Tonight is the final Impact before this Sunday’s Homecoming pay -per-view and is also the final Impact on Pop TV before it moves to it’s new home, Friday Jan. 11 – 10/9c on The Pursuit Channel.
* Brian Cage & Johnny Impact vs. Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix)
* Fallah Bahh & KM vs. Desi Hit Squad
* Allie vs. Kiera Hogan
* 10 Man Tag: Willie Mack, Rich Swann & The Rascalz vs. Sami Callihan, oVe, Matt Sydal & Ethan Page
* Eli Drake’s Homecoming Address
With the announcement of All Elite Wrestling this week and with Ring of Honor getting aggressive regarding signing new talent, Dave Meltzer recently indicated on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE offered a developmental deal that is much larger than their standard contracts.
“I think there are going to be some interesting ones,” Meltzer said of talent signings in early 2019. “Nothing that hasn’t been rumored, and imminently. But there’s also an instance of someone who is under contract to a company, they’re going to be out of contract with the company in a couple of months. WWE, and another company, and maybe even two other companies, were involved in being interested [negotiations] in this person. And this would be a developmental deal [for WWE NXT] but I will say that the developmental money compared to others that WWE has offered was way, way higher. Multiples. Because the business has changed so much, and because of everything that’s going on,” Meltzer said in an apparent reference to the buzz going around the pro wrestling world these days.
It’s no secret that the new AEW promotion will be announcing talent acquisitions as they prepare for their first big event, rumored to be held this spring. Meltzer had recently reported that three members of The Elite (Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Hangman Page) had themselves turned down major money deals from WWE, reported to be multi-year deals that were worth more than seven figures annually.
ROH’s offer to Bandido was said to be much higher than the deal he had on the table from WWE. WWE came back with a second offer that was “dramatically higher” when they realized he had better offers on the table, and that he wasn’t going to sign for low money just because it was WWE. Bandido will be making his ROH debut on January 12 in Atlanta at Center Stage for an international TV taping.
It should be noted that the wrestler set to receive the large deal was not identified in the report.
The Crockett Cup will be returning to North Carolina this year and NWA is partnering with ROH to make it happen.
The company announced:
On April 27th, 2019, The National Wrestling Alliance (in association with The Crockett Foundation) will partner with Ring of Honor Wrestling to bring the classic tag-team tournament, The Crockett Cup, back to North Carolina at the Cabarrus Arena in Concord, NC.
Former Crockett Cup winner Road Warrior Animal announced at the NWA 70th Anniversary event that the tag team tournament would return in 2019.
“The NWA is known for the legends who have carried the famous Ten Pounds of Gold,” said Billy Corgan in the announcement.
Adding, “Jim Crockett Promotions built a foundation in the Mid-Atlantic region with their tag team wrestling in the 70s and 80s. The Crockett Cup in 1986 brought together the best tag teams in the world under one roof. It’s our honor partnering with Ring of Honor to bring this tradition back to North Carolina while supporting the Crockett Foundation with their philanthropy for veterans.”
“Our utmost important stakeholders, investors, or partners in this business are the wrestling fans,” ROH General Manager Greg Gilleland continued. “Partnering with The NWA to bring back this prestigious tournament and truly create a special event is a responsibility that we have to all fans, and is one of many other special events to come.”
The first qualifying match for The Crockett Cup takes place this coming Saturday at the NWA Pop Up Event in Clarksville, TN.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
NXT tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.
Tonight’s WWE NXT episode will be a two-hour special with the announcement of the 2018 NXTYear-End Awards nominees and a look back at the black & yellow brand’s 2018.
* Matt Riddle and Kassius Ohno lock up in TakeOver rematch
* NXT Year-End Award nominees to be announced
* Relive NXT’s wild and crazy 2018
205 Live tonight at 7 ET on WWE Network.
* Kalisto vs. Lio Rush in a Royal Rumble WWE Cruiserweight Title Fatal 4 Way qualifying match.
* Drew Gulak vs. Akira Tozawa in a Royal Rumble WWE Cruiserweight Title Fatal 4 Way qualifying match.
Back to back episodes of NXT UK today at 3 ET and 4 ET on WWE Network.
* By order of NXT UK General Manager Johnny Saint, Tyler Bate & Trent Seven will go head-to-head against Gallus’ Mark Coffey & Wolfgang in a Semifinals showdown to determine who will go to NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool and compete for the forthcoming NXT UK Tag Team Championships.
* The undefeated monster “Bomber” Dave Mastiff will once again battle his bitter adversary Eddie Dennis
* Kenny Williams & Amir Jordan take on the newly-formed “European Union” of Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel
* Jinny will face Candy Floss
After months of teasing the possibility of starting their own promotion, Cody Rhodes, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson and Adam Page unveiled All Elite Wrestling during the latest episode of Being The Elite. Cody had teased a major announcement exactly at midnight Pacific Standard Time, and The Elite released the episode just as it hit January 1st on the west coast.
The Elite also alluded to AEW’s first show, Double or Nothing, and details have since emerged that an official announcement will be made regarding the event during the ‘Double or Nothing Rally’ on January 8th at 5 pm ET at the parking lot of West Club at the TIAA Bank Field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. That night’s SmackDown will emanate from Jacksonville as well.
https://twitter.com/ALL_IN_2018/status/1080016187424006144
The official All Elite Wrestling Twitter account posted the photo below of Cody Rhodes, Brandi Rhodes, The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) and Hangman Page officially signing their All Elite Wrestling contracts.
Rhodes and The Bucks are Executive Vice Presidents in the company, which is led by Jacksonville Jaguars co-owner Tony Khan.
Below is a statement from Cody:
I feel so damn lucky. I believe that more than talent… more than chance… work ethic will guide me where I’d like to go.To be Executive Vice President for our new venture, and to be flanked by Matt and Nick and a few familiar names sharing that position: this is my dream job.
I can’t think of a time when so many of wrestling’s top free agents all opted out of the road usually traveled and instead wanting to start something new. I am excited to see AEW into existence.
What’s old isn’t new – what’s new is new. Perception isn’t reality – reality is reality. Fans first.
Matt Jackson also commented on the new venture, tweeting, “Thank you for making the decision to do this a no-brainer. We cannot do it without you. #AllEliteWrestling”
https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/1080037136034721794
One of the most well-known names in pro wrestling history has passed away. WWE announced that WWE Hall of Famer “Mean” Gene Okerlund has died away at the age of 76.
Okerlund was the premier voice of WWE programming back in the 1980s, known for his charismatic interview skills and colorful personality. A two-time Slammy winner, “Mean Gene” was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.
“In his early days, ‘Mean Gene’, as he was named by fellow Minnesotan, Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura first came to prominence by interviewing the greatest stars of the AWA, including Ventura, Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan and Hulk Hogan,” WWE said in a statement. “In 1984, Okerlund made the move to WWE where he became a staple on national cable television by continuing to interview the biggest names in sports-entertainment like Hogan, ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior and many more.”
In 1993, Okerlund went to WCW where he stayed until WWE bought them in 2001. Gene returned to WWE to commentate the Gimmick Battle Royal at WrestleMania X-Seven. He continued to be a part of WWE programming, appearing on the WWE Network show Legends’ House in 2014. The last appearance for Okerlund on WWE programming was during the 25th Anniversary of RAW, where he interviewed A.J. Styles.
Source: WrestlingINC
Below are some of the reactions from the wrestling world on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Ligero1/status/1080491123070717952
https://twitter.com/VickieGuerrero/status/1080500471377338368
https://twitter.com/KingRicochet/status/1080501848791048194
https://twitter.com/LanceStorm/status/1080506550697975810
https://twitter.com/mauroranallo/status/1080510122760142848
https://twitter.com/DakotaKai_WWE/status/1080507839716700161
https://twitter.com/TeganNoxWWE_/status/1080508036333096962
Former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee is headed to the squared circle.
McAfee announced on the latest episode of “The Pat McAfee Show” that he’s come to terms on a deal with WWE, according to Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet.
“WWE has formally offered me a multi-year contract,” McAfee said. “Who knows what we’re going to be doing over there, they just want me to come make some content. And we’ll see where it goes.”
“I am very excited for this,” he added. “This is a dream come true.”
McAfee had dreams of becoming a professional wrestler before pursuing a football career and trained with wrestling legend Rip Rogers after retiring from the NFL last year.
A seventh-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, McAfee compiled 26,669 punting yards and 21 tackles during his eight-year career.
Pat McAfee retired from the NFL in 2016 at the age of 29-years-old. He went on to join Barstool Sports and become one of the site’s most popular personalities before leaving in August.
Sources: TheScore and Pro Wrestling Sheet
Salina de la Renta’s Promociones Dorado has been in a war with Konnan since August and tonight on beiN SPORTS the saga reaches a violent showdown with gold, power and arguably the future of MLW hanging in the balance.
In the main event, Konnan will come out of retirement to challenge the reigning World Heavyweight Champion Low Ki for the belt in the legendary luchador’s hometown of Miami. The bout, a no disqualification encounter, will test Konnan as he takes on a man undefeated since debuting in MLW in 2004. Low Ki has buzz sawed through Rey Fenix, Shane Strickland, Daga and many others and now he looks to add the legacy of Konnan to his mantle of trophies.
Konnan looks to follow in the footsteps of Randy Couture in the UFC and George Foreman in boxing and return to the ring and claim gold in a classic Cinderella Man story that dates back to the days of James Braddock. Can Konnan do what no other wrestler has done and dethrone Low Ki? Find out tonight on beIN SPORTS at 8pm ET!
Following last week’s No Holds Barred fight, Simon Gotch is determined to show the world his dominance and that in fact losing to Lawlor was a fluke. A confident Gotch will showcase his prowess in a $20,000 Prize Fight Challenge. So far, every challenger has come up short. Will anyone be able to last the full 5 minutes? Tune in to find out.
Team Filthy newcomer Ariel Dominguez will be in action as he takes on pro wrestling’s skywalker Andrew Everett.
Following last week’s tragic nightclub assault of Kotto Brazil, league sources believe an update on Kotto and the assailant will be available by the time FUSION hits the air on beIN SPORTS tonight.
The Hart Foundation may have continued to march up the tag team rankings with a win over Tommy Dreamer and Barrington Hughes but the hardcore legend Dreamer has some choice words for Pillman following last week’s bout.
Join Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini from South Florida for a great night of pro wrestling!
Watch MLW FUSION Friday nights on beIN SPORTS at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Don’t get beIN? Subscribe to MLW’s YouTube channel for free and stream binge on MLW FUSION anytime anywhere!
