NEWS

Fusion #8
Date: June 8, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone
Things are starting to change a bit as evil manager Salina de la Renta is coming after World Champion Shane Strickland. At the same time, Tom Lawlor is still a jerk and tonight he gets to face the rather talented Fred Yehi. We’re still at the point of having people debut here fairly regularly around here so we might be seeing some new faces again. Let’s get to it.
Video on Shane Strickland.
Opening sequence.
Tom Lawlor vs. Fred Yehi Lawlor has Team Filthy, including Simon Gotch and the still unnamed third man (though his jacket says Sanders), with him. Yehi takes him down to the mat and grabs a front facelock but Lawlor spins back up for a standoff. Now it’s Lawlor’s turn to wrestle him down but Yehi spins out and grabs him again, sending Lawlor to the ropes. This time Yehi stomps on Lawlor’s hand but Lawlor pulls him down by the leg. That goes n..

After her debut at the Royal Rumble, the WWE Universe was anxious to find out what Ronda Rousey would be doing with the company. Alongside Kurt Angle, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon, she helped steal the show at WrestleMania 34. Rousey surprised a lot of fans with her performance and her in-ring skills on the grandest stage of them all.
At Money in the Bank, Ronda Rousey will challenge Nia Jax for the Raw Women’s Title, which the WWE Universe isn’t as excited about but they still want to know if Ronda can win the championship. It has been rumored for the past few months that WWE wants to book Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey in the main event of WrestleMania 35 next year.
Related: SmackDown Moving to FOX Network Because of Ronda Rousey
The match would be historic on multiple levels and almost everyone would be thrilled to see it happen. However, WrestlingNews.co is reporting that Ronda Rousey could be finished with WWE after that event no matter the outcome. Ric Flair was interview..

On June 18th and 19th, the United Kingdom Championship tournament will be filmed in the Royal Albert Hall in London. It will air a week later on the WWE Network. The event is being used to promote the UK series that is currently being developed. However, that isn’t what WWE officials originally had in mind for the United Kingdom tournament.
The original concept was to bring back the “King of the Ring” tournament for the event and use it as a launching pad for the UK series. According to a report from DirtySheets, the original plans for the UK King of the Ring tournament were rumored. There was a lot of speculation from the WWE Universe about the concept coming back this year.
Related: “King of the Ring” Could Be Returning to WWE
However, Triple H and WWE never specifically mentioned or promoted the tournament with King of the Ring attached to it. As a result, it was easy to scrap those plans. It’s still plausible WWE could be planning a surprise for the event, but that seems very un..

At New Japan Pro Wrestling’s ‘Dominion” event this weekend, Chris Jericho defeated Tetsuya Naito to become the IWGP Intercontinental Champion. It was a surprise for a lot of wrestling fans because most weren’t expecting Jericho to wrestle for the company long-term. As a result, his title win has made his future in wrestling very unpredictable.
According to the Wrestling Observer, Y2J winning the IWPG IC Title means he’s staying with the promotion and there are multiple matches coming. Dave Meltzer is saying that a rematch between Jericho and Naito seems to be coming down the line. It may happen inside the Tokyo Dome, but the next match for Chris Jericho seems to be against Evil.
Related: Chris Jericho: “I Come And Go When I Feel It’s Right”
The beat down angle Jericho did after beating Naito and the save from Evil is obviously a setup for Jericho vs. Evil. One of the most interesting dynamics for fans watching Y2J with New Japan is the more violent and brutal heel he’s been playing…

Last year, the first ever Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match was exclusive to the SmackDown brand. Carmella won the briefcase twice and successfully cashed it in after WrestleMania 34. This year, Miss Money in the Bank will be determined between Raw and SmackDown performers. For most of the women, it will be their first ladder match.
In particular, Sasha Banks is excited to be featured in her first Ladder Match. Most fans judge the quality of a Ladder Match by the ingenuity and creativity. The WWE Universe expects to see something they’ve never seen before, which is Sasha’s goal in the match.
During a recent interview with Red Carpet Report, The Boss discussed her excitement to be a part of the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match. When asked what to expect from her on Sunday, she had the following to say about her involvement in the match:
Related: Major Update Regarding Sasha Banks’ WWE Future Revealed
“You can expect me to do some crazy things because I keep on dreaming ab..

It’s not a good sign when your boss says no. Last night at UFC 225, CM Punk went to a decision loss against Mike Jackson in his second career mixed martial arts fight. This was Punk’s second career loss and while he did survive far longer than he did in his first fight, which lasted 2:14, it still wasn’t the prettiest thing in the world. Punk was dominated throughout most of the fight and the fans weren’t the only ones who noticed. According to ESPN.com, UFC President Dana White wasn’t impressed by Punk’s second performance in the organization. After the fight, White was asked about Punk’s performance and made it clear that he thought it was time for Punk to try something else. White did offer Punk praise on a few fronts, but overall he felt that it was time for Punk to call it a career. Here’s what White had to say:
“It probably should be a wrap. The guy is 39 years old. I love the guy. He’s the nicest guy in the world. We gave him two shots, and he had a lot of heart tonight in this..

For the past three years, Hulk Hogan has been living in exile. After being fired by WWE for his derogatory comments, he hasn’t even been acknowledged by the company. Their relationship is improving, but the two sides have not agreed to bring The Hulkster back to WWE television yet. However, there’s a bigger eason why his return hasn’t happened.
Chris Van Vliet interviewed Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan during the “Legends of the Ring” event in Hollywood, Florida this weekend. When asked about his WWE return, Hogan said the following:
“Things are moving in that direction quite quickly. It’s all about execution and timing and the right place and the right time but things are good.”
Related: Hulk Hogan To Wrestle Again In WWE
There have been rumors about Hogan’s relationship with WWE improving for months now. It’s understandable why both sides are waiting for the right opportunity to bring him back to WWE television. His involvement in the Andre the Giant documentary was a great sign and th..

Just as a classic video game like Super Mario World, Street Fighter II or Zelda (which Kenny Omega “The Omega Man” enjoys playing a lot), NJPW Dominion 2018 delivered every bit the excitement, the entertainment and the pageantry. It is now, I believe, officially safe to say that NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling) has finally stretched its creative voice and is now being heard echoing around the world. Hey, it could easily be renamed, NWPW (New World Pro Wrestling). I’d buy that.
Unquestionably one of the greatest stories told inside a wrestling ring is Omega vs Okada, Dominion ’18. Check out highlights from the match:
[This post contains video, click to play]

Last night, one of the greatest wrestling entertainers on earth today, “The Omega Man” defeated Kazuchika Okada to realize a dream and capture the IWGP world title for the first time in his illustrious career. If that wasn’t enough, Kenny’s two recently reunited best-friends-till-the-end, The Young Bucks’ Matt and Nick Jackson are..

Roman Reigns has been in the main event of the last four WrestleMania events. He has been recognized as the top babyface in the company and continued to be pushed as the top guy on WWE programming. However, a recent decision made by WWE officials has some people questioning the company’s promotion of Roman’s mainstream star power.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is campaigning hard for Emmy consideration. Recently, several WWE Superstars attended the “For Your Consideration” event in Hollywood. The company was represented by Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Ronda Rousey, and the Bella Twins. While other stars like Charlotte Flair, The New Day, Braun Strowman, and Roman Reigns were in attendance, they weren’t heavily featured.
Related: Creative Plans For Roman Reigns at Summerslam Revealed
On paper, that’s a major statement from the company. If WWE is only promoting Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, The Bellas, and Ronda Rousey as their mainstream stars, it could mean b..

In one week, Ronda Rousey will challenge Nia Jax for the Raw Women’s Championship at Money in the Bank. Their match was a lot of hype and speculation about what WWE officials have planned for the finish. However, the WWE Universe has not been blown away with the build to the match or the Jax vs. Rousey rivalry on Monday Night Raw.
More than anything, WWE officials have been playing on Nia’s size and forcing the fans to question if Ronda could handle herself in the ring on her own against a wrestler like Jax. Unfortunately, Natalya has been playing the victim while Rousey has been stuck on commentary for the past few weeks. Apparently, it’s not a role Ronda is happy playing.
Related: Surprise Ending Planned For Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey at Money in the Bank
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, Ronda Rousey came off standoffish during her segment on Raw because she was genuinely unhappy on commentary. The segment was apparently heavily scripted and the segment needed Rond..

Last night at UFC 225, CM Punk made his return to the Octagon, taking on Mike Jackson in his second-ever professional fight. This was his first match since losing to Mickey Gall by submission at 2:14 of the opening round at UFC 203. The second verse was the same as the first.
Jackson defeated Punk by unanimous decision at UFC 225, with all three judges scoring it a shutout, 30-26.
You can see an analysis of the fight below:
[This post contains video, click to play]

ESPN provided the following breakdown of the fight:
Punk, a Chicago native who signed with the UFC in 2014, actually got to show some technique Saturday night. He landed a couple of overhand rights and worked a successful takedown in the first round. In the second round, he very briefly worked a triangle setup off his back.
Jackson, 33, started to really have his way in the second and third rounds. A Houston native, he has only two MMA appearances but has boxed and kickboxed professionally. He had an easy time locatin..

Last year, Baron Corbin and Carmella won the Money in the Bank briefcases. The Lone Wolf failed in his cash-in, but “The Princess of Staten Island” became the first woman in history to successfully cash-in the briefcase. With this year’s Money in the Bank a week away, the WWE Universe is excited to see who will be holding the briefcases this year.
It’s been rumored that Natalya is the favorite to win the contract in the Women’s Ladder Match. Also, The Miz seems to be the frontrunner to capture MITB for the second time in his career. It’s a bit premature to speculate about possible cash-ins when the winners haven’t been determined yet, but WWE officials already have plans for a huge cash-in.
Related: Here’s Who WWE Officials Have Chosen to Win Money in the Bank
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, WWE officials could be planning the Men’s briefcase to be cashed-in at Summerslam. The rumored main event for the event is another match between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar…