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.”
Continue reading “WWE Night of Champions Predictions: Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles”
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.
Continue reading “Return of the Jedi: 40th Anniversary Reflection”
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.
Continue reading “WWE Reveals Eligible Wrestlers for Both Nights of the 2023 Draft”
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?
Continue reading “Cody Rhodes: To Be Continued”
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.
Continue reading “WWE Announces New World Heavyweight Championship”
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.
Continue reading “Josh Alexander Injured, Vacates Impact World Title”
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.
Continue reading “MLW Joins Premier Streaming Network”
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.
Continue reading “The Great Muta Announced for the WWE Hall of Fame”
Tony Khan announced Wednesday on Dynamite that AEW has “leveled up” the All-Atlantic Championship, and it’s now the AEW International Championship. Orange Cassidy will make the title’s inaugural defense against Jeff Jarrett next week on Dynamite when AEW debuts in Winnipeg.
Nine months ago, the All-Atlantic Championship was created to represent AEW fans in the United Kingdom. AEW touts they are the #1 wrestling promotion in the UK via their presence on television.
Plus, the British Isles are bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. In a nutshell, it was AEW’s way of creating a UK Title without calling it the UK Title.
However, the physical belt had a geographical error. Japan, which resides in the pacific ocean, is one of six countries represented on the title’s main center plate.
The current design of the title will remain intact. Simply the wording is changed from All Atlantic to International.
Continue reading “AEW: New Title, Same Ol’ Stuff”
The grandest stage of them all is upon us. WrestleMania 39 emanates from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. WWE will again go with the two-night format on Saturday, April 1, and Sunday, April 2, and stream live on Peacock.
While the lineups for each night have not been announced, Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes versus WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns is the official main event and is expected to headline on night 2.
WrestleMania 39 Official Match Card:
–WWE Undisputed Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes
–SmackDown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley
–Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair vs. Asuka
–WWE United States Championship: Austin Theory vs. John Cena
-Brock Lesnar vs. Omos
-Becky Lynch, Lita & Trish Stratus vs. Damage CNTRL
-Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul
Rumored Matches:
Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens vs. The Usos
Edge vs. Finn Balor
Bray Wyatt vs. Bobby Lashley
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominick Mysterio
Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus
Twelve matches, between the official and rumored lineups, will give each night of WrestleMania six matches. If this ends up as the final card, it falls in line with the reports of Triple H wanting fewer matches on the show, leaving many wrestlers off the Premium Live Event.
While not officially announced, Logan Paul stated on his podcast Wednesday that WWE sent him confirmation his match with Seth Rollins will occur on night 1, which is his birthday.
If Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens versus The Usos becomes official for WrestleMania, it absolutely needs to headline night 1. I know that will not be a popular opinion. Rhea Ripley won the Royal Rumble and deserves one of the two main event spots, but this is show business. Sami/KO vs. Usos would be the second-biggest match on the card by a country mile.
The Bloodline saga is the best story WWE has told in decades. The rest of the matches are fighting for a distant third place.
RingsideLogic.com 