POST IT NOTES
**We have our first MMA Year in Review show posted on the site as I’m joined by Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie and USA Today and Cody Saftic from The Fight Network. The three of us go through our picks in the following categories and discuss the stories to watch in 2019:
FIGHTER OF THE YEAR (MALE)
FIGHTER OF THE YEAR (FEMALE)
FIGHT OF THE YEAR
ROUND OF THE YEAR
BEST KNOCKOUT
BEST SUBMISSION
EVENT OF THE YEAR
BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR
BEST SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT
MOST DISAPPOINTING FIGHTER
WORST FIGHT OF THE YEAR
WORST CARD OF THE YEAR
FAVORITE PROMOTION OF 2018
BREAKOUT STAR OF 2019 WILL BE…
BIGGEST STORY OF 2018
**We have a new edition of Rewind-A-Raw posted on the site with Wai Ting and I reviewing Monday’s show, the tribute for Gene Okerlund, Hulk Hogan’s return, the Brock Lesnar segment with Braun Strowman, and the latest announcements for the Royal Rumble. Plus, we chatted the latest with Kenny Omega, New Japan’s signings this week, the Go Fund Me set up for the Buffalo Brothers, and your feedback.
**Wai Ting and I are back tonight with Rewind-A-SmackDown as we discuss the All Elite Wrestling rally in Jacksonville, review of SmackDown, the latest news, and take your feedback.
**The annual POST Wrestling Royal Rumble Pool is now open, and you can submit your picks.
WRESTLING NEWS
**The WWE’s SmackDown and 205 Live tapings take place from Jacksonville, Florida tonight at the at the Veterans Memorial Arena. They have announced the following for tonight’s show:
*Becky Lynch vs. Carmella vs. Charlotte Flair with the winner facing Asuka at the Royal Rumble
*Sheamus and Cesaro vs. The Usos for the SmackDown tag titles
*AJ Styles confronts Daniel Bryan
**Monday’s episode of Raw averaged 2,324,000 viewers on the USA Network going against the College Football Championship. The Alabama vs. Clemson game averaged 24,322,000 viewers on ESPN. Raw opened with 2,609,000 viewers featuring John Cena in the opening segment that led to a six-man tag. The second hour dropped 12% to 2,294,000, which is a big drop from the second hour. The third hour saw another 10% tune out with the final hour doing 2,070,000 viewers. Last year’s Raw against the Clemson vs. Georgia championship game averaged 2,750,000 with the football game doing 27,383,000 viewers. So, Raw was down 15% year-over-year and the college game was down 11%.
**New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that KUSHIDA’s final match with the promotion will be on January 29th at Korakuen Hall against Hiroshi Tanahashi. Earlier this week, New Japan confirmed his departure at a press conference with his contract expiring at the end of the month.
**Juice Robinson, Chase Owens, and Rocky Romero have signed new deals with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Robinson’s signing was first reported by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for a reported term of three-years. Robinson gave his notice to the WWE in 2015 and signed with New Japan and came up as one of the young lions and has become a featured performer. Owens and Romero both announced their renewals on Monday.
**There was a terrible car accident over the weekend involving independent wrestlers Kevin Blackwood, Danny Garcia, Kevin Bennett, and Nick Pufpaff. The four were heading back from a show in Montreal and were involved in a car wreck that led Blackwood and Garcia undergoing surgery and the other two treated for injuries. The wrestling community has rallied behind the four and a Go Fund Me has been set up to assist with their medical costs and inability to work during this period. They have raised over $23,000 of the $50,000 goal so far. We at POST Wrestling wish all four the speediest of recoveries and are sending them our best.
**EC3 and Lacey Evans both worked dark matches prior to Raw in Orlando. Despite the ring being set up with the graphics for Main Event, I was told by separate people in the company that they were only dark matches and won’t be airing on Main Event this week. EC3 defeated Curt Hawkins and Natalya beat Lacey Evans in the matches. The purpose was for Vince McMahon to see the two performers in person before they are introduced on television.
**Impact Wrestling taped two episodes in Nashville at the Fairgrounds for this Friday’s debut on the Pursuit Channel and the January 18th episode. The promotion will be heading to Mexico City this week to tape television on Friday and Saturday at Fronton Mexico, which they ran last September.
**The Women of Honor title match between Kelly Klein and Jenny Rose this Sunday in Concord, North Carolina will now be a street fight.
**Ring of Honor has announced that Nick Aldis will be defending the NWA championship against PJ Black at this Saturday’s television taping in Atlanta at Center Stage.
**The WWE has a booth at CES in Las Vegas with Stephanie McMahon appearing at the convention today.
**New Japan’s third U.S. date on their upcoming tour will take place Saturday, February 2nd at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Tickets for the show go on sale next Tuesday at 11 am Eastern. The promotion had announced U.S. dates for January 30th in Los Angeles at the Globe Theatre and February 1st at the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte before adding a third show in Nashville. Talent and matches have not been announced for the U.S. shows, but are expected to feature New Japan talent that isn’t booked for the New Beginning cards in Japan that weekend and talent from the L.A. Dojo.
**McAloon Productions has announced that Priscilla Kelly and Darby Allin have been added to the Ultimate Bar Brawl event they are promoting January 31st in Atlanta, Georgia. The card is headlined by Ken Shamrock taking on Tom Lawlor at the WildPitch Underground at 255 Trinity Avenue Southwest.
**Impact Wrestling has put tickets on sale for their television tapings March 22nd and 23rd in Windsor, Ontario at St. Clair College.
**The WWE stock closed at $80.74 on Tuesday.
*****
MMA Year in Review 2018
It is the MMA Year in Review 2018 Show with the panel of John Pollock, MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn and Fight Network’s Cody Saftic reviewing the year.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/01/08/mma-year-in-review-2018-with-john-pollock-mike-bohn-cody-saftic/
*****
RAR 1/7/19: Gene Okerlund Tribute, Hulk Hogan returns, Falls Count Anywhere
John Pollock and Wai Ting discuss WWE Raw featuring a tribute for “Mean” Gene Okerlund that included the return of Hulk Hogan to television, a Falls Count Anywhere main event between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, and more.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/01/08/rar-1-7-19-gene-okerlund-tribute-hulk-hogan-returns-falls-count-anywhere/
*****
Impact Homecoming / Kenny Omega and KUSHIDA Update
John Pollock is joined by WH Park to discuss the news regarding Kenny Omega and KUSHIDA and then Nate Milton joins the show for a review of Impact’s Homecoming event.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/01/07/impact-homecoming-kenny-omega-kushida-update/
*****
REWIND-A-WAI #27: ECW Massacre on 34th Street
John Pollock and Wai Ting review ECW Massacre on 34th Street, the second-to-last Extreme Championship Wrestling PPV from the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, New York.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/23774442
*****
NJPW New Year Dash!! 2019 POST Show with John Pollock & Wai Ting
John Pollock & Wai Ting review NJPW’s New Year Dash!! card from Korakuen Hall in Tokyo featuring all the fallout from Wrestle Kingdom 13, new angles for Jay White, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito, a fantastic 6-man tag, and the return of Yoshi-Hashi.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/01/05/njpw-new-year-dash-2019-post-show-w-john-pollock-wai-ting/
*****
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 POST Show w/ John Pollock & Wai Ting
John Pollock & Wai Ting review the NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 13 card from the Tokyo Dome, headlined by Kenny Omega defending the IWGP heavyweight title against Hiroshi Tanahashi. Plus, Chris Jericho vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IC title, Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White, KUSHIDA vs. Taiji Ishimori, Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay and lots more.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-13-post-show-w-john-pollock-wai-ting/
*****
upNXT 1/3/19: BEST & WORST of 2018
Braden Herrington & Davie Portman review the highs & lows of WWE NXT 2018! They go over their picks for their BEST & WORST OF categories and are joined by friends and listeners of the show who give their choices as well!
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/01/03/upnxt-1-3-19-best-worst-of-2018/
*****
EGGSHELLS Podcast Companion: 2018 with Kevin Kelly
Episode 30 sees Chris Charlton and Kevin Kelly look at 2018. In this final episode, with the top three matches for Wrestle Kingdom 13 in mind, the two look at the year that was for the six key players of WK12: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, Jay White, Tetsuya Naito, and Chris Jericho.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/01/03/eggshells-podcast-companion-2018-w-kevin-kelly/
*****
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