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Month: November 2023

Fatal four-way match set for next week’s WWE NXT

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Wes Lee has a shot at earning a North American title match on next week's NXT.

Tuesday’s show saw Wes Lee come out and ask for another shot at the NXT North American title. Dominik Mysterio came out and said he would have to face three other former North American Champions next week. Mysterio told Lee that if he wins, he gets the title match at NXT Deadline on December 9. But Lee could never challenge for the title again if he lost.

Later, it was announced that Lee would face former champions Johnny Gargano, Bronson Reed, and Cameron Grimes.

Click Here:

The NXT Tag Team titles will be on the line, with Tony D’Angelo and Stacks defending against Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo. Tony D and Stacks were exiting a restaurant when they were jumped outside by Garza and Carrillo.

It was also announced that Andre Chase will break his silence regarding the investigation of Chase U. Chase & Duke Hudson lost the NXT Tag Team titles last week to Tony D’Angelo and Stacks, with Chase U students walking out of the stands as the match was going on. Andre Chase has remained silent about what allegations Chase U is facing.

Jerry Lawler will be the final WWE Hall of Famer to choose qualifying matches for NXT Deadline's Iron Survivor Challenge matches.

Here is the lineup for next week’s NXT:

NXT North American title number one contender’s match: Wes Lee vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Bronson Reed vs. Johnny GarganoNXT Tag Team titles: Tony D’Angelo and Stacks defend against Angel Garza & Humberto CarrilloAndre Chase will break his silenceJerry Lawler will choose Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying matches

COP28 à Dubaï : "Les enjeux sont trop grands" pour boycotter la conférence organisée dans la pétromonarchie, estime une responsable d'ONG

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Jeudi 28 novembre s’ouvre la COP28, grande conférence où les pays du monde entier doivent prendre de nouveaux engagements contre le changement climatique. Cette année, le pays hôte est Dubaï, l’une des pétromonarchies des Emirats arabes unis, qui a l’un des pires bilans carbone par habitant au monde.

à lire aussi COP28 : ce que l’on sait des accusations de “conflit d’intérêts” visant Sultan al-Jaber, le président de la conférence pour le climatClick Here:

Sunday Update: Lesnar’s new WWE contract, Dana White reacts,WWE featuring Hogan introductory video on website, Zack Sabre Jr. coming to ROH, WWE’s next UK tour, Eli Drake tears into superkicks and flippy-flop in-ring wrestling, Wade Barrett

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

Please send news tips and live event results to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thanks!

-Despite making racist comments on two separate occasions while he was in his 50s, and subsequent clumsy-at-best attempts at apologies, WWE.com isn’t hiding Hulk Hogan is back from what turned out to be a three year suspension, as they have put together a five minute video featuring “10 importable moment that will reintroduce you to Hulk Hogan.”

-Brock Lesnar signed a new contract extension last week, a direct response to Roman Reigns’s leukemia diagnosis changing all of WWE’s plans, reports Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. He will wrestle A.J. Styles at Survivor Series (it presumably would have been Reigns vs. Styles if not for Reigns’s leave of absence). He will also drop the title eventually, perhaps in the next match after Styles at Survivor Series. His last match was going to be at Survivor Series.

-Dana White says he doesn’t believe Vince McMahon will let Brock bring the Universal Title with him to his next UFC fight, if he’s still Universal Champion then. “I don’t think Vince would let him wear that into the Octagon, to be honest with you,” he said at the latest UFC press conference. “He can bring whatever belt he wants to bring. I could [not] care less.” The Daniel Cormier vs. Lesnar fight could be at UFC 235 in March.

-Curious about the Chris Jericho cruise – the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager at Sea? Go VIP today to listen to VIP analyst Todd Martin’s first-hand account of all four days. As incentive, we are offering a $6 discount on a VIP membership, bringing the $9.99 rate down to just $3.99 for the first month. DETAILS

-WWE has announced a tour off the U.K. and Ireland in May 2019. They will run live events May 8 through May 18 which includes Raw and Smackdown tapings in London’s O2 arena on May 13 and 14. For a full list of dates, CLICK HERE.

-Zack Sabre Jr. will be wrestling on ROH’s Final Battle 2018 event on Dec. 14 in New York City, N.Y. at Hammerstein Ballroom. A video was shown of him last night at the TV tapings in Pittsburgh (If you can send us results, please direct to pwtorch@pwtorch.com.) He’ll face Jonathan Greshem. ROH announced Sumie Sakai will defend her ROH Women’s Title in a four-corners survival match.

CHECK OUT OUR LATEST “TALKING HONOR” PODCAST COVERING ROH…

Click Here:

“Cruise Control.” This week Harley R. Pageot and Emily Fear discuss the Chris Jericho cruise, look at the use of New Japan guest stars in ROH, ponder who will be Flip Gordon’s proxy in the match against Silas Young next week, predict who wins this year’s Survival of the Fittest tournament, and complain that it’s now been six weeks since we’ve had a Women of Honor match on television.

-On Tune In Radio HERE
-On Apple Podcasts HERE
-Or search “PWTorch or Pro Wrestling Torch” on your podcast app of choice

-Former WWE wrestler Wade Barrett (real name Stu Bennett) is starring in “Vengeance 2” which just wrapped up principle photography. Evolutionary Films is behind the movie, which is a London-based finance, production, international sales, and UK distribution company. Evolutionary Films also just announced that multi-award winning UK singer-songwriter Tulisa Contostavlos has boarded their next production “Diva” in the lead role of “Sista C.”

-Impact Wrestling’s Eli Drake is not a fan of wrestling that incorporates a lot of flips. “This is going to turn a lot of people on me, but that’s made me start hating the business,” he said. “The business I fell in love with was big character, big strong masculine men who looked like they were fighting and they had character. Even the worst promo guys were good. Now, holy sh–, good look at anybody being able to handle one of these things, it’s bad. But everybody relies on goddamn flips and Cirque de Soleil spots. I kind of hate what it became. Oh, man, this turned really dark. I hate it. Here’s the thing. It caters to the niche audience of – no offense – nerd wrestling fans. There’s a very small niche audience that that’s going to cater to. Let’s say there’s someone who hasn’t checked in since 2001 and they check in. They’re going to turn on today’s product and go, ‘What the f— is this?’ The casual audience was never turned on by crazy moves, they ere turned on by crazy characters. That’s why the big swell happened in the late-’90s. Character has been devoid for the last ten years… I think we got lost somewhere and it’s showing.”

He said while the Indys are bigger than ever, but it’s still a niche business. He thinks WWE is more global, but they’re having a hard time filing seats opposite the hard camera. “That is a direct response from the fans,” he said. “Because the fans want to see big characters, they want to see the big storylines. The moves are cool, but that’s a supplemental thing. That’s not the kind of thing that’s going to bring the casual audience in.” He also ranted on the multiple superkicks spot. “We are killing our own credibility,” he said. “Now what happens is you’ve got guys going out in the very first match kicking each other in the head over and over again, guys kicking out at two-and-seven-eights over and over again. What do you have left later down the line in the show. Someone is going to have to stab or shoot someone. It’s ridiculous. That’s why I’ve focused on what I’ve focused on – being good on the microphone. Anyone who’s been a draw has been good on the microphone.” He said Dean Malenko was a good wrestler, but he couldn’t talk and nobody knew who he was, so nobody cared. WATCH HERE

Please send news tips and live event results to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thanks!

NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS UPDATE: Afternoon Update: Triple H injured at Crown Jewel, negative reaction to Crown Jewel, Reigns leukemia diagnosis raises for Be A Match registry, Impact viewership, Total Divas viewership, former Impact/UFC fighter DUI, Omega and Rousey share honor, Becky & Miz contest

Lineup for ROH/NJPW Global Wars: Buffalo tonight, Lethal vs. Sabin Proving Ground match, KUSHIDA vs. Gresham vs. BUSHI vs. Gordon headlines streaming event

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

The ROH/NJPW tour continues tonight with Global Wars: Buffalo at 7:40 EST, which will air live for Honor Club members and also be available on Fite.tv as an iPPV. The show is headlined by ROH World Champion Jay Lethal vs. Chris Sabin in a non-title Proving Ground match. The other big matches on the show include The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. L.I.J. (Tetsuya Naito & SANADA, and a Four Corner Suvival match featuring KUSHIDA vs. Jonathan Gresham vs. BUSHI vs. Flip Gordon.

The rest of the announced matches are as follows:

-The Briscoes  (Mark & Jay Briscoe) vs. Best Friends (Chuckie T & Beretta) vs. The Elite (Adam Page & Cody Rhodes)

Click Here:

-ROH TV Champion Jeff Cobb vs. EVIL in a non-title match

-Juice Robinson vs. Silas Young

-Dalton Castle vs. T.K. O’Ryan.

-The Boys (Thing One & Thing Two) vs. The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Vinny Marseglia

ROH will take the day off tomorrow and conclude the Global Wars on Sunday night with a show streaming live for Honor Club memebers and on iPPV on Fite.tv.

  • adam page
  • cody
  • global wars toronto
  • jay lethal
  • roh
  • tetsuya naitio
  • young bucks

WEEKLY OVERVIEW – WWE (thru 11/29): Top stories of week, major show lineups, live event results, schedule of live events, noteworthy social media posts, more

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

The following is the latest in a new series of weekly in-depth articles exclusive to PWTorch which will help put in perspective major wrestling promotions with a weekly overview, looking at news and roster developments, results, future line-ups, social media activity, key interviews, plus a timely commentary at the end. We will be featuring similar features on other promotions each week and each will be updated weekly.

•Top Stories of the Week

  • Braun Strowman’s injury angle is more than just an angle. Braun Strowman is having surgery as a result of bone spurs in his elbow. The WWE announced his injury as a “shattered elbow,” but the injury angle last Monday was done to get him off television so he could have the surgery. This week Baron Corbin announced their match at T.L.C. is still scheduled to take place.
  • Bray Wyatt made his return at Starrcade in Cincinnati this weekend where he fought Baron Corbin, then competed in a six man tag match. He did not appear on Raw or Smackdown this week.
  • The WWE Network Starrcade special aired Sunday and featured Elias’ performance with Ric Flair, the 8 woman tag team match, Miz TV featuring Rey Mysterio and Shinsuke Nakamura, Mysterio vs. Nakamura for the United States Championship, Rusev & Rey Mysterio vs. Nakamura & The Miz, and A.J. Styles vs. Samoa Joe in a Steel Cage Match. For analysis on this WWE Network Special, you can read Mike Meyers’ report here: LINK

•WWE Weekly Event Results

WWE Starrcade (Cincinnati, Ohio) 11/24/18

(1) Sasha Banks, Bayley, Ember Moon, & Dana Brooke beat Nia Jax, Tamina, Mickie James, & Alicia Fox

(2) Drew McIntyre (w/ Dolph Ziggler) beat Finn Balor

(3) The B-Team defeated The Revival

(4) The Bar beat The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E w/ Xavier Woods) to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships

(5) Bray Wyatt beat Baron Corbin

(6) Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler, & Baron Corbin beat Bray Wyatt, Finn Balor, & Elias

(7) Charlotte Flair defeated Asuka

(8) Rey Mysterio beat Shinsuke Nakamura via Disqualification

(9) Rey Mysterio & Rusev (w/ Lana) beat Shinsuke Nakamura & The Miz

(10) A.J. Styles defeated Samoa Joe in a steel cage match

(11) Seth Rollins beat Dean Ambrose in a steel cage match to retain the Intercontinental Championship

Source: PWTorch.com

WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster (Madison, Wis.) 11/25/18

(1) The Bar beat The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods, w/ Kofi Kingston) to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships

(2) Aiden English defeated Shelton Benjamin

(3) Shelton Benjamin beat Aiden English

(4) Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, & Shelton Benjamin beat Aiden English & The Colóns

(5) Lana & Nikki Cross beat The IIconics

(6) Charlotte beat Asuka

(7) Randy Orton defeated Jeff Hardy

(8) R-Truth & Carmella beat Andrade Cien Almas & Zelina Vega

(9) Shinsuke Nakamura beat Samoa Joe & Rusev in a Triple Threat match to retain the United States Championship

(10) A.J. Styles beat The Miz

Source: TheChairshot.com

WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) 11/26/18

(1) The Bar beat The New Day to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships

(2) Aiden English defeated Shelton Benjamin

(3) Shelton Benjamin beat Aiden English

(4) Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, & Shelton Benjamin beat Aiden English & The Colóns

(5) Lana & Nikki Cross beat The IIconics

(6) Charlotte beat Asuka

(7) Randy Orton defeated Jeff Hardy

(8) R-Truth & Carmella beat Andrade Cien Almas & Zelina Vega

(9) Shinsuke Nakamura beat Samoa Joe & Rusev in a Triple Threat match to retain the United States Championship

(10) A.J. Styles beat The Miz

Source: Fightful.com

If you attend a live event, please send results to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thanks!

•WWE TV Match Results

Monday Night Raw TV Results 11/26/18

(1) Bobby Lashley (w/ Lio Rush, Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin) beat Elias in a no disqualification match

(2) Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik, Kalisto, & Lince Dorado) beat The Revival (Dash & Dawson

(3) The Authors of Pain (w/ Drake Maverick) beat Chad Gable & Bobby Roode to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships

(4) Ember Moon (w/ Curt Hawkins) defeated Alicia Fox (w/ Jinder Mahal, The Singh Brothers)

(5) Jinder Mahal (w/ The Singh Brothers) beat No Way Jose

(6) Seth Rollins beat Dolph Ziggler to retain the Intercontinental Championship

(7) Baron Corbin & Drew McIntyre beat Finn Balor

Smackdown Live TV Results 11/27/18

(1) The Usos beat The Bar

(2) Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev is a no contest after Nakamura attacks Rusev before the bell

(3) Kofi Kingston (w/ Xavier Woods & Big E) defeated The Miz

(4) Asuka won a women’s division battle royal to be put into the Smackdown Women’s Championship match at T.L.C.

WWE Mixed Match Challenge Results (Aired on Facebook Watch) 11/27/18

(1) Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox defeated Curt Hawkins & Ember Moon after Jinder pinned Hawkins

(2) Finn Balor & Bayley beat Bobby Lashley & Mickie James when Bayley pinned Mickie James

Mixed Match Challenge Bracket

Raw Playoff Bracket

-Finn Balor & Bayley vs Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox – Winners advance to T.L.C.

Smackdown Playoff Bracket

(1) Jeff Hardy & Charlotte vs. (4) R-Truth & Carmella

(2) The Miz & Asuka vs. (3) Jimmy Uso & Naomi

205 Live Results (Aired on WWE Network) 11/21/18

(1) Noam Dar beat Mike Kanellis

(2) Hideo Itami beat Levy Cruise (a local enhancement talent)

(3) Cedric Alexander & Mustafa Ali defeated Tony Nese & Buddy Murphy

Main Event Results (Aired on WWE Network and Hulu) 11/28/18

(1) Titus O’Neal beat Mojo Rawley

(2) Zack Ryder & The B-Team beat The Ascension & Tyler Breeze when Bo Dallas pinned Tyler Breeze

Source: PWTorch.com

•Upcoming Lineups for Stadium/PPV Events

WWE T.L.C. on Dec. 16 from San Jose, Calif.

(1) Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship

(2) Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin in a T.L.C. Match

– If Braun wins, he will earn another Universal Championship match vs. Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble and Baron Corbin will be out of power entirely
– If Baron Corbin wins, he will become permanent General Manager of Raw

(3) Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Nia Jax for the Raw Women’s Championship

(4) Daniel Bryan (c) vs. A.J. Styles for the WWE Championship

(5) Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte vs. Asuka in a Triple Threat T.L.C. Match for the Smackdown Women’s Championship

(6) Mixed Match Challenge Finals: Raw bracket winner vs. Smackdown bracket winner

– Winners receive 30th (last) entry into their respective Royal Rumble matches.

WWE Royal Rumble on Jan. 27 from Phoenix, Ariz.

(1) Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship (Pending Braun beating Baron Corbin at T.L.C.)

(2) Men’s Royal Rumble Match

(3) Women’s Royal Rumble Match

•Upcoming Events

Sat. 12/1/18 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Arena Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico

Sun. 12/2/18 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, College Park Center, Arlington, Texas

Mon. 12/3/18 WWE Raw, Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

Tue. 12/4/18 WWE Smackdown, Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas

Wed. 12/5/18 WWE Live Event –Raw Roster, Movistar Arena, Santiago, Chile

Thu. 12/6/18 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Luna Park Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Fri. 12/7/18 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Luna Park Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Sat. 12/8/18 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Antel Arena, Montevideo, Uruguay

Sat. 12/8/18 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Sun. 12/9/18 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Stampede Corral, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Mon. 12/10/18 WWE Raw, Valley View Casino Center, San Diego, Calif

Mon. 12/10/18 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, Calif.

Tue. 12/11/18 WWE Smackdown, Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nev.

Fri. 12/14/18 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.

Sat. 12/15/18 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Rabobank Arena, Bakersfield, Calif.

Sat. 12/15/18 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Oracle Arena, Oakland, Calif.

Sun. 12/16/18 WWE T.L.C. SAP Center, San Jose, Calif.

Mon. 12/17/18 WWE Raw, Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, Calif.

Mon. 12/17/18 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Stockton Arena, Stockton Calif.

Tue. 12/18/18 WWE Smackdown – Save Smart Center, Fresno, Calif.

Mon. 12/24/18 WWE Raw – No listing currently on WWE.com

Tue. 12/25/18 WWE Smackdown – No listing currently on WWE.com

Wed. 12/26/18 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.

– Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin

– Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Chamionship in a Steel Cage Match

– Ronda Rousey vs Nia Jax for the Raw Women’s Championship

– Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley

– Velveteen Dream, Pete Dunne, Johnny Gargano, Ricochet, & Aleister Black vs. Tomasso Ciampa & Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, & Bobby Fish.)

– Dolph Ziggler, Alexa Bliss, Natalya, Sasha Banks, and Bayley are also scheduled to appear

Wed. 12/26/18 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Allstate Arena, Chicago, Ill.

Thur. 12/27/18 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, N.Y.

Thur. 12/27/18 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio

– Ronda Rousey vs. Mickie James (w/ Alexa Bliss) for the Raw Women’s Championship

– Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship

– Braun Strowman vs. Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre in a two-on-one handicap match

Fri. 12/28/18 WWE Raw (WWE.com has Raw scheduled for Friday 12/28 in Detroit, Mich. Tickets being sold through the site also have it listed as a Raw television show for Friday 12/28)

Fri. 12/28/18 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, Md.

Sat. 12/29/18 WWE Smackdown(WWE.com has Smackdown scheduled for Saturday, 12/29 in Pittsburgh, Pa. Tickets being sold through the site also have it listed as a Smackdown television show for Saturday 12/29)

Sun. 12/30/18 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Amalie Arena, Tampa, Fla.

Mon. 12/31/18 WWE Raw – No listing currently on WWE.com, WWE could be playing tape delayed version of Raw from 12/28 scheduled Raw event

Tue. 1/1/19 WWE Smackdown – No listing currently on WWE.com, WWE could be playing tape delayed version of Smackdown from 12/29 scheduled Smackdown event

Fri. 1/4/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Columbus Civic Center, Columbus, Ga.

Sat. 1/5/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Greensboro Colliseum, Greensboro, N.C.

Sat. 1/5/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Donald L. Tucker Center, Tallahassee, Fla.

Sun. 1/6/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, N.C.

Sun. 1/6/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Hertz Arena, Fort Myers, Fla.

Mon. 1/7/19 WWE Raw, Amway Center, Orlando, Fla.

Mon. 1/7/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, S.C.

Tue. 1/8/19 WWE Smackdown, Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Fla.

Sat. 1/12/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Knoxville Civic Coliseum, Knoxville, Tenn.

Mon. 1/14/19 WWE Raw, FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tenn.

Tue. 1/15/19 WWE Smackdown, Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Ala.

Fri. 1/18/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas

Sat. 1/19/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Taylor County Coliseum, Abilene, Texas

Sat. 1/19/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Sun. 1/20/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Chi Health Center, Omaha, Neb.

Sun. 1/20/19 WWE Live Event – Raw Roster, Kay Yeager Coliseum, Wichita Falls, Texas

Mon. 1/21/19 WWE Raw, Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Mon. 1/21/19 WWE Live Event – Smackdown Roster, Landon Arena, Topeka, Kan.

Tue. 1/22/19 WWE Smackdown – Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kan.

•Latest TV Highlights

Monday Night Raw

  • Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, and Bobby Lashley work together to dominate the show. In the opening segment on Raw, Corbin, McIntyre, and Lashley (w/ Lio Rush) stood in the ring as they mocked Braun Strowman and laughed about injuring him last week. Corbin announced their T.L.C. match is still happening and he fully expects to win via forfeit to become the permanent General Manager. During the Elias vs. Bobby Lashley match that followed this opening segment, Corbin decided that the match would be a no DQ match and both he and McIntyre interfered to help beat down Elias. In the main event Corbin face Finn Balor and mid-match he changed the rules again making it a handicap match with himself and McIntyre taking on Balor. After they both beat down Balor, Lashley came back down to ringside to help beat down Balor as well.
  • Alexa Bliss was put in charge of the women’s division by Corbin during a backstage segment. It’s unclear how long this position will last, but with her recent concussion issues, this may be Alexa’s new role for a little while.
  • Dean Ambrose delivers another video promo. This time it came from a doctor’s office where he was receiving all of his vaccinations to make sure he doesn’t catch anything from the fans. He continued insulting the fans for their poor hygiene and smell. He also said that there is no medicine to cure the sickness that is Seth’s soul and that he will put Seth out of his misery.

Smackdown Live

  • Becky Lynch made her return tonight. She said she is the hottest thing in the industry and any time away was too much time away. She announced she was back in the game, then called out Charlotte. Becky said Charlotte came close to the beating she would’ve given Ronda, but if Becky had done it Ronda wouldn’t have been walking the next day. Becky then accused Charlotte of previously copying her old man (Ric Flair) to now copying The Man (Becky Lynch). Paige then announced that Charlotte and Becky would fight in a T.L.C. match at the T.L.C. PPV. After being interrupted twice, once by the heels of the women’s division and then by the remaining baby faces, Paige announced a battle royal to add a third woman to the T.L.C. match. Asuka would win that battle royal later in the night.
  • Smackdown celebrated 20 years of Jeff Hardy. The roster gathered on the stage as Michael Cole stood in the ring and introduced Hardy. After a video package highlighting his career, Jeff thanked the fans and ensured everyone that this is not a retirement speech. Samoa Joe interrupted and apologized for being late; saying that he was in the back opening bottles of champagne for a toast, but maybe he shouldn’t bring those around Jeff (a reference to his previous alcohol problems). After Shane McMahon tried to take away Joe’s microphone, Hardy told Shane to let him continue. Joe went on to say that it was good Jeff got to see those career highlights again because he probably wasn’t coherent enough to remember them at the time. After all of this, Jeff challenged Joe to a match, but Joe turned around and walked back up the ramp.

For a more detailed rundown of all the major happenings in WWE, you can read the WWE TV reports HERE.

•Listen to the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-Show – Smackdown Post-Show with guest Jason Solomon from Solomonster Sounds Off

PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by Jason Solomon from Solomonster Sounds Off as they discuss WWE Smackdown with live callers first and then later answering email questions with a majority focus on the big developments in the Women’s Division and TLC with Becky Lynch, Charlotte, and Asuka. Also, thoughts on New Day, A.J. Styles, Jeff Hardy, and more. Also, Keller is joined by two on-site correspondents including a fan who hasn’t attended a WWE TV event before and hasn’t seen Becky Lynch or A.J. Styles before. They talk about off-air happenings, crowd reactions, the dark match main event at the end, and more.

-On Tune In Radio HERE
-On Apple Podcasts HERE
-Or search “Wade Keller” on your podcast app of choice

•WWE Social Media Highlights

Daniel Bryan took to Twitter on Wednesday to justify why he wasn’t at Smackdown and also call out A.J. Styles for his apparent hypocrisy.

Shayna Baszler, the current NXT Women’s Champion, tweeted out a photo of her, Ronda Rousey, Jessamyn Duke, and Marina Shafir (also known as the Four Horsewomen of MMA) posing with Ric Flair which prompted Charlotte to comment on it. This comment by Charlotte sparked a series of tweets between the two. The WWE Four Horsewomen group is Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, and Bayley.

In a separate argument, Shayna Baszler and Becky Lynch exchanged tweets. This started after Ronda Rousey commented on a photo Becky posted last week of her getting checked at a doctor’s office to return to action.

Becky Lynch also tweeted this after Smackdown and after Asuka was added to the T.L.C. match by winning a battle royal. Becky continues to point out that Charlotte is given opportunities that others have to earn, which is what sparked the original heel turn back at SummerSlam this year where Becky had to go on a win streak to fight Carmella for the Smackdown Women’s Championship, but Charlotte was simply added to the match and would eventually win.

•Closing Commentary

•WWE brand supremacy somehow means even less than we all thought. I wanted to address this after last week’s Smackdown episode, but I thought I would wait. I waited to see what happened this week because last week’s episode of Smackdown was so strange and uneventful I thought it may have essentially been a throw away episode after a long weekend in Los Angeles and that they would start fresh this week and address the Survivor Series sweep. Another reason I anticipated this would be addressed at some point in the last two weeks was a tweet Shane sent out immediately after Survivor Series was over last Sunday.

“…something is going to have to change come Tuesday.” The problem is, nothing changed! Smackdown has moved on as if Survivor Series never happened. Shane was willing to fire anyone who made the finals of the World Cup Tournament if they then lost to the Raw representative less than a month ago at Crown Jewel, but being completely dominated at Survivor Series is just being ignored. It’s a massive storyline hole that they haven’t even bothered addressing. What makes this more annoying is that Shane was shown this week backstage standing with his World Cup trophy. Shane is now also in a storyline where The Miz is trying to recruit him to be his tag team partner because they combined to win the World Cup Tournament after The Miz was hurt in the finals and Shane replaced him.

I guess my main question is why was the World Cup more important than Survivor Series? Survivor Series was set to feature all four champions representing Smackdown (WWE Champion, Women’s Champion, United States Champion, and Tag Team Champions) fighting the four champions that represent Raw (Universal Champion, Women’s Champion, Intercontinental Champion, and Tag Team Champions). This format was only changed slightly due to Becky Lynch being sidelined due to injury, so the Smackdown Women’s Champion did not compete against the Raw Women’s Champion, Ronda Rousey. It also featured five other women and men representing their brands in the traditional Survivor Series tag team elimination matches. There was also a tag team Survivor Series elimination match, but apparently that doesn’t count. Crown Jewel featured an eight man tournament; four from each show, where they fought each other in brand specific brackets, and the finals featured a one on one match to determine “the best in the world.” I’m struggling to understand how one eight man tournament is more important than an entire PPV dedicated to seeing which roster is “better.”

The WWE doesn’t even buy into their own “brand supremacy” garbage they spew every November. I hope they’re self-aware enough to know not to try this Raw vs. Smackdown thing next year. If they do I hope the fans remember this and reject the very notion as soon as it gets mentioned. If the WWE wants to do champion vs. champion that’s totally fine. I think doing that creates fresh and exciting match ups that we don’t get to see, but don’t throw the wrestlers out there in the red and blue shirts and keep a scoreboard because it’s obvious they don’t even care enough to follow up on the results.

NOW CHECK OUT OTHER WEEKLY OVERVIEWS HERE.

OR JUMP TO LAST WEEK’S WWE OVERVIEW: WEEKLY OVERVIEW – WWE (thru 11/22): News on Starrcade, Lars Sullivan, Survivor Series, plus results, announced matches, TV summaries, social media highlights, commentary on Vince McMahon and tag team wrestling

The following is the latest in a new series of weekly in-depth articles exclusive to PWTorch which will help put in perspective major wrestling promotions with a weekly overview, looking at news and roster developments, results, future line-ups, social media activity, key interviews, plus a timely commentary at the end. We will be featuring similar features on other promotions each week and each will be updated weekly

Wild Walnut Park Expansion Project Breaks Ground In Calabasas

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CALABASAS, CA — Get ready for a bigger, better park, Calabasas.

The city broke ground this week on the expansion of Wild Walnut Park at Mulholland Highway and Old Topanga Canyon Road, which will include areas for large and small dogs, a picnic grove, play structures for kids 2-12, benches, temporary restrooms and water fountains, according to the city.

It marks a long-awaited major expansion for the park, which currently features an open area, hiking trail and temporary dog park.

Find out what's happening in Calabasaswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Park options for people living on the east side of the city are very limited, so I’m excited we can finally get this project moving,” Mayor David Shapiro wrote in his weekly letter to the community.

Click Here:

The $1.09 million expansion is set to be completed in the spring.

Find out what's happening in Calabasaswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

AEW adds Collision date to live event schedule

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AEW is heading back to St. Louis in January. 

Click Here:

The promotion revealed on Dynamite last night that the episode of AEW Collision on Saturday, January 20, 2024, will take place from the Chaifetz Arena on the campus of Saint Louis University. 

AEW last ran a show from the venue on March 29, drawing roughly 4100 fans for a show headlined by Adam Cole vs. Daniel Garcia. AEW Road Rager on June 15, 2022, from the Chaifetz Arena drew just over 4700, and the first show the company ran from the venue on November 5, 2021, drew roughly 5400. 

AEW upcoming schedule:

November:

Friday, November 17: Collision/Rampage from Kia Forum in Los Angeles, CaliforniaSaturday, November 18: Full Gear from Kia Forum in Los Angeles, CaliforniaWednesday, November 22: Dynamite from Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IllinoisSaturday, November 25: Collision/Rampage from Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PAWednesday, November 29: Dynamite/Rampage from Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota

December:

Saturday, December 2: Collision from Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, PennsylvaniaTuesday, December 5: Collision from Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, CanadaWednesday, December 6: Dynamite/Rampage from Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, CanadaWednesday, December 13: Dynamite/Rampage from College Park Center in Arlington, TexasSaturday, December 16: Collision from the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, TexasWednesday, December 20: Dynamite/Rampage from the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OklahomaSaturday, December 23: Collision from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, TexasWednesday, December 27: Dynamite/Rampage from Addition Arena in Orlando, Florida

January:

Wednesday, January 3: Dynamite/Rampage from Prudential Center in Newark, NJSaturday, January 6: Collision from Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, NCWednesday, January 10: Dynamite/Rampage from Daily's Place in Jacksonville, FloridaSaturday, January 13: Collision from Chartway Arena in Norfolk, VirginiaWednesday, January 17: Dynamite/Rampage from North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, South CarolinaSaturday, January 20: Collision from the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis

WWE RAW PRIMER 12/3: Corbin closes in, Ambrose will be there, Alexa and her new gig, Ronda & Natalya vs. Nia & Tamina

Posted on by A2ZWEBDESIGNSUSA

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW PRIMER
DECEMBER 3, 2018
HOUSTON, TEX. AT THE TOYOTA CENTER
AIRS ON USA NETWORK, 8:00 P.M. EST
BY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH SPECIALIST

Announcers: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

Arena, TLC Announcements, and Items Advertised by WWE

WWE returns to the Toyota Center in Houston, TX for this evening’s Raw after appearing in this arena in June of this year.  Last year’s Survivor Series weekend also took place here which featured the first iteration of NXT: Takeover WarGames.  We continue to focus and get ready for TLC, which comes to us in just under two weeks on Sunday, December 16, 2018 from San Jose, CA.

Some matches have been added to the TLC card since WWE programming last week.  They are as follows:

  • Elias vs. Bobby Lashley.  These two faced off in the opening match on Raw last week.  Lashley defeated Elias after “General Manager-Elect” Baron Corbin restarted the match following Elias winning by DQ.
  • Finn Balor vs. Drew McIntyre.  They faced off in the main event, but it wasn’t the originally scheduled match.  It was supposed to be Balor vs. Baron Corbin for the 5,684th time it feels like recently.  During the match while Balor was gaining the advantage, Corbin made it a handicap match and introduced his partner in Drew McIntyre.  They went on to defeat Balor, and continued to beat him down with assistance from Bobby Lashley after the match. It appears as if a stable of sorts is forming with Lashley and McIntyre with Corbin as the lead, but it’s not a 100 percent given.
  • Smackdown Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Match: The Bar (Champions) vs. New Day vs. The Usos.  There have been different variations of matches between these teams as of late on Smackdown.  Last week the Usos defeated the Bar in a non-title match.  Let’s not forget the long-standing feud between the Usos and New Day, as well as the Bar with feuds at different times with both teams.  The titles go up for grabs at TLC.

Here are the items of emphasis advertised by WWE.com, which includes a match involving Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey announced a few days ago:

  • Corbin closes in on General Manager position
  • Inoculated Dean Ambrose promises he’ll be at Raw
  • The Goddess’ new gig
  • Rousey teams with the Queen of Harts to take on Nia Jax and Tamina

Corbin closes in on General Manager position

For now, Baron Corbin will face Braun Strowman at TLC.  Strowman’s shot at the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble as well as Baron Corbin’s general manager position are on the line.

Last week, Corbin decreed himself the “General Manager-Elect” as he doesn’t anticipate that Strowman would be medically cleared for TLC.  In a video from the hospital during the opening segment, Strowman claimed otherwise.  Corbin went on say if Strowman can’t make it he will win by forfeit, and have an inauguration in which he will remember who stood by him.  Everyone needs to decide if they want to be on the “right side or wrong side” of history.  Tonight, we follow up on this situation.

Frank’s Analysis:  I’m not sure how to look at this, but giving Alexa Bliss authority over the women’s division could be a key to this.  If Strowman is good to go for TLC, I can’t see him losing although stranger things have happened.  Alexa could be positioned as the next general manager if they want Corbin going back to full time wrestling.  If Strowman loses, Corbin would still be G.M., but they can figure out how to keep Strowman in the Universal Championship match in five minutes if they want.  All that said, I discussed earlier a faction could be forming with Corbin, McIntyre, and Lashley.  It feels somewhat thrown together, but what doesn’t these days.  It was odd that nobody came out to help Elias or Balor during their respective beatdowns.  The heels right now seem to be dominating similar to the the way the nWo did in its early run in WCW in 1996, which isn’t all that crazy considering the weak babyface side of the ledger.  I’m going to assume if Corbin ends up becoming permanent G.M., guys like Balor and Elias won’t be on the “right side of history.”   

Quickly on Drew McIntyre, I’m not keen on him being some sort of stooge for Corbin after beginning to establish himself as a potential top heel in recent weeks.  It took me a while but I got on board with what they were doing with him and Dolph Ziggler.  It could be to set up a potential babyface turn eventually, but we’ll have to see evidence of that before we can believe it.  If Drew does turn, Corbin would be a good first heel for him to roll through before moving on to better things.

Dean Ambrose Promises to be at Raw

At TLC, Dean Ambrose challenges Seth Rollins for the Intercontinental Championship.

Click Here:

Last week, Dean Ambrose was not at Raw for fear of getting sick.  He was seen in a doctor’s office getting a series of shots, including a rabies shot in anticipation of being in Houston tonight.  He claimed Seth was lucky he wasn’t there, otherwise he would have answered the open challenge for the IC belt which ended up being taken by Dolph Ziggler.

After getting his shots, which included the distemper normally reserved for dogs, he vowed to be at Raw tonight to take Seth “out of his misery.”

Frank’s Analysis:  I wish WWE would take us out of our misery having to listen to this garbage.  I’m sorry but Dean turning on Seth should be a HUGE deal, and yet they’ve reduced it to a pedestrian feud which includes Dean using canned heat trolling crowds and cities.  I want to know more why Dean has turned his back on his “brother.”  I don’t need to see the same comedic Dean who’s just acting like an obnoxious jerk.  Do a pre-taped interview or something showing Dean unleashing his anger and issues with Seth.  The Shield is undoubtedly the most popular faction of this time period, and its breakdown should not be explained with bd comedy on Dean’s part. By the way, were those shots covered under WWE’s health insur….oh, wait never mind.

One thing I saw on Twitter was Seth discussing the open challenge Dolph Ziggler answered.  It’s rumored he may be going against Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania.  Part of his tweet talked about being a “champion Raw deserves.”  Here it is, and I only point it out thinking it could be an initial shot across the bow at Lesnar:

The “Goddess” Alexa Bliss’s New Gig

General Manager-Elect Baron Corbin has just gotten through “firing” a backstage hand.  Alexa Bliss came over and congratulated him on getting rid of “dead weight,” and offered her services if there was anything she could do.  Corbin gave her the job of overseeing the women’s division on Raw.  In an awkward moment, he said “you look good, I look good, it’s that simple” and then shook hands.

In her fact act, Alexa decided to have an open forum with Bayley and Sasha Banks, giving fans the opportunity to ask them questions.  The fan “chosen” asked Sasha what she would change about the women’s division.  She said she would ship Alexa back to Smackdown.  Alexa then tried to stir trouble between Bayley and Sasha to which Bayley said she would ship Alexa to “hell.”  What would ensue is Mickie James, Alicia Fox, and Dana Brooke attacking Bayley and Sasha.

Tonight, we see more of Alexa as she settles in to her new job.

Frank’s Analysis:  Bayley joked about Alexa doing another “This Is Your Life” segment, to which Alexa said no.  To tell you the truth after watching that I think I would have preferred This Is Your Life.  The only thing that was accomplished was potentially stirring trouble between Sasha and Bayley by Alexa.  After seeing trouble between those two earlier in the year, I don’t know that anyone needs to see it again.  As far as Alexa getting this “gig,” I think an on-screen managerial position is perfect for her especially if she can’t wrestle.  It’ll be interesting to see what they do in the Strowman-Corbin match.  As I said earlier, Alexa could be made full time G.M.  

I have to point out one small detail. Dana Brooke teamed with Bayley and Sasha in a ten-woman tag at Starrcade two days prior to Raw last week.  Why is she suddenly a heel?  Nobody cares about Dana Brooke but these little things are still quite frustrating.

Ronda Rousey & Natalya vs. Nia Jax & Tamina

Hallelujah, I can talk about a match.  Just a few days ago, WWE announced this match for Raw tonight:

Nia Jax will challenge Ronda Rousey at TLC for the Raw Women’s Championship.  This is the second time Ronda and Nia will square off for the title as they previously went at it in June at Money in the Bank, only Nia was champion at the time.  That match saw Alexa Bliss interfere and cash in her MITB contract to win the championship.  Last week, Nia came out with Tamina to discuss the upcoming contest.  She discussed how Ronda wasn’t the same since the aforementioned match.  She went on to mock Ronda, and tout her recent accomplishments including winning the battle royal at Evolution and becoming the “Facebreaker” by knocking Smackdown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch out of action.

Ronda would came out and throw a few insults Nia and Tamina’s way, and ultimately challenge Nia right then and there.  When Nia and Tamina surrounded Ronda, Natalya would come out, only to be attacked by the Riott Squad.  Here’s the YouTube clip from the segment:

Tonight, Ronda and Natalya face Nia and Tamina.

Frank’s Analysis:  I found this promo to be overacted, and annoyed me to watch it more than anything.  More importantly, Nia did not tell the story accurately.  Saying Ronda hasn’t been the same since their MITB match doesn’t make sense considering she won the Raw Women’s Championship.  What she could have said was something along the line of “you may have won the championship, but you never beat me in our match.”  Now that may undermine Alexa Bliss considering that’s who Ronda beat for the title, but she ended up undermining Ronda in her promo.  That reduces the value of Nia defeating Ronda if she is lined up to win the championship.  Ronda was good in her retort, although getting into “warrior culture” feels like a line and not something she’d come up with.  I could be wrong there, but nonetheless calling Tamina a monolithic mute was quite amusing.  

One thing to look for is how Ronda and Natalya get along.  We’ve heard for a while the potential of Natalya turning on Ronda which likely got halted in the wake of her father Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart’s passing.  I’m not predicting a turn tonight, but it’s just something to which we should pay attention.

Other Items From Last Week:

•AOP retains.  AOP retained their Raw Tag Team Championship over Chad Gable and Bobby Roode.  During the match Drake Maverick stole Roode’s robe.  He was seen in the bathroom putting it in a toilet and urinating on it.  This froze Roode from doing anything which lead to AOP double teaming him and getting the win.  This was another embarrassing segment on this poorly constructed show.

•Lucha House rules reign supreme.  The Lucha House party defeated the Revival in a match contested under “lucha house rules” which meant three-on-two.  I have nothing.  We get it Vince, you have no use for tag teams.  I’m sorry but some of us still care about this division.

•Ember and Jinder win.  In consecutive matches, Ember Moon defeated Alicia Fox and Jinder Mahal defeated No Way Jose.  Fox and Jinder are team “Mahalicia” in the Mixed Match Challenge.

Quick News Items

•Titus O’Neill was recognized as an MVP on the 2018 EBONY power list.  Look for WWE to recognize this honor for one of their very fine human beings.  Congratulations are in order for Titus.

•On Saturday, WWE announced they were moving NXT: Takeover for WrestleMania weekend to Friday April 5, 2018 and will have the Hall of Fame ceremony the night after.  They say this will “better serve there fans,” but take note that the ROH/NJPW G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden is taking place that Saturday.  They likely and understandably didn’t want to go head-to-head with that event.

Start Time & Matches Advertised

The arena’s website is advertising a start time of 6:30 p.m. with doors opening at 5:00 p.m. local.

They advertise no matches.  The wrestlers they show appearing include Ronda Rousey, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Alexa Bliss and “many more.”  Obviously the website isn’t updated as Roman Reigns is inactive and even though he recently made a public appearance at a football game, I highly doubt he’s ready to return to WWE.

Follow me on Twitter @FrankPeteani or e-mail me at fpeteani@gmail.com.  Questions and discussion are welcome  Thank you for reading!

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: HEYDORN’S WWE RAW REPORT 11/26: Alt Perspective coverage of the live show including Elias vs. Lashley, IC Championship Open Challenge, and more

WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 12/11: Charlotte vs. Asuka, Rap contest, Jeff addresses Joe, Naomi vs. Mandy

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER
DECEMBER 11, 2018
LAS VEGAS, NEV. AT THE T-MOBILE ARENA
AIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00 P.M. EST
BY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH SPECIALIST

Arena & Items Advertised by WWE

WWE Smackdown makes its first appearance in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.  The arena opened for business in 2016 and has hosted WWE events before, including Money in the Bank the same year it opened.  That night saw Dean Ambrose win the MITB contract and cash in the same night to defeat WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, who had just defeated Roman Reigns for the title.  It was the famous night where all three members of the Shield held the championship.  That was then and tonight, we’re talking Smackdown which will feature a WrestleMania rematch and rap contest.

WWE.com is advertising the following items for tonight.

  • Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka
  • The Bar vs. The Usos in a rap battle hosted by New Day
  • Jeff Hardy to address Samoa Joe’s public service announcement
  • Naomi vs. Mandy Rose

Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka

 As we know, Becky Lynch will defend the Smackdown Women’s Championship at TLC in a triple threat TLC match against Charlotte Flair and Asuka.

In the opening segment last week, all three women signed the contract for the match.  Following the contract signing, Charlotte and Asuka were put into a tag team match against Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville.

At one point when Charlotte was attempting to kick Mandy Rose, she accidentally kicked her partner Asuka.  Sonya rolled up Charlotte to pick up the victory.  Later on, Asuka would return the favor and attack Charlotte.

Tonight, these two women go one-on-one in a WrestleMania 34 rematch.  That night, Charlotte handed Asuka her first defeat under the WWE umbrella as Asuka was challenging her for the Smackdown Women’s Championship.  Asuka won the first women’s Royal Rumble to earn the opportunity.

Frank’s Analysis:  Charlotte certainly acted like a heel during the signing, as did Becky to a degree although she is universally loved so it seems no matter what she says she will be cheered (unless it’s trolling the fans which they’ve stopped.  I want to throw something out there that nobody may be thinking about.  Is it possible Asuka actually ends up being the heel in all of this?  While Charlotte acted like a heel, she hasn’t officially committed a heel act.  Asuka came off somewhat unlikable as well when talking to both Charlotte and Becky.  Asuka was kicked by accident in the match, and I could understand her frustration.  Returning the favor could be perceived as a heel-type act.  I’m only suggesting this as Asuka has been ice cold and a heel turn could invigorate her run.  Your top heel on Smackdown is Mandy Rose with Sonya Deville and the IIconics right behind her.

As far as Becky is concerned there were rumors that she may not be cleared for TLC.  She dispelled those rumors on Twitter.  It wouldn’t be a Smackdown primer without a Becky tweet:

Rap Battle: The Usos vs. Smackdown Tag Team Champions the Bar, hosted by New Day

The Bar will defend the Smackdown Tag Team Championship in a triple threat match at TLC against the Usos and New Day.

Last week, Jey Uso defeated Xavier Woods and Cesaro in a triple threat match.  Tonight, the Usos and the Bar go at it in a rap battle.  The last rap battle ironically took place between New Day and the Usos back on July 4, 2017.

Rap battles have been a staple of Smackdown through the years.  Who can forget one of the first battles that took place between John Cena and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle:

Frank’s Analysis:  There’s not much to analyze here.  This is another stop towards the championship match at TLC.  These things are always entertaining, and you have three teams with plenty of history between them.  I’m selfishly looking forward to seeing Cesaro and Sheamus in his setting as I think they will be sort of a guilty pleasure to watch.

Jeff Hardy to Address Samoa Joe

Last week, Jeff Hardy renewed his feud with Randy Orton.  It was a series of matches that included Hell in a Cell and several cringeworthy moments that saw Orton tug on Hardy’s pierced ear with his fingers and at one point a screwdriver.  Nonetheless, Hardy came up short last week as he fell victim to Orton’s signature RKO.

Orton had some help, as Samoa Joe popped up on the titantron acting as a bartender at I assume some local bar.  Joe had a “public service announcement” in regard to drinking responsibly.  He talked about having a few beers with your friends and calling it a night or having “14 of these” and waking up in jail (exploiting Hardy’s past problems with alcohol including a DWI arrest this year).  Here’s the YouTube clip in case you missed it:

Joe continued to trash talk on Twitter the next day.

Tonight, Hardy addresses Joe’s actions.

Click Here:

Frank’s Analysis:  You’ll never get me to like exploiting real life issues for the purpose of furthering a wrestling angle, but it’s part of the business and thus I can accept it and put it into context.  It doesn’t mean I nor anybody has to like it.  Jeff Hardy has had his issues with drugs and alcohol through the years and to exploit that to me is just not good business.  It wouldn’t get me to want to watch WWE again if I was on the outside.  I didn’t like when they exploited Scott Hall’s issues with alcohol on WCW programming in the last 1990s.  I didn’t care for CM Punk exploiting Paul Bearer’s death in 2013 in the run-up to his match with the Undertaker at WrestleMania.  I didn’t like Ruby Riott exploiting Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart on Raw last night with Natalya.  It is what it is, and let’s just hope the wrestling matches are worth the trouble.

Mandy Rose vs. Naomi 

Mandy Rose has been stepping more into the forefront recently.  As I talked about earlier, she and Sonya Deville defeated Charlotte Flair and Asuka in the opening match last week.  When the TLC match for the women’s championship was being announced a few weeks ago, she came out with the other heels and spoke of how any one of them deserved a championship opportunity (I don’t know why, but I’ll play along).

She and Naomi have done a little trash talking on Twitter:

Tonight, Mandy and Naomi go one-on-one.

Frank’s Analysis:  There’s not much here as it’s a match on the lower end of the card.  It seems Mandy has been pushed a little more as of late, and thus you wonder if Vince is looking to see if she could be one of his top heels if not a top star.  Let’s be honest, Mandy is certainly what Vince looks for in his women wrestlers.  If Asuka or Charlotte don’t officially turn heel, and if you consider Becky Lynch a babyface as we all do, Mandy is your top heel on Smackdown.

Other Items

  • Rusev claimed he wanted to feast on U.S. Champion Shinsuke Nakamura on Rusev Day.  If TLC coincides with Rusev Day, does he get a U.S. Championship match?
  • WWE Champion Daniel Bryan was a guest on MizTV.  He talked about the fans being sinners while they eat factory farmed meat and drink from plastic water bottles.  He quoted Alexander Hamilton saying giving power to the mindless masses is dangerous.  He re-emphasized over and over how the fans are “fickle.”  Ultimately A.J. Styles came out and went after Bryan.  He was intercepted the Miz.  Later in the main event, A.J. tapped out the Miz with a calf crusher.  He would then be attacked by Bryan, who was on guest commentary.  Here are highlights from the match:

 

  • The Miz and “Best in the World” Shane McMahon had another odd exchange in front of the World Up trophy.  Shane reiterated they were not tag team partners. 

Start Time & Matches Advertised

The arena website shows a start time of 4:30 p.m local with doors opening at 3:00 p.m.

The website is clearly not updated as they show the following.

WWE Champion AJ Styles, Rey Mysterio and Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton, The Miz and United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura! Charlotte Flair vs SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch! The New Day live!

Follow me on Twitter @FrankPeteani.  My e-mail is fpeteani@gmail.com.  Questions and discussion are welcome.  Thank you for reading!

 

WEEKLY OVERVIEW – IMPACT WRESTLING (thru 12/22): Top stories of week, major show lineups, live event results, schedule of live events, noteworthy social media posts, more

Posted on by A2ZWEBDESIGNSUSA

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

•Top Stories of the Week

  • On Friday, Impact Wrestling announced they have agreed on a new TV deal with the Pursuit Channel. This deal will begin on January 11, 2019, and Impact will move to Friday nights at 10 p.m. ET. (SOURCE)
  • Thursday’s episode of Impact, drew 116,000 viewers which is down from last week’s 140,000 viewers. Despite the drop in ratings, Impact was ranked 134 on the Cable Top 150. (SOURCE)
  • Impact Wrestling announced its year-end awards results. Sami Callihan won wrestler of the year, Tessa Blanchard won Knockout of the year, and LAX won tag-team of the year. LINK

•Live Event Results

No new shows since last week’s oVe Twitch special.

•Upcoming Major Show Line-up: Homecoming in Nashville

Impact Homecoming
January 6, 2019
Nashville, Tenn. at the Fairgrounds

  • Johnny Impact (c) vs. Brian Cage – Impact World Championship match.
  • Tessa Blanchard (c) vs. Taya Valkyrie – Impact Knockouts Championship match.
  • Jake Crist vs. Ethan Page vs. Rich Swann vs. Trey Miguel – Ultimate X Match for the vacant X-Division Championship.
  • LAX (c) vs. The Lucha Bros – Impact World Tag Team Championship match.
  • Eli Drake vs. Abyss – Monster’s Ball match.
  • Eddie Edwards vs. Moose – Falls Count Anywhere match.

•Upcoming Events

1/6/2019 – Homecoming, The Asylum, Nashville, Tenn.
1/7/2019 – Impact Live, The Asylum, Nashville, Tenn.
1/11/2019 – Impact Live, Gran Casino Fronton, Mexico City, Mexico.
1/12/2019 – Impact Live, Gran Casino Fronton, Mexico City, Mexico.
1/25/2019 – Battle of Brooklyn, St. Pats CYO Sports, Brooklyn, N.Y.
1/26/2019 – One Night Only: New Beginnings, Holy Family Academy, Hazleton, Pa.
2/2/2019 – Brace for Impact, London Music Hall, London, Ont.
2/15/2019 – Impact Live, Sam’s Town Casino, Las Vegas, Nev.
2/16/2019 – Impact Live, Sam’s Town Casino, Las Vegas, Nev.
2/17/2019 – Impact Live, Sam’s Town Casino, Las Vegas, Nev.
3/22/2019 – Impact Tapings, St. Clair College, Windsor, Ont.
3/23/2019 – Impact Tapings, St. Clair College, Windsor, Ont.
Click Here:
4/4/2019 – Culture Clash 2019, 9112 144th Place, Queens, N.Y.

•Latest TV Highlights: (12/20 Impact Wrestling)

This week’s episode was part one of a two-part series showcasing the best moments/matches from Impact in 2018.

(1) Rich Swann & Willie Mack defeated Matt Sydal & Ethan Page – Bound for Glory 2018

(2) Tessa Blanchard defeated Allie – Slammiversary 2018

(3) Brian Cage defeated Lashley – Impact March 29, 2018

(4) Sami Callihan (w/oVe) vs. Eddie Edwards – Impact March 1, 2018

(5) Austin Aries (w/Moose & Killer Kross) defeated Fallah Bahh (w/KM) – Impact World Championship match – Impact September 13, 2018

(6) Austin Aries defeated Moose – Impact World Championship match – Slammiversary 2018

(7) Johnny Impact defeated Taiji Ishimori, Petey Williams, Fenix – International Four Way Match – Slammiversary 2018

See detailed results HERE.

•Latest PWTorch Livecast Covering Impact

PWTorch.com’s Mike McMahon and Andrew Soucek break down the year that was for Impact Wrestling. They look at the best and worst of the company in 2018, as well as hand out awards for Wrestler of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Feud of the Year, and more. They look at the business aspects moving ahead into 2019 and they each make a bold prediction for the new year.

-On Tune In Radio HERE
-On Apple Podcasts HERE
-Or search “PWTorch” or “Pro Wrestling Torch” on your podcast app of choice

•Impact in the Media

  • Scott D’Amore recently spoke with Wrestling Inc to discuss the change in TV Networks. D’Amore said the demographics are a better fit on Pursuit than POP TV. He also defended the time slot saying when TNA debut on Spike TV they went on at 11 pm on Saturday and they were still doing 850,000 viewers in that time slot. Towards the end of the interview, he stated 10 pm ET is a starting point for now, but things could expand as 2019 moves along. LINK
  • Nick Hausman of Wrestling Inc. asked Desmond Xavier on the Impact conference call about The Rascalz portraying characters that appear to be smoking marijuana. Xavier said people are gonna talk no matter what and said they could be having a drink of water instead of vodka. He also said it’s not bothering them on what people say online or what they would say face-to-face. Xavier closed by saying they are having fun right now. LINK
  • Johnny Impact was recently a guest on the WINCLY Podcast. Impact was asked about AEW wrestling, but he quickly deferred the question and spoke about how excited he is for Impact wrestling in 2019. Impact also mentioned that he has had no communication with Austin Aries since Bound for Glory, but he wished him well. When asked about the comments he made to Impact’s wife Taya Valkyrie, Impact said, “I think he’s got some deep-seated issues with himself…” He also discussed his upcoming match at Homecoming, against Brian Cage and Ultimate X matches. LINK 1 / LINK 2
  • Sami Callihan was this week’s guest on the Impact Wrestling Press Pass. He discussed numerous topics including his ups and downs of 2018, personal goals for 2019, holiday plans, and much more. LINK

•Social Media Scene

•Closing Commentary

Well, the day has come where Impact wrestling has officially announced a new TV network deal for 2019. There were many rumors going around about potential landing spots, but all of them were false. Instead, Impact signed a deal with Anthem Sports and Entertainment affiliate Pursuit Channel. No, I am not joking that is a real channel that mainly airs hunting and fishing programs.

This is without a doubt the biggest step backwards Impact has taken in 2018. According to the Wrestling Observer, Pursuit just started subscribing to Nilsen in the early part of this year. Also, with this move to Pursuit, Impact will now air on Friday nights at 10 pm ET. Somehow Impact managed to land on a worse day of the week and on a much lower-rated station. I have no idea why this is surprising because this is typical Impact wrestling behavior.

Starting on January 11, 2019, Impact will air on a much smaller network than Pop TV and on a worse night of the week for ratings. Considering Impact is averaging around 116,000 viewers since moving to 10 pm ET, we can expect an even lower number when they move to Pursuit in January.

Scott D’Amore tried to defend Impact’s move to Friday Nights on Pursuit Channel, but he referred back to the original Spike era where they aired on Saturdays at 11 pm. I am no TV expert, but Pursuit is nowhere close to being as big as Spike TV (now Paramount Network). A lot has changed since those days and Impact has no buzz surrounding it. If I were running Impact, I would just accept that instead of trying to spin this as a positive move. Fans realize that Impact is headed in the wrong direction, and this only makes things worse. D’Amore did mention that this is only a start and things could change as 2019 moves along. Hopefully, he means more than just moving to 8 pm ET on Pursuit channel, because I don’t see that helping whatsoever.

Impact Wrestling/TNA has been dying for years now, and the running joke surrounding the company isn’t funny anymore. I understand people will lose their jobs and there will be one less promotion to work for, but come on – why can’t this company just die already? I’ve been an avid fan of Impact Wrestling/TNA since 2007, and it’s sad to see the way this company has changed. Hopefully, 2019 will bring good fortunes for Impact, but with this new TV deal, it definitely puts a damper on 2019.

NOW CHECK OUT OTHER WEEKLY OVERVIEWS HERE.

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Landon Pipkin has been a pro wrestling fan for over a decade. He is from Raleigh, North Carolina. Find him on Twitter @pipkinbrand. Email: pipkinlandon@gmail.com