DAILY UPDATE

The Latest News

Brock Lesnar to appear on WWE Raw tonight
EVOLVE 114 results: NXT wrestlers appear, new champions crowned
NJPW Super Junior Tag League: Updated standings, results
Jeff Jarrett loses hair at AAA Heroes Inmortales
NEVER Openweight title match added to NJPW Power Struggle
HBO’s ‘Last Week Tonight’ follows up on WWE-Saudi Arabia
WWE Supershow Asheville live results: Ambrose attacks Rollins
WWE Evolution notes: Title change, battle royal, Mae Young Classic
NXT’s Fabian Aichner wins EVOLVE Championship
NXT’s Street Profits win EVOLVE Tag Team titles
NXT UK Women’s title defended before WWE Evolution
WWE Evolution live results: Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella

The Latest Audio

WOL: WWE Evolution fallout, Crown Jewel, more! 10/29
WOR: Women’s Evolution PPV, Crown Jewel, New Japan, tons more! 10/29
B&V: WWE Women’s Evolution PPV! 10/28

We’re looking for your thoughts on the WWE Evolution PPV show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected].

We’re also looking for reports from the WWE house show on Saturday night in Corbin, KY, tonight’s Smackdown show in Macon, GA and non-Raw results from tonight in Charlotte to [email protected].

Smackdown, Mixed match Challenge and 205 Live are Tuesday in Atlanta. Announced so far is Tony Nese vs. Mustafa Ali with the winner getting a cruiserweight title shot, Brian Kendrick vs. Jack Gallagher, Braun Strowman & Ember Moon vs. Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox and Rusev & Lana vs. Charlotte Flair & A.J. Styles

NEW JAPAN SUPER JUNIORS TOURNAMENT ON TUESDAY FROM NAGANO ON NEW JAPAN WORLD

Volador Jr. & Soberano Jr. vs. Robbie Eagles & Taiji Ishimori  

F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: Roman Reigns reveals leukemia diagnosis

Roman Reigns opened the October 22, 2018 episode of Raw by revealing that he’s battling leukemia. After missing the weekend house show events, Reigns came out wearing street clothes and addressed the audience while using his real name. He announced that he’s been living with leukemia for the past 11 years, and unfortunately it’s back. Reigns then relinquished the Universal Championship.

WON NEWSLETTER: October 29, 2018 Observer Newsletter: Roman Reigns diagnosed with leukemia 

The most in-depth look at the Roman Reigns battle with leukemia is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Look at what is known about his first bout with leukemia, walk through the weekend, the turns done this past week, what happened throughout the day on Monday, who knew what and what kind of word was going around, a look at his interview, and candidates for the company’s top spot position.

Also look at Crown Jewel and Evolution, including business notes on the Evolution show, Hulk Hogan and Crown Jewel.

Find out what is being talked about for the future of the WWE Network, including ideas for new content, new promotions, and a second tier

Also look at Daniel Cormier and WWE and what it’s all about, Cena book, more WWE injuries, next MSG show and why it’s so important, shows this week, and the Tegan Knox injury.

Examine the next month of NXT television, as well as a look at every house show from WWE and NXT from the past week with results, highlights and business info. 

Read about the proposed Ben Askren vs. Demetrious Johnson trade, the valuation of ONE, and why UFC would do this regarding an existing lawsuit. 

Look at the state of the NWA with its 70th anniversary show, including the Nick Aldis vs. Cody match, the aftermath, the rest of the show, the business notes and the NWA going forward.

ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to [email protected]. 

Rates in the United States are $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to [email protected]. For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52. If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.)

If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.

MONDAY NEWS UPDATE

Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw and the latest wrestling and MMA news. You can send questions for tonight’s show to [email protected].

Besides the announcement of Brock Lesnar on the go-home show for Crown Jewel, the thing to watch for on Raw is how the John Cena situation is handled. WWE has yet to deny the stories of Cena or Daniel Bryan not being on the show, and since it made it all the way to HBO, they’d have issued a denial by now. The mention of Crown Jewel at the Nassau Coliseum show last night was met with heavy boos. Last week the word going around is that WWE would address the Cena situation on tonight’s show. The Bryan situation is stranger because there is no word on how it will be addressed and still not confirmation from anyone officially one way or another on it.

With the World Series over, Smackdown should gain considerable audience tomorrow. 

MLW has inked a deal with FITE TV. The Bein Sports TV show will air on FITE weekly on a seven day delay.

Shayna Baszler was on crutches this morning after the Evolution show. She was telling people it was a minor precautionary thing when they found out she tweaked her ankle during the match, and nothing serious.

We continue to get positive feedback on the Jericho cruise and everyone having a good time. It’s pretty much a lock Jericho will try and do it again next year. His idea is to make it an annual thing.

Everyone leaves for Saudi Arabia after television tomorrow.

WWE stock fell big again today to $66.16 per share.

WWE
WWE is changing Fan Axxess around this year at Mania. There will be no Thursday sessions. Instead there will be sessions Friday, Saturday, Sunday and even Monday morning after Mania. No location in New York has been announced. 
MISCELLANEOUS
MLW announced Kotto Brazil vs. Trey Miguel for the 11/8 show in Cicero, IL at the Stadium. 
AAW from Friday night in Merrionette Park, IL before 630 fans: Jake Something & Curt Stallion b Paco & Steve Manders, Zachary Wentz won three-way over El Hijo de L.A. Park and Stephen Wolf, Jeff Cobb & Trevor Lee b Trey Miguel & DJZ, Josh Briggs b Joe Asar, Josh Briggs b Ace Romero, Flamita & Bandido b Mat Fitchett & Davey Vega, Kimber Lee & Scarlett Bordeaux b Kyle Rae & Marti Belle, Rey Fenix b Sammy Guevara (said to be great), L.A. Park b MJF after a power bomb through a table, Myron Reed & AR Fox b David Starr & Eddie Kingston to win the tag titles after Kingston hit Starr accidentally with a backfist. Next show is 11/10 in LaSalle, IL at the Knights of Columbus. (thanks to Doug Enriquez)
IPW from Saturday night in Auckland, New Zealand: Little Ted & Savage & Stone b Ant Khan & Pat Patricks & The Smack, Jakob Cross b Ben Kettel, Jake Shehaan b Sweet T, Tony Kozina b Alfred Valentine, Curtis Castlewood b Charlie Roberts, Rueben de Jong b Jukebox Hero, Candy Lee b Britenay, Liam Fury b Liger. Fury hit his head on a dive and needed seven stitches. (thanks to Steve Ogilvie)
Women’s Wrestling Revolution did an afternoon show before Evolution in Deer Park, NY, not far from the Nassau Coliseum: Alpha Female b Kimber Lee, Thunder Rosa b Harlow O’Hara, Skylar won four-way over Alisha Edwards, Davienne and Ocenena (Ashley Vox), Penelope Ford b Jessica Troy, Karen Q b Zoe Lucas, LuFisto b Shazza McKenzie, Willow Nightingale & Solo Darling b Tessa Blanchard & Indi Hartwell, Delmi Exo b Terra Calaway-DQW, Jazz b Jordynne Grace. (thanks to Shannon Walsh)
Brian Cage vs Walter was announced for the 11/23 World Series Wrestling show in Melbourne.
Combate Americas announced Erik Perez (18-6), its biggest name star, will face Anders Ayala (12-6) on the 11/17 show in Monterrey, Mexico. The show airs live on DAZN in England and on both Univision and Univision Deportes at midnight Eastern in Spanish.
Shine on Friday night and FITE TV has a 9 p.m. show with Allysin Kay vs. LuFisto for the Shine title, Candy Cartwright vs. Aja Perera for the Nova title, Thunder Rosa & Holidead vs. Mercedes Martinez & Ivelisse for the tag title, Priscilla Kelly vs. Santana and Stormie Lee vs. Su Yung.
Correspondent Gary Mehaffy noted a Pro Wrestling Ulster show in Ireland last night with Paul London, and that Rich Swann vs. Dublin’s LJ Cleary had an easy **** plus match and called Cleary a star in the making. Swann put over both Cleary and Nathan Martin as future stars.
Artemis Spencer was hospitalized with several stitches after being kicked in the mouth in a match with Rey Fenix on Saturday night’s Defy show in Seattle.
Jerry Jarrett talks about how his running Dallas fell apart.

Daily Professional Wrestling History: The Giant wins WCW title at Halloween Havoc 1995

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PWTorch editor Wade Keller presents a special Thursday Flagship edition of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast featuring a WrestleMania 36 Preview with ex-WWE Creative Team member and professional stand-up comedian Matt McCarthy.

(Search “wade keller” to subscribe in podcast app or CLICK HERE to subscribe in Apple Podcasts.)

Submitted by Matt Dagnall

York Hall in London wasn’t quite sold out, but it was pretty full and had a great atmosphere for the night.

– Taichi defeated Chris Brookes (15:03)

Taichi kept leaving the ring and avoiding Brookes at the start, and when they eventually came to blows, a crazy brawl erupted all around the arena. The two had good chemistry when back in the ring and had a decent back-and-forth match.

Brookes had Taichi in a submission when El Desperado came out and distracted the official — who then didn’t see Taichi tap out. Will Ospreay came down to even the odds (despite not yet being cleared to wrestle) and went to hit Desperado with Taichi’s mic stand, but Taichi ducked and Ospreay hit Brookes, and then got a superkick from Taichi.

Taichi took advantage and submitted Brookes after a low blow. After the match, Ospreay apologized and raised Brookes’ hand, only for Brookes to turn on him and give the still-injured Ospreay a moderate beatdown. This was expertly booked and the crowd lapped it up.

– The Great-O-Kharn defeated Shane Taylor (7:14)

Lord Gideon Grey came out and said that RevPro had given in to his demands for The Dominator to have a match, but said it would be against a mystery opponent. Shane Taylor came down to little reaction and got an alright match out of the improving O-Kharn

 There were a lot of strikes and suplexes, but O-Kharn won fairly quickly with a chokeslam after interference from Gideon Grey. Taylor got a good ovation at the end. This was a pleasant surprise on the card and O-Kharn remains undefeated.

– Josh Bodom defeated Chris Ridgeway (8:19)

This started off very hot with both wrestlers wanting to get at the other. They fit a lot into a short amount of time here, as the match hit top gear a few minutes in.

Ridgeway went crazy with kicks and nearly won with an ankle lock. Bodom was incredible. He did a picture-perfect moonsault to the outside, followed by a tombstone on the apron and a Bliss Buster for the win. Bodom was busted open halfway through and looked sadistic with blood all over his body — this was a really good showing from him, as per usual.

– El Phantasmo defeated El Desperado (15:58)

As is often the case, the first half main event was stellar. It started off pretty fast paced as both men ran the ropes and got the crowd involved. They slowed down a bit, with Desperado gaining control until Phantasmo started to get the upper hand, leaping all over the place with the crowd firmly in his corner.

The last few minutes were insanity, with all sorts of near falls as the crowd became very invested. Phantasmo won this with his swanton and moonsault combination and received a huge ovation. Phantasmo is a superstar and it is only a matter of time before he is signed up somewhere.

– Satoshi Kojima defeated WALTER (11:40)

Kojima is incredibly over in the United Kingdom and WALTER is a pretty effective heel, so this made for a good dynamic. WALTER chopped the life out of Kojima, who kept on attempting to fire up but being swatted down.

Eventually, Kojima quickly won with a lariat in what was barely a three count — a clearly improvised finish due to WALTER being apparently hurt. WALTER was taken to the back with the medics, but it didn’t seem to be too serious.

Kojima cut a promo and was about to challenge Tomohiro Ishii until Bodom came out announcing he was moving up to heavyweight. He said Kojima was the past and he was the future, while demolishing a loaf of bread, much to the distress of the leader of Bread Club.

The match could have gotten very good had it not ended abruptly — but regardless, you have to again question the booking of WALTER here. It genuinely baffles me why he isn’t treated as a bigger star in RevPro and there was no need for Kojima to win this.

– MK McKinnan defeated “Speedball” Mike Bailey (14:37)

This was Bailey’s return to York Hall after an over two-year absence following his incredible run in 2016. It was awesome to finally see him back. McKinnan was clearly not that over at the start of the match and the crowd was pretty worn out too, however this incredible match brought them right back up.

Both men wrestled really well, starting off on the mat before going to the top rope and the ramp. Bailey hit his double-knee moonsault on the apron, there was a massive superplex, and several great near falls. McKinnan got Bailey in a choke and elbowed him till he passed out.

This was really good stuff, and a very strong win for McKinnan, who has looked fantastic since returning. Hopefully Bailey can stick around too as he’s such a valuable asset.

– Undisputed British Tag Team Champions Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) to retain their titles (21:50)

This had a really big-fight feel as both teams have been pretty invincible in RevPro this year. Suzuki dominated both opponents early on, scaring Fletcher, who was worked over for a lot of this. Davis tagged in and ran wild before being worn down by Suzuki’s submission-based offense.

Davis tagged Fletcher back in for an awesome staredown between Fletcher and Suzuki — Fletcher finally facing his fear. However, just as Fletcher was getting the upper hand, Sabre came in and they started applying double submissions. Davis eventually broke it up and Aussie Open hit their double-team finishers, each of them being kicked out of. Then while Sabre had Davis in a submission, Suzuki pinned Fletcher with the Gotch-style piledriver.

This was an odd result, — Aussie Open had been building to this since January and I’m not sure where they go from here.

– Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii defeated Undisputed British Cruiserweight Champion David Starr to retain his title (19:07)

The build to this match was great, with Starr claiming he is not just the best cruiserweight but the best wrestler. The match was designed to appeal to the fans who object to NJPW talent holding RevPro titles and would prefer full-time champions like Starr.

Starr mocked Ishii’s walk and stance, while Ishii just stared down his opponent. Starr outwrestled Ishii early on, being too technical, nimble, and agile for the heavyweight and wearing him down. As you’d expect, Ishii came firing back with heavy forearms, but Starr was able to match him and never gave up despite taking a beating.

They exchanged more strikes and chops, with Ishii often no selling Starr’s strikes and even hitting the best superplex I’ve ever seen. Starr hit a combination of lariats and followed with a Han Stansen — but Ishii kicked out at one. Ishii then hit his brainbuster for the win.

A really good main event and the crowd was very into Starr potentially being a double champion. After the match, Suzuki-gun attacked Ishii and Sabre announced that he never got his rematch from when Ishii beat him for the title back in April. Sabre will get his rematch at Wrestle Kingdom 13. The crowd loved this announcement — it almost made up for Starr not winning.

Final thoughts —

This was an excellent show from top to bottom, with every match ranging from good to incredible. RevPro is often criticized for being all in-ring and no story, but they did very well to combat that at this show. The three big angles were really well booked and will lead to other matches down the line, with the Ospreay/Taichi stuff and Sabre/Ishii stuff standing out in terms of story.

The in-ring side was as good as ever, with The McKinnan vs. Bailey match, Phantasmo vs. Desperado, and obviously the main event standing out. The only concern is in the booking decisions. The main criticism of RevPro right now is that the NJPW guys that come over always win, after at Global Wars UK when every New Japan guy won except from against El Phantasmo. This was again the case here.

The WALTER loss hurt, as well as both Starr and Aussie Open losing their title matches. I think most people assumed at least one of Ishii and Suzuki-gun would lose their titles and neither did, which came as a surprise. It does make the RevPro roster look weak if they always lose to NJPW guys and it’s certainly an issue that needs addressing before more of the fan base become angered.

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PWTorch editor Wade Keller presents a special Thursday Flagship edition of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast featuring a WrestleMania 36 Preview with ex-WWE Creative Team member and professional stand-up comedian Matt McCarthy.

(Search “wade keller” to subscribe in podcast app or CLICK HERE to subscribe in Apple Podcasts.)

NXT’s United Kingdom brand will be having its first TakeOver special at the beginning of 2019.

WWE announced today that NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool will take place at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, England on Saturday, January 12, 2019. The Empress Ballroom was also home to WWE’s first United Kingdom Championship tournament in 2017, where Tyler Bate became the inaugural WWE UK Champion before dropping the title to Pete Dunne in May 2017.

NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool will air live on the WWE Network.

NXT UK will also be holding a set of television tapings at the Empress Ballroom on Sunday, January 13, 2019. Liverpool is hosting NXT UK TV tapings today and tomorrow.

Tickets to NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool and the TV tapings at the Empress Ballroom will go on sale via bookingsdirect.com on Monday (November 26) at 10 a.m. local time.

The weekly NXT UK series began airing on the WWE Network last month. WWE has recently been airing two episodes per week to catch up on the tapings, with two more episodes scheduled for Wednesday. They’ll feature Dunne defending his title against Jordan Devlin and Toni Storm vs. Rhea Ripley in the finals of the NXT UK Women’s Championship tournament.

When Chiemi Yonashiro was told an object from a United States military helicopter appeared to have fallen onto the nursery where she had dropped off her three-year-old daughter Mimaru just hours earlier, she burst into tears.

Her daughter – and around 70 other children playing at the nursery at the time – were unhurt, but for Mrs Yonashiro, 46, the incident confirmed her conviction that her family was not safe living in southern Japan’s Okinawa region for one uncomfortable reason: the heavy presence of US military.

“Every day we fear that our lives are at risk,” the mother-of-two told the Sunday Telegraph. “I do not want to let my daughter or other children to experiences such strong fears. I don’t want anyone to suffer this way anymore.”

Mrs Chiemi is one of tens of thousands of Okinawa residents who will on Sunday be offered the opportunity to express their views on the longstanding presence of US military in the region in a historic referendum.

Voters will be asked whether they agree with a deeply controversial plan to relocate a US military base from the crowded residential Futenma region to a more remote part of the island – with early polls indicating that as many as 70 per cent will vote no.

The result of the referendum is legally non-binding and unlikely to stop the government from pushing ahead with relocating, with reclamation work already underway. However, a “no” result is likely to be viewed as a powerful symbol of local opposition to US military.

Okinawa, a subtropical archipelago closer to Taipei than Tokyo, has long been of enormous strategic importance to the US, with the main island hosting more than half of the 47,000 American military personnel based in Japan, despite accounting for less than one per cent of the country’s total land area.

Tensions between the US military and locals have soared in recent years, with a steady stream of complaints over noise, accidents by military aircraft and crimes committed by military personnel and civilian employees.

Momentum to local resistance to US military presence has escalated since last September when Denny Tamaki came to power as Okinawa Governor after campaigning heavily against the relocation plans.

Critics of the relocation say it will damage the island’s delicate marine eco-system and potentially increase aircraft accidents, with many calling for the base to be closed down completely or moved to another part of Japan.

The fact the referendum is taking place at all is likely to cause a major headache for Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, who is intent on keeping relations smooth with his key ally US president Donald Trump.

The timing of the referendum is also sensitive, in the light of preparations underway for the US-North Korea summit in Vietnam next week and discussions over plans for Mr Trump to visit Japan in May and June.

The controversial relocation plan has been a potential thorn in Washington-Tokyo relations since it was first proposed more than two decades ago, with one former Japanese PM resigning over the issue.

For Mrs Yonashiro, the falling aircraft part at Midorigaoka Nursery in December 2017 was one of a string of incidents that crystalised her deep-rooted opposition to the presence of US military in the region.

During the same month, a large object resembling a window frame also reportedly fell from another US military helicopter into the grounds of a nearby elementary school, causing a stone to lightly injure a child.

“Parents here have felt a sense of crisis since these objects fell into schools, one after another,” says Futenma-born Mrs Yonashiro, who also has an eight-year-old son Tamaru. “Children in Okinawa have a right to live a peaceful life but they are living with danger. As long as US military aircraft are flying over Okinawa, the danger will not go away. I strongly feel this is the time to change Okinawa. It’s not just a matter of military bases, it’s about children’s lives.”

Takehiro Kamiya, the head of Midorigaoka Nursery, was no less outspoken in his opposition to US military forces in Okinawa in the run-up to the referendum, highlighting how military aircraft fly over the building on a daily basis.

“We do not need the military bases anymore,” he told the Sunday Telegraph. “There have been accidents of military aircraft crashing, falling objects and crash-landings, as well as murder, rape, theft, traffic accident, drunk driving. The US military still fly over our communities as if nothing has happened. Would such a thing be allowed in Tokyo or in the UK?”

He added: “We demand that military bases not be relocated, but closed or demolished.”