Author: John Bass

AEW’s Ricochet Surprises Konosuke Takeshita At MLPW Forged In Excellence, Results From Both Nights

Former TNA Wrestling President Scott D’Amore got his next project off the ground this past weekend, relaunching Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling to hold a pair of shows in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The two events included talent from across the wrestling world, including AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita defending his title against TNA’s Josh Alexander. Following Takeshita’s victory, he and Don Callis began beating down Alexander when they were interrupted by a surprising face — AEW star Ricochet.

As soon as the music hit, Callis made his escape as Ricochet entered the ring and launched Takeshita to the outside. He then dove onto the International Champion before hopping back into the ring and grabbing hold of the title, teasing that he isn’t finished with Takeshita.

Earlier this month, both Ricochet and Takeshita took part in a three-way match at AEW WrestleDream with the International Championship on the line, with former champion Will Ospreay as the third man. Takeshita pinned Ricochet to win the match, but it seems Ricochet is now looking for a one-on-one shot at the title. The angle between the two AEW stars closed the show, possibly indicating that the match will take place in MLPW rather than AEW.

In addition to Takeshita, Ricochet, and Alexander, MLPW’s return shows featured performers such as Athena, “Speedball” Mike Bailey, QT Marshall, Bully Ray, and many more. Former WWE commentator Mauro Ranallo could also be heard calling the event alongside Callis, marking his return to the world of pro wrestling after more than three years away.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Source for Results: Fightful

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling Forged In Excellence Night 1 (10/19/24) Results.

* Josh Alexander, Stu Grayson & El Phantasmo def. Trevor Lee, Rocky Romero & Alex Zayne

– Mike Bailey is interviewed backstage and talks about how excited he is to face off with Takeshita. He says the experience is nerve-racking, but so is leaving your home country to try and find stardom worldwide. That will be the main event tonight.

– Bret Hart narrates a video package about the past and future of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling.

– Ahead of the next match, QT Marshall cut a promo about St. Clair College giving an Alumni of Distinction award to Bhupinder Gujjar, his opponent for the evening.

* QT Marshall (with Harley Cameron) def. Bhupinder Gujjar

– McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Kylie Rae.

* Kylie Rae def. Laynie Luck, Taylor Rising, and Aurora Teves

– McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Josh Alexander. He says he’s honored to be the first wrestler to score a pinfall in the new era of MLP, but now he will watch the match between Mike Bailey and Konosuke Takeshita. He will challenge Konosuke Takeshita for the International Championship tomorrow night.

* IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Jet Setters (KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight) (c) def. Rogue Squadron (Sheldon Jean & Rohit Raju) vs. El Reverso & Aiden Prince vs. Brett Banks & Johnny Swinger

* PWA Champion’s Grail: Rohan Raja def. Jake Something

– After the match, Raja was interviewed by McKenzie Mitchell and declared that he was “Ravenous” and wanted to defend the gold globally.

– Bully Ray cut a promo on Raj Dhesi. He called him a “washed-up former champion” and said that he would never ever put him through a table.

* Tables Match: Bully Ray def. Raj Dhesi

– The match ended after Raj had chokeslammed Bully through a table, but the referee was knocked out. This led to QT Marshall coming down and knocking out Raj with a chain and dragging him through the broken table before the referee woke up, so it looked like Raj had gone through the table, so Bully scored the victory without actually doing what he needed to do to score the victory. Bhupinder Gujjar stopped a post-match attack on Raj, setting up a tag team match for tomorrow night.

* Gisele Shaw def. Miyu Yamashita

* AEW International Championship Eliminator Match: Konosuke Takeshita (c) def. Mike Bailey

– After the match, Josh Alexander came down to confront Takeshita, and they stared each other down for the show’s final moments.

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling Forged In Excellence Night 2 (10/20/24) Results.

* Jet Setters (KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight) & Aiden Prince def. Rocky Romero, Rohit Raju & Rohan Raja

* QPW Qatar Championship Match: El Reverso def. Classy Ali (c)

– Rohan Raja cut a promo backstage, incensed that he lost it in The Opening match without losing the match. He said he would defend his PWA Champion’s Grail in Oceanic Pro Wrestling in December.

– Footage aired of Harley Cameron and Laynie Luck attacking Kylie Rae after last night’s show.

* Kylie Rae & Miyu Yamashita def. Laynie Luck & Harley Cameron

* “Psycho” Mike Rollins def. Trevor Lee, Jake Something, Stu Grayson, Alex Zayne, and Sheldon Jean

* “Speedball” Mike Bailey def. El Phantasmo

– Harley Cameron completely hijacked an interview with Bully Ray and QT Marshall, where she repeated a bunch of Dudley Boyz catchphrases in a funny moment.

* Raj Dhesi & Bhupinder Gujjar def. Bully Ray & QT Marshall (w/ Harley Cameron)

– Darren McCarty appeared in the audience and attacked Bully Ray during the match, setting the scene for the end, which came when Gujjar scored with his Gargoyle Spear on QT Marshall.

* ROH Women’s World Championship: Athena (c) def. Gisele Shaw

* AEW International Championship: Konosuke Takeshita (c) def. Josh Alexander

– Post-Match: Don Callis bragged about Takeshita’s win. He said nobody would be able to stop him. They continued to attack Josh Alexander, and Ricochet came down to save the day. Ricochet and Josh Alexander shook hands as the show came to a close.

AEW Collision & Battle Of The Belts XII Preview 10/19/2024

AEW has a three-hour programming block scheduled for tonight on TNT. First up, it’s a new episode of AEW Collision, immediately followed by AEW Battle of the Belts XII. Both shows air back-to-back tonight on TNT.

Collision:

* AEW World Trios Championship Match: Claudio Castagnoli, PAC & Wheeler Yuta (c) vs. Top Flight
* Kyle Fletcher vs. Atlantis Jr.
* Ricochet vs. AR Fox
* The Outrunners vs. RUSH & The Beast Mortos
* Daniel Garcia & Private Party vs. Premier Athletes
* Orange Cassidy vs. Bulk Bronson
* Harley Cameron vs. Kris Statlander
* Jamie Hayter vs. TBA
* House of Black vs. TBA

Battle of the Belts XII:

* AEW Continental Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly
* AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Match: Mariah May (c) vs. Anna Jay

Additional Details On New AEW-WBD Media Rights Deal, Ongoing Negotiations

AEW and Warner Brothers Discovery were finally able to announce the details of their new media rights deal on October 2. The deal will not only see AEW stay on TBS and TNT until at least 2028, but the company will also have its two main shows, “AEW Dynamite” and “AEW Collision,” streamed simultaneously on MAX, with the rest of the AEW library following as 2025 rolls on. 

In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer revealed some extra details about the deal now that it has finally been made official. Meltzer revealed that the $555 Million deal that was announced on October 2 was the main part of the agreement, and the goal was to always announce it on the fifth anniversary of “Dynamite.” However, there are still some negotiations going on. The most notable being the future of “AEW Rampage,” which looks to be finishing at the end of 2024 in favor of a new third show, “AEW Shockwave,” which is still being shopped around to other networks. “Rampage” may still have a future according to Meltzer, but it is unlikely given what the company wants to do with “Shockwave.”

FOX has been “Shockwave’s” main target given they just lost WWE programming, with Meltzer stating that if AEW were to get on FOX, the best days for them would either be Tuesdays or Thursdays, as “WWE Raw” and “WWE SmackDown” already occupy Monday and Friday, AEW already have shows on Wednesday and Saturdays, and Tony Khan doesn’t want to compete with the NFL on Sundays. However, there would be competition on both of those nights in the form of “WWE NXT” on Tuesdays, and some NFL games on Thursdays.

Tony Khan Wants To Expand AEW Internationally

While the future of “Rampage” looks almost certain, some of AEW’s other programs have more uncertain futures in regards to airing on TV. The quarterly Battle of the Belts specials were reportedly not part of the new deal, and while the show can still be shopped around and air in the same way WWE is bringing back Saturday Night’s Main Event, the upcoming Battle of the Belts XII event on October 19 looks to be the final installment. Meltzer also revealed that talks still exist for other new deals, including the potential to air on TruTV, and ROH finally getting its own deal after nearly two years of streaming on HonorClub.

The other main part of the deal that Meltzer shed light on was the profitability of AEW. The new deal not only reportedly guarantees AEW will be a profitable company for the next three years, but also looks to make them the second-most profitable wrestling company in history behind WWE. However, it’s where AEW President Tony Khan decides to put the added $95 Million in television revenue that is the real question.

Meltzer noted that there is no pressure or urge to try and set profit records, with one of Khan’s main goals being investing profits into the international growth of AEW, something that has already been evident in the announcements of the Wrestle Dynasty event in Japan, February’s Grand Slam in Australia, and the 2025 Forbidden Door pay-per-view that will take place in London, England, which will then be followed up with the return of All In: London in 2026. Talent are also set to benefit greatly from the deal too, as the injection of money means bidding wars between AEW and WWE will likely result in the talent being paid more money than ever before.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Rampage Preview 10/18/2024

AEW Rampage tonight on TNT.

* Mark Briscoe vs. The Butcher
* Anna Jay vs. Trish Adora
* Private Party vs. MxM Collection
* Kyle O’Reilly in action

WWE Reportedly Has Booked The Former Home Of ECW (2300 Arena) For A NXT Show 11/6/2024

According to Dave Meltzer in the latest the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE has booked the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Meltzer notes the date the venue is booked for is November 6, with the belief WWE hold an NXT show there. However, at the time of his report, nothing has been officially confirmed.

The report further indicates for first week of November, NXT is expected to air on the CW on Wednesday instead of Tuesday to avoid going up against election night coverage and will be going head-to-head with AEW Dynamite instead.

Meltzer said the following:

“WWE has a date booked for the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. While not confirmed, the belief is that it will be on 11/6, which would be the NXT TV tapings on a Wednesday, the day after the election. The fact there will be a show has been confirmed by many, just not the date. NXT will be on the unfamiliar night and I presume they’ll loaded up going head-to-head with AEW. It makes sense the idea of NXT from the ECW Arena for the first time will get enough buzz to help grow the audience in the attempt to beat AEW.“

2300 Arena is formerly known as Viking Hall. However, it was made famous and given the name of the ECW Arena when the promotion under Paul Heyman would hold its television tapings and other shows at the venue between 1993, up until the promotion was sold to WWE in 2001.

ROH, under Sinclair Broadcast Group, TNA Wrestling and MLW have all held television shows from the 2300 Arena.

Source: WrestleView

WWE SmackDown Preview 10/18/2024

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on the USA Network from the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.

  • Andrade vs Carmelo Hayes: Part VII (Series is tied 3-3)
  • Los Garza (Angel and Berto) vs. A new tag team – Expected to the debut of the Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley)
  • Roman Reigns to appear
  • Randy Orton to appear
  • The issues between Kevin Owens, Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton continues

Health Update On Bryan Danielson Following AEW World Title Loss

After 25 years, a forced retirement, and many matches some would consider the best to have ever happened, Bryan Danielson’s full-time wrestling career is over. The American Dragon lost the AEW World Championship to Jon Moxley at WrestleDream on October 12, with many wondering what the future holds for him given the condition of his body. Dave Meltzer provided an update on what’s next for Danielson in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

According to Meltzer, Danielson is set to have an MRI scan in the near future to see what damage has been done to his neck. Danielson reportedly had an MRI scan earlier this year that showed significant damage to his neck, but not quite enough to rule him out of action completely, resulting in him being able to finish out his last full-time year. The results of the MRI scan will determine what Danielson does next, as the hope currently is that he will not need surgery, but if the damage has gotten a lot worse, he may need to go under the knife, which could put a potential in-ring return in jeopardy depending on how well the surgery, and his recovery goes.

If Danielson is able to avoid surgery, he will be able to undergo stem cell treatment therapy to heal up instead. WWE star Rey Mysterio has undergone multiple rounds of stem cell treatment to repair his knees and is still wrestling to this day, so if Danielson does end up going down that route, the hopes of an in-ring return will seem brighter. Danielson reportedly told people within AEW that he can’t see himself going back to WWE, with the idea being that he will pop up in AEW occasionally, but for right now, he is focused on getting healthy, and spending time with his family.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

ROH TV Preview 10/17/2024

The following matches are advertised for tonight’s ROH on HonorClub TV show.

  • ROH Women’s Champion Athena vs. Lady Frost in a Proving Ground match
  • Yuka Sakazaki vs. Viva Van
  • “MxM Collection” Mason Madden and Mansoor in action
  • Nick Wayne in action
  • Angelico and Serpentico in action

TNA Impact Preview 10/17/2024

TNA Wrestling will present a new episode of Impact tonight on AXS TV as the build continues for Bound for Glory.

* X Division Championship: Mike Bailey (c) vs. Leon Slater
* Pick Your Poison: Matt Cardona vs. Nic Nemeth
* Pick Your Poison: PCO vs. Rhino
* Brian Myers vs. Mike Santana
* We’ll hear from Steve Maclin
* Jordynne Grace and Masha Slamovich go face-to-face

Rhino and Bob Ryder To Be Inducted Into TNA Wrestling Hall of Fame

TNA Wrestling has announced that Rhino and Bob Ryder will be the 2024 inductees into the TNA Wrestling Hall of Fame. The ceremony happens on the Countdown to Bound for Glory special on October 26, ahead of the PPV itself.

TNA Wrestling Announces Rhino & Bob Ryder As 2024 Inductees Into The TNA Wrestling Hall of Fame

TNA Wrestling confirmed that former multi-time champion Rhino and company co-founder Bob Ryder will be inducted into the TNA Wrestling Hall of Fame, as first announced today by Busted Open on SiriusXM.

The official ceremony for the Class of 2024 will coincide with Bound For Glory weekend in Detroit, Michigan and air live during the BFG Pre-Show.

The showcase event of the year for TNA Wrestling, Bound For Glory, is Saturday, October 26, at the Wayne State University Fieldhouse in Detroit. Then, on Sunday, October 27, the stars of TNA Wrestling will be back in action at the Wayne State University Fieldhouse, with all matches taped for future episodes of the company’s flagship weekly TV show, iMPACT!, which airs every Thursday night on AXS TV.

Former two-time World Champion and four-time World Tag Team Champion Eric Young will induct and accept on behalf of his longtime friend, Bob Ryder. EY also was a TNA World Tag Team Champion with Rhino.

RHINO

Detroit-native Rhino has been wrestling professionally for almost 30 years and been a singles and tag-team champion. Rhino made his TNA debut in 2005 and at that year’s Bound For Glory, Rhino won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. His GORE-filled career also has included two reigns with the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Rhino’s lengthy career has included stints in ECW and WWE, with multiple singles and tag-team championship reigns.

BOB RYDER

A former pro wrestling journalist, Bob Ryder was a pioneer in the online wrestling community as the head of Prodigy’s pro wrestling area. He founded 1Wrestling.com and was the webmaster for ECW’s website. He worked for WCW during the Monday Night War era and co-hosted the popular WCW Live with Jeremy Borash. He co-founded TNA Wrestling and was its first employee and the longest-tenured employee in history, employed from its launch in 2002 until his death in 2020. Ryder held multiple backstage positions for TNA, including director of travel operations.

All the TNA superstars are scheduled to appear in Detroit, including Nic Nemeth, Jordynne Grace, Jeff & Matt Hardy, Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian and Ash By Elegance. Also confirmed to appear in Detroit: ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey), The Rascalz (Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz), Moose, Brian Myers, Matt Cardona, Eddie Edwards, Josh Alexander, Eric Young, Alisha Edwards, Masha Slamovich, Jake Something, Xia Brookside, Santino Marella and PCO, among others.