MLW Fusion Preview 11/16/19

A fight over six months in the making will finally go down on this week’s FUSION as ex-World Heavyweight Champion “Filthy” Tom Lawlor enters the ring against the Hart Foundation’s Davey Boy Smith Jr. in a dream match. Don’t miss arguably the toughest and most dangerous athletes in MLW will collide in what promises to be a gripping grappling showdown between two top ranked heavyweight wrestlers.

CONTRA has been at with the Von Erichs since the spring when Tom Lawlor asked Ross and Marshall to come to MLW and help him in his battle against the global dealers in violence. Soon thereafter Marshall was blinded by Ikuro Kwon’s mysterious mist.  Now, Marshall Von Erich looks to extract revenge on CONTRA’s Ikuro Kwon one-on-one.

What type of damage did MJF suffer at SuperFight? Bro, the Dynasty are back with a new Lifestyles of the Rich and Dynastic. Then, the Dynasty step into the ring as they face Dominic Garrini & Douglas James in tag team competition.

CONTRA makes the Von Erichs an offer they can’t refuse… but what is it?

The new World Middleweight Champion Myron Reed makes his first statement as the champ.

Where in the world is Salina de la Renta?

Plus: an exclusive update on Teddy Hart following the savage attack by CONTRA

Tune in to Major League Wrestling: FUSION to find out this and more!

Matches:

  • “Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
  • Marshall Von Erich vs. Ikuro Kwon of CONTRA Unit (with Josef Samael)
  • Dynasty vs. Dominic Garrini & Douglas James

“Filthy” Tom Lawlor Finishing Up With MLW

Former MLW World Heavyweight Champion “Filthy” Tom Lawlor is wrapping up with MLW. Wrestling Inc. has confirmed that Lawlor’s final appearance for the promotion will be on December 5th for the MLW Opera Cup event.

Lawlor had signed with MLW in October of 2017, and won the company’s first Battle Riot event in 2018. He won the MLW World Heavyweight Championship this past February before losing it to Jacob Fatu in July.

MLW President Court Bauer commented on Lawlor’s departure on Twitter, thank him for all he has done for the company.

“I want to thank @FilthyTomLawlor for his two years with @MLW. Tom was a day zero guy that helped relaunch the league in October 2017,” Bauer wrote. “I wish him continued success with the next chapter of his career. First class dude who despite being filthy is somehow all class at the same time.”

Lawlor tweeted that he will not be accepting bookings past 2019.

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/1194834005901946882

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown 11/15/19

Tonight’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown and WWE 205 Live will take place from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia as the road to Survivor Series continues.

  • The New Day and The Revival set for championship rematch
  • Daniel Bryan joins The Miz for “Miz TV”
  • Nikki Cross takes on Bayley for the right to join Team SmackDown at Survivor Series
  • Mustafa Ali & Shorty G face Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode with Survivor Series spots on the line
  • Lacey Evans joins Team SmackDown for Survivor Series

There will be an appearance by WWE Universal Champion “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt.

Ronda Rousey Documentary Finally Being Released Next Week

Lionsgate will release a new documentary on UFC Hall of Famer and WWE Superstar Ronda Rousey next Tuesday, November 19.

You can see the trailer for “The Ronda Rousey Story: Through My Father’s Eyes” above. The documentary will be available for digital streaming and on-demand, and has a runtime of 106 minutes.

The special was written and directed by former WBC International Light Middleweight boxing champion Gary Stretch. UFC President Dana White and several fighters, including Randy Couture, are featured, along with Gene LeBell.

This project was first announced back in late 2014, by Wrekin Hill Entertainment, and was then announced to be shown in theaters in 2016. It was then announced for a delayed theatrical release in 2017, but it looks like that never happened. A screening in Hollywood did take place in late 2016. It appears Lionsgate may have acquired the rights from Wrekin Hill, and are finally releasing the documentary on digital platforms.

Below is the synopsis for the doc:

“When Ronda Rousey became the first female UFC champion, she achieved more than athletic glory—she realized her late father’s belief that she would make her greatest dreams come true. The Ronda Rousey Story: Through My Father’s Eyes follows Ronda’s inspiring journey to superstardom, weaving revealing interviews with dynamic fight footage to create a portrait of a remarkable and fearless woman who overcame all odds to become a symbol of strength, hope, and female empowerment.”

Rousey is currently on a hiatus from WWE, but is appearing on the current season of Total Divas. She has been rumored for an upcoming return to the WWE storylines but there’s no word yet on when that might happen.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WATCH: CM Punk’s Secret Arrival To FOX Studios For WWE Backstage

CM Punk arrived to the FOX lot in secret this week for a surprise appearance on WWE Backstage … and the whole thing was documented in a cool behind the scenes video.

WWE on FOX’s Twitter account shared the video which begins with Punk talking about meeting with FOX executives about his role on the show. The former WWE champion says he was told they want him on the show as an analyst, similar to A-Rod with MLB coverage and Troy Aikman with NFL coverage.

Punk is shown arriving to the lot shortly before Backstage was set to begin and hiding his face with a scarf to make sure the secret wasn’t spoiled beforehand.

Prior to making his first appearance on the show, Punk is shown in the elevator saying “this is kind of a big deal.” When someone in production reaffirms that he IS kind of a big deal, the former wrestler replies saying, “For the first time, I will say yes. I will admit that. This is kind of a big thing.”

Watch the full video below to see CM Punk watching the show before his intro and more.

WWE Backstage airs Tuesday nights on FS1 at 11pm ET/ 8pm PT.

https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1195176384005459969

CM Punk wwe backstage behind the scenes video

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

The Rock Officially Joins DC Universe, ‘Black Adam’ Release Date Announced

The Rock has finally announced, after years of circling the project, that he’ll don the cape to become Black Adam in the DC Universe.

Dwayne Johnson made the announcement via Instagram with a lengthy post:

Like most kids growing up, I dreamed about being a superhero. Having cool superpowers, fighting for what’s right and always protecting the people.

It all changed for me, when I was 10yrs old and was first introduced to the greatest superhero of all time – SUPERMAN.

As a kid, Superman was the hero I always wanted to be.

But, a few years into my fantasy, I realized that Superman was the hero, I could never be.
I was too rebellious. Too rambunctious. Too resistant to convention and authority.

Despite my troubles, I was still a good kid with a good heart – I just liked to do things my way.

Now, years later as a man, with the same DNA I had as a kid – my superhero dreams have come true.
I’m honored to join the iconic #DCUniverse and it’s a true pleasure to become, BLACK ADAM.

BLACK ADAM is blessed by magic with the powers equal to SUPERMAN, but the difference is he doesn’t toe the mark or walk the line.

He’s a rebellious, one of a kind superhero, who’ll always do what’s right for the people – but he does it his way. Truth and justice – the BLACK ADAM way.

This role is unlike any other I’ve ever played in my career and I’m grateful to the bone we’ll all go on this journey together.

The character of Black Adam is an anti-hero who is Shazam’s nemesis. The project has been in and out of development for years. Johnson was offered the role of Shazam during casting of the film released earlier this year, but he chose to stick with Black Adam. There was talk of his character appearing in “Shazam!” as well, but it was ultimately decided that the character should get its own film.

FYI – “Shazam!” was a box-office success and a sequel is currently in the works.

Black Adam will be released on December 22, 2021. Production begins in July.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt’s Opponent For Universal Title Match At Survivor Series, WWE Forced To Change Plans

The affects of the chaotic travel issues stemming from the WWE Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia are still being felt, as a big plan originally set for this month’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view appears to be scrapped altogether.

On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio at F4WOnline.com, longtime Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer (@DaveMeltzerWON) suggested that one of the last matches that will be announced for this month’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-vew will be “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt defending his WWE Universal Championship in a one-on-one showdown against Daniel Bryan.

It was speculated that the original idea for the title match was for Wyatt to face The Miz, with an angle to be shot for the episode of WWE SmackDown after the WWE Crown Jewel special.

Instead, due to the travel issues that came up, the angle and entire direction in general was changed.

Under those original plans, Bryan was headed for a WWE Intercontinental Championship win over Shinsuke Nakamura on TV, which would have put him in the three-way match at WWE Survivor Series against AJ Styles and Roderick Strong in the “Champion vs. Champion vs. Champion” triple-threat match featuring the WWE United States Champion from the WWE Raw brand (Styles), the WWE Intercontinental Champion from the WWE SmackDown brand (Bryan) and the North American Champion from the NXT brand (Strong).

As seen by the recent announcement made by WWE, the match will instead feature Styles, Nakamura and Strong competing in the three-way match of secondary individual title-holders.

WWE Survivor Series is scheduled to take place on Sunday, November 24th from Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The show will air live via pay-per-view and will stream on the WWE Network.

Source: EWrestling

CM Punk Reportedly Turned Down Big Money Offer From AEW, Punk Is Signed To A FOX Deal, Not WWE

CM Punk reportedly turned down significant money from AEW, according to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live.

Punk did actually have talks with AEW, despite what has been said in the media, and he met in person with AEW President & CEO Tony Khan, according to Alvarez. There’s no word yet on details of AEW’s offer, but Khan reportedly offered “a lot of money” to the former WWE Champion.

There’s been no update on Punk possibly returning to the ring for WWE, but turning down the AEW deal could be a sign that he has no plan for an in-ring future.

Punk is signed to a FOX deal, not WWE. It’s been reported that Punk’s agents contacted FOX a few months back, which led to the initial tryout in Los Angeles, where the show is filmed each week. WWE did give their blessing to the hire, but this was a FOX decision.

As seen in the tweet from FOX Sports PR below, “CM Punk” and “WWE Backstage” trended #1 and #2 worldwide on Twitter. The return had more than 5.5 million video views across the FOX Sports social media platforms, and counting. This was also the most re-tweeted post of the year on any FOX Sports account.

As we’ve noted, Punk appeared at the end of this week’s Backstage episode after being introduced by host Renee Young. It was later announced that the former WWE Champion will appear as a Special Contributor and Analyst beginning next week, making “select appearances” in the studio alongside host Renee and analyst WWE Hall of Famer Booker T.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Luchasaurus Returns To AEW Television Following Hamstring Injury (Video)

Luchasaurus returned to AEW last night on Dynamite following a short absence due to injury.

Luchasaurus’ return went down after a tag match involving Jurassic Express and The Dark Order. Evil Uno offered Marko Stunt a spot as one of his creepers and Jungle Boy intervened. This led to Stu Grayson attacking him from behind.

The creepers then started to beat both wrestlers down and attempted to force one of their masks on Jungle Boy, but Luchasaurus came out to make the save.

After hitting a huge boot on the first creeper at the top of the stage, Luchasaurus made his way to the ring and landed a spin kick on three creepers at once. He also tossed one to the outside before turning his attention on Grayson.

Once the ring was cleared, Luchasaurus hugged Jurassic Express.

As we previously reported … the 34-year-old wrestler injured his hamstring prior to an episode of Dynamite last month. Excalibur noted on commentary that he was supposed to be out until January.

AEW Dynamite Preview 11/13/19

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite will air live from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.

* SCU (Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky) (c) vs. Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara (AEW World Tag Team Championship)

* PAC vs. “Hangman” Adam Page

* Fallout from MJF’s attack on Cody at Full Gear.