About this Episode

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I’m Matt Carlins and this is JUST Pro Wrestling News for Monday, March 1, 2021.

This update is brought to you by IndyWrestling.us.

Results from AEW’s Sunday Special are straight ahead in this update.

So is the big result from New Japan’s weekend Castle Attack shows, which leads us to our top story.

(STINGER: New Japan)

The top singles titles in New Japan - the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship will be MERGED into a NEW, unified championship. The official announcement came early Monday.

The IWGP Heavyweight Championship dated back to 1987. The IC Title was relatively newer - first being introduced in 2011.

The lineages and histories of both titles will become part of the NEW IWGP World Heavyweight Championship...with Kota Ibushi will be recognized as the first man to hold it. He beat Testsuya Naito to retain the Intercontinental Title at Sunday’s Castle Attack show.

Ibushi will walk into the maine vent New Japan’s 49th Anniversary Show Thursday - carrying the “double gold” for the final time. His opponent will be the ONE new champion crowned at the Castle Attack shows over the weekend.

El Desperado is the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion for the first time...after chasing that title for SEVEN years. Despy beat El Phantasmo and BUSHI in a 3-way for the vacant title on Sunday’s show. Despy pinned ELP after a pair of Pinche Locos.

El Desperado is also one half of the Jr. Tag Champions. He’s the first to hold both junior titles in New Japan at the same time...since Kushida.

Also announced for Thursday’s anniversary show...a couple first round matches in the New Japan Cup tournament - Tetsuya Naito vs. Great-O-Khan...Satoshi Kojima vs. Jeff Cobb...

The full New Japan Cup field was also unveiled Monday. A few notable names -

Bad Luck Fale is in the field - his first New Japan action since New Year Dash.
Juice Robinson and David Finlay - back from their stint in Impact Wrestling - are in the tournament.

New Japan Cup shows are running almost daily between March 5th and March 21st.

The winner of the tournament will be the opponent for Ibushi’s first defense of the IWGP World Title at the Sakura Genesis show on April 4th.

Let’s circle back to the Castle Attack shows over the weekend. Sunday’s show saw Hiroshi Tanahashi get past Great-O-Khan, to hold onto the NEVER Championship. The Guerrillas of Destiny are still the heavyweight tag champs. They turned away the challenge of Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI.

On Saturday’s show, Kazuchika Okada beat EVIL in the main event. Jay White beat Tomohiro Ishii...and Toru Yano retained the provisional King Of Pro Wrestling title against Chase Owens.

(STINGER: WWE)

A major fork in WWE’s road to WrestleMania tonight. The Miz is set to defend the WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley on Raw.

The former champion, Drew McIntryre, hasn’t been seen or heard from since Miz cashed in Money In The Bank and beat him for the title at Elimination Chamber.

Daniel Bryan and Jey Uso will meet again on THIS Friday’s SmackDown - INSIDE a steel cage. Their main event match last Friday ended in a double countout.

The stakes this Friday are SLIGHTLY higher. If Bryan wins, he gets a Universal Title Match against Roman Reigns at Fastlane. But if Bryan loses…

(Heyman Bryan Cage Match)

That clip from the latest episode of Talking Smack.

(STINGER: AEW)

Nyla Rose will face...Thunder Rosa...TONIGHT in the U.S. final of the Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament.

The match will air on AEW’s YouTube channel starting at 7PM.

Thunder Rosa used a clever rollup to beat Riho on AEW’s Sunday Special on Bleacher Report.

Also during that show, Ryo Mizunami beat Yuka Sakazaki to WIN the Japan side of the bracket.

Mizunami gets the winner of tonight’s U.S. final on Wednesday’s Dynamite. With the winner of that match advancing to Revolution to challenge AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida.

The Sunday Special broadcast on Bleacher Report did not go exactly how AEW management expected.

Tony Khan tweeted late Sunday there were issues with the international stream. AEW responded by publishing the entire Sunday Special on its YouTube channel.

The wrestler formerly known as Big Cass in WWE returned to pro wrestling over the weekend - for his first match since 2019. He made a surprise appearance at a show for Georgia’s Lariato Pro Wrestling Guild. The former Enzo Amore was also on that show.

That’s JUST Pro Wrestling News for Monday, March 1. Our next update comes your way tomorrow morning, so be sure to subscribe to this feed. We also thank you in advance for leaving a glowing rating or review..

I’m Matt Carlins. Thank YOU for listening.

~~~Full run down at www.justprowrestlingnews.com~~ ~
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