Don’t know what to watch this weekend? We have you covered with nine different picks in this week’s TV guide. The next 72 hours include a stacked AEW pay-per-view, loads of indie wrestling taking place in New Jersey, the continuation of NJPW’s World Tag League, a GHC Heavyweight Championship bout, and much more! Here’s what we have curated for this week:
Friday
NOAH CROSS OVER / 4 a.m. ET / Wrestle Universe
Pro Wrestling NOAH will get things started this weekend with a high-stakes show from Sendai Sunplaza Hall in Miyagi, Japan. The event (which has already wrapped up by the time this article goes live, but will be available to watch via replay on Wrestle Universe) will be headlined by the first title appearance from Yoshiki Inamura since he captured the GHC Heavyweight Championship against KENTA earlier this month.
Former NXT talent Inamura will look to get past three-time champ Kaito Kiyomiya, who is looking to become the fifth person in the title lineage’s history to earn the belt four times.
Earlier in the night, NXT duo Hank & Tank will defend their GHC tag belts for the first time, attempting to overcome former champs Masa Kitamiya and Takashi Sugiura in a rematch from earlier this month.
Friday’s card will also feature both the semi-finals and finals of NOAH’s annual Jr. Grand Prix. Those still competing in the bracket include: Hiromu Takahashi, Tadasuke, HAYATA, and Kai Fujimura.
A decent amount of notable matchups are booked for this weekend’s NOAH card. Here’s how it looks overall:
- Daga, Daiki Odashima, Ninja Mack, Alejandro & AMAKUSA vs. Eita, Shuji Kondo, Yuto Kikuchi, Jun Masaoka & Black Mensore
- HAYATA vs. Kai Fujimura (NOAH Jr. Grand Prix Semi-Final)
- Hiromu Takahashi vs. Tadasuke (NOAH Jr. Grand Prix Semi-Final)
- Manabu Soya, Saxon Huxley & Kazuyuki Fujita vs. KENTA, Ulka Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo
- Hi69, Muhammad Yone, Atsushi Kotoge & Hajime Ohara vs. Naomichi Marufuji, Kenoh, Jack Morris & Junta Miyawaki
- Hank Walker & Tank Ledger vs. Masa Kitamiya & Takashi Sugiura (GHC Tag Team Championships)
- NOAH Jr. Grand Prix Finals
- Yoshiki Inamura vs. Kaito Kiyomiya (GHC Heavyweight Championship)
WWE Friday Night Smackdown / 8 p.m. ET / USA Network
WWE’s sole contribution this weekend is an episode of Friday Night Smackdown from the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
Tonight’s live card will see a continuation of the Last Time is Now Tournament, determining who will be John Cena’s last opponent. The Vision’s Bronson Reed will start his tournament run against Carmelo Hayes, and Finn Balor will meet Judgement Day rival Penta as part of the bracket.
In a matchup between two fan-favorite tag duos, #DIY will square off against Fraxiom.
It’s likely that this weekend’s event will also feature more of the build toward Survivor Series: WarGames. In the men’s WarGames match, the 10 wrestlers involved can’t stop brawling with eachother, as demonstrated on Monday night. For the women’s bout, we’re still finding out the full lineup, more of which might be revealed this evening.
- Bronson Reed vs. Carmelo Hayes (Last Time is Now Tournament First Round)
- Finn Balor vs. Penta (Last Time is Now Tournament First Round)
- Axiom & Nathan Frazer vs. Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano
REVOLVER WrestleKombat / 8 p.m. ET / TrillerTV+
It’s going to be a busy weekend full of wrestling in New Jersey. Along with AEW’s pay-per-view and a pair of GCW events, The Wrestling REVOLVER will team up with New York-based ARRIVAL Wrestling for a show at The Heart Ballroom on Friday.
A pair of TNA wrestlers who have stood out to me recently, REVOLVER World Champion Myron Reed and TNA International Champion Steve Maclin, are both expected to compete.
In a matchup of two Youtubers-turned-wrestlers, REVOLVER Remix Champion BDE will face Chris Danger (known to some fans online by Chris Denker or “DenkOps”). BDE has impressed in his few in-ring appearances, including a physical match against AJ Francis at TNA Turning Point last weekend.
Current MLW World Heavyweight Champion Krule will also appear as part of the card, going one-on-one against former AEW talent Bear Bronson.
While just a few bouts have been announced, this show seems like a solid pick if you want to watch some independent wrestling this evening.
- Steve Maclin vs. Kevin Blackwood
- Bear Bronson vs. Krule
- BDE vs. Chris Danger (REVOLVER Remix Championship)
- Myron Reed vs. Jordan Oliver (REVOLVER World Championship)
HOG Return to the Windy City / 9 p.m. ET / TrillerTV+
New York’s House of Glory will make its third 2025 trip to Chicago, Illinois, tonight, presenting “Return to the Windy City” at the Logan Square Auditorium.
Coming back to HOG for the first time since a 19-minute win over Amazing Red earlier this year, Cedric Alexander will take on top men’s champ Charles Mason, who has defended his title successfully in three different occasions since capturing gold in June.
Friday will be Dezmond Xavier’s second indie appearance since returning earlier this month. The former Wes Lee will team alongside The Rascalz ally Zachary Wentz to face three-time HOG tag champs The Mane Event.
- Tyler Breeze vs. Amazing Red
- Zilla Fatu in action
- Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz vs. Jay Lyon & Midas Black
- Indi Hartwell vs. Shotzi Blackheart (HOG Women’s Championship)
- Charles Mason vs. Cedric Alexander (HOG World Championship)
CMLL Viernes Espectacular / 10 p.m. ET / Youtube
Whether you want some late-night graps or simply crave Lucha action, CMLL’s Friday Night card at Arena Mexico is looking quite appetizing this weekend.
CMLL’s weekly Viernes Espectacular card is headlined by the return of Komander, who will be wrestling in Arena Mexico for the first time since March. The recently returned talent will team with Mistico to face The Beast Mortos and Barbaro Cavernario.
AEW’s JetSpeed team of Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight will be in action on the undercard, meeting Mascara Dorada and Neon in tag action. The continuation of CMLL’s annual Blue Demon tribute tournament will continue with a five-way bout featuring Don Callis Family member Hechicero, as well as Ultimo Guerrero, Angel de Oro, Euforia, and Soberano Jr.
There’s a lot to like about Friday night’s CMLL lineup. If you are a paid member of their Youtube channel, here’s what you can watch this evening:
- Pendulo & Alexuis vs. Poseidon & Troglodita
- Calavera Jr. I & Cavalera Jr. II vs. El Coyote & Polvora
- Lluvia & La Jarochita vs. Zeuxis & Olympia
- Mascara Dorada & Neon vs. Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight
- Hechicero vs. Euforia vs. Soberano Jr. vs. Angel de Oro vs. Ultimo Guerrero (CMLL Tornero Leyenda Azul 2025)
- Mistico & Komander vs. The Beast Mortos & Barbaro Cavernario
Saturday
NJPW World Tag League Night 2 / 4 a.m. ET / NJPW World
We’ll get the first look at the B Block in NJPW’s 2025 World Tag League on Saturday night when the promotion heads to Kanagawa, Japan on Saturday.
The Knockout Brothers, OSKAR and Yuto-Ice, have taken NJPW by storm since they returned earlier this year. After capturing the IWGP Tag Team Championships recently, they’ll try to keep their momentum going with a run in this year’s Tag League. They’ll try to get things going in the main event of the card, facing Bullet Club War Dogs member David Finlay and “Unaffiliated” wrestler Hiromu Takahashi.
Stand-out tag duos earlier on the card include the team of El Phantasmo and the soon-to-retire Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryohei Oiwa working alongside Zack Sabre Jr., and the return of Monster Sauce (Alex Zayne and Lance Archer).
Here’s what to expect on Saturday morning:
- Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Zane Jay vs. Chase Owens, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi
- Katsuya Murashima, Boltin Oleg & Toru Yano vs. Masatora Yasuda, Satoshi Kojima & Taichi
- El Desperado, Shoma Kato & Shuji Ishikawa vs. Daiki Nagai, Drilla Moloney & Shingo Takagi
- Gabe Kidd, Gedo & Yota Tsuji vs. Dick Togo, Don Fale & EVIL
- Alex Zayne & Lance Archer vs. Ren Narita & SANADA (B Block)
- Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan vs. Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. (B Block)
- El Phantasmo & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura (B Block)
- David Finlay & Hiromu Takahashi vs. OSKAR & Yuto-Ice (B Block)
GCW Dream On / 2 p.m. ET / TrillerTV+
GCW is bringing an impressive supporting cast to New Jersey this weekend, presenting a card both before and after AEW’s show in the coming days.
Dream On will get things started on Saturday afternoon from the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
GCW vets Atticus Cogar and Charles Mason will attempt to pull double duty on Saturday and hopefully leave the mall with a new world title in their shopping bag. Cogar and Mason will face off in a #1 contenders bout as part of the card this weekend. Then, just hours later, they’ll take on GCW World Champion Effy for the title.
The card has a mix of both indie darlings (Gringo Loco, Joey Janela, Maki Itoh) and former WWE talents (Tommy Dreamer, Matt Cardona, Killer Kross, and others). Here’s everything we know about the show thus far:
- Maki Itoh vs. Zayda Steel
- Tommy Dreamer & Rhyno vs. Bear Bronson & Matt Tremont
- Sam Stackhouse vs. Beastman
- Gringo Loco vs. Mascarita Dorada
- Killer Kross & Jimmy Lloyd vs. Matt Cardona & Brian Myers
- Atticus Cogar vs. Charles Mason (Winner faces Effy in main event)
- Joey Janela vs. KJ Orso
- Effy vs. TBD (GCW World Championship)
AEW Full Gear / 8 p.m. ET / PPV
AEW undoubtedly has the biggest card of the weekend, presenting its annual Full Gear pay-per-view from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
AEW World Champion Hangman Adam Page will go one-on-one with Samoa Joe in the main event, this time facing off in a steel cage match. Personally, the most enticing story of the night is the bout between AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander and belt collector Mercedes Moné. Will the most important belt in AEW continue to be the one that Moné simply can’t capture? Or will Statlander have a sudden end to her reign, making it one of the shortest runs in the title’s history?
As is always the case with AEW PPVs, there’s an endless amount of matchups to discuss. The AEW National Championship will debut through a Casino Gauntlet match. Mark Briscoe will wager potentially joining the Don Callis Family in a TNT title bout against Kyle Fletcher. Jon Moxley and Kyle O’Reilly will continue their great recent stretch of singles matchups, this time meeting in a No Holds Barred contest.
A one-hour pre-show will air on TNT at 7 p.m. ET. In a match I hope gets a sufficient amount of time during the TV program, CMLL’s El Sky Team (Mascara Dorada, Mistico & Neon) will put their trios belts up against Hechicero, Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita. While commercial breaks and a tight schedule might take away from this, it still seems like it could deliver and be a fun part of the night.
Here’s everything that has been announced for Saturday night in Newark:
- Eddie Kingston & HOOK in action (Pre-show)
- Big Bill & Bryan Keith vs. Anthony Bowens & Max Caster vs. Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd vs. Austin Gunn & Juice Robinson (Four-Way Tag Match) (Pre-show)
- Rocky Romero & Trent Beretta vs. Big Boom AJ & QT Marshall (Pre-show)
- Mascara Dorada, Mistico & Neon vs. Hechicero, Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita (CMLL World Trios Championships) (Pre-show)
- Marina Shafir, Megan Bayne vs. Julia Hart & Skye Blue vs. Mina Shirakawa & Toni Storm vs. Harley Cameron & Willow Nightingale (Four-Way Tag Match)
- Josh Alexander, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson vs. Jack Perry, Luchasaurus & Kenny Omega
- PAC vs. Darby Allin
- Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly (No Holds Barred)
- Bandido & Brody King vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (AEW World Tag Team Championships)
- Vacant AEW National Championship Casino Gauntlet Match
- Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe (TNT Championship) (No Disqualification)
- Kris Statlander vs. Mercedes Moné (AEW Women’s World Championship)
- Hangman Adam Page vs. Samoa Joe (AEW World Championship) (Steel Cage Match)
Sunday
JCW Home for the Holidays / 3 p.m. / Youtube
Wrapping up a wrestling-packed weekend in New Jersey will be GCW’s Jersey Championship Wrestling. “Home for the Holidays” will see Billie Starkz defend her JCW title in a rematch against Charles Mason. Starkz beat Mason last month for the vacant title, avenging a loss she took against him two years prior.
Some stand-out names on the lineup include: AEW’s Lee Moriarty facing off against Gringo Loco, “The Bad Apple” Bryan Keith in tag action, and a huge four-way tag bout to determine the next challenges for GCW’s tag belts.
The show suffered a few blows in recent weeks, losing out on Karl Fredericks and Queen Aminata, but it’s still pretty solid. Oh, and did I mention it’s 100 percent free to watch on Youtube?
- Lee Moriarty vs. Gringo Loco
- Nick Comoroto vs. Joshua Bishop
- Mad Dog Connelly vs. Thomas Shire
- Beastman Body Slam Challenge
- Nixi XS & Valentina Rossi vs. Kenzie Paige & Kylie Alexa
- Marcus Mathers & Joey Janela vs. Hoodfoot & Bryan Keith
- Ryan Clancy & Tony Deppen vs. Adam Priest & Darian Bengston
- Bam Sullivan & Matt Tremont vs. Josh Woods & Matt Mako vs. Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku vs. Jay Lucas & Terry Yaki (GCW Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Match) (Four-Way Tag Match)
- Labron Kozone & Manny Lo vs. Alec Price & Jordan Oliver (GCW Tag Team Championships)
- Billie Starkz vs. Charles Mason (JCW World Championship)
