POST SCHEDULE
Tonight: Rewind-A-Raw with John Pollock & Wai Ting
Tuesday: upNXT with Braden Herrington & Davie Portman
Wednesday: Pollock & Thurston with guest Karim Zidan
Wednesday: Rewind-A-Dynamite
Friday: MCU L8R – Agatha All Along Ep. 7 (POST Wrestling Café)
Friday: Rewind-A-SmackDown (POST Wrestling Café)
Saturday: Collision Course with Wai Ting & Kate from Montreal (Free)
Saturday: TNA Bound for Glory with John Pollock & John Siino (POST Wrestling Café)
Sunday: NXT Halloween Havoc with Braden Herrington & Davie Portman
Rewind-A-Raw is live at 10:05 p.m. ET tonight with John Pollock & Wai Ting to discuss Raw from Philadelphia, the Rolling Stone article on WWE writers, Donald Trump on The Undertaker’s podcast, and the launch of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. Join us live on the POST Wrestling YouTube channel.
Karen Peterson & Bruce Lord have a review of NJPW’s Royal Quest IV from Crystal Palace in London on the POST Wrestling Café.
Rich Fann joins Nate Milton, Kris Ealy & Two Way Ray on this month’s edition of The N.W.A. Podcast.
WRESTLING NEWS
**Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling launched over the weekend with two shows from St. Clair College, which have received strong reviews regarding the match quality. Konosuke Takeshita was the star on both nights putting in tremendous outings with Speedball Mike Bailey and Josh Alexander wrestling for nearly an hour between both nights and ending the second night with an unannounced appearance by Ricochet. Both main events were incredible and well worth seeking out. Gisele Shaw had two strong matches with Miyu Yamashita on night one, and a 23+ minute match with Athena on the second night, which got over well. The second night also had Speedball Mike Bailey vs. El Phantasmo.
The commentary with Mauro Ranallo and Don Callis was a highlight of the shows with the two gelling well together. Ranallo’s excitement and knowledge level gave these shows a major-league feel and the fact he was calling the show was a big deal for several of the performers.
Production-wise, whether positive or negative, felt identical to a TNA production from the set, camera angles, the crowd noise, and if you didn’t know any better would think this was a TNA show save for the MLP logos. This felt like Scott D’Amore’s version of TNA but instead of a WWE relationship, he had one with AEW. On both nights, they aired commercials for Bound for Glory and promoted the upcoming matches for the next two weeks of Dynamite.
It emphasizes the changing environment as Scott D’Amore revealed to Fightful last week that he did have a non-compete clause after leaving TNA earlier this year, but they worked it out, so that he could run these shows. Not only did D’Amore run competing wrestling shows but he was able to use TNA talent one week before Bound for Glory in Detroit (which is less than 30 minutes away from St. Clair College).
We have not seen attendance figures from the weekend, but the company stated both nights were sold out. When TNA ran the same venue on back-to-back nights earlier this year, they drew approximately 600 each night. D’Amore did promote numerous local sponsors on the canvas and the barricades, and one can imagine these were expensive shows to produce given the production and talents involved.
Long-term, it’s a question regarding viability and what D’Amore’s goals are. If he has the hope of filling a role like PWG with several shows per year with a Canadian flavor, there is a ceiling to that model, but he has the relationships to bulk up cards with talent across the board. He has spoken about the desire to run Maple Leaf Gardens in 2025 and given the Canadian branding and running the building, he will gain publicity the first time they run that arena, but we are talking forty years since Maple Leaf Gardens was a major mecca for wrestling and nearly thirty years since WWE moved to SkyDome (now Rogers Center) for its shows. Ring of Honor ran Maple Leaf Gardens during its heyday, but it drew based on its own brand and not nostalgia. If nothing else, Maple Leaf Gardens is very accessible in downtown Toronto but the stigma with the city is that it’s a major league town, and while WWE will always draw well here, it’s not the same trickle-down effect where wrestling of any kind is guaranteed success.
The first two Maple Leaf shows should have strong word of mouth, but every company needs an identity, and the Canadian slant could work effectively for sponsorships in the market and gaining local attention. Incredible in-ring wrestling is a given nowadays, so it is harder to stand out when offering great matches. Having relationships where you can create dream matches and finding the right markets to run with financial backing is a good recipe and D’Amore is a seasoned promoter who does have a buy-in from a fanbase familiar with his booking and background.
**WWE confirmed that NXT will run the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on Wednesday, November 6. It is airing on Wednesday due to the U.S. Election coverage the night prior and sets up another head-to-head battle with AEW Dynamite. It was reported in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE had booked the arena, and it was expected to be that date. The differences in philosophy are noteworthy as AEW continues booking large arenas such as the SAP Center last week in San Jose and the atmosphere has become negative when demand doesn’t warrant the larger arena. NXT is booking a relatively small arena and will undoubtedly have a fantastic atmosphere and the venue itself will be a draw based on its history.
**The Undertaker’s interview with presidential candidate Donald Trump was posted on Monday. I have only skimmed through the interview and the political topics appear to be sectioned near the end of the discussion where Trump speaks about the election, insults Joe Biden, and Mark Calaway brings his daughter onto the set and sets up the subject of transgendered athletes and not allowing anyone born male to compete in female sports, which is going will probably get the lion’s share of attention from this discussion. I don’t think anyone had any aspersions regarding Calaway’s politics but just viewing this as a media exercise it would embarrassing to see the cheerleading overrule any semblance of balance. When Calaway brought up the subject of female sports, he actually apologized to Trump if he was putting him on the spot, and while Calaway states very clearly, “We are not journalists”, then what function are you providing in this setting and for whom?
**Friday Night SmackDown averaged 295,400 viewers in Canada this past weekend on Sportsnet 360. The show ranked fourth among sports that night behind both ALCS & NLCS games and an NHL game but the most impressive stat is that SmackDown was first in the 25-54 demographic with 128,500 viewers. It was a major feat considering the opposition, which included CFL football and a Toronto Raptors pre-season game in addition to MLB & NHL.
**WWE Raw is at the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia tonight and airs against two NFL games. The Baltimore Ravens vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers game will air on ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2 & ESPN Deportes while the Arizona Cardinals vs. L.A. Chargers streams on ESPN+. Raw has the following matches and segments advertised:
*Intercontinental Championship: Jey Uso © vs. Bron Breakker
*New Day vs. AOP
*The Creeds vs. Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee
*Face-to-face between Seth Rollins and Bronson Reed
**New Japan’s return to Crystal Palace drew 1,544 fans in London on Sunday. The show featured Zack Sabre Jr. making the first defense of his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against SANADA and submitting him with the Clarky Cat. It sets up ZSJ defending the title against Shingo Takagi on November 4 in Osaka at Power Struggle while SANADA faces Shota Umino. This year is unique with the G1 Climax winner cashing in his title shot in October instead of waiting until Wrestle Kingdom, so there is no challenger confirmed for January 4. If Umino beats SANADA, that would be the strongest argument, although ZSJ vs. Umino is the headline role at Wrestle Kingdom seems like a major stretch. Of the candidates they had earlier this year between Umino, Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura, and Ren Narita, none have risen to the top and made compelling cases. Tsuji has cooled off dramatically since peaking last year, Uemura is injured, Narita’s association with House of Torture has diminished him greatly, and you’re left with Umino, who has yet to break out of his shell and form a bond with the audience. For me, Ryohei Oiwa could be the one that sneaks into the mix and leapfrogs them, but Oiwa going for the title doesn’t seem like a direction happening anytime soon much less January. This is a year where New Japan is going to need to pull an ace from its sleeve and will the AEW integration be limited to the January 5 show?
**HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver has re-uploaded its March 2019 segment covering WWE’s business practices and the propensity of deaths among wrestlers. It aired the week before WrestleMania 35 at MetLife Stadium and focused on the topics of independent contractors and whether WWE performers qualified, lack of protections in standard contracts, and its role as a monopoly power in the business (AEW had just launched but had yet to run a show).
**Brandon Thurston looks at AEW’s current business metrics and makes the argument they are more a reflection of WWE in 2018 than WCW in 2001.
**On Sunday, the WWE Vault streamed the Halloween Havoc show from 1998. Whoever made this edit deserves a prize where they cut to bars and tone after the Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior match as a nod to a portion of the pay-per-view audience being cut off due to a mishap with the communication regarding the length of the pay-per-view. The story is detailed in NITRO by Guy Evans where 20 percent of the audience lost the signal at 11 p.m. ET due to the cable carriers not being made aware that the show would exceed the three-hour window led to a surge of complaints and subsequent refunds. The next night, WCW aired the Bill Goldberg vs. Diamond Dallas Page match that people missed and peaked at a phenomenal 7.18 rating during the quarter and Nitro beat Raw that night.
**Tuesday night’s edition of NXT is advertising IYO SKY & Kairi Sane vs. Jakara Jackson & Lash Legend, Giulia & Stephanie Vaquer vs. Fatal Influence, Oba Femi vs. Luca Crusifino, and Jaida Parker vs. Tatum Paxley. Trick Williams and Ethan Page will also be appearing on the go-home episode before Halloween Havoc this Sunday.
**The updated lineup for AEW Dynamite this Wednesday in Salt Lake City includes Mark Briscoe vs. Chris Jericho in a Ladder War for the ROH Championship, Shelton Benjamin vs. Sammy Guevara, Queen Aminata vs. Kamille, Young Bucks & Jack Perry vs. Daniel Garcia & Private Party, House of Black is in action, and Kyle Fletcher appears with Don Callis.
**Minoru Suzuki will face Matt Riddle at MLW’s next beIN Sports taping on November 9 at Cicero Stadium.
**Konosuke Takeshita will be wrestling Kohei Kinoshita on the next DEFY card on November 9 at Washington Hall in Seattle, Washington.
MMA NEWS
**Daiane “Leidy Dai” Silva, who was set to fight for Bellator last month is currently in a coma after a failed weight cut going into the event. This news kept extremely quiet over the last month but broke after the Nação Cyborg promotion (run by Cris Cyborg) posted, and later deleted, a statement informing those of Silva’s status. Silva was scheduled to fight Eman Almudhaf on September 14 in London, England but was hospitalized due to the weight cut, and the fight was canceled. Silva suffered kidney failure and was placed into an induced coma.
Silva’s manager Alex Davis issued a statement to MMA Fighting:
As Daiane made weight for her debut in Bellator, she suffered an accident due to dehydration. She was promptly seen by the doctor, was rushed to the hospital in delicate condition, was admitted to intensive care. Her condition was serious, but since, she has been improving steadily and our hope is that she recovers fully. Myself, her team, her doctor, the hospital doctors and Bellator have been working closely together in support with whatever is needed to help her recovery. We ask all to join us in our wishes and prayers that she recovers fully.
Just days before Silva was set to compete at the event, she spoke to MMA Fighting about the weight cut to 145 pounds, which is a weight she had never competed at:
“It will hurt. That’s all I can say,” Silva laughed when asked about the weight cut. “I took this fight on 14 days’ notice, but I’m ready because I train four times a day here at CM [System] and we train hard every day. But as for the weight, I’m big and tall, and I have a high muscle mass percentage, so it’s complicated for me, but this is the war. We’ll get there fine.”
PFL has yet to comment on the situation and has been a very bad look for the promotion to keep this under wraps for the past month.
**Here are the results from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night at the Apex in Las Vegas:
*Anthony Hernandez def. Michel Pereira by TKO at 2:22 of Round 5
*Rob Font def. Kyler Phillips by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
*Charles Johnson def. Su Mudaerji by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
*Cameron Smotherman def. Jake Hadley by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-27)
*Darren Elkins def. Daniel Pineda by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
*Asu Almabayev def. Matheus Nicolau by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
*Jean Matsumoto def. Brad Katona by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
*Joselyne Edwards def. Tamires Vidal by submission at 4:33 of Round 3
*Elise Reed def. Jessica Penne by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
*Melissa Martinez def. Alice Ardelean by unanimous decision (30-27 all)
*Austen Lane def. Robelis Despaigne by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
**After his decision loss, Daniel Pineda announced his retirement after fighting professionally since 2007. Pineda retires with a record of 28-17 with 3 no-contests. Pineda was 15-7 when he was signed by the UFC and debuted for the promotion in 2012 and always had an entertaining fight style. During his first UFC stint, he went 3-4 and left the promotion after losses to Diego Brandao and Robert Whiteford in 2014. After fighting for Legacy FC, Bellator, and PFL, he returned to the UFC during the pandemic in the summer of 2020 and defeated Herbert Burns (the brother of Gilbert Burns) by TKO despite Burns missing weight by 3.5 pounds. He would go 1-4 with one no-contest during his remaining fights with the loss to Darren Elkins this past Saturday being his third in a row. In his final fight, he did receive the Fight of the Night bonus for $50,000. He is a former Legacy FC featherweight champion and held the lightweight title for Fury FC as well as the interim featherweight title during his career.
**Episode 1 of UFC Embedded for UFC 308.
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THE N.W.A. PODCAST
The Nubian Wrestling Advocates are joined by Rich Fann to discuss Bryan Danielson’s career, WrestleDream, and wrestlers involving themselves in politics (again).
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NJPW ROYAL QUEST IV
Karen Peterson and Bruce Lord review NJPW Royal Quest IV featuring Zack Sabre Jr.’s inaugural defense of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against SANADA.
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COLLISION COURSE
John Siino & Kate From MTL review AEW Collision & Battle of the Belts XII with Ricochet vs. AR Fox and Kazuchika Okada vs. Kyle O’Reilly.
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L&WRR
In honor of Yoshinari Ogawa’s recent retirement, WH Park & Dylan Fox take a look at one of his best matches against his rival Jun Akiyama from September 11, 1998.
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REWIND-A-SMACKDOWN
John Pollock and Wai Ting review WWE SmackDown with the Motor City Machine Guns’ debut and latest in The Bloodline story featuring a returning Jey Uso.
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REWIND-A-WAI: WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event
John Pollock and Wai Ting discuss WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event XII from Oct. 3, 1987 featuring the formation of the Mega Powers: Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage.
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