Finn Balor Rips Brock Lesnar –  I don’t say these baity headlines a lot, but damn, how else can you describe what Finn Balor said about Lesnar?  To say Balor still has issues with Brock, would be an understatement.  While talking to Inside The Ropes, Balor rips Lesnar’s time in New Japan Pro Wrestling, and his time as Universal Champion on the WWE by saying;

…I would love the Brock Lesnar match more than anyone. I think it’s the classic David versus Goliath match. I don’t think it’s very much like a match I’ve had before or he’s had before maybe, and someone who I had a very brief crossing of the paths with in New Japan, and when I was in New Japan as a young boy, he was the New Japan Champion, and you know what he did? He walked out on the company, and destroyed the reputation of the title belt, and he’s kind of doing the same thing now.

I mean I hope he’s not listening to this interview. Honestly when Brock’s music hits everyone pays attention and despite all this talk about, ‘Aw, he’s not there every week and he’s not invested’. I know that when his music hits and he walks out I’m invested and I’m intrigued to see what’s going to happen and there’s certainly an aura that Brock carries that nobody else carries and that’s the type of aura I want to be in the ring with and I want to feel and experience.

 

Major NJPW News – Cody is having a hell of a month.  It started on September 1st, with Cody winning the NWA Worlds Championship at All In.  Then, on the last day of September here in the states, Cody won his first NJPW championship, defeating Juice Robinson for the IWGP United States Championship.  The move was marked with some who were unhappy with the decision to remove the belt from Juice, as many have truly embraced him. Though, if you gotta lose it to someone, Cody is the guy to lose it to.

Also on the same show, Fighting Spirit Unleashed saw The Bullet Club lose another title, as The Young Bucks dropped the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles to The Guerrillas of Destiny.

British Wrestling Results – PROGRESS held an event at Wembley Arena last night which saw them pack the historic venue with over 4,000 fans. The show was titled Hello Wembley.

Pre Show Battle Royal
– Chuck Mambo gets the win.

Matt Riddle vs. Mark Haskins
– Riddle, in his last match before reporting to NXT, lost to former IMPACT Wrestling star, Mark Haskins.

PROGRESS Women’s Championship Match
– Tony Storm and Millie McKenzie wrestled the defending champion Jinny in a triple threat but the challengers came up short as Jinny was able to retain the title.  Indy star Jordynne Grace showed up post-match and took the three women out.

PROGRESS Atlas Championship
– With his career on the line, defending Atlas Champion Doug Williams (of IMPACT fame) wrestled Trent Seven and lost.  Seven now becomes the new champion and Williams has to walk away. (*More on this later*)

No DQ Match
– Paul Robinson fell to Jimmy Havoc in a brutal encounter.

PROGRESS Tag Team Championships
– Aussie Open survived a Thunderbastard Match, which saw Bandido and Flamita the defending tag champs, lose.  The Aussie Open survived The 198 (Flash Morgan Webster & “Wild Boar” Mike Hitchman), CCKampf (Chris Brookes & Timothy Thatcher), Sexy Starr (David Starr & Jack Sexsmith), Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson), Anti Fun Police (Chief Deputy Dunne & Los Federales Santos Junior), and Connor Mills and Maverick Mayhew.

Pete Dunne vs. Ilja Dragunov
– In a match pitting two of the best in Europe, the British born Dunne was able to secure a win over Russian born/German based Dragunov.

TLC Match
– Mark Andres came close but fell to Eddie Dennis in this spectacle.

PROGRESS World Championship
– Tyler Bate, one of the hottest young wrestlers going today, fell to the RingKampf leader himself and defending champion WALTER.

In other major British Wrestling News, World of Sport ended their first ten week run of shows, ending in their season finale (They refer to show season’s as “series”).    The event only had two matches but they were both title bouts and featured the promotions biggest stars.  (These bouts were taped in May but finally aired)

WOS Tag Team Championship
– The defending champions of Kip Sabian and Iestyn Rees lost to NJPW future legend Davey Boy Smith Jr. and IMPACT Wrestling star Grado.  Davey Boy Jr and Grado are in their first reign as champions and this is technically Grado’s second WOS title, having won the Heavyweight Championship in it’s first revival efforts.

WOS Heavyweight Championship
– Justin Sysum took on former IMPACT British Bootcamp talent and reigning WOS Heavyweight Champion Rampage Brown and got the shocking win.  Sysum is someone the company and channel want to build around due to his charisma, likability and good looks.

All Time Great Hangs ‘Em Up – While it might just be an angle, though I highly doubt it, the 46 year old former IMPACT X-Division and World Tag Team Champion apparently did retire after his match with Trent Seven last night at the Hello Wembley event for PROGRESS Wrestling.  He was met with a standing ovation as the locker room came pouring out on stage in a grand show of support and celebration for the ring veteran.  He embraced Seven post match, and the crowd on hand were said to be thunderous for the vet.

Update: Williams seems to hint this is legit, implying this is the last time he’ll ever wrestle in the UK, but claims he does still have a few more international dates to wrap up.

Overwhelmed by the amazing response I have received. Some totally unexpected! I will take this moment to formally announce my retirement. I am finished in the UK now but still have some international bookings to fulfil. Thank you once again and keep supporting British Wresting!

— Doug Williams (@DougWilliamsUK) October 1, 2018

 

Top Name to the WWE/New ROH Champ – The night we get a new Ring of Honor Television Champion, we also find out why the move was made.  Jeffery Cobb, know as Matanza Cueto in Lucha Underground, defeated ROH Television Champion Punishment Martinez to win the title.  Cobb, who is working with but not signed to ROH (as of press), has been showing up for weeks beating up people for fun.  This was his first real match (that I know of) for the company.

The reason for the title switch is obvious, as Martinez is on his way to WWE Developmental.

Quick Hits – Despite not being cleared to return to the ring, Liv Morgan was at the house show circuit over the weekend with her Riot Squad partners.  Dave Meltzer claims she’ll be re-evaluated tonight.  John Cena is still in China for another two months, filming Project X-traction alongside Jackie Chan, but will at the Super Show-Down; tagging up with Lashley against Kevin Owens and Elias.  Sienna told the WPW Podcast that she thought her Mae Young Classic match with Mia Yim (IMPACT’s Jade) was a ‘rib’, because of whom the match featured.  Tenille Dashwood is taking time off to have surgery on her shoulder; but with that being the case ROH Wrestling still intends on signing her to an exclusive contract.