Category: Ringside Apostles

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NXT TAKEOVER – NEW ORLEANS [Preview]: That North American Jazz.

NXT Championship: Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Aleister Black
“Father” #HeelSean Farrell
@IAMSCF

The ominous one from Amsterdam, Aleister Black – who I’ve been a fan of from way back when (go ahead and check the archives) — is the man who’s got the best shot of taking the title from Andrade “Cien” Almas with Zelina Vega at his side. Black has yet to lose a singles match in NXT. Velveteen Dream, Adam Cole (Bay-Bay), OhNo & Itami have all fallen to the Black Mass spinning head kick. His promos as of late have been intriguing, his entrance is sinister, and he has one of the best theme songs in the past ten years. He has a major test in front of him with Cien, who over the past year has improved greatly, and then improved again–the dude leveled up twice–has been carrying the NXT title since November where he put Drew McIntrye on the shelf. No longer under a mask, Cien has really come out of his shell and into his own. Arrogant, egotistical with a beautiful woman at his side.

PREDICTION: Is Cien’s time in NXT finished? But in the shadows Killian Dane is stalking Black, Drew is on his way back to the active roster. Is the typical post Mania-Draft-ShakeUP his time to make it to Tuesdays? Maybe? Or maybe he’ll be on RAW, with Vega at his side — and a wicked black eye and a cold shoulder missing that NXT title now on the shoulder of Black.

-Sean Farrell

NXT Women’s Championship: Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler
Destiny “Evangelical” Edwards
@mochaloca85

Shayna Baszler has been on the warpath since Ember Moon eked out a victory at TakeOver Philly. First there was the vicious attack after the match followed by Baszler targeting Moon’s injured arm in their rematch a couple of weeks later—a match that Baszler won by DQ after an elbow and spear by an interfering Kairi Sane. Baszler would then dismantle Sane before calling out Moon and declaring that she’s leaving with either the title or a limb. Who isn’t looking forward to this war?

PREDICTION: AND NEW…While I’d argue that Ember Moon isn’t really ready to move up to the main roster, I’m sure Papa Hunter thinks the opposite. Besides, Baszler continues the trend of MMA stars trying to give pro wrestling the air of legitimacy, and how legitimate will she look if Ember beats her again? The Queen of Spades makes the War Goddess tap, Moon goes to Smackdown to challenge Asuka, Sane goes after Baszler.

-Destiny Edwards

Unsanctioned Match: Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa
“Reverend” Lauro Rojas
@Cheeky_Basterds

It started way back in May at TakeOver: Chicago after a hard fought match between DIY and AoP, Tommaso Ciampa snapped and brutalized his former friend and tag team partner, to gain massive heat, before going into obscurity. Johnny Gargano, sick of losing, found a new drive and was determined to become the NXT champion. After a hard fought match at Philadelphia, the ghost of Ciampa returned to cheap-shot the underdog with the big heart. Needless to say, this match has been building for the better part of 9 months; everyone is ready to see Ciampa have his comeuppance. As an unsanctioned match, expect there to be massive amount of brutality and death-defying spots. Gargano has a gift for telling a story in the ring, going so far as to get a 5-star rating from Papa Meltzer (and a 5-bible rating from Monsignor Moody) during the Almas match. Gargano and Ciampa have chemistry and a white hot rivalry; this will undoubtedly win match of the night!

PREDICTION: My stone-cold lock of the century goes to Gargano. Although Johnny Wrestling is overdue for a trip to the main roster, his ultimate enemy has gotten the better of him on more than one occasion. Booking logic says Gargano is due for a win and mayhaps an NXT title run.

-Lauro Rojas

NXT North American Championship – Six-Man Ladder Match: EC3 vs. Adam Cole vs. Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Killian Dain
Ryan “Father Grimm” Davis
@OGMrGrimm

In a WrestleMania Weekend full of wacky matches, this could very well be the wildcard of them all: a 6-man ladder match to crown the first ever NXT North American Champion. This one is going to be bonkers, to say the least. With the debut of the long awaited Ricochet, and the comeback of Ethan Carter III (who just this passed week made his in-ring debut with one hell of a promo), there is sure to be plenty of excitement for all marks.

PREDICTION: There’s also a great contrast of styles for this bout — with a good mix of indy love (BAY BAY, Pt. 2) as well as a couple of home grown talents (the power of Lars), it’s really anybody’s game; hell, I wouldn’t even sleep on Dain. But, out of all of the guys in this match I believe that Velveteen Dream has the most to gain by coming out on top in this match.

-Ryan Davis

“Monsignor” Travis Moody
@TravMoody

Spoiler alert! You’re not really supposed to know the Tag Team Championship match at TakeOver: N’awlins until Wednesday, but let’s just say that both of these teams somehow will find themselves involved next Saturday. Hey, it’s about the journey, not the destination! Well, when it comes to Adam Cole‘s weekend (taking the place of injured faction brother Bobby Fish in this tag match with Kyle O’Reilly and taking bumps from five other bad ass dudes in a North American ladder match), the story could very well be about both. Does Cole have any chance to win both straps on Saturday night? Seeing how he’s the closest thing we have to his PC mentor, Shawn Michaels, why not “shock the system”? It sure would make headlines, and make the Undisputed Era (who plan on missing a guy for a minute), very very strong.

PREDICTION: That said, Roderick Strong has looked like arguably the best in-ring talent on both WWE rosters the past few months (he, alone, made the recent 205 Live Cruiserweight Tournament somewhat relevant), and his teaming with the hier to Hunter Hearst Helmsley, WWE UK Champ Pete Dunne, sure makes for a great cinderella story this WrestleMania Weekend, too. As for the A.O.P., I’m just waiting for them and Paul Ellering to be drafted this week to Smackdown Live. Imagine all the monster matches these bulls could have with The New Day and The Bludgeon Bros. It’s time.

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ROH SUPERCARD OF HONOR XII [Preview]: Bullet Club is…

Cody vs. Kenny Omega
“Monsignor” Travis Omega
@TravMoody

…certainly NOT fine. Just yesterday, the world’s biggest heel in professional wrestling also pulled the world’s biggest troll-job; Cody announced that the classic Bullet Club logo will be retiring, with a new logo set to unveil next week. Dick. Despite my initial thoughts of the whole “gun regulation” thing that no one sporting BC gear seems to blink at — you know, despite a logo skull crossed with AR-15’s and shell casings — I can’t imagine all that Hot Topic money the Young Bucks so triumphantly earned going to waste. Remember, the nWo only altered its O.G. logo from black and white to black and red, so there’s no way the B.C. logo changes form unless there’s any sort of pressure from Japan (which doesn’t have a gun problem and would likely give zero shits about the “dangers” of the logo). That said, we’re missing the fuckin’ point with this match. Cody v Kenny Omega has the potential to be the best match of the weekend, and — thus far — it’s certainly the most hyped, arguably more-so than AJ Styles and Nakamura. Even if NXT TakeOver: New Orleans looks like the far better Saturday Night show on paper, the main event at Supercard of Honor 12 should be enough to sway one mark’s preference in the Ring of Honor direction.

PREDICTION: Oh, fuck. If Cody, known more for his inside-and-outside-the-ring antics, brash heel persona and smoking hot wife than pure wrestling pedigree, can have great matches with Okada and Ibushi, there’s no question the son of a plumber can rock the house with the “GOD of Wrestling”. I feel like Cody, being ROH royalty, will steal this 4.5-Bible Match (which will easily garner him the highest grades of his career), finally putting him on the wrestling plateau he so desperately needs all the while building towards a possible Chicago Street Fight or steel cage rematch at All In.

-Travis Moody

ROH World Championship Match: Marty Scurll vs. Dalton Castle
“Pastor” Shawn Puff
@ShawnPuffy

As a full-fledged member of the Villain Club, I’m loving that the Villain is finally getting a shot at the World Title. Unfortunately, I don’t see a reason to put the strap on Scurll. I mean, BULLET CLUB IS FINE. Cody is unveiling a new logo and all things are peachy. Dalton Castle hasn’t had time to flourish in his role as champion yet, although he did put on a great match against Jay Lethal at 16th Anniversary. I think Castle needs a few more great matches under his belt before he drops it (no pun intended). Putting him against Marty Scurll should give him another great match, and it would cause quite a spot of bother in Bullet Club if The Villain walked out of Supercard of Honor your NEW ROH World Champion. Would that catapult Scurll into position as a possible leader of the group? I mean, the man with the title makes the rules right? No, no, no. Bullet Club is fine and that’s all nonsense.

PREDICTION: With the Boys outside to make sure the Biz Cliz doesn’t get involved in this one, we’ll see another great match from Castle, another Bangarang and another successful title defense.

-Shawn Puff

ROH World Six-Man Championship: SoCal Uncensored vs. The Young Bucks & Flip Gordon
“The Demon” Tony Valenti
@Asseenontonyv

Speaking of everything “fine” in the Bullet Club, this contest should be an action-packed spot-fest. This 6-man title match is only happening because The Kingdom were taken off the card due to their recent behavior and are barred from ringside. I expect some insane spots between 6 guys that know each other oh-so-very well. Obviously, Taven and Co. will make their presence felt in some way and, to the dismay of Cody, I also wouldn’t be surprised if Flip Gordon officially joins the BC at Supercard Of Honor XII as well (maybe Flip will face Cody at All In?). This has all the makings of a show-stealer, even the most exciting match of the weekend–which is a pretty insane thought.

PREDICTION: The “Flippy Bucks” will be the victors in this one despite The Kingdom doing their damnedest to prevent that from happening.

-Tony Valenti

ROH TV Championship – Last Man Standing: Kenny King vs. Silas Young
“Pastor” Shawn Puff
@ShawnPuffy

Back in September we saw Kenny King get his first Television title reign when he defeated Kushida. Since then, Kenny has been nothing short of dominate, despite his loss of the title to Silas Young in a fatal four-way match at Final Battle In New York. He quickly went to work to get it back, doing so in February on ROH TV to become a 2x TV Champ. Of course, the “Last Real Man” would like nothing more than to get his hands on that belt for a second time, as well, come Mania Weekend’s Saturday night in an aptly named Last Man Standing match (no DQ, no rules). This plays right into Silas’ favor. I mean, does anyone NOT expect to see the Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas get involved somehow?

PREDICTION: I expect the Collector of Belts to be somewhere close by to make sure it turns out fair since he’s already stated his claim for the title. That said, Kenny King should the last man standing, standing face-to-face with the Greatest Man To Ever Live.. that is.

-Shawn Puff

ROH World Tag Team Championship: The Briscoes vs. Jay Lethal & Hiroshi Tanahashi
Philip “Son of” Abraham
@FranchiseFil

The Briscoes have returned to proving smarks that they are the best tag team in Ring of Honor, if not in all of wrestling. Having unleashed a violent side not seen in years on their way to a ninth Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship (!!), Mark and Jay Briscoe will face two of the biggest singles champions in the history of ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling, respectively. They have a history, as well. Jay Lethal and Hiroshi Tanahashi have formed a mutual respect and a friendship that has crossed international waters over the last few years. The duo teamed with KUSHIDA and Michael Elgin twice in the fall of 2016 to twice defeat Los Ingobernables de Japon before teaming with Juice Robinson at Honor Rising 2017. The two have teamed-up once before and did so in Dearborn as part of last year’s War of the Worlds Tour against War Machine.

PREDICTION: Despite one of the greatest ROH World Champions ever in Jay Lethal and the Ace of the Universe in Tanahashi forming a Super Marvel Team-Up, they meet the Greatest Tag Team in ROH history. I find it difficult to see any tag team–especially one of two individual Superstars–beating The Briscoes. It might have to come down to a new pair in needing of a push for Delaware’s Finest to drop the straps, perhaps not all the way until Final Battle.

-Philip Abraham

Kota Ibushi vs. Hangman Adam Page
Destiny “Evangelical” Edwards
@mochaloca85

Bullet Club is perfectly fine, folks. Every Hot Topic has merch with the new logo ready to go. And Hangman is on a winning streak! I mean, except for when he challenged Switchblade Jay White for the US Championship at Strong Style Evolved. And when he showed up at Bar Wrestling to take out the “Penis Pretender.” But this is absolutely going to be his night, right? It’s not like ROH has a history of jobbing out their talent to NJPW stars or anything…

PREDICTION: Yeah, Ibushi is winning this. I’ve said for a while that Page has been doing great work that’s being overshadowed by everyone else in his stable. Paired with Kota Ibushi who can make anyone look good, this has the potential to be a 4-Bible match.

-Destiny Edwards

Punishment Martinez vs. Tomohiro Ishii
“Monsignor” Travis Moody
@TravMoody

Has Ishii ever been involved in a bad singles match? If so, not too many come to mind. I can’t fault the rest of the Apostles for not wanting to pick this match to write about, though, despite the Strong Styled underdog prowess of the Stone Pitbull– for Punishment Martinez has been a mostly hit-or-miss talent. But hey.. I thought the guy made up for that terrible blunder from Manhattan Mayhem with a very solid outting against the Villain at 16th Anniversary. If nothing else, both of these guys like to work stiff; between Martinez’ deathly high-spots and Ishii being way over no matter what, this might be just enough of a hard-hitting crowd-pleaser to set off a superb night of action.

PREDICTION: Although the general rule is to put over the New Japan guy (since, in NJPW’s eyes, ROH might be “lucky” enough to borrow said company’s talents), I just don’t see both Ibushi and Ishii winning. Punishment needs a win like he needs some crowd heat, so beating Ishii may finally give the guy the credibility he so sorely needs.

-Travis Moody

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NJPW STRONG STYLE EVOLVED [Live Review]: Gold & Blue.

The following is a live account of NJPW’S Strong Style Evolve special from The Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California. I heard the live AXS broadcast had several direction problems and some commentary mishaps. Sorry for that.

– Roppongi 3k (Sho & Yoh) & Rocky Romero vs. SoCal Uncensored – 3/5 This was a pretty hot, fun opener. The LB crowd was ready for this one once they found their seats; but.. I knew they’d blow too much steam too soon and wouldn’t be as lively until the main event. Ah, well; why use up all your energy on what is, basically, an ROH TV match? Still, the early reactions and Rocky Romero’s signature spots were enough to call this one “good”. Scorpio Sky was the breakout.

– David Finlay & Juice Robinson vs. Hirooki Goto & Gedo – 2.5/5 There was a reason why Finlay got the pin instead of Juice over the NEVER champ Goto. A lot of these matches felt like they ended so abruptly, but that’s the usual Korakuen Hall house show style.. We didn’t really see any of these guys at their best; Goto was cheered big, but did very little. Juice wasn’t as great as usual. Amazing crowd saved this one.

– KES vs. Toru Yano & Chuckie T – 3.25/5 Expected all gaga, received all gaga. Of course Chuckie/Chucky T is a huge star in LA (ala PWG), so no question he was over big here and everyone loved witnessing Yano’s infamous antics in person for the first time. He was over huge! The entertainment level was high, and the last few minutes were surprisingly pretty damn good.

– Marty Scurll & Cody vs. The Guerrillas of Destiny – 2.75/5 G.O.D. marks were definitely not pleased with this finish, as a burial against a non-tag team (that doesn’t get along, mind you) is sort of a waste. The O.G.’s of Bullet Club are already way behind the ELITE bullet train, too, so why not give them the win? What good is a future would-be dream match w/ the Bucks if the Guerillas can’t beat Cody & Marty? Besides the opening promo from Cody (another heel homerun for, really, the only heel on the show), this was the one disappointment of the night.

– LIJ vs. Taguchi Japan – 3.5/5 Don’t kill me, but this was like a “WWE” 8-man tag with everyone just in there to “get their shit in”; but it was not a bad, thing certainly! Tanahashi looked like the last 2 weeks at the NJ Cup aged him 7-years; this poor guy already needs another break; he was hobbling out there. Otherwise, it was just awesome to see all these guys work. Takahashi v Lee was lit AF again (slap slap slap)! And damn if Naito isn’t a god in LA!

– Will Ospreay vs. Jushin Liger – 3.75/5 Great seeing Rey come out and “apologize” to the LBC for his recent bicep injury, which definitely — and unexpectedly — jolted the crowd to new heights (and it was even cooler seeing him involved post-match); I wasn’t thrilled with the obvious finish (I loved the match nearly as much if not more than Friday’s great Ospreay/Brooks contest–especially seeing Liger in a singles IN PERSON!), but it made more sense once Will gave his post-match speech. Looks like a rematch with Scurll at Sakura Genesis and Liger/Mysterio for Dominion (or even later on at Wrestle Kingdom). Hopefully we can get Rey/Scurll at the Cow Palace on July 7th (G1 Special: Fighting Spirit Unleashed)

– Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii – 4/5 This was awesome. Suzuki wasn’t here last year, so seeing him in person was a real treat. Ishii got a good reaction, and Okada showed a vulnerability with Suzuki-Gun (esp Zack) he hasn’t in a while; nice to see that in Year 2, the faction is no longer a joke. They look pretty threatening right now, as if Minoru wasn’t savage enough… Zack is RUTHLESS! He countered every one of Okada’s big moves. Great booking too; no obvious “here comes the Rainmaker finish because Okada’s in the USA” type stuff.

– IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match: Champion Jay White vs. Hangman Page – 4/5 I thought this was great, maybe just out of place… seeing 2 ROH guys in the only title match on New Japan show just minutes before 4 of the most over guys in wrestling today were about to come out and have a dream tag match… It was the dead zone and these guys busted their ass, literally. The crowd that was, at least first, sitting on their hands had no choice but to erupt after some of the apron brutality that Page took. The crowd was dead split on this one and we never once questioned whether Switchblade could lose or not. It had a tremendous counter finish, and post-match helped some of the earlier event booking look genius. Bravo.

– The Golden Lovers vs. The Young Bucks – 4.75-5/5 I made jokes about Ibushi for a bad mistake he had running agains the turnbuckle for the double flip dive attempt that almost killed him and Nick Jackson (#GoldenBotchers. Shhhh… *wink wink*). Throw that away and this is possibly the best match all year! These guys are so good that a couple early on miscues were QUICKLY forgotten with the extreme level of excellence showcased throughout the next 30 minutes. The Young Bucks really are the perfect tag team amalgamation of Bret Hart and HBK and that notion showed no more than in this heavyweight contest. Kenny hasn’t changed his gimmick or style at all, either; just his approach. Ibushi is just so damn gifted. What I loved beyond all of the match’s superb storytelling, pychology, spot danger and blowaway crowd reactions, was the resilient chemistry these guys all had despite the circumstances. Expectations were through the roof, and they somehow (despite being friends who had to battle, suffer through playing mind games, have nagging injuries, botching a couple spots) met or even surpassed them. Blessed to have been there live –with some pretty great seats– for this once in a lifetime main event. I’d rather watch the next “Being The Elite” than WrestleMania.

Overall = 3.5/5 Bibles show. The electricity in the building, the deep storytelling and Young Bucks’ spot execution was enough to make this, arguably, the 2nd best match of the year (many will say the best) and an instant tag team classic. That, and Ibushi hit the most insane tandem german suplex spot ever– there was just so much to love here. The main event really did have a big time “Attitude Era” WrestleMania energy/aura to it. The last couple matches leading up to it surpassed expectations as well. Despite PWG’s event on Friday being more consistent throughout, this was still a very solid and fulfilling night of NJPW action. Everything surrounding the matches at this year’s Long Beach show was better except the fact there was only ONE concession stand, which had an insane line all the way up until the main event. Dumb. At least they had 2 merch sections and plenty of product. All in all, a fun night of wrestling that further opens the doors to New Japan’s plans for global expansion.

Looking forward to hitting up the Bay on 7/7 for G1 Special: Fighting Spirit Unleashed!

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NXT TAKEOVER – PHILADELPHIA [Ringside Apostle Preview]: Meet The HEELite.

“Pastor” Shawn Puff
@ShawnPuffy

“PASTOR” SHAWN PUFF: Well it’s about time they got the bad guys together– I guess they didn’t think we’d be “PC” enough. Well, since my brother from another mother is away on Ring of Honor sabbatical(?), I guess we got the green light. Introducing the biggest heels in the Apostles!! Welcome to Meet The HEELite!!

Felipe “The 3rd Deacon” Crespo
@F7ovrdrv

“DEACON” FELIPE CRESPO: So this is what it took. Me sabotaging.. I mean.. Nothing, anyway, let’s get this started. It’s gonna get 2 sweeee.. No. There’ll be none of that crap here.

Kassius Ohno v Velveteen Dream

SHAWN: Oh no! … Fatshit Ohno. I’m soooo glad he got added to this one. I guess it’ll be good to see him lose to the artist formerly known as Prince Iakea… I mean the Velveteen Dream. Seriously though, someone needs to get this guy a dietician and make him cut his hair. What is he eating these days? Everything?? JR’s BBQ sauce is good, but come on. I’m just wondering when they’re going to at least make him put some pants on. The Velveteen Dream has some go in him on a more serious note. I think he’ll hold some type of gold in either NXT or the WWE at some point. I guess I can deal with Fatshit as long as he’s playing jobber to the future stars. But is there even a question as to who’s winning this thing?

FELIPE: The Dream deserves so much better. He’s so good, he made me interested in a rivalry/takeover match with a guy I hate (Hot Topic).. And now he’s going up against Johnny Craig? I get it, Ohno is a workhorse, he’s great for the up and comers in NXT, etc, etc, but Velveteen is arguably the best talent they have right now. Yet he’s at TakeOver again in a nothing match. He needs the win.

NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP: The Undisputed Era (C) v The Authors Of Pain

SHAWN: Soooooo.. this is the last match in NXT for the Authors of Pancakes right? I’m super excited for their debut on the main roster. [I hope you can read sarcasm.] I liked these guys for a cup of coffee, but they’ve just kind of gone stagnant. I’m expecting more of the same when they get to the main roster. Sort of like the Ascension; although, they could get a good little program going with the Bludgeon Brothers–I guess. The Undisputed Era are going to run this division for a little while, and rightfully so. They kind of remind me of us a little.. In the end, the Undisputed Era will walk out of Philly still your NXT Tag Team Champions.

FELIPE: Agreed on the Era taking it. But they’ll need some fuckery from Cole just for the heat (and honestly, just for the hell of it). As far as the Authors go, do they even know how to write? Seriously, do they? Because their recent chapters are stale. They’ve gotten predictable and I’m just putting the book down. Rumor has it that the next book : “Main Roster” has them facing bigger and better guys that already have their gimmick.

NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP: Ember Moon (C) v Shayna Baszler

SHAWN: Why is it I’m always most looking forward to the women’s matches on TakeOver cards? Shayna Baszler has a bright future as does Ember Moon. This should be a fight. Shayna is a straight up brute and Ember has proven herself time and time again already. So let’s be real about this thing. It’s way too early for Ember Moon to drop the strap so I don’t see her getting a pinfall. On the other side of the coin, they just can’t bury Baszler like that either. I fully expect a great match and an all out brawl, with a no contest or Baszler getting the DQ. Get ready for part II at TakeOver: New Orleans.

FELIPE: I’ve always detested the “oh hi. You just got here, here’s some gold” treatment (looking at the first ever Ubiberstal chumpoopie, Chimp Bomplur). So, Femme Corbin might beat the crap out of the reigning, defending, Mortal Kombat Kosplayer, but she’ll retain.

EXTREME RULES: Aleister Black v Adam Cole

SHAWN: Ok. This one might be the match of the night. The smarks are gonna crazy for this one. Wet undies all around… and the female smarks will be excited too. Just.. I’m still not sold on this Aleister Black character. I know everyone loves him, but he’s just too much Undertaker meets Gangrel for me. The Fakertaker, if you will. Adam Cole, (BAY BAY!) on the other hand, is just money. He’s got future World Champion written all over him. I’m hoping this feud is just to pacify the smarks until they put Cole in the Main Event at NXT New Orleans.

FELIPE: I have an unnatural hatred towards that guy in college who wouldn’t shut up about how religion is a sham.. And how he’ll only listen to Black Sabbath on vinyl.. He used “sheeple” unironically.. He stopped listening to good bands once they got a record deal and would start calling them sellouts and posers.. Is a vegan that won’t shut up about it.. Gets his band shirts at Hot Topic (don’t care, do you), but swears they’re vintage (you lying liar piece of shit).. And would tell you the meaning behind his tats when drinking (even though you didn’t ask).. That’s Aleister Black.. And of Course that’s his name in NXT -his “last name” in the indies? End. Because why wouldn’t it be…

So glad I’m not the only Apostle that isn’t halfway up his ass like the rest of the wrestling world. Rooting for Cole. And anyone else that faces Hot Topkick in the future.

NXT CHAMPIONSHIP: Andrade “Cien” Almas (C) v Johnny Gargano

SHAWN: This is the main event??? Really??? How the hell does Almas have this title anyway?? And why the hell is Gargano in this match?? He lost about a dozen matches in a row and got put into the fatal four-way to name a number one contender? Why? Who writes this crap? Johnny Wrestling my ass. More like Johnny Jobber. I don’t even know what this match is happening. Hopefully, they use this to turn it around for Gargano and give him a little bit of a boost. He’s going to win this one right? I mean we both know he’ll just be a transitional champion until they put the strap on Adam Cole, but I guess it’s better him than that joke Almas. I still don’t understand how Almas even got a title shot. … Oh well. Onto the Rumble I guess. Johnny Wrestling better win this or I might riot.

FELIPE: I don’t disagree that Gargy has been on a huge losing streak.. But I love the guy. And it could’ve been worse. You know who was in that fatal 4way? That douchebag from college that I mentioned earlier. Also, as a Latino, I want to be excited about Cien Almas as champ; but, ironically, he has no soul. Just.. Meh. Meh Almas. Gargano always delivers, specially at Takeover matches. And Andrade.. Well, he gets to be in the ring with Gargano. Good for him!

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WWE ROYAL RUMBLE 2018 [Ringside Apostle Preview]: Empires of Tomorrow.

SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin (2-out-of-3-Falls Match)
Destiny “Evangelical” Edwards
@mochaloca85

The Tag Division has been one of the few bright spots left on the blue brand over the last year (seriously, remember when SD was Brand of the Year?). After winning the excellent triple threat match for the No. 1 contender spot back in December, American Alpha 2.0/Team Angle 3.0 got screwed. Their title match was restarted after Benjamin and Gable’s win because neither man involved in the pin was legal. So what does Daniel Bryan want them to do, beat the Usos twice in one night? As it turns out, YES! YES! YES!

PREDICTION: AND NEW…The Usos don’t need the titles anymore and Jey got himself into a spot of trouble, so the clear choice is to put the titles on American Beta. Benjamin and Gable get the first and third falls; Usos get the second by banking on no one being able to tell them apart besides me and their family (tattoos, y’all, use the tattoos).

-Destiny Edwards

Raw Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Jason Jordan vs. Cesaro & Sheamus
Travis “Heihachi” Moody
@travmoody

Jason Jordan has been a heel for a long minute now, but with nothing for him to do and Dean Ambrose heading to the shelf, RAW GM Kurt Angle (a.k.a. Vinnie Mac and Kevin Dunn) saw fit to throw this oddball teaming of Jordan & Able together. “The Bar”, after months of trying and trying to get over, are — by far — the far superior team, recent jobs withstanding, and I expect Seth Rollins to go on a bit of a singles run until Dean comes back or Vince retires/dies and Hunter finally makes Roman the tag match superstar we all know he NEEDS to be. Expect Jordan to walk out on Seth or fuck him over somehow and erase this current silliness from the brand.

PREDICTION: New champions, The Bar. And can The Revival come out and “revive” their careers by beating the living hell out of Sheamus, Cesaro and Rollins post-match? Come on, man; they got the AARP “rub” on Monday, didn’t they?

-Travis Moody

Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman vs. Kane (Triple Threat Match)
Anthony “PriestMode” Holloway
IG @Grumpykore

Well NERDS, the 3 Biggest Baddest Bohemis is on the Main Event dish. You have Monster, a Beast and Demon fighting for the richest prize in the WWE: The Universal Championship. This seems like it has been brewing for months but the wait is finally over. The destruction that will take place in the squared circle can only be stated and I quote, as Good Ol’ JR would say, “A Slobber Knocker”. The path that Braun Strowman has took the past year to make himself the face of RAW–a giant pleasure to watch. Kane has come back to do one thing and go out in style.. but “the reigning, defending” champ, Brock Lesnar, is the pickle too. He has met his match and everyone sees it. Being Triple Threat (no DQ), this will be a fight and it will be nasty: Tables..Chairs..Ladders.. Semi Trucks..Carnage.

PREDICTION: I’m sure Strowman can survive a Choke Slam from Hell and F5s all over the Arena. It’s his time and a Mania match featuring Cena or Reigns vs. Braun would be epic. (I also have a feeling The Big Show will make an appearance to make a 4-way Bash for the start of WrestleMania Season).

-Anthony Holloway

WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn — 2-on-1 Handicap Match for the WWE Title
“The Demon” Tony Valenti
@Asseenontonyv

“The Champ That Runs the Camp”, A.. J.. Styles, will defend against the former ROH/PWG team of Owens and Zayn. Styles sarcastically suggested that he could beat both Sami and Kevin (a.k.a. “Kami” *sigh*) at once and Smackdown Live GM Daniel Bryan made the match official. We could leave Sunday with WWE Co-World Champions, but I don’t see that happening. Hopefully, we get a show-stealing performance from 3 of the best wrestlers in the world but something tells me they will just be the pawns in the continuing Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan saga.

PREDICTION: Styles by DQ.

-Tony Valenti

The first-ever 30-Woman Over-The-Top Royal Rumble Match
“Sister” Jenn Casals
IG @Jenn_Casals

The first ever Women’s Royal Rumble match is set to be a huge success or gigantic failure. Giving the women equal importance and respect is awesome. I have serious concerns about how they are going to fill all 30 spots. With the entire Women’s roster there are still only 18/30 slots filled. Should they go as far as to give the entire NXT roster a slot as well, it would make 27/30. This means that no matter what there will have to be surprise entrants — the best part of the Rumble. That anticipation of who’s going to come out when the countdown hits 0 and losing my damn mind when a huge debut like AJ Styles happens is EVERYTHING! This would be an amazing opportunity for WWE to introduce some amazing indy talent like Santana Garrett or correct their #RAW25 mistake and give us a Lita appearance. However, given WWE’s track record we’re more likely to see some disappointing entrants like Brie Bella or Stephanie McMahon getting up from the announce table. I want them to take this match seriously and put on a real contest and not a bunch of joke picks and hair pulling like we’ve gotten from past “diva style” battle royals. I hope they are smart in their match order so we don’t get a bored crowd sitting through 2 hour long matches in one night. Either way this match is going to make history.

PREDICTION: The only entrant I feel is a lock to be in the Rumble is NXT champion, Ember Moon. As such it would be awesome to see her and Asuka go at it one more time for the final slot. If this doesn’t happen it will be Nia vs. Asuka in the end and Asuka coming out on top.

-Jenn Casals

The 2018 30-Man Over-The-Top Royal Rumble Match
“Reverend” Lauro Rojas
@Cheeky_Basterds

Here we are ladies and gentlemen, the sports entertainment spectacular free-for-all, and my personal favorite event, where stars are made, unlikely dreams come true, and everyone raucously boos Roman Reigns. Last few years we’ve had the likes of Blue- I mean Bautista, Triple H, and Randy Orton winning it all, essentially three years of the Rumble dominated by Evolution, you’d think we’re in the early 2000s! If the ‘E is pushing hard for this New Era, they so desperately need, they’ll be smart to crown some new blood. My early favorite was Samoa Joe until his foot injury, but the two favorites that stand out are Nakamura and Balor; besides, with Balor there’s sure to be Club shenanigans afoot. There’s a number of scenarios you can play with both superstars, whether a David/Goliath story with Finn seeking the Universal Championship against whatever monster retains or attains the belt or going full on heel and The Club invading Smackdown. With Shinsuke, that long awaited face off with Styles. So far there have 17 of the 30 entrants announced to participate, expect surprise entrants from rumors swirling with EC3, Daniel Bryan to Batista and *gasp* Kenny Omega! (Smarks will shoot me down but Jericho is the key to all this, I’m telling you.) Vince wouldn’t let a future hall of famer work one of the biggest shows for a rival company without some sort of return, quid pro quo. There has to be some working relationship between NJPW and the ‘E!

My stone cold lock of the century of the week…

PREDICTION: “The Demon” Finn Balor.

-Lauro Rojas

Posted on

NJPW WRESTLE KINGDOM 12 [Bible Report]: Best in the World.

“Monsignor” Travis Moody
@TravMoody

If you thought the hype was REAL for last year’s Wrestle Kingdom 11 spectacular, New Japan Pro Wrestling made even broader strokes this year with Chris Jericho’s surprise return to the Lionmark logo in a heated street fight confrontation against, arguably, the best wrestler in the world, Kenny Omega. Japanese heel fan favorite Tetsuya Naito also domestically headlined that headline in a long-awaited Tokyo Dome match-up with star-making machine, Kazuchika Okada.

Without spoiling any sentiments, scroll down for yours truly’s thoughts — and bible ratings — on Wrestle Kingdom 12!

*NEW JAPAN RUMBLE*

MOODY: Look. I’m not going to count this towards the actual WK12 card. Last year we graded the Rumble 1.5 Bibles and that was 10x better than this. Unlike the WWE’s version that takes place in just over 3 weeks, this Rumble is a joke. It’s a warm-up for the massive Dome attendance taking their sweet ass time to find a seat. It’s less of a spotlight on Young Lions and old-timey vets than we think; gone, also, were a few of the star veteran surprises of 2017 like Scott Norton and Billy Gunn. More importantly, this Rumble is also detached from the rest of the show and, unlike matches we see on a WWE PPV pre-show, this had zero bearing on anything relevant in the New Japan brand. N/A/5

**IWGP JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM TITLES**

*ROPPONGI 3K vs. THE YOUNG BUCKS*

MOODY: This was an improvement from last year. I loved the story that all four super juniors told with the multiple back injuries, and as far as whom was the tougher/stronger of Sho or Nick Jackson. Maybe the Young Bucks are channeling their “inner Revival”, but they seemed a lot more savage here than usual. Every new spot here also seemed to serve a purpose with the ailing back, be it the mockery of the twin sharpshooter from this new, Rocky Romero — who also had a memorable, unfortunate-for-him ramp bump — “directed” Roppongi, or the usual Senton spot from the Bucks that split these “young boys” in half. Again, this 7th title win for the tag team Elite also set the precedent of undercard matches switching straps. 4/5 Bibles.

**NEVER SIX-MAN TITLE GAUNTLET MATCH**

*BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale/Tama Tonga/Tanga Loa) v. TAGUCHI-GUN (Makabe/Juice/Taguchi) v. CHAOS (Ishii/Yano/Trent) v. WAR MACHINE (Elgin/Rowe/Hanson) v. SUZUKI-GUN (Zack Sabre Jr./Iizuka/Taichi)*

MOODY: If you don’t mind Yano and his “beautiful schoolboy roll-up” (to quote color commentator Don Callis), this was another undercard title match that was a lot better than last year. Maybe it’s because I can’t remember a NEVER Openweight Hot Potato Six-Man match being this much fun or a spot as memorable as Ishii suplexing Fale. 3.75/5 Bibles.

*CODY vs. KOTA IBUSHI*

MOODY: Two things: 1.) Cody bounces back from a middling Wrestle Kingdom debut with Juice Robinson one year ago and has, arguably, the best match of his career; 2.) Because the “American Nightmare” lost the ROH strap a couple weeks ago at Final Battle, there was no “ROH match” at this year’s WK, and New Japan was all the better for it (especially had it been gaijin v. gaijin). A fuckin’ Cross Rhodes off the apron! Should I say more? I will. I expect major things in 2018 from Kota Ibushi, and I’d like to see him help Jay White bounce back from his lackluster night with a should-be great confrontation. 4.25/5 Bibles.

**IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM TITLES**

*KILLER ELITE SQUAD (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) v. LOS INGOBERNABLES de JAPON (Evil & Sanada)*

MOODY: This was a pure heelish beatdown in every sense of the word. Then, how the fuck did Suzuki-Gun’s KES lose? I was only OK with the title change when I thought Evil & Sanada — the winners of Tag League 2017 — going over meant a night of domination from L-I-J at WK12. None of that proved fact except that Sanada should have never kicked out of that second Killer Bomb! 3.5/5 Bibles.

**IWGP JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT FATAL 4-WAY**

*MARTY SCURLL vs. WILL OSPREAY vs. KUSHIDA vs. HIROMU TAKAHASHI*

MOODY: While it doesn’t top last year’s “holy fuckballs” Super Junior title confrontation between Kushida and Takahashi, this one had great entrances (see: Villain), twice as many spots (see: Ospreay), and just as much ring chemistry (“ALL THESE GUYS!”). Minus a botch or two this was easily the most athletically impressive match on the card– and that’s saying a lot considering how awesome Ibushi & Cody was earlier in the night. Hell, I called Ospreay the new Jeff Hardy. At the very least, these four Super Juniors are light years beyond any 205 Live the WWE has to offer and that’s both a smark blessing and a casual fan shame. 4.25/5 Bibles.

**NEVER OPENWEIGHT TITLE**

*MINORU SUZUKI vs. HIROOKI GOTO*

MOODY: While one can’t help but think that it’s likely Goto was taking Shibata’s place in this high NEVER Openweight spot on the card, this Mortal Kombat-level Strong Style AF performance from the Samurai (just for taking all of the stiff slaps and jabs from Suzuki) made great back-to-back performances at a Wrestle Kingdom. With this superb psychological tale, it’s a wonder why we never give a shit about Goto the other 11 months of the year; hopefully this run and hand-chunk of Minoru’s dreadlocks can change that. 4.25/5 Bibles.

**IWGP INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP**

*HIROSHI TANAHASHI vs. JAY WHITE*

MOODY: Boy, was this a severe departure from the classic (yet somehow forgotten) IWGP Intercontinental match from WK11. Slingblade is no Destin0, and that wasn’t even half the problem. Jay White wasn’t over in my eyes until I saw his fantastic bout with Will Ospreay at ROH’s War of the Worlds exactly a month ago. And while his new Konami villain appearance and impressive promo at Tuesday night’s WK12 Fan Festa was enough to get me excited for this match, the lack of chemistry, crowd heat and an overall concern more for Tana‘s well-being than match performance really made this a miss. Definitely the biggest disappointment of the night. 3.25/5 Bibles.

**IWGP UNITED STATES TITLE – NO DQ**

*KENNY OMEGA vs. CHRIS JERICHO*

MOODY: The night I turned heel. Hah, who am I kidding? I’m a Kenny mark 4 life. The Cleaner came correct against the G.O.A.T., and this “Dream Match” of #AlphavOmega between my current fav and my favorite wrestler of all time was everything and more. Seriously. I know some folks might be iffy about the sight of Chris Jericho‘s (fl)abs or the sounds of his stamina, but Y2J can still hit all his signature spots, bring back bold memories and surprise the fuck out of you at every turn. And what about Kenny Omega besting Bate for the greatest Tyler (Pedigree) Driver 97 ever? This NO DQ street fight style battle lived up to the billing, an “ECW” bloodbath with many plot twists and turns that had me on my feet the entire 35-minute stretch. My only minor grievances with the match had nothing to do with the performers at all (Jericho, at 47, IMNSHO was perfect here), but with some funky rules like still active count-outs and rope breaks. Again, silly but nothing match-destroying. In fact, the two legends used this rulebook asininity to an advantage, got super-creative and forced our little smark brains to think Jericho actually had a chance to go over (that One-Winged Angel into The Walls tho!!!). Bottom line: this was a 5-star match — or, at least almost one — because they weren’t trying to get 5-stars. 4.75/5 Bibles

**IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE**

*KAZUCHIKA OKADA vs. TETSUYA NAITO*

MOODY: In some way, you’ve got to feel for both of these seven-star athletes, having to play second-fiddle headliners to Alpha & Omega in every country not named Japan; you’ve also got to feel for Naito and Okada for the unprecedented amazing “6 star” matches that were witnessed in 2017. Totally fucking unfair. Had we skipped right to Wrestle Kingdom 12 from 2016, we might be talking about this long-awaited IWGP title bout as the greatest wrestling match in modern day history. Instead, we’re talking about an anxiety-riddled final 5-minutes between both fan favorites; and a near-insane miracle that THE DOME WAS SO HOT FOR THIS MATCH despite 5-hours of wrestling before it. While I could have done without some of the overly telegraphed Destino/Rainmaker finisher spots–and I still have my doubts about who they decided to put over–this was yet another fantastic Wrestle Kingdom main event worth watching many times over again. Fuck you for being so unfair, Pro Wrestling 2017. 4.5/5 Bibles

WRESTLE KINGDOM 12 = 4 (out of 5) Bibles.