POST IT NOTES
**For members of the POST Wrestling Café, Wai Ting and I will have a new edition of Rewind-A-SmackDown posted late tonight with a review of the show from Birmingham, a look at today’s news, and your feedback.
**The latest edition of the British Wrestling Experience features Martin Bushby and Jamesie welcoming JP Houlihan of the GRAPPL Spotlight podcast to the show. They go over the UK talent from Survivor Series weekend including Pete Dunne challenging Adam Cole for the NXT title and WALTER’s quick elimination at the Survivor Series. Plus, JP’s live report from Rev Pro’s British J-Cup card last Sunday at York Hall, best matches of the past decade, and other mailbag questions.
**Phil Chertok’s latest edition of Five Questions looks at the announcement of Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone, Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes, Gina Carano’s legacy, Anthony Pettis returning to lightweight, Michael ‘Venom’ Page & more.
**A new edition of Thunderstruck with WH Park drops on Sunday morning. WH will be joined by Dylan Fox of the Eastern Lariat podcast to discuss the Jushin Thunder Liger vs. El Samurai match from April 1992.
**We have a Rewind-A-Wai feedback thread posted for next Tuesday’s show on the Royal Rumble from 2000.
POST WRESTLING VIDEO
WRESTLING NEWS
**All Elite Wrestling has added a match between Jon Moxley and Joey Janela to next week’s episode of Dynamite from Champaign, Illinois. The two headlined the Fyter Fest card this past June in Daytona Beach, Florida with Moxley defeating Janela in his debut match for AEW after appearing the previous month at Double or Nothing. Wednesday’s episode, which takes place from Tony Khan’s hometown, will also feature Rey Fenix taking on Trent and a six-man tag with The Young Bucks and Dustin Rhodes vs. Santana, Ortiz & Sammy Guevara.
**Friday Night SmackDown takes place from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama tonight coming off Survivor Series last weekend. The show is being promoted around a ‘new face’ being introduced in the Firefly Fun House by Bray Wyatt.
**The Raw brand has a live event in North Little Rock, Arkansas tonight featuring Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, AJ Styles & others advertised. The rest of the weekend features combined shows in Mexico City on Saturday with Cain Velasquez set to wrestle his second match in WWE, and Sunday night is the Starrcade event from Duluth, Georgia. The WWE Network will air one-hour of Starrcade from 7-8 pm Eastern on Sunday.
**Lance Storm was a guest on today’s Talk is Jericho show about the closing of the Storm Wrestling Academy. The interview was taped a while ago after Storm had announced he was closing the school. They didn’t mention at the time he was going to WWE as a producer. Storm discussed the talent that came through his school including Emma, Tyler Breeze, Oney Lorcan, Sylvester LeFort, Chelsea Green, Rachael Ellering, Brian Pillman Jr., as well as working with Bret Hart’s sons and Dominic Gutierrez. Storm’s final session wrapped up this week as he gets set to start with WWE. His school was high on the recommendation list when other wrestlers would suggest schools for aspiring wrestlers to travel to and had been in operation since September 2005. Storm came off the road with WWE in 2004 and became an instructor at Ohio Valley Wrestling before launching the school the next year. In the interview with Jericho, he discussed his age and wear and tear over the years along with enrollment dipping along with his children growing up and less need to be at home full-time. He put out feelers to see his options and decided to take an offer and shut down the school. There is some great insight regarding training in this interview, including his philosophy regarding prospective students that he was hesitant to take their money feeling they would never make it. He estimated that 600-700 students came through his doors and keeps in contact with a good percentage of them.
**New Japan has six more World Tag League shows remaining with the tour resuming Sunday in Shiga. The Tag League wraps up next Sunday, December 8th from Hiroshima. Below is Sunday’s card, which will be added to New Japan World later that day:
*Lance Archer & Minoru Suzuki (12) vs. Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks (4)
*Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi (8) vs. Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens (6)
*Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma (6) vs. Jeff Cobb & Mikey Nicholls (12)
*Shingo Takagi & Terrible (10) vs. Colt Cabana & Toru Yano (14)
*Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare (4) vs. EVIL & Sanada (16)
*Kazuchika Okada & Roppongi 3K vs. Kota Ibushi, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask
*KENTA & Yujiro (10) vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi (14)
*Guerrillas of Destiny (14) vs. Juice Robinson & David Finlay (16)
**Jerry Lynn provided an update following surgery called it a ‘success’ with the feeling back in his foot and nothing shooting down his leg. He has physical therapy ahead of him for the next few weeks.
**Crave TV in Canada has added the first season of Dark Side of the Ring to its platform. The series ran on Viceland earlier this year with episodes dedicated to Randy Savage & Elizabeth, the Montreal Screwjob, Bruiser Brody, the Von Erichs, Gino Hernandez, and the Fabulous Moolah.
**There is a new group out of Edmonton, Alberta that is doing a new concept for the market and going by the name ‘The Clandestine Society’. They will its first show on Saturday, December 14th at a secret location and is invite-only but will stream the show free on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch at 8 pm Eastern. They have announced Artemis Spencer vs. Brandon Van Danielson vs. Michael Richard Blais and Nicole Matthews vs. Zoe Sager. The show will be streaming on YouTube at this link.
**Pro Wrestling Tees has released a documentary called ‘Behind the Merch’ about the rise of the company from One Hour Tees and the people behind it including interviews with founder Ryan Barkan and tons of wrestlers:
**Buddy Roberts (Dale Hey) of the Fabulous Freebirds died on this date in 2012 at the age of 65.
**Jerry Lawler and Dutch Mantel turn 70 today, John Layfield turns 53 while Dana Brooke is 31.
**UFC heavyweight Walt Harris issued the following words after the tragic news this week that his stepdaughter, Aniah Blanchard, had died after going miss over a month ago:
My sweet baby girl… I just wanna thank you for helping me change my life for the better… For teaching me how to be a man and a better father! For being my biggest fan win, lose , or draw! For always knowing what to say to put a smile on my face and lift me up when I was down and wanted to give up. You light up my world I’m so many ways. This pain is unbearable… I know you want me to be strong but it so hard baby it so hard. I’m gonna find away I promise you I will. Right now nothing makes sense and I’m so lost. I just want you back. I hope I made you proud… I’m gonna keep going daddy just needs time. I love you so much. Look after us like you always did. We need you now more than ever. My lil mighty mighty tiger is a angel now. I love you baby girl forever and ever!
**As the UFC has a weekend off and plenty of champions without fights being booked, I thought we could look at the landscape for each division’s champion heading into 2020 and the potential fights on the table:
Heavyweight
Stipe Miocic is publicly flirting with the idea of boxing Tyson Fury and that seems to be the leverage play with little to zero chance of such a fight occurring. Tyson Fury has a huge rematch with Deontay Wilder on the horizon and sparring with Darren Till, who are both managed by the same firm hardly tells me there is future of Fury fighting in MMA or Miocic crossing over while under UFC contract. The fight is Daniel Cormier is it’s only a question of how far apart the sides are for Cormier’s retirement fight. Cormier has stated he has one fight left and it can only be with Miocic and dismissing the notion of the third fight with Jon Jones. The back up would have to be Francis Ngannou, who has rehabilitated himself from the loss to Miocic in January 2018 but is that a fight that entices Miocic, who won the last one so convincingly?
Light Heavyweight
Jon Jones will fight Dominick Reyes on February 8th and then it’s another free-for-all among the division with contenders like Corey Anderson and Jan Blachowicz, providing Jones wins because Reyes is hardly a pushover. If Jones is not eyeing heavyweight in 2020 then it’s a rematch with Thiago Santos that I’d like to see above the other available contenders.
Middleweight
Israel Adesanya is going to get votes for the best fighter of 2019 with an enormous rise to the top of the division. Paulo Costa was the no-brainer but after requiring surgery it put that fight in doubt. Since then, Yoel Romero’s name has been the most frequently mentioned by Adesanya. He is 42 and coming off two losses but that doesn’t disqualify him in my book. If you’re Jared Cannonier you would be furious to be leapfrogged by Romero, but the bigger fight is Romero. Outside of those contenders, Darren Till had a lackluster win over Kelvin Gastelum but is in the mix. If he is willing to have a busy year, there are countless fights for Adesanya at 185 pounds.
Welterweight
It’s the most intriguing division given the return of Conor McGregor at this weight coupled with Jorge Masvidal’s rise in 2019, Nate Diaz fighting twice in 2019 at the weight, and the tease of a Nick Diaz return after five years. However, the championship fight is in two weeks between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington, who don’t approach the fame of the previously mentioned names. There are two separate factions within this weight class, for instance, Masvidal could benefit more from a fight with either Diaz brother in 2020 as opposed to fighting Usman or Covington, although his options are long. If McGregor beats Cerrone, it opens the possibility of a fight with Masvidal that would be enormous next year. Usman is a terrible style match up for a lot of guys and doesn’t come with the name-value that is going to drive many to want the fight in that top mix. For lack of a better term, ‘the money division’ could have fights among itself while Usman or Covington defends the title as someone like Leon Edwards cuts through the noise and gets the winner next year. It is impossible to predict how this division plays out, but it stands to be the most profitable division for the UFC next year.
Lightweight
Khabib Nurmagomedov has a stranglehold on the championship with his biggest fight the obvious rematch with Conor McGregor that the latter has his sights on, and the champion is lukewarm over. The only fight for Nurmagomedov is Tony Ferguson with the hope that the fight is completed and happens on April 18th. It works timing-wise and if the pieces fall in place where McGregor beats Cerrone, you have two big fights for McGregor between Nurmagomedov or Masvidal.
Featherweight
Max Holloway is fighting Alexander Volkanovski in two weeks and that’s a huge challenge for Holloway. If Holloway wins, the remaining contender would be Zabit Magomedsharipov, although if I’m Holloway I don’t think I’m closing the door on 155 pounds despite the loss to Dustin Poirer. If Volkanovski wins, a rematch with Holloway would be the best fight to make.
Bantamweight/Flyweight
Henry Cejudo had a red hot first half of 2019 but has been inactive due to injury for the latter half. Dana White has pushed Joseph Benavidez as the next fight at flyweight and from a meritocracy point, he deserves to fight for the title given his record and six years removed from his last title opportunity. Both divisions are on hold with the uncertainty of Cejudo as fighters like Petr Yan are going public to place pressure on the champion and a frustration sets in when you have a dual champion that is also hurt, and two divisions are spinning its wheels. Yan will fight Urijah Faber in two weeks and that’s a huge name for Yan and would catapult him near the front of the line with a victory. On that same card, Jose Aldo moves down to bantamweight and will fight Marlon Moraes. If Aldo and/or Faber won, my gut says they would leapfrog a lot of people towards a fight with Cejudo.
Women’s Strawweight
Weili Zhang could be on the verge of superstar status because of her following in China and such a memorable win in her home country when she beat Jessica Andrade. I see lots of possibilities in this division with Rose Namajunas indicating she will fight again and would top my list of contenders for 2020. Beyond her, a fight with Joanna Jedrzejczyk would raise her profile and Tatiana Suarez remains a champion-in-waiting although she has dealt with neck issues that have slowed her down. Zhang is still relatively unknown in the U.S. and having her defend the title on ESPN would be a strong promotional tool to expose her to a large fanbase rather than pay-per-view.
Women’s flyweight
Valentina Shevchenko will defend the title against Katlyn Chookagian on February 8th. Chookagian is a strong technical fighter but Shevchenko should be the strong favorite for this fight. Ultimately, it’s another fight with Amanda Nunes that is going to drive the most interest in Shevchenko as she is so clearly ahead of the 125-pound weight class. It would be a mistake to throw Maycee Barber at Shevchenko at this stage but if Barber beats Roxanne Modafferi that option will become a larger talking point.
Women’s bantamweight/featherweight
Amanda Nunes defends the 135-pound title against Germaine de Randamie on December 14th. This isn’t the same scenario as Henry Cejudo where there is barely a women’s featherweight division to speak of. If Nunes defends this title, the most deserving challenger is Ketlen Vieira, although she has not fought since March 2018 but is undefeated. I think it’s too soon to look at a rematch with Holly Holm even if it was contested at featherweight as opposed to the July fight at 135. It was a strange decision to let Cat Zingano go as she was someone you could match with Nunes at either weight. There is a history with Zingano being the last woman to beat her and that’s as compelling a story as you have for Nunes but isn’t possible, anymore. Obviously, a de Randamie win in two-weeks shakes things up a lot and would be quite the comeback for her.
REVIEW
MLW Fusion on Thanksgiving (Nov. 28)
RESULTS: Jordan Oliver & Kotto Brazil over Zenshi & Gringo Loco in an Elimination match in 8:17; Muhammed ‘King Mo’ Lawal over Ricky Martinez in 1:42; Jacob Fatu over Ross Von Erich in 14:57 to retain the MLW title
-This was a bonus episode that MLW produced for their YouTube channel on Thanksgiving night.
-The major angle saw the teases pay off with Tom Lawlor turning on Ross Von Erich by blasting him with a chair leading to the win for Fatu. With Lawlor re-signing, they can extend this program with Lawlor and the Von Erichs feuding and Lawlor a better fit as a heel for the promotion right now.
-The match was fine but not a standout performance from either guy. When it comes to the intangible ‘Von Erich charisma’, Marshall has it more than Ross, although the crowd is quick to react to the claw. At this stage, the Von Erichs are better served as a unit than individuals.
-Muhammed ‘King Mo’ Lawal had his first match for MLW submitting Ricky Martinez quick. This was one day after his knockout loss to Andrew Kapel in his retirement fight. Lawal looked good for the short time this match lasted, which was smart. Lawal hit a spear with Martinez coming off the turnbuckle, an Avalanche in the corner, gut-wrench powerbomb and kneebar to win. The natural rivalry is with Lawlor down the road once Lawal is established.
-Salina de la Renta returns next week after being off television since the spear through the table by LA Park at the pay-per-view on November 2nd.
-Alex Hammerstone introduced his new monster ‘Logan’ to Richard Holliday and MJF, who was on FaceTime and never shown.
-It was an average episode and the Lawlor turn was the notable element coming out.
*****
BRITISH WRESTLING EXPERIENCE
Martin & Jamesie are joined by JP Houlihan of GRAPPL Spotlight to discuss all the European representation over Survivor Series Weekend including Pete Dunne’s two matches and WALTER. JP gives his live report from the Rev Pro British J Cup.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/11/29/bwe-11-29-19-rev-pro-british-j-cup-survivor-series-weekend-mail-bag/
*****
Café Hangout – Nov. 28, 2019
John Pollock and Wai Ting open up the phone lines for an entire hour taking your calls about any current topics in wrestling and MMA. We then review this week’s WWE NXT following up the brand’s dominance at Survivor Series.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/11/28/unlocked-live-link-for-todays-cafe-hangout-3-pm-et/
*****
REWIND-A-DYNAMITE 11/27/19: A Little Bit of the Foilies
John Pollock and Wai Ting review AEW Dynamite featuring Chris Jericho vs. Scorpio Sky for the AEW title. We also discuss today’s news.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/11/28/rad-11-27-19-a-little-bit-of-the-foilies/
*****
upNXT 11/27/19: Prince Meet King
Braden Herrington and Davie Portman are back to chat all about the November 27 edition of NXT featuring a huge main event between Tommaso Ciampa vs Finn Balor.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/11/28/upnxt-11-28-19-prince-meet-king/
*****
ASK-A-WAI – December 2019
John Pollock and Wai Ting answer their patrons’ questions from the POST Wrestling Forum in the December 2019 edition of Ask-A-Wai.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/31885914
*****
RAR 11/25/19: “Twitter Seth”, Austin-Undertaker Interview
John Pollock and Wai Ting review WWE Raw following the Survivor Series featuring Seth Rollins’ Town Hall. Plus, we discuss Steve Austin’s interview with The Undertaker on the Broken Skull Sessions.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/11/26/rar-11-25-19-twitter-seth-undertaker-austin-interview/
*****
WWE SURVIVOR SERIES POST SHOW
John Pollock & Wai Ting are joined by upNXT’s Braden Herrington & Davie Portman to review WWE Survivor Series 2019 featuring Raw vs. SmackDown vs. NXT.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/11/24/live-link-for-tonights-wwe-survivor-series-2019-post-show-11pm-et/
*****
NXT TAKEOVER: WAR GAMES POST SHOW
Braden Herrington and Davie Portman are back reviewing NXT TakeOver: War Games III from the Allstate Arena featuring two War Games matches.
https://www.postwrestling.com/2019/11/23/nxt-takeover-war-games-iii-post-show/
*****
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