Kushida, Volador Jr., Kevin Knight and The DKC defeated Máscara Dorada, Josh Alexander, Adrian Quest and Rocky Romero
Strong Openweight Championship KENTA defeated Fred Rosser (c) to WIN the Strong Openweight Championship
KENTA picked up the win with the Go To Sleep as CM Punk watched on from the stands after Juice Robinson returned to NJPW and decked Fred Rosser with a fistful of coins.
Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) (c) defeated West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson and Royce Issacs)
Loser Leaves NJPW Eddie Kingston defeated Jay White
Jay White lost his Loser Leaves NJPW Match to Eddie Kingston following four Urakens and two Northern Lights suplexes. White was set to cut a post-match promo but he was suddenly attacked from behind by David Finlay, who cut a long promo about being a foreigner everywhere he wrestles.
Filthy Rules Fight Tom Lawlor defeated Homicide
NJPW World Television Championship Zack Sabre Jr. (c) defeated Clark Connors
IWGP Women’s Championship Mercedes Monè defeated Kairi (c) to WIN the IWGP Women’s Championship
Moné became the second-ever IWGP Women’s Champion after defeating fellow former WWE talent KAIRI in the semi-main event of Battle in the Valley. Moné hit a Bayley-To-Belly and was put through a table in her NJPW in-ring debut before she picked up the win with her Moné Maker finisher. Moné and KAIRI then hugged after the match as Bayley watched on from the crowd.
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi
The XFL’s long-awaited return to action in 2020 was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Three years later, the spring start-up league has returned under new leadership, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s ownership group presiding over it.
The XFL’s 2023 season kicks off this weekend (February 17 & 18) on ABC and ESPN/FX
In conjunction, ESPN has announced that they will launch a weekly series to cover the league. Titled XFL Weekly, the show will air on Sunday at 2:30pm Eastern. It will be available on the ESPN app, ESPN social media channels, and YouTube. Jason Fitz and Skubie Mageza have been tabbed as hosts.
ELIMINATION CHAMBER MATCH FOR THE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP: Austin Theory (c) vs. Bronson Reed vs. Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Montez Ford vs. Seth Rollins
UNDISPUTED WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Sami Zayn
ELIMINATION CHAMBER MATCH TO DETERMINE NO. 1 CONTENDER FOR RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP: Asuka vs. Carmella vs. Liv Morgan vs. Natalya vs. Nikki Cross vs. Raquel Rodriguez
MIXED TAG TEAM MATCH: Edge and Beth Phoenix vs. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley)
New Japan Pro Wrestling returns to California for a major PPV event featuring the New Japan in-ring debut of Mercedes Mone, formerly known as Sasha Banks, in the WWE.
AEW taped tonight’s AEW Rampage “Slam Dunk” at the Sames Auto Center in Larado, Texas on Wednesday night after Dynamite went off the air. Tonight’s Rampage will air at a special time 7/6 C on TNT due to NBA All-Star festivities.
Daniel Garcia vs. Ricky Starks
AEW Trios Championship: The Elite (c) vs. Top Flight & AR Fox
TBS Champion Jade Cargill defends against VertVixen
WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX, and emanate from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Tonight’s show is the go-home show for Saturday’s Elimination Chamber.
Although Jay White is on WWE’s radar, the company is looking to bring in another major free agent.
White’s deal with NJPW is expiring soon, and he looks to be on his way out of the company after losing a “loser leaves NJPW” match. Many expect him to go to AEW or WWE.
In an update from Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, those in WWE that would normally know about talent acquisitions mentioned that there is an even bigger free agent that the company is looking at.
“Those in WWE who would normally know of major acquisitions during Mania season didn’t know about this one and only said that there was a much bigger major free agent in play right now that was internally the priority.”
On Saturday, New Japan Pro Wrestling will return to the U.S. to host Battle in the Valley in San Jose, California. The event will potentially be the destination for Jay White’s final match with the promotion.
Mercedes Moné’s debut match is the biggest selling point for the upcoming show, which will also feature the latest edition of Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi’s iconic rivalry. Still, all eyes would be on The Switchblade following the outcome of his dramatic Loser Leaves Japan bout at The New Beginning.
Last week, Hikuleo defeated the leader of Bullet Club and banished him from his adopted home. After he accepted his fate, the New Zealand wrestler set his sights on a showdown with AEW’s Eddie Kingston. However, the two upped the ante on this week’s episode of Wrestling Observer Live with our own Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive.
Kingston challenged White to a Loser Leaves NJPW match, and the former IWGP world champion agreed. The added stipulation doesn’t add much suspense to their conflict because many assumed it would be his final appearance with the Japanese promotion.
Instead, the occasion will likely mark the end of the Cutthroat Era and make King Switch the hottest new free agent in wrestling. During his interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, White said he was “at peace with it.”
“I don’t know if there is much more I could have done,” he said. “I don’t feel like I left a bunch of boxes unchecked. I’ve been living it, so it can be hard to appreciate it in the moment, but as I move on, I’ve started to look back at the weight some of it holds. As time goes on, I hope people appreciate it even more.”
The first NJPW grand slam champion certainly had a prosperous and impactful run with the company. So, what’s next for the self-proclaimed Catalyst of Pro Wrestling?
ICYMI
Jay White vs Eddie Kingston Saturday at Battle in the Valley is now Loser Leaves NJPW!
The Elite has a long history with White stemming from Kenny Omega’s failed attempt to recruit him at NJPW New Year Dash 2018. The Switchblade rejected him, waited for Bullet Club to implode, and eventually stepped in as its new leader.
When The Cleaner and The Young Bucks left New Japan, he thrived as the top gaijin star in the company. The formation of AEW and the rise of the Cutthroat Era ran parallel to one another as Omega’s successor secured numerous accolades in his absence.
It didn’t take an expert to see that the 30-year-old would inevitably make his way to the U.S. as well. For starters, every wrestler who rose to prominence as the head of Bullet Club did so before him, including its founder, Finn Balor.
White started making inroads into America in 2020 as a part of NJPW Strong. The following year, his U-S-of-Jay Open Challenge became a fixture at these shows, and he appeared on Impact Wrestling.
By the time he made his triumphant return to Japan at Wrestling Dontaku 2022, it became clear that he would be at the forefront of NJPW’s new partnership with AEW. In the process, he continued to gain new fans in the U.S., and you could see where this was leading.
For that reason, AEW would be a perfect landing spot for King Switch. The company’s audience already knows him, and its core fanbase has an affinity for New Japan because of The Elite. His style of wrestling would also fit seamlessly on a roster full of some of the best wrestlers in the industry.
Even more, there are so many potential storylines for him there with familiar opponents like The Best Bout Machine. Straight away, White would be an excellent opponent for Adam Cole at Revolution. After all, the two-time IWGP world champion was a part of his last pay-per-view match at Forbidden Door, and he has reason to seek revenge.
The Next Bullet Club Member to Sign With WWE
If White wants to step out of his comfort zone and compete on a larger stage, WWE is the best option. AEW is a safe bet because he could pick up where he left off with NJPW in some ways and continue to build on established rivalries.
WWE would allow him to do something different and reach a broader audience. It’s hard to imagine he would leave Japan just to keep doing the same character work and catering to a niche audience.
It would be fun to see him work with The Elite or test himself against Bryan Danielson. However, one could argue that he has already done memorable angles with Omega, and he successfully surpassed him as the leader of Bullet Club.
The Switchblade has already beaten him for the IWGP United States Championship. He one-upped him in the main event of G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden and took part in Forbidden Door.
There are still stories to tell and comeuppances to dish out, but White doesn’t gain as much from revisiting lingering questions surrounding Omega’s NJPW exit. King Switch created a mystique by filling the void he left behind and doing things his way. So, wouldn’t it make more sense for him to chart his own path free of the ever-present comparisons between the two men?
Signing with WWE would definitely come with the risk that the company would dilute his character or repackage and saddle him with an unimaginative name change. Still, he would have a better chance of immediately entering the world title picture there than he would with AEW.
After Roman Reigns’ monster run as the undisputed universal champion, the company will need fresh contenders. In particular, there will be room for a new heel to step up when he isn’t as present on WWE programming.
AEW doesn’t need a new major antagonist as much because MJF just started his reign of terror. It will be hard to compete with him for the top spot right now. So, White could probably make a more significant impact with WWE on the main roster.
The Verdict
White has two great options in WWE and AEW. Both companies have pros and cons, but it all depends on what he wants out of the next chapter of his career.
MLW announced today a broadcast deal with Ayozat TV in the UK. MLW issued the following:
UNDERGROUND hits UK airwaves March 6
(LONDON, UK) – Major League Wrestling (“MLW”) and Ayozat TV have today announced a broadcast partnership, bringing MLW’s new hit series, “MLW UNDERGROUND” to UK airwaves on Monday nights on SKY channel 191.
MLW UNDERGROUND will premiere Monday, March 6th, with new episodes airing every Monday night.
Fans will journey into the Underground where there are no rules and combat reigns supreme.
MLW UNDERGROUND features a prestigious roster of talent, UK fans can expect to see the likes of World Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone, Davey Boy Smith Jr and the Billington Bulldogs, Real1, John Hennigan, Taya Valkyrie, Alex Kane, Jacob Fatu and other exciting fighters from around the world.
“The UK has arguably the loudest and most rabid wrestling fans in the world,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer. “We’ve built a great relationship with Ayozat and we’re happy to bring more original MLW content to SKY TV airwaves. MLW Underground is an awesome addition to our growing offering of weekly programming on Ayozat.”
A talent meeting was called for the female locker room in AEW recently with the goal being to bury the hatchet among a number of wrestlers as Thunder Rosa gets set to make her return to the company.
Fightful Select reports that a backstage summit occurred at the February 8 “Dynamite” to repair some of the damage done last year between Rosa and other members of the roster. Those women who were present at the tapings participated. Thunder Rosa did work the tapings as well, providing Spanish commentary for the El Paso shows, as she continues to recover from injury. That injury forced her to vacate the AEW Women’s Championship after she had won it from Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. last March.
Sources claim that Rosa attempted to mend a lot of fences during the conference, as it relates back to a number of issues that arose prior to her being sidelined. Previous problems were raised about working stiff and sandbagging, in addition to the legitimacy of her injury being questioned. Rosa appears to have addressed all of the concerns, and the meeting was said to have been productive — perhaps a “clean slate” moving forward.
Thunder Rosa has been inching closer and closer to returning to the ring. However, she has still not been cleared yet. In the meantime, she will be returning to the road soon. It also appears her role on Spanish commentary will continue in the immediate future, as she enjoyed it, at least until she’s ready to step back between the ropes.
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