WWE Elimination Chamber 2026

By Steve Ward

The final stop on the Road to WrestleMania rolled into the United Center in Chicago, Illinois this evening as WWE presented Elimination Chamber. Tonight’s card featured four bouts with two titles contested and two elimination chamber matches, each with a ticket to a championship match at WrestleMania on the line. 

Women’s Elimination Chamber Match

Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Kiana James vs. Tiffany Stratton 

Winner: Rhea Ripley 

The card kicked off tonight with the Women’s Elimination Chamber where the winner would earn the opportunity to square off with WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill at WrestleMania. The match kicked off with Stratton and James while the remaining competitors would enter in five minute intervals. Asuka was the first to be released from her pod and enter the fray and immediately went on the offensive crushing her opponent’s skulls into the plexiglass of the chamber pods. Bliss was the next to enter the match with no eliminations recorded yet. The fifth entry into the match was Rhea Ripley who quickly incapacitated the field before directing her attention to Bliss. The first elimination came moments later as Asuka sprayed the mist in Bliss’ eyes allowing James to pin her just seconds before Rodriguez finally entered. Rodriguez unleashed a path of destruction in her wake as she put James through a pod wall and then body slammed Asuka onto her in the middle of the ring before pinning both women simultaneously. The next elimination came after Tiffany Stratton hit the Prettiest Moonsault Ever on an incapacitated Raquel leaving her alone with Ripley. The final moments saw Rhea Ripley hit the Riptide on Stratton to earn the pinfall and punch her ticket to WrestleMania.

Women’s Intercontinental Championship 

Becky Lynch (c) vs. AJ Lee

Winner: AJ Lee via submission 

This evening’s bout would mark Lee’s first singles bout in over a decade with championship gold hanging in the balance. In the closing moments, Becky’s attempt at cheating backfired as she took a header into the turnbuckle she had earlier removed the cover from. This allowed Lee the opportunity to cinch in the Black Widow for the submission victory.

World Heavyweight Championship 

CM Punk (c) vs. Finn Balor

Winner: CM Punk via pinfall

Balor was given another opportunity at the World Heavyweight Championship tonight against CM Punk as Balor vowed to turn the WrestleMania main event on it’s head. Following a long and grueling battle, Punk was able to withstand a late Coup de Grace to put Finn away with the Go To Sleep.

Prior to the main event, Smackdown GM Nick Aldis and RAW GM Adam Pearce opened the mysterious large crate that has been sitting backstage the past few weeks with a note not to open it until February 28. The crate was pried open revealing a wood coffin. Both GMs shook their heads and walked away. The coffin slowly opened and revealed the debut of the newly signed Danhausen.

Men’s Elimination Chamber Match 

Trick Williams vs. LA Knight vs. Logan Paul vs. Randy Orton vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Cody Rhodes

Winner: Randy Orton

The main event of the evening was the Men’s Elimination Chamber Match with a shot against Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania hanging in the balance. Evans and Rhodes would kick off the match with another combatant joining the chaos every five minutes. The first competitor to be released from the pods was Trick Williams. Following Williams was Logan Paul who was immediately assaulted by the other three men in the ring. The fifth to enter the match was LA Knight. Just moments after Logan Paul was launched off the top of a pod by Knight and Evans, Orton became the final entry into the match. Evans became the first elimination after he executed a frogsplash on Williams as Logan Paul capitalized on Evans hurting himself by nailing him with the Paulverizer. Paul then eliminated Knight after hitting him with a low blow. Next, Rhodes hit the Cross Rhodes on Williams only to be discarded by Paul who claimed the pinfall on Trick for himself. Moments later, a decoy masked man attempted to scale the chamber only to be removed by security. This created a diversion for another masked man to enter the chamber and deliver a stomp to Logan who was then pinned by Rhodes. The man then revealed himself as Seth Rollins before fleeing through the crowd. In the final moments, Drew McIntyre emerged and attacked Rhodes with his championship belt. After McIntyre failed to nail Rhodes with a Claymore Kick, Orton hit him with an RKO and then delivered another RKO to Cody to help him claim victory and punch his ticket to WrestleMania.

WWE Hell In A Cell 2022

By Steve Ward

WWE Hell In A Cell emanated from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois and would have a lot to live up to after AEW put forth an incredible show in Las Vegas last weekend with Double Or Nothing. This evening’s card featured only two title bouts and was headlined by Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins waging war inside the visceral Hell In A Cell, however, it was notable that many major names were not present on the card including, Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre, Charlotte Flair, Ronda Rousey, and The Usos - to name a few.

RAW Women’s Championship Triple Threat Match

Asuka vs. Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair (c)

Winner: Bianca Belair via pinfall

Bianca Belair found herself in the crosshairs of not only the woman whose title she took at Wrestlemania, Becky Lynch, but also the returning Asuka. Belair was originally set to square of with the Empress of Tomorrow one on one until Lynch pinned Asuka recently on Monday Night RAW to insert herself into the bout. In a surprisingly fast-paced and entertaining opening contest, the closing moments saw Lynch execute the Manhandle Slam seemingly leaving her poised to win the title. Belair then reemerged from the arena floor and dragged Lynch from the ring stealing the pinfall on the stunned Asuka to retain her title.

2-on-1 Handicap Match

Bobby Lashley vs. Omos & MVP

Winner: Bobby Lashley via submission

Tonight offered a continuation in the ongoing rivalry between Lashley and Omos that began at Wrestlemania and was further ignited as MVP betrayed Lashley upon his return from injury.  In the closing moments of the contest, Cedric Alexander provided just enough of a distraction to allow Lashley to spear Omos leaving MVP alone with The Almighty who cinched in the Hurt Lock to earn the submission victory.

Ezekiel vs. Kevin Owens

Winner: Kevin Owens via pinfall

Since the night following Wrestlemania, the wrestler once know as Elias,  has been monopolizing his time with convincing Kevin Owens that he is Elias’ younger brother Ezekiel - even though it’s clearly the same wrestler with no beard, no guitar, a haircut, and different ring attire. Ezekiel showed some flashes of offense early but a cannonball delivered to a vulnerable Ezekiel followed by the Stunner was too much for him to overcome as Owens easily pinned him for the three count.

A.J. Styles, Finn Balor, & Liv Morgan vs. The Judgement Day (Edge, Damian Priest, & Rhea Ripley)

Winners: The Judgement Day via pinfall

This bout held several underlying plot lines heading into this evening. Edge and Styles have had their ongoing rivalry since prior to Wrestlemania, Morgan and Ripley were former tag team partners, and Styles and Balor are both Bullet Club alumni from their time in New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor which brings us to the tag team affair tonight. In the final moments of the bout, Edge appeared to be in dire straits as Balor ascended to the top rope to attempt the Coup de Grace. Ripley then stood in his way thwarting the attempt and as Balor came back down to the canvas, he was greeted with a devastating spear from Edge to seal the victory for The Judgement Day.

No Hold Barred Match

Happy Corbin vs. Madcap Moss

Winner: Madcap Moss via pinfall

The rivalry between Moss and Corbin, one time friends turned bitter enemies, that was sparked out of jealousy following Moss’ win in the Andre The Giant Battle Royal and Corbin’s loss on The Showcase of the Immortals, continued this evening in a No Holds Barred match. In what essentially evolved into a watered down hardcore match, Moss finally earned a measure of revenge on Corbin as he wrapped a steel chair around his head and dropped the steel ring stairs on him before covering Happy for the pinfall

United States Championship

Austin Theory (c) vs. Mustafa Ali

Winner: Austin Theory via pinfall

The youngest United States Champion in history stood toe to toe with Chicago’s own Mustafa Ali with his championship gold on the line in a match that came to fruition on Monday night. Mr. McMahon had Adam Pearce establish the bout after Theory gave Ali a “title shot” following his match with Ciampa in the interest of fairness. Late in the match, Ali missed a 450 attempt that allowed Theory to capitalize and retain his title after he put Ali away with the A-Town Down.

Hell In A Cell Match

Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins

Winner: Cody Rhodes via pinfall

Seth Rollins obsession over his loss to Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania has continued to linger while seemingly plunging him deeper into self-manifested madness. Tonight could be the final chapter in this rivalry as the two stepped into the ominous Hell In A Cell. Prior to the match, it was reported that Cody had sustained a torn pectoral muscle while training earlier in the week and needless to say, it was accurate. After Cody removed his ring jacket, the crowd was left in utter silence as his right pectoral and bicep were grotesquely black and blue. To add to the drama of this encounter, Rollins elected to don black ring attire with yellow polka dots - a jab at Cody’s father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. Give Cody Rhodes a lot of credit as he was clearly limited in his arsenal tonight yet still managed to put forth the best match of the evening with Seth Rollins. In the closing moments, Rhodes executed multiple Cross Rhodes before he put Rollins down with a sledgehammer shot to the head.

WWE Survivor Series 2019

By Steve Ward

The WWE Universe jam packed a sold out Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois this evening for Survivor Series. This year’s theme, as it has been several times, was the battle for brand supremacy. For this year’s 33^rd installment, however, WWE decided to shake things up a bit and incorporated (in my opinion) the superior brand - NXT. With this dynamic, more superstars had the ability to take center stage but at the cost of several champions being tied up in non-title bouts hence lowering the stakes. Nonetheless, the seven match card still featured three title matches where the marquee championship from each brand was defended.

Women’s Survivor Series Elimination Match
Team RAW (Charlotte Flair, Asuka, Natalya, Sarah Logan, & Kairi Sane) vs. Team NXT (Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Io Shirai, Candice LeRae, & Toni Storm) vs. Team Smackdown (Sasha Banks, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross, Carmella, & Dana Brooke)
Sole Survivior: Rhea Ripley (Team NXT) via pinfall

Survivor Series wasted no time diving right into a 5 on 5 on 5 triple threat elimination match. Surprisingly we witnessed NXT with an advantage late as Ripley, Storm, and Belair remained from NXT, Banks from Smackdown, and Natalyz from RAW (after dissention in their ranks saw Asuka spray the green mist in the face of Flair leading the Queen to get pinned by Lacey Evans). After Banks quickly turned on Natalya and rolled her up for a pinfall, she was left to go toe to toe with the towering Australian, Rhea Ripley. With Ripley seemingly moments from tapping out to the Bank Statement, Lerae and Shirai returned to ringside causing enough of a distraction for Ripley to land the Riptide allowing her to pin Banks for the victory.

Triple Threat Match
Shinsuke Nakamura w/ Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles vs. Roderick Strong
Winner: Roderick Strong via pinfall

This match pitted champion versus champion versus champion as Nakamura - WWE Intercontinental Champion, AJ Styles - WWE United States Champion, and Roderick Strong - NXT North American Champion did battle. This match ended in an arguably epic upset as AJ Styles took out Nakamura with the Phenomenal Forearm only to be unceremoniously dumped out of the ring by Strong who capitalized on the opportunity and pinned The Artist.

NXT Championship
Adam Cole (c) vs. Pete Dunne
Winner: Adam Cole via pinfall

Pete Dunne earned his shot at Adam Cole after he defeated Killian Dain and Damian Priest in a triple threat match last night at NXT Wargames. In the closing moments, Dunne was able to withstand the Panama Sunrise allowing him to attempt the Bitter End for a third time. This time Cole spectacularly reversed it driving Dunne’s skull into the canvas. The Undisputed Era leader quickly followed up with the Last Shot setting up the pinfall victory.

Universal Championship
“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
Winner: “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt via pinfall

After defeating Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship at Crown Jewel, Wyatt attempted to defend his title for the first time against Daniel Bryan. While I’m personally a fan of both of these competitors, all this match did was give me eyestrain thanks to the exclusive red lighting for the duration of the match. Daniel Bryan did put up a good showing late in the bout as he delivered several missile dropkicks and Yes Kicks. Unfortunately for Bryan, these weren’t enough as Bray trapped him in the Mandible Claw leaving him subdued enough to earn the pinfall.

Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Match
Team RAW (Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, & Ricochet) vs. Team Smackdown (Roman Reigns, Mustafa Ali, Shorty G, King Corbin, & Braun Strowman) vs. Team NXT (Tomasso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Walter, Damian Priest, & Matt Riddle)
Sole Survivor: Roman Reigns

Dissention among the ranks reigned supreme again in this contest as Corbin and Reigns were at each other’s throats for the majority of the bout. Reigns finally hit his tipping point as he speared Corbin allowing Ciampa to eliminate him. This left us with Rollins from Team RAW, Reigns from Team Smackdown, and Ciampa and Lee from NXT remaining. Ciampa was the first eliminated after receiving the Curb Stomp from Rollins. Lee then shocked Rollins with a Jackhammer to eliminate him. Lee appeared poised to pull off the unthinkable as he thwarted Reigns spear attempt with a power bomb. Lee then attempted to execute a second rope moonsault but Reigns rolled out of the way and countered with a spear for the win.

WWE Championship No Holds Barred Match
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
Winner: Brock Lesnar via pinfall

This match had been a couple months in the works. First, Brock laid waste to Rey and his son leading Mysterio to bring in Cain Velasquez for backup. Next, Cain Velasquez challenged Lesnar at Crown Jewel for the title only to lose via submission. This evening we reached the culmination of these recent acts as Mysterio challenged Lesnar for the WWE Championship in a No Holds Barred Match.  As Brock brutally beat down Rey, his son Dominic came to ringside. The two of them proceeded to get the upper hand, albeit briefly, after a low blow from Mysterio, however, Brock withstood a pinfall attempt only to suplex Dominic across the ring and subsequently F5 Rey to retain his title.

Triple Threat Match
Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Bayley
Winner: Shayna Baszler via submission

The RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, the NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, and the Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley took center stage in the main event of the evening. After disposing of The Man at ringside, Baszler was able to finish of Bayley with the Kirifuda Clutch. Baszler then proceeded to celebrate at ringside on top of the announce table. Becky got a small measure of revenge as she took Baszler down and with her strewn across the table, Lynch stood on the ringside barrier and delivered a leg drop that put The Queen of Spades through the table.

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Impact Wrestling Presents: Bound For Glory 2019

By Steve Ward

Impact Wrestling’s biggest event of the year emanated from Chicago this evening for the 15^th incarnation of Bound For Glory. This event held significance on a multitude of levels for Impact Wrestling as they continue to push to remain relevant in what is becoming an ever crowded pro wrestling landscape with the emergence of AEW. Additionally, this was Impact’s final event before their debut on AXS TV after spending the past year on Pursuit Channel. While I’m happy to see they continue to maintain a network deal, this move will make it more difficult for their fan base to access their weekly program as it is mostly limited to satellite TV providers. The card was stacked this evening as it provided a healthy mix of young, lesser known talent, some WWE outcasts, and several ECW originals while all titles were contested.

Call Your Shot 20-Person Gauntlet Match
Winner: Eddie Edwards

This match began with Eddie Edwards and Adam Thornstowe of Reno Scum. Every minute another competitor entered and would need to be thrown over the top rope in order to be eliminated. The final competitor would have the opportunity at the title of his or her choice. In addition to many Impact Wrestling regulars, there were many surprises including Swoggle (who made his entrance as he chased Johnny Swinger, another blast from the past, from below the ring), Sabu, Tommy Dreamer (not really a surprise but the Innovator of Violence needed a mention in the article), former AEW star Kylie Rae, and the newly signed Joey Ryan. The exhilarating opening contest came down to a final four of  Madman Fulton, Mahabali Shera, Eddie Edwards, and Fallah Bahh. Bahh was quickly eliminated by Shera and then Edwards caught Fulton off guard and knocked him over the top rope to bring us to the last two men standing. Once this occurred the match became a standard one on one contest. Edwards made short work of Shera as he executed the Boston Knee Party for the pinfall victory.

Knockouts Championship
Tenille Dashwood vs. Taya Valkyrie (c) w/ John E. Bravo
Winner: Taya Valkyrie via pinfall

Despite the noticeable and unexplained departure of her husband Johnny Impact amid rumors he’s signed with WWE, Valkyrie has continued her reign of dominance with former referee John E. Bravo (Johnny Bravo) in tow. This evening she defended her title against Tenille Dashwood (formerly known as Emma in WWE) who made her surprising debut recently instead of signing with AEW. In the closing moments, Dashwood hit the Spotlight, however, her pinfall attempt was thwarted by Bravo who dragged the champ to the ropes for the break. After Bravo was ejected from ringside, Dashwood attempted another Spotlight to no avail as Valkyrie was able to trap her in the Road to Valhalla for the pinfall.

Impact Tag Team Championship
Rob Van Dam & Rhino vs. Rich Swann & Willie Mack vs. The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page)
Winners: The North

As this frenetically paced match began to wind down, RVD and Rhino seemed poised to solidify a victory. Rhino was squared up in the corner prepared to execute a Gore as RVD shocked the crowd and super kicked him in the face. RVD then laid waste to Mack and Swann as he delivered super kicks to them as well and proceeded to exit the arena. This allowed Alexander to hoist Swann up in a fireman’s carry and propelled him into the arms of Page who power bombed him to set up the pinfall.

Marufugi vs. Michael Elgin
Winner: Michael Elgin

Japanese legend Marufugi of Pro Wrestling NOAH squared off with Michael Elgin who made a name for himself in New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor. Michael Elgin greatly impressed in this bout with his surprising high flying ability mixed in with the strong style focus of the match. Marufugi displayed great resilience as he withstood multiple buckle bombs and a Splash Mountain Bomb to answer with several onslaughts of vicious knee strikes. The conclusion of this match arrived after Elgin executed yet another buckle bomb followed by an inverted Death Valley Driver for the victory.

5-person X-Division Ladder Match
Tessa Blanchard vs. Ace Austin vs. Acey Romero vs. Daga vs. Jake Crist (c)
Winner: Ace Austin

Yes, you read that participant list correctly, Tessa Blanchard after weeks of feuding with OVE, was a contestant in this bout. In the closing moments, Tessa and Jake Crist scaled the ladder simultaneously. As the two jockeyed for position at the top of the ladder, Tessa propelled Crist off of the ladder and through a table. As Tessa had the belt at her fingertips, Ace Austin jumped to the ladder from the ropes with his baton in hand and struck Tessa in the head causing her to fall from the ladder. This action left Austin unopposed as he retrieved the title to become the new X-Division Champion.

Ken Shamrock vs. Moose
Winner: Moose via pinfall

55-year old Ken Shamrock came out absolutely shredded and did not look anywhere near his age physique-wise. Shamrock was in line to finish off Moose several times, however, Frank Trigg who was in Moose’s corner proved to be the difference. Trigg drew the attention of Shamrock and the referee several times and even removed one of the turnbuckle covers exposing the dreaded steel beneath. Moose managed to withstand multiple ankle lock submission attempts and finally drove Shamrock into the exposed turnbuckle busting him open. This supplied Moose the opening he needed to land the spear and cover The World’s Most Dangerous Man for a hollow victory.

Impact World Championship
Brian Cage (c) vs. Sami Callihan
Winner: Brian Cage via pinfall

There were plenty of narratives leading into this contest. After months injured at home, Cage made his return to Impact several weeks ago to propose to and subsequently marry Melissa Santos. On the edition of Impact where the two tied the knot, Callihan struck Santos in the head with a champagne bottle intended for Cage. Then to make matters worse, Callihan and OVE handcuffed Cage to the ropes on the most recent episode of Impact and let him watch as his wife was the recipient of a Cactus Special. Needless to say, this bout was full of pure, unadulterated violence. The bout reached it’s conclusion shortly after Callihan introduced a bag of tacks to the fray. Callihan delivered a Cactus Special that Cage kicked out of following a one count and proceeded to destroy “The Draw.” First, he power bombed Callihan onto the tacks and immediately followed up with a Drill Claw for the pinfall.

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Dmitry Bivol Needs Victory to Stay Relevant in 175-Pound Landscape

By Luis A. Cortes III

When WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (16-0) (11 KO’s) takes the ring tonight in Chicago to defend his title for the fifth time against Dominican power puncher Lenin Castillo (20-2-1) (15 KO’s).  He does so fully aware that in order to stay relevant in the mind of boxing fans, not only does he need a victory, but an impressive showing would go a long way to further his future goal of being the undisputed king of his division.  Before that goal can be released though, the landscape of the ultra-talent rich light heavyweight division is about to change with two major blockbuster fights scheduled to take place in the next couple of weeks.
  
First is the unification fight on ESPN next Friday night from Philadelphia between WBC champion Oleksandr Gvozdk and the IBF champion Artur Beterbiev.  That fight is being viewed as a possible fight of the year candidate without a single punch having been thrown.  It’s truly a fight fan's dream matchup that should deliver pure action.  After that is the November 2nd historical showdown between current middleweight king Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev.  With these two huge fights taking place within weeks of each other, it must be hard pressed for the other champion Bivol to have to wait his turn at taking a crack at the other elite fighters.  Notice that his title defense tonight wasn’t mentioned in terms of mega fights that could alter the landscape of the division.

It wasn’t long ago, back in 2017, when Bivol first captured the title on HBO.  He was clearly being nurtured by the network and his handlers to be a future box office attraction.  At the time, Bivol’s promoters (World of Boxing) had a partnership with U.S. based promoter Main Events that afforded him the ability to have his fights broadcasted on HBO.  Main Events handled all things Bivol in the United States, which included him being featured in the main event fight in November of last year in Atlantic City.  With HBO getting out of the business of distributing fights just a month later, Bivol and his handlers at World of Boxing decided to move on and join Matchroom Boxing USA.  Since that time, Bivol has been featured once on DAZN, a title defense against blue collar contender Joe Smith Jr. 

It’s a far cry from the type of profile that Bivol was expecting to have at this point.  And it also didn’t help when a potential unification and mega fight with fellow Russian Sergey Kovalev never came to fruition after Kovalev was surprisingly stopped by Elider Alvarez in August of last year.  It’s the type of situation that would make any champion in his physical prime frustrated not to get the type of major fights that could cement his own legacy in the sport.  This is not lost on Bivol, who so far has remained level headed about the entire situation.

“I want to make my mark in boxing history and to do this you have to fight the best,” stated Bivol.  “Of course, I want to fight against the other champions but sometimes you cannot do it because they are busy, but we have good fights and I am happy with that.  The fight next weekend is a great one and I would love to face the winner, we will know more about my future after that fight.”  

Patience is a virtue right now for Bivol.  However, it’s clear through his words that the sand in that hour glass may be running out.  It also is clear that he wants his handlers to put him in line to face the other elite fighters since he is planning on being in attendance both next week and in Vegas on November 2nd.  During all the pre-fight interviews and conversations leading up to his title defense tonight.  Not much time was spent discussing his opponent.  Sometimes this is looked at as a bad thing, that a fighter is suffering from a lack of focus with the task at hand.  So far in his career, Bivol has been a consummate professional and nothing suggests that he isn’t aware that for him to have these opportunities it starts with being impressive in victory tonight.  After all, if he does come out victorious as expected tonight, and doesn’t automatically get a unification fight with the winner of next weekends mega unification fight, he has a plethora of worthy challengers to fight.  The light heavyweight division is one of the deepest in the sport, if not the deepest.  With elite fighters not only as champions, but also on the contender level.  

A victory tonight for Bivol will put him in line to fight all the contenders and unified champions to try and indeed make his mark in the sport.  His style of boxer-puncher also meshes well with any of these other fighters on the elite level, which means pure excitement for fans.  Although a victory in his fight tonight won’t contribute to the rapidly changing landscape of the division.  Bivol indeed needs to be victorious, since the only way the landscape changes tonight is if he truly has looked past his opponent and winds up losing in a major upset.

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Don’t Blink on Chicago’s Joshua Greer

By Luis A. Cortes III

While “Motor City” Detroit, Michigan has a rich history with boxing, the third largest city in the country and largest in the Midwest, Chicago’s boxing tradition is commonly left out of discussions regarding great fight towns. Of course, Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles are three commonly mentioned cities, something not lost on bantamweight contender Joshua Greer 19-1-1 (10 KOs). Greer who is a native son of the South Side of Chicago appears tonight on ESPN as the co-feature of the main event that features Rob Brant defending his portion of the middleweight championship.

For Greer, it’s the opportunity that he has been working towards since signing a promotional contract with Top Rank last year. “I was fighting on ShoBox before signing with Top Rank and it was great for exposure, but there was no real plan in place once those fights were over,” stated Greer during a recent call with TWI. “That’s why along with my manger (the well-respected James Prince), Top Rank was the best fit for us to take my career to the next level.” With a victory over Giovanni Escaner 19-3 (12 KOs) Greer will position himself as a serious contender for any of the champions in the bantamweight division.

“All of the major belts except for the WBC belt are locked up currently in the tournament.” What Greer is talking about of course is the World Series of Boxing tournaments that are currently focused on his division. Nordine Oubaali is the current champion and is someone that Greer and his team have their sights set on. “Any of the champions after this fight is what I’m looking forward to,” remarked Greer.

As a native of the tough streets of South Side Chicago, Greer, like his fallen friend and former top welterweight prospect Ed Brown almost became a victim of the environment that has taken the lives of many talented men. “I love representing my city and the place that I’m from, but it’s really easy for young guys like myself to wind up on the wrong end of things. Chicago needs to get back to where it once was not just in boxing but for all the young athletes. I don’t surround myself with negativity anymore. I choose to get out and surround myself with the right people and just focus on making it through boxing.”

Greer at one point after an amateur career that wasn’t as decorated as the ones you would see many top contenders having decided after a two-year hiatus that it was time to take boxing seriously to provide for his young family. “I had a conversation with my grandmother and she told me that it was time to get back into the gym to make something of myself,” stated Greer. After all, it was his grandmother who was his primary care taker throughout his life that initially took Greer to a gym as a way of keeping her grandson out of trouble. She entrusted his boxing growth to George Hernandez, and since that time, Greer has bloomed into a talent and finds himself on the cusp of fulfilling his dreams of championship glory.

His lone professional defeat was at the hands of Stephen “Scooter” Felton, himself a top talent. It wasn’t that long ago that Greer was an over looked fighter. That all changed in March of 2017 when he fought James Smith on ShoBox. Prior to the fight at the press conference, Smith and Greer were exchanging words, when Greer told him that he would “put him to sleep.” “One of the members of my team mentioned that I should get a pillow and put the words ‘night, night’ on it and take it to the ring.  So we did that and after I knocked him out I grabbed it and carried it around the ring,” reminisced Greer.

As is the case with today’s social media-based society, the video went viral and Greer gained a sort of instant following as a result. So, with a great acumen for self-promotion and a solid team behind him, along with his new-found approach of being completely committed to his career, both inside and out of the ring, it would be wise for fight fans not to blink or take Joshua Greer lightly. Instead, they should pay attention to this young contender who may just be the answer the Chicago fight scene has been looking for in order for the “Windy City” to return to the minds of boxing fans around the world.    

Photo - Ringtv.com

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WWE Money in the Bank Recap

The split brand WWE Money in the Bank emanated this evening from a raucous Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. The card boasted four title matches and two Money in the Bank Ladder Matches. 

Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass
Winner: Daniel Bryan via submission
Daniel Bryan took the fight to Big Cass early supported by a flurry of “YES” chants from the energized crowd but the tide quickly turned as Big Cass began to utilize his drastic size advantage to brutalize Bryan. In the end, Bryan’s technical prowess had shone through as he overcame multiple torture racks and cut down the seven footer with several YES Kicks. Finally, the founding father of the YES Movement earned the submission victory with a vicious heel hook submission.

Sami Zayn vs. Bobby Lashley
Winner: Bobby Lashley via pinfall
This match marked Bobby Lashley’s in-ring PPV debut since his return to the WWE.  Zayn’s early antics of playing cat and mouse with Lashley didn’t last long as he was absolutely decimated! After throwing Zayn around like a rag doll, Lashley finally finished him off as he executed his third delayed vertical suplex that was followed by a casual one-handed pin.

WWE Intercontinental Championship:
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Elias
Winner: Seth Rollins via pinfall
This match put the talents of both Rollins and Elias on full display. Rollins most impressive move of the match was a superplex that he maintained his hold on and converted immediately into a Falcon Arrow. The match concluded as Elias’ pin attempt was countered with a rollup by Rollins where he hung on to the tights for the 1-2-3 to retain his title.

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch vs. Naomi vs. Lana vs. Sasha Banks vs. Ember Moon
Winner: Alexa Bliss
The climax of this match came as it appeared that Becky Lynch would finally achieve redemption and claim the briefcase until The Goddess emerged out of nowhere and unceremoniously dumped Becky off the ladder causing her to face plant into another ladder wedged in the corner of the ring. Alexa then scaled the ladder and retrieved the money in the bank briefcase earning herself a future title shot.

Jinder Mahal vs. Roman Reigns
Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall
This match developed as a result of the Modern Day Maharaja costing the Big Dog the opportunity to participate in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.  The crowd just wasn’t into this match at all with chants such as: “This match sucks,” “This is awful,” and “CM Punk.” Aside from the crowd’s color commentary, they even went so far as to do the wave. Granted this match, which was controlled by Mahal for the majority of the time, was not that bad as he did display some proficient technical wrestling skills and there was a comedic factor implemented with Sunil Singh at ringside in a wheelchair with a sling and neck brace in tow. In the end, however, it ended in typical Roman Reigns match fashion with a spear and the pinfall.

Smackdown Women’s Championship
Carmella (c) vs. Asuka
Winner: Carmella via pinfall
With moments remaining in the match a masked individual climbed onto the ring apron dressed as a geisha.  This provided a distraction to Asuka that was accentuated when the figure unmasked himself to reveal the returning James Ellsworth! A seemingly terrified Asuka was then kicked in the face by Carmella leading to the pinfall victory.

WWE Championship Last Man Standing Match
A.J. Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Winner:  A.J. Styles
This match, which had the stipulation selected by Shinsuke Nakamura, was contested under Last Man Standing rules. For those of you who need a refresher, this means that the only way to win is to incapacitate your opponent to the point where he cannot respond to the referee’s 10-count. This match brought us a bit of everything: a Kinshasa delivered by Nakamura as he ran across two announce tables striking A.J. as he was prone on the third, A.J. being thrown through a table propped in the corner of the ring, and the dreaded exposed turnbuckle even played a part. The conclusion of this match, however, was truly phenomenal (pun intended) as A.J. gave Nakamura a dose of his own medicine kicking him between the uprights as he taunted Styles while propped up against the announce table. Styles then returned to the ring and propelled himself off of the top rope and delivered a Phenomenal Forearm that put Shinsuke through the table and this time prohibited him from answering the referee’s count of ten.

RAW Women’s Championship
Nia Jax (c) vs. Ronda Rousey
Winner:  No contest
This match appeared as if it would be a massacre of biblical proportions by Nia Jax in the early going but Ronda proceeded to put her submission skills on display. Just as it appeared Rousey was going to get the armbar submission victory, the newly crowned Miss Money in the Bank interfered leading to a no contest.

RAW Women’s Championship Match TWO
Nia Jax (c) vs. Alexa Bliss
Winner: Alexa Bliss via pinfall
After disposing of Ronda Rousey by throwing her over the German announce table, Alexa beat Nia with the briefcase, cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase, and hit the Twisted Bliss to become the new RAW Women’s Champion!!!

Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor vs. Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Roode vs. The Miz vs. Rusev vs. Kofi Kingston
Winner: Braun Strowman
The onset of this match showed the other seven combatants join forces to take out Strowman and after he was driven to the stage by a series of ladder strikes, the other participants proceeded to bury him under several ladders. “The Monster Among Men” couldn’t be subdued for long however… Braun Strowman (with Kofi Kingston clinging on to his back) raced Finn Balor up the ladder as all of the other men were out of the picture. Braun proceeded to swat Balor off the ladder, tossed Kofi away like a bug, and easily attained the briefcase earning a title shot, presumably against Brock Lesnar, whenever he wants.

 

-The Buckle Bomb with Steve Ward

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Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix Update Following Mir vs. Fedor

Finally! The People’s Red Head has Come Back to The Weigh-In!

While it has been awhile since the People’s Red Head has graced The Weigh-In with his presence, you are still welcome that I have decided to return. You have all been given a gift during my silence. That gift comes in the form of aerial assaults, spandex, and baby oil. I am of course referring to the contribution from our very own Steve Ward. His wrestling articles have been great, and it’s real to him, damn it!

It is time for another update of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. Mir vs. Fedor took place April 28, 2018, in Illinois. Unfortunately, the hype leading up to the fight lasted longer than the actual fight. However, both men showed why they are worthy of their legendary status.

Fedor won by TKO, 48 seconds into round one. If we were talking about Matt Ward’s sexual stamina, this would be fives times that, and we would be celebrating. It is not that the fight was disappointing, quite the opposite. To the surprise of many, Mir came out swinging. When you are the aggressor, you often run the risk of giving your opponent openings. This is exactly what happened in this fight.

Fedor showed his true form by clipping Mir behind the ear and landing two more punches that led to the referee calling a stop to the fight. For Fedor, it further cements his place in history. For Mir, it adds to his allure. The career of Mir has been one where he has faced all challengers.

Following the fight, Chael Sonnen was forced to enter promotion mode, as he will be Fedor’s next opponent. For the silver tongued Sonnen, we could tell it was unsuspected, as his banter seemed forced, and not true to his normal form. It is always difficult to leave the booth without notice and start promoting, especially when you are caught off guard.

We will continue to keep you updated as the tournament progresses. Stay tuned for further updates from The Weigh-In.

Special Thanks To:

Tainted Meat

Premature (you know)

Tom Cruise for The Firm

Fucking artists

-Dustin Johnson, The People's Red Head

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Haley Zale Interview

I recently had a phone interview with actress, Haley Zale. Haley is the niece of former World Middleweight champion, the Man of Steel, Tony Zale. Tony fought professionally from 1934 to 1948, and captured the World Middleweight title on multiple occasions. 

In November 2015, two of Tony Zale's championship belts, as well as four of those won by multiple division World Champion, Carmen Basilio, were stolen from the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. The investigation into this robbery, as well as efforts to recover the six stolen title belts is ongoing. 

Check out our Bonus Round interview on both SoundCloud and iTunes:

Bonus Round - Actress Haley Zale Discusses her Uncle Tony Zale and the 2015 IBHOF Title Belt Theft on SoundCloud 

Bonus Round - Actress Haley Zale Discusses her Uncle Tony Zale and the 2015 IBHOF Title Belt Theft on iTunes 

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Canastota Police Department at 315-697-2240 or the FBI Albany Field Office at 518-465-7551. A $20,000 reward is being offered for information in the case, as well as autographed items by Mike Tyson.

Bring Back the Belts 

PO Box 80834

Lansing, MI 48908

You can learn more about efforts to bring back the belts (#BringBackTheBelts) by clicking on the links below: 

Tony Zale Official Website 

Bring Back The Belts Facebook Page

Tony Zale World Middleweight Boxing Champion Facebook Page 

Bring Back the Belts YouTube Video

Instagram - tonyzalethemanofsteel

Twitter - @BoxerZale

MW

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