Various: Kris Statlander vs. WWE ID Talent Set for 12/31 Beyond Wrestling Event, NJPW Strong Openweight Title Match Set for NJPW Battle In The Valley 2025, Indies

Dec 17, 2024

Kris Statlander vs. Bryce Donovan Announced for Dec. 31st Beyond Wrestling Event

Beyond Wrestling announced one new match for the card of their Heavy Lies The Crown event on December 31st in Worcester, Massachusetts.

This new match announced was a singles match of Kris Statlander vs. Bryce Donovan. It was also announced that Donovan will be managed by AEW’s Mark Sterling at the event.

This upcoming match is notable for featuring an AEW signed talent competing against a WWE ID signed talent.

BREAKING: @callmekrisstat 🆚 @BryceDShook w/ @MarkSterlingEsq has been signed for "Heavy Lies The Crown" on Tuesday, 12/31 at White Eagle in Worcester!

🎟️ New Year's Eve tickets: https://t.co/aEukOmNwHE

Plus:
– @AtrocityKrule 🆚 @MarcusMathers1
– @alternative_ag 🆚 @b3cca4ever pic.twitter.com/2RDXetLqaF
— Beyond Wrestling (@beyondwrestling) December 17, 2024

Tomihiro Ishii vs. Gabe Kidd for NJPW Strong Openweight Title Match Announced for NJPW Battle In The Valley 2025

New Japan Pro Wrestling recently announced one new match for the card of their Battle In The Valley 2025 event on January 11, 2025 at the San Jose Civic Center in San Jose, California.

This new match announced was a NJPW Strong Openweight Championship match of Tomohiro Ishii vs. Gabe Kidd (c).

Current card for NJPW Battle In The Valley 2025:

NJPW Strong Openweight Championship match of Tomohiro Ishii vs. Gabe Kidd (c)
Sumie Sakai Retirement Six-Person Tag Team match – Sumie Sakai & mystery partners vs. Hiromu Takahashi & mystery partners

Misc. Wrestling News & Notes

Former TNA ring announcer David Penzer recently released a new autobiographical book titled Sitting Ringside Volume 2.\

TNA talent AJ Francis recently announced on Twitter that he will be making an appearance at this year’s Cheez-It Citrus Bowl game on December 31st in Orlando, Florida. Francis will be appearing as the current Cheez-It Champion.

New Japan Pro Wrestling recently announced the official stipulation for the Provisional King of Pro Wrestling 2024 Championship match between Taichi and champion Great-O-Khan at their Road to Tokyo Dome show on December 22nd in Tokyo, Japan, It was announced that this match will be held as a Best of Taichi KOPW Two out of Three Falls match due to that stipulation winning their recent fan voting poll.

This past Sunday’s NJPW Strong Style 2024 event in Long Beach, California featured West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs) defeating Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) to become the new NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions.

This past Sunday’s NJPW Strong Style 2024 event in Long Beach also featured Zane Jay defeating Matt Vandagriff to be crowned the new Strong Survivor. As a result of his victory, Jay is currently guaranteed a spot on future NJPW Strong branded shows as the current holder of the Strong Survivor title.

Mercedes Mone recently became the first female wrestler to hold the record for the two longest matches in WWE, AEW, and NJPW at the same time. Mone set the record following her NJPW Strong Women’s Championship match against Hazuki at this past Sunday’s NJPW Strong Style Evolved 2024 event.

Women of Wrestling recently announced that they have hired Sports and entertainment television host Sibley Scoles as their new field reporter starting the weekend of January 18th. It was also announced that Scoles will be joining the WOW broadcast team David McLane and Nigel Zane as a backstage and field reporter for shows.

The National Wrestling Alliance announced that next year’s Hard Times event, Hard Time 5, will be taking place on March 22, 2025 at the Dothan Civic Center in Dothan, Alabama.

Major League Wrestling announced one new match for the card of their MLW Fusion taping on January 11, 2025 in North Richland Hills, Texas: