Search Results: "Wrestle Kingdom"

NEWS

It’s A Start: Possible Backstage Heat On Mercedes Mone (Sasha Banks) In New Japan

January 14, 2023

Already? Earlier this month, one of the longer running wrestling questions in recent months was answered, as Mercedes Mone, formerly known as Sasha Banks, made her debut with New Japan Pro Wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom 17. That seemed to be the end of things but also a new beginning. As it turns out, there might already be some issues with Mone and her new boss. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: Steve Austin Works Does The Weather And Works The Drive Thru At Restaurant According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there might be some heat on Mone in New Japan and Stardom (New Japan’s sister promotion). Mone had been talking about how she wanted to face wrestlers from the Sendai Girls and Tokyo Joshi Pro promotions, both of which are seen as competition to Bushiroad (the parent company of New Japan and Stardom). While in Japan, Mone went to the Sendai Girls dojo but not the Stardom dojo. There is no word on what this could mean for Mone, or if she will be in any actual trouble. It has b..

NEWS

Next Target: WWE Reportedly Interested In 40 Year Old Second Generation Star

January 8, 2023

On the radar. There are a lot of talented wrestlers in the world who have nothing to do with WE. Those wrestlers often grow a following and reputation of their own and that can be enough to get WWE’s attention. WWE will often go after wrestlers from other promotions and that seems to be what they are trying to do now with a pair of second generation international stars. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Farewell? Weekly Wrestling Series Seems To Be Coming To An End Earlier this week, New Japan Pro Wrestling held its annual Wrestle Kingdom event. During the show, Tama Tonga defeated Karl Anderson to become the new Never Openweight Champion. According to Fightful Select, WWE is interested in Tonga and has been for quite some time. There is no word on if Tonga is interested in leaving New Japan or when his current contract expires. Tonga is quite the star. Check out his work around the world on his own and as part of the Guerrillas of Destiny team: [This post contains video, click to play] [Th..

NEWS

REVIEW: New Japan Wrestle Kingdom 17: That Feels Right

January 8, 2023

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? Wrestle Kingdom XVII Date: January 4, 2023 Location: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Chris Charlton, Gino Gambino It’s time to go back to New Japan for a promotion that I have not looked at since last year’s Wrestle Kingdom. As tends to be the case with this show, I’m coming in mostly blind, save for knowing the wrestlers involved. The main event is Jay White defending the IWGP World Title against Kazuchika Okada, who he took the title from back in June. Let’s get to it. Pre-Show: Boltin Oleg ..

NEWS

LOOK: WWE, AEW And New Japan Stars Recreate Classic Photo This Week

January 5, 2023

The best of several worlds. There are all kinds of wrestling promotions throughout the world, from the biggest companies around to some rather small independents and all points in between. Every now and then you get to see these promotions doing something together and now that is the case again, albeit this time there were three major companies recreating something from the past. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WRESTLING RUMORS: More Evidence WWE Is Teasing A Hurt Business Reunion Earlier this week, New Japan Pro Wrestling held its annual Wrestle Kingdom event, featuring wrestlers from AEW. The event also included the debut of former WWE star Sasha Banks, now known as Mercedes Mone. Current WWE star Bayley accompanied her for the debut, though she did not appear on television. Dax Harwood posted a photo of the four together this week, as compared to the four together at some point in their WWE/NXT career. Harwood captioned the two photos with the phrase “What a life.” What a life. pic.twitte..

NEWS

International Incident: WWE Star Loses Title At Major International Event

January 5, 2023

It had to happen eventually. There are all kinds of titles in wrestling and some of the most well known are in WWE. Those are not all of the titles around the world though as other promotions have championships and honors of their own. You will occasionally see those paths cross though, and now one of the crossings that led to some interesting questions have been closed. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He’s Back: Former Champion Officially Returns To WWE After Leaving AEW New Japan Pro Wrestling held its annual Wrestle Kingdom show earlier this week, featuring several title matches. One such match saw Tama Tonga defeat Karl Anderson to win the NEVER Openweight Title. Anderson currently works for WWE as part of the Monday Night Raw roster and was the reigning champion when he returned to WWE in November. The title reign was referenced on WWE programming but the title never appeared. He has some better times. Check out what Anderson has done since returning to WWE: [This post contains video, ..

NEWS

WATCH: Sasha Banks Makes New Japan Debut, First Match Set

January 4, 2023

New home. There have been a lot of comings and goings with the WWE roster in recent months and those changes are likely to continue. One of the interesting things about the departures winds up being where someone winds up next. That can make for a great moment, even if you know someone is going to wind up. Now one of the arrivals has actually taken place. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WRESTLING RUMORS: Major Title Change Planned Before WrestleMania 39 This week at New Japan Wrestle Kingdom 17, Mercedes Mone, formerly known as Sasha Banks in WWE, made her debut for the promotion. Mone, referring to herself as the CEO, debuted after IWGP Women’s Champion Kairi (formerly known as Kairi Sane in WWE) defeated Tam Nakano to retain her title. Mone went on to attack Kairi’s arm before announcing that the two will face each other in San Jose, California on February 18. There is no word on if Mone will wrestle before then. Here she is. Check out Mone’s New Japan debut: [This post contains video, cl..

NEWS

And Done: Former WWE Champion Reportedly Now Free Agent, Can Wrestle Elsewhere

January 3, 2023

It’s official. 2022 was one of the busiest wrestling years in recent history, with all kinds of changes taking place over the course of the year. That made for some very interesting moments as fans tried to figure out what was going on and where things were heading next. Now we have a major step forward, as well as what what seems to be the conclusion, of one of the stories. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Back In A Bit: Another AEW Star Confirms Injury, Promises To Return Soon Back in May 2022, Sasha Banks and Naomi both walked out on WWE, vacating the Women’s Tag Teak Titles at the same time. While there were negotiations for both to return to WWE, neither ever appeared again. According to Sean Ross Sapp, Banks is now available for wrestling bookings, meaning she is officially a free agent. Neither Banks nor Naomi have wrestled or appeared on a wrestling show since walking out on WWE, though Banks is expected to be at New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom event later this week. Good morning. Mercede..

NEWS

Shorthanded: AEW To Be Missing Some Top Stars In Coming Weeks

December 21, 2022

It might be a bit. There are all kinds of talented wrestlers on the AEW roster, who have come together to help make the company as popular as it is. The company has been built around several different styles of wrestling, some of which have been around the promotion since the beginning. There is not room for everyone on the roster though, and now some of them will be missing in action for a bit. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Big Fans: Wendy’s Has A Prediction For AEW Best Of Seven Series According to PWInsider.com, some AEW stars will be missing from upcoming editions of Dynamite due to international commitments. First, Sammy Guevara, Tay Melo and FTR will all be missing from the December 28 edition of Dynamite as they will be competing for AAA in Mexico that night. Second, Kenny Omega and FTR will not be at the January 4 Dynamite as they will be in Japan for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17. Everyone should be back as usual following these dates. That is some talent to have missing. Check out the ..

NEWS

Homecoming: More Details On Surprise WWE Return

December 21, 2022

It’s all about the details. There have been several surprise returns to WWE this year, some of which have been almost shocking. It means a lot when a former star makes a return to WWE, and another one happened this week. Another former NXT champion made a surprise return, albeit this time on the main roster, and now we know a bit more about how everything went down. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WRESTLING RUMORS: Former WWE Star Teases Third Run With Company This week on Monday Night Raw, Bronson Reed made a surprise return to Wwe, helping Miz defeat Dexter Lumis in a ladder match. According to Fightful Select, Reed was a “priority hire” for WWE under the Triple H regime, with Reed leaving New Japan, where he had been working as Jonah, to return. While Reed has not wrestled since October, he has been talking about New Japan’s January 4 Wrestle Kingdom event to hide a potential WWE return. Reed is a former NXT North American Champion but was released from WWE in August 2021. Reed is a force..

NEWS

Her Too: Here Is Naomi’s Current Situation With WWE

December 17, 2022

What about her? Back in May, Sasha Banks walked out on WWE over issues with her creative direction and never returned to the company. While there were rumors of a return for several months, Banks ultimately went on to be announced for an appearance at New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom. That is a big story, but Banks did not leave WWE alone. What about the woman who left with her? IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Import: WWE Considers Bringing In Other Company’s Champion For Royal Rumble When Banks left, she and Naomi vacated the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles in the process. Naomi left with Banks and has not been seen in WWE since either. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there is nothing new about Naomi in WWE, other than she has a decision to make. While Naomi wanted to return to WWE with Banks as a team, her options are now to go elsewhere or return alone. When Naomi walked out, her contract was about to expire, though there is no word on how long WWE may have frozen her contract. It i..

NEWS

RUMOR KILLER On Chris Jericho And Sasha Banks’ New Japan Payoffs

December 16, 2022

He would know. There are a lot of wrestlers in the professional wrestling industry, but one of the most important parts of the industry is the first word: professional. These wrestlers are out there competing for money and the more successful they have been in their careers, the more money they are going to make. Now one wrestler is setting the record straight, or at least straighter, on some of his pay issues. Sasha Banks is currently set to debut with New Japan Pro Wrestling at the January 4 Wrestle Kingdom 17 event. A report earlier this week said that she would be making $100,000 per appearance, which was said to be more than Chris Jericho made for his appearances with the company. Jericho has since responded to the rumor, saying that he never had a flat appearance deal and was paid according to the event. In addition, Jericho said that he made more per event than he made for “MOST of my Wrestlemania matches”. Jericho wrestled six matches with New Japan from 2018-2020. For the re..

NEWS

No More: Sasha Banks Reportedly “Done” With WWE, What Caused The Split

December 11, 2022

That’s a game changer. There have been all kinds of wrestling stories this year and one of the most intriguing has been that of Sasha Banks and Naomi walking out on WWE. The two have not appeared on WWE TV since May and there is no word on when the two might be returning. Now though, we have an update on one of them that suggests that she will not be back at all. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Pair Em Up: 74 Year Old WWE Legend Offers To Mentor SmackDown Star Earlier this week, a report emerged that Banks would be appearing at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 17 next month. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, outside of a last minute change, Banks is considered “done” with WWE. The two sides are said to be very far apart on money and Banks’ current contract is expected to expire at the end of the year. Banks is not expected to wrestle at Wrestle Kingdom but she does have more dates set with the company for after the show. Banks is a star when she is in the ring. Check out what s..

NEWS

Bring Her Over: AEW Stars Thrilled Over Possibility Of Sasha Banks Joining Company

December 9, 2022

She would be a big deal. The rise of AEW has led to a variety of stars getting a fresh chance on a new show. It can make a lot of difference to those stars as they might not have had the chance to shine before. That is not always the case though, as some big stars have moved from one promotion to another. Now some people are excited about another possible jump. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Gillberg Talks Possible Match With Goldberg: “I’ll Bust Him Up” Earlier this week, news broke that Mercedes Kaestner-Varnado, better known as Sasha Banks, would be appearing at New Japan Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4. According to Fightful Select, some AEW stars believe that this could lead to her signing with AEW. One AEW source said they believed Kaestner-Varnado could be an “anchor” for the women’s division and a likely viewership draw. There is currently nothing to suggest that Kaestner-Varnado will be signing with AEW, leaving this as speculation at the moment. The star power is there. Check out ..

NEWS

Sasha Banks Appearing At Wrestle Kingdom 17

December 9, 2022

The Boss is heading overseas. According to a report from PWInsider, Sasha Banks is expected to appear at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 17 event next month. It is unknown in what capacity she will be used, if at all, during the show. Banks has not wrestled since she and Naomi walked out on WWE before the May 16 episode of Raw. Both women were upset about the creative direction of their characters, and were subsequently stripped of the Women’s Tag Team Championships. From the report: Back in October, Varnado teased the idea of wrestling former WWE star KAIRI in STARDOM, which shares the same corporate owner as NJPW and recently did a crossover event with NJPW. Banks has been training at a number of places in recent months in the United States and Mexico. Banks recently made a number of trademark filings related to her given name as well as the terms Mercedes Mone’, Mone’ Talks, Bank Mone’, and Statement Maker under company name Soulnado, obviously preparing for her next m..

NEWS

WWE Stars To Wrestle For New Japan Pro Wrestling

October 16, 2022

Crossover? There are several wrestling promotions in the world but only a handful are among the top named companies. While WWE has been the top promotions in America for the last few decades, but there are others outside of the United States with deep histories of their own. Now the biggest promotion elsewhere will be getting something of a crossover with WWE. Earlier this week, the OC (Karl Anderson/Luke Gallows) made their return to WWE after a two year absence. The two have recently appeared for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where Anderson is still the reigning Never Openweight Champion. According to Fightful Select, the team will continue to make its dates with New Japan, which are scheduled to run through Wrestle Kingdom 17 in early January. WWE is allowing them to work the dates going forward. Opinion: This is the kind of thing that shows you how much wrestling is changing these days. It would be hard to fathom WWE allowing something like this to happen in recent years yet here they..

NEWS

Wrestle Kingdom XVI Night Two Results

January 11, 2022

Wrestle Kingdom XVI Night Two Date: January 5, 2022 Location: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan Attendance: 6,379 Commentators: Chris Charlton, Kevin Kelly It’s the second of three nights of this show and this one feels like the biggest. Last night’s main event saw Kazuchika Okada win the IWGP World Title again, which leaves him ready for his first defense against Will Ospreay. The second biggest match on the card is Kenta defending the United States Title against Hiroshi Tanahashi in a No DQ match, which could be a heck of a fight. Let’s get to it. Pre-Show: Togi Makabe/Yuji Nagata/Tomoaki Honma vs. Bullet Club That would be Bad Luck Fale, Gedo and Jado for the Club. The Club jumps them to start but Jado and Gedo are knocked to the floor to start. Fale is fine enough to run Honma over though and the good guys are in trouble early. Honma is sent outside and Makabe gets taken into the corner with Jado standing on his chest. Gedo and Fale take Jado’s place but Makabe fights up and brings Nagat..

NEWS

New Japan Wrestle Kingdom XVI Night One Results

January 6, 2022

Wrestle Kingdom XVI Night One Date: January 4, 2022 Location: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan Attendance: 12,047 Commentators: Chris Charlton, Kevin Kelly It’s back to Japan for the first time in about a year, though the company does feel a good bit colder this time around. The pandemic and a slew of injuries have battered New Japan, but this show’s reputation is more than enough to warrant a look. The main event of this first night is Kazuchika Okada challenging Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Title, with the winner facing Will Ospreay tomorrow night. Let’s get to it. Note that I do not regularly follow New Japan so I won’t know much in the way of storylines or recent character development. Please bear with me if I miss something that commentary does not explain. Pre-Show: New Japan Ranbo This is a 19 man Royal Rumble and over the top/pinfall/submission eliminations with one minute intervals. The final four advancing to a four way on night two for the Provisional King Of Pro Wrestling 2..

NEWS

Surprise Title Change Takes Place On AEW Dynamite

July 22, 2021

History has been made! Titles are an interesting thing in wrestling as there are so many of them around today that they might not have the same impact that they have had in the past. With so many titles around, you are only going to get so far with any of them. Some promotions have fewer than others, but one imports from another promotion. Now one of those imported titles has changed hands. This week on AEW Dynamite, Lance Archer defeated Jon Moxley in a Texas Death Match to become the new IWGP United States Champion. Archer defeated Moxley by chokeslamming him through a pair of tables with a barbed wire board on top. This is the pair’s second Texas Death Match, after Moxley defeated Archer to win the title on January 4, 2020 at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in Tokyo, Japan. The win makes Archer a record tying two time champion. This was a war. Check out how the match went down, plus the two in action: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [Thi..

NEWS

Who Won This Year’s New Japan G1 Climax Tournament?

August 13, 2018

Go Tournament Ace! One of the most interesting stories that can be told in wrestling is the story of the former star who is trying to have one last run at the top. It can create a great moment if they can reach the mountaintop one more time but even if they lose, the road back is often amazing to see. There are very few promotions ever at the level of the current New Japan product and that means they could pull off this story again. They’re taking a shot. Earlier this morning, Hiroshi Tanahashi won his third G1 Climax Tournament by defeating Kota Ibushi, earning the right to challenge for the IWGP World Title at the January 4, 2019 Wrestle Kingdom 13. Tanahashi will have to defend the title shot until then and could lose the shot on the way. This is Tanahashi’s third win, with his previous victories coming in 2007 and 2015. He also set a record for the most points in a 20 man tournament with 15 (seven wins and one draw). This is always worth a listen. [This post contains video, clic..

NEWS

Here’s How WWE is Planning to Kill New Japan’s Move to the United States

June 9, 2018

The two biggest wrestling promotions in the world are World Wrestling Entertainment and New Japan Pro Wrestling. For decades, the two companies stuck to their side of the world and didn’t really challenge one another. However, the competition between them has escalated over the past few years and that is expected to continue for the next few. Less than a month after Wrestle Kingdom 10, WWE signed Shinsuke Nakamura, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and AJ Styles after the four men had left the promotion. Prince Devitt also became Finn Balor. Cody Rhodes and Chris Jericho are also making a major splash for New Japan. The two companies have shared a lot of talent over the years, but WWE officials are actually concerned about New Japan’s recent expansion into the US. Related: Kenny Omega Explains Why He Is Hesitant to Go to WWE Over the past year, NJPW has created the IWGP United States Heavyweight Title. Two different major shows have taken place on US soil. The company has announced plans..