Sections

Seth Rollins’ big win, Jacob Fatu’s long-awaited babyface turn and Cody Rhodes’ first pinfall victory over “the last real champion” John Cena should have been the headlines coming out of “Money In The Bank”, but they have all been completely overshadowed by the “shock” return of R-Truth. Or, more specifically, the return of Ron Killings, as he will now be known. The long-term comedy character who felt like part of the furniture in WWE to the point where the company’s decision not to renew his contract sparked a week’s worth of “we want Truth” chants that, while noticeable, never threatened to derail the show.

In truth, cutting Ron Killings was a fairly logical decision on paper (he’s old and was paid rather a lot to do very little, particularly in a post-house show world), but in reality he is beloved by the WWE universe. In tonight’s main event, WWE took the easy PR win by re-signing Truth and having him attack John Cena just as he was on the verge of cheating to win. Unfortunately, Triple H then set about fumbling away much of the goodwill earned by rehiring Killings by immediately pretending the whole affair was a work in the post-match press conference. The subsequent fallout has been so all-encompassing that “Money In The Bank” has failed to leave much of an impression one way or another, despite being home to some solid action, innovative spots and long-awaited storyline developments.

Before we proceed with the review proper, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say a word for the poor souls who paid $50 in parking to watch AAA x WWE’s “Worlds Collide” at the Kia Forum, only to get stuck in traffic for over an hour en route to pay another $50 in parking at Intuit Dome, missing the entire women’s Money in the Bank ladder match in the process. Don’t get me wrong, I am the kind of sicko who would be thrilled if London hosted two major back-to-back PPVs, but given WWE is actively encouraging fans to attend both shows, I can’t imagine the disappointment of those who paid sky-high ticket prices and two lots of parking fees only to miss one of the four major matches that were advertised in advance. I certainly pity the poor parents who had to tell their kids they’d missed seeing Rhea bloody Ripley.

Given that this event was legitimately sold out, it appeared that a good 30–40% of the crowd missed the first match and those who did arrive on time had the match ruined by streams of people trickling in and trying to find their seats. Considering WWE appears hell-bent on running a series of multi-show single-day events in the months ahead, hopefully tonight will be seen as a learning experience and these logistical errors will not be repeated in future.

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Cody’s Riotous Hot Tag Salvages Another Cena Snoozefest

Talk about a match of two halves. Tonight’s main event tag match, which pitted World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes against Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena and Logan Paul, can roughly be divided into two equal and opposite sections. The first half was, quite frankly, an abomination. Okay, that’s too harsh, because when Logan Paul was in the ring with Jey Uso they did deliver some good action, but those fleeting glimpses of joy were entirely erased by the turgid spectacle of John Cena getting the heat on poor Jey Uso.

Jey isn’t the greatest underdog seller in wrestling, but he cannot be blamed for what transpired. He did his best to earnestly sell his ribs and crawl to his partner Cody. No, the villain of the piece was John Cena, who didn’t so much get the heat as extinguish the flame as he slowly, mechanically lurched from one blocky shoulder tackle to the next cartoonishly awkward clothesline. At times I felt genuinely sympathetic towards Cena. He’d hit a flying shoulder tackle only to groan, place one hand on his knee and slowly force himself to his feet. I found myself thinking, “I know exactly what that feels like,” even feeling a phantom ache in my back out of middle-aged solidarity. Unfortunately, my patience wore thin as the ponderous beatdown continued ad nauseam, with Jey allowed nothing in the way of offence.

Plunged into the unending tedium of the heat, my mind did begin to wander and I alighted upon an interesting thought: would John Cena’s horrible heel beatdowns actually be better if he fully embraced irony? He is trying to ruin wrestling after all, so rather than hitting these slow and clumsy strikes, what if he started pulling out the worst and most ridiculous rest holds of the 90s? At this point, I think watching at home I’d laugh and the live crowd would get a kick out of seeing Cena lock in a nerve pinch or sit in a bear hug for five minutes. In fact, I’m certain the crowd would have more fun chanting “Let’s Go Cena / Cena sucks” while the ref checked Jey’s arm than they would watching their 50th shoulder tackle.

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Then, mercifully, amidst the tedium, it happened. No, Jey did not hit an exciting desperation move to turn the tide. Instead, Logan Paul and John Cena began to bicker over who should tag in. In fact, they argued for such a long time that the beaten corpse of Jey Uso managed to worm his way across the ring and tag in Cody Rhodes. All the pent-up energy in the arena was unleashed as Cody flip-flopped and flew into the ring, waylaying both the heels, hitting a perfect Disaster Kick, suicide dive and Cody Cutter – we were off to the races at long last!

Logan Paul certainly got the memo and snapped out of Cena’s somnambulant pacing, matching Cody stride for stride. In a brilliant sequence, after a series of finisher exchanges had cleared the ring, Logan was left alone with Cody and he nailed the best Paul-veriser of his career to date. Instead of getting the pin, he climbed to the top rope. Where he signalled his personal drone (which he’d commanded like a hawk during his entrance) to land in the palm of his hand so he could cut a heelish promo before diving. The audience then had the drone’s eye view as Cody leapt to the top rope to deliver a surprise superplex. Watching at home we were given the full experience of flipping through the air and crashing to the mat along with Logan, only for our view to scramble and implode as Jey Uso landed an Uso Splash out of nowhere. It was brilliant television.

From there the match was genuinely excellent. Jey saved Cody from an FU through the announce table by spearing Cena atop the table. Unfortunately, this left Jey prone for a beautiful Asai moonsault from Paul that not only landed perfectly but induced one of the most satisfying explosions of an announce table in recent memory. There are clips going round online of Paul slipping on a Buckshot Lariat, which is funny of course, but also incredibly harsh on a night where Logan really did bring his A-game and, along with Cody, saved a near disaster of the main event.

The finish was certainly satisfying. Taking advantage of the chaos, Cena nailed Cody with the title belt in a mirror of WrestleMania’s infamous finish, but then a masked figure stormed into the ring to take down Cena. The masked figure revealed himself to be none other than R-Truth, and the Intuit Dome lost their collective minds as Truth nailed Cena with a belt shot, allowing Cody to hit the Cross Rhodes for the win. The match certainly ended in triumph and the crowd were genuinely over the moon as the babyfaces celebrated, but it took a painfully long time getting to that point.

Bloodline Drama Elevates Middling Ladder Match

The 2025 Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder match was on course to be a well-wrestled but largely unremarkable affair, highlighted by a virtuoso performance from El Grande Americano (more on that later), until the seeds planted between the Bloodline and Seth Rollins’ faction on SmackDown bore fruit in a thrillingly chaotic final sequence. Seth found himself exhausted, beaten, and propped up against the announcer’s table when he finally gave up on winning this year’s MITB fair and square. As he watched Penta and LA Knight battling atop the ladder, he waved for reinforcements – and then all hell broke loose. Bron Breakker speared El Grande into oblivion, Bronson Reed began powerbombing and Tsunami-ing people willy-nilly as Bron threw LA Knight over the top rope, only to spear him to death on the floor.

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The only man left standing (well, sitting) was Solo Sikoa. Then (after an awkward pause) as Bron and Bronson prepared to attack Solo on Heyman’s orders, Jacob Fatu’s music hit. A fabulously meaty brawl ensued that culminated in two fantastic spots: Breakker spearing JC Mateo through the barricade, effectively eliminating both men, and Jacob Fatu nailing a beautiful pop-up Samoan Drop on the human bowling ball that is Bronson Reed. Suffice it to say, the place came absolutely unglued at this point. Fatu gave Reed a suicide dive for good measure and, with Solo Sikoa comically celebrating, Jacob set up the ladder for Solo to climb. Then absurdity took hold. Despite helping Solo this entire time, Jacob finally snapped, grabbing Solo’s boot and stopping his ascent up the ladder. This allowed Jacob to dramatically turn and shout “I hate you”, with the crowd gleefully finishing the inverted catchphrase by crying out “Solo”.

It’s best not to think too hard about the timing of Jacob’s turn and instead enjoy the violence as Jacob hit his triple-jump moonsault before beautifully uranage-ing Solo through a ladder bridge. This left Seth alone to climb the ladder and claim victory – well, almost. WWE plotted out one last false finish as LA Knight recovered, laid out Rollins, and threatened to snatch the briefcase for himself, but he was quickly dispatched with a curb stomp. Seth was then free to climb the Fireball Whiskey-branded ladder (yes, my eyes rolled as I typed that) and win the match.

Needless to say, they saved all the biggest drama for the final stretch. For the preceding 25 minutes, the six competitors worked through a contrived yet satisfying ladder match that was blighted by horrid commentary, which saw Michael Cole and Wade Barrett bickering about Chad Gable’s nipples (yes, really). The standout stars were El Grande Americano and Penta. El Grande provided one of the moments of the night when he (deep breath) ran up a ladder leant against the ringpost, rode another ladder from the corner to the middle of the ring, only to scramble to the top of the tallest ladder to give Penta a loaded headbutt, before LA Knight snuck up behind him and gave him a crazy spinning back suplex all the way down to the mat (exhale). Not to be outdone, Penta thrilled the crowd with a Mexican Destroyer on a ladder bridge (leaving a visible dent), a vertical suplex off one ladder and onto leaning another, and a beautiful counter of a powerbomb into a Code Red.

The others did less to stand out. Andrade started with some slick dives, but had a rough evening with slips and botched spots. LA Knight and Seth Rollins were the solid pros – bumping, holding ladders in place, and genuinely being the glue guys for Grande and Penta. Solo Sikoa, perhaps surprisingly, was another genuine star of the night – not for his work, but because this match was a coming-out party for his personality. Sikoa was genuinely hilarious with his oblivious heel mannerisms and smug imitations of the babyfaces’ taunts and poses. He took pratfall after pratfall and was tremendous in this new role of an overconfident fake tough guy.

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Becky And Lyra Steal The Show With Old School In Ring Storytelling

On a show built around an over-the-top gimmick match designed for stunt bumps, the best work on the entire show came in the Intercontinental Title match between Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria. Following on from their excellent technical wrestling match at “Backlash”, Becky and Lyra flipped the script here by delivering a completely fresh match built on intensity, violence, and hatred. Becky attempted to jump Lyra during the ring entrance but was tackled to the ground as Lyra began laying in vicious forearms that set the tone for a brilliant match. Dispensing with the feeling-out process, Lyra ran wild from the off, throwing Becky by the hair before going for her signature middle rope dropkick – but in a brilliant spot, Becky caught Lyra’s kick and slung her to the floor with a gruesome thud.

From there, they never looked back. There were some wonderfully slick exchanges, particularly Lyra’s rolling counters to the Manhandle Slam, but this match was defined by ferocious intensity. Every move had an air of desperation that told the viewing audience that neither woman would accept defeat. Becky would throw Lyra hard into the barricade with abandon, only for Lyra to hit a murderous flying guillotine leg drop in return that was truly worthy of its name. Becky is an incredible in-ring storyteller and what she lacks in athleticism, she makes up for with timing and execution. Becky’s suplexes and leg drops were harder, snappier, and more aggressive in their previous encounter. She conveyed the hatred and frustration of the feud through subtle variations in the delivery of her offence. Lyra did her best to match Becky’s venom, hitting an impossibly tight sit-out gutwrench powerbomb for a near fall in the early going.

The structure of this match was superb and was expertly designed to get Lyra over. Not only was she allowed to kick out of a second-rope Manhandle Slam (Becky’s uber finisher), that spot set up a fantastic sequence where Becky took Lyra to the outside to hit another Manhandle Slam, only for Lyra to be deadweight. Frustrated by this, Becky rolled in to avoid a count-out, but this gave Lyra just enough time to recover and hit a Nightwing as Becky rolled back out to the floor. Both women then teased a double count-out for an incredibly believable near-finish. Truth be told, there was simply too much great violence to recount in full, but some highlights include stalling superplexes, clobbering roundhouse kicks, floating cross-arm breakers and, my personal favourite, a sick Liontamer-style half-crab that looked wonderfully unpleasant.

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If there was a down note, it was the abrupt finish, as Becky countered a roll-up by grabbing the tights for the flash win. However, this undeserving, anti-climactic victory played into the superb post-match angle where, per the stipulation, Lyra was forced to raise Becky’s hand. Naturally, Becky wasn’t happy with just this and forced poor Lyra to raise her hand to all four sides of the ring. With Lyra near tears, Becky demanded Lyra strap the belt around her waist – but at this point Lyra snapped, German suplexing Lynch and destroying her with the Nightwing as the crowd roared their approval.

This was easily the match of the night and further proof that, in a generation where so many wrestlers try to be the next Bret Hart by recreating his matches move for move, Becky may well be his true heir – because she tells new and distinct stories in-ring using only wrestling moves and the psychology of real sport.

Naomi Is Justly Rewarded For Her Character Work in a Messy and Contrived MITB

The Women’s Money In The Bank match wasn’t a classic in-ring and was somewhat ruined by being wrestled to a half-empty arena, but despite some noticeable flaws it did work as a fun and frantic opener. Ultimately, the match showcased a gulf between the agents’ best-laid plans and the in-ring execution of a complex six-woman match. On paper, the match was laid out to perfection to tell clever stories based around three main themes: fresh faces vs established stars, Rhea the unstoppable force, and Naomi the undeserving winner. In the end, two of these narratives were a success, and one led to a series of mishaps and mistimed spots.

The booking of Rhea Ripley was brilliant; she was positioned as an inhuman force that swept away all in her path. She would rampage on all five of her opponents only to get cut off in a very creative manner each time. Her match-opening homicidal spree was put to an end when Roxy countered a running Razor’s Edge with a last-second rana that sent both women crashing and burning into a ladder leant against the middle rope. It was brutal. From there, Giulia and Roxy double-teamed Rhea (awkwardly, as the ladders simply wouldn’t cooperate) before burying her under six ladders on the outside to cool her off for a while. Rhea would of course rise from the dead to wreck shop once more, but this time her stampede of offence was cut off by the spot of the night as Stephanie Vaquer hit the Devil’s Kiss on a ladder bridge before booting Rhea to the floor.

The story of youth vs experience was less effective – not because the women struggled or botched spots (in terms of move execution, this match was smooth enough) – but because the match was structured around too many choreographed and synchronised sequences. The worst offender was the double Code Reds hit by Roxy and Alexa Bliss on two separate ladder bridges. It sounds cool in theory, but while Roxy and Vaquer slickly got into position, it took Alexa approximately a hundred years to set up the mirror spot. I’m sure the viral clip will look great, but it would have made a better live product if they’d just hit the moves as soon as they were ready.

The match was full of such moments where ladders had to be moved and arranged for one contrived “moment” after another. The Code Red sequence was made worse because Giulia (who bumped hard all match) had to spend two minutes alone not climbing the ladder to win, but instead arranging three separate ladders for future spots. It was a shame, as by the time Giulia and Roxy were ripping each other’s hair out atop the ladder – with the drone catching every fraught moment – the heat had been lost. Sadly, this entire long and pointless delay was in service of making space for a stereo Sister Abigail/Riptide and to ensure the ladders were where they needed to be for Naomi’s victory.

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Naomi stealing victory while doing nothing particularly memorable was actually pretty clever heel booking, and a good way to further Naomi’s excellent character work on SmackDown without accidentally turning her babyface via a flashy ladder match performance. She is the best choice to be Miss Money In The Bank, as it opens up a world of future storyline developments with Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair, and she is undoubtedly fresher than Roxy winning and ushering in yet more Judgment Day tension.

This enjoyable – if sponsor-ridden – affair was topped off by a simple, fun, and to-the-point Octagon Jr vs Dominik Mysterio IC Title match. In a five-breezy-minute clash, Octagon got to show off some of his best offence before a Liv Morgan distraction allowed Dom to go over strong with the Frog Splash.

All in all, “Money In The Bank” 2025 was a solid in-ring show with some major happenings and long awaited storyline developments. It was also less entertaining than “Worlds Collide” (which preceded it) and the excellent edition of “Monday Night Raw” that followed it.

Full Results

Money In The Bank Ladder Match:
Naomi defeats Alexa Bliss and Giulia and Rhea Ripley and Roxanne Perez and Stephanie Vaquer (25:11)

WWE Intercontinental Title:
Dominik Mysterio (c) defeats Octagon Jr. (4:55)

WWE Women’s Intercontinental Title:
Becky Lynch defeats Lyra Valkyria (c) (15:20)

Money In The Bank Ladder Match:
Seth Rollins defeats Andrade and El Grande Americano and LA Knight and Penta and Solo Sikoa (33:35)

Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso defeat John Cena & Logan Paul (24:00)

AAA x WWE Worlds Collide

07/06/2025
The Kia Forum, Inglewood, USA
Wrestletix Distributed Estimated: 10,825
Watch On: YouTube

Review by David Hayter

Listening to the discourse surrounding WWE’s impending acquisition of AAA has been decidedly frustrating for anyone who has actually watched AAA in the last decade. As the AEW/WWE culture war found its latest battleground, you’d hear the most absurd statements on a near-daily basis. The two most painfully ignorant statements that you’d hear trotted out were firstly that, “WWE would erase an authentic lucha libre product” – anyone who’s watched even a single AAA show in the last decade will know they don’t present anything resembling traditional lucha libre and instead offer a car crash style, heavily Americanised product full of run-ins, blood, light tubes and crass “TNA on steroids” style storylines. Secondly, we heard that, “WWE was elevating lucha libre from small backrooms to the mainstream” – a frankly ridiculous assertion given even the truly horrid “Triplemania XXXI” averaged 45,239 fans across three shows, while CMLL is the second or first best-attended promotion in the world depending on the year in question.

Putting the social media nonsense to one side, there were a series of questions that genuine AAA fans were asking themselves about the in-ring and on-screen product: could WWE improve AAA’s car crash booking? Would Alberto Del Rio’s reign of terror come to an end? Can we move beyond the faddish booking of nostalgia names like JBL, while still letting the broken-down but loveable Mexican legends walk and brawl? Would WWE allow AAA to stay crazy? Will there be blood? Will the in-ring product be treated more seriously? Would WWE lend AAA back much of the star power it has lost after years of talent raids from both AEW and WWE respectively? And perhaps, most importantly, would WWE get it?

“Worlds Collide”, despite some notable hiccups – opening the show with a flubbed Mexican national anthem probably wasn’t the best way to endear yourself to a new audience (and certainly not to Blue Demon Jr) – can only be classed as a roaring success as a wrestling show and a promising first step towards a revitalised AAA. There was no blood or true insanity (although Pagano did his best to inject some outlaw spirit), but there was little in the way of stupidity either. The show began with the traditional ceremony complete with Antonio Peña’s urn and we were treated to five serious, competitive and fun hybrid Americanised-lucha matches in a four-sided ring without heel referees, contested by colourful characters and dazzling athletes alike. This was a step towards the serious presentation of a CMLL and a decided movement away from the irony-laden, ADHD-riddled swerves and silliness style that has made the product nigh-on unwatchable in the last two years and has driven many fans (like myself) away from AAA and back to CMLL.

Chad Gable & Vikingo Overcome Some Early Wobbles To Steal The Show

There were some shaky moments as Chad Gable and El Hijo Del Vikingo began to feel each other out in the early going of their main event for the AAA Mega Championship. Chad kept things simple, grounding Vikingo and drawing great heat, as the pair communicated carefully and sought to find rhythm in between some noticeable early botches – including one glaring moment where Vikingo got stuck upside down between the top and middle turnbuckle and Chad was forced to back off and allow him to recover. But then, it’s not so much that the pair gently built up a sense of fluidity, instead Vikingo just said “fuck it”, hit a 630 splash to the outside landing across Chad Gable’s back, and the pair were off to the races.

It also fit the story of the match; Chad had been using classic American amateur wrestling to counter Vikingo’s lucha style submissions and escapes, but to get the upper hand Vikingo simply went to a level of athletic insanity beyond Gable’s comprehension. Vikingo bowed to the crowd, Konnan and Corey lost their minds on commentary, and the mind-blowing spots kept on coming. Chad would counter a running shooting star press from the apron by getting his knees up and would then turn Vikingo inside out with a big lariat on the floor. Chad then threw fantastic suplexes to get the heat and Vikingo would fire back with hard chops and great rebound counters.

Chad was an absolute glutton for punishment – he took a brutal flying double foot stomp while hanging between the ropes – but that was a mere appetiser for a diving Mexican Destroyer on the ring apron that would come later. The spot was gnarly beyond belief, with Chad pulling off an incredible headstand sell which teetered on the edge of recklessness – I would say I’m concerned for the health of his neck, but he went on to steal the show at Money In the Bank (as El Grande Americano) and had an excellent match with AJ Styles on Raw just days later. Vikingo is one of those rare wrestlers who combines spectacular agility with violent brutality; when he hit a twisting 450 from the middle rope (facing out of the ring and jumping back into the ring) for a near fall, it was not only dazzling, but vicious too.

Chad was determined to showcase the variety of his own offence. At one point he countered Vikingo’s attempt to spring off his back by powering Vikingo up into a Razor’s Edge, only to flip him round into a dominator. That, however, was mere child’s play compared to the avalanche sit-out powerbomb that Chad hit from the top rope, falling backwards for another stellar near fall. It got to the point where Chad hitting a moonsault to the outside through a table felt par for the course. By that point, the crowd were white-hot and unfortunately it appeared that tragedy struck during the finishing sequence. Vikingo landed on his feet, countering a German suplex, and came up visibly hobbling and holding his recently injured knee; nevertheless, he toughed it out to hit a diving, twisting poisonrana and the 630 to retain his title and finish the bout in spectacular fashion.

This match was an absolute triumph and a welcome reminder of a time when Vikingo was the hottest wrestler on the planet, tearing it up in three-ways with Black Taurus, Rey Horus and Puma King on the undercard of AAA shows as the fans showered the ring with cash to show their appreciation. Unfortunately, the flare-up of Vikingo’s knee injury late in the match was a reminder of his current-day reality: a miraculous wrestler trying to stay healthy enough to achieve the superstardom he so richly deserves.

What’cha Gonna Do When IGUANA-MANIA Runs Wild On You?

It was genuinely refreshing to see fans all around the world fall in love with Mr. Iguana, because he is the sort of act that makes you question your own grip on reality. Before AAA’s recent nosedive in quality, I would watch their undercards at first sceptically, but soon found myself becoming wholeheartedly engrossed in the trials and tribulations of Mr. Iguana, Niño Hamburguesa and Big Mami. I felt like I was in a little cult alongside the comedically inept English-language commentators Adrian and Bernardo as we lived and died with Mr. Iguana. But deep down I assumed that there’s no way Mr. Iguana would actually work in America. He’s too ridiculous and I was just way too far down the rabbit hole to even think it strange that a man would hit a flying headscissors with a stuffed iguana named Yesca in his mouth.

Well…lo and behold, Mr. Iguana is not only a hit, he’s a runaway sensation who stole the show at “Worlds Collide” and was rapturously cheered when he and Yesca appeared later at Money In The Bank. Here he featured in a great fast-paced, all-action trios opener that paired Mr. Iguana, Aero Star and Octagón Jr. against Dragon Lee, Cruz Del Toro and Lince Dorado (who was filling in for the injured Joaquin Wilde). The match was clearly designed to show off Octagón Jr. on one side and Dragon Lee on the other. Octagón certainly did shine with a series of corkscrew dives and a great flipping powerslam off the second rope to secure a clean and decisive victory, but the day belonged to Mr. Iguana. When Iguana tagged in he ran through his usual routine (playing dead, wrestling with Yesca in his mouth, having Yesca bite his opponent’s hands allowing him to rope-walk), but the crowd hit a fever pitch when Cruz Del Toro hit a Spanish Fly on Yesca, drawing huge heat. The key to Mr. Iguana’s success, of course, is that he’s actually a pretty decent flier, so when the time came for him to get revenge he hit a beautiful satellite headscissors to a raucous ovation. Say what you want about WWE’s changes to the product – this was an excellent opener and a great introduction to what makes AAA, well, AAA.

Ethan Page Retains In A Frenetic Four Way For The NXT North American Title

If the majority of the card offered a promising new and distinct direction for the AAA product, there was one match that felt like a total outlier. The NXT North American Title fatal four-way between Ethan Page, Je’Von Evans, Laredo Kid and Rey Fenix was your standard show-stealing banger from an NXT PLE. That’s no bad thing, but it certainly stood out as the most overtly American match on the card, despite featuring one former AAA legend (Fenix) and one current star (Laredo). Anyone familiar with NXT will have no trouble visualising this all-action match where every participant truly shone. Fenix was brilliant with his crisp striking and supreme balance; Laredo was a great all-rounder, bumping brilliantly for his opponents and nailing all of his dives; Je’Von was simply sensational, living up to his bouncy moniker and showcasing perfect timing on his dramatic saves; and Ethan Page was a revelation, not only providing a great heel base, but willingly expanding his repertoire with some springboards and flying cutters. The match concluded after a series of slick near-falls, when Ethan capitalised on a huge Oscutter by Je’Von Evans, by quickly throwing him out of the ring and into Fenix, allowing Ethan the time and space to hit a Twisted Grin on Laredo to retain his title.

Chaotic Fun Prevails In Hit And Miss Midcard Encounters

If AAA had a spirit animal, it would be Pagano. He’s wild, he’s crazy, and he has little or no regard for his own personal safety, but you can always count on two certainties: something will go wrong, and he will barrel on through. Of course, this being WWE’s interpretation of AAA meant that Pagano and his partner Psycho Clown had no opportunity to bleed or dive headfirst through any nearby objects, but that didn’t stop them from treating the WWE Universe to the full Pagano experience. The trios clash between El Hijo Del Dr. Wagner Jr, Pagano and Psycho Clown vs Legado Del Fantasma was defined entirely by Pagano fucking up almost every traditional spot he tried, with the noticeable exception of those dives where he gloriously crashed and burned like a suicidal rodeo clown. When Pagano wasn’t gloriously derailing the affair, Wagner, Psycho and the Legado crew set about having a crisply wrestled back-and-forth battle that showcased a nice blend of hard-hitting strikes and slams with some occasional flying. Robbed of his ability to wildly and bloodily brawl around ringside, Psycho Clown didn’t truly get to showcase the kind of diabolical carnage that made him AAA’s top star for so many years. Instead, his performance at “Worlds Collide” was similar to his NOAH run, where he reminded the world that behind the chaos is a rock-solid worker who can still go with the best of them.

Many first-time viewers complained that this match went too long, which is a fair criticism for newcomers, but the match length was befitting of the star power on the AAA side. The bigger issue of the match came at the finish, with Santos Escobar going over Wagner clean with the Phantom Driver. If Santos goes on to challenge Vikingo at “Triplemania Regia” then this result makes perfect sense, but if he doesn’t, then one of the building blocks of AAA’s future was sacrificed to put over one of WWE’s perennial midcarders. In any case, this was another action-packed affair that captured the chaotic nature of AAA better than any other match on the card.

The least impressive match on the card was the tag team clash that pitted Stephanie Vaquer & Lola Vice against Chik Tormenta & Dalys. Truth be told, in being a passable crowd-pleaser, this match far exceeded expectations. Chik Tormenta is decent at best, and Dalys is both past her prime and was pretty rotten to begin with. Thankfully, this match was smartly agented in that Dalys was limited to hitting hard (which she does well) and practically nothing else. Instead, the match was a showcase for Vaquer, building to a viral spot where she and Lola hit stereo Devil’s Kisses with the crowd losing their minds in the background. If you paid attention to the positioning, selling, or generally anything Chik and Dalys were doing when not on offence, it was pretty ropey, but this match was kept simple and to the point with Vaquer winning with the SVB.

A Welcome First Step Towards A Better And More Balanced Product

If this is the vision for AAA, then it is certainly a strong step in the right direction. The serious presentation, fast-paced action and a focus on the wrestling itself over nonsense run-ins, tiresome attempts to get heat, and heel referee antics, is a massive improvement. Konnan, and particularly Corey Graves, did a tremendous job on commentary explaining the characters, styles and moves, and the overall presentation was excellent, with great (albeit inaccurate) video packages on AAA’s history and fun interviews conducted by Chuey Martinez and Vero Rodriguez. However, while these efforts to move AAA away from crash TV and towards traditional lucha libre are welcome, I, for one, hope that they keep AAA weird. I want to see blood, I want to see 60-year-old legends brawling, I want exoticos, I want carnage, and I want plenty of crazy going forward.

Full Results

Aero Star, Mr. Iguana & Octagon Jr. defeat Lince Dorado & LWO (Cruz Del Toro & Dragon Lee) (14:05)

Lola Vice & Stephanie Vaquer defeat Chik Tormenta & Dalys (9:37)

Legado del Fantasma (Angel, Berto & Santos Escobar) defeat El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., Pagano & Psycho Clown (14:57)

WWE NXT North American Title Fatal Four Way:
Ethan Page (c) defeats Je’Von Evans and Laredo Kid and Rey Fenix (14:53)

AAA Mega Title:
El Hijo del Vikingo (c) defeats Chad Gable (22:00)

dchiraw1672_12_ntwk_rev_1--309cbcaaecc42a57427d7a25795444f7

WWE TV News

Gunther defeated Jey Uso for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of the June 9th edition of “WWE Raw”. Uso held WWE’s 2nd title for just 51 days and had not registered a defense on a PLE during his reign. The writing was on the wall from a kayfabe perspective, with the character over extending himself and seemingly heading to burnout; whilst on the presentation side, WWE have made it pretty clear that they see him as a secondary player in the grand scheme, and having the belt did not change that.

Bayley returned to TV on June 9th to finally confront Becky Lynch following her pre-Wrestlemania attack that led to her replacing Bayley in the tag match on Night 2. A showdown between Lynch and Bayley for the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Title at either “Evolution” or “Summerslam” feels highly likely.

Also returning to WWE television was Nikki Bella, on the same broadcast. Bella had a verbal duel with Liv Morgan that looked to be setting up a singles (or more likely) a tag match for the “Evolution” PLE in Atlanta on July 13th.

Stephanie Vaquer is now officially part of the main roster, joining “Raw” on June 2nd. She worked the NXT vs AAA show on June 7th before being part of the main roster PLE on the same night. Vaquer dropped The NXT Women’s Championship to Jacy Jayne on NXT the previous week.

John Cena CM Punk Night of Champions 2025 Match Graphic

One match confirmed for “Night of Champions” is a WWE Title match up between John Cena and CM Punk. Punk travelling to Saudi Arabia for the match was perhaps a surprise to some but is something that has felt almost inevitable since his return to WWE. It is perhaps less damaging to the Chicago native than it would have been in previous years, as the Saudi sportswashing campaign has been largely effective and his hypocritical behaviour is much more widely recognised than it was in the previous decade, but it is a lesson in trading in a brand of morality only to have that brand exposed.

The match felt like it came somewhat out of nowhere, with Cody Rhodes pinning Cena this past Saturday and Seth Rollins capturing the “Money in the Bank” briefcase, on the top of the PLE-ending Ron Killings angle. The promo building to the match tried to tell a meta story (without anyone acknowledging it) of Punk only going “for the people”, but no one will believe this reflects real life reasoning.

WWE have also announced the men’s and women’s brackets for this year’s “King of the Ring” and “Queen of the Ring” Tournaments that will entitle the winners to a World Title match at Summerslam in New Jersey. Each field is made up of 16 competitors, who are competing in 4 way matchups in the 1st round, with the winners qualifying for the semi finals. The finals will be held at “Night of Champions” in Saudi Arabia on June 28th.

One name making her return to the ring, be it with rather little fanfare, is Asuka. The former Women’s Champion has been out for over a year with a knee injury and will return on “Raw” next week.

“Smackdown” on June 27th will also air live from Saudi Arabia on Netflix before airing on USA in the US, following a 7 hour tape delay.

Zoey Stark has revealed the extent of the injury she suffered on “Raw” on May 19th. In a video posted to Instagram, the wrestler can be seen outside of Rothman’s Surgery Center in Orlando, Florida. Stark states that she needs surgery on both her ACL and MCL as well as on torn meniscus. This is as severe a knee injury as there can be, with an expectation of at least a year on the shelf. We wish Zoey Stark all the best in her recovery.

Mariah May debuted on the June 3rd edition of “NXT” and has since been renamed to Blake Monroe in her new promotion. Monroe has wrestled under her own name of Mariah May for her entire career up until this point, but now she follows the path of Ricky Starks in having a name change upon arrival from AEW.

Monroe had exited AEW a few days prior, after her contract had expired, and was brought straight to TV for WWE’s development strategy at the 1st available opportunity. The timing of the debut and the placement in NXT is interesting as it occurred on a heavy newsweek for WWE that meant it was relegated behind a number of other stories, on top of a PLE and a joint show between NXT and AAA, which she was not involved with. It could have had greater impact on a quieter week or perhaps in a moment which could maximise publicity or their AEW counterprogramming, such as the “Great American Bash” on July 12th or “Evolution” a night later.

Starting in NXT helps TKO to illustrate value in their development system but also fills the gap, from a TV perspective, that has been left by the likes of Stephanie Vaquer heading up to the main roster. Her debut segment involved Lainey Reid, Lola Vice, Jaida Parker, Kelani Jordan and Lash Legend, all talent that could benefit from working closely with Monroe at this point in their careers but also allows WWE to present NXT as being at a similar level to AEW in their constant will to drive the perception.

Monroe has also been signed by the Paradigm Talent Agency, which is now home to multiple WWE talent and helps them pursue roles in film and television alongside brand deals while they are with the company to go with her new multi year WWE deal.

Joaquin Wilde was removed from the L.W.O. 6 man during “Worlds Collide” after being knocked out cold during the “Main Event” taping on June 2nd during a match with Lexis King. Wilde took to X later in the night to reassure everyone he was OK but was not cleared for the event in Los Angeles and was replaced by Lince Dorado.

Jackson Drake is the inaugural WWE EVOLVE Champion after winning a 4 way elimination match on the June 4th episode. Drake defeated Sean Legacy to make the final elimination, after Keanu Carver and Edris Enofe had already exited the match.

WWE News

Janel Grant is pushing for immediate access to evidence from Dr. Carlon Colker and Peak Wellness, as well as a deposition of Colker in new filings to the Connecticut Superior Court this past week, as her team looks to clarify how discovery will take place after Colker’s motion to dismiss her petition was turned down in May.

Colker claims that he has provided Grant with the medical records regarding her treatment at the clinic in Greenwich, Connecticut, which Grant’s team disputes. He also denies the allegation that she was treated with an undisclosed substance during her visits for treatment at the clinic. A ruling in regards to discovery will now need to be made in order to decide how things will proceed in what is a pre-lawsuit case.

Dr. Colker and Peak Wellness made a counter filing on Wednesday, where they made the claims about providing medical records in full, as listed above, and rejected claims that Grant’s medical records had been falsified at any point and also that there was any coordination with Vince McMahon in regards to medical treatments, which is a statement that feels that it may not hold up well in the longer term. Colker also served Grant’s attorney, Ann Callis, with a defamation lawsuit on June 9th.

The identity of Vince McMahon’s new Company was reported by Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics this past week, with “14th & I” listed as private investment firm in the fields of sports, media and entertainment. Wrestlenomics accessed the public filings for the company made in Delaware (but with a Stamford, Connecticut address) back in September 2024. Brad Blum, who worked for WWE as an executive during McMahon’s tenure, is listed as the company’s President.

The company describes itself as follows:

“14th & I is a private investment firm focused on the sports, media, & entertainment sectors,” (this is how Blum’s profile describes the company.) “We are a disciplined, flexible, long-term capital and strategic partner, primarily targeting buyouts/majority deals, as well as selective growth-oriented minority investments. We seek to partner with and empower exceptional management teams, providing deep expertise, capability, and relationships to help drive significant long-term value.”

Brandon Thurston also noted that the name comes from a street location in Washington D.C. that was the location of the headquarters of Capitol Wrestling Corporation, the predecessor to the WWF run by Vince McMahon’s father during the 1950’s and 1960’s.

R-Truth was informed that his contract would not be renewed on June 1st, taking to X to make the news public:

“I’m sorry to inform you all. I just got released from WWE. I want to thank WWE for the ride, but MOSTLY I want to thank each and EVERYONE OF YOU who was along for the ride, Thank you for all the love, support, and appreciation you have given me over the years. Thank you.”

Whilst the decision was a non-contract renewal rather than a release, the semantics over Truth leaving the company did little to change the sentiments towards WWE in the aftermath, with a large-scale outcry from both talent and fans that led to “We want Truth!” chants across WWE television over the next week and on the “Money In The Bank” PLE.

53 year old Ron Killings had a brief run with WWE around the turn of the century before joining TNA, he rejoined WWE in 2008, making him one of the longest tenured wrestlers currently signed to the company. The move came as even more of a shock after R-Truth had wrestled WWE Champion John Cena just over a week before on the “Saturday Night’s Main Event” show on NBC and Peacock.

Truth had begun negotiating with multiple outside promotions and vendors during the early part of the week after the announcement was made, according to PWInsider, before WWE began making attempts to bring him back, one of which ended up being successfully administered by Nick Khan. The decision to not renew Truth would have been a Paul Levesque call.

It is not the first time that WWE have responded to a particular public outcry and brought back a talent, with Matt Hardy and the Blue Meanie the most notable examples from previous decades, but it also raises interesting questions going forward, in that the era of WWE fans not rebelling against company decisions that WWE have benefitted from since 2022 appears to be over, with concern over returning to the WWE crowds of the 2010’s perhaps driving the decision to bring him back. The difficulty with it is that further non renewals and cuts will be made on a regular basis under the TKO umbrella and now will be a focus point of the fanbase, where they know they can potentially have an impact on the decisions being made.

The other side of the argument is to say this is a positive for WWE in showing WWE fans (and in this case, talent) that they are listening to feedback, but this will either carry good will or end up short lived depending on what happens in the months ahead.

Truth returned for his final run under the Ron Killings name, which he will be able to use outside of WWE in the future, attacking John Cena in the main event of the June 7th “Money in the Bank” show. The angle ended up the top story, coming out of a PLE that contained a briefcase win for the leader of their top male heel stable in Seth Rollins, an IC Title win for Becky Lynch and Cody Rhodes pinning Cena for the first time. It was a short term PR win after a week of damage that does little for the medium and long term, and Triple H’s denial that it was anything other than a work at the press scrum following the PLE does him no favours in regards of trust, either.

Whilst Killings may be back with the company, the other departures announced in the same week will hold; Carlito, who has been on television on a regular basis as part of the Judgement Day group, was informed that his contract would not be renewed and is now a free agent. The 46 year old had returned to WWE in 2023 and was on a 2 year deal.

Sarah Rowe is also not being renewed. Rowe, who has wrestled in recent years under the name Valhalla, broke the news of her exit on social media, has been with WWE since 2022 in this stint, having spent 2016-2020 with the company previously before being released during the pandemic.

This non-renewal does bring up other questions, as Rowe has spent much of the past year on maternity leave and was not brought back to television after her leave had expired. The same situation occurred in regards to Carmella and is a bad precedent to have when wrestlers are not able to at least return to their working environment after maternity leave before these decisions are made, giving the impression that there is a punishment for opting to have a family that is not felt on the male side of the roster.

One of the next contracts where a decision will need to be made is on Karrion Kross, who is now in the final months of his current deal and is yet to be approached about an extension. Kross has cut a series of shoot promos as of late and been the benefactor of an unusual social media campaign aided by a number of media outlets.

WWE have now formally announced “Wrestlemania 42” in 2026 as returning to Las Vegas, Nevada. The move had been expected since the day the tentpole weekend had been taken away from New Orleans last month and was able to be confirmed after several venues cleared up scheduling conflicts. The shows will move back 1 week in the calendar, being held on April 18th and 19th in Allegiant Stadium. The home of the Las Vegas Raiders is the same venue that housed this year’s “Wrestlemania” shows. There are no details at current in regards to the financial package which has created the move.

Nick Khan is offloading 28,557 TKO shares with a market value of $4,506,580 as part of a scheduled sale of part of his stockholding, per an SEC filing last week. Khan has made annual stock transactions since the TKO merger was completed.

Recent filings also indicate that TKO parent company Endeavour have purchased $250 million worth of TKO shares from Vince McMahon, taking his stockholding down to 3% of the company at this point.

WWE and Slim Jim announced a multiple year extension to their current sponsorship agreement last week that will also add the food company’s branding to the centre of the mat during episodes of “Raw” as well as on folding tables during all other TV programming, as well on PLE’s. The deal is an extension of one previously signed in 2023, and it marks a recommitment of Slim Jim to the WWE brand, having wavered in January 2024 when the Janel Grant lawsuit was published in full.

An arrest was made outside the NXT Performance Center in Orlando on June 3rd of a person alleged to be stalking WWE main roster talent Liv Morgan. Sean Ross Sapp, of Fightful, stated that WWE had involved the FBI in the matter, such was the seriousness of the situation.

The targeting of WWE’s female talent by stalkers is something the promotion takes incredibly seriously, especially in the wake of Sonya Deville having her home broken into by her own stalker, previous to the incidents with Morgan.

The WWE NIL program has added the sons of Titus O’Neil, Mark Henry, and Scott Steiner as part of their latest set of recruits to the program. Brock Rechsteiner, Jacob Henry, and TJ Bullard, who all currently play college football, are joined by hockey player Madison Kaiser, lacrosse player Garrett Beck and basketball players Fatima Katembo and Gina Adams. Athletics pick ups are Kerrigan Huynh, Zuriel Jimenez and Meghan Walker, with football player Hidetora Hanada and field hockey player Bianca Pazano rounding out the signings.

Apollo Crews, who is away from TV currently due to injury, announced on social media that he has been able to complete his degree that he had given up in order to pursue wrestling full time, graduating with honours. He wrote:

“It took 37 years, but we got it done! It’s never too late to do anything! Today, it is official! College graduate with honors!—-‍–I originally attended Auburn University, but left before finishing to chase my dream of becoming a Wrestler. I’m glad I decided to go back and finish what I started all those years ago.”

AEW

All Elite Wrestling

TV News

The triple main event line up for AEW “All In” on July 12th is now complete, with the announcement of Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada in a match that will unify the International and Continental Championships into the AEW Unified Championship. The match has been set since last winter, having been decided upon before Omega’s return at “World’s End” in December 2024, with the secondary ambition being creating a 1b Championship to the AEW World Championship. It is an interesting move after the weakening of AEW’s main title at times in recent years, but it also reflects the log jam that is present at the top end of the company. The addition could be well timed depending on where “Collision” lands on a permanent basis after this summer. The new belt features plates commemorating Okada and Omega but not notable International/Continental Champions Eddie Kingston or Orange Cassidy.

Okada has held the Continental Title since March 2024, where he defeated Eddie Kingston for the belt on “Dynamite” whilst Omega obtained the International Title from Konosuke Takeshita at this year’s “Revolution” PPV back in March. The announcement last week was followed by a very strong angle this week as well as a lengthy (and quite excellent) video package detailing their history. The program has almost retconned the angle with Omega and the Elite from last May in favour of aligning Okada with the Don Callis Family, which also has the benefit of allowing Don Callis to lead the promo exchanges.

The announcement saw a ticket sales week of 794 (with 1406 added to the count during the time period after resale tickets becoming available on the map allowed Wrestletix to add sections to the count they were previously unsure of) as the rate of sales has increased markedly since “Double or Nothing”. The US attendance record for AEW, set with “Grand Slam” in New York in 2021, of 20,177 should be broken by this show, which still has plenty of local media to come, as well as match announcements and important stipulations to be added. More upper tiers were added to the inventory on June 13th.

AEW “Grand Slam Mexico” this upcoming Wednesday 18th has most of its card announced, with MJF vs Mistico the headline singles match for the TV taping. I could see this one leading to a rematch of some description either in Mexico or at “All In”, the latter may be a particularly tantalising option with the stadium show being in Texas and how Mistico has helped with ticket sales there in the past. A 10 man tag sees the Death Riders team with the Young Bucks to take on the OPPS as well as Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay, after the OPPS saved Number 1 Contender Adam Page and the Bucks took out Ospreay whilst “aiming” for Strickland last week. A Page run in at the end also appears likely.

The tag theme continues with a 12 man tag pitting Adam Cole, Atlantis Jr., Bandido, Brody King, Daniel Garcia and Templario against FTR, Hechicero, Josh Alexander, Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher as the build for Fletcher-Cole continues whilst there will also be a four way between Ricochet, Lio Rush, Mascara Dorada and Hologram will be for a prize of 4 million pesos.

The advertisements for the show since before the ticket onsale had focused on Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega in particular. Will Ospreay, having been part of a minor injury angle last Wednesday night, will be in the 10 man, whilst it is difficult to see a path to Omega wrestling or even appearing that doesn’t undermine the heavy heat/blood angle that was carried out on “Summer Blockbuster” last week.

The show has a narrow needle to thread, in regard to building up the next major show “All In” compared to delivering a lineup which is on a similar level to those seen previously under the “Grand Slam” branding that will match fan expectation. The show is not far off from a sell out and will be their biggest TV crowd of the year so far. It will run for 2 and a half hours, as the TV experiments continue, and will be supported by RoH “Global Wars” matches in a similar setup to what was seen in Australia earlier in the year.

Tay Melo returned to TV in Denver on June 4th, saving former tag partner Anna Jay from a beating by Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford by way of a kendo stick. Melo gave birth to daughter Luna in November 2023 and has spoken about her wish to return to AEW on multiple occasions this year after wrestling in Japan back in January. She returned to the ring a week later in a tag match.

Thekla, previously of Stardom, made her in-ring debut on June 4th, defeating Lady Frost in a quick outing on the “Collison” half of Fyter Fest. Jamie Hayter, who Thekla attacked on her first appearance, has not been seen since that angle.

A vignette for Dalton Castle was screened on June 5th on Ring of Honor television. Castle has had a difficult recovery from a torn bicep that he suffered in an AEW “Collision” match with Roderick Strong back in July 2024 but is nearing a return to the ring. The video had Castle returning to earth in a UFO in order to collect his Boys.

Komander was pulled from the trios match against the Hurt Syndicate on June 11th due to an injury suffered in Mexico after slipping off of a rope the weekend previous. The nature of the injury remains undisclosed but it is serious enough that Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer believes it will be difficult for him to appear on this week’s upcoming “Grand Slam” show in Mexico City or for CMLL on Friday night.

The 4 hours over the last fortnight represent further experimentation between WBD and AEW in finding a home for “Collision” now that the NBA is no longer a consideration for either party. The 4 hour format felt like a little too much from a live perspective but both shows performed stronger than recent episodes of “Collision” which have been broadcast on Thursday evenings and those on Saturday night, ranking higher weekly and performing much stronger than the content WBD normally has in these slots such as “Modern Family”.

AEW have attempted to maximise the “Collision” numbers by having big angles in their crossover section and placing one of the other top programs in Quarter 10 or Quarter 11 each week, in order to sustain the highest level viewership for as long as possible. This appears to be a learning from the Dynamite/Rampage 3 hour blocks of last year, where they had a strong crossover segment performance followed by drops of up to 37% in the next quarter hour.

A move away from Saturday night for AEW’s B show makes greater sense with its numbers no longer being able to receive the benefit from NBA lead-ins to balance out the impact of sports competition and WWE flooding the day with PLEs and NBC TV events. It will also make the promotion’s logistics much easier, but most fans’ preference would be to avoid 4 hour blocks on a weekly basis.

News

The lawsuit filed in August 2024 by Brandon Tate, Brent Tate and Kevin Foote (also known as Kevin Kelly) against Tony Khan, AEW and Ian Riccaboni will now go dormant and be the subject of arbitration rulings, after a ruling in a Florida Federal Court this past Wednesday. Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger did not grant AEW’s motion to have the lawsuit dismissed but did grant their main request for the dispute to be moved to arbitration.

The judge ruled that the plaintiffs had not been able to sufficiently challenge the arbitration clauses that are part of talent contracts in the company. This follows a similar ruling in regards to the dispute between Ryan Nemeth and AEW, which was sent to arbitration back in April, with Nemeth’s team pulling the lawsuit in the same week. It is the 2nd victory for AEW in this case, after contract clauses had been used successfully to move the suit from Philadelphia County to Federal Court in Florida.

The suit filed last summer by Foote and the Tates alleged breach of contract by AEW, defamation by Tony Khan (in regards to the Tate twins) and by Ian Riccaboni towards Foote and attempted to challenge the label of wrestling talent as independent contractors.

Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that they will be following the example set by Comcast in splitting the company into 2 in mid-2026. The move will separate Studios and Streaming from the Global Television Network part of the business as the splitting of HBO Max from Discovery+ and Bleacher Report, which will be divided into separate companies.

Current WBD chief David Zaslav will head the new Streaming and Studios company whilst current WBD CFO Gunther Wiedenfels will be in charge of the Global Network brand. The move still requires the approval of WBD’s board of directors. Both companies would take parts of the original company’s outstanding debt, with the Global Network side likely to be saddled with the greater percentage.

It is impossible to know at this point how the structural divisions in Comcast and WBD will impact WWE in the long run. WWE airs “Smackdown” in the US on the USA Network, whilst PLEs and other supplementary content is currently housed on Peacock, although that deal is up next year. Both the USA Network and Peacock are properties of Comcast.

Bear Bronson has announced that he is also departing AEW after his contract expired, following on from Abadon also not having their contract renewed and Mariah May opting for WWE after (and before) her AEW deal came up. Bronson had been with the company in some form for the past half decade as part of the Bear Country/Iron Savages team with Bear Boulder. Boulder, real name Thomas Wansaw, was dismissed from his deal after being arrested for battery and strangulation. Bronson has not wrestled for the company since and it is the right call to let him try his hand outside of the company if they have nothing for him, especially after he had asked publicly for a resolution.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported on Friday that Private Party are nearing the end of their current deals. The former Tag Team Champions have not been seen on AEW television since losing the belts to the Hurt Syndicate, although it was pretty clear that there wasn’t interest in pushing them heavily in the months beforehand, despite having had them win the titles back in October.

Comedy wrestler Danhausen also has his deal coming up to its expiry date within the next couple of months, provided there isn’t the addition of injury time.

Wardlow and Kamille will be part of the new production of “American Gladiators”. Wardlow has not appeared on AEW television since March 2024, having been written off after suffering a labrum injury and then suffering a car accident during his time away. The former TNT Champion has been available to return for all of this year so far but has gone unused, with Fightful citing all parties waiting for the right moment to bring him back.

Kamille has been gone from AEW TV since last fall, after her alliance with Mercedes Moné was ended.

Ric Flair announced through People Magazine that he has been diagnosed with skin cancer for the second time in the past 3 years and has now begun treatment against the disease. Flair appeared for AEW most recently at their double tapings in the Now Arena on the outskirts of Chicago.

Jim Ross has been discharged from hospital and is now able to continue his recovery from home after having surgery, as part of his treatment for colon cancer. Ross is hoping to be able to travel to the “All In” event on July 12th.

Rebel, who is still under contract with AEW, shared on social media last week that she has recently had surgery in order to remove a tumour. The former manager has been dogged by health concerns since being hospitalized in May 2024. We wish her all the best.

Anthony Bowens will act as the grand marshal of the Dallas Pride Parade on June 15th as part of wider Dallas Pride celebrations this weekend. Bowens is also tying in a number of media appearances promoting AEW’s “All In” show whilst he is in the area.

Ricochet was out across the Metroplex last weekend making similar efforts, with his media run leading to the strongest day of ticket sales on those 7 days. His headline appearance was “lighting the shield” ahead of FC Dallas home fixture against Philadelphia Union.

Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Swerve Strickland, Toni Storm, The Opps, The Hurt Syndicate, as well as legendary names such as Sting and Bull Nakano, Monty Brown and Ric Flair were amongst the first talent announcements for the “Starrcast” convention being held during “All In” weekend on July 11th and 12th. As of time of writing, photo ops for the majority of these stars are also available. The AEW stars appear to be working the Friday, while non-AEW talent are slated for the Saturday, so as not to clash with “All In”.

Karaoke with AEW talent has also been announced (and are already on sale) for the 10th. The next batch of talent announced for the convention consisted of Brody King, Julia Hart, Kris Statlander (meet & greet already available), all three members of Paragon, FTR, Kiera Hogan from ROH, Big Bill & Bryan Keith (who already have meet & greets available), Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Tito Santana, as well as Renee Paquette and RJ City, among others. Starrcast have also announced that Big Boom AJ and Big Justice will be available to see for free at the convention. (Editor’s Note: Still hoping for a Hangman Page announcement.) Photo op tickets are available through Leap Epic Experiences, and tickets for meet & greets, entry bands to the convention, and tickets for the karaoke are available through Etix under “Starrcast Texas”.

Kenny Omega appeared in a new trailer for the Street Fighter 6 DLC that was first screened during Summer Games Fest. The ad for the 3rd season add-on pack featured Omega transforming into all of the characters who will be made available in the pack that is due for release in spring 2026.

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TNA

Against All Odds 2025
06/06/25
Mullett Arena, Tempe, Arizona
Watch On: TNA+/ Youtube

It would have been hard pressed for “Against All Odds” to be as truly unsatisfying as “Under Siege” was for the viewer, but this show was still very much a mixed bag, with a passable to warm middle section and a really disappointing last couple of matches. What came across most, though, is that the story of the evil outsiders and TNA talent needing to regain the Heavyweight Title from NXT is not getting the reaction they desire.

The main event, which saw Trick Williams defend the belt he captured from Joe Hendry at “NXT Battleground” for a 2nd time, made it clear Williams was much more over than the babyface talent he is facing from the promotion, as the crowd chanted “TrickNA!” and “Whoop That Trick!” rather than getting behind challenger Elijah. They appear to be the latest promotion to fall into a “soul of the promotion”-like story that is not resonating. Outside of that, the match just wasn’t very good.

The early parts were clunky, with Williams cutting off any of Elijah’s momentum with sharp kicks and struggling to get heat for his control sections, which felt like it went on for an age. The crowd was uninvested for much of it but woke up with a near fall by Elijah, after an elbow from the top rope, as well as the arrival of AJ Francis into proceedings. Francis had helped Williams retain against Mike Santana on NXT the Tuesday previous and was once again critical here, passing Trick the guitar Elijah had brought to the ring during his entrance. Trick missed with the shot and Elijah managed to regain his prop, only for the referee to take it away from him before he could attempt to swing it himself.

The referee, preoccupied with removing the guitar, allowed Francis to get the World Title belt to Williams, who connected it to Elijah’s head, leading to a narrow 2 count. Both men got to their feet but, in the next exchange, Elijah was thrown into the turnbuckle which had been exposed earlier in the match, leaving him dazed enough for Williams to hit the Trick shot and retain. They tried everything they could to get heat on the NXT wrestler here but were still met with “Whoop That Trick!” chants as the show drew to a close.

TNA_AAO2025_FrankieKazarian_vs_JoeHendry-WM-21-scaled (1)

And what is to be of former Champion Joe Hendry? The Scotsman still received the biggest pop of the night but has received surprisingly little follow up after losing the World Title. On this show he would lose to Frankie Kazarian in a disappointing affair that focused on Kazarian targeting the left leg for much of the bout after surviving Hendry’s initial onslaught.

The match went a little over 12 minutes before Kazarian caught Hendry with a rollup, using his feet on the ropes in the corner for extra leverage (which went unseen by the referee). Hendry slapped the mat in frustration after and hobbled after Kazarian to the back after the victor’s post match promo had left him further annoyed. You could feel the energy leave the audience with the finish.

Masha Slamovich almost casts a Hikaru Shida 2020-like figure in that it often feels as though TNA are struggling to find worthy opponents for their Knockouts World Champion. Her match on this night was a decent one with Lei Ying Lee, and easily one of the stronger matches on the card, putting Lee away with a package piledriver. Things may be looking up, though, as the return of former tag partner Killer Kelly after the match and the presence of recent signee Indi Hartwell on commentary should hopefully mean that not only will her level of opponent increase but also that she will have more stories to sink her teeth into going forward.

Elsewhere on the card, Santino Marella defeated NXT’s Robert Stone in order to retain his Sheriff’s badge (quite literal) as the Director of Authority in TNA, after Stone’s efforts to pay off special referee Matt Cardona earlier on in the night did not pay off, whilst Cassie Lee and Jess McKay, known as The IInspiration returned on the preshow, getting immediately involved with Knockout Tag Champions Ash and Heather By Elegance. Fightful reported that the return deals are currently under 1 year in duration, but can be extended on a mutual basis if things go well.

Full Results

TNA International Title; Steve Maclin (c) defeats Mance Warner (9:40)

Leon Slater, The Hardys (Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy) & The Home Town Man defeat The System (Brian Myers, Eddie Edwards, JDC & Moose) (12:37)

Mustafa Ali defeats Jason Hotch (13:37)

TNA Knockouts World Title: Masha Slamovich (c) defeats Lei Ying Lee (12:48)

Frankie Kazarian defeats Joe Hendry (12:43)

TNA World Tag Team Titles: The Nemeths (Nic Nemeth & Ryan Nemeth) (c) defeat The Rascalz (Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz) (12:45)

Power of TNA (Special Referee: Matt Cardona): Santino Marella defeats Robert Stone (9:49)

TNA World Title: Trick Williams (c) defeats Elijah (16:17)

TNA News

TNA have continued to put more of their core app content on Youtube, with their weekly TV “Impact!” now screening for 24 hours on the website from 6pm ET every Friday. Canada will be geoblocked from the stream, with the show airing on Sportsnet in the country.

Last week’s “Against All Odds” TNA+ special is also now on Youtube, having premiered at the same time as AEW’s “Summer Blockbuster” on Wednesday night. The airing followed a similar occurrence for “Under Siege”, which led into the last NXT PLE.

The move to put so much content on a free platform is being presented as a way to advertise TNA+, but you do have to wonder how much value it has in gaining subscriptions, compared to how many they will lose from the core content of the service being made available for free on a regular basis. This feels particularly pertinent when you consider how much growth of their subscription service was heralded under the previous leadership team before it was gutted earlier last year.

The decision to use TNA specials as NXT preludes, as well as part of WWE’s counter programming campaign, also opens the question as to whether there are other compensations which make these decisions a financial plus overall.

Julia Reilly, known as Claire Lynch in TNA during 2012, passed away a couple of months ago. Reilly’s cousin posted on Facebook that she passed away of natural causes after being discovered deceased in her home after missing a scheduled event.

The Lynch character had been involved in a storyline with AJ Styles, Dixie Carter, Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels that involved a pregnancy and blackmail. The soap opera style story led to Reilly receiving online abuse after her real name was discovered. She left the promotion soon after and worked as a voice actor and presenter.

MLW

War Chamber 2025

Aired: 07/06/25. Taped: 10/05/25
Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois, USA
Watch On: Youtube

MLW aired the 2nd half of their mid-May taping on June 7th, under the name “War Chamber”. The promotion’s signature hardcore match would be the main event of this digital offering, with the Rogue Horsemen, and their proclamations of needing to change MLW, facing off against the Bomaye Fight Club of Alex Kane and Mr. Thomas, as well as Matthew Justice and Paul London.

The Horsemen won the coin toss, beginning and holding the numbers advantage until all of the competitors were in the ring. Brett Ryan Gosselin was the 1st man into the structure, beginning the bout opposite Matthew Justice. Justice got the early upper hand but soon found himself outnumbered when CW Anderson came in next. Commentary noted that Anderson had been part of the 2003 War Chamber match, against the likes of Sabu. It is quite easy sometimes to forget how far this promotion goes back.

The match continued in much of the same vein as you would expect from war games, with much of a plunder, as well as Matthew Justice’s dive from the top of the cage, feeling like a carbon copy of last year’s effort.

In the end, it was Brett Ryan Gosselin who found himself isolated against both members of Bomaye Fight Club, who combined for a clothesline, spear and then a jackhammer on Gosselin to end the match. Whilst the babyfaces celebrated, the Rogue Horsemen showed dissension in their ranks. A split looms large.

The broadcast began with heel manager Saint Laurent cutting a promo mid ring, calling out MLW World Champion Matt Riddle. Riddle waited to come out, perhaps feeling a trap, only to be attacked by Contra Unit instead of Laurent’s usual disciples. Mads Krule Krügger holds the MLW equivalent of “Money In the Bank” and was looking at a potential opportunity against the weakened Champion before Tom Lawlor made the save. The four were immediately placed in a street fight, which was highlighted by Riddle using the tiniest fire extinguisher in existence to use in the match.

Krügger was attacked with kendo sticks from each side without it making much difference, able to stand up onto his feet despite the “onslaught” of not very convincing strikes. However, he ended up distracted alongside the referee, allowing Laurent’s charge Donovan Dijak to run in and hit Riddle with a “Feast Your Eyes”. Krügger made the pin, only finding out about the interference after the match had ended.

If there was any belief on if the 2 factions were working together, it was quickly put to bed with Mads Krule Krügger attacking Donovan Dijak in the back.

The lumbering pace of the opener was switched up in the 2nd match, as (recently returned to MLW) Myron Reed took on Ariel Dominguez in a “Lightning Match”- a 1 fall bout with a 10 minute time limit. It was a relatively straightforward win for Reed, who once more declared his ambitions in regaining MLW Middleweight gold thereafter.

Alex Hammerstone followed much the same script in challenging MLW National Openweight Champion Ultimo Guerrero at “Summer of the Beasts”, he replaced “young goat” with “the business” in what was otherwise a perfectly symmetrical promo.

The tag team of Cosymax look like another potential breakup from this show, as Okumura and Satoshi Kojima squabbled on the outside of the ring, leading to them being counted out against Blue Panther and Dark Panther. The announcers played up tension from the loss of the MLW Tag Team Championships from the entrances, so it wasn’t really a surprise when things flared up and they both left individually.

Shoko Nakajima returned to defend the MLW Featherweight Title against the person she beat for it in Delmi Exo. Shoko got a new mock up of Chicago to destroy during her entrance in what was one of the little highlights of this show. The bout was more evenly matched than their previous one but ended in much the same fashion – a senton from the top rope enough for Nakajima to retain.

Whilst the cage set up likely dictated the taped portion of the show, you would be hard pressed to find anything here which should have made the live broadcast. It was another show lacking in quality but high in plunder.

Full Results

Chicago Street Fight:
Contra Unit (Babathunder & Mads Krule Krügger) defeat The Filthy Bros (Matt Riddle & Tom Lawlor) (8:51)

Lightning Match:
Myron Reed defeats Ariel Dominguez (3:53)

MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title:
Shoko Nakajima (c) defeats Delmi Exo (11:04)

Los Divinos Laguneros (Blue Panther Jr. & Dark Panther) defeat CozyMAX (Okumura & Satoshi Kojima) by Count Out (7:14)

War Chamber Match:
Bomaye Fight Club (Alex Kane & Mr. Thomas), Matthew Justice & Paul London defeat The Rogue Horsemen (Bobby Fish, Brett Ryan Gosselin, Brock Anderson & CW Anderson) (24:35)

MLW has made further match announcements for their upcoming “Summer of the Beasts” show from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York. KUSHIDA will be in action whilst Brock Anderson will wrestle Anthony Greene. MLW World Tag Team Champions, Los Depredadores (Magnus and Rugido) will defend their belts against a set of mystery opponents. The June 26th show will be headlined by KENTA challenging Matt Riddle for the MLW Heavyweight Championship.

“Fightland” was also announced for Dallas, Texas, for September 13th.

US Independents

DEADLOCK Pro-Wrestling/Prestige Wrestling/ West Coast Pro

Unit3D
01/06/2025
The Vermont Hotel, Hollywood, USA
Watch On DPW On Demand

DEADLOCK Pro-Wrestling, West Coast Pro Wrestling and Prestige Wrestling held their first joint event of 2025 together, having previously held two such joint shows together in 2024. The show delivered what these three promotions have become renowned for: well booked matches, good matchmaking and solid action from top to bottom with no bad matches.

The show was headlined by the West Coast Pro Tag Team Champions The Cowboy Way (1 Called Manders & Thomas Shire) defending against Sinner and Saint (Judas Icarus & Travis Williams). Manders pinned Williams with a fierce lariat. This match had a lot of great action, especially from Manders who was the star of the match, but at 23 minutes the match would have benefited greatly from shaving off a few.

DPW Women’s World Champion Dani Luna returned to action following her scary bump in TNA, where she fell short being pushed from the apron through a table and appeared to clip her head on the wood. The match was made official after Nicole Matthews attacked Luna backstage at DPW “Title Fight” in Vegas. This was a standout, very good match where both wrestlers put their bodies on the line, including a top rope German suplex into a brainbuster being delivered to Luna. The crowd rightly chanted “Please don’t die!” after that sequence. It didn’t stop there, as Luna served up her own devastating German suplex to Matthews, from the apron to inside the ring. You could drop this match into a Tokyo Korakuen Hall show and it would not look out of place. Luna retained her title with the Luna Landing in 13:01.

Jake Something made his in-ring action return following a lengthy injury absence, teaming with Matt Tremont to take on DPW World Champion Adam Priest and the “King of the Dog Collar” Mad Dog Connelly. The match started with a Japanese-style brawl in the crowds, throwing each other into chairs. This wasn’t a falls count anywhere match, but that didn’t stop the participants fighting all over the arena, including Tremont and Connelly teasing throwing each other over the balcony. The starting bell rang after 10 minutes and included 5 minutes of “sanctioned” time. Tremont nailed Connelly with a Death Valley Driver for the win. Jake Something brawled a lot with the man who took the DPW World title from him, Priest.

The crowd was really hot for the Prestige Championship match between the defending Alan Angels and Jordan Oliver. DPW World’s Champion Adam Priest is known for his old-school heel work, but on this show Angels was the biggest heat magnet. In a way, this match was more about the crowd wanting Angels to lose rather than Oliver winning, which is not a bad thing, as long as the crowd is invested in the outcome. Unfortunately for the passionate Angels haters in the crowd, he managed to hold onto his title.

In other matches, Alan Angels’ “business associate”, Jordan Cruz, beat Starboy Charlie in a dominating display — destroying Charlie with several powerbombs in a row before winning with No More Sorrow. 2-time West Coast Pro Heavyweight Champion Kevin Blackwood successfully defended his title against NJPW’s Shane Haste with the double foot stomp. Cedric Alexander continued his run on the independent scene beating Trevor Lee. Once again, there were Hurt Syndicate references with the crowd chanting “We Hurt People” and “He Hurts People” at multiple points. The commentary pointed it out after the match. It would be uncomfortable if there wasn’t a plan for Alexander to join the faction at this point.

Full Results

Andrew Cass & Jiah Jewell defeat Jayson Xavier & JT Thorne (6:33)

Jordan Cruz defeats Starboy Charlie (6:24)

West Coast Pro Heavyweight Title: Kevin Blackwood (c) defeats Shane Haste (12:34)

DPW Women’s World Title: Dani Luna (c) defeats Nicole Matthews (13:01)

Adam Priest & Mad Dog Connelly defeat Jake Something & Matt Tremont (12:16)

Prestige Title: Alan Angels (c) defeats Jordan Oliver (13:56)

Cedric Alexander defeats Trevor Lee (17:18)

West Coast Pro Tag Team Titles: Cowboy Way (1 Called Manders & Thomas Shire) (c) defeat Sinner And Saint (Judas Icarus & Travis Williams) (23:55)

Indie News

The next joint show between DPW/ West Coast and Prestige will be held on 26th July. Some matches for that show have already been announced, including Mad Dog Connelly versus Vinnie Massaro after Mad Dog Connelly attacked Massaro’s student Vishnu Akali backstage, and Cedric Alexander taking on Kevin Blackwood in a 2 out of 3 falls match after calling him out on the “UNIT3D” show.

DPW’s next show will take place at Durham Armory on 15th June. Announced for that show so far is DPW National Champion LaBron Kozone defending against Trevor Lee, Cedric Alexander against BK Westbrook in a DPW National Championship Eliminator match, Mad Dog Connelly versus Matt Tremont in a Durham Street Fight, and Dani Luna and Nicole Matthews will run it back for the DPW Women’s World Championship.

WCPW announced a “mystery” show to be held on 27th June where after the show, 30 selected fans will pay what they feel the show was worth.

Prestige’s show at the Viking Pavilion in Portland on 13th July, “Combat Clash”, will be headlined by Alan Angels defending his Prestige Championship against Judas Icarus in a steel cage. Also announced for that show will be Elayna Black (f.k.a. WWE’s Cora Jade) and Bea Priestley in a tag match versus The IInspiration (Jessica McKay & Cassie Lee — f.k.a. WWE’s The IIconics), and appearances from AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm, Matt Cardona, Mustafa Ali and Cedric Alexander.

Charles Mason is the new House of Glory World Champion after cashing in his “Money in the Bank”-esque title shot in the midst of the main event matchup between Mike Santana and Tomihiro Ishii at last Saturday night’s “Puerto Rican Weekend” show. Mason attacked both with the World Title belt before and after the 3 way match was announced, before unleashing a string of brutal offense to Santana and Ishii lay dead on the outside. Santana kicked out of a piledriver, made another ‘fighting spirit’ kickout at 1, but there was no escape for him on this occasion, as a Gotch-style piledriver was enough for House of Glory to crown a new World Champion.

Mike Santana confirmed after the show that this would be his last appearance for the promotion, writing the following on X:

What a run.

Thank you @HOGwrestling for always believing in me. Thank you NYC for always believing in me. You all watched me grow up right in front of you.

Love you all.

Goodbye…

Mike Santana via X.com

Santana has been picking up more prominent positions in TNA over the past 6 months and has also appeared on WWE NXT, with Dave Meltzer reporting that he is a talent very much on WWE’s radar going forward.

Charles Mason’s 1st defense will be of an unusual nature, with him facing House of Glory Crown Jewel Champion Zilla Fatu, with both belts on the line, in the company’s Texas debut in Haltom City on July 11th.

There was another title change in addition on this card, with Daron Richardson capturing the HoG Cruiserweight belt from former trainer Amazing Red. Richardson had been under big pressure for most of the match, with girlfriend Diamond Virago pleading with Red to stop the beating. This was a ruse though, with the aim of distracting Red. Richardson hit him with a low blow and then turned it into a golden victory.

Karissa Rivera, known in NXT as Elektra Lopez, made her debut for the promotion on this show as well.

Rivera will also compete in Denver, Colorado, on July 13th in “Queen of Indies 2025”, a joint tournament between Legacy and PW Revolution. She is joined in the field by fellow recent NXT release Mara Sadè (previously known as Jakara Jackson), Hyan, CMLL’s Lluvia and PWR Women’s World Champion Harisma.

Tournament season continues in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with the 10th edition of the “Scenic City Invitational” across July 18th and 19th. The full field had now been announced, consisting of Channing Thomas, Mortar, Vinnie Massaro, Tim Bosby, Colby Corino, Gary Jay, Mad Dog Connelly, Kasey Owens, Diego Hill, Jameson Shook, Hunter Drake, Terry Yaki, Danny Briggs, Bojack, Krule and Kody Manhern. Tim Bosby vs Krule in the opening round is the first matchup to be announced.

Previous winners of the SCI over the last decade include Matt Riddle, Daniel Makabe and 1 Called Manders. Last year’s tournament was won by current DPW World Champion Adam Priest.

Drew Parker, who has begun announcing appearances back in the UK over the last month, will return to GCW on August 1st and 2nd in New Jersey for “Hit Em Up” and “Emo Fight” during “Summerslam” weekend. Masha Slamovich, Dominic Garrini, and Janai Kai have all been announced for the Bloodsport show in the same venue on August 2nd.

Shotzi returned to GCW on June 7th as a surprise at “Tournament of Survival”, coming in to face Matt Tremont and Jimmy Lloyd in a triple deathmatch. Tremont ended up the victor on the night, but Shotzi will return on June 20th in Little Rock and July 11th in Dallas. She will also be part of GCW’s Japanese tour later that month.

Wrestlecon have also announced more names for their convention that weekend, with Harley Cameron, Ron Simmons, John Layfield, Carlito, RVD, The Great Muta and Mina Shirakawa all added to the appearance list.

Myron Reed suffered a scary injury at Wrestling Revolver a fortnight back as he attempted to hit a dive on Dante Leon on the apron but missed, crashing into Killer Kelly and the floor. The match was immediately ended and the live video stream cut out as personnel tended to the unconscious Reed. The promotion confirmed the wrestler was taken to the hospital following the incident but was able to be released soon after being diagnosed with a concussion. The current Revolver Champion was able to update fans on his status on social media as he began recuperation after the injury. We wish him a swift recovery.

1FW is running Center Stage in Atlanta on July 25th for “Summerstage”. Harley Cameron, Tony Schiavone, QT Marshall and MJF have all already been announced for the event. The promotion is owned by AEW’s QT Marshall.

Women of Wrestling have announced the launch of their first trading card game alongside IGN. The 141 card collection will feature Chainsaw, The Beast, Penelope Pink, Kandi Krush, Gloria Glitter, Tormenta, Ariel Sky, Americana, Princess Aussie, Jessie Jones, and Abilene Maverick mocked up as WoW superheroes. The set is available for pre-order.

Wrestling and fashion crossover promotion Sukeban have announced their next show for July 5th as part of Anime Expo in Los Angeles.

NWA have announced a deal with the Roku Channel to become the streaming home for their content in the United States, Canada and Mexico, beginning July 29th. NWA “Power” will air on the channel on a Tuesday night at 8pm ET. Roku have previously had a content deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling.

AAA

Alianzas
31/05/25
Gimnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera, Mexico City, Mexico
Watch On: MAX/ Youtube

The Mega Title change (that had been spoiled on WWE “Raw” the Monday previous) came to pass on May 31st in Mexico City, as El Hijo de Vikingo defeated Alberto El Patrón in one of the most bizarrely laid out matches for what should be a big babyface title win after a year of heat when it comes to AAA’s main title.

Before the match could begin, Latin Lover had heel referee Tirantes removed from officiating the matchup, in the first of multiple plays to highlight that interference favouring Alberto would not be tolerated. It did not appear to be popular with the crowd, though, with the decision receiving some boos before there were a number more for Vikingo’s introduction.

Vikingo attempted to turn this around early with a quick dive to the outside only to be swatted to the floor by Alberto, who then decided to go back to his favourite pastime in the previous Vikingo matches of attacking Vikingo Sr. Vikingo was thrown into the ring post in between beatings of his father, with the heel laying in damage on both with a kendo stick on the outside. Instead of pressing his advantage, though, Alberto chose to pose on the turnbuckle and flex his pecs.

The involvement of Vikingo Sr, from here on out, made this match turn into somewhat of a handicap match, especially after he helped his son trap Alberto in the ropes and whip him with the stick they had wrested off of him. The 2 vs 1 babyface advantage only led to more boos for the challenger as the match went on and remains a layout issue that I cannot get my head around.

Another feature of the match, which got funnier on each occurrence, was the attempts at interference that were thwarted by Latin Lover or the other babyfaces that got little to no reaction from the crowd each time they happened. Mesias didn’t even make it into the ring before he was sent back, and El Patrón’s efforts to gain heat by beating up a number of people in AAA staffer shirts received… not very much at all.

Could Tag Champions NGD get something out of the crowd to lift the atmosphere? No. They charged out with chairs but were easily run off by Vikingo Sr. and Latin Lover. It wasn’t exactly threatening. Darian Roldán was last up, bringing a guitar into play. His attempt at hitting Vikingo with it goes nowhere, as he is dropkicked for the attempt, leaving the challenger with the musical weapon.

Vikingo went for a guitar shot on Alberto but missed, with it being dropped following a low blow. He paid for it by being powerbombed through a board that had been set up across the ropes, adjacent to the turnbuckle. He didn’t go for the pin though, instead returning to his crowd taunts from earlier, in a decision which would immediately cost him.

Alberto walked into a guitar shot that hit him full on after returning his attention to the ring, before Vikingo went up top for his 450 splash. The finisher connected and that was it. There was much more of a mix between cheers and boos for the new Champion after the 3 count than there was during the match, but it all just felt so unfulfilling — and every decision made in regards to the match layout only made it worse. It was truly surreal to see Vikingo lifted up by the babyface roster, crying and embracing his father, and it not really invoking much emotion at all. He will need to win over much of the audience during his reign for it to go over well domestically, although how much that means under AAA’s new arrangements is anyone’s guess.

The other Champions on the watch list in regards of a potential change — La Hiedra and Mr. Iguana and Forastero & Sansón, both retained their titles but neither were then part of the joint show with NXT in Los Angeles a week later.

Full Results

Torneo Alas De Oro: Andy Panda & Charro Negro defeat The Lucha Solos (Arkangel Divino & Ultimo Maldito) and Andromeda & Dulce Kanela

AAA World Mixed Tag Team Titles: La Hiedra & Mr. Iguana (c) defeat Epydemius Jr. & Reina Dorada and Centella & Noisy Boy

AAA World Tag Team Titles: Nueva Generación Dinamita (Forastero & Sansón) (c) defeat Pagano & Psycho Clown

Six Man Tag Team Cage Match: Los Vipers (Abismo Negro Jr., Histeria & Taurus) defeat El Fiscal, La Parka & Octagón Jr. (19:27)

El Mesias & Mecha Wolf defeat La Familia Wagner (El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. & Galeno Del Mal) (17:00)

AAA Mega Title: El Hijo del Vikingo defeats Alberto El Patrón (c) (17:41)

News

Fresh off the Mega Title Change and “When Worlds Collide” is “Triplemania Regia” in Monterrey on Sunday night. The hastily announced show looks like it will have a sell out crowd, with the extra publicity around the promotion as of late helping with this attendance at least.

If there was any doubt that this card was hastily put together, SPACE advertised a Vikingo defense, the 4 way tag match for the AAA Tag Titles (which is happening) and a Ojo team vs Latin Lover team (which is not) and not much else. Vikingo will defend his Mega title in a rematch with previous Champion Alberto El Patrón, with the match happening this time inside of a steel cage.

Upon seeing the match announcement, it is almost tempting to question if it leads to the title returning to El Patrón to finish off their original plans, but the removal of him from any footage shown by WWE last week and sudden activity around the currently defunct Nación Lucha Libre seem to highly suggest otherwise.

Patron attacked Latin Lover at the press conference, which also helped to write off the authority figure whilst he gets shoulder surgery. It is unknown whether he will be back in time to play a significant part in the Mexico City “Triplemania” event.

Much like “Rey de Reyes”, this show will air solely on SPACE, meaning only the second half of the show will be broadcast live in Mexico, with the rest making TV in the following weeks. There are currently no international broadcast options, in what is somewhat of a frustrating non-change, but the top 2 to 3 matches will appear on Youtube at the start of next week. TNA screening their “Against All Odds” special on Youtube in direct opposition to AEW “Dynamite” this past Wednesday has increased speculation that we could see a similar move this upcoming week with AAA, esoecially with AEW running live on Wednesday night out of Mexico City.

One more question for this show is just how much involvement Jeremy Borash will have in the show’s overall production and creative, having been primarily responsible for “Worlds Collide” in its entirety, according to PWInsider. Influence on the Mexican AAA shows has felt like it has been restricted so far to only the Mega Title, so it will be interesting if it moves beyond that this weekend, especially on a show which also contains a number of WWE and TNA talent.

Full Card:

AAA Mega Title Steel Cage Match: El Hijo del Vikingo (c) vs Alberto El Patrón
TNA X Division Title: Moose (c) vs Joe Hendry vs Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr vs El Mesias
AAA Tag Team Championships: Forastero and Sansón (c) vs Angel and Berto vs Pagano and Psycho Clown vs the Nemeth Bros.
La Parka, Laredo Kid and Octagón Jr. vs Los Vipers (Histeria, Abismo Negro and Taurus)
Reina De Reinas Title: Lady Flammer (c) vs Dalys vs Lady Shani
Mr. Iguana, Niño Hamburguesa and Fiscal vs Kento, Nobu San and Takuma

WWE have begun selling merchandise for several AAA wrestlers, including Mr. Iguana, Aerostar, Laredo Kid, El Hijo del Vikingo, Octagon Jr. and Chik Tormenta. It is safe to say that all of these talents (as well as anyone else who appeared on “Worlds Collide” for that matter) are signed to a WWE deal. Niño Hamburguesa has also said in interviews this week that he has signed and only missed the LA show due to visa issues.

A number of the AAA talent who were brought in for the show worked at the WWE Performance Center during the week leading up to it.

CMLL

Viernes Espectacular
30/05/25
Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Watch On: MAX/ Youtube

Review by David Hayter

Ask an American or European wrestling fan who the hottest act in CMLL is in 2025 and you’ll probably be met with a variety of names. Mistico, of course; some would say Mascara Dorada is the man of the moment; those a little more in the know might venture Neon for his viral Luminosa springboard; AEW or NJPW regulars might suggest Hechicero, Titan, Templario or Atlantis Jr, but they would be wide of the mark. The man who holds Arena Mexico in the palm of his hand in 2025 is the self-proclaimed “King of the World”, the outlaw pirate rudo, Zandokan Jr – and tonight was his crowning achievement.

American Heel Tactics Leads Zandokan Jr to Copa Jr Glory

It has already been a huge year for Zandokan Jr. He headlined “Homenaje A Dos Leyendas” in front of 15,500, taking Star Jr’s mask and cementing his status as a rudo on the rise. However, his victory over Mascara Dorada (a made man and the heir to Mistico as top tecnico) in the Copa Jr VIP tournament finals is the clearest sign yet that CMLL intends to establish this loveable rogue and pirate king as one of the company’s top acts going forward.

The match itself was excellent, but it’s not the crazy bumps or flashy dives that have grabbed the headlines. Instead, it was Zandokan’s removal of the top turnbuckle pad. For readers in North America, Europe or even Japan, the idea of a heel exposing the metal turnbuckle might sound mundane, but this is a spot that simply is not done in CMLL and is seen as a legitimately above-and-beyond heel tactic. What’s more, it’s genuinely difficult to do. The CMLL turnbuckle pads are wrapped super tight, with thick tape, and it took quite the effort for Zandokan to expose it in the first place. Once it was removed, Zandokan and Dorada were brilliant in their execution, structuring the entire match around its use with lots of clever near misses, always keeping the sense of danger alive even as they moved away from the relevant corner. The tension built brilliantly and the crowd were losing their minds when Zandokan kicked out at the very last second of the 450 splash and countered a sky-high moonsault with a pair of boots to the face, only for Dorada to regain control by sending Zandokan into the exposed buckle and getting an unbelievable near-fall with the shooting star press. The finish itself was perfect; Zandokan countered a rana by powerbombing Dorada into the exposed buckle before following up with the Tiger Driver for an ultra-decisive victory.

Prior to the turnbuckle being removed, the match was raucous with both men taking wild bumps. Dorada took a release German suplex into the corner, landing directly on his head, before later wiping himself out diving from the top rope chest-first into the barricade. Not to be out done, Zandokan took a big powerbomb on the ring apron for his troubles. The crowd were fully behind both men: Dorada was treated like a hero, particularly by the younger fans, whereas Zandokan got a 50/50 mix of genuine heat and outlaw cheers (he is very much CMLL’s cool heel). However, once Zandokan removed the top turnbuckle and began violently throwing Dorada into the barricade, loud “culero” chants erupted. Dorada deserves huge credit for this match. While Zandokan delivered the swagger, it was Dorada’s incredibly slick bumping and perfect timing that had the crowd on the edge of their seats.

In the post-match promos, Zandokan said he shook Mascara Dorada’s hand as he respected him as an opponent, before directly calling out Mistico. He mocked Mistico for being the “king of silver and gold” when there is only one true king – the King of the World, Zandokan Jr. If that match is to happen, it will likely be the biggest and most heated main event of the year.

Trios Brilliance Demoted To Semi-Main

In front of a wild crowd (even by Arena Mexico standards), the usual Mistico six-man main event was bumped down one spot on the card, but still delivered sublime action. Mistico, Neon and Atlantis Jr took the first fall over Barbaro Cavernario, Difunto and Volador Jr when, after a brilliantly slick opening exchange, Neon and Atlantis Jr scored simultaneous pins after hitting a moonsault and Deadeye on Difunto and Cavernario, respectively. The rudos took the second fall when they broke up Mistico’s slick comeback with a triple-team attack, before isolating Atlantis Jr and murdering him with a gloriously violent pop-up missile dropkick, and then pinning Neon with Difunto’s inside-out double spring dropkick. The final fall saw the tecnicos make a spectacular comeback with a series of dives, leaving the two captains alone in the ring, allowing Mistico to pick up the victory over Volador with La Mistica. This was excellent.

que-le-paso-blue-panther-luchador-cmll-inconsciente-lesion-ring-video-salud-2 (1)

At 64 Years Old, Blue Panther Is The Most Over Man On The Entire Roster

On a show defined by absolutely feral crowd reactions, the loudest response of them all was saved for Blue Panther, who was the star of a wildly entertaining legends trios match. Legends matches in Mexico can either be a delight or an absolute disaster, and when the youngest member of the tecnicos’ team of Blue Panther, Atlantis and Pantera was a spry 61, then there was reason to fear the worst. Thankfully, the younger rudo team of Stuka Jr, Felino and Virus were masterful in both getting the heat on the crowd’s childhood heroes and taking perfect bumbling pratfalls.

The match was carefully crafted, with the rudos taking the first fall and then isolating each legend for a triple-team beatdown, before allowing the sixty-somethings to make a prolonged comeback across two falls. There’s no denying the action was sloppy at times – the finish of the second fall involved a ropey Code Red from Pantera and a gingerly stacked pin by Blue Panther – but the joy from the crowd was undeniable. The third fall, however, was an absolute triumph, with the crowd losing their minds as Blue Panther hit a series of flying headscissors and even a dive from the apron, before running a victory lap with the crowd roaring their approval. The final fall was sensational. After milking the crowd with some great roll-up near-falls, Pantera and Panther hit stereo dives, while Atlantis scored the captain’s fall with the hurricanrana.

The undercard was enjoyable but less impressive, with KeMonito defeating his evil red doppelgänger KeMalito in a comedy match that the crowd loved. The rudo team of Dark Silueta, Persephone and Zuexis defeated La Catalina, La Jarochita and Lluvia, in a match that was more dynamic and less sloppy than the usually terrible women’s matches on CMLL undercards – largely due to the starring role given to Persephone, who continues to impress. The card opened with the undersized tecnico team of Shockerito & Galaxy defeating Pequeno Polvora & Rostro de Acero in a fun but unremarkable match, highlighted by Galaxy’s beautiful top rope moonsault to the outside.

Full Results

Galaxy & Shockercito defeat Pequeno Polvora & Rostro de Acero (8:03)

KeMonito defeats KeMalito (12:45)

Las Infernales (Dark Silueta & Zeuxis) & Persephone defeat La Catalina & Las Chicas Indomables (La Jarochita & Lluvia) (9:42)

Atlantis, Blue Panther & Pantera defeat Felino, Stuka Jr. & Virus [2:1] (13:47)

Atlantis Jr. & El Sky Team (Mistico & Neon) defeat Barbaro Cavernario, Difunto & Volador Jr. [2:1] (14:42)

Copa Jr. VIP 2025 Final Match:

Zandokan Jr. defeats Mascara Dorada (21:04)

News

CMLL’s latest big international talent week begins on Tuesday night with a “CMLL vs AEW/ RoH” show at Arena Mexico, before culminating with “Fantasticamania” from the same building on Friday night.

The injury to Komander last weekend, as well as the sudden alignment of Hechicero with the Don Callis Family, has led to some minor lineup changes, with the 6 man Hechicero was originally involved with on Tuesday night now becoming an 8 man, with “El Conjuro” switching sides to the other team for the bout.

Tuesday night will be headlined by an appetising matchup between Mascara Dorada and Bandido for the RoH World Title, whilst also including singles matches between Atlantis Jr. and Josh Alexander and Neon vs Hologram. Red Velvet will also challenge Persophone.

The card is rounded out by a 8 man which sees Gro and Ultimo Guerrero teaming with Averno and Euforia to take on Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Hechicero and Rocky Romero, as well as a tag match between the teams of Lio Rush and Action Andretti and Angel de Oro and Niebla Roja for the CMLL World Tag Team Titles. The show will be available live on all paid tiers of CMLL’s Youtube subscription service.

Komander was due to tag with Hologram and Bandido on Friday night against El Sky Team in the main event of this year’s “Fantastica Mania” show but was ruled out of this last week’s “Dynamite” and said to be highly unlikely to be able to take part in this week’s AEW tapings in Mexico City. No change to the lead match has been announced as of yet, but it feels more likely that one is made than Komander being able to compete in the match for the CMLL World Trios Championships.

Underneath the Trios Titles match will be another trios between United Empire members Francesco Akira, Templario and TJP facing off against former LIJ talent Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi and Titan. Yota [Tsuji] will also face Ultimo Guerrero early on in the night.

There will be women’s matches on the card, with Red Velvet vs Kira and Thunder Rosa taking on La Jarochita, with proceedings rounded out with an 8 man tag. CRU, Robbie X and Rocky Romero will team (in a strange mix of factions) against Los Depredadores (Magnus and Rugido) and El Galeón Fantasma (Zandokan Jr. and Difunto).

The show will only be available live on Youtube for the $35 subscription tier and will count the Japanese Embassy amongst its sponsors. Francesco Akira, Thunder Rosa and Red Velvet have all been involved in local press efforts building interest in the show, whilst Robbie X is wrestling across this weekend’s show in a bit of a preview of the week ahead.

Mexico News

Jushin Thunder Liger will be part of the “XV Anniversary TWS” event in Cancun on November 26th, holding a meet and greet in the afternoon.

RIOT Lucha Libre have announced that Hyan will make a 2nd appearance with the promotion right after the first. She will be wrestling Jessy Jackson in Monterrey on July 5th. Other matches announced include Erik Ortiz defending the RIOT Title against Bandido and 2 matches for the RIOT Tag Team Tournament, with Toxin and Latigo facing Aramis and Iron Kid, whilst Noisy Boy and Spider Fly square off against Bomba Villa and Willy Banderas.

Evil Uno’s Mystery Wrestling
Mystery Wrestling 16

01/06/2025
Centre Aydelu, Gatineau, QC, Canada
Watch On: Mystery Wrestling’s Patreon/Twitch
Review by Alice V. Bell

In the words of Evil Uno himself, “Mystery Wrestling at its key and its very heart is about two things. It’s about surprises and giving you great professional wrestling.” Generally only a single wrestler or tag team and a guest commentator will be announced per show. The rest…is a mystery.

The show began as four wrestlers stood in the ring cloaked in black robes, and revealed one by one. James Stone, Bear Bronson, Seabass Finn, and TJ Crawford. It was an opener that will get you in the Mystery Wrestling mood and ended when Stone hit Finn with a powerbomb for the first win of the night.

WhatCulture’s Simon Miller was the one announced wrestler for this show, and he was there to face Kevin Nashquatch in a lighthearted match that ended with Nashquatch being pinned after being unable to counter Miller’s superkick, due to tragically suffering a totally real torn quad tripping over Miller’s leg.

Following that was Gabby Forza, Kristara, and Leah Sparks vs Dreya Mitchell, Katrina Creed, and Vanessa Kraven. Both teams had choreographed entrances, Mitchell and Creed wanted everyone to appreciate Kraven’s new gear, and Forza got her teammates matching gnome hats. A delightful match that ended with Sparks getting the win for her team.

Now for the most hyped match of the night: Cecil Nyx vs London Lightning in a Loser Leaves Town match. There were two referees entering the ring. Why were there two refs for this match? Good question, we were told it was to prevent “shenanigans”. This lasted for around a minute before Cecil stole five dollars out of one referee’s pocket and planted it in the pocket of the other referee. Naturally, that resulted in a furious shouting match which escalated to the refs double clotheslining each other into convenient unconsciousness. What follows was a match that truly encapsulates Mystery Wrestling’s whole vibe. After more referee infighting, running up an exorbitant door budget, and throwbacks to Cecil and London’s previous Mystery Wrestling matches, Cecil gave London a spinebuster through a door for the pin.

London is promptly handed his duffle bag and bindle, thrown out by security, and the show goes to intermission. We then get to watch London Lightning (and a cameraman) wander the streets of Gatineau for about 20 minutes – and folks, it is amazing. After London was refused service at a Tim Horton’s for not wearing pants, the cameraman said he had to go, and London Lightning was left stranded alone on the streets of Gatineau, Quebec.

There were still three matches left. Mystery Wrestling is the greatest wrestling promotion in the world.

First after the intermission was a Pick Your Poison match between Xander Orion and Jason Exile. There was a guy holding up a giant check at ringside because there was also $5,000 on the line. Exile chugged poison, keeled over, was declared winner of the match and his friends came out from backstage to celebrate with his corpse before carrying it backstage.

Next up was Ortiz vs Brandon Cutler. Mystery Wrestling is a lighthearted comedy wrestling show for all ages that every so often will have a straightforward solid wrestling match with no shenanigans. This was one of those matches. It was great, and the crowd loved it. A Sunset Flip by Ortiz secures the win.

The main event was For All The Marbles, the Mystery Wrestling Championship. Stu Grayson vs Psycho Mike, the inaugural Mystery Wrestling Champion. Near the end of the match, a man in an Evil Uno mask slid into the ring while the ref was out cold, clocked Mike across the chin and revealed himself as James Stone. After Stone helped Grayson get the win, Grayson grabbed a mic and told the crowd that he’d had it with comedy wrestling. He was out there putting on incredible matches and yet the locker room is full of clowns who aren’t taking any of this seriously. And the one responsible for all of it…is Evil Uno himself. So now Grayson and Stone are taking over Mystery Wrestling and are going to make it NO NONSENSE. The crowd responded by chanting “we want nonsense!” as Grayson delivered a final Argentine backbreaker to Psycho Mike.

Mystery Wrestling will return on July 20th for Mystery Wrestling 17: Evil Uno’s Birthday Bash and feature Chris Danger on commentary.

Full Results

James Stone defeats Bear Bronson and Seabass Finn and TJ Crawford

Simon Miller defeats Kevin Nashquatch

Gabby Forza, Kristara & Leah Sparks defeat Dreya Mitchell, Katrina Creed & Vanessa Kraven

Cecil Nyx defeats London Lightning

Xander Orion defeats Jason Exile

Ortiz defeats Brandon Cutler

Stu Grayson defeats Psycho Mike (c)

C*4 – Capital City Championship Combat
10 To Midnight

30/05/2025
Preston Event Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Watch On: independentwrestling.tv
Review by Alice V. Bell

Capital City Championship Combat, more commonly known as C*4 Wrestling, is a promotion that doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it should.

“10 To Midnight” opened with a fast and high flying bonus pre-show match featuring Mark Wheeler getting the win over Juni Underwood and Jimmy Townsend, making his Ottawa debut after recently relocating to Canada from Australia.

The opening match of the show featured Dreya Mitchell & Vaughn Vertigo vs Alexia Nicole & Gabriel Fuerza. Nicole, Fuerza, and Vertigo all have over a decade of experience, which left Mitchell as the lone rookie, having made her debut in late 2023. Working through Ontario and Quebec indies ever since has paid off for her and she more than held her own here. There was clear bad blood between these teams and the match deteriorated after Fuerza and Vertigo superkicked the ref when he tried to break them up. Another ref was sent in but Nicole took him out. A third ref nearly faced the same fate before the match ended in a no contest to set up a Steel Cage Tornado Tag match at “Deliver Us From Evil” on June 27th.

Bear Bronson returned to C*4 for a second time after becoming a free agent, this time to defeat Dominic Garrini. A hard hitting match between two big men and everything felt like it had real weight to it.

Next up was The Production (Derek Dillinger and Katie Arquette) falling to Haley Dylan & Kevin Blackwood. I hadn’t seen Dylan in a while and she’s got a fun goth look going on now; I will always pop for wrestling gear with baggy pants. Commentary said that Katie Arquette is David Arquette’s cousin, and I had no reason to believe they would lie. Dylan’s blind tag near the end got the win, but Blackwood didn’t look happy about it.

Following that was Brandon Cutler here to face Ottawa’s own Sheldon Jean, who was coming off a big main event win against Stu Grayson at C*4’s previous show, “Collateral Damage”. Jean drove Cutler’s head into a ringpost before hitting him with a spinning kick for the win.

Joshua Bishop, Myung Jae Lee & Stu Grayson defeat Ben Tull & Le Tabarnak de Team (Mathieu St-Jacques & Thomas Dubois) in a delightful brawl that had the classic TDT hallmarks of being very Quebecois and hitting people with chairs. There was still beef between Ben Tull and Myung Jae Lee though, so they will clash in a Street Fight for the C*4 Underground Championship at “Deliver Us From Evil”.

Jordan Oliver and London Lightning and Ortiz all failed to win the C*4 Championship from Evil Uno in a four way dance. After a title reign filled with viciousness, this match was lighter and allowed the other three to shine. Fun ending where Ortiz and London were tangled in a rollup with both of their shoulders down so Uno pinned both as commentary wondered if that was even legal.

Next was a chaotic eight man where Brent Banks, James Stone & PROJECT 8100 (Dexter Doom & Haddy) with Vanessa Kraven defeated Cecil Nyx, Kristara & Triple Dragon (Pretty Ricky Willdy & Puf). Cecil Nyx and Kristara have a hilarious long-suffering older brother and hyperactive younger sister dynamic, and Stone and Willdy helped further the “more wrestlers should kiss” agenda. Happy Pride.

Fresh Air, the tag team of Junior Benito & Macrae Martin, lost their IWTV Independent Wrestling Tag Team Title just last month. Evil Uno won the C*4 Championship from Benito last year, and both the former champ and Martin have lost separate title challenges in the months since. Now tensions between these two former friends and teammates boiled over as they faced each other in a C*4 Title #1 Contendership Match. One fall and no DQ and no countout, so naturally the action spilled onto the balcony. Commentary lamented how it could’ve come to this. Benito nearly fell off the balcony, dangling off the edge from one arm before Martin dragged him back and threw him down the stairs. The crowd was torn as they got back in the ring and Martin dominated after a fallaway slam. Benito rallied and after both of them got in some nearfalls, pulled a door from under the ring to set up a door bridge. Macrae turned this on Benito with a powerbomb from the second rope through the door that knocked them both down. Eventually, Martin got Benito up on his shoulders but Benito reversed into a roll for the pin. After the match Benito offered Martin a handshake, but he refused and walked away. Alone in the ring, Benito was ambushed from behind by Evil Uno. After superkicking Uno and snatching the belt from his hands, Benito challenged Uno to not just a C*4 Title Match, but a C*4 Title Steel Cage match at “Deliver Us From Evil” on June 27th.

Full Results

Mark Wheeler defeats Jimmy Townsend and Juni Underwood (7:19)

Dreya Mitchell & Vaughn Vertigo vs. Alexia Nicole & Gabriel Fuerza – No Contest (9:31)

Bear Bronson defeats Dominic Garrini (13:14)

Haley Dylan & Kevin Blackwood defeat The Production (Derek Dillinger & Katie Arquette) (9:48)

Sheldon Jean defeats Brandon Cutler (9:27)

Joshua Bishop, Myung Jae Lee & Stu Grayson defeat Benjamin Tull & Le Tabarnak de Team (Mathieu St-Jacques & Thomas Dubois) (13:44)

C4 Title:
Evil Uno (c) defeats Jordan Oliver and London Lightning and Ortiz (9:07)

Brent Banks, James Stone & PROJECT 8100 (Dexter Doom & Haddy) defeat Cecil Nyx, Kristara & Triple Dragon (Pretty Ricky Willdy & Puf) (12:37)

C4 Title #1 Contendership:
Junior Benito defeats Macrae Martin (21:26)

Canada News

Maple Leaf Pro have confirmed Thom Latimer defending the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Matt Cardona at “MLP: Resurrection” on July 5th in Montreal, Quebec. Rohan Raja will also defend the PWA Champion’s Grail Championship against Alex Hammerstone on the same show. Shotzi Blackhart is also scheduled to appear.

Rylie Rose will face Elayna Black in her first appearance in Canada post WWE at Top Talent Wrestling’s “3 Year Anniversary Show”. The event in Edmonton will also hold the first Canadian appearance of Ultimo Guerrero.

Acclaim Pro Wrestling in Ottawa have announced Rosemary, most well known for stints in TNA, for their “Starmageddon 15” show on July 12th.

Alpha-1 have announced 2 major title matches for “The Purge” on July 20th. BMD will defend the Alpha Male Championship in a last man standing match against Shane Sabre, whilst Brandon Cutler will challenge Alec Price for the Zero Gravity title on the show in Hamilton, Ontario.

Selected Upcoming Dates:

14/06/25- NEW Wrestling “Year of the Wolfe”. Wise Hall, Vancouver, Columbia, Canada. 20:00 start.
14/06/25- Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling “MLP Live”. St. Clair College Sportsplex, Windsor, Ontario, Canada. 14:00 start.
22/06/25- Battlewar. Foufounes Electriques, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 20:00 start.

Rest of the Americas

Carnivore, representing Ecuadorian promotion EWE, became the first IWIA Champion in the promotion’s history after winning a 4 way at the Spear Music Festival in Columbia. The festival combined rock music and wrestling, with competitors from across South America involved in the lucha libre shows. Carnivore defeated fellow Ecuadorian Raiden and Colombians Rammsody Guerrero and Dario Tiger in order to emerge with the title.

Vampiro will take on the Raven at IWA’s “Legend Mania” show in Puerto Rico on June 14th at the request of Savio Vega. John Hawking will defend his Triple Crown championship against Mania, and NJ Fenomeno faces off against Pedro Portillo on the same show.

Jay Lethal will return to Chile for LEGION’s “Año Cero 2025” show on the 27th July. The promotion is listing the event as the biggest show of the year.

Fred Rosser held a seminar in Santiago, Chile, for LEGION Lucha Libre ahead of their “Supervivencia” show on June 1st. The show featured a 30 man battle royale for a title shot of the winner’s choice and a hardcore match involving lots and lots of Lego. Teenagers Speedy Franco and Kaos Jaime were said to be the standouts on the show from the local report we received.

LEGION’s Latin American Title holder, Razo, posted a heartwarming message in the wake of the show, accompanied by a video hugging family members on Instagram. He wrote:

“When my brother passed away, that was the moment I decided to give up everything and not keep wrestling but my family was my main pillar to stay here. They are always with me, always supporting “the tank” and I know my brother is proud of me because that is what I feel.

Wrestling for all. A fighter for eternity.

My partner, my mother, my siblings, my nieces and nephews are my motivation to keep being here, and the fans, without them we are nothing. Thank you so much.”

Razo via Instagram

Check out these other articles from this week!

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Best of the Super Juniors 2025

Connor McFall looks back on the Best of the Super Junior Final and what the tournament has shown us as a whole about NJPW’s Junior Division.

FRONTPAGE

A Wrestler You Should Know About: Nina Samuels

Chris Gannon introduces us to “Nina Ten Belts”, a stalwart of the UK scene in recent years.

FEATURES

Eve

Eve play host to the first ever defense of the IWGP Women’s Title in the UK, as Syuri defends against Alex Windsor.

EUROPE & AFRICA

NOAH Star Navigation

OZAWA escapes with the GHC Heavyweight Title from a 3 way survival match thanks to some unlikely help.

ASIA & OCEANIA

Recommendations From A History Man

Peter Edge is in a holiday mood this week, as he makes picks based on a Fathers Day theme.

RETRO

A Wrestler You Should Know About: Nina Samuels

Chris Gannon introduces us to “Nina Ten Belts”, a stalwart of the UK scene in recent years.

FEATURES

NOAH Star Navigation

OZAWA escapes with the GHC Heavyweight Title from a 3 way survival match thanks to some unlikely help.

ASIA & OCEANIA

Recommendations From A History Man

Peter Edge is in a holiday mood this week, as he makes picks based on a Fathers Day theme.

RETRO

Eve

Eve play host to the first ever defense of the IWGP Women’s Title in the UK, as Syuri defends against Alex Windsor.

EUROPE & AFRICA

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Social Suplex Newsletter No. 6

Social Suplex Newsletter No. 6

Americas

WWE

Money In The Bank

07/06/2025Inuit Dome, Los Angeles, USAAnnounced Attendance: 17,374Wrestletix Distributed Estimate: 17,069Watch On: Peacock / Netflix

Cody’s Riotous Hot Tag Salvages Another Cena Snoozefest

Bloodline Drama Elevates Middling Ladder Match

Becky And Lyra Steal The Show With Old School In Ring Storytelling

Naomi Is Justly Rewarded For Her Character Work in a Messy and Contrived MITB

Full Results

AAA x WWE Worlds Collide

07/06/2025The Kia Forum, Inglewood, USAWrestletix Distributed Estimated: 10,825Watch On: YouTube

Review by David Hayter

Chad Gable & Vikingo Overcome Some Early Wobbles To Steal The Show

What’cha Gonna Do When IGUANA-MANIA Runs Wild On You?

Ethan Page Retains In A Frenetic Four Way For The NXT North American Title

Chaotic Fun Prevails In Hit And Miss Midcard Encounters

A Welcome First Step Towards A Better And More Balanced Product

Full Results

WWE TV News

WWE News

All Elite Wrestling

TV News

News

TNA

Against All Odds 202506/06/25Mullett Arena, Tempe, ArizonaWatch On: TNA+/ Youtube

Full Results

TNA News

MLW

War Chamber 2025

Aired: 07/06/25. Taped: 10/05/25Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois, USAWatch On: Youtube

Full Results

US Independents

DEADLOCK Pro-Wrestling/Prestige Wrestling/ West Coast Pro

Unit3D01/06/2025The Vermont Hotel, Hollywood, USAWatch On DPW On Demand

Full Results

Indie News

AAA

Alianzas31/05/25Gimnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera, Mexico City, MexicoWatch On: MAX/ Youtube

Full Results

News

CMLL

Viernes Espectacular30/05/25Arena Mexico, Mexico City, MexicoWatch On: MAX/ Youtube

Full Results

News

Mexico News

Evil Uno’s Mystery Wrestling Mystery Wrestling 16

01/06/2025Centre Aydelu, Gatineau, QC, CanadaWatch On: Mystery Wrestling’s Patreon/TwitchReview by Alice V. Bell

Full Results

C*4 – Capital City Championship Combat10 To Midnight

30/05/2025Preston Event Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, CanadaWatch On: independentwrestling.tvReview by Alice V. Bell

Full Results

Canada News

Selected Upcoming Dates:

Rest of the Americas

Check out these other articles from this week!

Categories

Sections

Best of the Super Juniors 2025

A Wrestler You Should Know About: Nina Samuels

Eve

NOAH Star Navigation

Recommendations From A History Man

A Wrestler You Should Know About: Nina Samuels

NOAH Star Navigation

Recommendations From A History Man

Eve

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07/06/2025
Inuit Dome, Los Angeles, USA
Announced Attendance: 17,374
Wrestletix Distributed Estimate: 17,069
Watch On: Peacock / Netflix

07/06/2025
The Kia Forum, Inglewood, USA
Wrestletix Distributed Estimated: 10,825
Watch On: YouTube

Against All Odds 2025
06/06/25
Mullett Arena, Tempe, Arizona
Watch On: TNA+/ Youtube

Aired: 07/06/25. Taped: 10/05/25
Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois, USA
Watch On: Youtube

Unit3D
01/06/2025
The Vermont Hotel, Hollywood, USA
Watch On DPW On Demand

Alianzas
31/05/25
Gimnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera, Mexico City, Mexico
Watch On: MAX/ Youtube

Viernes Espectacular
30/05/25
Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Watch On: MAX/ Youtube

Evil Uno’s Mystery Wrestling
Mystery Wrestling 16

01/06/2025
Centre Aydelu, Gatineau, QC, Canada
Watch On: Mystery Wrestling’s Patreon/Twitch
Review by Alice V. Bell

C*4 – Capital City Championship Combat
10 To Midnight

30/05/2025
Preston Event Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Watch On: independentwrestling.tv
Review by Alice V. Bell