MLW Fusion Preview 11/17/2022

MLW FUSION returns tonight at 8pm ET streaming worldwide on Pro Wrestling TV and Saturday 8pm ET nationwide on cable and dish on beIN SPORTS. 

This week’s card:

  • National Openweight Championship: Alex Kane (champion) vs Davey Richards
  • Killer Kross vs Matt Cross
  • Samoan SWAT Team vs Los Maximos

Davey Richards looks for retribution and the opportunity to cement his legacy when he steps into the ring with Alex Kane for the National Openweight Championship in the main event of Fusion!

The Bomaye Fight Club’s captain is fixated with exposing Davey Richards as a quitter and proving a new generation of grappling excellence has arrived in the form of the National Openweight Champion. 

With the eyes of the sport on him, can Davey do the unthinkable and finally take down the seemingly unstoppable and undefeated Bomaye Fight Club captain, or will Kane steamroll through another top ranked contender and continue his tear through the league? Tune in and find out!

The “Sole Proprietor” Richard Holliday and Alicia Atout ready for the big Falls Count Anywhere World Heavyweight Championship showdown with Alex Hammerstone next week on Fusion on Thanksgiving.

Tick tock… It’s almost time for Killer Kross to go to war in an MLW ring as he collides with Matt Cross.

The undefeated Samoan SWAT Team prepares to get down in NYC as Big Juicy Finau and Lance Anoa’i rumble with MLW originals Los Maximos.

Taya Valkyrie comments on Brittany Blake’s brutal disrespect.

Who is behind the locker room attack last week? What is the meaning of the mysterious calling card? Will there be another victim?

World Tag Team Champion EJ Nduka looks to get into the mix for a singles title?

Join MLW from New York City as Fusion streams tonight at 8pm ET on Pro Wrestling TV.

IMPACT Preview 11/17/2022

Just 24 hours away from Over Drive, don’t miss an all-new IMPACT! this Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders.

  • Steve Maclin vs. Tommy Dreamer no DQ match
  • Eric Young vs. Sami Callihan Death Machine’s Double Jeopardy match
  • The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) vs. Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) vs. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs. Raj Singh & Shera
  • Jessika vs. Tasha Steelz
  • Yuya Uemura vs. Andrew Everett (Before the Impact)
  • PJ Black vs. Black Taurus in an X-Division title tournament semifinal

The Young Bucks Abandon ‘Wayward Sons’ Trademark

On November 14, the Young Bucks abandoned the ‘Wayward Sons’ trademark they previously applied for. As of this writing, it’s unknown what they would have used it for.

The initial filing was for specific merchandise and the general use a wrestler would want to have if using a term for a character or moniker (“Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer,” etc.).

The only possible connection, albeit a bit of a reach, was for the Bucks saying on an April 2021 BTE episode that they wanted to come out to Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son” for the House Always Win house show.

The Elite Returning At AEW Full Gear

Its official — The Elite will be making their return to AEW at Full Gear when they challenge Death Triangle for the AEW World Trios Championships. This comes on the heels of Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks being away from the company for an extended period of time following their post-All Out backstage altercation with CM Punk. As a result, the Trios Titles, which The Elite had just won at All Out, were vacated. 

While the Young Bucks did not show their faces on-screen at last night’s “AEW Dynamite, according to Fightful Select, they were indeed backstage though. Death Triangle instead passively hinted at meeting The Elite this Saturday at the pay-per-view with a new graphic popping up to reveal Death Triangle vs. The Elite as officially signed. The plan all along, since the backstage waters have calmed some, has been for The Elite to come back at Full Gear and not before, despite their presence backstage Wednesday.

Speaking of backstage presences, Kenny Omega’s right-hand man Don Callis has been making his felt behind the scenes on several different occasions over the last several weeks. He’s expected to accompany Omega once again upon his return, as has become the norm over the years. Omega had only just recently returned to action in the weeks leading up to All Out, joining the Bucks to enter the brackets of the AEW World Trios Championship tournament, after being sidelined to treat a series of major injuries he had sustained over the years.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Chris Jericho Unmasked On The Masked Singer

AEW star Chris Jericho was revealed as Bride – the giant pink dragon wearing a white bridal gown – on Wednesday’s episode of “The Masked Singer” on FOX. 

Fans on social media had suggested that Bride’s voice resembled that of the ROH World Champion, especially after “The Masked Singer” contestant dropped ample clues that they were either a pro wrestler and/or rockstar. Some of the clues included Bride talking about living “on the road selling out arenas” and having a reputation for “being in some of the messiest feuds.”

On Wednesday’s show, Bride was the first contestant to be eliminated by virtue of receiving the fewest votes. Prior to the big unveiling, some of the panel members had thrown out names such as Flea, Matthew McConaughey and David Arquette while guessing the identity of Bride.

Following his elimination, Jericho spoke to Lauren Huff of EW to explain why he was upset to leave the show.

“Honestly, I was pissed,” Jericho said. “I was not happy. And it was the studio audience votes that got it. And I was like, ‘This is why you never let the fans be in charge.’ [Laughs] Because I thought my performance was killer. And it was one of those things where there were other songs that had been rehearsed, and all that sort of thing. So it was something that I was kind of angry about, but that’s just because I’m a professional and I don’t like to lose. It was a lot of fun, to be honest with you.”

Jericho would also float the possibility of Bride returning to the reality singing competition down the road..

Besides Jericho, other notable celebrities appearing in Season 8 of “The Masked Singer” include William Shatner, Le’Veon Bell, George Foreman, Jerry Springer and Montell Jordan.

Jericho will defend his ROH World Championship in a four-way match against Sammy Guevera, Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli this Saturday at Full Gear.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Preview 11/16/2022

AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS at 8/7c from the Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, CT.

  • Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara
  • AEW World title eliminator tournament semifinal: Ethan Page vs. Bandido
  • Interim AEW World Women’s Championship: Toni Storm vs. The Bunny
  • AEW Trios Championship: Death Triangle (c) vs. Top Flight and AR Fox
  • Anthony Bowens vs. Swerve Strickland
  • Interviews from Jon Moxley, MJF, Samoa Joe, Britt Baker (by Tony Schiavone) and Saraya (by Renee Paquette)
  • The Acclaimed music video “A hand for a hand”

Shawn Michaels Announced Iron Survivor Challenge Matches For NXT Deadline

WWE Hall of Famer & Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels has announced the first Iron Survivor Challenge matches for the WWE NXT brand.

Michaels appeared in a pre-recorded video on Tuesday night’s NXT show and stated that while NXT is all about developing stars of tomorrow, the brand is also about developing innovation. Michaels announced that the Iron Survivor Challenge, a revolutionary new match never before seen in WWE history, will take place at NXT Deadline on Saturday, December 10. Michaels then revealed the following information:

* Two Iron Survivor Challenge matches will be held, one for the men’s division and one for the women’s division.

* The winner will be dubbed the Iron Survivor, and they will be the new #1 contender for a future title shot at the NXT Championship or the NXT Women’s Championship.

* Each match will feature 5 Superstars competing against each other and the clock. The match will begin with two Superstars, and every five minutes, a new Superstar will enter until all five are present. When the clock strikes 25:00, the goal is to have the most falls.

* Falls can be won by pinfall, submission, or disqualification at any time. A Superstar receives 1 point for winning a fall. When they lose a fall, they are ejected from the ring and placed in the penalty box for 90 seconds. After 90 seconds, the Superstar may re-enter the match.

* At the end of 25 minutes, the Superstar with the most falls will be named the Iron Survivor and the #1 contender for the NXT Title or the NXT Women’s Title.

* The participants’ names will be released in the coming weeks.

WWE NXT Preview 11/15/2022

The USA Network will broadcast tonight’s Title Tuesday episode of WWE NXT live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL., at 8/7C.

WWE has announced the following NXT roster for tonight’s show:

  • Indi Hartwell vs. Tatum Paxley
  • Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen vs. The Dyad (Rip Fowler, Jagger Reid)
  • Indus Sher (Veer Mahaan, Sanga) will return to in-ring action
  • WWE Hall of Famer Booker T hosts contract signing for November 22 match between NXT North American Champion Wes Lee and Carmelo Hayes
  • JD McDonagh vs. Apollo Crews
  • NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose defends against Alba Fyre in a Last Woman Standing match
  • NXT Champion Bron Breakker defends against Von Wagner
  • WWE Hall of Famer & Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels appears to issue a statement on NXT Deadline

XFL Draft Begins Today, League Reveals How To Watch

The XFL will hold its draft tomorrow, and the relaunched football league has revealed how to watch. The league announced on Monday that the Draft will begin on Tuesday, with several ways to tune in, as described in their press release below:

XFL Draft Week presented by ZipRecruiter is HERE!
It’s finally here. XFL Draft Week, presented by ZipRecruiter, begins tomorrow, Tuesday, November 15 and continues through Thursday, November 17. All the action starts with the QB Selection Show hosted by ESPN’s Stormy Buonantony and tomorrow evening you will be able to watch the behind-the-scenes program, Drive to the XFL Draft presented by ZipRecruiter airing on ESPN2. Wednesday is day one of the XFL Draft presented by ZipRecruiter with the conclusion on Thursday. Over the next three days we have a lot in store for you.

Below is a full schedule including the best ways to watch, follow along and be part of the action.

XFL Quarterback Selection Show: Streaming live on XFL.COM beginning at 11am PT/2pm ET.
Drive to the XFL Draft: Presented by ZipRecruiter premieres on ESPN 2 at 7pm PT/10pm ET.
Day 1 XFL Draft: Presented by ZipRecruiter: Begins at 8:30am PT/11:30am ET. Day 1 is broken into four positional groupings, with 11 rounds of selections per group.
Day 2 XFL Draft: Presented by ZipRecruiter: Begins at 7:30am PT/10:30am ET where specialists will be featured followed by open rounds.
Fans will be able to follow Draft events with a live and interactive Draft Central board at XFL.COM/DRAFT. Be sure to follow @xfldefenders where you will find specific DC Defenders selections & behind-the-scenes coverage each day.

And we invite you to be part of the excitement on social using #XFLDraft for a chance to have your content featured on Draft Central as part of the fan experience.

“The Draft is just the start of an incredible new chapter for these players. We cannot wait to welcome this inspiring new talent to the XFL.” said Chairwoman and Owner Dany Garcia.

Source: EWrestlingNews

WWE Pulls Surprise Plans for Kevin Owens Due to Injury

The Men’s WarGames match for Survivor Series was set up last week on WWE SmackDown, with The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, the Usos, Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn) taking on the Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Butch, and Ridge Holland), Drew McIntyre, and a fifth partner.

Kevin Owens is out due to a sprained MCL suffered in a single match against Austin Theory at Sunday’s live event.

According to The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer, Owens suffered a MCL sprain in his right knee after coming down awkwardly on his leg during a matchup against Austin Theory. The untelevised match took place during a live house show at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

Meltzer reported that “the way it was worded was that hopefully that is all the injury is with the idea it could be more than that,” noting that Owens and Theory finished up the match, with the former WWE Universal Champion landing a pinfall on Theory after hitting him with a stunner. However, as Meltzer reported, Owens “needed help from the referee to get to the back” afterwards.

Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE had surprise plans for Owens, who has been off television for some time. Although not confirmed, his unexpected return would almost certainly have resulted in his inclusion in the WarGames match.

“I only heard he has a sprained MCL, but he was going to get it examined…..I believe he was going to be in the WarGames match. That’s not 100% confirmed, but it is certainly the talk, and he was supposed to be in something as a surprise. So it all adds up that it would be the WarGames match…If that was the case, this could cost him that.”

Sources: PWMania and Wrestling Inc.