ASWUK Munich Results: Balor's Club Expands, Wyatts Claim Gold, Factions Set To Clash & More
The latest ASWUK show was an absolute blast. The company has entered Germany and kicked off their tour of the country with new Champs and new alliances.

The show kicked off with Mark Coffey taking on Jordan Devlin in a singles match, and the match was an absolute gem. The crowd was energetic and hot, and the two men in the ring absolutely tore the house down in a very surprising back-and-forth match. Mark, accompanied by his brother Joe, had the early advantage, but Noam Dar, who had been teaming up with Devlin more and more recently, had his back and evened the score. But as the match progressed, British Heavyweight Champion Finn Balor emerged from the back with Paul Gallagher & David Finlay, and admired the Irishman in the ring. When it was all said and done and Devlin took the win, Balor, Gallagher & Finlay had a brief huddle before Balor nodded. Paul Gallagher entered the ring and shook Devlin's hand, and the four Irishmen left the arena together as the Scots, Mark & Joe Coffey, and Noam Dar, were left behind.

Later in the evening Balor accompanied Becky Lynch to the ring as she defended the British Women's Championship against Toni Storm, who requested her rematch. Lynch won a fantastic match, but was attacked by Rhea Ripley after the match. Ripley decked Finn Balor from behind before storming the ring, and she got a few shots in before Balor came to Becky's aide and chased off Ripley. Ripley has been on a hot streak lately and believes she is the next in line to challenge for the Women's Championship, and she staked her claim tonight to a heavily mixed reaction.

The biggest pop of the night went to WALTER, who defeated ZSJ in an excellent and critically sound wrestling match. After the match, The Ring General called out Cesaro, who entered to another deafening pop. WALTER, speaking German, told Cesaro that no matter what happened when he finally defended his title against Pete Dunne, win or lose, he wanted Cesaro's next match. Cesaro replied that after he teaches that boy Pete Dunne a little respect, he's going to humble The Ring General and take the UEAW European Championship to the United States, where maybe he'll find some worthy challengers.

The main event of the evening was the Fatal Fourway tag team match for the vacant British Open Tag Team Championship. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan were accompanied to the ring by Bray Wyatt and a chorus of boos from the fans. Paul Gallagher & David Finlay entered with Finn Balor along for the ride, and he and Bray Wyatt glared at one another for what felt like an eternity. Killer Elite Squad, David Smith & Lance Archer, were the only duo without back-up as Tyler Bate & Trent Seven were accompanied as always by the #1 Contender to the UEAW European Championship, Pete Dunne.

The match was incredible and lasted nearly 40 minutes. The crowd was red hot for the whole ride and the drama was palpable. The first team eliminated was British Strong Style, much to everyone's surprise, but they were shortly followed by Killer Elite Squad. The final two teams were also the newest teams to ASWUK, and one of them was leaving with the titles.

Gallagher & Finlay had their work cut out for them as they faced one of the most dominant tag teams in wrestling history. They held their own, but the size and power of The Wyatt Family was just too much, and Harper & Rowan raised the British Open Tag Team titles as the show came to a close.

As they stood over Gallagher & Finlay, they looked to Bray Wyatt to see if they should continue the onslaught. Wyatt looked to Balor, who narrowed his eyes from across the ring and refused to back down. Wyatt decided that now was not the time, and summoned his family to his side. Wyatt shouted to Balor that his time would come as Harper and Rowan held their first European gold over their heads. Balor replied by hoisting the British Heavyweight Championship above his head, which gave Bray Wyatt a good chuckle.

Match Results
The Wyatt Family def. Paul Gallagher & David Finlay, Killer Elite Squad & British Strong Style - British Open Tag Team Championship
Becky Lynch def. Toni Storm - British Women's Championship
Sheamus def. Rusev - Best of 7 Series
The IIconics def. Layla & Xia Brookside
WALTER def. Zack Sabre, Jr.
Robbie Dynamite & Stu Barrett def. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch
Jordan Devlin w/Noam Dar def. Mark Coffey w/Joe Coffey

NJPW Best of Super Juniors Night 7: BOSJ Finals Set, CM Punk Crashes The Party
If you missed Night 7 of the Best of Super Juniors, you missed one of the most dramatic nights in NJPW history.

A packed house in Sumo Hall in Tokyo was treated to an insane night of epic battles and a surprise appearance by wrestling's hottest commodity, CM Punk. But we'll get to that.

The night kicked off with the final matches in the Best of Super Juniors tournament. All eyes were on the four men running away with the tournament: Hiromu Takahashi & Will Ospreay in Block A and KENTA & Taiji Ishimori in Block B. All four men were undefeated and meeting on the final night of the Round Robin tournament.

Sami Zayn ended his run with a victory over fellow Canadian El Phantasmo, ending his run with the second strongest showing of 10 points. Mustafa Ali was a crowd favourite as he defeated Sho to finish the tournament with 8 points. In Block A, BUSHI defeated "The Villain" Marty Scurll to finish with 8 points and Akira Tozawa defeated Flip Gordon for a hometown victory.

But as fun as these matches were, nothing compared to the final two bouts of the evening that saw Block A and Block B decided in dramatic fashion.

Takahashi and Ospreay squared off in a match that Japanese fans had been waiting years for. The two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and two-time BOSJ Champion was the only thing standing in the way of Will Ospreay realizing his dream, and he overcame all the odds. Takahashi and Ospreay tore the house down and when it was all said and done, Ospreay could not be put down and punched his ticket to the BOSJ Finals.

But who would he face? The rising star of New Japan Taiji Ishimori has looked unbeatable lately but he faced the polarizing KENTA who promised he would go undefeated and win the respect of the Japanese fans. And KENTA is a man of his word. The battle started respectful but several minutes in turned violent and brutal, and when matches go that way they almost always go in KENTA's favour. Finesse and beauty gave way to stiff shots and kicks to the face, and KENTA reigned supreme.

Block A	Points
Will Ospreay	14
Hiromu Takashi	12
BUSHI	8
Akira Tozawa	6
Marty Scurll	6
Ryusuke Taguchi	4
Dragon Lee	4
Flip Gordon	2
Block B
KENTA	14
Taiji Ishimori	12
Sami Zayn	10
Mustafa Ali	8
El Desperado	6
El Phantasmo	4
Yoh	2
Sho	2

And believe it or not, the Japanese fans have come around. KENTA was applauded as he stood in the ring exhausted, and was confronted by his finals opponent. The Englishman who has been trying to win this title for years faces the man who must win to gain the respect of the crowd he grew up in front of.

And both men are so confident, Ospreay raised his NEVER Openweight Championship high in the air for KENTA to see, and the reply was unanimous. The finals will be for both the Best of Super Juniors title and the NEVER Openweight Championship, which Ospreay has been holding since Wrestle Kingdom 13.

...and that wasn't even the most dramatic point of the show.

New IWGP Intercontinental Champion
The main event of the evening saw Kota Ibushi finally get a shot at the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Tetsuya Naito, who has held the title for over a year (to his disdain).

Naito has been trying to lose the title on purpose in order to jump up to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship picture, but no matter what he does he can't lose it. No one that faces him is even in his league, and Naito wins every match. Refusing to lay down, Naito wins his matches in spite of himself...until now.

Naito finally met his maker in Kota Ibushi, who finally wins his first IWGP singles title after several years of free agency and attempts. Without long-time friend Kenny Omega at his side, Ibushi has finally blossomed into the singles star everyone knew he could be...

....and then it happened.

As Ibushi celebrated his long-awaited title victory, and Tetsuya Naito thanked him for relieving him of his burden, "Cult of Personality" hit the speakers and the Sumo Hall crowd was beside themselves. CM Punk walked into the arena and the stunned crowd looked on as Punk offered a hand to Ibushi....then kicked him in the stomach!

Punk beat the absolute hell out of Kota Ibushi, before finally putting him to sleep with the GTS, which was met with MASSIVE heat from the Japanese crowd. Love him or hate him, stealing KENTA's finisher was an absolute no-no, and the crowd let him know it.

But CM Punk didn't care. That's who CM Punk is. And he sat down beside a beaten Ibushi, got on the mic, and let them know.

-CM Punk "Do you see this Kenny? Do you see?"

-CM Punk "Look at where I am, Kenny. Look at me! Look at your best friend! Look at your GOLDEN LOVER!"

-CM Punk "They flew me here, Kenny. They went to your own backyard and didn't even pick up the phone, but they flew me here. All expenses paid. To walk out here and beat the shit out of your friend."

-CM Punk "I am the best in the world, Ken. I always have been, and I always will be. You thought you were, and maybe at one point you were. But you walked away, you gave it all up, and now look at you. Look at him. Look at me. Look at your future. Look at your reckoning."

ASWUK Zurich: Pete Dunne Spoils Cesaro's Homecoming; The Scots Have Entered The Game [Show Results]
It was another unforgettable evening for ASWUK fans as the drama continues to unfold and yet another new champion has been crowned.

Pete Dunne is the Champion of Europe, defeating Cesaro for the UEAW European title in an incredible main event. The tour dipped into Zurich for a night before continuing its tour of Germany, and Dunne couldn't think of a better place to cash-in his opportunity at Cesaro's title. Having held the title since 2018, and being in front of his home crowd, The Swiss Superman couldn't say no.

Despite the loss, this was arguably the best match Cesaro has ever had. Cesaro & Dunne tore one another apart and the young lion from Birmingham looked like a superstar. Celebrating with his British Strong Style mates, Dunne took a moment to show Cesaro the respect he deserved and shook his hand before exiting.

Cesaro took his time saying thank you to the crowd, knowing that he has a tour of the United States coming up and would very likely not be back in Europe until next year. But the emotional moment would be tarnished as WALTER interrupted, making his entrance to intimidate Cesaro. The crowd sang along with Dvorak as WALTER got into the ring, standing face-to-face with Cesaro, before reminding him that he had one match left, and that it might be his last match ever if WALTER has his way.

Scots Wha Hae
Finn Balor and his group of Irish Avengers have their work cut out for them even more than they expected. The band Balor has formed couldn't have come at a better time, because Balor is making enemies everywhere he turns. Perhaps Balor expected this?

After coming up short in the Tag Team Championship match, Paul Gallagher & David Finlay squared off against The Coffey Brothers in what was expected to be a friendly match. But it was anything but. The Coffeys were irked at Jordan Devlin for bailing on fellow countryman Noam Dar last week in Munich, and they let the Irishmen know it. Soon a new faction was beginning to form as Dar joined them at ringside, and had some choice words for Devlin and Balor.

The conversation took a sudden turn, however, when Gallagher & Finlay picked up the win by taking advantage of the constant distractions at ringside. Dar got in their faces, which brought Balor and Devlin in to the ring. Push came to shove and a fight broke out, which the Irish were winning due to having numbers, until..

...Drew Galloway entered the fray! Galloway stormed the ring out of nowhere and went immediately after Finn Balor, but couldn't get his hands on him. The groups were separated by staff and officials, but not before Galloway got himself free and got right in Balor's face. Galloway chuckled as they were separated again, then picked up the British Heavyweight Championship and tossed it at Balor before leaving the ring.

As Balor, Devlin, Gallagher & Finlay backed up the entrance, Bray Wyatt could be heard laughing over the sound system...

Match Results
Pete Dunne def. Cesaro - UEAW European Championship
Rhea Ripley def. Paige - British Women's Championship #1 Contender's Match (Becky Lynch at commentary)
Paul Gallagher & David Finlay w/Finn Balor & Jordan Devlin def. The Coffey Bros w/Noam Dar
Rusev def. Sheamus - Best of 7 Series
Xia Brookisde def. Billie Kay w/Peyton Royce
Zack Sabre Jr. def. Stu Barrett
Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch def. Killer Elite Squad
Tyler Bate w/Trent Seven def. "Gentleman" Jack Gallagher

Shawn Michaels Exclusive Interview: Alliance with NEW, Comments on CM Punk, Future of TASW & More
Sitting down in his home office at The Heartbreak Ranch, Shawn Michaels places his white cowboy hat on his desk and smooths out what's left of his stringy hair. He checks his cell phone notifications for a moment before tossing it on a stack of papers and leaning back in his chair.

"Cesaro," he says, smiling. "He's joining us soon, just sent me his airline receipt. I hope WALTER doesn't soften him up too much."

An assistant brings in waters and Shawn thanks her.

"Leave the door open," Michaels calls to her as she leaves. His office door is rarely closed. "It's too stingy in here with that shut. I like things open, out on the table. Breezy. Makes life easier."

Open is what Shawn Michaels has been all about, and probably why he bought this ranch. A Texas boy at heart, Shawn Michaels traded the roaring fans and super stardom for the quiet ranch life when he retired all those years ago, and hasn't looked back. He promised the fans that retirement was permanent, that in taking a loss that ended his career, he would respect the match and respect the business by staying away from the ring.

But Michaels knew he would be tempted.

"The devil works his way back into your life one way or another," Michaels says. "You have to be aware of that at all times, and you have to know how to beat him."

That's why Shawn Michaels started training wrestlers, focusing the majority of his energy on the disenchanted Bryan Danielson.

"I saw something in him that reminded me of myself, only better. I knew he was the real deal and nobody was giving him a chance. I still can't figure out why. He has it all, and it was obvious. I'm very lucky that he chose me and allowed me to guide him."

Bryan Danielson lived at The Heartbreak Ranch for nearly two years. When he entered, he was clean shaven and wiry. By the time TASW became a thing, Danielson looked like a backwoods farm hand that could kill you with a steely glance. A shaggy beard and even shaggier hair, rolled up sleeves on his flannel shirt and worn jeans, Danielson was the perfect blend of old and new school and ensured that TASW would stake its claim on the wrestling world.

But after years of success and insanely positive recognition and awards for the feud between Danielson and The Wyatt Family, Michaels knew that nothing lasts in this business and he would need to continue to build.

"I used that success to attract new talent, and I was very lucky to buy out Dixie [Carter]. We had a great working relationship and I made sure she was taken care of, and promised her her guys would be taken care of too."

Landing talent on the cusp of stardom but not quite making it has been TASW's mantra, and has paid off for them in big ways. Beer Money was an incredible addition to their tag team division, and Bobby Roode has shone as a singles star since James Storm's retirement. Bobby Lashley is the All-American godsend that Michaels was hoping for, and then some, carrying the midcard and building up the All-State Championship.

"We landed The Authors of Pain from Canada, who have fit in just amazingly with our tag division. [Brian] Cage and [Ethan] Carter have been incredible and are still improving to this day. We've got dynasty talent in Bo [Rotunda] and Curt [Hennig]. And I'm very proud of our diverse roster from down south."

Michaels refers to the Latino portion of his locker room, led by Rey Mysterio and carried by Sin Cara & Andrade Cien Almas, among others on loan from AAA and other promotions in the area.

But Michaels knows that even more can and should be done, and that alliances only bring in more talent, more success and most importantly, more fans.

"Shane McMahon and I obviously go way back, and while I didn't get into all the drama with his daddy and still speak with him from time to time, Shane and I have a positive working relationship and are finally in a place where we can both build on that relationship and benefit each other. I'm really excited."

Shane McMahon recently called up Michaels and invited him to join the Canadian Stadium Series tour beginning in July. New Era Wrestling will be embarking on a tour of Canada and the series is expected to be a huge draw. And it looks like TASW will be joining some of the dates.

"He talked about Montreal and Toronto and Vancouver, specifically. Lots of room for bigger shows in those cities and lots of butts to put in seats. I probably shouldn't show my face in Canada, especially Montreal, but my guys will have fun even without me there."

Michaels laughs to himself and takes a long drink of water.

"I think we have to make the shows in Alberta too. We've got a lot of fans there. Prairies and mountains and such, kind of like here, or west of here. Hell I'll send my guys to all of 'em if Shane'll let me."

But Michaels knows not all alliances are positive.

"Nobody knows that better than me," he says, taking another long drink of water. "You have to be smart, which isn't something I always did. And I'm seeing bad alliances across the board right now."

Michaels specifies that he's referring to Conor McGregor and CM Punk, specifically.

"McGregor is bad news," Michaels says. "I really hope Hunter knows what he's doing with that. I'm one to talk but Hunter just goes too big sometimes and doesn't take time to think things through. I know him better than he knows himself."

I asked him about CM Punk and what he didn't like there. Kenny Omega versus CM Punk might be the biggest match of the decade, and the decade is barely underway.

"He lives up to his name. A punk. It was cute when he was tearing up the indies and all that, it was fine. But you're a man now. You've been a man a long time. It's time to grow up and act the part, not run your mouth and fill seats so you can lose fights and piss off the fans."

"I grew up when I knew it was time. I like to think I finished my career the way a man would, the way I should have acted the whole time. CM Punk could learn from me, and he should consider himself lucky that I never got him in the ring because I would've broken his damn jaw to shut his ass up for a while."

Michaels takes a deep breath and smiles.

"Let's get some air."

He leads me outside and we continue to discuss the ranch, make small talk, and tend his horses. Before long I realize I have to get to the airport, so we end things there. Michaels thanks me, wishes me well, and immediately gets back to work, planning tonight's show, which I'm sad I have to miss.

Match Results
Jeff Cobb def. Andrade Cien Almas w/Zelina Vega - TASW All-State Championship
Jinder Mahal def. Bobby Lashley
Bryan Danielson def. Bobby Roode - non-title match
Apollo Crews def. Sin Cara
Rey Mysterio def. Ethan Carter III
The Authors of Pain def. Bo Rotunda & Curt Hennig
Brian Cage def. Chris Hero

NEW Live Results: Dean Ambrose Comes To Play, Liv Morgan Loves Her New Look, TV Title Shocker
It was a wild night in New Era Wrestling.

In the weeks since Pick Your Poison, not much has changed in the NEW landscape. But that wasn't the case tonight. Faced with a decision to make, NEW Contender's Champion Matt Riddle had to decide if he was going to cash-in his title shot or defend the Contender's Championship against an opponent chosen by Shane McMahon. Choosing to take his own destiny into his hands, Riddle cashed-in his shot and expected to be in the main event of the evening.

But the NEW Champion had other plans. Dean Ambrose stormed to the ring and squared up with Riddle, distracting him until Sami Callahan jumped into the ring and struck Riddle from behind. The duo known as The Switchblade Conspiracy beat Riddle to a pulp, then Ambrose called for the bell and the match was on. A Dirty Deeds and a One Hitter later, Riddle was beaten, embarrassed, and reminded why Dean Ambrose is not only the champ, but the dirtiest player in the game.

Later in the evening we got our first glimpse of Liv Morgan, who lost her Hair vs Hair match against Ember Moon and has been on hiatus ever since. It was assumed she was embarrassed by the loss of the match and her hair, but upon seeing Morgan with her new look, the fans were receptive and totally on board, especially because Morgan entered with attire and face paint similar to Imperator Furiosa. Morgan entered to her usual theme but with her new look and demeanor, Morgan appeared to be slightly twisted and more focused than ever. She made quick work of Killer Kelly, then took a moment to stare at her, almost taking pity on her before leaving the ring.

Then the main event of the evening, as Adam Cole prepared to defend the Television Championship. Since Pick Your Poison, where Cole was forced to defend the title against a member of The New Era (Kyle O'Reilly, as voted by the fans), Cole went on to even the score with The New Era, defending against Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong in recent weeks. But with those matches out of the way, and Cole still reigning champion, he prepared for what was next.

But he didn't prepare enough, apparently, because SANITY made their triumphant return to NEW TV, and Eric Young led the charge, joined once again by Killian Dain, Alexander Wolfe & Nikki Cross.

The group had been divided up for some time, but with Dain & Wolfe coming back across the pond and signing exclusive deals with NEW, SANITY lives. And live they shall.

With the numbers on their side, Eric Young did the unthinkable and won the NEW Television Championship from Adam Cole (baybaayy!). The shocking victory comes just days before Adam Cole was set to break the NEW record for longest TV Championship reign, and Cole knows it. He freaked out in the ring as SANITY celebrated up the ramp, promising to the fans at home that this was just the beginning.

Then, just before cameras went off the air, The NEW Champion Dean Ambrose & Sami Callahan were seen backstage, laying on the ground, beaten and bloodied. As cameras rushed to the scene and officials swooped in, an exit door to the arena was seen slamming shut, as if the culprit or culprits were just escaping. The cameras rushed outside but nobody was anywhere to be seen.

Match Results
Eric Young def. Adam Cole - NEW Television Championship
Liv Morgan def. Killer Kelly
Io Shirai w/Kairi Sane def. Ember Moon
Tony Nese def. Lio Rush
Adrian Neville def. Buddy Murphy
Dean Ambrose def. Matt Riddle - NEW World Championship

I’m intrigued with what you got going on. I sort of skimmed through things, but I want to say that HBK interview was fantastic. I loved the Triple H part, but that whole CM Punk dialogue was amazing. If there was ever to be a feud written in Fan Fic, that HBK conversation about CM Punk would be a hell of an awesome promo. I loved it. It’s original and it’s incredible. The time to grow up comparison is just too good. It’s another one of those things I read where I thought to myself, man I wish I wrote that.

WWE Fastlane Results: John Cena Finally Completes Grand Slam, Brock Lesnar Still Reigns Supreme & More
He finally did it. John Cena is a Grand Slam Champion.

The 17-time World Champion may have been tied with Ric Flair's title record for quite some time, but there was another goal that was hanging over Cena's head for most of his career that he wanted to get off his back before walking away for good. And he finally did it.

Although the win comes with controversy, which is nothing new for Super Cena. He took the title off Velveteen Dream, who won the title just last month after winning a tournament by last defeating Kevin Owens in what many were calling the WWE match of the year.

Dream's win showed the fans that there might be a new wave of talent coming in the WWE. With Dream's push and DIY dominating the tag team division, things were looking promising for the future, until they weren't. Many fans took to social media to vent their displeasure with Cena's historic victory that came at the cost of a short IC title reign for Dream.

But the match itself was great and we have to remember that it was Velveteen Dream himself that called Cena out as his first title defence. Dream said it was something he has always wanted and nothing would make him happier than to "hear John Cena say his name." Cena said it alright, but it was as he was holding the IC title in his hands and standing over Dream's broken body.

The Beast Roars
After being called out several weeks ago by Conor McGregor, who said that if the WWE Champion wasn't on TV every week he'd be stripped of his title, Brock Lesnar maliciously complied as only Brock Lesnar could. He would show up on Raw and/or Smackdown each week, sometimes walking to the ring to read a newspaper, sometimes going to the concession to buy hot dogs. When McGregor tried to put Lesnar in a match, Lesnar simply no-showed, stating through his representatives that he only had to be on TV and didn't have to listen to anything McGregor said.

Finally McGregor forced Lesnar's hand, saying if he didn't defend his title at Fastlane, he'd be vacating it, so Lesnar complied and beat the holy hell out of McGregor's hand-picked opponent, Braun Strowman. McGregor thought he had Lesnar beat, pitting Strowman against Lesnar in a monster match-up that the fans have wanted to see for months, but Lesnar hung in on Strowman's early onslaught, then took control with an F5 out of nowhere. From there it was over, with Lesnar hitting two more F5's before locking in a Kimura just to rub it in McGregor's face.

McGregor was at ringside for the beating and couldn't believe his eyes, then almost snapped when Lesnar climbed out of the ring and spit at his feet.

Match Results
Brock Lesnar def. Braun Strowman - WWE World Championship
John Cena def. Velveteen Dream - WWE Intercontinental Championship
Seth Rollins def. The Miz - WWE United States Championship
Roman Reigns def. Randy Orton
Ronda Rousey def. Sasha Banks & Naomi - WWE Women's Championship Triple Threat Match
DIY def. American Alpha - WWE Tag Team Championship
The New Day def. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
Pre-Show
Shelton Benjamin def. Dolph Ziggler

TASW Memphis Mayhem Night 1: Baron Corbin Finds a New Home; Gives Jinder Mahal the Assist [Results]
A shocker from the heartland tonight as Texas All-Star Wrestling was rocked to its very core. A new member of the roster and a new TASW Heavyweight Champion has changed the company drastically as it prepares to head into the summer months.

Free agent Baron Corbin appears to have found a home for now, appearing in the dying moments of the main event and catching the TASW Heavyweight Champion Bryan Danielson with a flying knee strike that almost took his head off. The referee's back was turned and that was all that Jinder Mahal needed to hit the Khallas and put Danielson down for the 3-count.

The stunned Memphis crowd couldn't believe their eyes as Jinder Mahal celebrated with the title and Baron Corbin grinned from ear to ear on the entrance ramp. While Bryan Danielson was tended to by the official, Corbin watched Mahal celebrate for another moment before exiting the arena. By the time he left and Mahal was on his way out with his new prize, the boos were deafening.

It was a drastic change in tone from the rest of the night that was a great set up for the two-night weekend event. Generally considered the first major event in TASW's season, Memphis Mayhem is very much looked forward to by American wrestling fans and is considered the trend setter for the rest of the season in TASW action.

The sold out FedEx Forum and the record-breaking number of viewers watching at home were treated to some stellar matches throughout the evening. That isn't to say the main event wasn't excellent, because it was, but the unhappy ending shocked the fans and has everyone looking forward to what's in store for Night 2.

Andrade Cien Almas got another shot at Jeff Cobb's TASW All-State title, but came up just short in what many called the match of the night. Cobb will be in action against tomorrow night defending the title against Bobby Lashley, who earned a shot at the winner by defeating Bobby Roode. Lashley held the All-State title for nearly two years before losing it to Cobb a couple months ago, and it's been eating away at him ever since. Will Lashley reclaim the gold he lost or will Cobb continue his undefeated streak in TASW and continue to reign supreme?

Another great match saw The Rascalz put their #1 Contendership to the TASW Tag Team Championship on the line against Bo Rotunda & Curtis Hennig. Xavier & Wentz successfully held on to their title shot, but their arrogance grabbed the ire of The Authors of Pain, who stormed the ring and destroyed them post-match. Xavier & Wentz. Then, to add insult to injury, Chris Hero entered the arena, mic in hand, to inform The Rascalz that a certain someone had arrived from Europe...

...and out walked Cesaro! The Kings of Wrestling were reunited once again on American soil, and that means one thing: the TASW Tag Team Championship would be on the line in the main event of Night 2! The crowd went nuts and Hero & Cesaro banged their fists together as The Rascalz lied face down in the ring and The Authors of Pain reminded The Kings what their future might hold.

Speaking of tag team surprises, Eli Drake & Ethan Carter III kicked off the show announcing that the duo was taking a new approach in TASW, starting tonight in the "festering crap heap that is Memphis." Telling the booing crowd that they couldn't wait to class up this backwoods garbage fire, they would begin their new journey to the top by teaming up against any team that wanted a shot at them. Then the crowd roared as the music of CMLL's Los Ignorables hit and Rush & El Terrible appeared on stage!

The duo, who had just recently won their 3rd CMLL World Tag Team Championship, beat Eli Drake & EC3 up and down the aisle before using their immense speed and high-flying ability to embarrass the new tag team on their home soil in front of a roaring crowd. The long-standing alliance between TASW and CMLL has once again paid off and kicked off the weekend in tremendous fashion.

Match Results
Jinder Mahal def. Bryan Danielson - TASW Heavyweight Championship
Jeff Cobb def. Andrade Cien Almas w/Zelina Vega - TASW All-State Championship
Bobby Lashley def. Bobby Roode - #1 Contendership to the TASW All-State Championship
The Rascalz def. Bo Rotunda & Curtis Hennig - #1 Contendership to the TASW Tag Team Championship
Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara def. Apollo Crews & Brian Cage
Los Ignorables def. Eli Drake & Ethan Carter III



Night 2 Confirmed Matches
The Kings of Wrestling (c) vs. The Rascalz - TASW Tag Team Championship
Jeff Cobb (c) vs. Bobby Lashley - TASW All-State Championship
Baron Corbin vs. TBD
Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. Los Ignorables
Bo Rotunda & Curtis Hennig vs. Eli Drake & Ethan Carter III

Love, love the whole IWC turning on John Cena after he broke the "future" of Velveteen Dream. Love it. Love the idea of Velveteen Dream being the one to call him out. Just to hear him say his name. Love it. Fuck the nerds, so super happy that you're going that route with John Cena. Love the Brock/McGregor feud. Love how Brock is getting around the "be on TV" stipulation. Love him whooping Strowmans ass, too. That must have drove the IWC insane, too. Loving it so far. The results of the other matches caught me off guard. Maybe I joined in reading late, but Seth battling with Miz and Dolph losing to Shelton? Random as fuck, but I'm sure there's a story to it.

GROSS at Jinder Mahal beating Daniel Bryan. I can't stand him or Baron Corbin so that duo is getting what they call "X-Pac heat" from me. Not too familiar with many other guys there. So even the Cesaro/Hero reunion (which I'm 1/2 familiar with) didn't tickle my fancy. Austin calling out Corbin is interesting, I guess.

There's definitely a lot going on here. I'm sure it's the point of what you're doing, but it's confusing the fuck out of me as a reader. I probably need to focus better, but from what I've read, I've liked majority of it. Still loving the HBK/Punk thing from before. Brock/McGregor is a close second. Keep up the good work, RT. Keep Fan Fic alive.

Memphis Mayhem Night 2 Results: Pure Insanity
If you missed Night 2 of #MemphisMayhem, you missed a lot. The final moments of the evening turned the wrestling world upside-down as the fans in attendance and watching around the globe were taken on an emotional roller coaster.

The co-main event saw The Kings of Wrestling finally re-unite to defend the TASW Tag Team titles for the first time in over a year. The Rascalz had earned the honour of trying to take the titles off Hero & Cesaro, and they did just that. The match was as great as everyone expected and the ovation for both teams couldn't have been louder. The four men stood in the ring with their arms raised as The Rascalz begin a new era for the TASW tag team division, while the Kings and longest-reigning champs in TASW history have some decisions to make about their future.

Then the final bout of the night was scheduled to be Baron Corbin taking on a mystery opponent, hand-picked by Commissioner Steve Austin. Corbin paced in the ring for a moment until Austin's music hit and the crowd went crazy. Austin walked out to the stage, mic in hand, and told Corbin that he picked someone "very special" to dish out punishment, and he was sanctioning the match under No Disqualification rules so that this person could beat Corbin into submission proper.

But as Austin gestured to the entrance, nothing happened. Austin looked confused, went and checked gorilla position, then came back and and threw his hat on the stage in anger.

-Austin "Well if that sumbitch isn't gonna show up then I guess ol' Stone Cold'll have to do it himself!"

Loudest. Pop. Ever.

Austin ripped off his jacket and stomped to the ring in jeans and boots, ready to lay down an ass-whoopin. Corbin motioned for Austin to get in the ring and was as fired up as everyone in the crowd, not backing down an inch from The Texas Rattlesnake. Corbin tried to take him down when he got in the ring but Austin muscled Corbin to the canvas and started filling him with right hands. The crowd came unglued as Austin got to his feet, hit the ropes, then drove his elbow into Corbin's face. Austin then got up and waited for Corbin to rise to his feet...

..but when Corbin did, he spun to face Austin and froze in place, then fell backwards, pointing behind Austin. Austin flipped off Corbin but quickly saw that Corbin was staring right through him. The crowd had changed from cheering to total shock.

SPOILER: Click to show

Austin spun around and was face-to-face with CM Punk.

Before Austin could react, Punk hoisted him onto his shoulders and the crowd lost their damn minds as he hit the GTS on Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Punk then glared at Baron Corbin as he scrambled out of the ring and into the crowd. Punk snatched up a microphone and sat down cross legged beside Austin, then said "Roll the tape."

The screens in the arena crackled to life and we saw a video feed from a security camera inside what appeared to be an arena hallway. On the floor are two men, who are identified as the NEW World Champion Dean Ambrose and Sami Callahan. The duo were attacked after an NEW show in Pittsburgh the week prior. Standing over them is a man dressed in black. He drops a steel pipe to the floor that clangs on the concrete, then exits the building. The security feed flicks to a camera outside the exit and the man removes his hood, revealing it to be CM Punk himself, who disappears into the night.

Back in Memphis, CM Punk raises the microphone to his mouth, thinks for a moment, looks at Austin, then back out at the crowd, and throws the mic aside instead before leaving the arena.

Match Results
The Rascalz def. The Kings of Wrestling (c) - TASW Tag Team Championship
Jeff Cobb (c) def. Bobby Lashley - TASW All-State Championship
Los Ignorables def. Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara
Bo Rotunda & Curtis Henning vs. Eli Drake & Ethan Carter III was ruled a No Contest when both teams brawled outside the ring
Jinder Mahal def. Drago - non-title match
After the match, Michael Elgin attacked Jinder Mahal, making his TASW debut
Madison Rayne def. Rosemary

It’s official.

CM Punk is the character of the year in Fan Fic. Not like there’s much attention, but what he’s doing is absolutely destroying everyone and anyone. This is on some SCSA Attitude Era stuff. Love it.

What does it take to be the best?

I ask myself that question every single day. I ask myself that question when I wake up, when I hit the gym, when I'm watching the Cubs and when I'm falling asleep at night beside my beautiful wife. I ask myself that question more times a day than I can count.

I ask myself that question because I still haven't found the answer.

Maybe there isn't an answer. Maybe there are a lot of answers. Maybe I'll never know.

But I ask myself that question because I truly believe that I am the best. And I continue to find ways to be the best every..single..day.

I asked myself that question when I left the WWE. Because at the time, the answer was that I couldn't be the best there anymore.

I asked myself that question the first time I stepped into a UFC octagon. Because at the time, the answer was...well, I forget, because I got the shit kicked out of me.

I asked myself that question when I picked myself up after my fourth UFC loss. Because at the time, the answer was no longer to keep going down this path, but to regroup and come back better.

I asked myself that question...when I put Kenny Omega to sleep.

I asked myself that question when I attacked his Golden Lover in Japan.

I asked myself that question when I finally got my hands on that redneck, trailer trash, beer-swilling, overrated piece of shit, Stone Cold Steve Austin.

To be the best, you have to believe you are the best, and you have to prove it to yourself and the world every single day. I'm doing that, and will continue to do that, because that's what I do. I did it when I was a nobody from Chicago. I did it when I became the IWC's darling by selling my soul. I did it when I became the longest reigning WWE Champion of the last 25 years. I did it when I walked away and exposed the machine for what it was. I did it when I trained my ass off and got my face caved in at UFC, then got back up and did it three more times. I did it when I shut Kenny Omega's loud, ugly mouth. I did it when I showed the world that I can go where I want, when I want, because that's the treatment that the best deserves.

I'm the Best in the World.

What does it take to be the best? Keep watching and you'll find out.

Being The Elite #164: A Message for CM Punk
In the latest episode of Being The Elite, Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks have a message for CM Punk: come back.

"Come back, Phil!" Matt Jackson mockingly shouted into the camera, while his brother and Kenny Omega smirked beside him. "You told us you were All In, bro! You told us AEW Was the game changer, the place where you finally felt comfortable returning to the ring. Then you show up and do us like that? You do our best friend Kenny Omega like that? Just lay him out, then run away and hide?"

"That ain't being the best, man," Nick Jackson adds. "Being the best means BEATING the ELITE. Which is what you said you wanted to do. But typical CM Punk. He gets in his cheapshot then runs away and talks shit from across the Pacific. Not cool, bro."

It looks like Kenny Omega has some backup, and he's not the only one...


NEW Cleveland Results: Ohio Versus CM Punk
New Era Wrestling rolled into Cleveland on its last stop before it kicks off their Canadian Stadium Series on July 1st. And the NEW World Champion was handed a gift from his long-time friend Sami Callahan.

Before the main event, Dean Ambrose had a message for CM Punk, telling him that if he wanted to jump around the world and sneak up on people, that's fine. He respects that. But CM Punk made a mistake when he crossed the NEW World Champion.

Ambrose questioned CM Punk's tactics, wondering what it was he wanted. Did he want to join AEW and fight Kenny Omega? Did he want to erase his UFC losses by beating up an old, washed up Stone Cold? Or did he want a shot at the only title in wrestling that matters, the NEW World Championship?

Ambrose laid the title across the ring and beckoned CM Punk to show up. "Come out come out wherever your arrrre," Ambrose begged...but Punk didn't show. Instead, Sami Callahan walked onto the stage and told Ambrose that while CM Punk didn't have the balls to show up tonight, some friends of his did.

The oVe logo flashed across the screen while their theme blasted into the ears of everyone watching. The crowd went wild as Dave Crist, Jake Crist & Madman Fulton walked onto the stage to join Callahan, who told Dean Ambrose that Ohio has his back.

...

New Era Wrestling and Texas All-Star Wrestling embark on a tour of Canada July 1st. All Elite Wrestling continues their tour of the western United States. All-Star Wrestling UK is still touring central Europe and has some big shows coming up in Italy and Greece. New Japan Pro Wrestling prepares for the G1 Climax tournament. And the WWE enters the Road to Summerslam.

All the while, CM Punk is out there, lurking. He was lured back to the business by AEW, but has shown since that night that no company can hold him, and he can show up anywhere. And everyone is on notice. It's going to be a wild summer.

WWE Stomping Grounds Results - June 23rd, 2019
Tacoma Dome - Tacoma, WA, USA

WWE Championship
Brock Lesnar (c) def. AJ Styles

WWE Women's Championship
Charlotte Flair def. Ronda Rousey (c)

WWE Intercontinental Championship
John Cena (c) def. Randy Orton

WWE United States Championship
Seth Rollins (c) def. The Miz

Sasha Banks & Naomi def. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville

The Velveteen Dream def. Dolph Ziggler

Pre-Show

WWE Tag Team Championship
American Alpha def. DIY (c)

The New Day (Xavier Woods & Big E) def. The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows)

Notes
Charlotte Flair regains the Women's title as Ronda Rousey's WWE contract expires. No word on if she is re-signing.
...
DIY drop the tag titles and there was some bad vibes between Gargano & Ciampa as they left the ring.
...
The Good Brothers also took their loss hard. Their contracts are up after Summerslam and they haven't yet re-signed.


++++++++++


NEW/TASW
Canadian Stadium Series
Night #1 Results - July 1st, 2019
Mile One Centre - St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

NEW Contender's Championship - Fatal Fourway
Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Rielly vs. Bobby Fish vs. Roderick Strong - NO CONTEST

TASW Heavyweight Championship
Jinder Mahal (c) def. Michael Elgin

NEW Women's Championship - Triple Threat
Asuka (c) def. Bayley & Becky Lynch

NEW Television Championship
Eric Young (c) def. Elias

"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson def. Bobby Lashley

Adrian Neville def. Andrade Cien Almas

NEW Tag Team Championship
The Revival (c) def. Drew Gulak & Tony Nese

Ember Moon & Killer Kelly def. Io Shirai & Kairi Sane

Notes
The Undisputed Era agreed on a Fatal Fourway to determine the new Contender's Champion. Before the match could conclude, however, all four men were attacked by
Balor's Club - Finn Balor, Jordan Devlin, Paul Gallagher & David Finlay. The Irish foursome stood tall as the show came to a close.
...
Michael Elgin's TASW debut almost went unnoticed with everything else going on, but Jinder Mahal didn't forget, and offered up a Heavyweight title shot in order to get some revenge for Elgin's sneak attack in Memphis.
...
The fifth member of Balor's Club made the trip across the Atlantic. Becky Lynch, the British Women's Champion, wanted her NEW title back. But it wasn't meant to be, as Asuka retained to a tremendous roar.


++++++++++



AEW Live - July 4th, 2019
Pepsi Center - Denver, CO, USA

AEW Championship
Kenny Omega def. "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes (c) w/Brandi Rhodes

AEW Tag Team Championship
The Young Bucks def. Best Friends (c)

SoCal Uncensored def. The Motor City Machine Guns & Jimmy Havoc

John Morrison def. Chris Jericho

The Lucha Bros def. The Bollywood Boyz

Tessa Blanchard def. Nyla Rose

Joey Janela def. Luchasaurus

Jungle Boy def. Cima

Darby Allin def. Kip Sabian

Notes
Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks earn gold just days after sending a threat to CM Punk. Now if CM Punk faces Kenny Omega it could very well be for the AEW Championship. Possibly a booking decision to entice Punk to return to AEW sooner rather than later.
...
Shawn Spears (FKA Tye Dillinger) attacked John Morrison after his match with Chris Jericho. Spears was a free agent after the CWA folded and finally staked his claim in a new company.
...
Dustin Rhodes remains inactive. Unclear if he'll be back on the active AEW roster in the future or move to a backstage role.
...
SoCal Uncensored earns a tag title shot with their victory.
...
MJF cut a promo in the middle of the show, stating that he would "exact revenge" for being left off the card. AEW has a PPV coming up and MJF is pissed that he's been "an afterthought."


++++++++++


ASWUK
Roma Rampage
Night #2 Results - July 7th, 2019
Stadio Olimpico - Rome, Italy

UEAW European Championship
Pete Dunne (c) def. Zack Sabre, Jr.

British Open Tag Team Championship
The Wyatt Family (Luke Harper & Erick Rowan) (c) w/Bray Wyatt def. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch

Best of 7 Series - Match 7
Rusev def. Sheamus (4-3)

Drew Galloway & Noam Dar def. Killer Elite Squad

Joe Coffey w/Mark Coffey def. Robbie Dynamite

WALTER def. Stu Barrett

Will Ospreay def. Tyler Bate w/Trent Seven

Notes
The Wyatt Family's entrance in the Stadio Olimpico was one of the coolest fucking things I've ever seen. That is all.
...
Rusev bests Sheamus in their Best of 7 Series. Sheamus did NOT take it well.
...
Will Ospreay once again leaves the tour to join NJPW's G1 Climax.
...
Without Balor's Club present, the show was lacking. Hoping they aren't in Canada too long because the Scots and Wyatts are eager to blow this party up.


++++++++++



G1 CLIMAX BLOCKS REVEALED
Tokyo, Japan

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}


CM Punk declares for G1 Climax

BLOCK A
JAY WHITE
KAZUCHIKA OKADA
HIROSHI TANAHASHI
KENTA
WILL OSPREAY
TOMOHIRO ISHII
HIROMU TAKAHASHI
EVIL
SANADA
CM PUNK

BLOCK B
KOTA IBUSHI
SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
TETSUYA NAITO
JUICE ROBINSON
KUSHIDA
MINORU SUZUKI
MARTY SCURLL
SHINGO TAKAGI
TAMA TONGA
TBD

BREAKING: Kenny Omega Declares for G1 Climax, Cody Rhodes Speaks Out; Major Rift In AEW
The final participant in the G1 Climax has been revealed and if you guessed who it was, you're a liar. Kenny Omega has joined the G1 Climax as the last entrant in Block B, and has vowed that he will get his revenge on CM Punk.

"Punk disrespected me then ran away with his tail between his legs. Then he attacked my soul mate and ran again. He crossed the line when he pulled Kota Ibushi into this and needs to be stopped. He thinks he can run around the world 'sending messages?' Well I got a message for him: CM Punk, you better be in the G1 Climax Finals, because I'm going to be there too, and I'm going to make you wish you stayed retired."

The announcement has sent shockwaves through All Elite Wrestling and Cody Rhodes has already spoken out:

"I'm livid," Rhodes said in an interview this afternoon. "Do you know what it took to get CM Punk to appear on AEW television? Do you know how much the fans have been looking forward to CM Punk versus Kenny Omega in an AEW ring? It was to be the biggest match in years and it was to take place right here, where wrestling's elite belong. But instead, Kenny Omega has turned his back on the company that we built from the ground up, and has crawled back to Japan, and for what? Honour? Respect? He threw both of those out the window when he got on that fucking plane."

AEW and NJPW have been at odds since Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes & The Young Bucks left Japan together to form their own company. Both companies have been respectable and attempted to work together on big name contracts, but the relationship has been rocky and petty to say the least. One has to think that CM Punk knew this, and that this is all part of his plan to get inside Kenny Omega's head.


NEW CSS News: Undisputed Era versus Balor's Club, Contender's Title Tournament Announced
When the Canadian Stadium Series rolls into Halifax, Nova Scotia tonight, some big matches will be taking place. The main event will see the British Heavyweight Champion Finn Balor and his club of Jordan Devlin, Paul Gallagher & David Finaly take on The Undisputed Era in an eight-man tag team elimination match.

In St. John's on Night #1, Balor's Club interrupted a respectable, friendly Fatal Fourway match for the vacant NEW Contender's Championship between Cole, O'Reilly, Fish & Strong, and The Undisputed Era are absolutely furious that one of them planned on walking out of Newfoundland with a shot at the NEW World Championship, but are all now empty-handed.

Speaking of, a tournament has been announced for the vacant Contender's Championship, and the tournament will see eight NEW stars and eight TASW stars vying for the title. The unprecedented announcement came in a joint statement from both Shane McMahon & Shawn Michaels earlier today. The NEW and TASW stars will do battle in separate single-elimination brackets and the best man from each side will do battle for the title in the finals on Night #9 in Calgary, Alberta.

NEW Contender's Championship Tournament

NEW	TASW
Matt Riddle	Bryan Danielson
Adam Cole	Andrade Cien Almas
Samoa Joe	Rey Mysterio
Elias	Bobby Lashley
Ricochet	Michael Elgin
Adrian Neville	Apollo Crews
Buddy Murphy	Bobby Roode
Sami Callahan	Ethan Carter III

Night #2 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Matt Riddle vs. Elias

"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. Rey Mysterio

Night #4 - Montreal, Quebec

Adam Cole vs. Adrian Neville

Andrade "Cien" Almas vs. Ethan Carter III

Night #5 - Montreal, Quebec

Samoa Joe vs. Sami Callahan

Michael Elgin vs. Apollo Crews

Night #6 - Toronto, Ontario

Ricochet vs. Buddy Murphy

Bobby Lashley vs. Bobby Roode

NEW CCS Halifax: Sami Zayn Wins TV Title, TUE Stands Tall, Elias Almost Causes Riot & More
It was a fun night in Halifax as New Era Wrestling & Texas All-Star Wrestling rolled into The Scotiabank Centre, just steps away from the beautiful Halifax Waterfront. A crisp, ocean breeze filled the evening air and the fans were ready for some major wrestling action not seen in this part of Canada for years.

Then, Elias showed up and forgot where he was.

"Hello I am Elias," he began, the crowd cheering and singing just seconds into the show. But he would very quickly lose the audience when Elias made it clear that he thought he was still in Newfoundland.

"It gives me great pleasure to kick off the Canadian Stadium Series here in St. John's, Newfoundland, surrounded by all you lovely east coasters, or Newfies as I'm told you like to be called." The boos were deafening and it took Elias some time to clue in, that he was in fact in Halifax and Night #1 had happened without him.

"There should be a sign or something!" Elias protested, then ranted about how he couldn't tell the difference and that "all these east coast Canadian dumps look the same!" Garbage began to rain down on the ring and things became so unglued that the house lights came up and an announcement was made that the show would be canceled if the crowd didn't settle down. Thankfully Matt Riddle interrupted Elias before things got worse, and the first match of the Contender's Championship Tournament was on. And even better, the pop when Matt Riddle almost kicked Elias' head off and made him tap out was more deafening than the boos just 10-15 minutes earlier.

But that was nothing compared to the reaction when Eric Young's Television Championship opponent was revealed to be Sami Zayn! Zayn returned to Canada after his excellent showing in Japan at the Best of Super Juniors Tournament, and the crowd was happy to have him and even happier when he won the title. Zayn hasn't won a major title on Canadian soil since his first stint in the CWA before joining the WWE, so it was surely a great moment for Zayn and the rest of Canada.

The night closed out with The Undisputed Era taking on Balor's Club in an eight-man tag team elimination match, and after roughly 30 minutes of both teams trying to kill one another, the match came to an end when Adam Cole pinned the British Heavyweight Champion Finn Balor and sent the fans home happy.

It's unclear of Balor's Club will be sticking around as the tour hits up Harbour Station in Saint John, New Brunswick next (which we're almost certain Elias will get confused AGAIN, if we let him in the ring) before stepping into Quebec for back-to-back shows in Montreal. One thing is for sure, The Undisputed Era continue to reign supreme in New Era Wrestling, and it's only a matter of time until they strike gold again.

Match Results
The Undisputed Era def. Balor's Club - Eight-Man Tag Team Elimination
Sami Zayn def. Eric Young (c) - NEW Television Championship
"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson def. Rey Mysterio - NEW Contender's Championship Tournament
Bayley & Asuka def. Angelina Love & Velvet Skye
Bobby Lashley & Jeff Cobb def. Eli Drake & EC3
After the match, Bobby Roode hit the ring and attacked Lashley & Cobb, appearing to align himself with Drake & EC3
Ricochet, Buddy Murphy & Lio Rush def. Adrian Neville, Drew Gulak & Tony Nese - Six-Man Tag Team Match
The Authors of Pain def. Curtis Henning & Bo Rotunda - #1 Contendership to TASW Tag Team Championship
Matt Riddle def. Elias - NEW Contender's Championship Tournament

NEW/TASW
Canadian Stadium Series
Night #3 Results - July 8th, 2019
Harbour Station - Saint John, New Brunswick

TASW Heavyweight Championship
Jinder Mahal (c) def. Eli Drake w/EC3 & Bobby Roode

NEW Television Championship
Sami Zayn def. Bobby Lashley

Sami Callahan & Madman Fulton w/Dave & Jake Crist def. The Authors of Pain

Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish w/Adam Cole & Roderick Strong def. Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe w/Eric Young & Nikki Cross

Asuka def. Velvet Skye w/Angelina Love - non-title match

The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) def. Drew Gulak & Tony Nese - non-title match

Kairi Sane def. Io Shirai, Ember Moon & Killer Kelly - Fatal Fourway

Notes
After the main event, Drake, EC3 & Roode started to beat down Jinder Mahal. The crowd turned on them heavily until Dean Ambrose walked on stage and was then joined a moment later by the rest of oVe. Drake, EC3 and Roode backed down as oVe stood tall.
...
After defeating Bobby Lashley, the NEW Television Champion Sami Zayn was confronted by the TASW All-State Champion Jeff Cobb. Match is set for Montreal.
...
SANITY called out Balor's Club for an intergender tag fight, but they didn't show. Unknown if they're still in Canada or not. The Undisputed Era answered instead and O'Reilly & Fish took on Dain & Wolfe.
...
Kairi Sane earns an NEW Women's title shot in Montreal with her victory.


++++++++++



Smackdown Live! - July 9th, 2019
Manchester, New Hampshire - SNHU Arena

#1 Contendership to the WWE Championship
Kevin Owens def. Randy Orton

#1 Contendership to the WWE Women's Championship
Sonya Deville w/Mandy Rose def. Sasha Banks

WWE Intercontinental Championship - Open Challenge
John Cena (c) def. Mojo Rawley

#1 Contendership to the WWE United States Championship
Roman Reigns def. The Miz

Alexa Bliss def. Naomi

The Velveteen Dream def. Johnny Gargano w/Tommaso Ciampa

American Alpha def. The Good Brothers

Notes
Sonya Deville finally getting a singles push, seemingly filling the void left by Ronda Rousey.
...
Roman Reigns will face Seth Rollins for the United States Championship at Extreme Rules. The pair have not faced one another in a singles match before.
...
Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa got in an argument after Gargano's loss to Velveteen Dream.
...
Karl Anderson ate the pin to American Alpha and no-sold the finish, rolling out of the ring and leaving the arena. Luke Gallows was caught off-guard and quickly followed him out.


++++++++++



AEW Live - July 11th, 2019
Tingley Coliseum - Albuquerque, NM, USA

Motor City Machine Guns & Jimmy Havoc def. Cody Rhodes & The Young Bucks

Christopher Daniels w/Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky def. Chuck Taylor w/Trent Baretta

Shawn Spears def. Joey Janela

Pentagon Jr. w/Fenix def. Chris Jericho

Cima def. Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy & Kip Sabian - Fatal Fourway

Darby Allin def. MJF (via DQ)

Notes
Cody & The Bucks were not clicking during their match, arguing and clearly distracted. MCMG & Havoc took advantage and got the big win.
...
After Daniels win, SoCal Uncensored decided to send a message to the tag division and beat the hell out of Best Friends.
...
After his victory, Shawn Spears was attacked by John Morrison.
...
MJF refused to leave the ring until he had a match and was answered by Darby Allin, who beat the hell out of him until MJF got himself disqualified by hitting Allin with a chair.


++++++++++


ASWUK
Global God Showdown
Night #1 Results - July 11th, 2019
Olympic Stadium - Athens, Greece

#1 Contendership to the UEAW European Championship
Drew Galloway def. Sheamus

Rusev def. WALTER

Bray Wyatt w/Luke Harper & Erick Rowan def. Pete Dunne w/Tyler Bate & Trent Seven - non-title match

Lance Archer w/Davey Boy Smith, Jr. def. Robbie Dynamite

Zack Sabre, Jr. def. Stu Barrett

Xia Brookside & Layla def. The IIconics

Notes
After the main event, Sheamus started beating down Drew Galloway, which drew out the rest of the Scots. The Coffey Brothers & Noam Dar attacked Sheamus, until Balor's Club appeared, and defended fellow countryman Sheamus.
...
Rusev was pissed after winning his Best of 7 Series against Sheamus and not receiving a shot at the UEAW European Championship, but decided that he should do one better and be the #1 Contender to the British Heavyweight Championship. WALTER took offense and challenged Rusev.
...
Bray Wyatt demanded a six-man tag match against British Strong Style. BSS showed up but Dunne told Wyatt that he'd rather kick his ass by himself. Well, he didn't, and after the match Wyatt and his family beat the hell out of BSS while Wyatt paced in the ring and told them they just made the biggest mistake of their lives.
...
Xia Brookside & Layla celebrated their big win over The IIconics until Rhea Ripley showed up and beat the hell out of all four women. Paige hit the ring to try and talk sense into her but Ripley just kicked her in the head and left, clearly upset about something.

AEW Sleeperhold In Seattle Results
AEW's fist major show of the summer, Sleeperhold In Seattle, was shrouded in drama. This year has been full of ups and downs for the company and after last night's show, it's hard to say if this was an up or a down.

After declaring for the G1 Climax in a last ditch effort to get revenge on CM Punk, Kenny Omega has gone AWOL and was pulled from the card. Cody Rhodes spoke out about Omega's decision to temporarily jump ship, stating that "CM Punk vs. Kenny Omega was supposed to take place on AEW television," and went into detail about how much AEW had to sacrifice to get CM Punk on board.

Punk doesn't seem to care, however, and has been living his free agent dream for the past weeks, traveling the world and attacking whoever he chooses to get inside Omega & Co's heads. And last night he chose Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks.

As the show came to a close and The Young Bucks had successfully defended their AEW Tag Team titles against SoCal Uncensored, they had their arms raised by who they thought was the referee. However, CM Punk emerged from the crowd during the final bell and attacked the referee, then slid into the ring and raised their arms without their knowledge. The crowd leapt to their feet and went insane as the Bucks clued in a half second too late, and were viciously attacked. CM Punk laid waste to the brothers with stiff kicks to the head, who were already exhausted, and put Nick Jackson to sleep with a GTS before locking in an Anaconda Vise on Matt. Punk held the submission for some time until Cody Rhodes charged to the ring and CM Punk retreated.

...or so we thought. After the show went off the air, CM Punk attacked Cody Rhodes as he was leaving the arena. Punk beat Cody to a pulp in the parking lot as Brandi Rhodes was forced to watch the whole ordeal.

And once again an attack goes without consequences as CM Punk is now on a plane back to Japan with a smile on his face, as the G1 Climax kicks off in under 48 hours.

Match Results
The Young Bucks (c) def. SoCal Uncensored - AEW Tag Team Championship
Tessa Blanchard def. Dr. Britt Baker (c) - AEW Women's Championship
Shawn Spears def. John Morrison
The Bollywood Boyz def. Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus
Jimmy Havoc def. Darby Allin - Hardcore Match
MJF def. Joey Janela
Chris Jericho def. Pentagon, Jr. w/Fenix
"Hangman" Adam Page won a 20-person Battle Royale for a future AEW Championship shot.

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

-Dave and Bryan dive right in to the G1 Climax Night 1 results.
-Dave makes a point to immediately bring up the packed Osaka-jo Hall and the fact that NJPW World subscriptions skyrocketed over the past week.
-Alvarez: "That's all great but CM Punk and Kenny Omega were in the same building. Let's talk about that."
-Meltzer: "What Gedo has done is brilliant. I can't say enough good things about it."
-Dave talks in length about how having CM Punk enlist Gedo to make a stipulation against Kenny Omega was genius.
-Meltzer: "Omega is in a separate block and now that Gedo has made the stipulation that if Kenny Omega or Kota Ibushi attack CM Punk at any time, Omega will be kicked out of the tournament, both men basically have to make the finals to fight one another."
-Alvarez: "So now we know what the finals are going to be, though."
-Meltzer: "Do we? When has Gedo ever booked a predictable G1?"
-Alvarez: "Ok that's a good point."

-Bryan asks Dave if he's heard anything new from the AEW camp.
-Meltzer: "the short answer is no. The longer answer is I assume nothing has changed, but the AEW guys are being weird."
-Alvarez: "Weird how?"
-Dave explains that AEW has once again gone silent, and the only other time they did that, CM Punk showed up at an AEW show. But it feels different this time, Dave says. "Like they've been betrayed. I dunno, maybe I'm reading too much into it or being worked again. We're just going to have to wait and see."

-Alvarez asks if this means the AEW/NJPW relationship has changed.
-Meltzer: "If anything it's got worse. Gedo found the only way he could to get Kenny Omega back in an NJPW ring and this is 100% a nuke fired right at The Elite. I don't think they saw this coming and I don't think they're in on this at all. We might be seeing a battle over who gets CM Punk versus Kenny Omegain their ring first, and NJPW might be winning."

-Radio silence for a moment as Alvarez is pretty taken back by that last point.

-Alvarez: "Well NJPW was the first to get CM Punk versus Hiromu Takahashi."
-Dave says the match was "an easy 5 stars," and he basically spent most of the match reminding himself he wasn't dreaming, and that CM Punk is in the stacked block.
-Meltzer: "We're about to see like 4, 5, 6, maybe more, dream matches over the next couple weeks. AEW has to be in shambles. Punk/Ishii. Punk/Okada. Punk/Tanahashi. Punk/Ospreay."
-Alvarez: "Punk/KENTA. GTS vs GTS."
-Meltzer: "Keep going I'm almost there."

-Bryan then brings up Conor McGregor and his role in the WWE.
-Meltzer: "This is the part where I say 'I told you so.'"
-Conor McGregor hasn't been on WWE television in weeks. He basically just disappeared without ceremony after the Intercontinental Championship tournament.
-Alvarez: "I have to admit, I honestly forgot he was the commissioner."
-Meltzer: "You're not the only one. This is classic WWE. Bring in a big name, throw a huge twist in the story, whatever..then act like it never happened just weeks later."
-Alvarez: "I'm getting sick of this shit."

-Alvarez: "Anything new on the ASWUK front?"
-Meltzer: "Not really, they're doing their thing in Europe. I'm just glad Balor's Club is back."
-Alvarez: "Me too. Them hopping back and forth across the Atlantic was getting old fast."
-Meltzer: "Yeah. The British Men's and Women's champs should be there. It's kind of silly."
-Alvarez: "What's the word on Balor's Club/Wyatt Family/Scots/etc?"
-Meltzer: "No idea. I'm excited that they're all back on the same tour now though. They teased that right before Balor and Becky and the rest of them went to Canada so I'm glad we'll see where that's going now."

-Meltzer: "I'm going to Toronto, btw."
-Dave says the next podcast is going to be recorded in Toronto because he's going to both of the Canadian Stadium Series shows in Toronto.
-Bryan says he's going to. Dave jokes that nobody cares.
-Bryan asks when Dave is going to release his star ratings for the Montreal shows.
-Meltzer: "I'll tell you this: I haven't done it yet because every match was over 4 stars and I felt like that was a mistake."
-Alvarez: "Even Elgin vs. Crews!?"
-Meltzer: "That was one of the best hoss fights I've ever seen. Honestly if NEW and TASW keep this up, it's going to really give the G1 a run for its money."
-Bryan jokes about "if only the Canadian Stadium Series took place in the Tokyo Dome."

Recap of Kevin Owens defeating Randy Orton to become the #1 Contender to the WWE Championship.
Recap of Sonya Deville upsetting Sasha Banks with the help of Mandy Rose to become the #1 Contender to the WWE Women's Championship.

Well you're so great and I love you so
You know I'm your biggest fan

Roman Reigns has his arm raised after defeating The Miz.

I saw your picture and it's the best
The finest in the land

Reigns eyeballs the United States title, held by best friend Seth Rollins.

Camera lights and action
And words you know so well

Rollins stares at Reigns from the stage, almost heartbroken.

You're in and out of fashion

Velveteen Dream defeats Johnny Gargano.
Gargano & Ciampa argue.

In a Hollywood of hell

But Dream only has eyes for the Hollywood Icon and Intercontinental Champion, John Cena.

When the curtain falls

Brock Lesnar stomps down the ramp.

Walk the hollow halls babe
Once a valley doll

Charlotte Flair holds her title high in the air.

Now you're not at all
Nooooo

Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose glare up at her tall stature.

Cut to Kevin Owens chin-to-chin with Brock Lesnar on the go-home episode of Smackdown Live.

Well I love you in that movie show
Can I have your autograph?

John Cena posing with the IC title and fans.

It's so funny you have such charm
And whole thing made me laugh

Cena announces his open challenge at Summerslam.

Obetrol and cocktails

The Good Brothers trash ringside after another loss.

You're counting all your rings

American Alpha pose backstage with Vince McMahon.

They all said they loved you
(Didn't they darlin')

Alexa Bliss glares at Mandy Rose from afar.

Well they've taken all your things

Fast cuts of Kevin Owens, Sonya Deville, Velveteen Dream, John Cena, American Alpha, Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns.

**PYROS**

When the curtain falls
Walk the hollow halls babe
Once a valley doll
Now you're not at all
Noooo…



WWE Championship
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Kevin Owens

WWE Women's Championship
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Sonya Deville w/Mandy Rose

WWE United States Championship
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Roman Reigns

WWE Intercontinental Championship - Open Challenge
John Cena (c) vs. TBD

WWE Tag Team Championship - Fatal Fourway Ladder Match
American Alpha (c) vs. The Good Brothers vs. The Usos vs. The Hardy Boyz

AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton

Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks

Pre-Show
The Velveteen Dream vs. Dolph Ziggler

The Miz vs. Tommaso Ciampa w/Johnny Gargano

Conor McGregor Charged With Assault; Released from WWE
After obtaining a security video of Conor McGregor punching an elderly man at a whiskey bar, TMZ has reported that Conor McGregor will be (once again) charged with assault.

And after the video and report went public, the WWE immediately announced that McGregor was released from the company on their official site and from WWE PR on Twitter.



The awkward tweet drew some ire from fans and superstars alike. What should have been a cut and dry firing to avoid a PR nightmare has blown up in the WWE's face at a time when they simply cannot afford it.





When McGregor was hired it was reported to be the biggest contract in WWE history, meaning the contract likely surpassed Brock Lesnar's $12 million deal, and rumour has it the contract could have been worth more than $20 million all in. If all this is true, and the WWE is on the hook for most of that money, this could be the most expensive gaff in the company's history. And this comes at a time when the company's stock has been on a steady decline for several years.

McGregor barely made a dent in WWE programming, inexplicably vanishing from television after the Intercontinental Championship tournament. The spike in viewership when McGregor was on was barely noticeable, and all signs point to this being a major, major failure on the WWE's part.


Finn Balor Sounds Off: "Conor McGregor Is A Disgrace To Ireland"
The British Heavyweight Champion had some choice words for McGregor in the wee hours of the morning. With a bag slung over his shoulder to match the dark bags under his eyes, Finn Balor laid into McGregor on a cell phone video taken as he stormed through Heathrow.

"Y'know I didn't really wanna weigh in on this nonsense with Conor McGregor but I feel like I'm doing a disservice by not speaking up. As a world heavyweight champion and fellow countryman, I couldn't just ignore the absolute shite that I saw when I landed in London just now."

"Conor, you're a disgrace to not only your country, but men everywhere. You're dog shite. You're not worth my time but I'm gonna give it to ya anyway, you fookin' clown."

"I gave everything I had for this business wrestling around the globe, rose to the top in every promotion I've worked for, and walked away from North American developmental the best person I'd ever been. I became British Heavyweight Champion, I've flown around the damn world twice in the last two months. I went without sleep for days when I hopped planes from Munich to Canada to Greece to Turkey, Italy, Poland, you name it. Now after taking a red eye to London for THE British Heavyweight Champion's triumphant return to where it all started, I have to look at this utter trash? Your stupid face plastered all over TMZ, facing yet anothah assault charge, because you punched an OLD MAN!?"

At this point we see Jordan Devlin and Paul Gallagher appear in the background behind Finn Balor, walking with him.

"You couldn't get it done in the octagon anymore so you took an easy pay day. I get that. We should all be so lucky. But then you wiped yer arse with that pay day because you felt you needed to square up on an old fart in a pub, and you didn't even have the decency to face him like a MAN. You sucker punched him!"

Balor turns his phone to his side where Becky Lynch is walking with him, a scowl on her face. David Finlay is ahead of the pack, headphones on.

"SHE'S MORE OF A MAN THAN YOU ARE, YOU ABSOLUTE TOOL. You're a disgrace to this business, a disgrace to Ireland, and a disgrace to men everywhere. If you're ever lookin' for a real fight, you know where I'll be: kickin' arse and takin' names all over the god damned planet, bleedin' an' sweatin' for the business I love."

NEW Contender's Championship Tournament

NEW	TASW
Matt Riddle	Bryan Danielson
Adam Cole	Andrade Cien Almas
Samoa Joe	Rey Mysterio
Elias	Bobby Lashley
Ricochet	Michael Elgin
Adrian Neville	Apollo Crews
Buddy Murphy	Bobby Roode
Sami Callahan	Ethan Carter III

Night #2 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Matt Riddle def. Elias

"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson def. Rey Mysterio

Night #4 - Montreal, Quebec

Adrian Neville def. Adam Cole

Andrade "Cien" Almas def. Ethan Carter III

Night #5 - Montreal, Quebec

Sami Callahan def. Samoa Joe

Michael Elgin def. Apollo Crews

Night #6 - Toronto, Ontario

Ricochet def. Buddy Murphy

Bobby Roode def. Bobby Lashley

Night #7 - Toronto, Ontario
Matt Riddle def. Adrian Neville
Bobby Roode def. Michael Elgin

Night #8 - Ottawa, Ontario
Sami Callahan def. Ricochet
"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson def. Andrade "Cien" Almas

Night #9 - Winnipeg, MB
Contender's Championship Tournament Semi-Finals

NEW Finals
Matt Riddle vs. Sami Callahan

TASW Finals
"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. Bobby Roode

NEW Night #10: Shocker in Saskatoon [#NEWCSS Results]
"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson is the NEW Contender's Champion. The partnership between NEW and TASW has never been more intertwined and after tonight's show in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, we could be seeing NEW's top prize finding a new home in Texas.

The SaskTel Centre was treated to an amazing match-up to close out the show with Matt Riddle, representing New Era Wrestling, taking on Bryan Danielson, representing Texas All-Star Wrestling. The bout had no time limit and clocked in at just shy of 54 minutes as both men gave it their all and tore down the house, sending the fans home more than happy.

The NEW Contender's Championship Tournament has been crossing Canada over the summer as epic match-ups have taken place across the eastern part of the country and into the prairies. In St. John's, Newfoundland, Balor's Club interrupted a Fatal Fourway between the members of Undisputed Era that resulted in the title remaining vacant and an Eight-Man Tag Team Match taking place in Halifax before Balor's Club high-tailed it back across the pond. Shane McMahon & Shawn Michaels agreed to a tournament, where eight men from NEW and eight men from TASW would take part in an elimination tournament, with one representative from each company meeting in the finals.

The newly re-formed Ohio Versus Everything did their damnedest to get Sami Callahan to the finals, helping him along with victories over Samoa Joe and Ricochet. But his run came to a halt when Matt Riddle exacted some revenge on oVe for an attack several weeks ago, fighting off the entire stable on his own before making Callahan tap out.

On the TASW side, hometown hero Bobby Roode went on an absolute tear with the Canadian fans behind him, upsetting the longest-reigning TASW All-State Champion Bobby Lashley and defeating Michael Elgin in a hoss fight to end all hoss fights. Meanwhile Bryan Danielson and Andrade "Cien" Almas had the match of the tournament (until the finals) in Ottawa, then was able to get the edge on Roode in an epic semi-finals match at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg.

But now we look to the future. NEW Commissioner Shane McMahon had to know this was a possibility when he agreed to the tournament, especially when one of the greatest wrestlers on the planet in The American Dragon entered. Danielson boasts one of the best win/loss records in recent history and it was going to take a miracle to stop him from claiming the title.

Matt Riddle tried his hardest, but it still wasn't enough. He was "bro" enough to raise Danielson's arm after the match, but the party stopped when oVe and Dean Ambrose entered the building. Ambrose and Danielson squared off, Ambrose even taunting Danielson, trying to get him to cash-in right then and there. Danielson is smarter than that though, and while he has 30 days to make up his mind as to whether or not he cashes in, with the Canadian Stadium Series wrapping up in Vancouver, Danielson may just cash-in within miles of his hometown, the Canadian crowd rallying behind him, and possibly his last opportunity to get his hands on Dean Ambrose before NEW and TASW go their separate ways.

It's anyone's guess what the coming weeks will bring so don't miss a second of the action. The CSS is live on NEWTV and TASW Live, and the Calgary show is streaming for free on both company's YouTube channels. You literally don't have an excuse to miss a second of the action.

Match Results
"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson def. Matt Riddle - NEW Contender's Championship
Sami Zayn def. Adam Cole - NEW Television Championship
Bobby Roode, EC3 & Eli Drake def. oVe (Madman Fulton, Jake Crist & Dave Crist)
Kairi Sane & Io Shirai def. Ruby Riott & Killer Kelly
Liv Morgan def. Ember Moon - #1 Contendership to the NEW Women's Championship
Jeff Cobb def. Apollo Crews - TASW All-State Championship
The Rascalz def. Rey Mysterio & Andrade "Cien Almas", The Authors of Pain & Adrian Neville & Buddy Murphy - NEW Tag Team Championship Ladder Match
Elias def. Drew Gulak

Notes
-After the NEW TV Title match, the rest of Unidsputed Era beat down Sami Zayn to tremendous boos.

-Bobby Roode got the pin on Madman Fulton, but immediately after the match Sami Callahan attacked Roode from behind.

-Liv Morgan and Asuka stared one another down in the ring after Morgan's win. Asuka went to leave but Morgan struck her from behind and beat the holy hell out of her. Asuka had to be helped to the back.

-After the All-State Championship match, Jinder Mahal entered and challenged Cobb to a title vs. title match at his home town of Calgary, Alberta. Mahal said he'd fight him now, but Calgary is a far better city and he'd never step foot in a ring in Saskatchewan. The crowd threw trash at him and booed so loud the rest of his promo was drowned out, and his mic was cut to force him backstage and away from the fans.

-Elias opened the show with a rendition of "The Last Saskatchewan Pirate" that the crowd thoroughly enjoyed. When interrupted by Drew Gulak, the fans were livid. Thankfully, Elias put him in his place in a quick match, then smashed a guitar over his head. Tony Nese had to help Drew Gulak out of the arena.

The Revival: The Unsung Heroes of Tag Team Wrestling
As long as wrestling has been a major source of entertainment, tag team wrestling has been a big part of it. Promoters used the idea in order to get more big names on their show, and eventually tag teams were just as big an attraction as anyone else. Tag teams and stables made creating feuds the easiest thing in pro wrestling, and it wasn't uncommon for those same teams to main event shows around the world.

The 70's and 80's saw a major boom in wrestling as a mainstream source of entertainment, with major brands creating a monopoly in their respective corners of the world. NJPW formed in Japan, ASW (and eventually ASWUK) took over Europe, and the WWF/E scooped up every star they could and made wrestling what it is today. All three companies had their share of superstar tag teams, and while tag team wrestling is still very much a big part of wrestling today, a trend in the late 90's and turn of the millennium resulted in the division almost dying completely.

NJPW and ASWUK both leaned heavily into stables and tag team matches basically became a reason to shove as many people onto a card as they could. Championships became an afterthought and it was very rare for a dominant tag team to emerge. Instead, the various titles created over the years were simply used as props to elevate a stable's reputation, and when a tag team would get over to a point of no return (see: The Young Bucks), they'd be showered in hardware to almost a comical degree.

Meanwhile, the trend-setting and insanely dominant WWE drove tag team wrestling into the ground. Tag teams simply became a tool used by the company to elevate an eventual superstar, leaving the lesser partner in their dust. The infamous Barber Shop Window moment between Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty would be pointed to by many a historian as the moment that tag team wrestling changed forever. While it saw a brief resurgence at the turn of the millennium with The Hardy Boyz, The Dudley Boyz & Edge & Christian, all three teams eventually split and Jeff Hardy, Bully Ray and Edge all went on to far more successful careers.

In the decades since, not much has changed. Until now.

The Revival is more than just a name. They are quite literally the revival of tag team wrestling, and they've done it without the fanfare and grandeur that they so very much deserve.

Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson came out of nowhere. Both began their careers in the mid-2000's as singles wrestlers that were so generic and poorly received, it's a miracle they are where they are today. Dawson wrestled around the United States for several small promotions and briefly worked for the now-defunct Ring of Honor. Wilder was the same, and eventually earned a tryout with ASWUK that went nowhere. Either one could have very easily hung up their boots forever and nobody would have noticed. But thankfully, in early 2012, the pair found one another and formed a tag team.

Separately, they're the generic CAW wrestlers that job their whole career working for gas money. But together, they are The Revival, and they are the saviours of tag team wrestling.

Since teaming up all those years ago, Wilder & Dawson have dominated every single promotion they've worked for. They boast the second-best win/loss record (behind The Young Bucks). They immediately caught Shane McMahon's attention and signed with New Era Wrestling where they quickly became Tag Team Champions and are currently on their second run as champions, a reign that doesn't look like it's going to end any time soon. They've run out of competition in NEW and this current tour of Canada with TASW has posed zero threats from either side of the aisle. The Revival are in their primes and refuse to lose, and they've shown that a team can be just as important or better than a single superstar.

On top of all that, it's no secret that Triple H and the WWE want The Revival more than any other team on the planet. But the pair have turned down offer after offer from the company, knowing that it would only be a matter of time before they were split up for a cheap and easy feud. They know they're the sum of their parts, and far more important to wrestling as a unit. They've put the integrity and history of good, quality wrestling above a fat paycheck, something that not many wrestlers today can say.

If you're not a fan of this team, you're missing out on something special.

G1 Climax Night 18 Results: The Mind Games Continue as CM Punk Shocks The World (Again); Finals Set
What was promised to be a historic night in NJPW's long history turned into a nightmare courtesy of CM Punk. But amazingly, Punk orchestrated one of the most heinous and disgusting attacks in a Japanese ring without laying a hand on anyone.

CM Punk had already punched his ticket to the G1 Climax Finals by going undefeated in the A Block, the first person to do so since Shinsuke Nakamura went undefeated in 2009 but lost in the finals. On Night 17's main event, CM Punk and Kazuchika Okada squared off in an incredible main event. Since Okada went to a time limit draw with Hiroshi Tanahashi early in the tournament, he had to win clean over CM Punk in order to take the block. Punk had made it this far on his raw talent, but mind games played a big part in his success as well, and many speculated he would avoid Okada for the full 30 minutes and win on a technicality. But Punk took it to The Rainmaker and it was a fight for the ages, much to everyone's surprise.

In Block B, the whole story was The Golden Lovers, each of whom had won every match until facing one another in the last night before the Finals. It was winner takes all, exactly how everyone wanted it. Ibushi vs. Omega, winner goes on to finally get their hands on CM Punk. Ibushi and Omega had already promised that no matter what happened, the loser would be in the winner's corner on the final night, and whoever got in that ring would tear CM Punk apart piece by piece.

The match was as good as anyone could have hoped for, until the final minute when all was for not. With the clock winding down and both men not giving an inch, Bullet Club stormed the ring and made a bee line for Kota Ibushi, beating the absolute hell out of him. Kenny Omega could only watch, having taken a series of knee strikes and completely exhausted from the battle. Red Shoes tried to beg and plead, not wanting the epic match to end like this, but the beat down was so intense he had no choice but to call for the bell and award the match to Kota Ibushi via DQ.

Incensed, Omega dragged himself to his feet to try and save his Golden Lover, but as soon as the bell rung Bullet Club knew their work was done and Bad Luck Fale and Tama Tonga immediately turned their attention to Omega and knocked him back to the mat. Tonga dropped Omega with an Axe Kick and Fale sat on his back, pulling him up in a Camel Clutch and forcing him to watch as Kota Ibushi was dismantled by the rest of the ruthless Club.

And just when it looked like things couldn't get any worse, CM Punk sauntered onto the stage, wearing a smirk on his face and a black hoodie. Punk watched the beat down with great pleasure, knowing that there wasn't a damn thing anyone could do about it. After a moment he slowly removed his hood, then began to unzip his hoodie. Punk then removed the sweater, letting it drop to the stage around his feet, revealing what he was wearing underneath before turning around and leaving the arena:

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}

Block A Full Results

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}
CM Punk - 18
Kazuchika Okada - 15
KENTA - 12
Jay White - 12
Tomohiro Ishii - 10
Hiroshi Tanahashi - 9
Will Ospreay - 6
Hiromu Takahashi - 4
EVIL - 2
SANADA - 2

X	Jay White	Kazuchika Okada	Hiroshi Tanahashi	KENTA	Will Ospreay	Tomohiro Ishii	Hiromu Takahashi	EVIL	SANADA	CM Punk
Jay White	X	Okada (24:54)	White (19:21)	KENTA (21:19)	White (20:01)	White (18:56)	White (25:45)	White (22:56)	White (19:46)	Punk (27:25)
Kazuchika Okada	Okada (24:54)	X	DRAW (30:00)	Okada (22:25)	Okada (25:51)	Okada (28:59)	Okada (27:55)	Okada (21:24)	Okada (22:51)	Punk (28:59)
Hiroshi Tanahashi	White (19:21)	DRAW (30:00)	X	KENTA (25:56)	Tanahashi (25:42)	Ishii (22:51)	Tanahashi (19:59)	Tanahashi (21:51)	Tanahashi (17:58)	Punk (25:59)
KENTA	KENTA (21:19)	Okada (22:25)	KENTA (25:56)	X	Ospreay (28:55)	KENTA (19:24)	KENTA (18:59)	KENTA (21:20)	KENTA (25:30)	Punk (22:53)
Will Ospreay	White (20:01)	Okada (25:51)	Tanahashi (25:42)	Ospreay (28:55)	X	Ishii (18:24)	Takahashi (20:01)	Ospreay (22:52)	Ospreay (18:18)	Punk (19:20)
Tomohiro Ishii	White (18:56)	Okada (28:59)	Ishii (22:51)	KENTA (19:24)	Ishii (18:24)	X	Ishii (27:50)	Ishii (18:51)	Ishii (15:20)	Punk (25:56)
Hiromu Takahashi	White (25:45)	Okada (27:55)	Tanahashi (19:59)	KENTA (18:59)	Takahashi (20:01)	Ishii (27:50)	X	Takahashi (19:50)	SANADA (22:21)	Punk (19:50)
EVIL	White (22:56)	Okada (21:24)	Tanahashi (21:51)	KENTA (21:20)	Ospreay (22:52)	Ishii (18:51)	Takahashi (19:50)	X	EVIL (19:21)	Punk (17:45)
SANADA	White (19:46)	Okada (22:51)	Tanahashi (17:58)	KENTA (25:30)	Ospreay (18:18)	Ishii (15:20)	SANADA (22:21)	EVIL (19:21)	X	Punk (16:40)
CM Punk	Punk (27:25)	Punk (28:59)	Punk (25:59)	Punk (22:53)	Punk (19:20)	Punk (25:56)	Punk (19:50)	Punk (17:45)	Punk (16:40)	X

Block B Full Results

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}
Kota Ibushi - 18
Kenny Omega - 16
Shinsuke Nakamura - 12
Tetsuya Naito - 10
Shingo Takagi - 8
KUSHIDA - 8
Minoru Suzuki - 8
Juice Robinson - 6
Marty Scurll - 4
Tama Tonga - 0

X	Kota Ibushi	Shinsuke Nakamura	Tetsuya Naito	Juice Robinson	KUSHIDA	Minoru Suzuki	Marty Scurll	Shingo Takagi	Tama Tonga	Kenny Omega
Kota Ibushi	X	Ibushi (27:26)	Ibushi (21:32)	Ibushi (17:31)	Ibushi (16:49)	Ibushi (19:45)	Ibushi (22:41)	Ibushi (23:10)	Ibushi (16:37)	Ibushi (29:31)
Shinsuke Nakamura	Ibushi (27:26)	X	Nakamura (28:48)	Nakamura (25:46)	Nakamura (19:55)	Suzuki (24:17)	Nakamura (21:33)	Nakamura (19:40)	Nakamura (15:26)	Omega (28:58)
Tetsuya Naito	Ibushi (21:32)	Nakamura (28:48)	X	Naito (25:15)	Naito (23:11)	Suzuki (26:19)	Naito (21:17)	Naito (18:57)	Naito (16:17)	Omega (26:54)
Juice Robinson	Ibushi (17:31)	Nakamura (25:46)	Naito (25:15)	X	KUSHIDA (27:46)	Suzuki (21:32)	Robinson (17:55)	Robinson (21:30)	Robinson (18:45)	Omega (25:45)
KUSHIDA	Ibushi (16:49)	Nakamura (19:55)	Naito (23:11)	KUSHIDA (27:46)	X	KUSHIDA (22:20)	KUSHIDA (24:37)	Takagi (26:44)	KUSHIDA (17:42)	Omega (27:40)
Minoru Suzuki	Ibushi (19:45)	Suzuki (24:17)	Suzuki (26:19)	Suzuki (21:32)	KUSHIDA (22:20)	X	Scurll (5:01)	Takagi (18:57)	Suzuki (2:30)	Omega (18:25)
Marty Scurll	Ibushi (22:41)	Nakamura (21:33)	Naito (21:17)	Robinson (17:55)	KUSHIDA (24:37)	Scurll (5:01)	X	Takagi (14:12)	Scurll (16:44)	Omega (21:10)
Shingo Takagi	Ibushi (23:10)	Nakamura (19:40)	Naito (18:57)	Robinson (21:30)	Takagi (26:44)	Takagi (18:57)	Takagi (14:12)	X	Takagi (15:56)	Omega (24:14)
Tama Tonga	Ibushi (16:37)	Nakamura (15:26)	Naito (16:17)	Robinson (18:45)	KUSHIDA (17:42)	Suzuki (2:30)	Scurll (16:44)	Takagi (15:56)	X	Omega (12:11)
Kenny Omega	Ibushi (29:31)	Omega (28:58)	Omega (26:54)	Omega (25:45)	Omega (27:40)	Omega (18:25)	Omega (21:10)	Omega (24:14)	Omega (12:11)	X