Weekend 3 Count 9.11.16 #WWE #NXT #TNA #ROH #PWG

By Brandon Albright, @B_Rock1978

Wrestling Lockup with Brandon, brought to you by Triple Threat CLE brings you the Weekend 3 Count. W3C brings you wrestling news, rumors and recaps from around the wrestling world. You'll find news and recaps involving WWE, NXT, TNA, ROH, Lucha Underground, GFW, NJPW, House of Hardcore and any Indy promotion that I find an interesting story or a cool discovery in. Be sure to check out the W3C every Sunday at @TripleThreatCLE. 

*** WWE *** 

- Alberto Del Rio Done: It has been rumored for the past few weeks that Alberto Del Rio would in fact take the clause in his contract that said he could opt out in September. WWE have granted Del Rio's wishes and have officially released Del Rio from the WWE. WWE posted the following on their website.

"WWE and Jose Rodriguez (Alberto Del Rio) have mutually agreed upon the terms of his release as of today, September 9, 2016."

- Is Paige Next To Go?: Wrestling Observer reported that former WWE Diva's Champion Paige has retained legal council to defend herself against WWE. Despite being contracted through 2019, Paige is reportedly not returning to the company following her 30 day wellness policy suspension. It was also reported that Paige quit the company this week via Twitter:

- #1 Contender To WWE Universal Championship: If you missed RAW this past Monday, go read my recap and see how Seth Rollins became the #1 contender to Kevin Owens and the WWE Universal Championship. Also read about how Roman Reigns is having an opportunity to become #1 contender as well.

- Sasha Banks Returns: Sasha Banks returned this past Monday on RAW and scared a few people with her emotional promo that almost sounded like a retirement speech. Sasha was really setting up Charlotte and announcing she's the #1 contender to Charlotte's WWE Women's Championship.

- Cesaro vs. Sheamus Match #4: Cesaro finally picked up a win in he and Sheamus' best of seven series, during a non televised live event this week in London. Cesaro caught Sheamus off guard and scored a surprise rollup pinfall. Sheamus currently leads the series 3-1.

- WWE Announces New Senior VP Of Communications: WWE announced on Tuesday that Chris Bellitti has been announced as the new Senior Vice President of Communications. Bellitti, who previously held senior positions at FOX Sports and ESPN, will report directly to Brian Flinn, WWE Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communications. As the head of WWE’s Communications division, Bellitti will be a key member of the company’s senior management team, responsible for providing strategic vision for WWE’s internal and external global communications initiatives across key business units.

- Finn Balor Update: According to WrestlingNewsWorld.com, Finn Balor’s torn labrum injury was worse than expected. An MRI revealed a labrum tear but it wasn’t discovered until he had surgery that the tear was twice as big as expected. In addition, there were issues with his bicep and pectoral in addition to bone fragments. WWE have raised Balor's return from 4 to 6 months to just 6 months now. WWE aren't taking any chances and want Balor at a full 100% come Wrestlemania 33. WM33 is currently looking like Balor's return match at this time.

- The Illegal Vest Controversy: Roman Reigns has made it in the wrestling news section again this week. First it was Reigns suffering a 30 day suspension two months ago for failing the wellness policy. Last week the IWC (Internet Wrestling Community) lost their minds as Reigns was officially announced as the #1 wrestler in the world on the PWI 500. This week it's all about Reigns' vest that he wears to the ring and wrestles in. According to Rolling Stone, Change.org has started a petition stating that the vest that Reigns wrestles in causes an unfair advantage, helps Reigns cheat and has damaged the integrity of the sport. The petition further reads as follows.

“Roman Reigns has been systematically breaking the rules of Admiral-Lord Mountevan’s Unified Rules of Professional Wrestling through the use of illegal body armor to protect himself during the course of matches with legitimately dressed competitors, and has been doing so throughout his career. We require swift action that prohibits the use of this body armor in all future WWE contests by Mr. Reigns and anyone else.”

- WWE Applies For A Trademark: According to PWInsider.com, WWE recently applied to trademark the phrase “Skull King” for performance use. The phrase appears to be planned to be used for Triple H, but that is not yet confirmed.

- Clash Of Champions: WWE announced that the first RAW only pay per view will be WWE Clash Of Champions and it will take place on September 25th, at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Rumors have said, but not yet confirmed, that the main event will be WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens battling Seth Rollins for the title. Expect to see every single RAW title defended at the event.

- The Rock Returning?: WWE have stated that The Rock himself has said that his wrestling career is far from over and we can expect the most electrifying man in sports entertainment to return soon. It's unknown when The Rock would return but many think it could be around Wrestlemania time.

- WWE Signs Two Up And Comers: WWE announced the signings of Alvin Abitz and Max Wessell to developmental deals. Abitz is 6 foot 7, 290 pounds and has a 1-1 record in MMA fighting. Max Wessell is an old collegiate wrestler. Both men are scheduled to report to the WWE Performance Center in October.

- WWE Signs Second Generation Women's Wrestler: According to SquaredCircleSirens, WWE have announced the signing of Victoria Gonzalez. Victoria is a second generation superstar, her father was known for being both Speedy Gonzalez and Rick "Desperado" Gonzalez.

*** Cruiserweight Classic Recap ***
The last of the Elite 8 in the tournament met this week to see who advanced to the Final 4.
-- Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Noam Dar, by submission, with a double arm bar.
-- T.J. Perkins defeated Rich Swann, by submission, with the knee bar.

The Final 4 have come down to:
T.J. Perkins vs. Kota Ibushi
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Gran Metalik

- Cruiserweight Division News: The following ten names have now been announced and will make up the WWE Cruiserweight Division as of now when WWE relaunches the division on September 19th.

Gran Metalik, Akira Tozawa, Jack Gallagher, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Cedric Alexander, Rich Swann, Brian Kendrick, Noam Dar and TJ Perkins.

- WWE Backlash Tonight: Just a friendly reminder, tonight is WWE Backlash live on the WWE Network. If you can't catch tonight's show than be sure to check out my recap Monday afternoon!

*** NXT ***

- Shinsuke Nakamura Interviewed: Sports Illustrated recently sat down and interviewed the NXT World Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. Nakamura talked about getting his entrance and charisma from watching Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury. His wrestling inspirations were Macho Man Randy Savage and Andre the Giant. Having great chemistry with Sami Zayn in his debut match with NXT. Nakamura talked about NJPW's Kenny Omega, what a huge asset he is to the promotion and how he was supposed to feud with Omega, but signed with NXT instead. Nakamura also said that his dream opponent for Wrestlemania would be wrestling John Cena one on one.

- NXT In Japan: Triple H announced that for the first time ever NXT will be touring Japan this December. Tickets for the event will go on sale on October 1st. NXT World Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, NXT Women's Champion Asuka and Hideo Itami are all being advertised for the tour in their home country. Bobby Roode and Samoa Joe are also being advertised at the moment.

- New NXT Performance Center Coach: WWE announced that former Attitude Era favorite Scotty 2 Hotty (Scott Taylor) began coaching NXT recruits full time this week in Orlando, Florida.

*** TNA ***

- TNA Recap: Delete or Decay Event
-- Señor Benjamin is shown preparing the Hardy Estate for tonight's Delete or Decay battle. Broken Matt Hardy gives a rally speech to his platoon for tonight's battle.
-- Mike Bennett cuts a promo. Bennett says you should never bite the hand that feeds you, but that is what Moose did, so Moose is fired. Dixie Carter interrupts, tells Bennett to wrap up his promo and he'll be facing Moose at Bound For Glory. Moose hits the ring and corners Bennett. Maria Bennett hits Moose with her TNA Knockouts Championship, distracting Moose long enough for Bennett to escape.
-- Dixie Carter announces that if Mike Bennett refuses to fight Moose at Bound For Glory than he'll be fired. Dixie also strips Maria from her Knockouts Division leadership and makes her defend her title at Bound For Glory against Gail Kim.
-- Gail Kim and Jade defeated Sienna and Allie, by pinfall. Allie accidentally hits Sienna. Sienna drops Allie with a shoulder block, allowing Jade to score the pinfall. After the match, Gail Kim and Jade help Allie up.
-- Broken Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy are shown preparing for battle at the Hardy Estate with giraffes, kangaroos, spider monkeys and tigers. Matt calls two of the spider monkeys Matt and Nick (Referring to ROH's The Young Bucks).
-- TNA President Billy Corgan announces the retirement of the TNA King of the Mountain Championship and the creation of the TNA Grand Championship. The Grand Championship tournament will kick off tonight and will have MMA style rules. Three rounds for three minutes. If there's no winner after three rounds it'll be decided by judges.
-- Drew Galloway suggests to Billy Corgan that he should be the first TNA Grand Champion. Aron Rex interrupts and says Galloway doesn't deserve it. Corgan separates both men and informs them that they're both in the tournament.
-- Drew Galloway defeated Braxton Sutter, by submission to the Iron Maiden, in the third round of the TNA Grand Championship tournament. After the match, Rockstar Spud attacks Sutter and beats him down.
-- Abyss, Crazy Steve and Rosemary are in Cameron, North Carolina where they attack a man in a pickup truck, leave him laying in the road and steal his truck.
-- Bobby Lashley and Ethan Carter cut promos face to face. EC3 says Lashley is a bully, a coward and throwing down the TNA X Division Championship and King of the Mountain Championship was a dick move. Lashley says everyone in the locker room is weak, he beats up weak people and is making TNA better by doing it. Both men continue the verbal shots until both men start brawling throughout the arena. Lashley ends up tossing EC3 down the ramp. Both men continue brawling throughout the arena and outside where the segment finally ends with Lashley tossing EC3 into a wooded area in the parking lot.
-- Eli Drake defeated Jessie Godderz, by pinfall, with Blunt Force Trauma, in the third round of the TNA Grand Championship tournament.
-- Delete or Decay closed out the show:

- Cody Rhodes Signing Soon: According to wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, Cody Rhodes has stated to him that Rhodes and his wife Brandi are very close to signing with TNA soon. Rhodes said that he's spoken to Mike Bennett in TNA and would like to work a feud with Mike and Maria Bennett vs. Cody and Brandi Rhodes when they arrive.

- Cody Rhodes Forced Name Change: Dave Meltzer recently reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that once Cody debuts with TNA he can't use the Rhodes name. It was discovered that Dusty Rhodes, real last name Runnels, owned the "Dusty Rhodes" name, trade mark, character, and merchandise. WWE however owns the "Cody Rhodes" name, trade mark, character and merchandise. Once Cody goes to work for a promotion that is TV broadcasted, he will have to drop the "Rhodes" name, due to WWE's ownership of the "Cody Rhodes" name. Sources are saying that Cody will be wrestling under his real birth given Cody Runnels name when he debuts.

- Ethan Carter Contract: Rumors are saying that Ethan Carter may have signed a new contract with TNA. EC3 is currently telling independent wrestling promotions that they now have to go through TNA offices to ok any independent wrestling shows. Many are thinking its due to EC3 signing a new contract and that clause being added.

*** RING OF HONOR ***

- ROH TV Recap:
-- The Bullet Club cut a promo. Adam Cole doesn't care who challenges him next because he's the greatest ROH World Heavyweight Champion of all time. Jay Lethal interrupts and says things aren't done between them and he has friends to back him up too. Los Ingobernables de Japon arrive and stare down The Bullet Club.
-- Dalton Castle defeated Caprice Coleman, by pinfall, with the Bang A Rang. ANX and The Boys brawl throughout the match outside the ring.
-- The Addiction cut a promo. They are sick of Nigel McGuinness and ROH trying to bring them down. They introduce a ladder and state that they are the top rung on a ladder, all other teams are beneath them.
-- Donovan Dijak defeated Manny Lemons, by pinfall, with Feast Your Eyes.
-- Prince Nana cuts a promo. Nana makes it clear that whoever wins between Bobby Fish and Shibata will lose the ROH Television Championship to Donovan Dijak.
-- The Briscoe Brothers defeated Jay White and Lio Rush, by pinfall, with the Doomsday Device.

- Cody Rhodes Signing Soon: Wait a minute....didn't I just say Cody was signing with TNA? Well guess what? Cody has worked out an agreement with both TNA and ROH to where he can wrestle with both promotions. So Cody Rhodes will be signing with ROH in the up coming months as well. But just like in TNA, will probably be using Cody Runnels as his wrestling name.

- Wade Barrett Coming To ROH?: Prince Nana recently posted a picture on Twitter recently with Nana and Stu Bennett (Wade Barrett) meeting together with a comment stating:

"Business might just pick up even more in @ringofhonor…nice talk @StuBennett."

No word yet on if Bennett has officially signed a deal with ROH.

*** Lucha Underground ***

- Lucha Underground TV Recap: Lucha Underground returned this past Wednesday with the season 3 premier.
-- Dario Cueto is released from prison, with all charges dropped. Cueto talks to an unknown man with an iron hand in a limo. The unknown man says if Cueto wastes his time again, it'll mean death.  Cueto says it's time to open the temple again.
-- Dario Cueto cuts a promo. Cueto introduces a new wheel called Dario’s Dial of Doom. Cueto will spin the wheel and whoever it lands on will face his brother, the Lucha Underground World Champion Mantanza. Cueto spins and it lands on Son of Havoc.
-- Mantanza defeated Son of Havoc, by pinfall, to retain the Lucha Underground World Championship, with the Wrath of Gods.
-- Johnny Mundo demands a Lucha Underground World Championship Match. Dario Cueto calls out Mundo on all his past failures and denies him an opportunity. Cueto announces Sexy Star vs. Taya Valkyrie for the Gift of the Gods Championship.
-- Ivelisse challenges Catrina to a match at Ultima Lucha Tres at the end of the season. Catrina accepts.

-- Sexy Star defeated Taya Valkyrie, with a small package, to retain the Gift of the Gods Championship. PJ Black, Jack Evans and Johnny Mundo came to the ring to help Taya. Taya accidentally hits Black, causing her to be pinned by Sexy. After the match, Taya, Jack Evans and Johnny Mundo triple team Sexy until Aerostar, Drago and Fenix hit the ring to make the save.
-- Dario Cueto announces Marty The Moth vs. Killshot in a Weapons Of Mass Destruction Match next week.
-- Rey Mysterio defeated Pentagon Dark, by pinfall, with the 619 and Canadian Destroyer. After the match, Pentagon plants Mysterio with a running crucifix power bomb. Pentagon goes for Sacrifice, but Dragon Azteca hits the ring to make the save.
-- Vampiro tries to give Prince Puma advice, but Puma thinks Vampiro is just trying to get him to do his bidding.

*** PRO WRESTLING GUERRILLA ***
- Every year Pro Wrestling Guerrilla presents it's annual Battle Of Los Angeles three night 24 Man tournament. Check out the recap of this year's show.

** Battle Of LA Night #1 **

-- Marty Scurll defeated Pentagon Jr., by submission with the crossface chicken wing, to advance in the tournament.

-- Ricochet defeated Jeff Cobb, by pinfall, with a small package reversal of Cobb's Tour of the Islands finisher, to advance in the tournament.
-- John Hennigan defeated Matt Sydal, by pinfall, with Starship Pain, to advance in the tournament.
-- Will Ospreay defeated Fenix, by pinfall, with the OsCutter, to advance in the tournament.
-- Zack Sabre, Jr. defeated Tommy End, by submission, to advance in the tournament.

-- Chris Hero defeated Jushin Thunder Liger, by pinfall, with a series of elbow strikes, to advance in the tournament.
-- Adam Cole and The Young Bucks defeated Dalton Castle, Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly, by pinfall, with double Meltzer Drivers, in a Six Man Tag Team Match.

** Battle Of LA Night #2 **

-- Dalton Castle defeated Tommaso Ciampa, by pinfall, to advance in the tournament.
-- Mark Andrews defeated Pete Dunne, by pinfall, with a Shooting Star Press, to advance in the tournament.
-- Cody Rhodes defeated Sami Callihan, by pinfall, after hitting Cross Rhodes, to advance in the tournament.
-- Trevor Lee defeated Kamaitachi, by pinfall, with a Small Package Driver, to advance in the tournament.

-- Mark Haskins defeated Cedric Alexander, by submission, to advance in the tournament.
-- Kyle O’Reilly defeated Matt Riddle, by pinfall, after reversing a submission, to advance in the tournament.
-- Will Ospreay, Matt Sydal and Ricochet defeated Adam Cole and The Young Bucks, by pinfall, after Ricochet, Ospreay and Sydal hit triple Shooting Star Presses, in a Six Man Tag Team Match.
-- Fenix and Pentagon Jr. defeated Chris Hero and Tommy End, by pinfall, after a 450 Splash.

** Battle Of LA Night #3 **

-- Trevor Lee defeated Dalton Castle, by pinfall, with a small package, to advance in the tournament.
-- Ricochet defeated John Hennigan, by pinfall, with a 630 senton, to advance in the tournament.
-- Marty Scurll defeated Cody Rhodes, by pinfall, with a low blow and a rollup, to advance in the tournament.
-- Mark Andrews defeated Chris Hero, by pinfall, with a rollup, to advance in the tournament.
-- Mark Haskins defeated Kyle O’Reilly, by submission, with a sharpshooter, to advance in the tournament.
-- Will Ospreay defeated Zack Sabre, Jr. by pinfall, after reversing a pin into his own pinfall, to advance in the tournament.
-- Trevor Lee defeatd Mark Andrews, by pinfall, with a small package driver, to advance to the Finals.
-- Marty Scurll defeated Mark Haskins, by submission, with the crossface chickenwing, to advance to the Finals.

-- Will Ospreay defeated Ricochet, by pinfall, with an OsCutter, to advance to the Finals.
-- The Young Bucks defeated Fenix and Pentagon, Jr., by pinfall, after hitting 16 superkicks, to retain the PWG World Tag Team Championship.
-- Cedric Alexander, Chuck Taylor, Jeff Cobb, Jushin Liger and Tommy End defeated Brian Kendrick, Matt Riddle, Sami Callihan, Pete Dunne and Tommaso Ciampa, by pinfall, after Jushin Liger hit a brainbuster on Pete Dunne, in a Ten Man Tag Team Match.
-- Marty Scurll defeated Trevor Lee and Will Ospreay, in the Finals of the Battle Of Los Angeles, to win the tournament.

*** W3C Wrestler Of The Week ***
This week's Wrestler Of The Week goes to the current NXT World Champion and Japanese legend Shinsuke Nakamura. Nakamura has made a huge impact and name for himself in New Japan Pro Wrestling winning many titles and awards. Nakamura was signed by NXT in early 2016 and has already claimed his first NXT World Championship.

- NXT World Champion (1 time)
- IWGP Heavyweight Champion (3 times)
- IWGP Heavyweight Champion (Inoki Genome Federation Version) (1 time)
- IWGP Intercontinental Champion (5 times)
- IWGP Tag Team Champion (1 time) – with Hiroshi Tanahashi
- IWGP U-30 Openweight Champion (1 time)
- NWF Heavyweight Champion (1 time)
- 10,000,000 Yin Tag Team Tournament Winner (2004) – with Hiroyoshi Tenzan
- G1 Climax Winner (2011)
- G1 Tag Team League Winner (2006) – with Masahiro Chono
- National District Tournament Winner (2006) – with Koji Kanemoto
- New Japan Cup Winner (2014)
- Teisen Hall Cup Six Man Tag Team Tournament Winner (2003) – with Hiro Saito and Tatsutoshi Goto
- Yuko Six Man Tag Team Tournament Winner (2004) – with Blue Wolf and Katsuhiko Nakajima
- Heavyweight Tag Team MVP Award Winner (2005) with Hiroshi Tanahashi
- New Wave Award Winner (2003)
- Tag Team Best Bout Winner (2004) with Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Katsuyori Shibata and Masahiro Chono on October 24
- Technique Award Winner (2004)

- Top 20 Shinsuke Nakamura Moves:

- "NXT World Championship Match Highlights: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura:

- Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles Highlights From Wrestle Kingdom 10:

And that's this week's W3C! Join me every Sunday afternoon as I bring you news, recaps and rumors all around the wrestling world!

Weekend 3 Count 9.4.16 #WWE #NXT #TNA #ROH #Jericho

By Brandon Albright, @B_Rock1978

Wrestling Lockup with Brandon, brought to you by Triple Threat CLE brings you the Weekend 3 Count. W3C brings you wrestling news, rumors and recaps from around the wrestling world. You'll find news and recaps involving WWE, NXT, TNA, ROH, Lucha Underground, GFW, NJPW, House of Hardcore and any Indy promotion that I find an interesting story or a cool discovery in. Be sure to check out the W3C every Sunday afternoon at @TripleThreatCLE. 

*** WWE *** 

- New WWE Universal Champion Crowned: This past week on RAW, Kevin Owens defeated Roman Reigns, Big Cass and Seth Rollins to win the vacant WWE Universal Championship in a Fatal Four Way Elimination Match. The big story of the match is not only Owens taking the title, but Triple H returning and turning on Rollins to help Owens win it.

- Alberto Del Rio Finished: According to Uproxx, Alberto Del Rio has officially opted out of his WWE contract and has asked for his release from the company. Del Rio had the clause placed in his contract when he resigned with the WWE last October. Del Rio along with his current girlfriend Paige are both serving 30 day suspensions due to failing their wellness policy drug tests.

- Alberto Del Rio and Paige Harassed: Mister Saint Laurent recently stated on his podcast that the WWE's Mark Carrano approached Alberto Del Rio and Paige, who are a couple and harassed them about being together. MSL stated the following on his podcast:

"Mark Carrano, who fans might know from Total Divas, kind of like the office liaison guy, approached Del Rio and Paige individually and harassed each of them about their relationship. It was indicated that the office wanted them to sever their romantic relationship."

MSL continued on to on to say that WWE threatened to fire Paige if she did not split up with Del Rio. He said:

"A lot of people speculated if this was the reason WWE split them up in the draft and that's definitely what happened. The company did not want them together. They split them up in the draft by design and they threatened to fire Paige if she didn't break up with Del Rio."

Paige is currently serving a 30-day suspension for her first violation of the WWE Wellness Policy and also dealing with back and shoulder injuries. Del Rio is reportedly finished with WWE, after being unhappy over creative decisions for months now, and will be free to work anywhere imminently.

- Is Seth Rollins Careless In The Ring?: A lot of talk about Seth Rollins has been making the rounds this week on the internet. Many wrestling fans are arguing over whether or not Seth Rollins is careless inside the square circle. Within a two year span, Rollins has broken John Cena's nose, ended Sting's career with a buckle bomb, injured his own leg power bombing Kane off the ropes and now just recently costing Finn Balor 4-6 months of his career with another buckle bomb. Some think these are just freak accidents that could happen to anyone, others think Rollins is being careless and not taking things seriously inside the ring. WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart, who has been very vocal these days about everything going on in WWE stated that he could see another injury coming and that he'll "hopefully stop hurting the talent before someone gets killed."

- Bo Dallas Arrested: Last weekend it was reported that Bo Dallas was pulled from overseas tours following an altercation at a United States airport. PWInsider reported that Bo was arrested for public intoxication/drunkenness at 7:25pm local time after police were notified about someone who had to be removed from a flight to Puebla, Mexico. Bo was said to have been yelling expletives at flight crew members during the altercation. Bo was later found by airport authorities slumped over, 6 gates away from the flight he was removed from. Police described Bo as smelling of alcohol and he admitted to drinking "a little." The police report described Bo as "swaying side to side" and speaking with a "thick tongue" while slurring his speech. He was questioned by police and it was determined that he was "intoxicated to the point he was a danger to himself and others." He was then placed under arrest. This is Bo's second arrest to date, the first happening back in 2012 for a DUI while working for NXT.

- Goldberg Returning?: According to TMZ Sports, Bill Goldberg is in talks with WWE about a possible return to the company. Goldberg hasn't wrestled since his time in the WWE from 2003 - 2004. He made an appearance at last year's Legends of Wrestling event at Citi Field in New York, which saw him come to the aid of Rob Van Dam and hit Scott Steiner and Doc Gallows with his finishers.

- The Headbangers Return: This past Tuesday on Smackdown Live, Mosh and Thrasher, The Headbangers, returned to the WWE to compete in the Smackdown Live World Tag Team Championship Tournament. It's unknown if they'll be present for awhile or if it was just for the tournament.

- Luke Harper Update: Luke Harper, who's been out the past 6 months with a torn ACL is scheduled to start retraining at the Performance Center. If all goes well Harper could be back by late September.

- Smackdown Live World Tag Team Tournament: We are now down to the Final Four in the tournament to crown the first ever WWE Smackdown Live World Tag Team Champions. They are: American Alpha, The Usos, The Hype Bros. and Heath Slater and Rhyno.

- Ryback Talks WWE: Former WWE superstar, Ryback, debuted his new podcast last week and talked about his last few months in WWE. Ryback claimed to have turned down a 3 year $1.5 million dollar contract. Ryback also called the WWE liars. Ryback stated that Vince McMahon lied to him and said that Vince was going to make him the company's top heel, all he had to do was listen to everything Vince told him to do. Ryback also claims that he was told by Vince that Ryback was going to squash AJ Styles at Wrestlemania 32, but that also never happened.

- PWI 500: This week, Pro Wrestling Illustrated released their yearly Top 500 magazine, where they rank their best 500 wrestlers from all over the world. This year in the 26th annual edition, Roman Reigns was announced as being #1 on the list. Reigns tweeted out his gratitude and thanked the fans and everyone at PWI.

- WWE Hall Of Famer Mr. Fuji Passes: Last Sunday morning, WWE was saddened to announce that WWE Hall of Famer Harry Fujiwara, known to WWE fans as Mr. Fuji, passed away at the age of 82. WWE stated the following on Mr. Fuji's passing:

“His career will be remembered by different generations for different reasons but Mr. Fuji, whether as a Superstar or manager, is one of the most entertaining performers in the history of WWE.”

*** Cruiserweight Classic Recap ***
The Elite 8 in the tournament met this week to see who advanced to the Final 4. 
-- Gran Metalik defeated Akira Tozawa, by pinfall, with the Metalik Driver. After the match, Tozawa gets a chant from the fans and shakes hands with Metalik for respect. 

-- Kota Ibushi defeated Brian Kendrick, by pinfall. Ibushi reverses the Bully Choke, unloads a series of kicks on Kendrick and hits the Golden Star Power Bomb for the win. After the match, Kendrick gets "Thank You Brian" chants and a hug from Daniel Bryan who trained with Kendrick at Shawn Michaels' wrestling school.

- Cruiserweight Division News: Two weeks ago WWE announced that the Cruiserweight Division would finally be coming to RAW on September 19th. WWE also announced Rich Swann, Brian Kenrick, Noam Dar, and TJ Perkins as its first four competitors. This week WWE announced Tomasso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, and Cedric Alexander for the division as well. 

*** NXT ***

- Who'll Be Called Up Next?: The Inquisitr recently posted a top 5 on the NXT stars that they think will be called up to the WWE soon.

5. Bobby Roode
4. Austin Aries
3. Asuka
2. Samoa Joe
1. Shinsuke Nakamura

- Triple H Announces Takeover: Toronto: Triple H, WWE and NXT officially announced that they have a huge weekend lined up for Survivor Series weekend. NXT will show their pay per view NXT Takeover: Toronto on Saturday November 19th, one night before WWE Survivor Series takes place. Both events and also RAW on Monday will take place at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

- Ember Moon Interview: Newcomer to NXT, Ember Moon, was recently interviewed. Moon talked about wrestling for Booker T in his Reality of Wrestling promotion, how she trained with Booker T, Vance Archer and General Skandor Akbar, Booker helping her with her high flying move set, Booker suggesting that she travel around the world to get noticed quicker and how she plans to break the barriers set by the 4 Horsewomen of NXT (Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and Bayley). 

*** TNA ***
- TNA Recap:

-- Mike Bennett cuts a promo. He's saving TNA tonight and wants to clear things up with Moose. Bobby Lashley appears and guarantees victory over Bennett. Moose appears and guarantees he'll be the deciding factor in tonight's world title match.
-- Broken Matt Hardy defeated Crazy Steve, by pinfall. Brother Nero attacks Steve with his boot, allowing Matt to hit the Twist Of Hate for the win. After the match, Steve tells Matt that his son Max is now Rosemary's baby. The Hardy's rush off to find Reby Sky and Max.
-- Broken Matt Hardy uses Vanguard One to scan the Hardy Estate. The scanning reveals that Rosemary is in Max's bedroom.
-- DJ Z defeated Trevor Lee, Mandrews, Rockstar Spud, Andrew Everett and Braxton Sutter, in an Ultimate X Gauntlet Match, to win the vacate TNA X Division Championship.
-- Drew Galloway cuts a promo. Galloway says the fans turned their back on him, disrespected him and chose to cheer for a referee (Aron Rex) last week. Galloway promises to put Rex in the hospital. TNA President Billy Corgan arrives and says that Aron Rex talked Corgan out of suspending Galloway. Aron Rex hits the ring and brawls with Galloway around ringside until TNA Security separate both men.
-- Broken Matt Hardy finally contacts Reby Sky and tells her to get Max because his match with Crazy Steve was just a setup so Abyss and Rosemary could kidnap Max.
-- Ethan Carter defeated Eli Drake, by pinfall, with the One Percenter.
-- Reby Sky, Max and Señor Benjamin enter the Estate safe room. Reby tells Señor Benjamin to watch Max because she's going to look for Rosemary.
- New TNA Knockouts Champion, Allie cuts a promo. Allie is ecstatic to be the champion and thanks the fans. Sienna interrupts, but Maria Bennett cuts her off and tells Sienna to take the night off. Maria blames Allie for ruining everything and says this celebration is not for Allie, but will be for her opponent.....Maria.
-- Maria Bennett defeats Allie, by pinfall, to win the TNA Knockouts Championship. Maria ordered Allie to lie down and be pinned or be fired.
-- Mike Bennett gives Moose a pep talk, hands him a lead pipe and tells Moose to do the right thing tonight.
-- Reby Sky chases Rosemary throughout the Estate. Rosemary throws what looks like a baby off the balcony. Señor Benjamin appears with Max informing a heartbroken Reby that Max is safe. Reby tells Señor Benjamin to prepare the battlefield for a massacre.

-- Bobby Lashley defeated Mike Bennett, by pinfall, in a No DQ Match, to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Moose appears with the lead pipe, but refuses to help Bennett. Bennett gets a spear from Lashley allowing Lashley to score the pinfall.
-- Mike Bennett insults Moose, calling him names and mocks Moose for not helping him. Moose lays Bennett out with the Playmaker.
-- It's announced that next week it'll be The Hardy's vs. The Decay in a "Delete Or Decay" match at the Hardy Estate.

- Is Dixie Carter Leaving TNA?: Sources are saying that former TNA President Dixie Carter may be leaving TNA soon. With Billy Corgan now running TNA as the brand new TNA President, many think that Dixie is planning on leaving TNA altogether soon. 

*** RING OF HONOR ***
- ROH TV Recap: 

-- Shane Taylor and Keith Lee defeated War Machine, by pinfall, with a double team top rope power bomb. 
-- Cheeseburger vs. Tim Hughes vs. David Starr vs. Joey "Diesel" Daddiego goes to a No Contest. BJ Whitmer and Punisher Martinez arrive both now managed by Kevin Sullivan. Punisher curb stomps Hughes, power bombs Starr and then hits his South Of Heaven finisher on Cheeseburger. 
-- The Cabinet defeated Dalton Castle and The Boys, by pinfall, in a Six Man Tag Team Match. Kenny King hits a superplex, Titus and Coleman hit a flying leg drop/frog splash combo for the win.
-- New ROH World Heavyweight Champion Adam Cole cuts a promo. Cole brags about being a two time champ and then mocks Kyle O'Reilly. Cole says O'Reilly will never be a world champion and it makes O'Reilly jealous.
-- The Addiction defeated The Young Bucks, by pinfall, to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship. Kamaitachi tries to interfere, but the Motor City Machine Guns make the stop. Nick Jackson suicide dives into Kamaitachi and Alex Shelley. Chris Sabin grabs a steel chair away from Kazarian, swings it at Daniels and accidentally hits Matt Jackson instead. Kaz covers Matt and scores the pinfall.

** Field Of Honor Recap **
ROH was live last Saturday night at the MCU Park in Brooklyn, New York. The show presented wrestlers from ROH and NJPW.

-- Kushida defeated Dalton Castle.
-- Bobby Fish defeated EVIL, to retain the ROH Television Championship.
-- Michael Elgin defeated Donovan Dijak, to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
-- The Addiction defeated The Briscoes, War Machine, The Cabinet, Yano and Gedo and Cheeseburger and Will Ferrera, to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship in a Six Team Gauntlet Match.
-- The Bullet Club ("Hangman" Adam Page, The Young Bucks and Takahashi) defeated The Motor City Machine Guns, Lio Rush and ACH in an Eight Man Tag Team Match. 
-- Kyle O'Reilly defeated Katsuyori Shibata.
-- Adam Cole defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito and Jay Lethal, in a Fatal Four Way Match, to retain the ROH World Heavyweight Championship.

- New ROH Title Announced: Ring Of Honor announced this week that a new title will be created and the winner will be crowned at the All Star Extravaganza pay per view. That title will be the ROH World Six Man Tag Team Championship. This will be the first time we've seen a U.S. promotion run with a Six Man Title since WCW had one in the 80's.

- Truth Martini Finished: ROH announced that Truth Martini is no longer with the company. Martini is expected to have neck surgery soon, reason for leaving the company. Martini was actually supposed to return at Death Before Dishonor, however, plans of that changed when ROH turned Jay Lethal face in his feud with Adam Cole.

- Matt Tavern Returning: ROH announced that Matt Taven will be returning to the ring in September. He will wrestle in Mexico on September 16th before returning to the ring for ROH. Taven has been doing commentary for ROH TV, and teasing that he will debut a new version of The Kingdom.

** ROH All Star Extravaganza Card **

- "ROH World Heavyweight Championship Match": Adam Cole (c) vs. Micheal Elgin
- "ROH World Tag Team Championship, Triple Threat Ladder Match": The Addiction (c) vs. The Young Bucks vs. The Motor City Machine Guns
- "ROH World Six Man Tag Team Championship Match": ??? vs. ???

*** LUCHA UNDERGROUND ***

- Season 3 Debuts: Season 3 of Lucha Underground debuts this Wednesday at 8pm on the El Rey Network. As always I'll recap every episode for you in the Weekend 3 Count every Sunday. The following was the advertisement for this Wednesday's premier:

“Wheel of Misfortune: The luchadores return to the Temple and a spin of the wheel can determine their fate; Rey Mysterio also in action.”

*** NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING ***

- Kazuchika Okada Backstage In WWE: NJPW star Kazuchika Okada was spotted backstage during NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 2 and WWE SummerSlam. Rumors have been shot down of a WWE signing because he’s signed to a New Japan deal, he legally cannot talk with WWE. Okada was reportedly there just as a guest of new NXT World Champion Shinsuke Nakamura.

*** GLOBAL FORCE WRESTLING ***

- GFW Partnering With The Tennessee State Fair: Global Force Wrestling announced that they will be partnering with the Tennessee State Fair to run a series of shows taking place on each night of the event. The company will have a card each day for ten consecutive days from September 9th through the 18th during the fair.

*** W3C Wrestler Of The Week ***

This week's Wrestler Of The Week goes to the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla.....Chris Jericho! Jericho was first noticed in NJPW and ECW, moved on to become one of WCW's top cruiserweights in the Cruiserweight Division and then skyrocketed to huge success in the WWE.

- ECW Television Champion (1 time)
- WCW Cruiserweight Champion (4 times)
- WCW Television Champion (1 time)
- WCW World Heavyweight Champion (2 times)
- WWE Undisputed World Champion (1 time)
- WWE World Heavyweight Champion (3 times)
- WWE Intercontinental Champion (9 times)
- WWE European Champion (1 time)
- WWE Hardcore Champion (1 time)
- WWE World Tag Team Champion (7 times) - with Chris Benoit (1), The Rock (1), Christian (1), Edge (2), and Big Show (2)
- WWE Bragging Rights Trophy (2009) – with Team Smackdown (Kane, R-Truth, Matt Hardy, Finlay, and The Hart Dynasty (David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd)
- WWE Slammy Award (3 times)
Superstar of the Year (2008)
Tag Team of the Year (2009) - with Big Show
Extreme Moment of the Year (2014) - Hitting a cross-body on Bray Wyatt from the top of a steel cage on Raw

Jericho has also won many independent championships, trained in the famous Hart Dungeon, is the lead singer of the hard rock band Fozzy and hosts his own Podcast called Talk Is Jericho.

- Best Of Chris Jericho:

- Best Of Chris Jericho 2:

- Chris Jericho's Top 50 Matches:

And that's this week's W3C! Join me every Sunday afternoon as I bring you news, recaps and rumors all around the wrestling world!

Weekend 3 Count 8.21.16 #WWE #NXT #TNA #ROH #NJPW

By Brandon Albright, @B_Rock1978

Wrestling Lockup with Brandon, brought to you by Triple Threat CLE brings you the Weekend 3 Count. W3C brings you wrestling news, rumors and recaps from around the wrestling world. You'll find news and recaps involving WWE, NXT, TNA, ROH, Lucha Underground, GFW, NJPW, House of Hardcore and any Indy promotion that I find an interesting story or a cool discovery in. Be sure to check out the W3C every Sunday at @TripleThreatCLE. 

*** WWE ***

- Alberto Del Rio Suspended: WWE announced this past Wednesday that Alberto Del Rio (Jose Rodriguez) has been suspended for 30 days for violating the WWE Talent Wellness Policy.

- Paige Suspended: WWE announced this past Wednesday that Paige (Saraya-Jade Bevis) has been suspended for 30 days for violating the WWE Talent Wellness Policy. Many find it a coincidence that both Paige and Alberto Del Rio were suspended for the same reasons considering they have been dating the past couple months.

- Eva Marie Suspended: WWE announced this past Thursday that Eva Marie (Natalie Coyle) has been suspended for 30 days for violation of the company’s talent wellness policy.

- Eva Marie's Husband Speaks Out: After the suspension of Eva Marie was announced, Eva's husband Jonathan Coyle made a comment on Twitter that stated that once the wrestling world finds out why Eva was suspended we'd all be outraged. Coyle quickly deleted the comment, possibly realizing he could be jeopardizing Eva's career if he went public with anything negative against the WWE.

- How RAW Almost Didn't Happen: Last Monday, RAW took place at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. Due to horrible weather the arena lost power for most of the afternoon and there was fear that the lights weren't coming back on anytime soon. The lights did return by mid-afternoon and RAW was scheduled to continue as planned. Backstage interviewer Tom Phillips said that during the power outage the WWE makeup team were working on the Superstars by candlelight.

- RAW Intruder Arrested: Last Monday on RAW during Seth Rollins' promo, a fan jumped the barricade and entered the ring. The gentleman got in Rollins' face and was shoved away by Rollins as WWE security tackled the fan. TMZ has identified the man as 23 year old Edward Ferrero. Ferrero was arrested and charged with assault and criminal trespassing, according to the Corpus Christi Police. Ferrero bit one of the WWE security guards who took him down. The officer did not require medical attention. Fans on social media have reported seeing the man rambling before the show outside of the arena, appearing to be very unstable.

- Vince McMahon Sells Stock: WWE CEO Vince McMahon sold 1.547 million shares of WWE stock for purposes of estate planning this past Wednesday. The sale price was not revealed, however, WWE stock closed at $20.97. If you were to use that price, the sale would net McMahon over $32.44 million.

- Dean Ambrose Catching Backstage Heat: According to Dave Meltzer and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose may be catching some backstage heat from his recent appearance on the Steve Austin Show. The heat is being said to stem from his negativity toward creative, and being negative on creative means being negative on Triple H and Vince McMahon. WWE Officials also were not happy about Ambrose publicly talking about how Brock Lesnar didn't want to do anything for their match at WrestleMania 32.

- Cesaro Heading To Smackdown Live?: Last week it was reported that there might be a possibility that Kevin Owens gets traded to Smackdown Live and Randy Orton gets traded to RAW. This week there is talk of Cesaro possibly being traded to Smackdown Live as well. Cesaro has been in a storyline on RAW currently with Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon, with them mentioning how Cesaro wanted to be drafted to Smackdown Live. This may actually be the beginning stages of a future trade to Smackdown Live for Cesaro.

- Curt Hawkins Returning: This past Tuesday on Smackdown Live, it was made official that Curt Hawkins would be returning. Hawkins has a new gimmick that resembles Chuck Norris Facts. For example Curt Hawkins can count to infinity...twice. Curt Hawkins can slam a revolving door.

- Nikki Bella Cleared To Wrestle: Nikki Bella announced on Instagram this week that her doctor has marked her neck surgery as a success and has officially cleared Nikki to be able to wrestle again.

- Smackdown Live's First PPV: Tickets officially go on sale this weekend for Smackdown Live's first solo pay per view. WWE No Mercy will take place at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California on Sunday, October 9th.

- CM Punk Comments On The Conor McGregor Incident: The past few weeks UFC's Conor McGregor has been making negative comments toward the wrestling business, WWE in general. McGregor has been calling WWE and it's wrestlers a joke that he could defeat easily in a real life fight. McGregor's comments lit a fire under the wrestling world, as guys like Ric Flair, Kurt Angle and Roman Reigns quickly defended their business. Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk was reached to give his comments on the whole situation and Punk stated that he thinks McGregor's comments were all a work. Punk stated that Conor was just being Conor and seeing how much of a scene he could make out of the situation. Punk stated the following:

"I think the thing that shocked me the most about what Conor said was the number of people who work there who responded to him who should know better. I don’t feel they got worked, they got worked. Ric Flair, c’mon. Just stop. Just knock it off."

- Brock Lesnar Finally Comments On Conor McGregor: Brock Lesnar finally gave his opinion on Conor McGregor's comments towards him two weeks ago. Lesnar stated the following:

I take s**ts bigger than that kid, alright? I know you guys all play f**king video games and you live in this false sense of reality and s**t. I'm two hundred and f**king ninety pounds, alright? This guy's a hundred and forty five pounds if he's lucky and gets up and eats his f**king Wheaties, ok? If Conor McGregor wants to say some s**t to me, and get his name out there more than he already has by dropping my name, I got f**king about ten words for him. Come here, face to face Conor, and say it to my face. Otherwise leave me and the f**king WWE out of it, because I came to your arena and kicked ass. Now, if you want, and if you're so f**king tough, come to our arena and try and kick some ass. Now, get the f**k out of here!"

- Kota Ibushi News: Kota Ibushi announced to the Japanese media that he has turned down a full time deal offered by WWE. Ibushi stated that he may continue wrestling for WWE, but that his dream is to become the most famous wrestler in the world. Ibushi confirmed that he will continue wrestling in Japan.

- Cruiserweight Classic Episode #6 Recap: Second Round action in the tournament continued this week.
-- Akira Tozawa defeated Jack Gallagher, by pinfall, with a deadlift german suplex.
-- Noam Dar defeated HoHo Lun, by submission, with a kneebar submission.
-- Brian Kendrick defeated Tony Nese, by submission, with the Bully Choke submission.

*** WWE Summer Slam Card ***
- "WWE Universal Championship Match": Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor
- "WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match": Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler
- "WWE Intercontinental Championship Match": The Miz (c) vs. Apollo Crews
- "WWE United States Championship Match": Rusev (c) vs. Roman Reigns
- "WWE World Tag Team Championship Match": The New Day (c) vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
- "WWE Women's Championship Match": Sasha Banks (c) vs. Charlotte
- Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton
- John Cena vs. AJ Styles
- Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens vs. Enzo and Big Cass
- "Best of Seven Series, Match #1": Sheamus vs. Cesaro
- "Six Women Tag Team Match": Becky Lynch, Carmella and Naomi vs. Nattie Neidhart, Alexa Bliss and Eva Marie
- The Dudley Boys vs. Neville and Sami Zayn
- "12 Man Tag Team Match": The Ascension, The Vaudevillains, Tyler Breeze and Fandango vs. The Usos, American Alpha and The Hype Bros

- Summer Slam Recap: If you can't catch tonight's WWE pay per view, be sure to check out my recap Monday afternoon.

- The Undertaker Possibly Returning At Summer Slam?: Though nothing is official at all, there have been rumors of The Undertaker possibly returning at tonight's Summer Slam to plant seeds for his Wrestlemania 33 match. Right now it is just a huge rumor, as The Undertaker already said Wrestlemania 32 against Shane McMahon was his last match. If and this is a big IF, Taker returns tonight, the rumors are that he will interfere in the John Cena vs. AJ Styles match and set up his WM33 match against Cena.

*** NXT ***

- WWE Wants Shawn Michaels As An NXT Trainer: PWInsider recently stated that WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels was now leading the "finishing class" at the WWE Performance Center after Terry Taylor, who is still with the company, recently had neck surgery. WWE have shown major interest in bringing Michaels in full time to help train new NXT superstars. The main issue is Michaels relocating his family from Texas to Orlando.

- Samoa Joe Interview: This week Forbes did an interview with NXT World Champion Samoa Joe. Joe was asked about Conor McGregor's recent comments on wrestling. Joe said until the day comes when Conor is under a WWE contract he doesn't care what Conor is saying. Joe also stated that he wants Brock Lesnar to defeat Randy Orton because Joe would love to get a shot at Lesnar at Wrestlemania 33. 

- NXT Tour: WWE officially announced that for the first time ever NXT will tour Australia and New Zealand. No dates or locations have been announced yet, but it's official and it will be a first for NXT.

- NXT Release: WWE NXT announced that they have released King Konstantine (Radomir Petkovic) from his deal today. The 29 year old former amateur wrestler from Serbia was signed back in April of 2015 but never made it to TV.

- NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 2 Recap: If you missed the NXT pay per view this past Saturday, be sure to check out my full recap of the show later today.

*** TNA ***
- TNA Impact Recap:
-- Bobby Lashley goes nose to nose with Aron Rex backstage.

-- James Storm demands a rematch against Bobby Lashley. TNA President Billy Corgan says otherwise and says that maybe Storm just can't win the big one. Storm threatens to take apart the company and Corgan brings in TNA Security. Storm hits a security guard with a beer bottle and tells Corgan he's been loyal to TNA unlike guys like AJ Styles and Bobby Roode. Storm threatens to beat up Corgan next time they cross paths. Corgan suspends Storm indefinitely.
-- Moose defeated Eddie Edwards, by pinfall, with his Go To Hell finisher off the top rope.
-- Maria Bennett tells Jade that if she doesn't beat Gail Kim tonight than she'll never get another chance at the TNA Knockouts Championship. Jade wants to attack Maria, but Maria tells her to save it for Gail Kim.
-- Gail Kim defeated Jade, by DQ. Gail hits Eat Defeat on Jade, but Sienna attacks Gail causing the DQ. Sienna lays out Gail with the AK-47 and then lays out Jade with The Silencer. Maria Bennett calls Jade a failure and will never get another title shot.
-- DJ Zema Ion defeated Rockstar Spud, Mandrews and Braxton Sutter, in a fatal four way match. DJZ drops Mandrews with a DDT to score the pinfall.
-- Drew Galloway and Ethan Carter meet face to face and accept the challenge to wrestle a match against each other. Aron Rex interrupts and says this is what everybody wants to see and just to make sure there is a clear cut winner, Rex got TNA Management to make him special guest referee.
-- Eli Drake defeated Mahabali Shera, by pinfall, with the Blunt Force Trauma.

-- Bobby Lashley tells Dixie Carter and Billy Corgan that he wants to unify all three of his titles and become the Undisputed World Champion. Corgan says he can defend them separately, but there will be no unification. Lashley throws down the TNA King of the Mountain Championship and calls it garbage. Lashley throws down the TNA X Division Championship and says the X Division has been destroyed. Dixie calls Lashley disrespectful and Corgan informs Lashley that he'll be defending his TNA World Title against the winner of a battle royal next week.
-- The Hardy Boys defeated The Tribunal, The Helms Dynasty and The BroMans in a Fatal Four Way Tag Team Ladder Match, to become #1 Contenders to the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Broken Matt Hardy lands a Side Effect on Trevor Lee onto a ladder. Everett climbs the ladder, but gets missile drop kicked off by Brother Nero. Broken Matt climbs the ladder and grabs the contract for the win.

- TNA Reveals TNA Grand Championship: Last weekend, TNA President Billy Corgan revealed the brand new TNA Grand Championship. Corgan announced that a tournament will be held to crown the first ever champion. The uniqueness of this championship is that it will be defended in matches that will feature MMA style rounds. There will be three rounds that will last three minutes long. If a winner isn't determined after all rounds are fought then there will be a team of judges that'll decide the winner. TNA also announced that the TNA King of the Mountain Championship is being retired and the TNA Grand Championship will replace it.

- James Storm Finished With TNA?: This past week James Storm had a match against Bram, Storm stated that he has finished up with all his commitments to TNA and told the fans he'd see them down the road after he joins up with his good friend. Rumors and speculations have begun that Storm is talking about returning to NXT and joining up with his best friend Bobby Roode.

- Drew Galloway Interview: Former WWE creative writer Kevin Eck of Press Box Online recently interviewed former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Drew Galloway. Galloway talked about his favorite TNA match being against Kurt Angle in his home country of England in Manchester. Galloway also stated that he wouldn't rule out a return to the WWE one day, but he is extremely happy where he is in TNA right now.

*** RING OF HONOR ***
- ROH TV Recap: 
-- Lio Rush defeated Donovan Dijak, by pinfall, with a reversal into a crucifix roll up.
-- Donovan Dijak attacks and beats down Lio Rush. Jay White makes the save for Rush. Kamaitachi hits the ring and joins Dijak in beating down White. ROH Security finally separate everyone.
-- The Cabinet try to take Dalton Castle's Boys for training, but Castle refuses.
-- Keith Lee and Shane Taylor are shown backstage beating down War Machine with steel chairs.
-- Hangman Adam Page insults and calls out Jay Briscoe. Briscoe hits the ring and brawls with Page as ROH Security try to restore order.
-- Nigel McGuinness announces The Young Bucks vs. Roppongi Vice tonight to decide a new #1 contender to The Addiction and the ROH World Tag Team Championship.
-- The Young Bucks defeated Roppongi Vice, by pinfall, to become the #1 contenders to the ROH World Tag Team Championship. Beretta hits a running knee on Matt Jackson and covers. Matt counters the pin into his own pin for the win.
-- The Addiction attack and beat down The Young Bucks.
-- Jay Lethal and Adam Cole sign their contract, making their ROH World Championship Match official at Death Before Dishonor. Cole taunts Lethal through the whole segment until Lethal and Cole begin brawling. Lethal landed a low blow on Cole and then tried to cut Cole's hair. The Young Bucks saved Cole and pulled him to safety.

*** Death Before Dishonor 14 Recap ***

-- Donovan Dijak defeated Lio Rush, Jay White and Kamaitachi, in a Fatal Four Way Match, to become #1 Contender to the ROH Television Championship. Rush hit a springboard plancha, taking everyone out. Dijak hits Rush with a boot and then hits Feast Your Eyes for the pinfall.
-- Katsuyori Shibata defeated Silas Young, by pinfall. Shibata nails Young with the PK Kick and scores the pinfall. Young shows respect to Shibata after the match.
-- Chaos defeated The Bullet Club, by pinfall, in a Six Man Tag Team Match. Yano lands a low blow on Takahasi and then rolls him up for the pinfall. After the match, The Bullet Club attack Yano and drop him with Gorilla Warfare. Adam Page joins in and beats down Chaos. Jay Briscoe hits the ring and goes after Page, who rolls outside to escape.
-- "Hangman" Adam Page defeated Jay Briscoe, by pinfall, in an Anything Goes Match. Page hits Rite Of Passage on Briscoe through a table for a near fall. Page chokes Briscoe with his bull rope and hits another Rite Of Passage for the pinfall.
-- Kazuchika Okada defeated Dalton Castle, by pinfall. Okada counters the Bang A Rang and connects with a drop kick. Okada plants Castle with the Rainmaker to score the pinfall.

-- Bobby Fish defeated Mark Briscoe, by pinfall, to retain the ROH Television Championship. Fish knocks Briscoe off the top rope, hits an exploder suplex and finishes Briscoe with the Falcon Arrow.
-- The Addiction defeated Testuya Naito and EVIL and Hiroshi Tanahashi and Michael Elgin in a Triple Threat Match, to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship. Tanahashi hits the Sling Blade and the High Fly Flow on EVIL. Tanahashi goes for the pin, but Daniels tags himself in, hits the jack knife power bomb and scores the pinfall.

-- Adam Cole defeated Jay Lethal, by pinfall, to win the ROH World Heavyweight Championship. Cole kicks out of the Lethal Injection. Cole gives Lethal the middle finger before hitting a shining wizard. Cole plants Lethal with a Fireman’s Carry into a Neck Breaker to score the pinfall. After the match, Kyle O’Reilly returns, attacks Cole and plants him with a Brain Buster. O’Reilly poses with the world title to close the show.

- ROH Pledge: This past Monday, Ring Of Honor wrestling announced that they have made a pledge with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). All three promotions will bring their superior blend of styles and athletes found nowhere else in the wrestling world and work together in promoting each others promotions.

- Jay Lethal On The Ross Report With J.R.: This past week ROH World Heavyweight Champion Jay Lethal was on Jim Ross' The Ross Report Podcast. Lethal talked about wanting to work for WWE one day under the right circumstances, wanting to wrestle Chris Jericho at a Wrestlemania, his work in TNA and who he would pick for his personal Mount Rushmore of professional wrestling.

*** LUCHA UNDERGROUND ***

- Season 3 Poster: Lucha Underground have posted the following poster for season three. Season three will debut on September 7th.







*** NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING ***

- Kenny Omega Wins G1 Climax Tournament: For the past 26 days, NJPW have been holding their yearly G1 Climax Tournament. Last weekend the finals came down to Kenny Omega vs. Hirooki Goto. The 27 minute main event ended with Omega hitting the One Winged Angel on Goto to score the pinfall and winning the G1 Climax Tournament Title. Omega became the first ever North American and Canadian to win the title. After the match, Omega slapped honor and tradition in the face by refusing to wave the G1 flag in his celebration. Instead, Omega hoisted The Bullet Club flag and waved it. By winning the G1 Climax Tournament Title, Omega has earned himself a IWGP Heavyweight Championship match at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in January.

- Time Bomb Teaser: NJPW ran a cryptic teaser during their G1 Climax Tournament that said "Time Bomb Is Exploding Soon" on November 5th. November 5th is the promotion’s annual Power Struggle event, which takes place this year at the EDION Arena in Osaka. Dave Meltzer noted during a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Live that current rumors are that the teaser is for wrestling legend Minoru Suzuki, who will likely be making his return at Power Struggle to set up a match at Wrestle Kingdom 11. There were also rumors floating around that it may be the debuting Ryback in NJPW. Those rumors were soon shot down when it was announced that Ryback was already signed to an independent date in the United States on that same day. 

- J-Cup Tournament: In next Sunday's Weekend 3 Count edition I'll be bringing you the recap of this weekends NJPW J-Cup Tournament. The tournament took place live in Japan at 2:00am Sunday morning in the United States.

*** GLOBAL FORCE WRESTLING ***

- GFW Partnering With The Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: GFW owner Jeff Jarrett announced that GFW will be the first ever wrestling promotion to partner with a college football bowl game when it provides a night of entertainment for the teams at the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl. Players, Coaches and Team Officials will be treated to a meet and greet which at the moment includes Jeff and Karen Jarrett and Scott Hall. Jeff Jarrett had the following to say about the announcement:

“Give all of the credit to the folks at the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl. They approached Global Force with the idea of giving the players something different than any other bowl game, and I think it’s a perfect fit. Males 18 to 24 are a huge part of our demographic, and we’ll be as hyped to put on a great show as they will be to see one. There are a lot of ties between football and wrestling. So many great football players at the collegiate level have come into the ring and been successful when they put the cleats away. Who knows, we might have a future wrestling superstar in the crowd that night.”

*** W3C Wrestler Of The Week ***

This week's Wrestler Of The Week goes to TNA's "Broken" one himself, Matt Hardy. Hardy has had a great career whether winning gold in WWE, WCW, ECW or TNA.

- WWE Hardcore Champion (1 time)
- WWE European Champion (1 time)
- WWE Cruiserweight Champion (1 time)
- WWE United States Champion (1 time)
- WWE World Tag Team Champion (6 times) - with Jeff Hardy
- WWE Smackdown World Tag Team Champion (1 time) - with MVP
- WCW World Tag Team Champion (1 time) - with Jeff Hardy
- ECW World Heavyweight Champion (1 time)
- WWE Bragging Rights Trophy Winner (2009) – with Team Smackdown (Chris Jericho, R-Truth, Kane, Finlay, David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd)
- Terri Invitational Tournament Winner - with Jeff Hardy
- TNA World Heavyweight Champion (2 times)
- TNA World Tag Team Champion (1 time) - with Jeff Hardy
- TNA World Tag Team Championship #1 Contenders Tournament Winner (2014) - with Jeff Hardy

Matt Hardy has also won many independent wrestling championships and along with Jeff Hardy is the founding father of OMEGA Championship Wrestling based in North Carolina.

- "Steel Cage Match": Edge vs. Matt Hardy:

- Matt Hardy Wins His First TNA World Heavyweight Championship:

And that's this week's W3C! Join me every Sunday afternoon as I bring you news, recaps and rumors all around the wrestling world!