Queen of the Ring by defeating Lyra Valkyria in the tournament finals on Saturday. In addition to the Queen of the Ring crown, Jax receives a WWE Women’s World Championship match at SummerSlam this August. Bayley is the current champion.

The Queen of the Ring tournament saw Jax pick up victories against Naomi, Jade Cargill (by disqualification), Bianca Belair, and Valkyria. Valkyria, a recent NXT call-up, was presented as the underdog in the finals, desperately fighting to put away the more powerful Jax. She went for a sunset flip powerbomb near the end of the match, but Jax blocked it and squashed down on Valkyria with the Annihilator to get the victory.

After the match, Paul “Triple H” Levesque entered the ring and presented Jax with her crown. Levesque also sent out a tweet congratulating her.

Jax is the second wrestler to ever wear the crown. In 2021, Zelina Vega won the inaugural Queen’s Crown tournament. The name of the tournament has since been changed to Queen of the Ring.

SummerSlam is being held in Cleveland on Saturday, August 3. Before that, it looks like Bayley may have a title defense against Piper Niven at Clash at the Castle in Scotland this June.

WWE King & Queen of the Ring winners earn SummerSlam title shots

Posted on by Ian Carey

Triple H says the “stakes just got higher” for the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments.

Speaking at an event in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, WWE’s Chief Content Officer revealed that the winners of the tournaments will both receive world title shots at SummerSlam on August 3 in Cleveland.

Triple H said:

“In the past the King and Queen of the Ring, it was such an honor to be in that tournament and to win that tournament on your own, to have that launch you to another place, but I wanted that tournament to kind of stand on its own and I didn’t want to announce this part of it until we got here. But, I’ll let all of you know tonight that the winner of the King of the Ring tournament and the winner of the Queen of the Ring tournament will both go on to receive championship matches with the title of their respective brands. They will both get world title shots, either WWE or World title at SummerSlam.”

The final semifinal matches in the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments are scheduled for Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown, which will take place in Jeddah. They are Tama Tonga vs. Randy Orton and Nia Jax vs. Bianca Belair. Gunther and Lyra Valkyria from Raw have already qualified for the finals. Chelsea Green vs. Bayley and The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa and Tonga Loa vs. The Street Profits are also set for the show.

Wrestling Observer Live: AEW booking, King and Queen of the Ring, more

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including the line-ups for the next few days, tons of thoughts on all the discussion lately about AEW booking, why it’s frustrating and why it’s not THE END OF THE WORLD, Tyson vs. Paul, and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

Right Click Save As

WWE Raw video highlights: King & Queen of the Ring quarterfinals

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Raw’s side of the King & Queen of the Ring tournament brackets continued to narrow down with the quarterfinals taking place last night.

Gunther and Ilja Dragunov won’t be renewing their rivalry on the main roster quite yet. Gunther was able to advance to the King of the Ring semifinals with a victory over Kofi Kingston, but Dragunov fell short in his main event match against Jey Uso. It will be Gunther vs. Uso next week with a spot in the King of the Ring finals on the line.

Raw ended with Gunther having a staredown with Uso. As he made his way out to the ring, Gunther also glanced at Dragunov.

IYO SKY vs. Lyra Valkyria is Raw’s semifinal match in the Queen of the Ring tournament. That bout is happening next Monday as well.

In the quarterfinals last night, SKY defeated Shayna Baszler and Valkyria defeated Zoey Stark. There was an angle later in the show where Valkyria and SKY went face-to-face when Valkyria saved Becky Lynch from an attack by Damage CTRL

The finals of both tournaments are being held at WWE’s King & Queen of the Ring PLE in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, May 25. The quarterfinal matches on SmackDown’s side of the bracket are taking place this Friday. They are: Randy Orton vs. Carmelo Hayes, LA Knight vs. Tama Tonga, Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax, and Bianca Belair vs. Tiffany Stratton.

More coverage from last night —

WWE Raw video highlights —

Damian Priest will give Drew McIntyre a World title shot when he’s cleared to compete

Queen of the Ring quarterfinals: IYO SKY vs. Shayna Baszler

Carlito wants to work with The Judgment Day, Damian Priest doesn’t trust him

Chad Gable needs the serious version of Otis to help soften up Sami Zayn for him

Lilian Garcia appears, shares a moment with Samantha Irvin

King of the Ring quarterfinals: Kofi Kingston vs. Gunther

Liv Morgan gets slapped after insulting Becky Lynch behind her back

Akira Tozawa vs. Bronson Reed

Queen of the Ring quarterfinals: Lyra Valkyria vs. Zoey Stark

Sami Zayn vs. Otis, Chad Gable slaps Otis after his loss

Becky Lynch vs. Dakota Kai, Lyra Valkyria saves Lynch from post-match attack

Carlito helps Judgment Day win fatal four-way number one contender’s tag match

Damian Priest wants to see Carlito handle his business against Rey Mysterio

King of the Ring quarterfinals: Jey Uso vs. Ilja Dragunov

Raw fallout: Jey Uso is fit to be King of the Ring

Raw fallout: Ilja Dragunov and Kofi Kingston get interviewed after their King of the Ring losses

Raw fallout: Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark react to their Queen of the Ring losses

Raw fallout: Rey Mysterio says it’s time for Carlito to pay for his betrayal

Raw Talk: Damage CTRL, Awesome Truth, Bronson Reed appear

WWE Raw live results: King & Queen of the Ring tournaments begin

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: May 6, 2024
Location: XL Center in Hartford, CT 

**********

Show Recap —

There was a recap of Backlash that very much played up the crowd in France. Perhaps because this aired on Raw, Damian Priest’s win over Jey Uso was shown last (instead of Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles).

Michael Cole said that three first round matches would take place tonight for the King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring tournaments (instead of all four). The fourth for each will take place at a “live event” over the weekend. Cole also announced that Drew McIntyre was out of the tournament because he was not medically cleared. 

Judgment Day entered to start the show. Priest said everyone loved Jey Uso but it didn’t matter because he was still el campeón. Priest wanted to address what happened after his match with Judgment Day. Finn Bálor apologized but Priest said he was the one that needed to apologize. Priest appreciated their help and he was still champion thanks to them.

Priest said he appreciated JD McDonagh and he called Bálor his brother. He hugged them. Dominik Mysterio was just standing there so he joined the hug.

Priest said Bálor would be the next King of the Ring. Bálor said he got a first round bye because McIntyre wasn’t cleared and this was the first step toward the Prince becoming a King. Bálor wanted Samantha Irvin to announce it now.

Before she could, Adam Pearce entered to inform Bálor that he was not getting a bye. His opponent was Jey Uso. 

********

King of the Ring – First Round: Jey Uso defeated Finn Bálor (13:36)

Bálor cut off Jey’s comeback attempts before and after a break. Jey fought back with right hands and a flying crossbody for two. Bálor cut him off again with a clothesline but Jey came back with strikes and a superkick. Bálor dodged a splash and hit a dropkick. Jey dodged a Coup de Grace and hit a spear for a nearfall.

Drew McIntyre marched through the crowd which distracted Jey. Bálor applied a schoolboy for two before hitting a slingblade. Jey cut him off with another spear for the pinfall win.

— McIntyre (who got “CM Punk” chants) entered the ring but Jey bailed and celebrated with the fans.

This was an ordinary match where each guy did their signature moves until one guy won.

********

Ivy Nile and Zoey Stark were shown warming up. Becky Lynch was shown arriving. She has an interview with Cole tonight. 

There was a video package of Gunther’s win over Sheamus at Clash at the Castle in 2022.

********

CM Punk segment

In the back, McIntyre complained to Pearce about being replaced by Jey Uso of all people. Pearce said this wasn’t about Jey, this was about McIntyre’s arm. Nobody knew McIntyre was hurt until he said something, so he had medical check him out and he wasn’t cleared. McIntyre was pissed and he left in a black Corvette. (The screen glitched as he left.)

As soon as McIntyre’s car disappeared out of the garage, CM Punk pulled up in a 1980 Camaro. Punk asked Pearce where McIntyre was and Pearce said he just missed him. Punk was disappointed but asked Pearce to play his music.

The camera followed Punk as he made his way through the back. He took a dig at Jackie Redmond over the Toronto Maple Leafs losing. Chad Gable was nearby berating Alpha Academy.

Punk entered the ring. He mentioned being stuck at WWE headquarters and said he was let out just a few hours ago. He planned on picking a fight with McIntyre tonight. Punk cut a quick promo last week but he was willing to stick around to give McIntyre enough time to turn his car around.

He asked everyone to Tweet at McIntyre to let him know that Punk was waiting. Punk wanted to fight McIntyre on top of the same ice that Gordie Howe skated on for the Hartford Whalers.

Punk said McIntyre didn’t end his WrestleMania dreams, he only postponed them. Punk called himself a five-tool player but McIntyre was just a tool. McIntyre picked a fight with the pettiest man on the roster. Maybe even on earth. McIntyre was a hater who hated everything about Punk. But all McIntyre did was talk about him. Punk wondered if McIntyre hated him or if he hated himself.

Punk broke McIntyre’s elbow and the next time he showed up, Punk would break his face. He would also break his heart. Punk kept looking at his watch as he awaited McIntyre who never showed and Punk said McIntyre must be afraid of him.

(Punk is a great promo but this was just ok. The point of this promo was that Punk was killing time for McIntyre to return. Unfortunately, it really felt like Punk was killing time.)

******** 

Cathy Kelley interviewed Ricochet about KOTR. Ricochet was ready to define a legacy for himself. Braun Strowman showed up to embrace Ricochet. Strowman wanted him to remind everyone why he was called King Ricochet.

Queen of the Ring – First Round: Iyo Sky (w/Dakota Kai & Kairi Sane) defeated Natalya (10:24)

Pat McAfee mentioned that tomorrow would have been Owen Hart’s birthday.

[SECOND HOUR]

Natalya hit a superplex after a break for two. She fought out of a crossface but Sky followed with a double foot stomp and dropkick for two. They traded reversals until Natalya hit a sit-out powerbomb for two.

Natalya applied a Sharpshooter but Sky quickly countered and drove her into the bottom turnbuckle. Sky followed with a Meteora in the corner and a moonsault for the pinfall win. This was pretty good for the TV time they had.

— After the match, Dakota Kai announced she was taking the place of an injured Asuka against Lyra Valkyria. Kai issued a warning to Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Becky Lynch because Damage CTRL were coming for everything.

******** 

There was a video package for Ilja Dragunov. 

King of the Ring – First Round: Ilja Dragunov defeated Ricochet (16:34)

After a break, Ricochet tried a moonsault off the apron but Dragunov caught him and hit a release German suplex on the mats. Dragunov followed with a springboard dropkick for two. Ricochet hit a hurricanrana off the top, consecutive suicide dives and a flip dive.

After a second break, Dragunov hit a leaping senton off the top for two. Dragunov followed with chops but Ricochet hit a superkick. They traded kicks until Ricochet hit a Finlay roll and Lionsault for two. Dragunov responded with a running knee strike but Ricochet hit a poison-rana. Ricochet tried another Lionsault but Dragunov knocked him out of mid-air with an uppercut.

Dragunov hit an H-Bomb and went for Torpedo Moscow but Ricochet countered with a Recoil. Ricochet went to the top but Dragunov brought him down with a superplex. Dragunov hit one more H-Bomb for the pinfall win. This was a strong match.

Dragunov shook hands with Ricochet after the match. He will face Jey Uso in the next round.

********

Redmond interviewed Sheamus. Sheamus mentioned going through several medical procedures just to return to the ring. He didn’t like Gunther. They have had banger after banger but tonight, he planned on kicking Gunther’s ass. 

Queen of the Ring – First Round: Zoey Stark defeated Ivy Nile (5:19)

Nile hit a delayed vertical suplex early on, which is a good power spot for someone who happens to be smaller than her opponent. Stark came back with a springboard dropkick for two. Nile hit a bulldog off the top for two. Stark hit a sliding kick for two. Stark knocked Nile off the top, hit a reverse suplex and Z-360 for the pinfall win.

******** 

R-Truth did some comedy with Miz and Dan Hurley – head coach of the UConn Huskies. Truth thought the NCAA was a small wrestling promotion.

Bron Breakker approached Pearce. Breakker wanted to know why he wasn’t in KOTR. Pearce said they could speak in his office.

******** 

Priest told Bálor he didn’t need to apologize for losing to Jey Uso. It was only one match. McDonagh said Bálor probably wasn’t 100% after Strowman attacked them. Priest said McDonagh could take care of Strowman.

Dom and his mustache entered with Carlito. Priest was pissed because Carlito cost him his moment at Backlash in Puerto Rico a year ago. Carlito said if he scratched their back, maybe they could return the favour. Priest didn’t care what Carlito had going on and told Dom to get him out of there.

******** 

Chad Gable vs. Bronson Reed ended in a disqualification (1:42)

They rushed to show off some power moves and you could tell why they were rushing. Sami Zayn quickly ran in to attack Gable for the DQ. They traded some spots until Reed laid them both out.

Pearce confronted Reed in the back. Reed didn’t care about Gable or Zayn, he only cared about the IC title. Reed said Pearce knew what he had to do.

This was weak.

********

There was a video package for Lyra Valkyria.

[THIRD HOUR] 

Gunther said he didn’t care about putting on bangers. He wanted to be the greatest of all time. He would have no problem exposing Sheamus as a weak-minded people-pleaser. Sheamus would be no obstacle for the Ring General.

********

Becky Lynch sit-down interview 

Cole interviewed Lynch in the ring. He first asked Lynch about the big hat she wore to the Kentucky Derby and they showed a picture. I think this was meant to bring some levity to the segment before moving on to the real stuff but the crowd didn’t care about this at all.

They moved on to the championship. Lynch put over Alba Fyre, Isla Dawn, Kiana James and Lyra Valkyria. Lynch droned on about whatever until Liv Morgan interrupted.

Morgan was bored too and was annoyed that Lynch didn’t mention her. She was tired of being overlooked and overestimated. Morgan reminded Lynch that she was a former MITB winner, women’s champion and tag champion. She beat Nia Jax and took out Rhea Ripley. After all that, Morgan couldn’t believe Lynch still didn’t respect her.

Lynch said Morgan didn’t let her finish. Morgan was getting her title match at King & Queen of the Ring in three weeks. Lynch said Morgan has done a lot but she has never beaten her.

Morgan knew what she had been missing all this time: purpose. Now that she had her purpose, she knew she could beat Lynch. Her purpose was taking everything Ripley loved which meant winning the women’s title.

Damage CTRL interrupted. Kai reiterated what she said earlier and they surrounded the ring like the Shield.

Lynch and Morgan stood back-to-back ready to fight but Morgan suddenly bailed from the ring. She laughed and said this wasn’t her problem. Damage CTRL attacked Lynch until Valkyria jogged out to make the save.

This was another weak talking segment. 

********

Redmond interviewed Sami Zayn. Zayn said his issues with Gable were personal, while Reed was all business. Zayn offered a triple threat match at King & Queen of the Ring. Zayn said he was knocked down tonight just like he has been many times before. But when the pressure was on, that was when he was at his best and he would walk out of Saudi Arabia still the Intercontinental Champion.

********

Queen of the Ring – First Round: Lyra Valkyria defeated Dakota Kai (8:46)

They aired an ad for a movie 30 seconds into the match and went to an actual commercial break a minute or two later.

Lyra was on offence after a break, hitting strikes, a flying crossbody and a fisherman’s suplex for two. With Lyra draped over the middle rope, Kai hit a stomp for two. Kai followed with a running corner kick for two. Kai missed a GTK but hit a scorpion kick. Lyra countered Kai’s next move into Nightwing for the pinfall win.

******** 

Kofi Kingston promo

Kingston cut a pre-taped promo in the back. He said this tournament was supposed to be where Xavier Woods became a two-time King of the Ring but Gunther took that away. Kingston didn’t know when Woods would return. If Gunther advanced, Kingston couldn’t wait to give him what he deserved.

But first, Kingston would have to beat Rey Mysterio — the legend and the icon and the man he looked up to growing up. He respected Rey, but he had to put him down unapologetically like his name was Kendrick Lamar or Drake. He had to win this tournament in honour of Woods because, after all this time, three words still rang true: New Day rocks.

This was good.

********

Next week on Raw:

  • KOTR quarter-final: Jey Uso vs. Ilja Dragunov
  • KOTR quarter-final: Gunther or Sheamus vs. Kofi Kingston or Rey Mysterio
  • KOTR quarter-final: Lyra Valkyria vs. Zoey Stark
  • KOTR quarter-final: Iyo Sky vs. Shayna Baszler or Zelina Vega

******** 

King of the Ring – First Round: Gunther (w/Ludwig Kaiser) defeated Sheamus (21:00)

They repeatedly smacked each other hard on the chest and Sheamus eventually got the better of Gunther ahead of a break with a tackle off the apron.

After the break, Gunther chopped Sheamus in the back (and sweat went flying). As Gunther held a rest hold, they zoomed in on Sheamus’ back and you could clearly see Gunther’s hand mark on his skin. Sheamus fought back with a backbreaker but Gunther responded with a clothesline for two. Sheamus hit White Noise for two and a powerslam for two.

Sheamus hit ten (seventeen) beats of the Bodhran but Gunther dodged a Brogue Kick. Gunther distracted the referee while Kaiser dropkicked Sheamus’ knee. The referee figured out what happened and tossed Kaiser from ringside. Gunther was happy because the damage was done. The ref checked on Sheamus as they went to break.

Gunther smashed Sheamus’ knee against the ring post during the break and held a leg lock when they returned. Sheamus fought to his feet but Gunther kicked his leg out of his leg. Gunther ripped off Sheamus’ knee pad and continued to target his leg.

Sheamus responded with a clothesline and a great-looking lifting knee strike for two. Sheamus went for a Brogue Kick but his knee gave out and Gunther hit a powerbomb for two. (It often looks fake when a wrestler’s knee suddenly gives out but Sheamus sold it well.) Gunther applied a half-crab but Sheamus quickly got a rope break.

Gunther went to the top but Sheamus cut him off and hit a Celtic Cross for two. Gunther hit a German suplex but Sheamus no-sold it, popped up and hit a knee strike followed by a Brogue Kick. Sheamus took too long to make a cover and Gunther kicked out.

Gunther applied a half-crab and pulled Sheamus to the middle of the ring. Sheamus tried dragging himself back to the rope but he tapped out.

They were right up against the clock and the show ended as Gunther got to his feet to celebrate.

This was excellent. 

Trademark filed for ‘WWE King and Queen of the Ring’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The return of WWE’s King of the Ring — and the debut of Queen of the Ring — appear to be one step closer to becoming reality.

On December 8, WWE filed a trademark for “WWE King and Queen of the Ring.” The full trademark filing can be seen below:

WWE KING AND QUEEN OF THE RING

Goods and Services IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment services, namely, a show about professional wrestling; entertainment services, namely, the production and exhibition of professional wrestling events rendered through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; providing wrestling news and information through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information

Dave Meltzer reported this October that WWE was considering bringing back King of the Ring as part of a show that would feature both the King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring tournaments. King of the Ring hasn’t been a standalone pay-per-view since 2002, though there was a WWE Network special in 2015 with the semifinals and finals of that year’s tournament.

Xavier Woods was crowned as WWE’s most recent King of the Ring at Crown Jewel 2021. Zelina Vega also won WWE’s first-ever Queen’s Crown tournament at that event.

WWE reportedly planning Queen of the Ring tournament for October

Posted on by Josh Nason

WWE is reportedly planning on a Queen of the Ring tournament that would kick off this October.

While the tournament was first reported by Wrestling Inc., Andrew Zarian of Mat Men followed up Tuesday by tweeting that he was told the tournament would start on the October 8th edition of SmackDown and would continue on the following Monday’s Raw. The initial Wrestling Inc. report said the tentative plan was a special for Peacock.

WWE started holding annual King of the Ring tournaments dating back to 1985, but they became more sporadic starting in the mid-2000s. The last such tournament was in 2019, their first in four years.

In 2018 and 2019, WWE held their first and only all-women’s PPV called Evolution in addition to two Mae Young Classic tournaments.

When asked about another women’s only event during an NXT conference call earlier this year, Paul “HHH” Levesque wasn’t big on the idea, saying that they had already done that and that to him, “…equality is equality. Equality is not ‘we have to have our own program.’ If I told you that I was making an all-men’s show and I didn’t want women on it, it would be criticized.”