No big deal, just Murder Grandpa having a match right there in the aisle.
Sometimes you’re just on a bullet train in Japan and it’s a normal, unremarkable day. And other times, one of the most feared pro wrestlers in the world over the last few decades, Minoru Suzuki, is on the train too.
Having a match. Right there in the aisle.
Yes, Murder Grandpa wasn’t just a passenger, but an active participant in a match against Sanshiro Takagi for DDT Pro-Wrestling. Thanks to footage shared by the Central Japan Railway Company via ABC News, you can watch them duke it out right amidst the travelers.
TRAIN PAIN: A pair of Japanese pro-wrestlers swapped the ring for the rails as they staged a bout on one of the country's super-fast bullet trains. https://t.co/bA4iYuRBEhpic.twitter.com/mMB49QToxc
Dig that Gotch-style piledriver and the reaction from the passengers!
As TDE Wrestling reminds us, this is hardly the first time Takagi and Suzuki have battled somewhere other than between the ropes. But was it the first time Suzuki-san had a match on a train, even given all the things he’s done in his illustrious career? We’re guessing the answer is yes.
If you want to see more of this particular flavor of pro wrestling that DDT does so well, you can watch their shows on the Wrestle Universe streaming service. Or just, you know, hope that Suzuki and Takagi randomly end up battling right where you are someday.
Which isn’t impossible, now that we think about it.
It takes a lot of hustle to find success in the indies, but that’s always been a strength for Matt Cardona.
If you are a wrestling promoter looking to book Matt Cardona, you better be angling for a date in 2024, because he is booked solid for the rest of the year.
If it is for 2023, Cardona will open your email, laugh out loud in real life and ask “Dude, where have you been all year?” He will then reply back to you with “LOL” and move on about his day. The man is booked and busy.
As of this writing, Cardona has had matches for 22 different promotions in 2023, according to Cagematch.net. He currently holds titles for at least six promotions. He may even pop up with his wife’s (Chelsea Green) WWE Women’s Tag Team title.
— Dark Puroresu Flowsion (@PuroresuFlow) July 23, 2023
The latest stop on Cardona’s world tour will be at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia Sept. 3 for Major League Wrestling’s Fury Road, where he will face Mance Warner in a “Kiss My Foot” match.
While Cardona sees MLW as a promotion on the rise, he is not shy about going virtually anywhere that will pay him what he is looking for, and there are a lot of promotions willing to oblige.
At 38 years old and nearly 20 years since his professional wrestling debut, the demand for Cardona’s services are higher than they have ever been. After spending many years on WWE’s roster as more or less a role player, Cardona is looking to seize this moment and capitalize on it.
In Cardona’s mind, it is his time to step to the forefront and shine, and he’s not apologizing about it anytime soon. He is not looking to pass any proverbial torches. He plans on hanging on to said torch for a while.
“This is about me,” Cardona said during a phone interview. “This isn’t about giving back. This isn’t about helping the younger generation. You can call it what you want. I have something to prove. I’m not out to prove the doubters wrong or the haters wrong. I’m trying to prove myself right.”
“I will go do whatever promotion that wants to book me and I will leach off it just like they will leach off me,” he added. “They want the Matt Cardona rub, well, I use them for everything that will benefit me and my career, too, so it’s mutually beneficial.”
Cardona obviously oozes confidence in his ability. He routinely generates buzz through social media with either his matches or with video promos leading up to them.
However, he wasn’t beaming with confidence when he first embarked on his independent journey back in April of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down the entire world, meaning that there was no independent circuit for Cardona to immediately dip his toe into after being released from WWE.
Cardona made some scattered appearances for All Elite Wrestling and Impact Wrestling and continued producing his Major Wrestling Figure podcast with longtime tag team partner and friend, Brian Myers, but didn’t do much else — mainly because he couldn’t.
“Once the world opened back up, I knew I just had to hit the ground running,” Cardona recalled. “I didn’t have a master plan. I didn’t know what I needed to do. I did know I needed to change. I knew I needed to be different. I didn’t know how exactly I was going to do that.”
The change Cardona was looking for came in the form of a deathmatch against Nick Gage for the Game Changer Wrestling World title at GCW Homecoming Weekend on July 24, 2021.
Having spent most of his wrestling career in the PG-rated WWE, Cardona was not exactly what you would call a deathmatch veteran. Gage, on the other hand, became a beloved figure by taking part in countless. On paper, this was a bit of a mismatch. However, Cardona defeated Gage to become the new GCW World champion, sending shockwaves around the wrestling world in the process.
Not only did business pick up for Cardona, so did the heat.
For starters, he defeated everyone’s favorite deathmatch wrestler in his own match. But he did so by turning his nose to the entire independent circuit, cementing himself as the scene’s top villain.
On screen, Cardona’s character represents everything the independents are not. He’s very well off financially (and flaunts that fact), whereas most other independent wrestlers keep day jobs to make ends meet. He also looks down upon his colleagues because he’s been to the big time and the vast majority of them have not.
Cardona has leaned all the way into his newfound heat and says people young and old have expressed their dissatisfaction with his actions when they see him in public.
“Everybody hates Matt Cardona, and that’s fine with me,” he said. “As long as I can get booked, as long as I keep winning, as long as I keep collecting buzz, money and gold, I’m happy.”
But as much as Cardona’s character is the antithesis of what the independents represent, in reality, Cardona has embodied the circuit’s do-it-yourself lifestyle.
Even in the uber-structured environment of WWE, Cardona took it upon himself to launch his own YouTube channel and begin telling his True Long Island Story. The channel’s first video was posted on February 17, 2011, and is still up and running today with 134,000 subscribers.
The series “Z! True Long Island Story” became so popular among wrestling fans that it eventually made its way to WWE’s YouTube channel, which made Cardona — then known as Zack Ryder — into one of the more popular wrestlers on the roster before he even began appearing on television on a regular basis.
The buzz he created did eventually lead to more screen time, and eventually the United States and Intercontinental championships. However, those incredible highs were surrounded by a sea of uneventful times, where Cardona was either a bit player or not a player at all.
Through it all, Cardona kept working.
“I’m so grateful for my time in WWE and the equity that I have from years — a decade-plus of WWE television — set me up for this run on the indies, but I’ve been working my ass off,” Cardona said.
“There were guys, girls, who were released the same day as me or a year after me, two years after me, who haven’t done jack shit. I have no sympathy for that because the work is out there, but you have to hustle. You have to do the work.”
“It doesn’t just stop on weekends,” he added. “Monday through Thursday I’m still busting my ass, whether it be my podcast or social media or doing interviews like this to promote myself. Because I’m not on Raw or Smackdown, Dynamite, Collision, so I have to get my name out there to the masses. If I’m not on social media, if I’m not doing these interviews promoting myself, no one is going to do it for me.”
Cardona isn’t looking for anyone to do anything for him anytime soon. Cardona will appear in MLW this weekend, but isn’t looking to settle down with just one promotion.
According to Cardona, his run on the independents has been the most successful of his career, which means he isn’t looking to end it just because. If WWE or AEW came calling, he’d listen, but he’d have to like the “the cash and the creative” before he signed the dotted line.
“I’m having the most fun I’ve ever had, I’m having the most success I’ve ever had, and I’m making the most money I’ve ever made, so I’m not just going to go to AEW or WWE unless it made sense for me,” Cardona said. “I don’t want to be just another guy on the roster. I want to be the guy on the roster, and that’s what I’m going to do in MLW.”
If anyone does come calling, just remember, he’s booked through 2023.
Get the when, where and how much for all the WrestleMania week wrestling shows in Los Angeles.
Prior to the pandemic, WrestleMania week had a history of becoming the epicenter of the entire pro wrestling universe. Promotions from all over the country, and indeed, the world, would converge on the host city, offering fans a smorgasbord of options leading up to WWE’s biggest show.
Things have been trending back in that direction, and it’s safe to say that for WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, that same feel has fully returned. Starting several days before the Showcase of the Immortals, there is pro wrestling of all kinds running straight through the weekend — and even into Monday night, counting the always intriguing Raw After WrestleMania.
If you’re heading to L.A. or just want to keep tabs on everything going down during WrestleMania week, we’re here to help. We’ve gathered up all the wrestling shows by day, along with links to tickets where there’s still some left.
Scroll on down and find the stuff that interests you most, and we hope to run into you sometime during WrestleMania week.
Looking for Black Friday 2022 deals on WWE, AEW and pro wrestling merch? We’ve got details on when and where to save.
Black Friday isn’t quite what it used to be. For those of us old enough to remember getting up and waiting in line outside malls or big box stores at 3 a.m. the morning after Thanksgiving, maybe that’s not a bad thing. But there is a question about where to find the best deals on WWE, AEW and other pro wrestling merch for the fans on your holiday shopping lists.
The good news is that there are still plenty of deals to be found, and they aren’t always limited to just one day. One of the nice things about holiday shopping circa 2022 is that retailers are now spreading Black Friday deals out over multiple days, sometimes even more than a week.
“That’s great,” you say. “But where can I find them?” We’re here to help with that part. Scroll down for the latest on Black Friday pro wrestling deals, updated as we come across more of them.
Cris Cyborg seems up for giving pro wrestling a try despite her already busy combat sports schedule.
Cris Cyborg seems pretty busy. The Bellator Women’s Featherweight Champion is already an MMA legend, and is scheduled to branch out to boxing by facing Simone Silva on Sept. 25.
Could we see her in a pro wrestling ring at some point too?
That was one of the questions posed to Cyborg during a recent interview with combat sports journalist Denise Salcedo.
“It’s a different sport,” Cyborg said. “Like I say, I love challenges. If I have the opportunity, for sure I’m going to train and do my best.”
Cyborg noted that she has trained some in the past with (currently injured) AEW Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa. She called that opportunity “fun” before ending with a more conclusive hint at trying her hand at it in the future.
“If you folks would like to see me one day doing pro wrestling, I’m gonna do it.”
You can watch the entire interview below, with Cyborg’s thoughts on pro wrestling beginning around the 3:48 mark.
The path from MMA to pro wrestling is a well-worn one by now, with fighters successfully making the transition for decades. There’s less of a history of it overall for women, though WWE has Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler in prominent positions on its roster, and AEW has Paige VanZant under contract.
Much of the current speculation around Cyborg is whether she will end up signing to a superfight with PFL star Kayla Harrison, which could potentially be the biggest non-UFC women’s MMA bout to date. PFL founder Donn Davis has proposed a purse that would pay both fighters seven-digit sums, and Harrison told MMA Junkie last month that the offer was serious.
Whether that fight comes together or not, Cyborg would bring name recognition with her to any pro wrestling promotion should she decide to give scripted combat a try, and fans will no doubt be curious to see if she follows through on her stated interest.
Like MMA? Be sure to visit MMA Junkie for all your coverage of UFC, Bellator and more, and follow @MMAJunkie on Twitter.
See highlights from the main event of Ric Flair’s Last Match, billed as the final pro wrestling match for industry legend Ric Flair.
Ric Flair has always made “looking as only I can look” part of his Nature Boy shtick. At the aptly named Ric Flair’s Last Match event in Nashville on July 31, he lived up to that mantra by bleeding for the fans (literally) one final time.
Teamed with real-life son-in-law Andrade El Idolo, Flair took on Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett in a tag team bout complete with a story that Jim Crockett Promotions had built up prior to the event: that Lethal, who grew up idolizing Flair, had trained him for his swan song but turned jealous when the Nature Boy denied him a place on the card.
As you might expect at age 73, Flair was a shadow of his iconic self, though he certainly hit as many of the high points fans would expect from him, including his famous chops and the corresponding “Whoo!” Lethal took some of the bumps Flair has turned into staples, particularly the flip up and over the turnbuckles.
A number of pro wrestling greats were on hand, including The Undertaker, Mick Foley and Bret Hart, who Flair stopped and spoke with after he managed to pin Jarrett.
You can check out highlights from Ric Flair’s final match and a bit of his subsequent speech thanking the fans in the video package above.
The match was by no means a classic, but was memorable nonetheless. A debate can certainly be had about whether Flair should have been cleared to compete in any capacity — he looked as if he could barely stand when the match ended — but fortunately, he appears to have come out of it no worse for the wear overall.
All that is to say this should absolutely be it for Flair, and no one should entertain any more “final” matches after this. At least he got to go out on something of a high note, in front of plenty of family and friends..
Check out Ric Flair’s Last Match live results from Nashville on July 31, 2022.
This is it … probably. Ric Flair’s Last Match is supposedly exactly what it says it is on the cover, the final pro wrestling match for Ric Flair, one of the greatest to ever grace the ring.
Now 73, Flair is supposedly calling it quits on the 50th anniversary of his pro wrestling debut in 1972. Along with the main event, which will see Flair team with son-in-law Andrade El Idolo to face Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal, there’s an entire card that’s been put together for the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville featuring talent from across the country and around the world — some recognizable AEW, Impact and NJPW wrestlers included.
If you can’t watch the show as it’s taking place, we’ve got you covered. Bookmark this page and check back throughout the evening for the latest.
Ric Flair’s Last Match quick results:
Scroll down for more detailed Ric Flair’s Last Match live results.
After plenty of speculation regarding a current WWE superstar, the opponents and partner for Ric Flair’s Last Match were revealed July 18.
A former WWE star will be one of the opponents for Ric Flair in what is being billed as his final pro wrestling match — just not the one many fans were hoping for.
After Flair teased a WWE connection a few days earlier, the details were revealed this evening by TMZ Sports. Flair will team with his son-in-law, AEW star Andrade El Idolo, to face longtime wrestler, promoter and current member of WWE management Jeff Jarrett and AEW’s Jay Lethal.
Despite the relatively late announcement with the Ric Flair’s Last Match card less than two weeks away, the video made to divulge the particulars (which you can see below) does a nice job weaving a narrative connecting the four wrestlers.
Specifically, Lethal is shown expressing how he idolized Flair growing up and was honored to get to help train him for his last hurrah, but getting upset when told he wouldn’t be on the card. Lethal then confronts Flair after a press conference for the event, attacking the Nature Boy in the parking lot … then getting some help from Jeff Jarrett and wife Karen in beating Flair bloody.
In voiceover, Flair then says “this is f–king family” as Andrade is introduced as his tag team partner.
Despite knowing each other for decades, Flair and Jarrett have only wrestled each other a handful of times in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Lethal and Flair have locked up twice in singles matches in 2010, with each man winning once.
Andrade, meanwhile, became part of Flair’s family in an official capacity only recently, marrying Charlotte Flair on May 27.
Flair’s use of the hashtag #WWERaw in his tweet promoting the announcement had many fans wondering if WWE would allow a current performer to take part in the event, with speculation zeroing in on AJ Styles. Jarrett’s involvement is essentially the next best thing; while no longer an active wrestler, he is WWE’s Senior Vice President of Live Events.
Ric Flair’s Last Match will take place Sunday, July 31 at Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium, with a card that now consists of nine matches and talent participating from a variety of promotions. The event will be streamed live on pay-per-view via FITE TV.
Check out NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 2 live results on July 17, 2022 from Sapporo.
G1 Climax 32 got underway on July 16, with the first four tournament matches (one in each block) providing some close, hard fought bouts and one surprise as well. Eight more competitors start their tournament journeys tonight, or more precisely, this afternoon in Sapporo.
Several of the matches were previewed thanks to the tag matches on the first night’s card. Among them were Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kenta, who couldn’t help but thrown down whether they were the legal men or not and kept up their war of words well after the three count.
Another pairing who got acquainted during Night 1 was Toru Yano and Jonah, though in their case it was less fighting and more running … on Yano’s part, naturally. Also on the slate for Night 2 are Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi, and in the main event, Shingo Takagi vs. Juice Robinson.
Thanks to an earlier start time, it’s not quite as late for U.S. fans who want to watch live on NJPW World, but if you aren’t able to catch the action yourself, please bookmark this page, as we’ll be updating it with the latest G1 Climax 32 Night 2 results as they happen.
G1 Climax 32 Night 2 quick results:
Tom Lawlor and Royce Isaacs vs. David Finlay and Yoshi-Hashi
Please scroll down for more detailed results after each match finishes.
Vik Dalishus joined the Under the Ring podcast to discuss battling back from devastating injury to become a better wrestler and person today.
Injuries are an unfortunate part of being a pro wrestler, but Vik Dalishus had an experience with them that was worse than most.
In 2017, Dalishus (whose real name is Rob Begley) tried a top rope move to the floor he didn’t normally perform, and paid the price for a bad landing: a broken right tibia, fibula and ankle, along with other bones in his foot, which later led to infection and doctors telling him he may lose his leg.
Rebounding from that setback was a long journey, but one that Dalishus feels has made him a better wrestler and person in 2022, as he explained to Phil Strum on this week’s episode of the Under the Ring podcast.
“It defines who you are as a person, in different ways, when you allow it to, when you view things that are struggles as opportunities to improve yourself,” Dalishus said. “I went through a lot of different circumstances where I could have played the victim and certainly looked at the negative side of the situation that I had created and the choices that I had made.
“And I’m really proud of myself for how I got through on the other side of it, and for the person that I’ve been able to become and prove who I really am.”
Listen to the full episode above for more of Dalishus’ thoughts on:
Why he and Hale Collins complement each other as tag team partners so well
How he got interested in pro wrestling in the first place
His time in OVW in the early 2000s
You can catch a new episode of Under the Ring every Monday, as Strum has a straightforward, insightful conversation with a different personality from the world of professional wrestling. Recent guests have included WWE superstar Damian Priest, veteran grappler Davey Richards and former WCW President Eric Bischoff.
To make sure you don’t miss an episode, subscribe to Under the Ring on Apple Podcasts or your podcast provider of choice, or check out the Under the Ring YouTube channel to see all of the interviews in video form.
