World Wrestling Entertainment

Est. 1980

Home Office
Stamford, CT, USA

President
Triple H

Commissioner
None

WWE World Champion
Brock Lesnar

WWE Women's Champion
Charlotte Flair

WWE Intercontinental Champion
John Cena

WWE United States Champion
Seth Rollins

WWE Tag Team Champions
American Alpha
(Jason Jordan & Chad Gable)

Notable Superstars
Roman Reigns
"The Phenomenal One" AJ Styles
Kevin Owens
Braun Strowman
Randy Orton
The Miz
Luke Gallows
Karl Anderson
DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa)
Alexa Bliss
Sasha Banks
Naomi
The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
The Hardy Boyz (Matt & Jeff Hardy)
The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso)
Shelton Benjamin
The Velveteen Dream
Sonya Deville
Mandy Rose
Shayna Baszler
Dolph Ziggler

++++++++++++++++++++

NEW

New Era Wrestling

Est. 2012

Home Office
Philadelphia, PA, USA

President
Shane McMahon

Commissioner
Paul Heyman

NEW Heavyweight Champion
Dean Ambrose

NEW Women's Champion
Asuka

NEW Contender's Champion
”The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson

NEW Television Champion
Sami Zayn

NEW Tag Team Champions
The Revival
(Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson)

Notable Superstars
Samoa Joe
Matt Riddle
Becky Lynch
Bayley
The New Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong)
Elias
Ricochet
Adrian Neville
Buddy Murphy
Lio Rush
Drew Gulak
Tony Nese
Ohio Versus Everything (Sami Callahan, Dave Crist, Jake Crist & Madman Fulton)
Sanity (Eric Young, Killian Dain, Alexander Wolfe & Nikki Cross)
Killer Kelly
Ember Moon
Ruby Riott
Liv Morgan
Io Shirai
Kairi Sane

++++++++++++++++++++



Texas All-Star Wrestling

Est. 2011

Home Office
San Antonio, TX, USA

President
Shawn Michaels

Commissioner
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin

TASW Heavyweight Champion
Jinder Mahal

TASW All-State Champion
Jeff Cobb

TASW Tag Team Champions
The Rascalz
(Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz)

Notable Superstars
"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson
The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper & Erick Rowan)
Bobby Lashley
Rey Mysterio
Andrade Cien Almas (w/Zelina Vega)
The Kings of Wrestling (Cesaro & Chris Hero)
Baron Corbin
Michael Elgin
The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar)
Ethan Carter III
Apollo Crews
Bobby Roode
Brian Cage
Sin Cara
Curtis Hennig
Eli Drake
Bo Rotunda
The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz)
Angelina Love
Velvet Skye
Madison Rayne
Rosemary

++++++++++++++++++++



All Elite Wrestling

Est. 2018

Home Office
Los Angeles, CA, USA

President
Tony Khan

Commissioner
None

AEW Champion
Kenny Omega

AEW Women's Champion
Tessa Blanchard

AEW Tag Team Champions
The Young Bucks
(Matt & Nick Jackson)

Notable Superstars
"The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes
Chris Jericho
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Barreta)
Brandi Rhodes
"Hangman" Adam Page
John Morrison
MJF
Dustin Rhodes
Shawn Spears
The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin)
SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian & Scoripio Sky)
The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix)
Dr. Britt Baker
Aja Kong
Nyla Rose
Joey Janela
Luchasaurus
Jungle Boy
Cima
Jimmy Havoc
Darby Allin
The Bollywood Boyz
Bea Priestley

++++++++++++++++++++



New Japan Pro-Wrestling

Est. 1972

Home Office
Tokyo, Japan

President
Harold Meij

Commissioner
Gedo

IWGP Heavyweight Champion
Jay White

IWGP Intercontinental Champion
Kota Ibushi

IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion
Juice Robinson

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion
KUSHIDA

IWGP Tag Team Champions
Guerillas of Destiny
(Tama Tona & Tanga Loa)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions
Roppongi 3K
(Sho & Yoh)

NEVER Openweight Champion
Will Ospreay

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championships
Bullet Club
(Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Taiji Ishimori)

Notable Superstars
Hiroshi Tanahashi
Kazuchika Okada
Shinsuke Nakamura
Tetsuya Naito
KENTA
Tomohiro Ishii
Minoru Suzuki
Yuji Nagata
Hiromu Takahashi
Dragon Lee
Marty Scurll
Bad Luck Fale
Akira Tozawa
EVIL & SANADA

++++++++++++++++++++



All-Star Wrestling UK

Est. 1970

Home Office
London, England

President
William Regal

Commissioner
Nigel McGuinness

British Heavyweight Champion
Finn Balor

British Women's Champion
Becky Lynch

British Open Tag Team Champions
The Wyatt Family

UEAW European Champion
Pete Dunne

Notable Superstars
Will Ospreay
Zack Sabre, Jr.
Drew Galloway
Rusev
Sheamus O'Shaunessy
British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate & Trent Seven)
WALTER
Toni Storm
Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch
Robbie Dynamite
"The Bearer of Bad News" Stu Barrett
David Finlay
Killer Elite Squad (Lance Archer & Davey Smith Jr.)
Paige
Rhea Ripley
Layla
Xia Brookside
The IIconics (Peyton Royce & Billie Kay)
"Gentleman" Jack Gallagher
The Coffey Bros (Joe & Mark Coffey)
Jordan Devlin
Noam Dar

++++++++++++++++++++

Notable Free Agents
CM Punk
Sami Zayn
Mustafa Ali
Ronda Rousey

What You Need to Know

For many years, fans and performers alike have said the "E" in WWE actually stands for "Empire." You'd assume that's a compliment, but it's more a tongue-in-cheek reference to Star Wars. To quote Paul Heyman, "the WWE is the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Maple Leafs & Manchester United rolled into one. They've got more fans than every other team combined, but every single one of their non-fans hates their guts." Take that as you will.

The history of the WWE is generally the same. Founded in 1980, rose to prominence over the next decade on the backs of its amazing talent, reimagined what wrestling could be, spent the late 80s and early 90s stomping out whatever competition it could, saw unprecedented success in the mid-to-late 90's and made money hand over fist, then used that money to run a scorched earth campaign against their only competition left, Ted Turner's WCW and Paul Heyman's ECW.

Just when the world thought they had become too big to fail, they became their own worst enemy. The Invasion angle was supposed to change wrestling forever, but it failed miserably and was so poorly handled the company lost millions. They saw all their top talent leave the company in a short span, and suddenly the lack of depth and talent on the roster became a problem.

The turn of the millennium saw a turn in society, and fans began to expect more of the company they had loved for the last two decades. The internet changed how fans could access their entertainment, and soon fans turns elsewhere to companies that had just as much talent and showmanship as the WWE, and they were willing to pay for those services. NJPW and All-Star Wrestling UK saw a huge boom in viewership from other parts of the world, and suddenly there was new competition across the oceans that the WWE didn't anticipate.

The access to information also shined a light on the WWE that they had never expected. Old shadows grew tall over the company when fans began to start questioning the rising number of wrestlers dying at a young age, and other wrestlers that had retired early due to injuries to the head and neck. Then, the Chris Benoit tragedy drove a spike through the WWE's heart that it would never recover from. Viewers in the millions turned away. Sponsorships were pulled. Suddenly all the talent that wanted to be on the WWE stage decided maybe they would stay home, and that money wasn't everything.

The company has since recovered and from 2010 onward, things have been rather good (save one falling out from the McMahon Family that we'll get into later). They're still wildly successful compared to other companies around the globe, the sponsors eventually came back, and they have focused heavily on their developmental programs to the point that they plan on trying their hand at branching out overseas for the first time in their history. They'll have their work cut out for them, but the homegrown talent has shown that the WWE is safer, more entertaining, and more accessible than ever.

It will be interesting to see how the coming years play out for them, now that the days of crushing their opponents are long gone.

NEW

What You Need to Know

The WWE's pride led to their darkest days in the 2000's, and from those days rose some of their stiffest competition. After spending much of their history ensuring that they were the only game in town, once the WWE became what they wanted, the fans turned. That led to drastic actions, sacrifices, a son scorned, a promoter biding his time, and a roster of misfits and fed up talent who were out to prove they were better than the world gave them credit for.

In 2010 the WWE re-branded itself and began the long road to recovery after the 2000's kicked the hell out of their image, talent, and wallets. Part of that re-branding was the removal of Vince McMahon from the WWE Board of Directors after an emergency late-night vote that Vince and his son, Shane, were left out of. Didn't matter; the board had their majority. Vince did the good company man thing and announced to the press that he was "retiring," but it was as insincere a retirement as any in professional wrestling history.

Over the following weeks the truth came out: Vince McMahon's daughter Stephanie and her husband Triple H had made their move. They persuaded the board to hold the vote and take the company out from under Vince & Shane's feet. Triple H was immediately inserted as President of the company, Shane McMahon was relieved of his duties, and Stephanie became Tripe H's number two. Some of the most compelling drama in the WWE's long history was happening in real-life and not on-screen.

However, it worked. The ratings went up. The talent started to come back. They never really had to worry about ratings due to essentially having a monopoly on televised wrestling, but the spike kicked the company back in the right direction.

But they weren't totally out of the woods. Before the developmental territories of the WWE could take off, Shane McMahon, backed by his large inheritance and a chip on his shoulder, declared that NEW would change wrestling forever, and for once a McMahon made that promise and it came true. Shane used his experience at streaming service companies to create NEW TV, a way for fans around the world to easily access all of NEW's content. It was so influential that it sparked the WWE to follow suit and create the WWE Network, and for NJPW to create NJPW World in order to keep up with demand overseas.

Shane also cleaned house before leaving the company. The day he was fired was the day Paul Heyman quit. He had been working for the WWE's creative team since ECW was absorbed, but he was simply "biding his time," as he would say. He saw an opportunity and was the driving force behind NEW setting up shop in Philadelphia. Shane also stole rising superstars that the company was developing like Dean Ambrose, Samoa Joe, and Becky Lynch, who have carried the main event scene since NEW's inception. Other stars like Bayley and Asuka helped shape a women's division that had never been seen before, a division that main evented flagship shows and showed the world that women could draw too. Adrian Neville, The Revival, Elias and Ruby Riott all found homes at NEW and helped carry the company which showed rising talent overseas (Buddy Murphy, Aleister Black, Io Shirai, Kairi Sane) and in developmental territories (Matt Riddle, Ricochet, Drew Gulak) that they could have a home there too, and share their talent with the world.

They created what it is today: a true competitor to the WWE and constantly changing the wrestling landscape.

What You Need to Know

New Era Wrestling wasn't the only company to capitalize on the WWE's failures in the new millennium, although they seem to have reaped the benefits much more than Shawn Michaels did.

What started out as a hobby turned into something big and unexpected in a short time, but over the years has faded in quality and talent. Texas All-Star Wrestling has seen better days, but is still clinging to a core of forgotten fans in the deep south and Mexico, and may still see its best days yet.

Shawn Michaels is in the conversation for greatest of all-time. He had one of the greatest careers in the WWE ever, and it all ended when he went after The Streak and lost to The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 26. The man who had done it all had now hung it up, and unlike just about every single icon to retire before him, Michaels promised this retirement was going to stick.

And in order to do that, Michaels knew he had to scratch that itch one way or another. So he bought a ranch outside San Antonio, Texas, and began to do one of the things he did best: train wrestlers. "The Heartbreak Ranch," as it was dubbed, was going to accidentally change the world.

Through the mid-to-late 2000's a man was tearing up every developmental territory and now-defunct companies in the United States. That man was known as "The American Dragon," and he was one of Michaels' former students. He was the hottest star not in the WWE at the time, but that changed in 2009 when he joined their developmental program and...was completely mishandled and fired. The WWE was handed the gift they had been waiting for on a silver platter, and they turned around and threw it in the garbage.

Disenchanted and unsure about his future, Bryan Danielson turned to his old mentor and joined The Heartbreak Ranch. He began to find his roots again and quickly emerged a new man. The clean cut American boy walked in and six months later came a shaggy-haired, flannel wearing man that NOBODY wanted to fuck with. And now The Heartbreak Ranch was a mecca for the disenchanted and mishandled, and with New Era Wrestling becoming a thing, talent had seen enough: there were options. There were places to make money and be loved (or hated) the world over without having to bend the knee to the WWE.

Ever the competitor, Michaels saw opportunity to capitalize. Calling back to his own roots, he revived Texas All-Star Wrestling and made it his own. He signed a talent-sharing deal with All-Star Wrestling, who tacked on a "UK" to their name in the process. He used his own money to buy-out struggling Orlando-based company Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling, and now he had a roster that couldn't be ignored.

But Michaels wasn't done there. At their first ever show, HBK called in an old friend to run the day-to-day, and the cheers could be heard in Stamford when "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was named TASW's Commissioner. From there, the forgotten fans in the south, an area the WWE had almost stopped touring entirely due to massive budget cutbacks, had their home.

Continuing to tour the southern states and Mexico, with the odd show out west and talent flying across the pond on occasion, TASW continues on the same way it started: focusing on where it came from, the roots of territory wrestling, some good ol' fashioned brawls, and the fans that drive them.

What You Need to Know

Cody Rhodes has had an interesting career, to say the least.

We all know his history. Raised in a wrestling family. Came up through WWE developmental and quickly dominated the mid-card. Looked poised to be the next big thing in the company...then was shoved into a leotard and facepaint. But he owned it...and owned it....and owned it.

Finally, Rhodes got fed up. He asked for an out, leaving behind his older brother and the company that his father hoped he would dominate. But more importantly, his father wanted his sons to be happy, and to find their own path. And Cody knew that.

After a brief stint in Japan that saw success many did not expect, Rhodes played a key role in the dysfunction and eventual downfall of arguably the greatest stable in wrestling history, Bullet Club. Now, Bullet Club are still alive and well, but they're a shell of their former selves, with a distinct lack of talent and having barely survived a bloody civil war that saw The Elite split from The OGs...

...and leave New Japan Pro-Wrestling entirely. In one of the most shocking events in recent memory, NJPW Superstars Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks left Japan entirely and set out to "find their own path." Coming off the most successful year in their careers, Omega and the Bucks were hotter than ever and the most sought after talent in the industry, and they used that to create an opportunity.

Rumors swelled that Omega and the Bucks would join the WWE on blockbuster contracts, riding off the success of and joining AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to revive Bullet Club in the WWE. But it was not to be. After a successful show in Chicago, Rhodes & co. saw their chance and took it. Backed by billionaire Chicago businessman Tony Khan, All Elite Wrestling was born.

With the WWE slowly backing out of touring the west coast over the years, Los Angeles was ripe for the picking and made the most sense to set up shop. A streaming service was born, network deals inked, shows booked, mega stars Pentagon Jr & Fenix were snatched from TASW, Chris Jericho decided he had enough of Japan and joined the party, and success was clearly on the horizon...

...or so they thought. The first handful of shows went great. Sell outs, higher than expected ratings, you name it. But then it all suddenly...vanished. For lack of a better word, that's almost exactly what happened. Kenny Omega was crowned the inaugural AEW Champion in one of the most predictable matches ever wrestled against Chris Jericho. The women's division was starving for talent. With almost no tag team division to speak of, The Young Bucks and The Lucha Bros wrestled night in and night out, until other tag teams eventually surfaced, but by that point nobody cared. Not even an emergency signing of Motor City Machine Guns could save it, and it didn't help that father time has caught up with Shelley and Sabin.

Meanwhile, The Elite's brother and villain Marty Scurll shocked fans when he decided to stay in Japan instead of joining them in Los Angeles when his contract expired. Other signings that were expected or promised suddenly didn't happen. The walls were rapidly closing in on AEW and they'd barely been in existence for a year.

The company still clings to life and no stranger to setbacks, Cody Rhodes is confident that AEW will thrive. But it's going to take something miraculous to keep them afloat. Stay tuned.

What You Need to Know

What else is there to say about New Japan that hasn't been said already? Arguably the most talented roster from top to bottom, New Japan proves time and time again that they're the force to be reckoned with in the wrestling world.

So why do they struggle to gain fans in North America?

Well, for a long time New Japan Pro-Wrestling only had themselves to blame. Since its inception to the late 90s, NJPW only looked out for themselves. They dominated the wrestling scene in Japan and eastern Asia, Oceania, the Pacific, etc, and they were happy with that. There's nothing wrong with carving out your own corner of the world and calling it yours.

But as time went on and the 90s turned into the 2000s, and access to whatever you wanted was at the click of a button, New Japan couldn't be the titan in the Pacific and only the Pacific anymore. The big money and legions of fans of wrestling were in North America and Europe, and they had grown tired, and wanted in on whatever this behemoth known as NJPW was.

And for a while, New Japan simply replied "no." This was theirs. They were fine. Life was good and if you wanted to be a part of it, well, come to us.

And that ego and air of elitism hurt them, eventually. New Japan had their own way of doing things and their own code and while fans overseas were trying to peer in through search engine results and the odd pirated video, Japanese fans were doing the same, only with the WWE and other promotions elsewhere.

There was no denying it: New Japan had to embrace the new world, and so they did. NJPW World was created in the wake of NEW TV and the WWE Network. They began to market to North American audiences. Gaijins were pushed to the absolute top, even more than in the past. Sure, gaijins like Stan Hansen and Brock Lesnar had seen great success, but nothing compared to what came when the likes of Prince Devitt (Finn Balor), AJ Styles and Kenny Omega crossed the Pacific and joined the ranks of the best talent pool on the planet.

But it hasn't been enough. It's a slow process, and it is working, but New Japan still hasn't had the success in North America that they expected to have by now. Shows held in Los Angeles failed to grab the attention they anticipated, but a major show at Madison Square Garden over Wrestlemania weekend in 2019 finally did the trick. In the wake of losing the gaijins they invested in for several years, who turned their backs to start All-Elite Wrestling, NJPW tore the house down and stole Wrestlemania weekend out from under the WWE that year, holding one of the greatest shows of the decade.

Is it finally time for NJPW to become the world leader, after all these years?

What You Need to Know

Somewhat surprising is that the oldest company in wrestling doesn't have the richest history, or many great moments to speak of at all. Always lurking in the background is All-Star Wrestling based in England, but the company has been quietly dominating Europe for decades and has a solid cult following.

The wrestling world's best kept secret is now poised to steal away a whole new generation of fans. All-Star Wrestling's base has been growing steadily over the past few years, slowly gaining more and more followers every year since the talent merger with Shawn Michaels' TASW, and the sudden appearance of some of the world's best stars.

Cesaro. Will Ospreay. Zack Sabre, Jr. British Strong Style. WALTER. Paige. Drew Galloway. Rusev. The list goes on. European superstars have emerged from All-Star Wrestling and have quietly dominated around the globe. It's safe to say that the last few years and the upcoming several are going to belong to the European superstars that were bred on the mean streets of London.

But All-Star Wrestling has seen a major setback. A scrappy young Irishman that used to go by Prince Devitt has returned to the soil that he started out on, and has stolen away the British Heavyweight Championship. He left over a decade ago for Japan, and after struggling for some time, became the criminal mastermind behind the despicable Bullet Club. After using his gang of sociopaths to rise to fame in Japan, Devitt sold his soul and made the jump to the WWE, where The Demon Finn Balor was born.

Rising through the ranks by any means necessary (and taking advantage of his friendship with Triple H), Balor became unstoppable for a time, even winning the WWE World Championship and holding it for a short while. The world was his, but an unfortunate injury at his WWE peak forced him to vacate the WWE Championship, and Balor was never the same after that. His triumphant return fell flat. He, like many others over the years, found he was forgotten and mishandled, and eventually Balor became jaded and unmotivated.

Balor hung on long enough to win the Intercontinental Championship, but the following night he tossed it in the ring and walked out of the company, not speaking a word. Balor had one of the most influential and decorated careers since 2010, some would argue the best...and he wasn't going to settle for this consolation prize.

He decided to return to his roots, but found he was unwelcome. All-Star Wrestling had flourished without him, and now boasted one of the most talented rosters in the world. The fans didn't want him. The locker room didn't need him. And Balor's brash, egotistical attitude didn't mesh with the respectful, classy European company.

But despite all that, Finn Balor entered an eight-man tournament for the British Heavyweight Championship...and he won. He did it on his own. He did it without Bullet Club, without Triple H, without anyone but himself, and the fans couldn't handle it. Garbage rained down on the ring. Televisions were turned off. One of the greatest heels of this generation was born, and All-Star Wrestling UK was suffering for it.

And they wouldn't have it any other way. The company that was created so that a woman could get a fair shot in a world dominated by men was now the company that was putting story above profit, drama above entertainment. All-Star Wrestling UK is stacked with talent and willing to be fun, entertaining and controversial. Don't sleep on them.

BREAKING: Canadian Wrestling Alliance closing its doors
Oh, Canada...

One of the most influential developmental territories in the world is finally shutting down for good. The Canadian Wrestling Alliance is officially no more. After filing for bankruptcy for a second time in three years, many felt it was just a matter of time.

Never as flashy as the other major territories, the CWA quietly bred some of the world's greatest talent up in the great white north, and has been consistently pouring out generational talents for nearly 5 decades. Founded in 1967 by Stu Hart, the CWA essentially unionized all the Canadian wrestling territories. Stampede Wrestling was also formed and became the main stage of Canadian wrestling. With all the territories funneling their best talent into one show, instead of being spread out all over the country like in the United States, Stampede Wrestling dominated the wrestling industry through the 1970's and into the 80's, until Vince McMahon put a stop to that with his wallet.

But the creation and success of the CWA influenced All-Star Wrestling to take a similar model in Europe, and even Antonio Inoki credited the CWA model when asked about his inspiration for creating NJPW. Inoki toured North America in 1967 and saw what value the CWA had, and when he attempted the same thing with JWA in 1971, he was fired, leading to him creating his own company that now dominates Japan and the surrounding regions, and looks to finally infiltrate the American market.

After Stampede Wrestling was bought out in 1984, the CWA thought it could carry on the duty of touring Canada despite not having televised events, and Canadian superstars constantly leaving for American fame and fortune. For a time, they were right...until they weren't.

The Hart Foundation. Roddy Piper. Steve Corino. Chris Jericho. Chris Benoit. Lance Storm. Edge & Christian. Bobby Roode. Kenny Omega. Kevin Owens. Sami Zayn. Through the 1990's and into the 2000's, these names and many others were born and bred in Canada, but spent their prime on American soil, leading to the slow death of the CWA. Without being able to hang on to their top talent, touring eventually became a money pit, and was cancelled all together. For several years the CWA would carry on training wrestlers, and eventually tried to get back into the game a few years ago when Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn returned home in an attempt to revive the company, but it would prove to be an empty gesture several years too late.

So now that the CWA is officially no more, we'll be seeing Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn once again hitting the free agent market. The safe bet is that Kevin Owens returns to the WWE, but Sami Zayn is a wild card. And despite him and Owens spending their entire careers together, Zayn seemed glad to put the WWE behind him and it would be surprising if he ended up back there.

Other stars hitting the market will likely find themselves with more than one offer on the table. Tyler Breeze, who had great success in the WWE's developmental program, never took on the main roster and was released a couple years back. Maybe they take another shot at him? Also powerhouse bad boy Jinder Mahal checks every box for both the WWE and TASW, who love a good heel that also happens to be built like a brick house. Michael Elgin likely returns to Japan, and maybe the rising tag team The Bollywood Boyz join him in their Junior Heavyweight Tag Team division. 

Interesting times ahead with a sudden influx of free agents, and uncertain futures for all the major companies around the globe. Stay tuned!

BREAKING: FOX Cancels Smackdown Live; Triple H Says Show Will Be Discontinued
Things just went from bad to worse in the WWE Universe.

One of the WWE's two weekly shows is no more. After over 20 years on television and well over 1,000 episodes aired, Smackdown Live is done.

The WWE and FOX Sports inked a 5-year deal worth over $1 billion. It was far and away the biggest TV deal the WWE had ever done, and the company bragged about it for well over a year from the signing of the deal to Smackdown airing on the channel. The WWE planned to take a more major league sports approach to the show, and used a good chunk of the money to extend WWE World Champion Brock Lesnar's contract, and also bring in former UFC Women's Champion Ronda Rousey.

The WWE continued to develop their younger talent in a more shoot-style/MMA way, pushing that sports narrative into the main roster scene. Shayna Baszler and Sonya Deville led the charge on the women's side, while Roman Reigns and Shelton Benjamin drastically changed their in-ring style as well. The new approach went over well with fans for some time, and apparently really impressed FOX. But shortly before Smackdown made the jump to their new home, the WWE seemed to scrap the idea as they struggled with other stars.

AJ Styles was the most notable hold-out, stating publicly that he refused to change what made him "phenomenal," and that he didn't see why he should change what he was doing after strapping Smackdown to his back since showing up in the WWE. Then promising young talent Matt Riddle left WWE developmental for New Era Wrestling. Things seemed to fall apart from there.

For a time, Smackdown became the WWE's strongest show. The spike in viewership from FOX Sports seemed to pay off and for the first time ever, Smackdown surpassed WWE Raw in the ratings. But that was short-lived, and the WWE was on a short leash with FOX. We're now learning that the first year of the contract came with many outs for FOX, and they've exercised one of the outs due to the unpredictability of the WWE. A sharp downturn in ratings has been the direct result of the WWE continuing to mishandle talent and overbook their big feuds. The latest such casuality, Finn Balor, who unceremoniously walked out of the company and disgraced the WWE Intercontinental Championship on live television, was apparently the final straw for FOX.

Expect the WWE to react to this news with something drastic. If one things for certain in this industry, when the WWE gets dealt a blow, they come out swinging.

WWE RAW RESULTS: Conor McGregor Named Commissioner; IC Title Tournament Announced
Tonight's episode of Raw was a wild one to say the least.

The show kicked off with the acting Commissioner, Baron Corbin, being chastised by President & CEO Triple H for the WWE's latest run of bad ratings and even worse headlines. Triple H told Corbin that he was given a massive opportunity and he wasted it, and now the WWE is paying for his mistakes.

Corbin got in Triple H's face and said that he isn't going to be his fall guy, that this was years in the making and that the countless "morons" Triple H hires are the reason why the WWE is suffering. Triple H was fuming, but backed down, smiling to himself. You know that sheepish look he gets right before he ruins someone's day? Well...

..cue "Foggy Dew" and thousands of screaming fans as former UFC champion Conor McGregor entered the building. Triple H informed Corbin that if Corbin thinks he hires "morons," then here's his chance to tell one of those "morons" to his face what he thinks of them. Corbin was then relieved of his duties and Triple H shook McGregor's hand before handing the floor to him.

McGregor thanked Triple H and the WWE fans, noting that he'd have his work cut out for him since he's not allowed to curse. He then started to lay into Baron Corbin, who decided it would be a good idea to square up with McGregor and stand up for himself. Triple H backed out of the way just in time as McGregor laid Corbin out with one punch, then stood over him and shouted that "you and everyone else are in my world now!"

McGregor's first order of business was announcing an Intercontinental Championship tournament and that he'd be hand-picking the eight men that would compete for the title. He then said that the first person he was picking was "the large doofus laying unconscious to my left," and went on to say that if Baron Corbin didn't win the whole tournament, he'd be fired.

McGregor comes to the WWE after finishing his six-fight contract with the UFC. His final fight saw him challenge Anthony Pettis for the Welterweight title in a losing effort. After losing 3 of the 6 fights McGregor signed on for, and with controversy following him everywhere he goes, the UFC opted not to offer McGregor a new contract.

The WWE has gone all-in after some major setbacks, and they've gone all in with one of the most unpredictable and controversial figures in the world today. No telling how this plays out.

Match Results
Seth Rollins (c) def. Randy Orton - United States Championship
The Velveteen Dream def. Zack Ryder - IC title tournament match
Baron Corbin def. Dolph Ziggler - IC title tournament match
DIY def. The Usos
Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville def. Alexa Bliss & Shayna Baszler

Wrestling Observer Radio - News & Notes from around the Wide World of Wrestling
Hosted by Dave Meltzer & Bryan Alvarez

-Dave & Bryan discuss the very obvious top story, the naming of Conor McGregor as WWE Commissioner.
-Dave says he had a hunch it was McGregor because his sources were being very tight-lipped, so he knew it was someone huge and couldn't think of anyone else that would warrant secrecy like that.
-Says that usually when it's a returning WWE Superstar, the secret gets out pretty quick. So he knew it was someone from outside the company.
-Alvarez speculates about the WWE once again backtracking on their "pro sports/MMA approach," since the FOX deal ended. Dave says there's no question about it.
-Alvarez jokes "So are we finally going to see McGregor vs. Diaz, but in a WWE ring?" and Dave says he wouldn't even be surprised at this point.

-They talk a little about Seth Rollins and how good he's looked carrying the United States Championship back to prominence.
-Alvarez says it's criminal that he's only been WWE Champion one time, and that he should be the face of the company.
-Dave says his chances are even lower now that the WWE is going all-in on MMA guys. "Lesnar might be champ until he dies," Dave adds.
-Alvarez says they should have learned their lesson when they didn't put the title on Kofi Kingston last year. Dave says people who thought that was going to happen were fooling themselves.

-They end their WWE segment by saying their picks for the IC title tournament. Alvarez picks Baron Corbin and Dave picks John Cena because its the only title he's never won.

...

-Moving on the New Era Wrestling, Dave says he put in a call to Shane McMahon for comment on the McGregor situation but Shane didn't respond.
-Alvarez laughs, saying Shane is probably pissed.
-"Oh, the gloves are definitely off now," Dave adds. Says NEW are always the first to respond in kind whenever the WWE pulls a stunt so it's likely we'll see a surprise or two when they return from hiatus.
-They remind everyone that, as always, NEW returns from hiatus with "Pick Your Poison" live in Philadelphia at the 2300 Arena, or as wrestling fans know it, the old ECW Arena.
-Dave is sad he didn't get tickets this year. First year he isn't going.
-"Wow, they've become so exclusive that even the great Dave Meltzer can't get in?" Alvarez says, laughing. Dave doesn't sound happy.
-"It's become larger than life, I love everything about that show," Dave says. "Who would have thought that shoving 1,300 people in there before going out on the road for the year as a callback to ECW would result in this? Fucking Captain America was there last year! Chris goddamn Evans!"
-"Which Avenger do you think shows up this year?"
-"Is that one of the options for Pick Your Poison? 'Which Avenger should Dean Ambrose defend the title against?'"
-Speaking of, Dave reminds the listeners that the poll options for Pick Your Poison will be released later today, so get your voting fingers ready.

...

-Next stop, Japan.
-Or Los Angeles, apparently.
-"I'm excited for this one," Dave says, as they bring up New Japan's first show on American soil since the MSG show last year.
-"That show exceeded expectations and fans have been waiting for them to come back. And now they're doing so on AEW's home turf while AEW is struggling. I love it."
-Alvarez speculates on if this is a "kick 'em while they're down," move towards Omega and the Bucks for leaving NJPW.
-"Oh, absolutely. This is a prime Gedo move. He's absolutely going to LA on purpose."
-Dave does remind the listeners that AEW Champion Kenny Omega has a clause in his contract that allows him to work with New Japan.
-"But I would be absolutely shocked if they're even talking right now. Nobody holds a grudge like NJPW."

...

-"Speaking of grudges...Finn Balor."
-Alvarez asks Dave if he's surprised Balor didn't return to NJPW.
-Dave says he isn't surprised, that "Finn Balor was not a part of NJPW. Prince Devitt was. And Prince Devitt is dead."
-"The WWE created The Demon Finn Balor and should have booked him to the moon. He was out-drawing everyone at his peak. With Cena mostly gone and Reigns a flop as a face, they needed Balor more than he needed them. So when they slapped him in the face when he came back from injury, he was done."
-"There was nothing left for Balor to do in Japan anyway. He won every title he set his sights on and now that Bullet Club is a shell of its former self, why go back?"
-"That's exactly why. The creator returns! Why not?"
-"Nah, doesn't make sense. He's returning to his roots, the grungy gyms in the UK before he moved to Japan. He's closer to his family, his parents are aging, it makes sense."
-"I guess being British Heavyweight Champion helps too," Alvarez adds.
-"Can't hurt. All-Star UK needed a kick in the ass too. I think this next European tour is going to be special. If you're not someone that follows them, get a subscription. It's like 6 bucks a month. Just do it."

...

-"Should we talk about TASW before we go?"
-"Why?"
-"Feels rude not to."
-"The company that's been doing the same thing on repeat for two years? The Wyatt Family's reign of terror ended when Bryan Danielson finally claimed the TASW Heavyweight Championship from Bray Wyatt. That was some of the most exciting and compelling drama in the industry at the time.Everyone was talking about it. For two years they dominated this industry and won every award out there, but since then they've done nothing of note. Hopefully something good happens to them soon, because they need it."

...

-Dave plugs his new book, Alvarez reminds the listeners again that the "Pick Your Poison" voting will be up later today, Dave also once again says everyone listening should buy an All-Star Wrestling UK subscription for their upcoming European tour, and as they sign off Alvarez speculates if they should start a pool on how long McGregor lasts before he gets arrested and/or fired.

NEW ERA WRESTLING
Pick Your Poison
LIVE! from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA

New Era Wrestling kicks off another year of touring with the 8th Annual Pick Your Poison event in Philly!
Tickets are SOLD OUT but as always you can catch the entire event LIVE on NEW TV! Subscribe and stream from the comfort of your own home, and gain access to every last second of NEW entertainment that you can watch any time.
And of course, you, the New Era Wrestling fans, will choose the fates of everyone participating in the event. You know the drill:

-Voting is open for one week.
-You can choose one (1) option from each multiple choice question.
-Results will not be posted until the event itself. Not even the participants know what to expect!

SUBMIT YOUR VOTES HERE: pwcom.proboards.com/conversation/new/5

Don't miss the most exclusive show in the world today!

PICK YOUR POISON VOTING BELOW:

SPOILER: Click to show

NEW Championship - Dean Ambrose vs. Aleister Black
A) No DQ
B) Steel Cage
C) Philadelphia Street Fight

NEW Women's Championship - Becky Lynch vs....
A) Asuka
B) Bayley
C) Ruby Riott

NEW Contender's Championship - Samoa Joe vs. Matt Riddle
A) Ladder Match
B) Submission Match
C) 2 out of 3 Falls Match

NEW Television Championship - Adam Cole vs. ...
A) Kyle O'Reilly
B) Bobby Fish
C) Roderick Strong

NEW Tag Team Championship - The Revival vs. ...
A) Nikki Cross & Killer Kelly
B) Io Shirai & Kairi Sane

Ember Moon vs. Liv Morgan
A) Loser Shaves Their Head
B) Loser Cannot Challenge for the Women's title for the rest of the year

Ricochet & Buddy Murphy vs. Adrian Neville & Elias
A) Elimination Match
B) Tornado Tag
C) Losing team has to fight each other on the first episode of NEW Live

NEW Championship - Dean Ambrose vs. Aleister Black
A) No DQ
B) Steel Cage
C) Philadelphia Street Fight

NEW Women's Championship - Becky Lynch vs....
A) Asuka
B) Bayley
C) Ruby Riott

NEW Contender's Championship - Samoa Joe vs. Matt Riddle
A) Ladder Match
B) Submission Match
C) 2 out of 3 Falls Match

NEW Television Championship - Adam Cole vs. ...
A) Kyle O'Reilly
B) Bobby Fish
C) Roderick Strong

NEW Tag Team Championship - The Revival vs. ...
A) Nikki Cross & Killer Kelly
B) Io Shirai & Kairi Sane

Ember Moon vs. Liv Morgan
A) Loser Shaves Their Head
B) Loser Cannot Challenge for the Women's title for the rest of the year

Ricochet & Buddy Murphy vs. Adrian Neville & Elias
A) Elimination Match
B) Tornado Tag
C) Losing team has to fight each other on the first episode of NEW Live

I like RT 's concept of taking wrestling back to the territory days. Where can I get a Texas All Star Wrestling shirt?

Mar 28, 2019 1:59:40 GMT Baker said:

I like RT 's concept of taking wrestling back to the territory days. Where can I get a Texas All Star Wrestling shirt?

If I wasn’t worried about getting sued by some Texan who still owns the rights I’d throw something up on pro tees or whatever.

Mar 28, 2019 5:00:19 GMT RT said:

Mar 28, 2019 1:59:40 GMT Baker said:

I like RT 's concept of taking wrestling back to the territory days. Where can I get a Texas All Star Wrestling shirt?

If I wasn’t worried about getting sued by some Texan who still owns the rights I’d throw something up on pro tees or whatever.

Sometimes it pays to live dangerously. Just sayin'...

It also doesn't help that I just ripped off the logo from the Texas Stars AHL team: www.texasstars.com/

Buy a sweater and pretend its a TASW jersey. :lol:

Mustafa Ali declares for Best of the Super Juniors tournament
When the WWE dumped its entire cruiserweight division (again) people were left scratching their heads. It seemed the company had finally got it right, putting the division on a pedastal, bringing in a new Cruiserweight Championship, even going so far as to give them their own hour-long show on the WWE Network. And on top of that, they had one of the most diverse rosters on the show and were able to boast about it to the rest of the world.

But the WWE is not known for good decision making and when they dumped all their talent, Shane McMahon swept in and picked up the pieces. Most of the cruiserweights ended up in New Era Wrestling, save for one hold out and arguably the biggest star to come from the division, Mustafa Ali.

Ali was the hottest free agent on the planet (until the CWA folded) but it doesn't appear he is any longer, at least not for the next couple months. Mustafa Ali announced on twitter this morning that he would be participating in NJPW's Best of the Super Juniors tournament.

The round robin portion of the tournament kicks off at NJPW's first show on American soil in over a year, Super Battle Los Angeles, and NJPW was quick to announce that Ali would be on the card, though his opponent is not yet known as the draws have not been completed yet. So keep an eye out for that, because this might be the most stacked tournament yet.



Finn Balor has a new friend; ASWUK Kick-Off Show Results
All-Star Wrestling UK kicked off their European tour in style last night, hosting their annual premier show in London, England. And as always, the O2 Arena was packed to capacity as the English fans sent their stars off on their yearly journey with cheers, boos, chants and songs.

The star of the show and public enemy number one, Finn Balor, successfully defended the British Heavyweight Championship against Zack Sabre, Jr. in a barn burner of a match. But it's thanks to his new friend Paul Gallagher, formerly known as Tucker of WWE developmental fame, that Balor managed to escape ZSJ's clutches and remain champion.

Gallagher accompanied Balor to the ring in a surprise return from hiatus. His role with Balor is unknown, though Balor did train Gallagher and Balor is known for building alliances everywhere he goes in order to propel himself to success. We'll have to keep an eye on this Irish allegiance and you have to wonder if Balor has more recruits in mind.

Also on the card Will Ospreay continued to impress as he handed WALTER a rare defeat, though his body paid the price and he was doubled over in pain as he left the ring. With the victory, Ospreay has earned himself a shot at Cesaro's UEAW European Championship.

And we're close to crowning new British Open Tag Team Champions after Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe left the company to join New Era Wrestling after last year's tour came to a close. Results of the prelim matches to determine the contenders are below along with all the other exciting results from the evening. The new British Open Tag Team Champions will be crowned next week in Edinburgh.

Match Results
Finn Balor w/Paul Gallagher (c) def. Zack Sabre, Jr. - British Heavyweight Championship
Will Ospreay def. WALTER - #1 Contendership to UEAW European Championship
Toni Storm def. Rhea Ripley - British Women's Championship
Killer Elite Squad def. Rusev & Sheamus - Tag Team Championship prelim
Tyler Bate & Trent Seven def. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch - Tag Team Championship prelim
Pete Dunne def. Drew Galloway
Paige def. Xia Brookside
Stu Barrett def. David Finlay

BREAKING: Will Ospreay forfeits title shot to enter BOSJ Tournament
Surprising news out of ASWUK today. Will Ospreay has requested a leave of absence to enter the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, and has therefore forfeited his shot at the UEAW European Championship.

Ospreay earned the title shot in a hellacious match with WALTER last week, handing the Austrian brute a rare loss and his first in almost a year. It was one of the biggest victories of Will Ospreay's career, however he has unfinished business in Japan that sits higher on his list of priorities.

"After coming so close the past two years, I just knew it was something I had to take another shot at," Ospreay said this morning in Paris. Ospreay and the rest of the ASWUK roster are in Paris for their second show of the season, and a media scrum formed at the arena after word of his decision spread.

"I lost the block tie-breaker in 2018 and then to lose in the finals last year was so heartbreaking," Ospreay added. "I'm giving up a lot by trying this again but it's an itch I need to scratch. It's something I've always wanted and if the opportunity to win is there I have to take it."

Ospreay spent much of his developmental years in Japan and up until last year he had a two-way contract with both New Japan and ASWUK, however during the off-season Ospreay was given a big extension by ASWUK in the event he became an exclusive performer.

Leaves of absence such as this one do still occur today, however they have become more rare in recent years as more and more wrestlers sign exclusive contracts and companies attempt to lock up their talent as much as possible.

WALTER was also approached for questioning about Ospreay's decision but he stormed past the scrum without saying a word. ASWUK Commissioner Nigel McGuinness was sent a request for comment and he replied that "a new #1 contender will be crowned in Paris this week, and I guarantee it will be someone worthy of facing The Swiss Superman, so don't miss the show."

Sami Zayn declares for Best of Super Juniors; Blocks & First Match-Ups Revealed; KENTA news & more
Move over Mustafa Ali. Sami Zayn just stole your thunder.

In a surprising turn of events, Canadian free agent Sami Zayn has declared that he will be competing in NJPW's Best of the Super Juniors tournament which kicks off in LA in two weeks.

Zayn spent the last two years of his career recovering and attempting to revive the CWA with long-time friend Kevin Owens. The duo left the WWE after the gruelling schedule plagued them with injuries. Zayn has had issues with both shoulders that were finally repaired with surgery while Kevin Owens required surgery on both knees. The pair were on the shelf for over a year, then opted not to rejoin the WWE and instead returned home to Canada in a bid to restore the CWA to prominence.

The move was too little too late for the CWA, however, and the company folded earlier this year. This put Zayn and Owens back on the free agent market for the first time since they were known as El Generico and Kevin Steen, touring developmental territories around Canada and the United States.

Sources speculate that Kevin Owens will return to the WWE as he left on good terms and seemed intent on returning there one day to finish his career. Owens has been very vocal about the fact that he plans to retire at a younger age than most, and plans on making as much money for his family as possible before he does that. And the WWE pays him extremely well, especially since his WWE Heavyweight Championship run.

Zayn, however, seemed to be going through the motions before he left for surgery. Like many others on the roster, Zayn found himself beloved with the crowd and one of the best in-ring talents the company had, yet he floundered creatively and never managed to pull himself into a championship picture. Whether an injury set him back or creative changed their minds, the timing never seemed right for Zayn, and it showed late in his WWE career as he began to phone in matches.

A change of scenery is exactly what Sami Zayn needs, and he enters one of the biggest and most popular tournaments on the planet in doing so. We're being gifted some excellent match-ups in the round robin portion of the tournament so don't miss it.

KENTA Rounds Out the Blocks; Wants to Silence Critics
KENTA has put up with a lot since Pro-Wrestling NOAH folded and he joined NJPW. Many NOAH fans in Japan blamed KENTA for the company closing despite the fact he seemed to carry the company on his back until it finally died. They saw him joining NJPW as joining the enemy, however he really didn't have a choice. Nobody in North America gave him a chance and KENTA was not prepared to move to Europe.

Then upon his arrival in NJPW news broke that he wouldn't be a Junior Heavyweight and was bumped straight into the IWGP Heavyweight Championship picture with matches against Shinsuke Nakamura and Kazuchika Okada. KENTA's favouritsm didn't go over well with NJPW fans who expect the talent to earn their place at the top of the company and not have it handed to them.

Gedo explained that since KENTA had held the GHC Heavyweight Championship before NOAH closed its doors, he deserved the same treatment in NJPW. The fans revolted, booing KENTA at every turn. KENTA remained silent through it all, but never held the title he was gunning for and eventually entered a feud with Tetsuya Naito over the IWGP Intercontinental Championship that he eventually won for a short time.

Now it's time for a new chapter and KENTA has finally spoken out. In his first press conference since joining the company, KENTA simply stated that he doesn't believe he needs to prove himself, but if its what the NJPW fans want then he plans to silence his critics and win the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. KENTA plans to go undefeated and hopes that after he does, the crowd will be more accepting when he goes on to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

I guess time will tell. See the blocks and first round robin matches listed below:

BOSJ Blocks & First Round Robin Matches

Block A
Hiromu Takahashi
Will Ospreay
Marty Scurll
Dragon Lee
Flip Gordon
Akira Tozawa
Ryusuke Taguchi
BUSHI

Block B
Mustafa Ali
KENTA
Sami Zayn
Taiji Ishimori
Sho
Yoh
El Desperado
El Phantasmo

Matches to take place at Super Battle Los Angeles:
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Marty Scurll
Sami Zayn vs. KENTA
Will Ospreay vs. Flip Gordon
Mustafa Ali vs. Taiji Ishimori

Matches to take place at NJPW BOSJ Night 2 in Osaka:
Dragon Lee vs. Akira Tozawa
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. BUSHI
Sho vs. Yoh
El Desperado vs. El Phantasmo

ASWUK Night 2 Results: Paris Follows The Buzzards; Balor Club?; Titans Rise & Fall & More
In a shocking twist to the main event of ASWUK's second show of the season, The Wyatt Family laid waste to several key ASWUK superstars and made one thing clear: the ASWUK Tag Team division is on notice, and the British Open Tag Team Championship has been targeted by the most sadistic family in the wrestling world.

The three men who dominated Texas All-Star Wrestling from its inception until 2017, Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper & Erick Rowan, disrupted the British Open Tag Team Championship match between Killer Elite Squad and British Strong Style. The titles were up for grabs after they were vacated by Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe, who left ASWUK during the off-season after signing exclusive contracts with New Era Wrestling to join long-time friends Eric Young & Nikki Cross.

The match main evented the evening and was a great tag team match-up, that is until the lights went out and the eerie sound of The Wyatt Family's theme song filed the night air. The only men to not cross the Atlantic as part of ASWUK and TASW's talent-sharing deal had finally done the deed and were on European soil, and the Paris crowd sat shell shocked as Luke Harper and Erick Rowan decimated the four men in the ring.

Bray Wyatt spun his lantern and cackled to himself as the mayhem carried on in the ring, then rolled under the ropes and crawled over the four fallen ASWUK superstars. Wyatt addressed the crowd and informed them that ASWUK needed saving, and he planned to do to Europe what he did to the deep south: dominate it.

And we all know The Wyatt Family is capable of doing just that. The mysterious Wyatt Family was a realtively unknown force when they joined TASW in 2012, roaming the countryside and popping in and out of developmental territories across North America, leaving destruction behind them at every turn. More of a myth in the wrestling world, nobody really knew what to expect of these three men when they were finally given a stage to show what they were capable of, but the fans learned quick.

Luke Harper and Erick Rowan became the first TASW Tag Team Champions in late 2012 and held on to the titles for over 3 years. Between the southern United States and the European stars coming across the Atlantic to take their shot, nobody could dethrone them. A more dominant tag team had not existed for decades and their leader Bray Wyatt made sure nobody forgot it.

As their reign carried on, Bray Wyatt set his sights on the TASW Heavyweight Championship, held by inaugural champion Bryan Danielson. As Danielson held the title for some months, defending against every comer, Wyatt bided his time and lurked in the shadows, warning Danielson that his time was rapidly approaching. Danielson focused on his actual opponents, but the mind games eventually got to him and he could no longer ignore the bearded, psychotic elephant in the room.

Wyatt got his shot and stunned the world when he completely destroyed Bryan Danielson and took the TASW Heavyweight Championship hostage. It wasn't even close. Danielson looked completely off his game and barely mounted an offense, something the world had never seen before. And with the competition relatively done for, Wyatt was free to reign over TASW like the monster he is, and The Wyatt Family held most of the gold in the company for years.

But, after finally losing the Tag Team titles, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper focused their energy on ensuring Wyatt remained Heavyweight Champion. And for a while, it worked, until it didn't. 2017 was Danielson's redemption story, and grabbed the attention of wrestling fans the world over. Danielson regained his prize, and The Wyatt Family had finally suffered a defeat so devastating that they disappeared for the rest of the year.

They resurfaced last year but weren't the same. Wyatt promised something big, but the same domination wasn't there...until last night in Paris. Once again Harper & Rowan have targeted a tag team championship, and we all know what happened last time they did that.

Pete Dunne Goes the Distance
The unofficial leader of British Strong Style just solidified himself as one of the best in the ASWUK brand.

Pete Dunne defeated WALTER and ZSJ in a triple threat match to become the #1 contender to the UEAW European Championship. Dunne celebrated the win after pinning ZSJ with stablemates Tyler Bate & Trent Seven, and after that amazing victory, the smart money is on Dunne to dethrone Cesaro.

The Swiss Superman has held the UEAW European Championship for over 18 months, first winning the title in 2017 and holding it all through the 2018 season and still to this day. Cesaro is one of the very best in Europe, a technical beast with power and stamina that is unmatched.

Many believe that Cesaro deserves to challenge for the British Heavyweight Championship, and one has to believe that if he does finally drop his title to Dunne in the near future, that Cesaro will do just that. Unfortunately for him, current champion Finn Balor continues to build an army around himself and his prize.

Titan Fallout
After losing their tag title prelim last week, Rusev & Sheamus are officially at odds. The titans from Bulgaria and Ireland respectively had reigned supreme in the tag team division for a good chunk of 2018, but were dethroned when Tyler Bate & Trent Seven defeated them late in the year.

The team became disenchanted when they failed to regain the titles before Dain & Wolfe would win them, and ended the 2018 season butting heads. Many were surprised that the team continued on when ASWUK premiered last week in London, but after losing a disappointing match to the Killer Elite Squad, it was all over.

Push came to shove and the duo agreed to a Best of Five series as laid out by Commissioner Nigel McGuinnness. It's uncertain what the victor of the series will get for their work, but knowing McGuinness the winner will be handsomly rewarded.

Women Scorned
After coming up short in her title match last week, Rhea Ripley was out to prove she was still the real deal. Many consider the Australian powerhouse to be one of the very best up-and-comers on the planet, and 2018 proved that, giving her a shot at Toni Storm's British Women's Championship last week.

Though Ripley lost that match, she came within inches of taking the title for her own. Toni Storm continues her long reign, but she has to know her days are numbered.

After losing last week, Ripley was confronted by Paige, who successfully defeated Xia Brookside in dominant fashion. Paige, who held the Women's title before Storm, has promised that she will rise to prominence once again after a disappointing season last year. But she knows Ripley stands in her way, and Ripley knows Paige will do anything within her power to leapfrog her to Storm's title.

The duo teamed up and looked amazing in Paris, but it didn't come without its drama, as the two stared each other down after the win. The ASWUK Women's division is heating up and it's anyone's guess how this current season will play out.

Match Results
Killer Elite Squad vs. Tyler Bate & Trent Seven - No Contest
Pete Dunne def. WALTER & Zack Sabre, Jr. - #1 Contendership to the UEAW European Championship
Paul Gallagher w/Finn Balor def. David Finlay
Rhea Ripley & Paige def. Xia Brookside & Layla
Cesaro def. Robbie Dynamite - Non-Title Match
Rusev def. Sheamus - Best of 5 Series
The Coffey Bros def. Noam Dar & Jordan Devlin

NEW Pick Your Poison Results; Balor Club Worldwide; Possible New Talent-Share
The votes came in, the fans had their voices heard, and another "Pick Your Poison" has come and gone at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. And it's been another huge night of surprises courtesy of the one and ony New Era Wrestling.

The night kicked off with a massive surprise courtesy of the group dubbed "Balor Club" (official name pending). The group consisting of Finn Balor, Paul Gallagher and apparent newest member David Finlay (who Gallagher defeated in Paris two nights ago) posted a fuzzy cell phone video on twitter with a simple statement: "we're coming to take back what's ours," with the #NEWPYP hashtag.

The buzz continued when the video was played before the show on the big screen above the stage and the fans rallied behind Balor and his renegades. And the rally continued when Becky Lynch dropped the NEW Women's Championship to Asuka, and then Finn Balor's music hit and the 2300 Arena was in shambles. Balor, Gallagher & Finlay entered to a massive ovation, Balor carrying the British Heavyweight Championship, and the trio entered the ring to applaud their fallen comrade. Lynch was shocked to see them with her, but the shock quickly wore off when that familiar grin of her long-time friend and trainer embraced her in a massive hug, and NEW's Irish Lasskicker left with what has quickly become a force to be reckoned with in the wrestling world.

The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors
It was a landslide vote for a Philadelphia Street Fight and reigning NEW Champion Dean Ambrose was happy to oblige Aleister Black...even though neither knew what a Philadelphia Street Fight was.

But Commissioner Paul Heyman was happy to endulge, announcing after the Women's title match that a Philadelphia Street Fight was simply that: Ambrose and Black would do battle on the streets of Philadelphia.

And this was no Bruce Springsteen ballad, this was a war. Trash cans were flung. Street lights were dented. Delivery trucks were driven through crowds and fans on the street were part of the action whether they liked it or not. But when it was all said and done, Dean Ambrose managed to pull out the win when he closed Aleister Black inside a garbage truck and pinned him with the compressor. Like Shredder in the classic TMNT movie, Black had been defeated and might be dead. Like, literally dead. Dean Ambrose is fucking crazy.

And as we all know, since Aleister Black held the NEW Contender's Championship into the new year, he was forced to cash-in the title for his title shot tonight and came up short. And therefore there is a new Contender's Champion, and Black not only finds himself at the landfill, but also back down at the bottom of the pack gunning for NEW's biggest prize.

Bromission
Speaking of the Contender's Championship, a new one was crowned, as is tradition, and that new one is a pure bro.

In what many are calling a shocking upset, Matt Riddle went the distance with Samoa Joe in a Submission Match, which was HANDS DOWN the match of the night.

The Samoan veteran and the up-and-coming MMA guru tore one another apart, and if Meltzer doesn't give this AT LEAST six stars he's more out of touch than we all thought. Joe and Riddle pulled out all the stops and tried to kill one another, but Riddle got the victory when he somehow managed to flip out of a Coquina Clutch and put Joe down with a Triangle Choke that would make Brock Lesnar shit his pants.

Equality Means You Get Punched in the Face
In an attempt to embarass the unruly and rebellious Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson, The Revival were forced to face a female tag team for their NEW Tag Team Championships. As Commissioner Heyman put it, "NEW is all about equality, about having the best women's division on the planet, and the tag titles aren't gender specific."

So the men who held the tag titles all through 2018 found themselves facing Io Shirai & Kairi Sane, who won the fan vote by a landslide. Wilder & Dawson laughed off their tiny Japanese opponents, but the laughter quickly subsided when Shirai and Sane kicked the ever-loving crap out of them and nearly won the titles in under a few minutes with a Piledriver/InSane Elbow Drop combo.

The crowd was ready to absolutely lose it, but Wilder kicked out and a few moments latter a Shatter Machine ended the dream for the Japanese sensations. And in the interest of equality, The Revival tried to break Kairi Sane's arm before Alexander Wolfe & Killian Dain made their NEW debuts and chased The Revival off.

...

See the official results below and be sure you don't miss the first episode of NEW Live next week in Pittsburgh. Even more fallout and surprises are sure to come!

Pick Your Poison Results
NEW Heavyweight Championship - Philadelphia Street Fight
Dean Ambrose def. Aleister Black
NEW Women's Championship
Asuka def. Becky Lynch
NEW Contender's Championship - Submission Match
Matt Riddle def. Samoa Joe
NEW Television Championship - Triple Threat
Adam Cole def. Kyle O'Reilly & Roderick Strong
NEW Tag Team Championship
The Revival def. Io Shirai & Kairi Sane
Loser Shaves Her Head
Ember Moon def. Liv Morgan
Tag Team Elimination Match
Ricochet & Buddy Murphy def. Adrian Neville & Elias
(Neville & Elias will fight one another next week in Pittsburgh)

Wrestling Observer Radio - News & Notes from around the Wide World of Wrestling
Hosted by Dave Meltzer & Bryan Alvarez

-Dave and Bryan discuss last night's Raw results.
-Glad to see Kevin Owens is back where he belongs.
-Owens entered the IC title tournament and was announced by Conor McGregor.
-"Speaking of McGregor, that guy is a godsend for this company. The ratings for Raw have skyrocketed."
-"They just have to pray he keeps his nose clean."
-Raw results are posted below.

-"So I actually have some TASW news."
-Meltzer says he had a conversation with Shawn Michaels this morning.
-Meltzer inquired about The Wyatt Family working in ASWUK and Michaels had some "interesting notes."
-"Michaels hinted that he's upset about Wrestlemania being in Tampa this year."
-Alvarez says he thought the "stay out of my yard" days were over.
-"Apparently not. Michaels has made a move and I'd expect there's more moves to come."

-Alvarez then brings up Finn Balor & co showing up at Pick Your Poison.
-"Exactly," Meltzer says. "You see TASW guys go to Europe and the British Heavyweight Champion come back across in the same week? Come on."
-Meltzer says he'd bet his house on Michaels leading a coaltion against the WWE.
-Alvarez laughs that nothing that crazy has happened since the 80's.
-Meltzer is dead serious.

-Meltzer gives his star ratings for the NJPW LA show.
-KENTA/Zayn & Ali/Ishimori both get five stars.
-Says it was the right call to have KENTA go over Sami Zayn.
-"Sami Zayn has been on the shelf and barely wrestling up in Canada for two years. KENTA is one of the most dangerous men on the planet."
-Alvarez notes that KENTA got the biggest pop of the night, "a complete contrast from his receptions in Japan."
-"It helped that he walked out to Ice Cube's "Wicked". Fuck, KENTA is so cool."
-"LA ate him up and he destroyed. If Japan doesn't wake up on him he's coming to North America and he's going to KILL."
-Also noted that Shinsuke Nakamura and Hiroshi Tanahashi got massive pops.

-Alvarez notes the distinct lack of Kenny Omega at the NJPW show.
-"Like I said, I bet Gedo didn't even pick up the phone."
-"NJPW just put on one of the best wrestling shows of the year on AEW's home soil as a 'fuck you' to Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. Plain and simple."
-"AEW is in big trouble if they don't do something soon. They're the outliers now that the other big 3 are working together against the WWE and Japan has proven they can do a great show on American soil. They need something huge."

WWE Raw Results
Kevin Owens def. Kofi Kingston - IC title tournament
John Cena def. Shelton Benjamin - IC title tournament
Roman Reigns def. AJ Styles - #1 Contendership to the WWE World Championship
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson def. The Usos - #1 Contendership to the WWE Tag Team Championship
Charlotte Flair def. Sasha Banks
DIY def. Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins

NEW Announces "Canadian Stadium Series"; Focusing More on Women's Division
New Era Wrestling is headed to the Great White North. In a special press conference on NEWTV this afternoon, NEW President Shane McMahon along with Commissioner Heyman, announced that this summer an outdoor stadium series would be held in Canada, and the tour would kick off on Canada Day, July 1st.

"It was a sad day when the CWA closed its doors, and we knew we had a duty to give back to the Canadian fans who have been so good to us over the years," McMahon said. "Not touring Canada this year would be a disgrace, and I'm not only planning on heading up north of the border as much as possible, but I'm encouraging all my colleagues and competition to do the same."

The CSS (or #NEWCSS, which is already trending on twitter) is going to hit nearly every province in the country and be held at an outdoor venue in each city it stops at. McMahon even said that there will be at least two dates in the Maritime provinces, which haven't hosted a mainstream wrestling show in nearly 20 years. Toronto and Vancouver will see back-to-back 2 night special shows as well. The tour is expected to take most of the month of July.

Becky Lynch forfeits rematch with Asuka
"Furthermore, Becky Lynch has given up her rematch clause with Asuka," McMahon stated that although Lynch had given up her automatic rematch after the events of Pick Your Poison, she was still under contract with New Era Wrestling.

"Becky doesn't have an exclusive contract with us, but NEW property is copyrighted by our company and cannot be taken to a competitor," McMahon said. "Should she regain the title, she would have to relinquish it immediately, so she opted to forfeit her rematch in pursuit of something else. We wish Ms. Lynch all the best with whatever it is she plans on doing with Finn Balor and his companions, and we hope that she'll join us again as soon as possible, however we will continue to build our women's division and make it one of the very best on the planet, with The Empress of Tomorrow leading the charge."

When asked if New Era Wrestling was working with ASWUK, McMahon had no comment on the matter. McMahon was also asked about Dave Meltzer's theory that Shawn Michaels is banding competitors together to get back at the WWE, to which Shane and Heyman both chuckled and neither had a comment.

New Era Wrestling will wrap up its announced dates in the United States and doesn't plan on announcing future dates until after the trip to Canada.

AEW Not So Elite; New Signing; Kick-Off Show Results & More
AEW's year finally got underway and did so in a stunning fashion. But not "good" stunning, more like "dead, confused crowd" stunning.

Always late to the party, AEW returned from hiatus to a sold out crowd at The Forum in Los Angeles. The event was highly anticipated due to recent moves surprises by other companies in the industry. The CWA had shut down and free agents from Canada were looking for a new home. TASW & ASWUK had shipped talent across the Atlantic and were always known for lending out talent due to their lax contracts. New Era Wrestling had shown that they were willing to work with other companies now as well when Finn Balor, Paul Gallagher and David Finlay showed up at Pick Your Poison and adopted NEW Women's Champion Becky Lynch for their cause.

AEW promised to change the game when they opened their doors in 2018, and made some big moves. IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega walked away from the fame and fortune in Japan he had strived for years to atain. The Young Bucks, arguably the best tag team in the world right now, also left NJPW behind and rumor has it all three men turned down record-breaking contracts with the WWE to live out their dream.

But as far as changing the game goes, that remains to be seen. They signed some big names, yes. They brought in talent that wouldn't otherwise get a platform like the one AEW provided. They introduced progressive policies, including being the first company to provide full health insurance for its employees...but aside from that, AEW seemed to be going through the motions, and the booking was suffering from a lack of depth on the roster (sound familiar, WWE circa mid-2000's?)

And the booking woes continue. The opening matches lacked surprise, save for one signing joining the company, The Bollywood Boyz from British Columbia, Canada. The main event had the face of AEW, "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes going over Kenny Omega for the AEW Championship, a decision that left the crowd dead and uncaring as the guy who basically runs the company handed himself the company's biggest prize by handing Kenny Omega his first loss since leaving NJPW. The only bright spot of the night was the Falls Count Anywhere match between Jericho and Morrison, although the match seemed to be cut short for time as it ended abruptly.

If AEW expects to continue to sell out shows, they're going to have to start making better decisions and stealing talent. The honeymoon is over, the name recognition will not carry them, and they are already on borrowed time.

Match Results
Cody Rhodes def. Kenny Omega - AEW Championship
John Morrison def. Chris Jericho - Falls Count Anywhere
The Young Bucks def. The Motor City Machine Guns - #1 Contendership to the AEW Tag Team Championship
The Lucha Bros def. The Bollywood Boyz
Dr. Britt Baker def. Brandi Rhodes & Nyla Rose - Triple Threat Match for the AEW Women's Championship
Hangman Page def. Jimmy Havoc
Best Friends def. SoCal Uncensored (Daniels & Kazarian) - non-title match

TASW Results: And NEEWWWWWWW TASW All-State Champion...
..."Mr. Athletic" Jeff Cobb!

The sold-out Toyota Center was rocking in Houston last night as Jeff Cobb defeated Bobby Lashley to become the TASW All-State Champion. Lashley's run as champion is over after holding the title for nearly two years, dating back to his win over Bobby Roode in early 2018. Lashley has been at the peak of his game as All-State Champion, looking nearly unbeatable and pulling out amazing victories to close out last season and remain All-State Champion during the company's hiatus.

But when TASW kicked off in San Antonio, Jeff Cobb won a #1 contendership match in dominant fashion, and fans felt that Lashley's reign was rapidly coming to a close. And they were right. Lashley and Cobb tore the house down in a nearly 40-minute slug fest that was as dramatic as it was brutal, but when it was all said and done Cobb finally put Lashley down for the 3-count and rose as the new All-State Champion.

This is Jeff Cobb's first major title win in his nearly 5+ years as a pro since coming to the mainland from Hawaii. Cobb held the World Championship for Los Angeles independent PWG in 2018 but vacated the title when he signed with TASW later that year. Cobb has been on a tear since joining TASW and has looked unbeatable, even beating ASWUK's current UEAW European Champion Cesaro at last year's All-Star Clash, the annual joint supershow TASW and ASWUK host.

Modern Day Champion?
With The Wyatt Family overseas, reigning TASW Heavyweight Champion Bryan Danielson thought he had some breathing room to enjoy his second reign with the title. But alas, the champion is never safe and not even international borders and oceans could prevent an attack on TASW's biggest target.

While giving his thoughts on who would make a worthy competitor this year, Bryan Danielson was attacked by former CWA Provincial Champion and (up until last night) free agent Jinder Mahal. "The Modern Day Maharaja" beat the hell out of the unsuspecting Danielson, and at 6'5" 240lbs Mahal had his way with the champ until he was finally surrounded by security and removed from the building.

Mahal was the last CWA Provincial Champion before the company folded and held the CWA Tag Team Championship twice with now-retired superstar Tyson Kidd. Mahal has vastly improved over the past couple years and was a likely candidate to move into the CWA Heavyweight Championship picture had the company not closed its doors. This is a big get for TASW, who prides themselves on size and brutality with an old school feel. The crowd was red hot for Mahal and it looks like HBK is going to strap a rocket to his back.

A King On His Own
When The Kings of Wrestling reunited to regain TASW Tag Team gold from The Wyatt Family, the fans were elated. The long-time favourite team had gone their separate ways for some time, but finally had enough of the Wyatt's reign of terror and Cesaro reunited with his old friend Chris Hero during the final stretch of the 2017 season. The duo was successful, but Cesaro's obligations were overseas, and the party was short-lived.

After returning from hiatus in 2018, Chris Hero was on his own again, but a tag team champion all the same. Cesaro made the trip when he could, and whenever the TASW Tag Team Championship was actually on the line, The Kings of Wrestling were successful, but title shots were few and far between. This has been good for the Kings, who have now held the titles for over two years, but bad for the company, and it has shown. The TASW Tag Team division is nearly non-existent and fans have had enough.

Enter indie darlings The Rascalz, Zachary Wentz and Dezmond Xavier. The red hot high-flying duo have one goal in mind: dethrone the Kings. And they now have their chance, because after beating Chris Hero in a singles match, Dezmond Xavier has earned his team a title shot when Cesaro is available to defend. When will that be? Hopefully soon for TASW's sake.


Match Results
Jeff Cobb def. Bobby Lashley - TASW All-State Championship
Andrade Cien Almas w/Zelina Vega def. Apollo Crews
Dezmond Xavier w/Zachary Wentz def. Chris Hero
Bobby Roode & Brian Cage def. Curtis Hennig & Bo Rotunda
Ethan Carter III def. Sin Cara
Drago def. Rich Swann

Dream Over: Baron Corbin fired; IC Title Finals Set; WWE Raw Results
Baron Corbin is officially a free agent.

Sticking true to his word, WWE Commissioner Conor McGregor publicly fired Baron Corbin on tonight's Raw after he was defeated in the Intercontinental Championship tournament semi-finals by The Velveteen Dream. Dream was on the ropes but took the main event victory after a roll-up on Corbin, who was then forced to stand in the ring while Conor McGregor made good on his promise.

"I told you if you didn't win the tournament, you'd be gone," McGregor said as Raw went off the air. "And I'm a man of my word. Pack your s***, Corbin! YOU'RE FIRED!"

Baron Corbin, who was repackaged as a corporate shill when he was named Acting Commission last year when Kurt Angle retired, used to squash his way through the WWE as "The Lone Wolf." When the gimmick didn't catch on with the WWE Universe, Corbin was sent back to developmental for some time before re-emerging as Commissioner Corbin, Triple H & Stephanie McMahon's pet project.

The repackage was good for a time, and gave Corbin a bit of a shove in the right direction, but he still wasn't connecting with the crowd on a level that the WWE expected.

Corbin officially enters free agency at midnight tonight, and despite his bit of a flop in the WWE, he did have some high points and shows a ton of potential. It would not be surprising if he gets multiple offers and is already employed by this time tomorrow.

McGregor Calls Out The Champ
Ever the showman, Conor McGregor couldn't help but stir the pot tonight and decided that he had enough of "his Champion" no-showing episodes of Raw. "As a fighting champion myself, as a man who never backed down from a confrontation, as a man who craved the spotlight and did everything in his power to gain gold and the adoration of the crowd, I'm sick to my stomach that Brock Lesnar works a part-time schedule."

"The WWE Championship should not be on hiatus. The WWE Championship should be on Raw, front and centre, every night. So Brock, I know you're listening you beady-eyed piece of crap. Starting next week, if you're not on this show, or any show after that, I'm stripping you of the title!"

Match Results
The Velveteen Dream def. Baron Corbin - IC title tournament semi-finals
Kevin Owens def. John Cena - IC title tournament semi-finals
Tommaso Ciampa w/Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae def. Matt Hardy w/Jeff Hardy
American Alpha def. The Usos - non-title match
Ronda Rousey def. Naomi - non-title match
Randy Orton def. Dolph Ziggler

ASWUK Results: New Women's Champion; Irish Takeover; The Wyatts Send Their Regards
All-Star Wrestling UK is quickly stealing the spotlight early on this season. After finishing up their "Tour de France," ASWUK entered Spain and The Madrid Arena was treated to one hell of a night.

The show kicked off with Finn Balor, Paul Gallagher, David Finlay & Becky Lynch entering the ring and Balor finally getting to the point: he feels the best wrestlers on the planet are Irish, he feels that nobody can touch the talent coming out of Ireland this year, and he's set to prove it with "these people in the ring, and the people who are yet to join us."

Balor then said there was still plenty left to prove, and that started with Becky Lynch. He called out British Women's Champion Toni Storm and said that if she was willing to prove herself, Becky Lynch was too.

And Becky Lynch did. In the main event of the evening, Becky Lynch took the British Women's Championship for herself and continued to show the world that Ireland was here to play, much to the delight of Finn Balor but not to the crowd in attendance.

Tag Team Turmoil
With The Wyatt Family now solidified in ASWUK for the time being, and targeting the British Open Tag Team Championship, they are not backing down from any challengers, including Paul Gallagher & David Finlay, who were sent by Finn Balor to win the tag team titles before the Wyatts could steal them away.

In an unsanctioned match (meaning it was No DQ and not recognized by ASWUK authority), The Wyatt Family sent the first message, handing Gallagher and Finlay a loss, and a beat down to boot. Fortunately for Gallagher & Finlay, Killer Elite Squad & British Strong Style still have a bone to pick with the Wyatts and chased them off before more damage could be done.

But the save didn't come with its price, and KES and BSS both squared off with the Irish newcomers to the tag team title picture, and things are quickly heating up. Who will claim the titles first as they still remain vacant?

Match Results
Becky Lynch def. Toni Storm - British Women's Championship
Luke Harper & Erick Rowan w/Bray Wyatt def. Paul Gallagher & David Finlay - unsanctioned match
Rusev def. Sheamus - Best of 7 Series
Rhea Ripley def. Layla
Xia Brookside def. Paige
Joe Coffey w/Mark Coffey def. Noam Dar w/Jordan Devlin
WALTER def. "The Bearer of Bad News" Stu Barrett

AEW SPOILERS: MASSIVE Surprise Appearance at AEW in Los Angeles
Last night at AEW's second live event of the year in Los Angeles, a former WWE Superstar appeared to an absolutely stunned crowd.

Shortly after the moment happened and grainy cell phone videos were popping up all over twitter, AEW uploaded their own footage to their YouTube channel, which can be seen below:

After thanking the crowd, Kenny Omega apologizes and paces in the ring as the fans begin to buzz, wondering where this apology is leading.

-Kenny Omega "I'm sorry that we haven't brought you what was promised, or what you thought you were getting. I'm sorry that things got off to a slower start than we thought they would. But you have all supported us in spite of ourselves and for that, I'm forever grateful."

-Kenny Omega "But we hear you, or at least I do. I took to heart what I read online and was told by fans, friends & family over the past week, and it made me realize that in order to become better, I have to step away."

A loud rumble from the crowd. Omega looks choked up.

-Kenny Omega "You see, when I left Japan, I was on top of the world. I was the best in the world, I was the pinnacle of this business and nobody could touch me. And I let all that go to my head. I thought I could do no wrong, but I was wrong about exactly that. AEW has suffered because of my ego, because of my stubborness, and because what I wanted wasn't what the world needed at this time. So I am officially announcing my-"

Omega is cut off as his mic dies. He's visibly upset and quickly becomes angry, but then the lights go out.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}

CM Punk walks into The Forum in Los Angeles to a deafening roar. It takes what feels like an eternity for the fans in attendance to quiet down. The cheering and chants go on for some time, then start to quiet, then start up again before CM Punk can speak. He takes every chance he can get to bask in the adoration of the crowd until he finally manages to get them to quiet, pointing at his "watch" on his wrist.

But this prompts a fan to shout "IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIIIIME" and that gets yet another pop, and a grin from Punk. The cheers go on another moment or so and finally he's able to speak.

-CM Punk "You're not going anywhere, Ken."

And the crowd starts right back up again. Punk looks like he has more to say, but then he looks out at the roaring crowd for a moment and sees the cell phones on and the faces of thousands of people losing their minds over five simple words, and decides that's enough. He winks at Omega, flips the microphone out of his hand and onto the stage, then raises his arms to his sides and turns around to leave.

As he exits we see the words "BEST IN THE WORLD" across the back of his hoodie. The crowd continues to chant his name as Kenny Omega picks his jaw up off the floor and leaves the ring.

++++++++++

CM Punk is back. This is not a drill.

The return came completely out of nowhere. Not a single hint of a return had made it's way around the web. No backstage rumors, no grainy cell phone images from a staffer moments before the show, nothing. This type of secrecy is unheard of in this day and age, yet AEW pulled it off, and it's paying off.

"CM Punk" and "#AEWLive" are the #1 and #2 trends worldwide. Just a week ago fans were questioning if AEW would even survive the year after a questionable decision to put the AEW Championship on Cody Rhodes was met with anger and frustration. The company that doesn't even have a TV deal or streaming service to their name just pulled off arguably the biggest shock and biggest upset in wrestling history.

The show itself was business as usual at The Forum in Los Angeles. A nearly sold out crowd started off the night booing the new AEW Champion out of the building. They watched as the newly acquired Bollywood Boyz got a rematch against The Lucha Bros (and lost again). They watched a struggling women's division try their best to make the fans care about the AEW Women's Championship despite another disappointing match involving Brandi Rhodes. They watched as The Young Bucks hoisted the AEW Tag Team Championship for a third time, beating crowd-favourite Best Friends Chuck Taylor & Trent Baretta.

Then as Kenny Omega took to the ring to close out the night, the fans were restless and indifferent as Omega spoke from the heart and told the fans he was sorry, and the video picks up from there, and the rest is history.

There are no details at this time and neither CM Punk nor anyone with AEW have commented, however it has become glaringly obvious why last week's decision to put the AEW Championship on Cody Rhodes happened. With an appearance and challenge of this magnitude, the company could not risk booking their top prize in what might be a one-off dream match. It's a safe assumption that CM Punk has not signed any kind of long-term deal, else the title would likely still be around Kenny Omega's waist.

More to come as this story develops.

Wrestling Observer Radio - News & Notes from around the Wide World of Wrestling
Hosted by Dave Meltzer & Bryan Alvarez

-Meltzer and Alvarez obviously want to talk about nothing else.
-Meltzer is blown away. Can't remember the last time a shock this big happened.
-"This is on the same level as Bret Hart leaving Canada and joining the WWE."

-Alvarez asks if Dave had any hint of something happening.
-"None," Dave replies. "Matt & Nick [Jackson] are masters for this. I'm tighter with the AEW guys than anywhere else and I had zero clue."
-"You knew something big was coming," Dave continues. "But that was just because AEW was in sink or swim mode. I'm still in shock. Never would have guessed in a million years."

-Alvarez notes that there was "some speculation" online after CM Punk honoured his UFC contract and it was not renewed.
-"But that speculation was months ago and had died off since. He went winless in UFC, in all MMA fights he did, and people had finally come to terms with Punk never wrestling again, then BAM."

-Meltzer mentions that AEW is still being tight lipped.
-"I don't know anything that anyone else doesn't already know. I think the only thing we can bet on right now is that Punk vs. Omega is happening sometime in the near future. Beyond that, I mean...anything is possible. I would be stunned to find out Punk is on a contract and not just signed on for that one match."

-Shifting to ASWUK, specifically Finn Balor & co.
-Meltzer says he's very interested in where this angle is going. Says it was a big shock that ASWUK decided to put their Women's title on Becky Lynch, who is still under contract with NEW.
-"That shows a lot of trust and I'm loving that ASWUK doesn't shy away from that. They have a close talent-sharing deal with TASW and now we're seeing an alliance with NEW. That's amazing.
-Also comments that their first show in Germany will have a fatal fourway match for the British Open Tag Team Championship. Very excited for that stacked match-up.
-Alvarez picks The Wyatt Family and Dave picks Paul Gallagher & David Finlay.

-Speaking of NEW, they briefly discuss the Canadian Stadium Series.
-Dave says it's a brilliant move by Shane McMahon to jump into the Canadian market right away.
-Mentions how the WWE stranglehold hasn't been there in recent years, and that they barely even visit the big markets in Toronto and Montreal anymore.
-Hopes this means we see NJPW or AEW head up there in the near future. "Or even ASWUK since their top men's and women's champions seem to be traveling the globe now."

-They end the show discussing the ongoing Best of Super Juniors tournament and the recent dip in Raw ratings.
-Mention that KENTA is still undefeated, like he promised. But so are Taiji Ishimori, Will Ospreay & Hiromu Takahashi.
-Says the Raw ratings dip was predictable after the allure of Conor McGregor wore off. Expects they'll continue to slide a bit but probably stay strong enough to warrant paying McGregor all that money.