Chris Jericho to face Kenny Omega at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12

In a shocker, Chris Jericho will be wrestling Kenny Omega at the Tokyo Dome for New Japan Pro Wrestling on January 4th, 2018. Omega retained his IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Trent Barreta at today's Power Struggle show and called out his next challenger after. It was teased that no one was left to challenge him, but Jericho then appeared in a video.

Jericho said he was the best in the world and the Alpha of this business before challenging Omega to the match, which Omega accepted. Jericho and Omega, who are both from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, have been engaged in a Twitter "feud" recently, but it wasn't apparent if that would ever amount to anything.

After Power Struggle, the other matches that appear to be set for Wrestle Kingdom 12 at the Tokyo Dome are Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White (who returned to NJPW as Switchblade today) for the IWGP Intercontinental title, Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi for the Junior title, and Sho & Yoh vs. The Young Bucks for the Junior tag titles.

 Jericho is able to work the match due to being a free agent after his WWE contract expired.

Triple H appears at ICW show in Cardiff..

While the Raw brand is in the United Kingdom for the first several stops on their side of the European tour, Triple H paid a visit to one of the country's promotions that WWE is friendly with.

He made a surprise appearance at Insane Championship Wrestling's "Road to Fear & Loathing X" show in Cardiff, Wales today. ICW owner Mark Dallas and WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne were in the ring before Dallas called out Triple H to join them. Triple H got a big reaction from the crowd and cut a brief promo, thanking them for supporting the promotion and pro wrestling.

During the promo, Triple H called ICW one of the places where the wrestling business starts. He said the European scene is going to continue to grow, with guys like Dunne and Tyler Bate setting the world on fire, and closed by saying the industry is going to be taken to new heights.

Along with PROGRESS Wrestling, ICW is one of the promotions in the UK that WWE has a working relationship with. Noam Dar and Kassius Ohno have also appeared at ICW shows over the last few months.

The Raw roster is in Cardiff for a house show today as well, with both Triple H and Dunne wrestling on the event. Video of Triple H's appearance in ICW is available to watch below:

'Tokyo' Joe Daigo passes away at 75 years old

Yukihiro Sakada, better known as Joe Daigo and Tokyo Joe, a former wrestler and longtime agent for New Japan Pro Wrestling, passed away today in Calgary from colon cancer.
He was 75.
Daigo had been living in Calgary for more than 40 years. He was in an auto accident and was confined to a wheelchair, but helped train TJ Wilson (Tyson Kidd), Harry Smith (Davey Boy Smith Jr.), Natalya, and many other wrestlers in the area, as well as helped train numerous Japanese wrestlers including Jushin Liger, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Kensuke Sasaki, Shinya Hashimoto, Hiroshi Hase, Hiro Saito, Super Strong Machine, George Takano, among others.
"He really taught me a lot about training, and about life really," said Smith. "He had a sixth sense, second sight or maybe a bit psychic. I'm not sure if anything with his leg injury had to do with that, but he was always right about everything."
Sakada for the past several years had lived in seclusion in Calgary, and had kept his cancer a secret.
He wrestled from 1966 to 1974, when he suffered his career ending auto accident, in the United States, Canada, and Japan, with his home base being the old IWE promotion.
He was best known as a trainer and talent scout for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and was a key in getting international exposure and stardom for people like Bret Hart, Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith, as well as The Undertaker and Bam Bam Bigelow early in their careers.

WRITTEN PODCAST RECAP: Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard on No Mercy 1999: Moolah’s controversial past, Bob Holly wants to be champ, British Bulldog’s lackluster return (Pt. 2)

https://www.pwpodcasts.com/2017/11/05/written-podcast-recap-something-wrestle-bruce-prichard-no-mercy-1999-moolahs-controversial-past-bob-holly-wants-champ-british-bulldogs-lackluster-return-pt-2-ep-69/

This cracked me up alittle, LOL. This Is The Anthem (Throw All Your Hands Up): McNEILL previews Impact Wrestling Bound For Glory 2017 (w/ Wrestling History Lesson)!

https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2017/11/05/anthem-throw-hands-mcneill-previews-impact-wrestling-bound-glory-2017-w-wrestling-history-lesson/

IMPACT HITS & MISSES 11/2: Final hype for Eli Drake vs. Johnny Impact BFG main event, Dan Lambert’s promo, Moose, X Division

https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2017/11/05/impact-hits-misses-112-final-hype-eli-drake-vs-johnny-impact-bfg-main-event-dan-lamberts-promo-moose-x-division/

Shane Helms On WWE Departures, Who Can Carry Impact Wrestling, 205 Live Issues, WCW, Invasion Angle

http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2017/1105/633781/shane-helms-on-wwe-departures/

Jim Cornette Talks Past Heat With WWE, What He Said To Vince McMahon When He Returned, WWE HOF

http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2017/1105/633787/jim-cornette-talks-past-heat-with-wwe/

Former NWA Star Manny Fernandez Talks Friendship With Dusty Rhodes, Dusty Protecting Him

http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2017/1105/633789/former-nwa-star-manny-fernandez-talks-friendship-with-dusty/

Picture of ring at Bound For Glory and other Impaxct Wrestling News

The PPV and the TV tapings will be the first events actually booked under the John Gaburick, Scott D'Amore, Sonjay Dutt, Jeremy Borash,   Abyss regime.  All of TV leading to tonight's PPV was locked in and filmed when Jeff Jarrett was with the company.

We received a question regarding why every Impact Wrestling referee opted out of the company.  The word that has made the rounds is that the company offered a number of them a payday greatly reduced from what they usually received, which started the domino effect when the Hebners requested releases instead.  There was talk that Jack Doan was reached out to work the PPV as a referee, but we haven't confirmed he's actually going to do so. It's expected all the refs will be locals.

In the wake of what happened with the referees, there has been some concern among wrestlers that they will be asked to renegotiate deals to take lesser money at some point over the course of this week's tapings.   Everyone is aware of how deep the cost-cutting is, with talents who aren't needed for the PPV not even being brought in until whatever taping date they are needed.  There are some talents who are working just a few taping dates before being sent home, which likely means, at least in the case of top talents, a lot of material filmed out of sequence.

The company is also down a lot of the backstage crew.  No one in Canada has told me they've seen Bob Ryder and it appears he's doing his duties from Nashville.  Jolene George, the company's seamstress, was scheduled for this week and then at the last minute was told the company was not bringing her in.  The company didn't bring in at least part of the production team that handled pre-tapes.  There were also several company staffers who were not able to get into Canada we are told, including the person who drives the merchandise to the shows. 

Devon Nicholson's Great North Wrestling went on their Facebook page asking that any fans interesting in helping to set up the building come by this morning.  Nicholson is expected to work the tapings this week.  

Wrestling Epicenter #491 - Alberto El Patron Impact Wrestling Teleconference 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6v-0504csk

Published on Nov 4, 2017

Impact Wrestling's Alberto El Patron was the guest on the GFW Impact Wrestling conference call. We hear about Paige, his problem with his fiance, and his decision to request to be stripped of the title.