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The Wrestling World Pays Tribute To Antonio Inoki

October 2, 2022 • Admin

He was a special one. There are all kinds of wrestlers throughout history but only a small handful reach that highest level. Some people completely change an industry and take part of it in a new direction and unfortunately we have lost another one of those few names. Now the wrestling world is reacting by pouring out the tributes and condolences that you might have expected. On Friday, news broke of Antonio Inoki’s passing at the age of 79. The news was mentioned during this week’s SmackDown, with Michael Cole talking about some of Inoki’s accomplishments in the ring. Since then, several wrestlers and wrestling personalities have paid tribute to Inoki on Twitter. Here are some of the reactions to the news of Inoki’s passing: One of the most important figures in the history of our business, and a man who embodied the term “fighting spirit.” The legacy of WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki will live on forever. — Triple H (@TripleH) October 1, 2022 RIP Antonio Inoki, a pioneer in the p..

AEW Signs Another Former World Heavyweight Champion

October 2, 2022 • Admin

Another one for the collection. One of AEW’s greatest strengths has been its roster. The company has been built on the amount of wrestlers that it has and the variety that it is able to present. AEW continues to add new talent to the roster and create new possibilities, which they have done again by signing another former World Heavyweight Champion to an official contract. AEW President Tony Khan has announced that Rush has officially signed a contract with the company. Rush has been appearing with the company for several weeks now, mainly teaming with Andrade El Idolo. A former two time Ring Of Honor World Champion, Rush wrestled his first match as a part of the AEW roster this week on Rampage, defeating John Silver. It’s official: @rushtoroblanco is All Elite! What a week for Rush! Yesterday was his birthday, today he’s All Elite, and it’s Rush vs @SilverNumber1 TONIGHT on Friday Night #AEWRampage! Don’t miss Friday Night #AEWRampage on @TNTdrama @ 10pm ET/9pm CT TONIGHT! pic.tw..

WWE Teases John Cena’s Next Match On SmackDown

October 2, 2022 • Admin

Now there’s a tease. WWE has a long history of stars on its roster but there are times when they need to bring someone new into the fold. That can be easier said than done, but one of the best things that they can do is have a legend give a rub to an up and coming star. Now it seems that WWE is laying the groundwork for such a change on the biggest stage around. Mr. Money in the Bank Austin Theory made a surprise appearance this week on SmackDown. During the show, Michael Cole praised Theory’s abilities, but said that he needed “an attitude adjustment”. This would seem to continue to point to a future match between Theory and John Cena, which has been rumored since Cena and Theory had a backstage confrontation earlier this year on Monday Night Raw. Opinion: This is something that seems to have been set up more than once and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the match take place at WrestleMania 39. Cena is known for working with some of the up and coming stars and Theory could certainly ..

Huge Title Match Takes Place After This Week’s SmackDown

October 1, 2022 • Admin

To wrap things up. There are a lot of things taking place at any given WWE television taping. While you have the main focus with the television show, there are other matches going on throughout the night. This includes matches taped for later, but there are also matches just for the live crowd. That was the case after this week’s SmackDown went off the air. As noted on Twitter, a title match took place after this week’s SmackDown. Following the show, Gunther successfully defended his Intercontinental Title against Shinsuke Nakamura. After the match was over, Nakamura hit Gunther with a Kinshasa to send the fans home happy. Both Gunther and Nakamura appeared on the show, with Gunther and Imperium beating down Sheamus, while Nakamura appeared in a backstage segment with the Maximum Male Models. @sherantsmtl And that's the last one, Gunther wins, but Nakamura does a Kinshasa to clear him out, and that's a goodnight for everyone. pic.twitter.com/AGtL7aTzng — Richard Lee (@Suza..

WATCH: Stable Splits Up On SmackDown

October 1, 2022 • Admin

I guess it didn’t work out. There have been all kinds of stables throughout WWE history and some of them have been quite effective. It makes sense to pair a bunch of wrestlers together and see what you can get out of them collectively, which WWE has done several times over the years. It is still the case today, but now one of them has lost perhaps its most important member. This week’s SmackDown featured the Maximum Male Models attempting to break a record for the longest held pose in the history of Canada. However, Max Dupri broke it up just before the record, saying he was sick of the team not taking anything seriously. Dupri took off his belt with the group’s logo and threw it down, saying his LA Knight catchphrase of “yeah”. This comes after weeks of Dupri having issues with the team’s success. It didn’t end well. Check out the breakup: [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is something that has needed to happen, as the Models team just wasn’t working. I’m st..

Antonio Inoki Passes Away At Age 79

October 1, 2022 • Admin

We have some sad news to report as WWE Hall of Famer and wrestling legend Antonio Inoki has passed away at age 79. From WWE.com: One of the key figures in the history of Japanese wrestling, Antonio Inoki was among the most respected men in sports entertainment and a bona fide legend in his homeland. Born in Yokohama, Japan in 1943, Inoki grew into a natural in-ring competitor. The incredible squared circle figure found his greatest success in New Japan Pro Wrestling, a promotion he founded in 1972. Over the course of the next two decades, Inoki built NJPW into the most successful wrestling company in Asia. Utilizing talented Japanese competitors like Tatsumi Fujinami and Riki Choshu, innovative high-flyers like Tiger Mask and Dynamite Kid, and American Superstars like Bob Backlund and Vader, the young promoter created a product that was unique, influential, and far ahead of its time. In addition to running the company, Inoki himself was one of the top stars in NJPW, carrying the cha..

AEW Rampage Results – September 30, 2022

October 1, 2022 • Admin

Rampage Date: September 30, 2022 Location: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone Rampage is back to normal this week and that should make for a decent enough show. You never know what you’re going to get around here, though odds are you’ll get at least one important thing. Other than that though, there is a good chance you’ll be seeing some names who aren’t around on Dynamite very often. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Tag Team Titles: Acclaimed vs. Butcher and the Blade vs. Private Party Acclaimed, with Billy Gunn, is defending. Bowens and Kassidy start things off as Matt Hardy is watching in the back. They trade quick one counts as the fans sing in praise of the Acclaimed. A standoff gives us a handshake before Bowens drives Kassidy into the corner for the tag off to Castor. With Kassidy down, Castor stops for some scissoring with Gunn before Bowens comes in for a neckbreaker onto Castor’s knees. Quen comes in and gets a..

REVIEW: WrestleCon USA vs. The World 2022: The Better Version

October 1, 2022 • Admin

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over twelve years now and have reviewed over 6,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be? WrestleCon: USA vs. The World Date: April 2, 2022 Location: Fairmont Hotel, Dallas, Texas Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Veda Scott This is about as obvious of an idea as you can get: take a bunch of wrestlers from WrestleCon weekend and put them in a bunch of matches, one country vs. the rest. This show has a tendency to be one of the weaker of the WrestleCon offerings but there are some talented people on the card. Let’s get to it. Warrior Wrestling Lucha Libre Title: Sam Adonis (USA) vs. La Hiedra (World) vs. Mr..

More On WWE’s Plans To Call Up NXT Stars

October 1, 2022 • Admin

There is a point to them. WWE has a complicated history when it comes to tag teams. The company has had some excellent teams over the years but there have been long stretches when teams are rarely focused on whatsoever. There are times when tag teams receive a focus and it can be interesting to see them pop up. That might be what WWE is doing again, at least with one team. Earlier this month, a report surfaced saying that WWE was considering calling up Veer Mahaan and Sanga, collectively known as Indus Sher, from NXT to the main roster. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, this would be done to add a powerhouse team, which WWE does not currently have. There has not been such a team on the roster since the Authors of Pain, who were released in 2020. Opinion: I’m not sure I get the thinking about not having a powerhouse team on a roster that includes the Viking Raiders, who are mostly power wrestlers. WWE does seem to have a plan in mind though and that is more than often se..

WATCH: Mick Foley Releases Mr. In Your House Music Video (Hilarious)

October 1, 2022 • Admin

It suits him. There are certain wrestlers who are associated with certain events. Undertaker and Shawn Michaels are most famous for their Wrestlemania performances. Randy Orton has had some incredible success at Survivor Series. Roman Reigns and Steve Austin are perhaps the best Royal Rumble competitors ever. Those are some of the biggest shows of the year, but what about the lower level ones? Mick Foley has released a music video entitled Mr. In Your House, celebrating his success at the series of WWF pay per views which were considered the more minor shows the company produced in the 1990s. Foley has referenced this moniker over the years, saying that “no one came through more when it mattered less”. Foley released the video as part of his Foley Is Pod series. I think this speaks for itself. Check out Foley’s efforts: [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: Well that made my day. Foley is one of the most creative and entertaining wrestlers throughout history and a lot..

What Made Vince McMahon Reportedly Say “I’m Sorry I Brought That A****** back.”

October 1, 2022 • Admin

That takes something special. In the history of professional wrestling, there has never been anyone as powerful as Vince McMahon and there likely never will be again. McMahon ran the most dominant wrestling promotion in the world for several years and was the biggest influence on wrestling for a very long time. It was rare to see him admit a mistake, but we do know at least one time when he did so. In his new book “There’s Just One Problem…: True Tales from the Former, One-Time, 7th Most Powerful Person in WWE”, former WWE writer Brian Gerwitz told a story of McMahon rehiring Vince Russo as a member of the creative team in 2002. After hearing Russo talk about his ideas, McMahon apologized to the team and reportedly said “This isn’t going to work…I’m sorry I brought that a****** back.” Russo’s return to the company lasted less than a month before he signed with NWA-TNA. Opinion: McMahon is known to do a lot of things, but apologize is rarely one of them. It takes a lot for him to beli..

SmackDown Results – September 30, 2022

October 1, 2022 • Admin

Smackdown Date: September 30, 2022 Location: Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole We are eight days away from Extreme Rules and the card is mostly set. There are enough matches ready to go for the show but it wouldn’t surprise me to see a little more added this week. That isn’t a bad thing as there is no major match just yet, but that leaves some ground to be covered. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Madcap Moss/Ricochet vs. Solo Sikoa/Sami Zayn Ricochet headscissors Sami down to start and snaps off a dropkick as Graves compares the Bloodline to the family on House of the Dragons. Moss and Sikoa come in with the former getting taken down into the corner for a stomping. It’s back to Zayn and everything breaks down, with the villains being sent outside. Moss LAUNCHES Ricochet over the top and onto the both of them as we take a break. Back with Ricochet fighting out of a nerve hold but getting Samoan dropped for two. Another Samoan ..

Impact Wrestling Results – September 29, 2022

October 1, 2022 • Admin

Impact Wrestling Date: September 29, 2022 Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan We are done with Victory Road and that means we are only a little over a week away from Bound For Glory. I’m still not sure why Victory Road was such a necessary show before the biggest night of the year but at least it wasn’t an eventful night, meaning Bound For Glory got even more build. Hopefully that can continue tonight so let’s get to it. Opening recap. Bullet Club vs. Trey Miguel/Laredo Kid It’s Ace Austin/Chris Bey for the Club, with Juice Robinson in their corner. Austin and Kid start things off with an exchange of wristlocks but hold on as Austin needs to hold up Too Sweet. A quick high crossbody gives Kid an early two so it’s Bey offering a distraction so Austin can take over on the arm. Bey comes in with a backbreaker as we hear about his album coming out around Halloween. Kid slips away and hands it off to Miguel to fire off kicks at Bey..

WWE Considers Changes To Upcoming Premium Live Event

September 30, 2022 • Admin

Schedule adjustment. WWE presents a lot of events during the course of any given year. Most of these are television shows which are often designed to set up the major monthly events. Since WWE has so many of these monthly shows, they need something to make them stand out. That is what they have done with an upcoming show, but they might be making a change. WWE is currently scheduled to present Day One on Sunday January 1, 2023 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. However, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is considering making some kind of a change to the show. It is not clear what change might be made, but the show might be moved to another date. Brock Lesnar is currently advertised for the show. Opinion: The idea of having a show on the first day of the year makes sense on paper, but it is only going to work for a little while. Is WWE going to run Day One on Monday, January 1, 2024 instead of Monday Night Raw? Day One is a cool idea but I’m not sure how lo..

Kenny Omega And The Young Bucks Could Be Gone From AEW For A Long Time

September 30, 2022 • Admin

It could be a little while. Following AEW All Out and its media scrum on September 4, a huge brawl broke out between CM Punk, Ace Steel and Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks (the Elite). The issues came from statements that Punk had made, accusing the Elite of planting stories about him which he says are untrue. The end result was everyone being suspended and now we are waiting on their returns. It turns out we might be waiting longer than expected. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the Elite has not heard anything back from AEW about their suspensions. The company is not planning to make any public announcements about the situation and has not addressed it on AEW TV. There is a chance that legal issues are holding up the situation, along with a possible “second hold up” of unknown details. There is no word on when the Elite will be back on AEW TV, but Punk is expected to miss around eight months after tearing his tricep. Opinion: This is a situation that is going to take..

WWE Concerned About Randy Orton’s Health

September 30, 2022 • Admin

That’s a big worry. WWE has a lot of talent on its roster with its main event scene including some of the best names in the world. Those are the names that WWE builds its shows around and it has produced some successful results. However, there are times where those wrestlers are gone for one reason or another. That is the case with a top star and it might be worse than it seems. Randy Orton has been out of action since May of this year with a back injury and it is not clear when he will be able to return to the ring. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is very concerned about Orton’s back injury and when he will be able to return to the ring. Orton is currently not scheduled for any events throughout the rest of the year. Opinion: That is never good news as Orton has already been out of action for over four months and there is nothing to suggest that he is going to be back in the ring anytime soon. Orton is one of the all time greats but he is in his 40s and has wrest..

Vince McMahon Reportedly Fined Michael Cole For Using Three Letter Word On TV

September 30, 2022 • Admin

It would only be from him. The biggest wrestling story of the year has been the retirement of Vince McMahon from WWE. For the first time in almost forty years, there is a new boss in the company and that means there are going to be some different rules in place. That means some of McMahon’s rules are gone, including one that got the voice of WWE in trouble one day. According to Brian Gerwitz in his book “There’s Just One Problem…: True Tales from the Former, One-Time, 7th Most Powerful Person in WWE.”, McMahon once fined Michael Cole for using the word “now” at the end of sentences. McMahon would fine Cole every time he used the word, which eventually was enough to make Cole stop using the word. Gerwitz did not mention the amount of the fine. Opinion: That is as McMahon of a story as I could imagine and it isn’t anything close to a surprise. McMahon liked things his way and there was nothing that was going to stop him from having the show the way he wanted it. This might seem a bit e..

AEW Officially Offers Contract To Top Independent Star

September 30, 2022 • Admin

They’re interested. AEW has opened a lot of doors for wrestlers to be able to appear on a national stage for the first time in their careers. While WWE had long since been the only major game in the industry, the number of spots has since gone way up. There have been some very talented names filling those spots and now AEW is making an attempt to pick up another one. The main event of this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite saw Bandido unsuccessfully challenge Chris Jericho for the Ring Of Honor World Title. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW offered Bandido a full time contract based on his performance, though there is no word on if Bandido has signed the deal. Bandido is a former Ring Of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Champion. Opinion: The only reason I can think of for Bandido to not have been signed to a major promotion is that he doesn’t want to. He has more charisma and talent than most wrestlers on national rosters today and it would make all the sense i..

Drew McIntyre Discusses Possible Heel Turn, What He Would Want To Do

September 30, 2022 • Admin

That would be a change. There are different ways to freshen up a star in wrestling and some of them are rather simple concepts. One of the best ways is to turn someone from bad to good or vice versa, as such a change can freshen someone up almost immediately. It changes everything around and can give a wrestler a different attitude. Now a top WWE star is interested in making such a switch. Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre appeared on NBC Boston’s The Ten Count podcast and discussed the possibility of a heel turn. McIntyre said that if he were to ever turn heel again, he would not want to be the angry big man again. Instead, McIntyre wants to educate himself on who he is and be more interested the second time around. McIntyre was speaking hypothetically and there is nothing to indicate that McIntyre will be turning anytime soon. Opinion: This is something that does seem to be a possibility down the line and it is something that could go well if that is what WWE decides to do. McIntyr..

RUMOR KILLER On Major WWE Departure

September 30, 2022 • Admin

He’s not going anywhere. There have been a lot of changes in recent weeks both behind and in front of the scenes of WWE. Those changes have resulted in all kinds of situations that would have been hard to fathom just a few months ago. Several former top names of the promotion have left, but in this case one of the bigger names is actually sticking around for the time being. According to PWInsider, there is no truth to various rumors that WWE executive Kevin Dunn is leaving the company. Such stories have appeared on social media but there is no truth to them whatsoever. Dunn is a longtime employee of WWE and has executive produced its television shows for nearly thirty years. Dunn has been reported to be departing the promotion for several months but nothing has come of it. Opinion: This is one of those stories that seems to keep popping up but Dunn seems happy in the company for the time being. I would not be surprised to see him leave the company one day in the future but if he is s..