There’s no shortage of wrestling available to catch this weekend. Two nights of Summerslam, three mornings full of NJPW G1 Climax matchups, a stacked lucha card from CMLL, fun indie action and STARDOM’s 5Star Grand Prix are all set to go down over the next 72 hours. Here’s a rundown of all the top events taking place over the next three days, plus when and where to catch it all.
Friday
NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 9 / 5:30 a.m. ET / NJPW World
NJPW’s G1 Climax tournament will roll on this weekend with a trio of shows. The wrestling already started this morning, as B Block action took place just hours ago from Takamatsu City Gymnasium. While the B Block is clearly the weaker side of the tourney this year (which was only made worse when Shota Umino withdrew from the tour due to a concussion), the showdown today between Yuya Uemura and Aaron Wolf looks like a fun main event. Uemura has been on a roll so far and I feel he could get a big match out of NJPW rookie Wolf. Check out the replay now and see for yourself!
- Masatora Yasuda & Boltin Oleg vs. SANADA & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
- Konosuke Takeshita & Toru Yano vs. Hirooki Goto & Tatsuya Matsumoto
- Great-O-Khan, Jake Lee & Zane Jay vs. Gedo, Shingo Takagi & Yuto-Ice
- Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Daiki Nagai & Yota Tsuji
- Drilla Moloney vs. OSKAR (B Block)
- Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ren Narita (B Block)
- Gabe Kidd vs. Callum Newman (B Block)
- Yuya Uemura vs. Aaron Wolf (B Block)
WWE Friday Night Smackdown / 8 p.m. ET / USA Network
Before they meet in the main event of Summerslam Night 1, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes will go face to face tonight inside the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. This week’s go-home edition of Smackdown before Summerslam is also scheduled to feature a tag title showdown and a match with PLE implications.
The final spot in a five-way women’s ladder match to find the interim WWE Women’s Champion will take place tonight when Giulia and Lash Legend face off. Both gunning for their first-ever main roster singles title run, they’ll punch their ticket to Summerslam with a win this evening. In other action, reigning tag champs Damian Priest and R-Truth will defend against The War Raiders, who are looking to add to their current tag gold, which includes AAA titles.
- CM Punk & Cody Rhodes meet in face-to-face
- Giulia vs. Lash Legend (Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match Qualifier)
- Damian Priest & R-Truth vs. Erik & Ivar (WWE Tag Team Championships)
CMLL Viernes Espectacular / 10:30 p.m. ET / Youtube & myAEW
CMLL has a particularly strong card set for this Friday in Arena Mexico. Tonight’s Mexico City lineup is headlined by Komander and Mascara Dorada in the Torneo La Leyenda De Plata finals, a high-flying showdown which I believe will deliver. Other stand-out bouts include Hechicero against Roderick Strong, a six-man tag featuring Templario, Barbaro Cavernario and Ultimo Guerrero, and a special attraction Japan vs. Mexico Torneo Cibernetico match. While CMLL generally has fun lineups each Friday, this one sticks out to me more than most weeks. If you want some late-night lucha, giving this card a chance is totally worth it.
- DOUKI, Okumura, Shoma Kato, Yujiro Takahashi & Yutani vs. Capitan Suicida, Fugaz, Pantera Jr., Valiente Jr. & Xelhua (Mexico vs. Japan Cibernetico)
- Austin Aries & Leon Cage vs. Neon & Titan
- India Sioux vs. Thunder Rosa (CMLL Mexican National Women’s Championship)
- Dragon Rojo Jr., Star Jr. & Templario vs. Barbaro Cavernario, Ultimo Guerrero & Zandokan Jr.
- Persephone vs. Tessa Blanchard (CMLL World Women’s Championship)
- Hechicero vs. Roderick Strong (CMLL World Heavyweight Championship)
- Komander vs. Mascara Dorada
Saturday
STARDOM 5Star Grand Prix Night 7 / 12 a.m. ET / STARDOM World
Joshi brand STARDOM will continue its own round robin tournament, the 5Star Grand Prix, this weekend with two events. Saturday afternoon’s card focuses on the Blue Stars A & B blocks, which include names like defending World of STARDOM Champion Suzu Suzuki, prominent ex-champ Saya Kamitani, AEW’s Julia Hart, defending tournament winner Momo Watanabe, and many others.
- Aya Sakura vs. Ruaka (Blue Stars A)
- Suzu Suzuki vs. HANAKO (Blue Stars A)
- Miyu Amasaki vs. Rian (Blue Stars A)
- Hina vs. Julia Hart (Blue Stars A)
- Yuna Mizumori vs. Kikyo Furusawa (Blue Stars B)
- Hanan vs. Starlight Kid (Blue Stars B)
- Ami Sohrei vs. Momo Watanabe (Blue Stars B)
- Koguma vs. Saya Kamitani (Blue Stars B)
NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 10 / 4 a.m. ET / NJPW World
Attention will shift to NJPW’s G1 A Block tomorrow morning. I’d argue that this card has a double main event, as Hirooki Goto vs. Konosuke Takeshita and Yota Tsuji vs. Ryohei Oiwa are two incredible pairings. Tsuji has been the best performer of the bracket thus far and is riding the momentum of a stellar win over Yuto-Ice from Wednesday (who is unfortunately on Jake Lee duty tomorrow). If there’s only two G1 bouts this weekend to catch, I’d argue it’s those.
- Aaron Wolf & Taisei Nakahara vs. Daiki Nagai & Drilla Moloney
- Shota Umino & Tatsuya Matsumoto vs. Callum Newman & Zane Jay
- Masatora Yasuda & Yuya Uemura vs. Dick Togo & Ren Narita
- Harley Jackson & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Gedo & OSKAR
- SANADA vs. Boltin Oleg (A Block)
- Jake Lee vs. Yuto-Ice (A Block)
- Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan (A Block)
- Yota Tsuji vs. Ryohei Oiwa (A Block)
- Hirooki Goto vs. Konosuke Takeshita (A Block)
GCW Rude Awakening / 2 p.m. ET / TrillerTV+
GCW has a trio of events scheduled for this weekend, and I believe their Saturday presentation is the best of the three. The card has a few matches I’m curious to see: Shotzi Blackheart meeting TNA’s Bear Bronson and 1 Called Manders are a pair I’d like to point out.
Maybe most interestingly, Saturday’s show features Avery Styles, son of wrestling legend AJ Styles. Avery made his in-ring debut earlier this year, but hasn’t competed in any prominent indie wrestling spots just yet. That’ll change this weekend when he appears for GCW, including a matchup on Saturday across from Marcus Mathers.
With a start time of 2 p.m. ET, GCW’s Rude Awakening from Minneapolis, Minnesota will be finished before Summerslam goes live. If you’re looking for some midday action before the top event of the night, check this one out.
- Marcus Mathers vs. Avery Styles
- Otis Cogar vs. 1 Called Mathers
- Nick Gage vs. Darin Corbin
- Shotzi Blackheart vs. Bear Bronson
- Atticus Cogar vs. Devon Monroe (GCW World Championship)
WWE Summerslam Night 1 / 6 p.m. ET / ESPN Unlimited
The 39th annual WWE Summerslam Premium Live Event (PLE) will kick off tomorrow night, with the first of two shows from the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. While both nights have their strong (and weak) points, I believe this is the stronger of two shows. CM Punk putting the Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes, an opponent he hasn’t met one-on-one since 2008, is easily the most anticipated showdown of the weekend.
Plus, the card has the rubber match between Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi in Hell in a Cell, the in-ring return of Nick Aldis in a grudge match against Gunther, and the rematch between Liv Morgan and IYO SKY. There are missable parts of the show for sure, but overall this feels like the better night of stadium wrestling this weekend.
- Brie Bella, Nikki Bella & Paige vs. Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne & Lainey Reid
- Nick Aldis vs. Gunther
- LA Knight, Royce Keys & Solo Sikoa vs. Jacob Fatu, Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso
- Liv Morgan vs. IYO SKY (WWE Women’s World Championship)
- Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi (Hell in a Cell)
- CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes (Undisputed WWE Championship)
Sunday
STARDOM 5Star Grand Prix Night 8 / 12 a.m. ET / STARDOM World
Shortly after the first night of Summerslam wraps up, STARDOM will return with another night of 5Star Grand Prix action. Just like Saturday’s show, it’ll mainly be the Blue Stars A and B blocks that’ll be the focus of the card. Here’s a look at the lineup:
- Itsuki Aoki vs. Rina (Red Stars A)
- Suzu Suzuki vs. Rian (Blue Stars A)
- Aya Sakura vs. Miyu Amasaki (Blue Stars A)
- Hina vs. HANAKO (Blue Stars A)
- Ruaka vs. Julia Hart (Blue Stars A)
- Yuna Mizumori vs. Koguma (Blue Stars B)
- Saya Kamitani vs. Kikyo Furusawa (Blue Stars B)
- Starlight Kid vs. Momo Watanabe (Blue Stars B)
- Hanan vs. Ami Sohrei (Blue Stars B)
NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 11 / 5 a.m. ET / NJPW World
B Block competition will round out a busy weekend for NJPW. This Sunday’s show sees the wild and unpredictable Gabe Kidd meet HENARE, a tough United Empire wrestler who can be described with those same traits. Kidd has been one of the more fun names of the tournament, and I’m curious to see how that one goes. OSKAR of the Knockout Brothers will try to earn the biggest singles win of his career thus far when he takes on Zack Sabre Jr., another bout with potential.
- Hartley Jackson & Ryohei Oiwa vs. Hirooki Goto & Tatsuya Matsumoto
- SANADA & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Gedo & Yuto-Ice
- Jake Lee & Zane Jay vs. Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young
- Konosuke Takeshita, Boltin Oleg & Toru Yano vs. Daiki Nagai, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji
- Drilla Moloney vs. Aaron Wolf (B Block)
- Zack Sabre Jr. vs. OSKAR (B Block)
- Ren Narita vs. Yuya Uemura (B Block)
- Gabe Kidd vs. HENARE (B Block)
WWE Summerslam Night 2 / 6 p.m. ET / ESPN Unlimited
The second evening of Summerslam action from Minneapolis will close out this weekend’s programming. The biggest match of the night sees former Shield teammates Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins meet in a WWE World Heavyweight Championship showdown, arguably Reigns’ biggest challenge since he claimed the title at Wrestlemania earlier this year.
I believe the homecoming performance for Minnesota’s own Chad Gable against Intercontinental Champ Penta could be a fun scrap, as could be the bout between Sami Zayn and Finn Balor (although I don’t know how I feel about a #1 contenders match being on Summerslam). There’s also a weird part of me that wants to see how good (or bad) the “Human Monies on a Pole” match could be between Danhausen and Dominik Mysterio.
- Sami Zayn vs. Finn Balor (Undisputed WWE Championship #1 Contenders Match)
- Trick Williams vs. Baron Corbin (WWE United States Championship)
- Danhausen vs. Dominik Mysterio (Human Monies on a Pole Match)
- Charlotte Flair vs. Chelsea Green vs. Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. TBD (Vacant Interim WWE Women’s Championship) (Ladder Match)
- Penta vs. Chad Gable (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
- Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
