On today’s episode of The Taz Show, Taz will discuss the classic match between Nakamura and Ibushi from Wrestle Kingdom 9.

Taz mentions that NJPW’s production is unbelievable, and they’re basically the only company in the world that can compete with WWE production-wise. They pull out all the stops here for Wrestle Kingdom, with pyro and multiple video walls to ensure a jam-packed arena full of people are satisfied. Taz points out that this is Japan’s WrestleMania.

Taz says he’s a big fan of Nakamura’s work, and he doesn’t mean to disrespect him today because he’s never met him, but this is when Nakamura was booked “Cool”. He urges his fans to check out the video of this entrance from Wrestle Kingdom 9, because this is when Nakamura truly was a “rockstar”.

He points out that we’ve seen this plenty of times before, and Taz has actually been through this himself. As a Superstar in the business you feel like your career is going great and then you finally make it to WWE and things change drastically. For whatever reason, WWE seems to struggle with capitalizing on momentum that incoming performers have.

Taz likes that Nakamura and Ibushi are wearing opposite colour ring gear during this match. He informs that this is an unwritten rule in the business, and in some cases it actually is written in the Gorilla Position in WWE. Ibushi wore white and Nakamura wore black for this bout.

The post The Taz Show Recap – Nakamura VS. Ibushi: Wrestle Kingdom 9, Nakamura’s Struggles in WWE, Comparing Wrestling to Sex, More! appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

Russo is joined on today’s show by his co-host, Jeff Lane, and Glenn Gilbertti (Disco Inferno).

Russo opens today’s show by asking Gilbertti for his opinion on the Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega match from Wrestle Kingdom 12. Gilbertti thought it was a really good match, and he points out that all Jericho fans need to see this match. Overall, he thought both men told a good story, and he gives the match a thumbs up.

Gilbertti points out that WWE has really hurt Braun Strowman’s character as of late. First they dressed him up as an elf for a social media video, and then he appeared in a backstage vignette with Alexa Bliss, announcing their partnership for the Mixed Match Challenge.

Russo was dissapointed by this as well, and he says that he just wishes WWE would protect some of their stars. He has no good explanation for why A.J. Styles, the WWE Champion, was booked to lose clean two weeks in a row on Smackdown Live, especially being pinned most recently by Sami Zayn.

Gilbertti mentions that it’s pointless to talk about WWE’s booking because they’re not good at building stars anymore – they’re good at burying people. Gilbertti thinks that a 12 year-old can watch this show for a couple of months and then write a show that’s just as effective or more effective at making stars.

The post Vince Russo’s The Brand Recap – Omega/Jericho Reaction, Daniel Bryan’s In-Ring Return, Rumble Match Will Expose Women, More! appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

Chris Jericho mentioned on Instagram that he’s dedicating tonight’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 match against Kenny Omega to Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero when he shared some fan art featuring an illustration of him with Benoit and Guerrero.

I really like this fan art by @richard_I_P. I dedicate tomorrow’s match to the fallen brothers… #AlphaVsOmega @njpw1972

A post shared by Chris Jericho (@chrisjerichofozzy) on Jan 3, 2018 at 6:09am PST

The post Chris Jericho Dedicates Wrestle Kingdom Match to Chris Benoit & Eddie Guerrero appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

X-Pac opens today’s show by wishing a happy birthday to his long-time friend, Jim Ross. Ross turns 66 years old today, and X-Pac reinforces how much Ross has meant to him over the years as a mentor and a friend.

X-Pac talks about a recent video he saw of Brian Pillman Jr., son of former WWE Superstar, Brian Pillman. He points out that Pillman Jr. looks and works just like his father, and he has no issue at all with Pillman Jr. using the Pillman name throughout his wrestling career. He thinks Pillman Jr. should continue to use his family name and get every advantage that he can get out of it. He points out that Curtis Axel probably could have benefitted from utilizing the Henning name.

He mentions that Wrestle Kingdom 12 will take place is just a matter of hours, and he thinks this will be the biggest NJPW event ever internationally, mostly due to having Chris Jericho involved in the show. On the other hand, he doubts that this will be the biggest show NJPW has put off locally in Japan.

The post X-Pac 1, 2, 360 Recap w/ Justin Credible – Struggling with Alcohol Abuse, Recent Relapse, Feeling Uncomfortable in WWE, More! appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

WWE published a list of the company’s top 25 matches of the year. Here are the matches that made the top 5:

5. Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles — Champion vs. Champion Match (Survivor Series)

4. The New Day vs. The Usos — SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match (SummerSlam Kickoff)

3. Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne — WWE United Kingdom Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Chicago)

2. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman — Fatal 4-Way Universal Championship Match (SummerSlam)

1. AJ Styles vs. John Cena — WWE Championship Match (Royal Rumble)

The post Top WWE Matches of 2017 Revealed appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

While appearing on Busted Open Radio, Chris Jericho talked about informing Vince McMahon about his upcoming match at Wrestle Kingdom 12 and revealed that he didn’t actually get his permission to do the match. Jericho also mentioned that Vince seemed super excited about the match.

“I know he wasn’t upset because I called him six weeks before and told him as soon as the deal was done. I would never surprise him like that. You know, I didn’t ask him for his permission, but I didn’t have to. I told him what was going on, and to be quite frank with you guys, he was super excited about it.”

Jericho added that Vince knew his intentions were in the right place and that the situation is a win-win for everyone involved.

“You see the thing about Vince is he loves wrestling. It’s what he knows best, and I think obviously his mission is to seek and destroy and kill every other company. But I think he secretly likes it when other companies do good, because it just makes it better for his company. And when Chris Jericho goes to New Japan, everybody knows I’m not a New Japan guy. I’m a WWE guy. You see Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega, it’s not like it’s some kind of a behind the scenes screw job. It’s taking a great opportunity and helping the business, helping Kenny Omega, helping New Japan. But guess what? It helps Chris Jericho. Which in turn helps the WWE.”

The post Vince McMahon’s Reaction When Finding Out About Chris Jericho’s Match Against Kenny Omega appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

WWE announced Johnny Gargano vs. WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne as the dark match for the NXT Takeover: WarGames event on Saturday, November 18th.

Here is the announcement:

WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne to defend against Johnny Gargano in Houston on Saturday, Nov. 18
If you want to bear witness to WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne’s next colossal title defense live, there’s only one way to do so: By scoring a ticket to NXT’s debut at the Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday, Nov. 18.

Fresh off making his unforgettable debut on WWE Monday Night Raw, The BruiserWeight will put his WWE U.K. Title on the line against former NXT Tag Team Champion Johnny Gargano.

The match will not air as part of that night’s TakeOver: WarGames live special on WWE Network, meaning those lucky NXT fans in attendance in the Toyota Center will have an exclusive opportunity to watch the title bout unfold before their eyes.

One of the most popular Superstars in all NXT, Gargano has struggled to find his footing in the singles division since the painful breakup of #DIY last May. Could Johnny Wrestling change his fortunes in Houston by dethroning the devilish Dunne and becoming the first American to capture the U.K. Championship?

Find out for yourself by securing your seat today. Tickets for NXT in Houston are available now at NXTTickets.com!

The post WWE Announces Dark Match for NXT Takeover: War Games Event appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

WWE has plans to run biweekly Live Events in the United Kingdom once the UK Championship series premieres.

Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that the company has signed Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven, Wolfgang and Mark Andrews to new contracts. These contracts will allow them to work at the WWE Performance Center when needed.

The plan is to shoot the series every six weeks with Live Events every other week in the UK. There is no exact word yet on when they plan to began filming but we will keep you updated.

The post Major Update on the New UK WWE Network Show appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

WWE heads to Chicago tonight for NXT Takeover. The following matches are confirmed for the event:

NXT Championship
Bobby Roode (Champion) vs. Hideo Itami

NXT Women’s Championship – Triple Threat Match
Asuka (Champion) vs. Ruby Riot vs. Nikki Cross

NXT Tag Team Championship – Ladder Match
Authors Of Pain (Champions) vs. #DIY

WWE United Kingdom Championship
Tyler Bate (Champion) vs. Pete Dunne

Roderick Strong vs. Eric Young

Check back here at 8PM ET for our live play-by-play coverage.

The post What to Expect at Tonight’s NXT Takeover: Chicago appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.