Lowell, MA, a city with an underrated wrestling history, hosted NXT’s latest PLE, Battleground, at the Paul Tsongas Center. Six matches filled out the card, including the main event where Carmelo Hayes returns home to defend the NXT Championship against Bron Breakker.
We have a new World Heavyweight Champion on Monday Night Raw, and his name is Seth “Freakin” Rollins.
To the surprise of many, WWE kicked off Night of Champions with the title bout between Rollins and Styles. It felt like the wrong move before the bell but proved to be the correct move after the bell.
The match started hot and never let up. Styles and Rollins wrestled a 50/50 match where neither man held the lead for an extended period of time. Just as Rollins appeared to be on the verge of sustained offense, Styles would flip the script.
For Seth Rollins, winning the World Heavyweight Championship at Night of Champions puts him at the top of the food chain on Monday Night Raw. For AJ Styles, becoming World Champion under the Jeddah sky in Saudi Arabia will be a reemergence of “The Phenomenal One.”
Return of the Jedi turns 40 years old this month, and Lucasfilm celebrated the anniversary of the iconic finale of the original Star Wars trilogy with a limited theatrical rerelease of the film. Fans had from April 28 to May 4 to experience Episode 6 on the big screen, whether it was for the umpteenth viewing or for the very first time.
I was too young to see the original trilogy in theaters upon its initial release. However, my mother told me the first time she felt me kick was when my father took her to see The Empire Strikes Back. Maybe it was premature or unconscious jealousy as my parents were seeing something I knew I’d love.
WWE.com announced the wrestlers eligible for each night of the 2023 Draft. One select group of wrestlers is up for selection tonight on SmackDown, and the second group is qualified to be drafted Monday, May 1, on Raw.
Tag teams and factions will be drafted as a unit with two notable exceptions. The Bloodline has been split up as two draft picks. WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa are packaged as one pick, and The Uso are grouped as another draft pick.
The Judgement Day is also subject to separation as SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley is a solo listing, while Dominik Mysterio, Damian Priest, and Finn Balor are listed as a unit.
Unspecified “Select NXT Superstars” are listed as eligible for both Draft nights.
Sorry for being late to the party. I know this topic has been beaten to death one million times over. A particular virus sank its nasty claws into me, and that funny thing called life got in the way for a while.
“Finish the story.”
That was Cody Rhodes’ mantra heading into WrestleMania 39 as a capacity crowd in So-Fi Stadium and millions watching around the world believed he would indeed finish the story. Then, to the shock of everyone, Roman Reigns pinned Cody Rhodes in the main event of what is touted as the most successful WrestleMania in history.
WWE seemingly bricked a wide-open layup on purpose, but why?
Triple H announced a new World Heavyweight Championship, and the new champion will be determined at Night of Champions on May 27 in Saudi Arabia.
As the WWE Draft begins Friday on SmackDown, Triple H expressed the need for two top championships. Roman Reigns will remain the Undisputed Universal Champion and bring that title to whatever brand he’s drafted to, leaving the other brand with the new world title.
Josh Alexander appeared on Busted Open Radio Friday and announced he has a torn tricep, will undergo surgery on Friday, and is vacating the Impact Wrestling World Title.
“The Walking Weapon” had two upcoming title defenses before his injury. KUSHIDA on March 30 at Multiverse United co-promoted show with NJPW and Steve Maclin on April 16 at Rebellion. Now it will be Maclin taking on KUSHIDA for the vacant title at Rebellion.
To say this is a bad beat for Josh Alexander would be an understatement.
Major League Wrestling (MLW) is making moves to increase its footprint in the pro wrestling space. MLW lost its streaming deal with REELZ once the channel joined Peacock.
NBC Universal owns Peacock, and WWE’s long-standing business relationship with the company meant curtains for MLW on the platform.
Despite the setback, MLW has found a new International home.
First announced on WWE’s The Bump on Wednesday afternoon, Japanese legend The Great Muta will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on 3/31/23, joining Rey Mysterio.
Ric Flair, who will induct Muta into the Hall of Fame, stated on The Bump, “He’s a tremendous guy, a tremendous athlete, a great person, a great man,” and went on to say Muta has a special place in his heart due working with his late son Reid In Japan during his time in All Japan Pro Wrestling.
Keiji Muto, aka The Great Muta, recently completed a retirement tour where he wrestled his last match. The tour included a match against Shinsuke Nakamura on New Year’s Day for Pro Wrestling NOAH. Many assume WWE allowed Nakamura to work the show in exchange for Muta entering the Hall of Fame.
Keiji Muto wrestled his final match as The Great Muta on January 22, teaming with Darby Allin & Sting in a six-man tag team match. His final match as Muto occurred last month, where he faced Tetsuya Naito, followed by a last showdown with Masahiro Chono.