Tag: Wwe Speed

Semifinals set for WWE Speed Women’s title tournament

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Either IYO SKY, Naomi, Kairi Sane, or Candice LeRae will be the inaugural WWE Speed Women’s Champion.

The semifinal slate for the title tournament was confirmed today with Candice LeRae defeating Piper Niven in the last first-round match. Interference by Indi Hartwell at ringside resulted in LeRae winning. After a distraction, LeRae gave Niven a German suplex from the ropes and pinned her with a Lionsault with 24 seconds remaining of the three-minute time limit.

In a post-match promo, LeRae claimed to have defeated Niven all by herself and said she’s now going to win the whole tournament.

SKY vs. Naomi and Sane vs. LeRae are the semifinal matches for the tournament. The SKY vs. Naomi match premieres at noon Eastern time next Wednesday (October 2).

The tournament winner will become the second champion on the WWE Speed brand. Andrade holds the men’s WWE Speed Championship. The show debuted this April as part of a two-year deal between WWE and social media company X/Twitter.

Kairi Sane advances in WWE Speed Women’s title tournament

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With Kairi Sane winning her first-round match, an all-Damage CTRL final remains possible in the WWE Speed Women’s Championship tournament.

Sane defeated Elektra Lopez on today’s WWE Speed episode, setting up a match against either Candice LeRae or Piper Niven in the semifinals. The other semifinal match will be IYO SKY vs. Naomi. If Sane and SKY both win, it’s guaranteed that a member of Damage CTRL will be the inaugural WWE Speed Women’s Champion.

An InSane Elbow from the top rope got Sane the victory over Lopez with 28 seconds left on the three-minute clock.

In a post-match promo, Sane pointed out that she was the winner of the first-ever Mae Young Classic. She now wants to win this tournament and become the inaugural WWE Speed Women’s Champion.

The first round of the tournament concludes next Wednesday (September 25) with LeRae vs. Niven premiering on X/Twitter at noon Eastern time.

Naomi advances in WWE Speed Women’s title tournament

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The first semifinal match in the WWE Speed Women’s Championship tournament has now been confirmed.

Naomi advanced to the semifinals with a first-round victory over Blair Davenport on WWE Speed today. With 25 seconds left of the three-minute time limit, Naomi submitted Davenport to get the victory. This sets up an IYO SKY vs. Naomi semifinal match for later in the tournament.

“Well, I won my first match in the first round tonight,” Naomi said in a post-match promo. “Next stop: Ms. IYO SKY. Girl, ain’t nobody scared of you. You better be ready for this glow. I am well on my way to becoming the first WWE Speed Women’s Champion.”

The title tournament began last week with SKY defeating Lyra Valkyria. It was the first women’s match to ever take place on WWE Speed.

Kairi Sane vs. Elektra Lopez and Candice LeRae vs. Piper Niven are the remaining first-round matches. Sane vs. Lopez will premiere at noon Eastern time next Wednesday (September 18).

This April, WWE Speed debuted on X/Twitter as part of a two-year deal between WWE and the social media company. Andrade is the men’s WWE Speed Champion.

IYO SKY wins first-ever WWE Speed women’s match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

IYO SKY is the first woman to win a match on WWE Speed.

On Wednesday’s episode of the show, a tournament kicked off to determine the inaugural WWE Speed Women’s Champion. SKY advanced to the semifinals with a victory over Lyra Valkyria, pinning her with 44 seconds left on the three-minute clock.

SKY will meet either Naomi or Blair Davenport in the semifinals. Naomi and Davenport are facing off in a first-round match that’s airing on Speed next Wednesday. The remaining first-round bouts are Elektra Lopez vs. Kairi Sane and Candice LeRae vs. Piper Niven.

It would be an all-Damage CTRL final if SKY and Sane both make it there.

WWE Speed premiered this April, airing exclusively on X/Twitter as part of a two-year deal between the social media company and WWE. Until now, the show had only featured men’s division matches. Andrade is the current men’s WWE Speed Champion. He won the belt from Ricochet this June in Ricochet’s final match for WWE.

Daily Update: WWE Speed, Berto, Samoa Joe

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

We have a giant story on the life and career of Kevin Sullivan. It’s one of the biggest stories we’ve done in recent years covering this very unique person who wore a lot of hats in the industry and had a lot of very significant influence on aspects of the genre.

Among the other topics covered:

  • Tony Khan announces the second AEW stadium show for 2025 and we talk about reports of a third one as well.
  • Previewing All In
  • Update on Bash in Berlin including a new main event not announced yet and the latest on the planned stipulation
  • Bryan Danielson talks about his life and career
  • AEW and Triller doing PPV bundles
  • U.S. Olympic wrestling roundup as well as Hiroshi Tanahashi wants to recruit three Olympians
  • Update on G-1 Climax tournament and all the bouts of the past week
  • A look at the career of Yoshinari Ogawa who retired this past week
  • A look at Dennis Brent, who passed away, a behind-the-scenes figure who was very close to many insiders in the wrestling community and had worked for and with World Class, Mid South, WCW, JCP and WWE before a tragic case of MS ended him in wrestling.
  • Update on legal wranglings involving Janel Grant, Vince McMahoin and Dr. Carlon Colker
  • The most detailed look at the TV ratings from the past week, weekly rankings, comparisons with a year ago, segment-by-segment, nightly placings competition and more
  • Rundown from another big show at Arena Mexico
  • More on the CMLL Grand Prix show featuring wrestlers from all over the world
  • Return date announced for one of the biggest international stars
  • Exactly what the issues are with AAA and Penta & Fenix and why their talent isn’t allowed to appear on the same shows in Mexico
  • Update on the Stardom Five Star Grand Prix
  • Dragon Gate Dangerous Gate update
  • N-1 tournament update
  • What WWE NXT star is getting over in Japan
  • Grandson of one of the biggest wrestling stars of all-time now training to wrestle
  • El Hijo del Santo retirement tour update and he talks about when he was negotiating to go full-time with WWE
  • MJF vs. Michael Oku match story and angle with Ospreay
  • GCW hits Japan
  • PPV updates for recent pro wrestling and boxing events
  • Tony Khan talks more on big announcements
  • Update on Young Bucks
  • Penta & Fenix update
  • Behind the making of MJF vs. Oku in England
  • Advances for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • Streaming numbers and international TV numbers
  • Update on Conor McGregor fighting
  • Former MMA fighter involved in a shooting death of a man who was friends with the person who was accused of kidnapping his son
  • Heyman talks his ECW run
  • Ronda Rousey on Vince McMahon
  • Jesse Ventura and his attempt to unionize wrestlers

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Wednesday Update

WWE

  • Pete Dunne defeated NXT’s Je’Von Evans on WWE Speed today, earning a title shot against WWE Speed Champion Andrade El Idolo. The Andrade vs. Dunne match will air on X/Twitter at noon Eastern time this Friday.
  • WWE shared brief post-match promos from Dunne and Evans.
  • Dunne tweeted after the match aired: “To be honest @WWEJeVonEvans is excellent. Still couldn’t figure it out though”
  • WWE uploaded the full Joe Hendry concert/segment with Ethan Page from NXT last night.
  • WWE also has an interview with TNA’s Rosemary following her match against Kelani Jordan on NXT.
  • Fightful reports that Berto (Humberto Carrillo) has signed a new multi-year contract with WWE. The deal was signed earlier this summer, around the time that Berto’s cousin Angel Garza also re-signed with WWE.
  • In an interview with the Metro, Ilja Dragunov explained why his son has not seen him wrestle yet: “I think my family hates my wrestling style. Literally, until this day, my son didn’t see one match of me. He’s seven, and he’s going to turn eight this year. So, because I know what I do in that ring, and I know how I do that, it would be a bit too much for a seven year old to understand.”
  • Daily Star spoke with Dragunov as well.
  • Sami Zayn thanked everyone who donated to his Sami for Syria campaign for his birthday last month: “For my birthday last month, you guys donated $24,744 for SamiForSyria.com in 24 hours! I topped it up to an even 25k & as promised, I matched that 25,000$ myself, meaning we raised $50,000 in one day to fund 2 mobile clinics providing medical care in Syria. THANK YOU ALL!”
  • UFC’s Dana White was asked about rumors that the WWE Performance Center could be moving to Las Vegas (which WWE has denied): “That’s none of my business. I know nothing about it. It’s none of my business. We’ll let the WWE talk about their business.”
  • Peter Rosenberg interviewed Dominik Mysterio.

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • Will Ospreay vs. PAC for the AEW International Championship has officially been confirmed for All Out following Ospreay’s victory over MJF at All In. PAC revealed earlier this month that he would be challenging either Ospreay or MJF for the title at All Out. The PPV is taking place in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on Saturday, September 7.
  • During an appearance at Terrificon 2024, Samoa Joe was asked who he hasn’t faced in AEW yet but really wants to wrestle: “Ohh, I mean, several dudes. We got Kenny Omega coming back, we got Will Ospreay. Yeah, the list really goes on and on. So there’s a lot of matchups that are fresh that haven’t been had yet, but those two definitely jump to the top of the list.“
  • AEW uploaded a Timeline video spotlighting Swerve Strickland’s World Championship reign.
  • TNA Wrestling announced that tickets for this Friday’s Emergence event have sold out. The show is being held at Old Forester’s Paristown Hall in Louisville, Kentucky and will air live on TNA+.
  • MLW One-Shot 2024 will take place from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York on Thursday, December 5.
  • AIW Wrestling owner John Thorne posted a statement announcing that the promotion has terminated its contract with Triller TV: “As of Friday August 23rd I have terminated AIW’s contract with Triller and it appears all of our content has been removed as of this morning. I will keep everyone updated as we explore options for a new home for our video library and live streaming content in the coming weeks.”
  • Santana Garrett will return to the NWA as an entrant in the Burke Invitational Gauntlet at NWA 76 this Saturday.

Brackets revealed for upcoming WWE Speed Women’s title tournament

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The participants for the upcoming WWE Women’s Speed tournament have been revealed.

WWE announced on Friday that the opening round matches will include IYO SKY vs. Lyra Valkyria, Naomi vs. Blair Davenport, Elektra Lopez vs. Kairi Sane, and Candice LeRae vs. Piper Niven.

It was announced earlier this month that the tournament will start airing on September 4 at noon on X. The match between SKY and Valkyria was taped on Friday, shortly before the start of the live SmackDown broadcast.

The short-form show premiered exclusively on X back in April and has thus far focused on the men’s division. The following month, Ricochet became the first WWE Speed Champion. However, he lost the title to current champion Andrade in June shortly before departing the company.

The current Speed tournament is winding down, with Je’Von Evans and Pete Dunne advancing to the semifinals. The winner of that match will face champion Andrade in the finals.

Wrestling Observer Radio: Donahue, G-1 wrap-up, RAW report, Women’s Speed Title, more

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including Dave’s memories of Phil Donahue, the G-1 and when Zack will be getting his title shot, TripleMania, CMLL Arena Mexico, WWE Speed Women’s tournament, ratings, the RAW report, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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Montez Ford, Austin Theory eliminated from WWE Speed tournament

Posted on by Ian Carey

Today’s WWE Speed tournament match ended in a draw.

Montez Ford vs. Austin Theory went the full three-minute time limit on this week’s episode. Per the tournament rules, neither wrestler advances to the next round.

Today’s result means Je’Von Evans receives an automatic birth in the semifinals where he will face the winner of Joaquin Wilde vs. Pete Dunne. The winner of that match will then face Andrade for the WWE Speed Championship.

This is just the second time a WWE Speed match has gone to a time-limit draw.

WWE posted the following backstage comments from Theory after the match:

Following the conclusion of this tournament, Triple H has announced that a WWE Speed Women’s tournament is set to kick off on September 4. “Time to turn #WWESpeed up another notch… excited to announce that the WWE Speed Women’s Championship Tournament will premiere Sept. 4 at 12pm ET / 9am PT, exclusively on @X,” he wrote.

WWE Speed debuted back in April and is part of a multi-year agreement to produce exclusive content for X.

WWE Speed Women’s Championship tournament to begin next month

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A tournament to crown a new champion in WWE’s women’s divison starts next month.

Triple H announced Friday on X that the tournament to crown the first-ever WWE Speed Women’s Champion will start on September 4 at noon ET.

“Time to turn #WWESpeed up another notch… excited to announce that the WWE Speed Women’s Championship Tournament will premiere Sept. 4 at 12pm ET / 9am PT, exclusively on @X,” he wrote.

The short-form show premiered exclusively on X back in April. The following month, Ricochet became the first WWE Speed Champion. However, he lost the title to current champion Andrade in June before leaving the company.

WWE Speed is held in a tournament format where the goal is to defeat your opponent in three minutes. NXT star Je’Von Evans advanced to the semifinals of the current tournament on the most recent show. He will face the winner between Joaquin Wilde and Pete Dunne, and the winner of that match will face Andrade for the title.

Je’Von Evans advances to next round of WWE Speed tournament

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Rising NXT star Je’Von Evans has secured his spot in the next round of WWE Speed’s number one contender’s tournament.

Evans defeated Ashante “Thee” Adonis on the WWE Speed episode that debuted today. The match was taped prior to SmackDown in Cleveland last week. With 27 seconds remaining on the three-minute clock, Evans pinned Adonis after hitting a cutter where he springboarded from the top rope.

The 20-year-old Evans will face either Montez Ford or Austin Theory in the next round of the tournament. Ford vs. Theory is the last remaining first-round match. It will premiere on X/Twitter at noon Eastern time next Wednesday (August 14).

Joaquin Wilde vs. Pete Dunne and Evans vs. Ford or Theory will be the second-round matches. The tournament winner earns a title shot against WWE Speed Champion Andrade.

Before signing with WWE, Evans wrestled on the indies as Jay Malachi. He joined the WWE Performance Center at the start of 2024 and has already been featured in the NXT Championship picture. At NXT Heatwave last month, Evans was part of a fatal four-way bout for the title. Ethan Page won that match to become the new NXT Champion.

Pete Dunne advances in WWE Speed contender’s tournament

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With a victory over Julius Creed, Pete Dunne is moving on in the WWE Speed number one contender’s tournament.

Dunne defeated Creed on the WWE Speed episode that premiered on X/Twitter today. To get the win, Dunne countered a powerbomb attempt, snapped Creed’s fingers, and then hit the Bitter End. He pinned Creed with 25 seconds remaining of the three-minute time limit.

Joaquin Wilde will be Dunne’s opponent in the next round. The eight-man tournament began on WWE Speed this Wednesday with Wilde defeating Axiom.

The remaining first-round matches in the tournament are Je’Von Evans vs. Ashante “Thee” Adonis and Austin Theory vs. Montez Ford. The match between Evans and Adonis will premiere at noon Eastern time next Wednesday (August 7).

Evans is one of the brightest young stars in NXT. Adonis recently returned to NXT after being on the main roster.

The tournament winner earns a title shot against WWE Speed Champion Andrade, who dethroned Ricochet for the title this June. Andrade has made successful title defenses against Xavier Woods and Baron Corbin since becoming champion.

Dunne is getting a run as a singles competitor right now, feuding with Sheamus on Raw. They were formerly aligned together in the Brawling Brutes. Tyler Bate, who is Dunne’s current tag team partner, is out of action after undergoing surgery for a torn pec.

Figure Four Daily: Lance and Filthy join to talk WWE Speed, WWF, UFC lawsuit, Smackdown, Bloodsport

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Figure Four Daily is back with two special guests, Filthy Tom Lawlor and Lance Storm, and we have a ton to talk about including the UFC lawsuit, Smackdown, Tom getting pounded by Brutus Creed at Bloodsport, the WWE Speed tournament, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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Joaquin Wilde advances in WWE Speed contender’s tournament

Posted on by Joseph Currier

On WWE Speed today, a new tournament began to decide the next challenger for Andrade.

Joaquin Wilde defeated NXT Tag Team Champion Axiom to secure his spot in the next round. Wilde hit a 450 splash from the top rope and pinned Axiom just as the three-minute time limit was about to expire. In the second round, Wilde will face off against either Pete Dunne or Julius Creed.

The Dunne vs. Creed match is airing on WWE Speed this Friday.

Austin Theory vs. Montez Ford and Je’Von Evans vs. Ashante “Thee” Adonis are the other first-round matches in the eight-man tournament, which will play out on WWE Speed over the next several weeks.

The tournament winner will become the third wrestler to challenge Andrade for the WWE Speed Championship. He dethroned Ricochet this June and has made successful title defenses against Xavier Woods and Baron Corbin.

Wilde is a member of the LWO and is tag team partners with Cruz Del Toro. The LWO are members of the WWE Raw roster.

Andrade retains WWE Speed title, NXT’s Je’Von Evans set for contender’s tournament

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Andrade is still the WWE Speed Champion after making his second title defense.

This week’s WWE Speed episode saw Andrade defeat Baron Corbin to remain the show’s champion. With 48 seconds remaining on the five-minute clock, Andrade used a crucifix pin to beat Corbin. He countered an End of Days attempt into the crucifix to get the victory.

Andrade is the second-ever WWE Speed Champion, winning the title from Ricochet last month as Ricochet was on his way out of WWE. Andrade has made title defenses against Xavier Woods and Corbin since then.

On WWE Speed next week, a new number one contender’s tournament will begin with NXT Tag Team Champion Axiom facing Joaquin Wilde. Here’s the full list of first-round matchups:

  • Axiom vs. Joaquin Wilde
  • Pete Dunne vs. Julius Creed
  • Austin Theory vs. Montez Ford
  • Je’Von Evans vs. Ashante “Thee” Adonis

Evans is one of the brightest young stars in NXT. He teamed with Axiom & Nathan Frazer last night in a loss to The Rascalz.

WWE Speed premieres on X/Twitter every Wednesday at noon Eastern time.

Ilja Dragunov & Carmelo Hayes both eliminated in first-ever WWE Speed draw

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Former NXT Champions Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes renewed their rivalry on this week’s episode of WWE Speed.

In the first-ever time limit draw to take place on the show, Dragunov and Hayes wrestled for the full three minutes without a winner being decided. Per the rules, Dragunov and Hayes are both eliminated from the WWE Speed Championship number one contender’s tournament. Baron Corbin earns a bye and will challenge Andrade for the WWE Speed title on the episode that airs on X/Twitter next Wednesday (July 24).

Dragunov vs. Hayes was taped in Worcester, Massachusetts before WWE SmackDown last Friday. Dragunov had the advantage when the three-minute time limit expired. After the match, Hayes kicked him and they needed to be kept apart by officials.

WWE uploaded a post-match promo where Dragunov said he wasn’t all that surprised by the draw, because he knows Hayes is someone who can push him to the limit. The two feuded over the NXT Championship last year in a series of matches against each other.

Hayes also cut a promo saying he knows this won’t be the last time he and Dragunov wrestle.

In the 2024 WWE Draft, Dragunov and Hayes were both called up to the main roster. Dragunov is involved in a program with Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn and Bron Breakker on Raw. Hayes is on SmackDown and recently took part in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.