Sauk Rapids-Rice 41 Little Falls 33 106: Austin Litke (LIFA) over Luke Scheeler (SRR) (Fall 5:57) 113: Dante Haywood (SRR) over Bryce Udy (LIFA) (Fall 3:46) 120: Sawyer Simmons (SRR) over Calvin Sherwood (LIFA) (Fall 1:04) 126: Annabel Kelly (SRR) over (LIFA) (For.) 132: Jared Spohn (SRR) over (LIFA) (For.) 138: Andrew Wollak (SRR) over Kole Kern (LIFA) (Dec 7-1) 145: Simon Pantzke (LIFA) over Benjamin Gilbertson (SRR) (Fall 2:24) 152: Cole Ackerman (SRR) over Aiden St. Onge (LIFA) (MD 13-0) 160: Gabe Nagel (LIFA) over (SRR) (For.) 170: Jacob Ackerman (SRR) over Peyton Carll (LIFA) (Fall 1:12) 182: Grant Litke (LIFA) over Marcus Santillana (SRR) (Fall 1:45) 195: Joey Hoeschen (SRR) over Kelly Kern (LIFA) (MD 13-4) 220: Sam Nagel (LIFA) over Ben Konz (SRR) (Dec 9-3) 285: Luke Venske (LIFA) over Hunter Farnick (SRR) (Fall 2:24)
The MLW Tag Team titles will be on the line in a ladder match at Kings of Colosseum.
MLW has announced that The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart & Brian Pillman Jr.) will defend their Tag Team titles against The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) in a ladder match at the promotion’s television tapings at Cicero Stadium in Cicero, Illinois on Saturday, July 6.
In another Hart Foundation vs. Dynasty match, Davey Boy Smith Jr. is challenging for Alexander Hammerstone’s National Openweight Championship at the Kings of Colosseum tapings. Smith & Hart were the Hart Foundation team that won the Tag Team titles, but Hart & Pillman are defending the titles in the ladder match.
MJF and Holliday attacked Hart on the most recent episode of MLW Fusion and took his Tag Team title belt.
Hart also holds the MLW Middleweight Championship.
Here’s the updated lineup for Kings of Colosseum:
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Tom Lawlor defending against Jacob Fatu
LA Park & El Hijo de LA Park vs. Dr. Wagner Jr. & El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.
MLW Tag Team Champions The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart & Brian Pillman Jr.) defending against The Dynasty (MJF & Richard Holliday) in a ladder match
MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone defending against Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Ross & Marshall Von Erich vs. Contra Unit (Josef Samael & Simon Gotch)
The return of Konnan to MLW
A golden edition of NXT is on tap for tonight as Kairi Sane will challenge bitter foe Shayna Baszler in what could be Sane’s final NXT Women’s Championship opportunity and 205 Live’s Buddy Murphy will take on Velveteen Dream for The NXT North American crown. Plus, Johnny Gargano returns to Full Sail Live as The NXT Champion!
All Or nothing For Kairi Sane in NXT Women’s Title Match:
Kairi Sane will vie for Shayna Baszler’s NXT Women’s Championship tonight on NXT, but the grand opportunity comes with a catch: If The Pirate Princess fails to dethrone her longtime rival, Sane won’t receive another crack at The NXT Women’s Title Match. Ever. Period.
To say the stakes are high would be a severe understatement. A victory against the mean-spirited Baszler would go a long way in settling the score with The Queen Of Spades, not to mention, add another accolade to Sane’s résumé. A loss, however, would dash The Pirate Princess’ dreams of ever becoming a two-time NXT Women’s Champion. Considering how unsuccessful Sane has been in her multiple recent opportunities against Baszler, the predicament is risky.
Baszler, who contends she hasn’t been shown enough respect, remains confident heading into the match, recently tweeting that she will prevail and not only spare Sane “from many more beatings,” but end the “favoritism” that The Pirate Princess has been shown.
Will NXT soon have a new Women’s Champion, or will Kairi Sane’s days as a contender come to an end? Find out tonight on WWE NXT!
Velveteen Dream Defends North American Title Against Returning Buddy Murphy:
Buddy Murphy lost The Cruiserweight Championship to Tony Nese at WrestleMania, but The Unstoppable’s waist might not be bare for much longer as he will challenge NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream on NXT.
The title duel comes on the heels of Velveteen Dream taunting Murphy over his loss at The Show Of Shows. In a pair of videos posted to Twitter, The Dream openly mocked The 205 Live Superstar for his defeat, chalking it up as the “biggest L of WrestleMania Weekend.”
As if winning The North American crown wasn’t already motivation enough, Dream’s comments give Murphy even more reason to come out swinging. Conversely, it could all be part of Dream’s mind games; might Murphy play right into the sartorial Superstar’s hands?
Don’t miss two of WWE’s top show-stealers when they square off for The NXT North American crown, exclusively on the award-winning WWE Network.
Johnny Champion Will Be in The House:
With his dream of winning The NXT Title finally fulfilled at TakeOver: New York, Johnny Gargano is set to return to Full Sail Live with his new championship in hand tonight.
Hear what Johnny Wrestling … nay, Johnny TakeOver … nay, Johnny CHAMPION will say about his milestone victory against Adam Cole and the road ahead when he addresses The NXT Universe live tonight.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For the seventh time in program history and second year in a row, the top-ranked Augsburg University wrestling team claimed the title at the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III National Duals, claiming a 26-9 win over No. 5-ranked Wabash College (Ind.) in the semifinals and a 20-13 win over No. 3-ranked Johnson & Wales University (R.I.) in the championship match on Saturday at the Kentucky Expo Center.
On Saturday, Augsburg wrestlers claimed victories in 14 of 20 bouts, including six wins in the title match, as Augsburg rallied from an early 10-3 deficit to claim the championship in the 24-team Division III tournament, which included nine of the top 10-ranked teams in the NWCA Division III national poll and 15 of the top 25-ranked teams. During the four matches in the two-day event, Augsburg wrestlers claimed wins in 31 of 40 bouts, including nine bonus-point wins and one forfeit. Augsburg, ranked No. 1 all season long in the NWCA’s Division III national poll, is now 7-0 in dual meets.
Augsburg won five of the final six bouts against Johnson & Wales in the championship match, keyed by a 17-2, technical fall victory by Tanner Vassar (JR, Maple Lake, Minn./Maple Lake HS) at 174 pounds. An All-American at 174 after a seventh-place national finish last year, Vassar competed at 184 in the first half of the season, and entered the tournament ranked No. 4 in the weight class. He returned to 174 in the National Duals, and after a tight first period against JWU’s Mike Gargano, Vassar used a reversal and four-point near-fall to spark his run to the win, improving to 7-3 on the year. Vassar dropped a 12-5 decision to Wabash’s top-ranked Darden Schurg in the semifinals.
Defending NCAA Division III 165-pound national champion Lucas Jeske (JR, St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS) made his season debut this weekend and went 4-0, scoring a 7-6 win over Wabash’s Kyle Hatch and a 9-2 triumph over JWU’s Adrian Gonazlez. A two-time All-American for the Auggies, Jeske is now 68-9 in his career.
Defending 157-pound national champion Ryan Epps (JR, Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls HS) also went 4-0 at the National Duals. Epps, who had competed at 165 pounds during the first semester and entered the weekend ranked No. 1 there, moved back down to 157 this weekend. On Saturday, he scored a 10-6 win over Austin Bethel of Wabash in the semifinals, then scored an efficient 4-0 win over Tommy Grippi of JWU in the finals to improve to 17-1 on the season and 92-9 in his career.
No. 4-ranked 197-pounder Lance Benick (SO, Scandia, Minn./Totino-Grace HS) also went 4-0 on the weekend, and had a crucial win in the finals, scoring a 7-3 triumph over JWU’s No. 5-ranked Mike DiNardo. He used a first-period takedown and two-point near-fall to build a lead he would never relinquish, improving to 13-2 on the season. Benick also scored a 5-1 win over Wabash’s Levi Miller in the semifinals.
Also going 4-0 on the weekend was No. 3-ranked 141-pounder David Flynn (JR, Jordan, Minn./Jordan HS (Scott West)). He scored a 10-4 win over Wabash’s Riley Lomenick in the semifinals, then edged JWU’s No. 7-raked Joe Ferinde 2-1 in a tight match, improving to 10-1 in the process.
Heavyweight Ethan Hofacker (JR, Spring Valley, Wis./Spring Valley HS) secured the championship victory for the Auggies in dramatic fashion, breaking a scoreless tie with a takedown with 10 seconds left in a 2-0 victory over JWU’s Jayson Gomez in the final bout of the day. Hofacker is now 10-9 on the season.
Against Wabash, No. 2-ranked 133-pounder Sam Bennyhoff (SR, Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS) gave the Auggies a big boost with a dominating performance, scoring a 15-0, third-period technical-fall victory over Chris Diaz, his 10th straight win to start the season. He suffered his first loss with a 13-7 setback to JWU’s Bobby Jordan in the finals. Bennyhoff is now 103-23 in his Auggie career, with 63 bonus-point wins (29 major decisions, 16 technical falls, 18 pins).
Top-ranked 149-pounder Alex Wilson (SR, Oak Grove, Minn./St. Francis HS) claimed a 10-4 win over Riley Lomenick of Wabash in the semifinals, but suffered am 8-6 overtime loss to JWU’s No. 3-ranked Da’mani Burns. Tied 6-6 going into sudden-victory overtime, Wilson was initially given a match-winning takedown on the edge of the mat 20 seconds into overtime, but the call was challenged and overturned on video review. Nine seconds later, Burns scored a takedown to claim the win. Wilson is now 17-2 on the season.
Victor Gliva (JR, Farmington, Minn./Farmington HS), ranked No. 6 at 125, went 1-1 on the day, scoring a 6-2 win over Carlos Champagne of Wabash while dropping a 11-2 major decision to No. 2-ranked Jay Albis of JWU. Gliva is now 12-3 on the year. Solomon Nielsen (SO, Luverne, Minn./Luverne HS) also went 1-1 to move to 13-3 on the season, scoring a 6-1 win over Wabash’s Ethan Herrin and falling 8-4 to JWU’s No. 3-ranked Khamri Thomas.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE Since the NWCA began the Division III National Duals in 2002, Augsburg has now won the title seven times (2002, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2018, 2019). Augsburg has finished second five times, third twice, fourth once, sixth once and seventh once.
Augsburg is now 58-15 in NWCA Division III National Duals competition since 2002. Augsburg also appeared in five NWCA National Duals competitions prior to the 2002 season, when the defending Division III national champion was invited to compete with Division I squads. Augsburg is now 63-24 all-time in NWCA National Duals competition.
In its 73 NWCA Division III National Duals meets, Augsburg has now outscored its competition by a 2,023-to-876 margin, an average score of 27.7-to-12.0.
This was the fifth time Augsburg and Johnson & Wales had met in NWCA Division III National Duals competition. Augsburg has now won four of the five meetings.
Against opponents from Divisions II and III, Augsburg is now 334-51-1 in dual meets since the 1989-90 season. Augsburg has lost just 47 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season.
Against strictly NCAA Division III opponents, Augsburg is 323-50-1 since the 1979-80 season. Since the 1989-90 season, Augsburg is 248-40-1 against Division III opponents.
UP NEXT Augsburg travels to face Division II Southwest Minnesota State in a dual meet next Saturday (1/12) at 2 p.m. Augsburg’s White Team (junior varsity) will compete at the Cornell (Iowa) Matman Open next Saturday at 9 a.m.
FINAL SCORES: Augsburg 26, Wabash (Ind.) 9; Augsburg 20, Johnson & Wales (R.I.) 13 LOCATION: Kentucky Expo Center Exhibition Hall (semifinals), Freedom Hall (finals), Louisville, Ky. RECORD: Augsburg 7-0 overall
NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals Brackets/Results on TrackWrestling.com
Championship
No. 1 Augsburg (7-0) 20, No. 3 Johnson & Wales (12-4) 13 125 — No. 2 Jay Albis (JWU, 21-4) maj. dec. No. 6 Victor Gliva (AUG, 12-3) 11-2 (Johnson & Wales 4-0). 133 — Bobby Jordan (JWU, 7-6) dec. No. 2 Sam Bennyhoff (AUG, 10-1) 13-7 (Johnson & Wales 7-0). 141 — No. 3 David Flynn (AUG, 10-1) dec. No. 7 Joe Ferinde (JWU, 19-9) 2-1 (Johnson & Wales 7-3). 149 — No. 3 Da’mani Burns (JWU, 19-3) dec. No. 1 Alex Wilson (AUG, 17-2) dec. 8-6 (OT-SV1) (Johnson & Wales 10-3). 157 — No. 1 (165) Ryan Epps (AUG, 17-1) dec. Tommy Grippi (JWU, 10-12) 4-0 (Johnson & Wales 10-6). 165 — Lucas Jeske (AUG, 4-0) dec. Adrian Gonzalez (JWU, 12-8) 9-2 (Johnson & Wales 10-9). 174 — No. 4 (184) Tanner Vassar (AUG, 7-3) tech. fall Mike Gargano (JWU, 17-9) 17-2 at 7:00 (Augsburg 14-10). 184 — No. 3 Khamri Thomas (JWU, 18-4) dec. Solomon Nielsen (AUG, 13-3) 8-4 (Augsburg 14-13). 197 — No. 4 Lance Benick (AUG, 13-2) dec. No. 5 Mike DiNardo (JWU, 19-5) 7-3 (Augsburg 17-13). HWT — Ethan Hofacker (AUG, 10-9) dec. Jayson Gomez (JWU, 8-8) 2-0 (Augsburg 20-13).
Raw Tag Team title match added to WWE Extreme Rules
WWE Raw and UFC ratings delayed due to holiday week
Villain Enterprises to defend Six-Man Tag titles at ROH Mass Hysteria
AEW announces Chris Jericho segment for Fight for the Fallen
Becky Lynch, GLOW’s Alison Brie appear on cover of ESPN magazine
Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Timothy Thatcher set for MLW tapings
WWE Raw video highlights: Roman Reigns teams with Cedric Alexander
Orange Cassidy announced for PWG Battle of Los Angeles
Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross set for WWE Extreme Rules
Last man standing match announced for WWE Extreme Rules
Latest Audio:
WOL: Dismal RAW, Extreme Rules, Fight for the Fallen, more! 7/9
DragonKingKarl Greatest Kayfabe Tournament: HBK vs. Giant Baba 7/9
WOR: Baffling RAW, Slammiversary, Thiago Santos, more! 7/9
F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: Recapping WWE Stomping Grounds
After a lack of interest heading into the pay-per-view, Stomping Grounds was a show that exceeded expectations.
Given that there weren’t really any surprises at the PPV, that’s probably mostly due to expectations being set too low. Nothing on the show was dramatically better than it should have been. The PPV succeeded where most good WWE shows do. Even if the build was underwhelming, a talented roster was able to go out to the ring and have good matches throughout much of the card.
WON NEWSLETTER: July 8, 2019 Observer Newsletter: The life and death of Perro Aguayo
With a gigantic week of news, we’ve got a double issue of the Observer this week, leading off with a look at the career of Perro Aguayo, one of the biggest drawing cards in pro wrestling history.
We look at his career highlights, the feud that made him a superstar, the big rivalries and big business booms he was part of, his most famous matches, the formation of AAA and his biggest career wins.
We also have more on Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman leading brands going forward. We look at the angles on Raw and whose fingerprints were on what, the level of power they look to have, why this move was made, Wall Street’s reaction to the move, how AEW fits into the picture, the audience they are trying to get back the Raw ratings increase that didn’t hold for Smackdown, Heyman and Bischoff talk about their new positions, when Bischoff starts and an analysis of Heyman’s first moves.
We also look at AEW’s Fyter Fest, the chair shot, the preshow, the business numbers, comparisons with WWE and UFC programming, match by match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
We also look at why the U.K. November tour is being rapidly changed, the Evolve special on WWE Network, Stomping Grounds business update, the story behind David Starr stomping on WWE tile belt and WWE reaction, Performance Center news, most-watched shows on the WWE Network and a rundown with business notes on all the WWE arena events this past week.
We also look at the career of Jacques Rougeau Sr, one of the biggest stars in Montreal wrestling history. We look at the history of the Rougeau family, how Jacques got into wrestling, why he quit at first, what brought him back, how role in making the career of Ivan Koloff, his sons getting into wrestling, his biggest matches, his Jarry Stadium main event, the first $100,000 gate in Canada, and the Rougeaus feud with the Garvins.
We also look at WWE’s tour of Japan this past week, with notes on both shows and business notes as well.
We run through New Japan’s tour of Australia, with business notes , Southern Showdown match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results and the Ospreay-Eagles match.
We also update Extreme Rules with matches announced and others that could be added.
We’ve also got full coverage of UFC in Minneapolis including detailed business notes.
We’ve got a rundown on ROH Bet in the World from Baltimore, with business notes, match-by-match coverage and star ratings.
We also look at the changing television situation in the U.K. with the WWE’s new deal with BT Sports and AEW’s new deal.
We look at the TripleMania card and the unique team of Cody & Psycho Clown & Cain Velasquez. There’s also notes from Killer Kross, who is training Velasquez.
We also look at the wrestling career of Yoshiaki Yatsu, who had his leg amputated over the past week. We look at his 1980s heyday when he was one of the best in the world, why he was important in history, his amateur background and his famous Pride match with Gary Goodridge.
We also look at the death of Jerry Seltzer, the famed Roller Derby promoter, how that game worked, how it exploded in popularity, why it died off, and Seltzer’s later role in the ticketing business.
We also run down the ratings of all the major TV shows, along with detailed demo info for the WWE shows.
We also have the 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].
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MONDAY NEWS UPDATE
Additional notes by Joseph Currier
WWE
Nikki Cross vs. Carmella has been added to tonight’s SmackDown, which will take place at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire . It’s the go home show for Extreme Rules and will also feature Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler, Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in a non-title match, A Tag Team Championship Summit with Daniel Bryan & Rowan, Big E & Xavier Woods, and Heavy Machinery, and the reveal of Aleister Black’s Extreme Rules opponent.
Oney Lorcan and Ariya Daivari will face off in an “anything goes” match on 205 Live tonight.
According to this unlisted video on WWE’s YouTube page, they will be taping Raw and SmackDown on September 9th and 10th, respectively at Madison Square Garden. This comes just days before AAA is scheduled to run the venue on September 15.
Kofi Kingston did not wrestle at last night’s house show in Glens Falls, New York due to what was announced as an injury. A Wrestling Inc correspondent noted that Kingston said he’d be ready for Extreme Rules.
The Authors of Pain teamed for the first time since January at last night’s house show, losing to the team of Matt Hardy and Ali. Akam had been out due to a knee injury, but the two most recently appeared at WWE Super Showdown, competing in the 50-man battle royal.
Sasha Banks trained at the Sendai Girls dojo while in Japan.
Booker T talked about his situation with Starrcast, saying that he was unaware that the Conrad Thompson booking was for Starrcast, with Thomspon only saying it was an autograph signing, and that WWE had nothing to do with him pulling out.
Gary “The GOAT” Garbutt on Raw last night was former Alliance of American Football player Kosha Irby.
Bianca Belair recently celebrated her college graduation.
Pro Wrestling
Dragon Gate’s Kobe Pro Wrestling Festival 2019 event on July 21 will have English commentary from Rich Bocchini and Larry Dallas.
Kota Ibushi injured his ankle during his G1 match against KENTA on Saturday. He said that he won’t give up regardless of injury.
Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling announced that Shoko Nakajima has been pulled from this weekend’s event as she is going to America for AEW’s Fight for the Fallen show on Saturday. Nakajmina later apologized on Twitter, confirming she will be in the US this weekend but didn’t mention AEW specifically.
New Jack is releasing a memoir titled New Jack: Memoir of a Pro Wrestling Extremist which will be released on November 28.
Kevin Nash turns 60 years old today.
UFC/MMA
Tony Ferguson has expressed interest in moving up from lightweight, but is ready to replace either Khabib Nurmagomedov or Dustin Porier in case either one pulls out ahead of UFC 242.
The UFC has promoted Jeff Novitzky from vice president of Athlete Health and Performance to senior vice president of Athlete Health and Performance.
John Lineker has signed with ONE Championships.
Mickey Gall vs. Salim Touhari has been added to the 8/3 UFC event in Newark, while Mike Perry vs. Vicente Luque has been added to the 8/10 event in Montevideo.
Edson Barboza vs. Paul Felder has been confirmed for UFC 242 on 9/7.
Daily Pro Wrestling History: Rey Mysterio wins WCW Cruiserweight title
The Raw Reunion show, as expected did Raw’s biggest audience of the year, with 3.09 million viewers.
The previous high of 2.92 million came on the Raw after WrestleMania. Last night’s Raw was the most-watched episode of the show since April 23, 2018. It was not only the highest rated show on cable for the night, beating Hannity on Fox News at 3.04 million, but also beat everything except ABC and NBC on television head-to-head.
It was up 26 percent from last week and 11 percent from the same week last year.
They also kept the audience better than most weeks, although even with saving Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and Ric Flair’s segment until the end, the third hour did fall from hour number two.
The rating is still an aberration in the sense that the best comparison number, the Raw 25th anniversary show, also bringing back all the stars from the past with a similar format, did 4.53 million viewers 18 months ago, so in a sense it tells you over 18 months they’ve lost 32 percent of viewers who would come back once for nostalgia purposes, and this show also had Hogan on it.
In going from hour two to hour three, women 18-49 dropped 11 percent while men gained two percent. Teenage girls also dropped 11 percent in hour three while teenage boys gained 12 percent, so the audience staying the full way to see Austin, Hogan, and Flair was the teenagers rather than the adults. The over-50 audience who would be the ones in theory with the most nostalgia thoughts of that group fell five percent, but that is less than usual of a third hour drop.
The three hours were:
8 p.m. 3.02 million viewers
9 p.m. 3.18 million viewers
10 p.m. 3.08 million viewers
Mounds View 55 Farmington 22 106: Emily Shilson (MOVI) over Hunter Frost (FARM) (Dec 5-0) 113: Javan Kaufman (MOVI) over Payton Talley (FARM) (Fall 0:00) 120: Zyan Hall (MOVI) over Garrett Berg (FARM) (Fall 0:00) 126: Daniel Cerny (MOVI) over (FARM) (For.) 132: Mannix Morgan (MOVI) over Dylan Gustillo (FARM) (Fall 2:00) 138: Nate Engel (FARM) over Brady Donnohue (MOVI) (MD 13-3) 145: Nick Dunagan (MOVI) over Luke Peterson (FARM) (MD 9-0) 152: Austin Hamel (FARM) over Garrett Wilson (MOVI) (Fall 2:00) 160: Theo Hall (MOVI) over (FARM) (For.) 170: Chase Dressel (MOVI) over Luke Weierke (FARM) (Fall 0:00) 182: Parker Venz (FARM) over Guy Fleischhacker (MOVI) (Fall 0:00) 195: MacAron Kukowski (FARM) over Charles Dressel (MOVI) (Fall 4:00) 220: Andrew Boucher (MOVI) over (FARM) (For.) 285: Jackson Janes (MOVI) over (FARM) (For.)
Farmington 54 Rochester John Marshall 30 106: Hunter Frost (FARM) over (RJM) (For.) 113: Evan Hanson (RJM) over Payton Talley (FARM) (Fall 0:00) 120: Garrett Berg (FARM) over (RJM) (For.) 126: Benjamin Zierdt-Thorson (RJM) over (FARM) (For.) 132: Connor Higgens (RJM) over Dylan Gustillo (FARM) (Fall 0:00) 138: Nate Engel (FARM) over Tyler Bertschinger (RJM) (Fall 2:00) 145: Luke Peterson (FARM) over Daymarieon Dolton (RJM) (Fall 2:00) 152: Austin Hamel (FARM) over (RJM) (For.) 160: Justin Higgins (RJM) over Korey Bong (FARM) (Fall 0:00) 170: Parker Venz (FARM) over (RJM) (For.) 182: Luke Weierke (FARM) over Ronaldo De Jesus (RJM) (Fall 0:00) 195: Seth Goodreau (FARM) over (RJM) (For.) 220: MacAron Kukowski (FARM) over Alex Carlin (RJM) (Fall 0:00) 285: Jacob Hansn (RJM) over (FARM) (For.)
PWTorch editor Wade Keller presents a special Thursday Flagship edition of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast featuring a WrestleMania 36 Preview with ex-WWE Creative Team member and professional stand-up comedian Matt McCarthy.
(Search “wade keller” to subscribe in podcast app or CLICK HERE to subscribe in Apple Podcasts.)
ROH World Champion Kyle O’Reilly ROH contract expires on Dec. 31. He is currently scheduled to defend the ROH World Title against Adam Cole on Jan. 4 at NJPW’s Wrestling Kingdom PPV at the Tokyo Dome.
ROH recently announced that O’Reilly would team with Jay Lethal against The Bullet Club’s Cody Rhodes & Adam Cole at ROH’s upcoming TV tapings on Jan. 14 in Georgia. O’Reilly had not been previously advertised for any ROH dates.
According to multiple sources, O’Reilly has still not signed a new ROH deal and there has been no indication that a deal is close to being reached by both sides at the moment. According to one source, ROH management is operating under the assumption that O’Reilly will sign and a deal will get done.
The main issue here is that with no deal in place between both sides in terms of either a concrete new deal for O’Reilly or even a per-date agreement made between him and ROH to work the date as a freelance talent, what will happen if both sides don’t strike a per-date deal or come to an agreement on what would presumably be a new exclusive long-term deal? Nothing has changed in the negotiations since the match was announced over a week ago.
It is expected that headliner Jay Lethal will sign a new deal in the near future as he has been advertised for ROH dates in 2017, but it is still up in the air as to whether O’Reilly and his tag team partner Bobby Fish will sign new deals. One source familiar with the negotiations noted that ROH management needs to start getting things executed in terms of securing contracts and not operating under the assumption that these pending free agents will sign new deals.
Radican’s Analysis: If O’Reilly doesn’t sign a new deal, what will happen to his match that was announced for Jan. 14? According to sources, ROH management is operating as if O’Reilly will just re-sign and it’s a foregone conclusion, which is why they announced his match, but those close to O’Reilly noted that it’s not a sure thing that he will sign a new deal. ROH simply needs to step up and get a deal done with O’Reilly instead of expecting things to happen. He could be a big part of the company’s resurgence going forward. If ROH could bridge the gap between both sides, he’d be a big addition to the roster going forward. Multiple sources on the roster have told me they are hoping a deal gets done and O’Reilly stays around to be a big part of the company going forward. A separate issue is the match being billed as a dream match, as I haven’t seen or heard anyone begging for that match to take place. ROH needs to start booking matches that people want to see because of new storylines as opposed to thrown together “dream matches,” which have become a big cliche in wrestling.
Two more matches have been added to the lineup for tonight’s SummerSlam go-home show.
WWE has announced that Women’s Tag Team Champions Peyton Royce & Billie Kay will defend their titles against Asuka & Kairi Sane, Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville, and Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross in a fatal four-way elimination match on Raw. Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade is also set for tonight’s episode.
Royce & Kay vs. Rose & Deville in a non-title match was set up for last week’s SmackDown, but the match didn’t end up happening. WWE uploaded a video where The IIconics claimed that Kay had “puppy fever” and couldn’t wrestle on the show. Rose & Deville and Asuka & Sane then argued over who should get the next title shot.
Bliss & Cross defeated Bayley & Ember Moon on SmackDown last week.
Andrade eliminated Mysterio during a gauntlet match on last Monday’s Raw. He then ripped off Mysterio’s mask in a post-match angle.
Ricochet won the gauntlet match and will challenge for AJ Styles’ United States Championship at SummerSlam.
The PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is hosting tonight’s Raw. Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya & Trish Stratus, a Miz TV segment with Shawn Michaels and Dolph Ziggler, and an appearance by Brock Lesnar have also been confirmed for the episode.
PWTorch editor Wade Keller presents a special Thursday Flagship edition of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast featuring a WrestleMania 36 Preview with ex-WWE Creative Team member and professional stand-up comedian Matt McCarthy.
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The following are interview highlights from Brian Fritz’s interview with Bully Ray, as featured in today’s Sporting News article: Bully Ray is ready to make his mark in Ring of Honor, wrestling world’s future
•On being a fan of ROH: “I’ve always been a fan of Ring of Honor from day one when they were created 15 years ago. Ring of Honor has always reminded me of ECW and the one word that comes to mind is passion. The passion of the performers and the passion of the fans. Ring of Honor is someplace that I’ve always felt that I could fit into. It worked out perfectly.”
•On his negotiations and the timing of his ROH surprise debut: “We started talking and I said to Ring of Honor it would be one hell of a surprise if I showed up in New York City at a live event at the Hammerstein and we caught some lightning in a bottle. They loved the idea, we went with it. I put Adam Cole through a table, shocked everybody, and we’re off and running. The Bully Ray-Ring of Honor relationship is off to one hell of a great start.”
•On Impact Wrestling’s last-second pitch to re-sign him: “Impact came after me very hard, very heavy with a significant amount of money and I was considering both deals for different reason. I do think that if Impact had would have communicated a little better, they might have given themselves a better opportunity of having me back there. My heart was in Ring of Honor and at the last moment, I made my decision.”
•On how the Bully Ray character was almost part of WWE: “When you have something called the ‘Be a STAR’ program, it’s not easy to have a character named Bully. That was one of the reasons. We came really, really close and I know the WWE Universe would have loved to have seen Bully Ray in a WWE ring.”
•On his goal to be to ROH in 2017 what Terry Funk was to ECW in its early years: “What I’m looking to do here is what Terry Funk did for ECW in ’94 and ’95 and that’s add name credibility to the product,” said Bully. “In no way, shape, or form am I saying that I’m nearly as great as Terry Funk or the performer that Terry Funk is because, to me, Terry Funk is the be-all and end-all when it comes to professional wrestlers. I’m just hoping that Bully Ray can put more eyes on the product of Ring of Honor and what I’m really hoping for is that Bully Ray can bring the art of storytelling to Ring of Honor. We already know Ring of Honor has the best wrestlers in the world. We all know that those guys can go out there and tear the house down and have phenomenal wrestling matches.”
•On the influence having Terry Funk around in ECW had on him: “I’ll try to tell you a story that puts in perspective just how much respect and admiration I have for Terry Funk. When they were filming the movie ‘Beyond the Mat’, I was asked to wrestle on that show. I was in Amarillo for Terry Funk’s retirement match against Bret Hart and I think I was the second or third match on the show. I remember after the night was over I was called into a room where Terry Funk was sitting there with his wife and I got handed a check. The check was signed by Terry Funk and it was from Terry and Vicki Funk’s account. I looked at that check and I thanked them and to this day. I have never cashed that check. It was such an honor for me to wrestle on that show and be a part of that experience. The money did not mean anything. My pay for that night was the fact that I got to say I got to be on that card that night. I took that check and I’ve saved it forever. It sits in my collection. I have it in my Terry Funk autobiography that he signed to me and I once told him the story about how I never cashed his check and he told me ‘dam nit, that’s how come I haven’t been able to balance my checkbook for the past twenty years’.”
•On his role in ROH as the veteran of the locker room: “In-ring or out of ring, I’m a total, open book. The guys there know that they can come to me, ask me advice. If they want me to watch their matches, if they want me to critique, if they need help with promos, anything and everything that I can do to help out Ring of Honor as a company and help out the wrestlers to be better performers, I will do.”
Keller’s Analysis: Bully Ray is a potentially great fit for ROH. He gives them something different in terms of in-ring style and interview style that ROH really could use. Every younger wrestler in ROH can benefit from working with Ray, who has been everywhere and succeeded to some degree and always contributed. I’d have liked to have seen the Bully Ray character in modern day WWE. The idea that “Be A Star” should stand in the way of that is ludicrous. First of all, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H are absolutely playing bullies on TV, not to mention JBL and his berating of various people including James Ellsworth based on his looks more than nothing else. Besides that, if WWE wants to project an anti-bullying message, what better way than to feature a character who is a bully who ultimately gets shown up by a babyface?
What wrestler did Impact Wrestling offer Bully Ray to take the place of in a storyline? Read the entire story by Brian Fritz HERE and read Bully Ray’s reaction to that proposal.
NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS INTEVIEW HIGHLIGHTS ARTICLE: Charlotte discusses End of PPV streak, Ronda Rousey, Sasha chemistry, Becky insults, Robe expenses
bully raydrew gallowayimpact wrestlingring of honorrohterry funk