Smackdown 1000
Next Tuesday we’ll see the WWE going all out to celebrate the 1000th episode of Smackdown. In addition to the previously announced reunion of the Evolution stable (HHH, Orton, Batista, & Flair), Rey Mysterio will also be making his long awaited return to a WWE ring. He recently signed a two year deal with the company and will kick off his tenure with a World Cup qualifying match against US Champion Shinsuke Nakamura (the US Title will NOT be on the line). Other stars of the past expected to appear on the show include Edge, Undertaker, Kane, Michelle McCool, Vickie Guerrero, and Teddy Long. Plenty of other surprises could be in the works as well for the big show (not the wrestler).
In addition to the return of past performers SD1000 may also see the return of a criminally underutilized current faction. Sanity has barely been used since their rise to the main roster, but if a tweet from group leader Eric Young is any indication there are plans for them to make their presence known at this show. The tweet simply says “10.16.18. 10pm #sanity #purge #destroyandrenew #staytuned”. Hopefully this means a renewed push for the talented trio and not just that they’ll be fed to one of the nostalgia acts as fodder.
Injury Report
It would seem that the Kevin Owens injury angle on Raw was a means of writing him off to address a legitimate injury. Owens will be undergoing knee surgery soon. WWE is hoping that the injury is minor and won’t require extensive time off, but they won’t know for sure until the doctors get a good look at it. There is a great deal of speculation though that we’ve seen the last of KO for 2018. They haven’t yet announced who will be replacing him on Team Paws for the MMC.
The latest on Sasha Banks is that she has some sort of back injury. The severity is still unknown as both she and WWE are remaining tight lipped. We’ll have more updates as they become available.
Assorted News and Notes
Chelsea Green may have finally signed with WWE. Reliable sources are claiming that she reported to the PC this week to begin her tenure there. Green should make a fantastic addition to the already strong roster of women currently competing across the brands of WWE.
We’ve talked a lot recently about WWE having interest in some big names from NJPW when their current contracts expire. Most of them had been considered longshots, however that may be changing. There’s word coming out now that the new management team running New Japan are extremely unpopular and that there are talents who never would have left previously reconsidering that position. 2019 could be a very interesting year as we watch this story unfold.
NXT UK
WWE has finally announced that weekly episodes of NXT UK will begin airing Wednesdays starting October 17. Rather than add it to the existing block of weekly shows currently airing on Wednesdays, it has been scheduled based on the UK audience. Each new episode will go up on the Network at 8pm British Time, which is 3pm Eastern Time here in the US.
On a side note, that will give them 2 weeks of TV before the Evolution PPV. I wonder if that’s enough time to crown their 1st Women’s Champion and get her on the Evolution card? As far as I know that person is scheduled to be at the event. It’s just a question of whether or not she’ll be defending her belt there.
Mae Young Classic 2
Here are your Round 2 results for this week:
Match 1: Tournament favorite Io Shirai used her moonsault to pull out a hard fought victory over Zeuxis.
Match 2: Deonna Purrazzo locked in a double armbar to make Xia Li submit.
Match 3: Tegan Nox defeated Nicole Matthews with her Shining Wizard.
Match 4: Mia Yim overcame a hand injury suffered during round 1 to submit Kaitlyn with a kneebar.
The Quarter Finals are now set and will feature the following matches: Meiko Satomura vs Lacey Lane, Toni Storm vs Mia Yim, Tegan Nox vs Rhea Ripley, and Io Shirai vs Deonna Purrazzo
PPV Event Plans
The WWE has a busy schedule of events this fall, and I’ll do my best to keep you updated on their cards.
Oct 28: Evolution-All women’s PPV
In a strange Raw segment where they seemingly acted like the Mickie vs Lita match did not already exist, two of the announced matches became one. Mickie and Alexa Bliss will now team up against their previously announced opponents Lita and Trish Stratus.
In another segment on Raw the Bella twins turned against their Super Show-Down partner Ronda Rousey. As had been rumored for some time, Nikki Bella will now be facing Rousey for the Raw Women’s Title at Evolution.
After multiple non-finishes, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair will continue their title feud at Evolution with the first ever main roster Last Woman Standing match. Hopefully it will be the main event of the show as both the feud and the performers involved are deserving of that honor.
Announced:
Alexa Bliss & Mickie James vs Trish Stratus & Lita
NXT Womens Title: Kairi Sane© vs Shayna Baszler
Raw Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey© vs Nikki Bella
Smackdown Women’s Title: Last Woman Standing: Becky Lynch© vs Charlotte Flair
Expected:
NXT UK Womens title match, Final match of MYC2
Nov 2: WWE Crown Jewel from Saudi Arabia
The match everyone saw coming a mile away was made official on Raw. Triple H and Shawn Michaels will team up against Undertaker and Kane.
Some sort of “World Cup” tournament has been announced for this event. John Cena was announced as the first competitor participating. On Raw, currently on vacation GM, Kurt Angle wore a mask while pulling off a surprise battle royal win to earn his spot in the tournament. On Smackdown this week Jeffy Hardy and Randy Orton each won qualifying matches to join the World Cup. There will still be 2 more participants added from each show.
Announced:
Universal Title Triple Threat: Roman Reigns© vs Braun Strowman vs Brock Lesnar
Tag Match: DX (HHH & HBK) vs The Brothers of Destruction (Taker & Kane)
World Cup Tournament: John Cena, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton (plus 4 more participants)
Rumored:
WWE Title 4 way: Aj Styles vs Samoa Joe vs Daniel Bryan vs Miz
Nov 17/18: NXT Takeover and Survivor Series
The first of many rumors to come for Survivor Series suggest the possibility of a Team Corbin vs Team Angle match with control of Monday Night Raw on the line.
