MLW Fusion Preview 9/14/2023

MLW FUSION featuring the return of Salina de la Renta, streaming 8pm tonight on MLW’s YouTube channel and FITE+, Friday on beIN XTRA and Saturday on Cable TV’s beIN SPORTS (find a provider). 

Salina de la Renta is en la casa! What’s on the Empresaria of Lucha’’s agenda this week as she continues to make quick moves and reconsolidate her power?

The World Heavyweight Champion Alex Kane invites the media out for a filter-free press conference. What’s next for the captain of the BOMAYE Fight Club? 

Breaking news on MLW’s next FITE+ premium event drops this week on FUSION. Slaughterhouse will feature a DOUBLE main event. The first match is revealed tonight! 

Whispers of The Calling’s ominous presence abound. Could Rickey Shane Page, AKIRA and the devout masked followers be in the house tonight?

When the moonsault hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore… or Love, Doug when he wrestles Little Guido for the first-time ever!

“International Popstar” B3CCA is in the house and in action against Tiara James. James, who makes her debut, faces an emerging contender to the World Featherweight Championship in B3CCA. Will B3CCA inch closer to a title shot? Will Tiara take a win in a triumphant debut? 

Microman goes one on one with Sam Adonis! Can MLW’s 3 feet of fighting fury finally teach Adonis a lesson in respect after last week’s deplorable punting incident?

Plus an MLW newcomer joins forces with The Second Gear Crew in their ongoing war with The Calling.

In middleweight action, Ichiban battles TJ Crawford. Crawford, who has proven to be a heavy hitting technician, doesn’t think much of the hype for Ichiban. Wasting no time, Crawford demanded (and reportedly threatened) league officials for a match with the masked fighter and now it is official. What happens when The NumberOne Dojo’s Kokujin Katana” rumbles “The Silver Sniper”?

Jagger Reid And Rip Fowler Reportedly No Longer With WWE

Jagger Reid and Rip Fowler are “gone” from WWE, according to Dave Meltzer on the “Wrestling Observer Radio” show. The veteran pro wrestling journalist noted that Fowler and Reid’s contracts with the Stamford, Connecticut-based promotion were up and presumed an angle would have played out on television. Meanwhile, a source within WWE had no information regarding the duo’s reported departure.

On “WWE NXT” this past Tuesday night, it was indicated by Joe Gacy and Ava Raine that the tag team formerly known as the Grizzled Young Veterans were no longer a part of the Schism faction. Reid and Fowler had been a part of the group for a number of months.

Back in April, the duo were denied their release from WWE. Reid, who previously performed as James Drake, wrote on social media, “As of today, WWE has denied my request for my release. I want to thank you all for your support throughout my career, I’ll never take that for granted. My contract with WWE expires on 14th October 2023. I’m excited to share our next chapter, once we are free agents.” Fowler, who previously performed as Zak Gibson, also posted a similar statement.

Despite wanting out of their contracts early, Reid and Fowler remained an integral part of the “NXT” show. During the “NXT” Battleground pre-show media call in May, WWE’s Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels mentioned that he wanted the duo to stay with the promotion. He also said that he understood how the tag team felt and that there would be no hard feelings. The former “NXT UK” Tag Team Champion’s most recent match in WWE took place on the August 29 episode of “NXT,” where they were defeated by Julius and Brutus Creed in a steel cage match.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Impact Wrestling 1000th Episode Preview 9/14/2023

Tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling on AXS TV is all-new as it celebrates the 1000 episodes of the weekly show. Here are the matches that have been announced for the show:

  • X-Division Championship: Lio Rush (c) vs. Chris Sabin.
  • Frankie Kazarian & Traci Brooks vs. Alisha & Eddie Edwards
  • Team 3D in action for the first time in 7 years, the former 2-time IMPACT World Tag Team Champions and world-renowned duo of Bully Ray and Devon are set to compete in tag team action – but who will their opponents be? One thing is for certain, someone is going through a table on this historic night!
  • Feast of Fired Match featuring Moose, Heath, Maclin, Laredo Kid, Johnny Swinger, Crazzy Steve, Joe Hendry, Yuya Uemura, Jonathan Gresham, Black Taurus, PCO, Sami Callihan, John Skyler, Chris Bey, KUSHIDA, Brian Myers, Kevin Knight, Bhupinder Gujjar, Jai Vidal, John E. Bravo and more.
  • 10-Women Knockouts Tag Team Match: Deonna Purrazzo, Savannah Evans, Gisele Shaw and Angelina Love w/Velvet Sky and a mystery partner vs. Impact Knockouts Champion Trinity, Jordynne Grace, Gail Kim, Awesome Kong w/Raisha Saeed, aka Cheerleader Melissa. and a mystery partner

ROH Preview 9/14/2023

ROH will air a new episode of its weekly television show tonight at 7 pm ET on HonorClub. 

You can sign up for the streaming service here. Below is the lineup for the show: 

  • ROH World Championship: Claudio Castagnoli (c) vs. Rocky Romero
  • Ethan Page vs. Griff Garrison
  • Josh Woods Open Challenge
  • Mercedes Martinez in action

Velvet Sky Reveals What’s Next For Her Following NWA Departure

While Velvet Sky recently departed the National Wrestling Alliance, she is still interested in doing more commentary work for another company.

Speaking on a recent edition of “Busted Open Radio,” the former Beautiful People member opined on what’s next for her, the NWA locker room being a breath of fresh air, and more.

You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:

On if she wants to keep doing commentary: “I will say, I honestly had a blast at the NWA, in the commentary role. I like to try to be versatile in this industry, not just be known as Velvet Sky, the wrestler. When you put your whole youth into something and that part of of life comes to an end, it’s like, I’ve been in the industry since I was 20 years old. 22 years later, I’m still a part of it, even though I’m not active in the ring. I would like it to kind of stay that way, as far as being involved in the industry in some role. If I’m not, again, I’m totally fine because I’m totally at peace and I’m totally happy and satisfied with what I have done in the wrestling industry as far as being in IMPACT and my time in NWA as a commentator, which I really did enjoy. Joe and Tim, they took me under their wing, and I learned a lot from them. They showed me the ropes of commentary, and I still have a lot to learn. I feel like I was just getting my toes wet in commentary with the NWA. But good things had to come to end.”

On her time in the NWA: “I have nothing bad to say about the company, my time there. That locker room is a breath of fresh air. I wouldn’t mind trying commentary out again somewhere somehow. If it happened, great. If it didn’t, I’m more than satisfied with my time in wrestling and what I’ve done in wrestling, even though wrestling is in my blood, it’s in my heart, it’s in my soul. So of course I would always want to be a part of this industry in some way, shape, or form. So you never know. Never say never. But yes, I would honestly like to try out commentary somewhere or just being involved in wrestling as a whole would be great. If it doesn’t happen again, I’m cool. I’m good. I’m living life. I’m enjoying it. I’m good.”

Source: eWn

Jade Cargill Reportedly Leaving AEW – Believed To Be Heading To WWE

Jade Cargill’s tenure with AEW is seemingly coming to an end, and the former TBS Champion could soon be calling herself a WWE Superstar.

Fightful is reporting that Cargill is believed to be “finishing up” with AEW, according to sources within the promotion.

Sources in both AEW & WWE believe that she will be heading to WWE when the time is right.

There is no word yet of an official offer being made by WWE and that as always, things can change in the world of professional wrestling.

It is currently unclear how long is left on Cargill’s current contract with All Elite Wrestling.

The report indicates that Cargill’s last AEW match may have already been taped, as she took on Kris Statlander Wednesday night in a TBS Championship match that will be broadcast on “AEW Rampage” on Friday.

Counting this week’s “Rampage,” Cargill has wrestled a total of 64 matches over the course of her two-and-a-half year career, all of them in AEW. If Fightful’s reporting proves accurate, she would be the second major AEW wrestler to leave Tony Khan’s “challenger brand” for the established pastures of Vince McMahon (and now Ari Emanuel), and the first homegrown AEW star to do so. AEW’s first major defection came in 2022, when Cody Rhodes returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38.

Backstage Update On The All In 2023 Attendance – Did AEW Inflate The #’s?

Did All Elite Wrestling inflate their attendance numbers for the All In 2023 pay-per-view event, which took place on August 27th from Wembley Stadium?

Brandon Thurston of WrestleNomics recently reported on a public records request about the attendance for AEW All In 2023. Earlier today, the Freedom of Information office for the Brent Civic Centre responded to the original request with the following statement:

“The actual numbers registered entering [Wembley] Stadium through the turnstiles was 72,265 – this is reflective of what attended on the night and not the total number of tickets sold or no-shows etc.”

It’s worth noting that AEW has said all along that the paid attendance for the event was 81,035. If that is true, it would have been a new worldwide record for pro wrestling.

WrestleTix previously announced that the number of tickets distributed for All In 2023 was 83,131.

The WrestleNomics report states that a “typical AEW event has a drop count (also known as a “turnstile count”) that is about 80% to 90% of the paid attendance or tickets distributed.” In this case, 72,265 is 89% of 83,131.

So while it remains to be seen whether 81,035 tickets were actually sold, it is known that 72,265 people did walk through the turnstiles. With that being said, over 10,000 no-shows seems a bit high. Of course, there are also scalpers out there who may not have been able to sell the tickets they purchased.

Source: eWn

AEW Dynamite Preview 9/13/2023

AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS from the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

  • AEW International Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Big Bill 
  • No. 1 Contender Fatal-4-Way Match: Britt Baker, Toni Storm, Nyla Rose, and Hikaru Shida. The winner will go on to challenge Saraya for the Title at Grand Slam on September 20.
  • Grand World Title Eliminator Final: Roderick Strong vs. ROH World TV Champion Samoa Joe. The winner will go on to challenge MJF at Grand Slam on September 20.
  • Hangman Adam Page vs Brian Cage
  • Don Callis to reveal his next Masterpiece
  • We will hear from Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara

Minoru Suzuki vs. Jacob Fatu Set For MLW Slaughterhouse

Minoru Suzuki vs. Jacob Fatu has been announced for MLW Slaughterhouse. MLW issued the following:

Minoru Suzuki vs. Jacob Fatu signed for Slaughterhouse Oct 14 in Philly

Tickets available at MLW2300.com

Tickets Now Available at MLW2300.com

Major League Wrestling (MLW®) today announced Jacob Fatu vs. Minoru Suzuki at MLW Slaughterhouse live and exclusively on FITE+ Saturday, October 14 at Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena.

🎟 Grab tickets at MLW2300.com and the 2300 Arena box office. Tickets start at $15.

The MLW x New Japan Pro Wrestling crossover escalates come October 14 with the arrival of Minoru Suzuki in MLW LIVE on FITE+. Sign up for your FITE+ subscription now.

Lock in your tickets now at http://MLW2300.com as MLW Slaughterhouse will feature a DOUBLE main event.

MLW can confirm the first of two big main events today.

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Minoru Suzuki will make his MLW debut against MLW’s “Samoan Werewolf” Jacob Fatu!

Last week on Fusion Fatu laid down the challenge, calling out Suzuki — and the “King of Pro Wrestling” was delighted to accept and cautions there will be no mercy as these two fight for the first time ever.

See this dream match, a match that has never happened EVER before LIVE at Slaughterhouse!

MLW can confirm a LIMITED meet & greet will also take place prior to the start of the show. More details will be revealed in the weeks ahead.

Get your tickets and see it go down Saturday, October 14 in Philadelphia at http://www.MLW2300.com

SLAUGHTERHOUSE FITE+ CARD

NJPW vs. MLW

Minoru Suzuki vs. Jacob Fatu

FUSION TV TAPING BOUTS

Some of the athletes and talent signed to compete and appear include:

World Heavyweight Champion Alex Kane and the Bomaye Fight Club

Salina de la Renta

Matt Cardona

Davey Boy Smith Jr.

Mance Warner

National Openweight Champion Rickey Shane Page

World Middleweight Champion “Death Fighter” AKIRA

“Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams

1 Called Manders

Matthew Justice

World Featherweight Champion Delmi Exo

“International Popstar” B3CCA

Ichiban

Love, Doug

Tony Deppen

Little Guido

Matt Striker

Joe Dombrowski

Mister Saint Laurent

Plus MORE to be announced in the days ahead!

The card is also an MLW FUSION TV taping, airing nationwide in the US and in over 60 countries around the world.

Tickets start at $15 at MLW2300.com. Tickets will also be available day of show at the box office unless the event sales out in advance.

DAY OF EVENT INFO
The schedule for the event is as follows:

5:30 p.m.: Early entry for front row ticket holders
6:00 p.m.: Doors open for general public (all ticket holders)
7:00 p.m : Showtime

The venue is located at: 2300 S Swanson St, Philadelphia, PA 19148.

The world of MLW never stops. See you at the historic 2300 Arena for Major League Wrestling!

About Major League Wrestling

Major League Wrestling (MLW®) is a sports media holding company, offering television content, action figures, apparel, live events, and ancillary entertainment. MLW operates live events in major markets throughout the United States and Mexico, including New York, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Tijuana.

One of the fastest growing wrestling leagues today, MLW programming is available in over 60 countries worldwide, including MLW Fusion on beIN Sports in the U.S. and Ayozat TV on SKY in the United Kingdom.

MLW premium live events stream monthly live and exclusively on FITE+.

MLW events showcase diversity and the full spectrum of professional wrestling, with athletes representing countries around the world with fighting styles, including: technical, Japanese strong style, lucha libre, King’s Road brawling, MMA, catch wrestling, hybrid wrestling, submission grappling and other disciplines.

For more information visit MLW.com and follow MLW on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Becky Lynch Defeats Tiffany Stratton, Wins WWE NXT Women’s Title For The First Time

Becky Lynch is one of the most decorated champions in WWE history, but last night on “WWE NXT,” she finally captured the one title that had eluded her.

Upon her return to “NXT,” Lynch was warmly welcomed by a sea of cheers from the WWE Universe. Once Tiffany Stratton appeared, Lynch shifted her focus to the prize at stake – the “NXT” Women’s Championship. Heading into her title defense, Stratton asserted herself as “the fastest-rising star within WWE right now.” Unfortunately for Stratton, that wasn’t enough to defeat “The Man.”

In a competitive closing contest, Stratton did her best to throw Lynch off her game, twice countering Lynch’s signature Manhandle Slam. In Lynch’s second attempt, Stratton reversed it with a roll-up. Lynch quickly bounced back though, evading Stratton’s third attempt at landing the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. In response, Lynch successfully nailed Stratton with a Manhandle Slam to secure the pinfall, and her first-ever reign as “NXT” Women’s Champion. With this win, Lynch is also now a Grand Slam Champion, having already won the “WWE Raw,” “SmackDown,” and Women’s Tag Team Championships. 

Naturally, Lynch was ecstatic upon winning the title. Stratton, on the other hand, is now faced with the reality of her reign as champion ending at 108 days.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

The Man addresses the NXT Universe moments after winning the NXT Women’s Championship in this WWE exclusive footage after NXT went off the air.