With many of the big players in professional wrestling not offering a major event this weekend – no PLEs from WWE, PPVs from AEW or TNA, big cards from NJPW or any other Japan stand-outs – it’s frankly a quieter week than what we’re usually accustomed to. But, even in a so-called “down” week like this, there’s always lots to talk about.
If you haven’t decided what you want to watch, we’ve got you. Below, we have picked out five events for this weekend, along with four other honorable mentions:
Friday
WWE Friday Night Smackdown / USA Network / 8 p.m. ET
After coming to his aid last week on Smackdown, Randy Orton will team with Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes this evening to take on the dangerous duo of Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker. The booking is Rhodes’ first TV match in nearly two months, and his first in-ring appearance since defending his title against Drew McIntyre at WrestlePalooza.
Most intriguing on Friday’s card, personally, is the Sami Zayn U.S. Open Challenge. Zayn has added significant value to Smackdown through his recent performances against names like Je’Von Evans and Rey Fenix, and his weekly open challenges have become a highlight of the show. Tonight’s card in Cincinnati, Ohio, will also feature an appearance from Tiffany Stratton, who is expected to face fellow world champ Stephanie Vaquer at Crown Jewel in a little over a week.
- Cody Rhodes & Randy Orton vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed
- Sami Zayn U.S. Open Challenge
- Tiffany Stratton to appear
- Damian Priest in action
Wrestling Revolver: Tales from the Ring 2025 / TrillerTV+ / 8 p.m. ET
It’s October, which means it’s officially acceptable to do Halloween-themed shows. Getting things started this month in the Spooky category is Sami Callihan’s Wrestling Revolver, which is heading to Dayton, Ohio, for “Tales from the Ring” this Friday night. The show is a solid indie lineup, with some stand-out matches including Bryan Keith in a title spot, Trey Miguel and Gringo Loco facing off for the first time, and Ace Austin competing in a four-way scramble also involving NOAH alum Dante Leon.
With a “Trick or Treat Deathmatch” and the card being hosted by Shotzi Blackheart, a self-proclaimed horror fan, the show delivers on its Halloween theme for sure. If you want to watch something on Friday night but aren’t interested in Smackdown, this is a solid indie pick.
- Joe Alozno vs. JJ Garrett vs. Action Jaxon vs. Jeffrey John vs. Juni Underwood vs. KC Jacobs (Sudden Death Scramble)
- Ace Austin vs. Crash vs. Damian Chambers vs. Dante Leon (Four-Corner Mayhem)
- Trey Miguel vs. Gringo Loco
- Alex Colon vs. KRULE vs. Judge Joe Dred (Trick or Treat Deathmatch)
- Bryan Keith vs. Alan Angels (DEFY World Championship)
- Koda Hernandez & Sabin Gauge vs. Dick Meyers & KC Jacobs vs. KJ Reynold & Ryan Matthias (Revolver Tag Team Championships)
- AJ Francis vs. BDE (Revolver Remix Championship)
Saturday
AEW Collision / 7 p.m. ET / TNT
It’ll be an earlier night than usual for AEW on Saturday, as a taped episode of Collision from Lakeland, Florida, will air at 7 p.m. ET, an hour before the show’s usual timeslot. This weekend’s show will include the first formal face-to-face confrontation between Toni Storm and Kris Statlander ahead of their WrestleDream world title bout, the third match back for Eddie Kingston, and a trios contest that sees Paragon and Orange Cassidy “Conglomerate” against The Don Callis Family.
- Jon Moxley, Daniel Garcia & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Jay Lethal, Adam Priest & Tommy Billington
- Kris Statlander & Toni Storm go face-to-face
- Hechicero, Rocky Romero & Lance Archer vs. Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong & Orange Cassidy
- Sammy Guevara & Rush in action
- Eddie Kingston vs. Dralistico
- Kevin Knight vs. A Member of FTR
MLW Slaughterhouse / 10 p.m. ET / Youtube
MLW will go live in Long Beach this Saturday night with “Slaughterhouse,” a show that plans to deliver on “terror” in the ring in the main event. The headlining act of the night will see newly-crowned MLW World Heavyweight Champion Mads Krule Krugger defend in a six-way Chamber of Horrors match, a bout featuring a steel cage, barbed wire, and “weapons hanging like ornaments of destruction.”
The undercard will feature quarter-final matchups from the promotion’s annual 16-man Opera Cup. Among those still in the mix: NJPW’s Satoshi Kojima, Bishop Dyer, and Mistico, who will be making his first appearance stateside since capturing the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship off MJF last month – he’s going up against Ultimo Guerrero. For Joshi fans, there’s a match between Shoko Nakajima and fast-rising fellow TJPW star HIMAWARI in the lineup as well:
- Volador Jr. vs. Star Jr. (Opera Cup Quarter-Final)
- Austin Aries vs. Paul London (Opera Cup Quarter-Final)
- Satoshi Kojima vs. Bishop Dyer (Opera Cup Quarter-Final)
- Ultimo Guerrero vs. Mistico (Opera Cup Quarter-Final)
- Alex Hammerstone vs. Matt Riddle
- Shoko Nakajima vs. HIMAWARI (MLW Women’s World Featherweight Championship)
- Mads Krule Krugger defends MLW World Heavyweight Championship in Chamber of Horrors match
GCW The Last Frontier / TrillerTV+ / 11 p.m. ET
Among the few places left on earth that GCW has yet to visit, a list that continues to shrink, is Alaska. That will change this weekend, when the promotion heads to Anchorage for “The Last Frontier.” Fans at the Arctic Rec Center will get the authentic GCW experience, as prominent names from the promotion like Joey Janela, Billie Starkz, Effy and Matt Tremont will all be there.
Considering Anchorage is four hours behind the Eastern timezone, this will be a late-night show for many. Here’s what GCW has to offer:
- Joey Janela vs. Kidd Bandit
- 1 Called Manders vs. Drew Parker
- Marcus Mathers vs. Auron West
- Priscilla Kelly vs. Billie Starkz
- Matt Tremont vs. Zachary Wentz
- Alec Price & Jordan Oliver vs. The Inquisition
- Atticus Cogar vs. SLADE
- Effy vs. Chris Wilde (GCW World Championship)
A few other shows you might want to check out…
- A great way to start this weekend’s festivities could be by watching U.K.-based women’s promotion Pro Wrestling EVE, which will be going live with a free stream of Global Women Strike IV on Friday. The card features a decent lineup of local and international talent, including a tag match that sees underrated Joshi star VENY team with Nina Samuels to take on Safire Reed and former Sendai Girls World Champion DASH Chisako. (Youtube)
- NJPW’s Road To King of Pro Wrestling tour will kick off Saturday with a card from the Hiratsuka General Gymnasium in Kanagawa, Japan. Eight-man tag action will headline the night, as the team of Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Titan and Yota Tsuji will take on the Bullet Club War Dogs squad of David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, Gedo & Taiji Ishimori. The match comes just over a week before Kidd and Tsuji meet for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship… (NJPW World)
- Following in the footsteps of NOAH’s “Monday Magic” series, Japanese promotion Marvelous debuted its own short-run weekly show titled “Friday Night Gacha” this weekend. The live event, set to run for three episodes in October, will follow a format similar to Mystery Wrestling, with each matchup only being confirmed right before it happens. The first episode can be streamed now. (Wrestle Universe)
- Interested in heading to the theatres? “The Smashing Machine,” a film which sees WWE wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson portray early 2000s MMA fighter Mark Kerr in a dramatic biopic, officially hits big screens this weekend. Combat sports fans will recognize more than just The Rock in the film: Ryan Bader plays Mark Coleman, Oleksandr Usyk plays Igor Vovchanchyn, and Bas Rutten plays… Bas Rutten.
