Week in Wrestling - Sunday June 24, 2018
Remembering Vader
On Wednesday, news broke that Leon White, known as Big Van Vader, died at the age of 63, on Monday night, after years of health issues. To me, Vader was the greatest big man wrestler I have ever seen. Vader had a certain realism to his in ring style and demeanor that made you believe that he was really killing his opponents and it was real. Maybe because, many of his shots were stiff and really hurt people. But he was so good at doing it that it just drew me in as a fan. Plus he was athletic. For a man his size to bump, and flip, and moonsault, and do everything he could to hang with the smaller guys, it was just incredible to see. He could do any style, because he worked everywhere and was good everywhere he went.
Growing up, some of my greatest memories of watching wrestling were matches from 92-93 WCW with Vader. Classics with Sting, Ric Flair, and Cactus Jack were some of the best matches I ever saw. I remember two classic moments with Vader in particular, while watching him live at the Baltimore area. Of course the biggest being when Ron Simmons power slammed Vader and became the first black WCW heavyweight champion. We celebrating like it was the greatest moment ever!! Then another great moment was when Sting ripped Vader's mask off and threw it up into the air and it got stuck in the old speaker system at the arena. It got a huge pop!!
It's a damn shame that WWE didn't put him in their Hall of Fame before he died, but I'm proud that he was a headlining member of the Causion Creations Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, and one of the select performers I chose to do a tribute video for back in 2015. Check that out (here). Vader was one of the all time greats, and his works will live on forever.
Growing up, some of my greatest memories of watching wrestling were matches from 92-93 WCW with Vader. Classics with Sting, Ric Flair, and Cactus Jack were some of the best matches I ever saw. I remember two classic moments with Vader in particular, while watching him live at the Baltimore area. Of course the biggest being when Ron Simmons power slammed Vader and became the first black WCW heavyweight champion. We celebrating like it was the greatest moment ever!! Then another great moment was when Sting ripped Vader's mask off and threw it up into the air and it got stuck in the old speaker system at the arena. It got a huge pop!!
It's a damn shame that WWE didn't put him in their Hall of Fame before he died, but I'm proud that he was a headlining member of the Causion Creations Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, and one of the select performers I chose to do a tribute video for back in 2015. Check that out (here). Vader was one of the all time greats, and his works will live on forever.
WWE NEWS
Big Cass Fired
Big Cass was fired on 6/19 by WWE. He sucked so it's really no big hit to our entertainment value, but it was still pretty surprising. Cass had been out of favor since 5/1, when on a Smackdown show in Montreal, he defied company orders in an angle. A little person was brought in to dress as Bryan with the idea that Cass would lay him out with a big boot.
Cass reportedly asked company officials if he could do a beatdown after the big boot to get more heat. He was told that he couldn’t, but after being told that, went directly to Vince McMahon to plead his case. McMahon also felt it was better not to do it that way, given there would be heat from the kick, but some might find a bigger beatdown more tasteless. Cass then, after hitting the big boot, jumped on the little person and starting throwing punches from the mount position.
McMahon fired him at a meeting in Toledo prior to Smackdown. The reasons given were the 5/1 incident, as well as blowing off a rehearsal for a promo that Kevin Dunn has asked for and then going long on the live version of that promo. There was a lot of heat regarding the promo that Vince McMahon hated, and he fired the writer of it a few weeks ago. There was also an incident that happened on the European tour where he locked himself in the tour bus bathroom and then destroyed the bathroom and broke down the door when he couldn’t get out, because the lock malfunctioned and he believed he was being pranked. Because the door was knocked down, it meant the other wrestlers could not use the bathroom the rest of the trip in privacy, not to mention the damages it caused. There were said to be other issues regarding his behavior on the European tour. He also had enemies from years back from vociferously defending Donald Trump while in an argument with Sami Zayn about treatment of Muslims that ruffled many people’s feathers.
There was also negativity of his work in the recent Bryan feud, but not performing up to par was also not the reason for someone to get fired in the manner that he did. We were also told the 5/1 incident was not the key incident in him getting fired, as the reaction to that was going to be done by changing his storyline, which would mean the two submission losses.
Cass reportedly asked company officials if he could do a beatdown after the big boot to get more heat. He was told that he couldn’t, but after being told that, went directly to Vince McMahon to plead his case. McMahon also felt it was better not to do it that way, given there would be heat from the kick, but some might find a bigger beatdown more tasteless. Cass then, after hitting the big boot, jumped on the little person and starting throwing punches from the mount position.
McMahon fired him at a meeting in Toledo prior to Smackdown. The reasons given were the 5/1 incident, as well as blowing off a rehearsal for a promo that Kevin Dunn has asked for and then going long on the live version of that promo. There was a lot of heat regarding the promo that Vince McMahon hated, and he fired the writer of it a few weeks ago. There was also an incident that happened on the European tour where he locked himself in the tour bus bathroom and then destroyed the bathroom and broke down the door when he couldn’t get out, because the lock malfunctioned and he believed he was being pranked. Because the door was knocked down, it meant the other wrestlers could not use the bathroom the rest of the trip in privacy, not to mention the damages it caused. There were said to be other issues regarding his behavior on the European tour. He also had enemies from years back from vociferously defending Donald Trump while in an argument with Sami Zayn about treatment of Muslims that ruffled many people’s feathers.
There was also negativity of his work in the recent Bryan feud, but not performing up to par was also not the reason for someone to get fired in the manner that he did. We were also told the 5/1 incident was not the key incident in him getting fired, as the reaction to that was going to be done by changing his storyline, which would mean the two submission losses.
Extreme Rules Plans
Extreme Rules, the next PPV, on 7/15 in Pittsburgh looks to be headlined by A.J. Styles vs. Rusev for the WWE title, Bliss vs. Jax for the Raw women’s title and a multiple person Raw main event to determine who faces Brock Lesnar when he returns, presumably at SummerSlam, for the Universal title. Reigns and Bobby Lashley have been announced for the match, and Kevin Owens, Strowman and Finn Balor are probables, as would probably be Baron Corbin based on television.
Other matches being teased right now are Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, a Raw tag title match (originally set for Money in the Bank but removed given how many matches were on the show due to time constraints) with Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt vs. Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel, Jeff Hardy vs. Nakamura for the U.S. title, Carmella vs. Asuka for the Smackdown women’s title.
Other matches being teased right now are Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, a Raw tag title match (originally set for Money in the Bank but removed given how many matches were on the show due to time constraints) with Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt vs. Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel, Jeff Hardy vs. Nakamura for the U.S. title, Carmella vs. Asuka for the Smackdown women’s title.
Sami Zayn Injured and Out
This past week Sami Zayn underwent surgery for a torn right rotator cuff, and he'll be having surgery on the left one in several weeks. Zayn revealed that he'll be out of action for an extended period of time. Zayn called his left shoulder his "bad" one due to past injuries and said it's never felt the same since hurting it on the Raw where he faced Cena in 2015. He doesn't know how long the left rotator cuff was torn for, but he had tests done to see if the right one was okay and the left turned out to be even worse.
Zayn said he'll be undergoing surgery on the left rotator cuff in about six or seven weeks. He mentioned that he'd love to be in the mix for WrestleMania season in 2019 and said he thinks he should be ready to return in time for 'Mania.
Zayn said he'll be undergoing surgery on the left rotator cuff in about six or seven weeks. He mentioned that he'd love to be in the mix for WrestleMania season in 2019 and said he thinks he should be ready to return in time for 'Mania.
Mae Young Classic 2019
WWE has officially announced some of the details for this summer's Mae Young Classic. As expected, the tournament will be taped at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, August 8 and Thursday, August 9. It will then come to the WWE Network "later this summer." Like with the 2017 edition, the single-elimination tournament will again feature a 32-participant field. WWE is advertising that it will include wrestlers from 12 different countries.
WWE noted that additional information will be announced in the coming weeks. They haven't confirmed any wrestlers for the tournament, but Tokyo Sports reported last Thursday that Meiko Satomura would be in it. Last year's version featured a mix of wrestlers who were under contract with WWE and many who weren't.
WWE noted that additional information will be announced in the coming weeks. They haven't confirmed any wrestlers for the tournament, but Tokyo Sports reported last Thursday that Meiko Satomura would be in it. Last year's version featured a mix of wrestlers who were under contract with WWE and many who weren't.
WWE Supershow in Australia
WWE will being running a big show on 10/6 at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds Stadium in Australia. The venu holds about 100,000 fans, but according to local officials, will be set up for a capacity of 70,000. The event, called WWE Super Show-Down (down for Australia being down under) will be headlined by a singles match with Undertaker vs. HHH, their first match since the April 1, 2012, WrestleMania show in Miami.
The show will be an added PPV and Network special and for the first time it will air at an off time, 4 a.m. early Saturday morning Eastern time and 1 a.m. late Friday night Pacific time. The four names WWE is pushing in the media the hardest are Undertaker, HHH, Cena and Rousey, with the focus on Rousey. They announced it would be a four-day set-up to convert the cricket arena to a wrestling stage, and that tickets would go on sale on 6/28.
The names WWE has announced for the show are John Cena, Rousey, Shane McMahon, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Nia Jax, A.J,. Styles, Charlotte Flair, Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Big Show, Bray Wyatt, as well as native Australians Billie Key and Peyton Royce.
The show will be an added PPV and Network special and for the first time it will air at an off time, 4 a.m. early Saturday morning Eastern time and 1 a.m. late Friday night Pacific time. The four names WWE is pushing in the media the hardest are Undertaker, HHH, Cena and Rousey, with the focus on Rousey. They announced it would be a four-day set-up to convert the cricket arena to a wrestling stage, and that tickets would go on sale on 6/28.
The names WWE has announced for the show are John Cena, Rousey, Shane McMahon, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Nia Jax, A.J,. Styles, Charlotte Flair, Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Big Show, Bray Wyatt, as well as native Australians Billie Key and Peyton Royce.
WWE working with Pro Wrestling NOAH
WWE has made a working agreement, at least at this point, with Pro Wrestling NOAH. Not sure what it entails, but it is notable being the first time in decades that the company has worked with a Japanese promotion. Right now the first thing with the deal is Itami returning to NOAH for an 8/29 show.
NXT NEWS
NXT: UK Promotion
WWE made the announcement of its new U.K. television show at the 6/18 tapings at Royal Albert Hall. The series was announced in the ring by Paul Levesque and Johnny Saint. Saint will be the figurehead General Manager on television. WWE announced at the show and sent out a release, but only noted the dates of television tapings, and not if the show would become WWE Network content or there would be a broadcast partner in the U.K.
They announced the show will be called NXT U.K., as opposed to WWE U.K. They announced that besides champion Pete Dunne, that NXT U.K. will also have a women’s championship and a tag team championship. TV tapings will take place on 7/28 and 7/29 in Cambridge, England, at the Corn Exchange; 8/25 and 8/26 at the U.K.’s biggest gaming festival in Birmingham, 10/13 and 10/14 in Plymouth at the Pavilions and 11/24 and 11/25 in Liverpool at the Olympia.
They announced the show will be called NXT U.K., as opposed to WWE U.K. They announced that besides champion Pete Dunne, that NXT U.K. will also have a women’s championship and a tag team championship. TV tapings will take place on 7/28 and 7/29 in Cambridge, England, at the Corn Exchange; 8/25 and 8/26 at the U.K.’s biggest gaming festival in Birmingham, 10/13 and 10/14 in Plymouth at the Pavilions and 11/24 and 11/25 in Liverpool at the Olympia.
New Japan Pro Wrestling News
G1 Blocks Announced
The G-1 Climax tournament is largely the same as last year. That’s good in the sense that the 2017 G-1 Climax tournament was the greatest tournament in wrestling history. It was also announced that for the first time, the entire G-1 tournament will air live in English on New Japan World as Kevin Kelly will be spending the entire four week period in Japan.
The A block this year has;
The B block has:
The G-1 culminates with three straight nights at Tokyo Budokan Hall from 8/10 to 8/12. The 8/10 show, the last night of the A block, is headlined by Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, continuing their long rivalry. The 8/11 show, the last night of the B block, has the surprising main event of Kenny Omega vs. Kota Ibushi, best friends and tag team partners who have never wrestled each other since 2012.
The A block this year has;
- Tanahashi, Togi Makabe, Elgin, Okada, White,
- Yoshi-Hash, Bad Luck Fale, Page, Evil and Suzuki.
The B block has:
- Robinson, Goto, Ishii, Yano, Omega,
- Ibushi, Tonga, Naito, Sanada and Sabre Jr.
The G-1 culminates with three straight nights at Tokyo Budokan Hall from 8/10 to 8/12. The 8/10 show, the last night of the A block, is headlined by Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, continuing their long rivalry. The 8/11 show, the last night of the B block, has the surprising main event of Kenny Omega vs. Kota Ibushi, best friends and tag team partners who have never wrestled each other since 2012.
Ring of Honor News
Best in the World PPV Preview
Ring Honor presents their Best in the World PPV this Friday night, and I will be there live in Baltimore. I always enjoy Ring of Honor shows, but this one in particular interest me because it emanates from the new center at UMBC, and I'm interested to see how the arena will be set up and the crowd will fill it. Plus, there are some pretty damn good matches on tap. ROH has been kind of lost in the shuffle behind NJPW and the All In show, which is being promoted by Cody and the Young Bucks.
I do foresee Cody winning the ROH title, as it would play into a lot of his big upcoming matches, which includes a showdown with Kenny Omega in a few weeks. I also could see the Bucks winning the ROH tag titles as well. Overall, this show looks great on paper and should be a good night of action. Full review next week.
I do foresee Cody winning the ROH title, as it would play into a lot of his big upcoming matches, which includes a showdown with Kenny Omega in a few weeks. I also could see the Bucks winning the ROH tag titles as well. Overall, this show looks great on paper and should be a good night of action. Full review next week.
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WWE Stops ROH at MSG
The planned Ring of Honor show on 4/6 in Madison Square Garden is now officially off due to pressure from WWE. ROH was planning the biggest show in its history for MSG on the night before WrestleMania, with the traveling crowd already in town and New Japan talent available, and the uniqueness of ROH running MSG, the show would have easily sold 10,000 tickets and perhaps a lot more. WWE usually draws 14,000 to MSG, but runs the arena multiple times per year.
WWE immediately went to work, although one source said it only took one call from a high ranking WWE official, and not from Vince McMahon, and Madison Square Garden contacted ROH and pulled the date. Sources close to the situation say that it could and probably would turn into an ugly legal fight. The story is that they had an agreement on the date but the contract for the date had not been signed. ROH by late last week was contacting other arenas in the New York metropolitan area to run that night, but we were also told Sinclair was furious and legal proceedings could take place and were being explored.
WWE immediately went to work, although one source said it only took one call from a high ranking WWE official, and not from Vince McMahon, and Madison Square Garden contacted ROH and pulled the date. Sources close to the situation say that it could and probably would turn into an ugly legal fight. The story is that they had an agreement on the date but the contract for the date had not been signed. ROH by late last week was contacting other arenas in the New York metropolitan area to run that night, but we were also told Sinclair was furious and legal proceedings could take place and were being explored.
IMPACT News
INDEPENDENT NEWS
Chris Jericho announced the bracketing for the Sea of Honor tournament from 10/27 to 10/31 on Jericho’s Rock n Wrestling Rager cruise that leaves from Miami. The 16-man Sea of Honor tournament bracketing has Jay Lethal vs. B.J. Whitmer, Christopher Daniels vs. Delirious, Scurll vs. Rhett Titus, Silas Young vs. Flip Gordon, Mark Briscoe vs. Will Ferrara, Page vs. Kazarian, Cheeseburger vs Beer City Bruiser and Jay Briscoe vs. Kenny King. What’s notable is no Young Bucks after the tease last week of Young Bucks & Jericho doing a six-man tag team match on the cruise.
By: Larry Causion Jr. CausionCreations.com
Posted: Sunday, June 24, 2018
Credit: Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Posted: Sunday, June 24, 2018
Credit: Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter