Abe’s 2018 In Review (Part Three): 5 Things to Look Forward To

The wrestling world has already undergone a pretty eventful 2018 in its first 6 months.  If you’re having trouble remembering, you can refresh with my Match of the Year and Wrestler of the Year articles.  Aside from everything else, I’m here to remind you that there’s still plenty left to be excited about.

NXT UK (Next Tapings July 28 & 29)

After a successful return to Royal Albert Hall, it was announced that NXT would officially be launching its UK brand with Johnny Saint as the General Manager.  There are already two storylines with seeds planted from the previous event.  Noam Dar won a #1 Contender’s match for Pete Dunne’s United Kingdom Championship in his return from injury.  Mark and Joe, the Coffey Brothers, established themselves after the aforementioned match by attacking the remaining competitors.  Travis Banks, Flash Morgan Webster, and Zack Gibson left without capturing gold, but it’s safe to assume they are firmly positioned at the top of the card.

Mae Young Classic (Tapings August 8 & 9)

Last year’s tournament gifted us the bright NXT prospects of Kairi Sane, Shayna Baszler, Dakota Kai, Candice LeRae, Sarah Logan and Biana Belair.  Tegan Nox, the Welsh wrestler formerly known as Nixon Newell, had to pull out of last year’s tournament due to injury.  Fortunately, she’s been training at the Performance Center since last summer.  Current Progress Women’s Champion, Jinny, also had to withdraw from the NXT UK special after being injured.  I would be surprised if both women didn’t compete in the MYC or the upcoming UK shows.  This week it was announced that former Divas Champion, Kaitlyn, and Rhea Ripley will be the first entrants in the upcoming tournament.  Kaitlyn will have a similar role to Serena Deeb from last year where we’ll see a familiar face in a new environment.

****UPDATE: During the publishing process of this article, Jinny, Kacy Catanzaro, Nicole Matthews, and STARDOM ace, Io Shirai were announced as the next crop of entrants.

ALL IN (September 1)

One of the most captivating stories we’ve ever seen in wrestling.  Those with a ticket know they’re going to witness history.  We got to see Cody and The Young Bucks take on something no other group of wrestlers have ever attempted.  They used their own money to create and promote an event from scratch.  Their goal was to get 10,000 seats and they sold out in 30 minutes.  Don Callis agreed on air to do commentary for the event which means it’s going to be streamed for the viewing public.  In a card that already features Marty Scurll vs Kazuchika Okada, others already committed include Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Pentagon Jr., Tessa Blanchard, Rey Mysterio, Jay Lethal, and more.  The best part is that the event is also being booked by Cody and The Bucks which means there are hardly any creative restrictions.  I suggest you clear your schedule on September 1st if you haven’t already.

chrisjerichocruise.com

Chris Jericho’s Rock N Wrestling Rager (October 27-31)

Here we have another ambitious project created as a brainchild of a wrestling great.  The sphere of wrestling may actually stand still for the five days this cruise is taking place.  Chris Jericho is essentially putting the entire Ring of Honor roster along with the hottest independent stars on a cruise ship filled with bands and comedians.  Your next vacation can’t really get more fun than that.  It’s really going to be entertaining to hear about all the reports, footage, and stories that are going to emerge from that boat.  Hopefully they’ll find a way to stream some of the action.  It would be nice to get a piece of the fun.  I can only imagine what that week’s episode of “Being the Elite” is going to be like.

G1 Climax 28 (July 14 – August 12)

The G1 Climax is the crown jewel of New Japan Pro Wrestling.  And luckily for you, Night 1 will likely be ready for viewing by the time this article is published.  Last year was my first time watching the G1 and every day was a treat.  Seeing all the different clashes of styles and flashes of creativity within a month’s window is truly pro wrestling at it’s finest.  Every tournament always meets expectations by providing multiple MOTY candidates.  One interesting thing about this year is that Chris Jericho is the current Intercontinental Champion but he’s absent from the tournament.  See, WWE isn’t the only promotion with a belt being held hostage.  His placement in future storylines is going to be something to watch.  Jericho’s next target is waiting somewhere in this tournament.  There are multiple intertwining parts regarding Kenny Omega and the B Block.  Omega will eventually have to square off against his fellow Golden Lover, Kota Ibushi in what should be a masterpiece.  Newly christened head of The Firing Squad, Tama Tonga will also be looking assert himself over his former Bullet Club comrade.  If that’s not enough for Omega to deal with, he gets the tournament favorite, and last year’s winner, Tetsuya Naito in the first night of the B Block.