Tonight’s WWE RAW is live from American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX at 8/7C on USA Network.
Emma (Tenille Dashwood) returned to WWE on Friday Night SmackDown
Another former WWE star returned to the company tonight on Friday Night SmackDown.
As was noted last week, Ronda Rousey wanted to face all challengers and she issued an open challenge for this week. Before her match Friday night, Rousey was in full-blown heel mode as she talked about being an active champion.
After Rousey’s promo, Tenille Dashwood was revealed as her opponent and she is back to using the name Emma. This is Emma’s first time in a WWE ring in almost 5 years. Emma was very competitive but after raking the eyes, Rousey won after hitting the Piper’s Pit and the armbar submission.
Emma took to social media and reacted to Friday night’s match.
“5 years ago today I was heartbroken feeling like my dream had come to an end. Today my heart is so full! I’m overwhelmed by the amount of support I have. You guys are the best. Now… I’ve got some unfinished business to take care of!” wrote Emma.
Before last night’s match, Emma’s last WWE match was on the October 23, 2017 edition of “Raw,” where she lost to Asuka. A day earlier, on October 22, she lost to Asuka at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs.
Emma recently left Impact Wrestling after three years with the company. During her time there, she held the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Titles.
After her WWE release and before Impact Wrestling, Emma had a stint in Ring of Honor. She was part of the ROH Women of Honor Title 2018 tournament. A year later, Emma made her All Elite Wrestling debut at AEW All Out 2019. She was one of the participants in the Casino Battle Royale. The winner ended up being former AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose.
WWE is now interested in bringing back “several” more former WWE Women’s Superstars including Tegan Nox. Nox was released on November 18, 2021.
Shinsuke Nakamura On Great Muta Match: “It’s A Real Forbidden Door”
Pro Wrestling NOAH announce this past weekend that WWE’s Shinsuke Nakamura was crossing over to the company as part of Keiji Mutoh’s retirement tour, with the former Intercontinental Champion announced as Mutoh’s opponent for its 1 January show, The New Year 2023. It’ll be one of the last times the 59-year-old works as The Great Muta before he draws the curtain on his wrestling career later that month – and something those involved had to work hard to make happen.
Tokyo Sports reports (via translation) that NOAH had earmarked Nakamura as somebody it wanted to book for Mutoh’s retirement run as soon as the legend made the decision to retire. Initially, they were met with disagreement from WWE, though “tenacious” negotiations continued once Vince McMahon stepped down as Chairman and CEO in July.
The two sides then reached an agreement on 26 October. Now, the bout is official.
Nakamura revealed he was spurred on by people within WWE, calling the situation “a real ‘Forbidden Door'”, nodding to AEW’s working relationship with NJPW:-
“There were people in WWE who pushed me forward. I opened a door that no one could break in. Hahaha…it’s a real ‘Forbidden Door’.”
Continuing, Nakamura called the bout a meeting of “fate”, adding that he worked hard to make it happen:-
“I think it’s really fate, and I worked hard to make it happen. I’ve fought Keiji Muto twice in the past, but this was my first encounter with Great Muta, the first and last. I definitely think that I am in the midst of the miracle of the times.”
Nakamura has not wrestled in Japan on a show promoted by a native company since January 2016, when he left NJPW for WWE. His last tie with Mutoh came in October 2008.
Source: WhatCulture
AEW Rampage Preview 10/28/2022
Tonight’s AEW Rampage will be broadcast live from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut at 10/9C on TNT.
- AEW World Title Eliminator Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. ‘Daddy Magic’ Matt Menard
- TNT Championship: Wardlow (c) vs. Matt Taven
- Tay Melo vs. Madison Rayne
WWE SmackDown Preview 10/28/2022
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown is live from the Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO at 8/7c on FS1. SmackDown is airing on FS1 due to the MLB World Series airing on FOX.
AEW Stars Refusing To Work With CM Punk If He’s Brought Back
Following his actions at the AEW All Out event, when he ripped Colt Cabana, The Elite, and Hangman Page at the media scrum before getting into an altercation with The Elite, it seems unlikely that CM Punk will ever step foot inside an AEW ring again.
The only issue holding up Punk’s departure is AEW’s agreement to buy out the remainder of his contract is the length of the non-compete clause. Punk’s friend and trainer, Ace Steel, has already been fired by AEW for his involvement in the fight.
Chris Jericho allegedly told Punk that he was a cancer to the locker room following the All Out altercation.
In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that “many, if not most of the key top names were saying that they wouldn’t work with him.”
A top star said that “Punk won’t be back. His value on screen isn’t one percent worth the hassle and black cloud he causes backstage.” Another star noted “regardless of some being willing to work with him, the collective decided that he was voted off the island.”
Source: EWrestlingNews
IMPACT Preview 10/27/2022
The stars of IMPACT Wrestling set their sights on Over Drive as the action emanates from Las Vegas! Don’t miss an all-new IMPACT! this Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders.
- X-Division Championship Tournament: Trey Miguel vs. Alan Angels.
- Gisele Shaw & VXT vs. Mickie James & Taylor Wilde & Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace.
- Tasha Steelz vs. Rachelle Scheel.
- Chris Bey vs. Tommy Dreamer.
- Matt Cardona vs. Alex Shelley.
- Joe Hendry vs. Raj Singh.
The action begins Before the IMPACT, streaming this Thursday at 7:15pm ET exclusively on IMPACT Plus, YouTube and Facebook.
X-Division Championship Tournament: Black Taurus vs. Laredo Kid
AEW Teases The Return Of The Elite On This Week’s Episode Of Dynamite
The Elite look to be on their way back to AEW soon.
On Wednesday night’s episode of Dynamite, a video package aired showcasing some of The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega’s biggest moments. For what it’s worth, The Elite were actually backstage at Wednesday’s TV tapings.
The group have been out of action for the past several months due to suspension after their involvement in a post-show scuffle with CM Punk backstage at All Out.
You can check out a video of the vignette below:
Source: EWrestlingNews
AEW Dynamite Preview 10/26/2022
AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS at 8/7C from the Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
- AEW World Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Penta El Zero Miedo
- AEW World Tag Team Championships Number One Contender’s Match: FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) vs. Swerve in our Glory (Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland)
- Riho vs. Jamie Hayter
- Chris Jericho & Daniel Garcia vs. Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta
- Bryan Danielson vs. Sammy Guevara
- MJF will speak
NJPW Reveals Karl Anderson Will Forfeit His Title If He Competes At WWE Crown Jewel
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson returned to WWE earlier this month, backing up AJ Styles as he was seriously outnumbered by The Judgment Day. That raised a lot of questions regarding the tag team’s current status with NJPW. Not only is Anderson the promotion’s Never Openweight Champion, but he is slated to defend that title at Battle Autumn on November 5.
The plot thickened considerably when WWE announced The OC and The Judgment Day will clash at Crown Jewel, a WWE event taking place on the same day as Battle Autumn. In case it wasn’t clear, Anderson confirmed that despite his NJPW booking, he will be competing for WWE on November 5 and will not be in Osaka to defend his title.
After an initial reaction to that news from NJPW’s president, the promotion has now revealed a full statement (thanks, Fightful). “NJPW has for the past several days attempted to negotiate with Anderson, but has not been met with a response,” the statement reads. “Should Anderson decide to renege on his scheduled championship match, he will be required to vacate the NEVER Openweight Championship and return the title belt to NJPW immediately.”
When Anderson confirmed he will be heading to Saudi Arabia on November 5 and not Japan, the Never Openweight Champion also claimed the title defense was booked without consulting him. NJPW denies that was the case, highlighting in the statement above that the match was booked on October 4, and that Anderson was complicit in that process.
What happens next remains unclear. What appeared to be an arrangement between WWE and NJPW when Gallows and Anderson first showed up on Raw now doesn’t seem to be an official deal at all. It now seems like Anderson won’t be at Battle Autumn, and that he will be stripped of the Never Openweight Title. As for returning the championship to the company, that might be a little tricky and could make the situation even more problematic.
Source: TheSportster
Wrestling News Blog 