Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War.
This week, AEW won in total viewers. It was close in every demographic group except Adults 50+, where NXT had a significant edge as they usually do.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 712,000 viewers, which is down from 769,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.22 rating, down from 0.24 the previous week.
The episode featured The Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle in Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals, Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai, Finn Balor defeats Trent Seven, Dominik Dijakovic defeats Damian Priest, and there was a contract signing for the Tommaso Ciampa-Adam Cole NXT Title Match at NXT TakeOver: Portland.
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 828,000 viewers, down from the 871,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.34 rating, down from the 0.35 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured matches such as Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford) vs. Cody Rhodes (w/ Arn Anderson), The Young Bucks vs. The Butcher and The Blade (w/ The Bunny), AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, Santana and Ortiz vs. Darby Allin and Private Party
Next week’s battle will be very interesting to see which show wins the ratings battle as NXT will be getting closer to their next special, TakeOver: Portland while AEW edges closer to Revolution.
AEW Dynamite aired live tonight from the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
AEW Dynamite Results (1/29)
Young Bucks def. Butcher & Blade
Nyla Rose def. Big Swole
SCU def. Hybrid 2
Cody Rhodes def. Kip Sabian
Inner Circle def. Private Party & Darby Allin
Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Moxley Sent A Message To Jericho & Inner Circle
Jon Moxley made his way to the ring to kick off this week’s episode. Moxley said it occurred to him that the fun and games were over with Jericho after he stabbed him in the eye.
Moxley added that Jericho might be the greatest of all-time but hides behind the Inner Circle. Jon stated that he was no role model but makes sure that he can look himself in the mirror at the end of the day. He called Jericho an insecure maniac and a bully.
Jon vowed to take the AEW Championship from Jericho at Revolution. Moxley challenged Jericho to come to the ring and for once in his life take a beating like a man. AEW Champion Chris Jericho came to the entrance ramp and stood there in silence as the crowd booed.
Jericho called the crowd idiots and claimed that Moxley deserved a spike to the eye because he refused to join Inner Circle. Jericho claimed that he saw Jon’s mother backstage and she was looking fetching, and that he told her all of this was Moxley’s fault. Chris said Cleveland doesn’t deserve to see Le Champion one-on-one tonight and called Inner Circle down to the ramp.
Moxley said that he was born and raised in the great state of Ohio and that it will be Inner Circle versus him and the entire arena. Jon hopped out of the ring and Jericho called him a stupid son of a bitch. Jericho brought out 5 more street thugs and all 10 men started marching down the ramp. Jon took out Ortiz with a DDT and attacked Inner Circle before security broke it up.
The Butcher & Blade faced The Young Bucks tonight on Dynamite. Before the match, a great video package was shown with MJF delivering a payment to The Bunny and his request was for them to hurt Matt and Nick Jackson.
MJF joined commentary for the match and claimed that Matt and Nick tried to murder him last week when they threw him in the pool because he cannot swim. The Bunny was ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Matt and Nick isolated Blade in the corner and controlled the match early. The Bunny tripped up Nick Jackson and Butcher took him out with a Crossbody. Blade planted Nick with a Powerbomb and went for a cover but Matt broke it up. Matt tagged in and hit Blade with an Elbow Drop off the top rope for a near fall. Young Bucks followed it up with the Meltzer Driver on Blade for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Butcher and Blade attacked the Young Bucks but Kenny Omega made the save. Hangman Adam Page came down to the ring with a beer and handed it to Matt Jackson. Hangman leveled Blade with a massive Buckshot Lariat and left the ring.
Kip Sabian squared off against Cody tonight. Penelope Ford and Arn Anderson were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Cody accidentally elbowed Penelope Ford outside the ring and made it seem like she was knocked out. Cody picked her up and Kip capitalized with a boot to the face. Kip and Penelope then kissed as Dynamite went to a break. Back from the break, Cody hit the Disaster Kick for a near fall. Penelope launched her shoe into the ring for a distraction.
Arn grabbed the shoe and threw it into the crowd. Anderson bumped into the referee and he threw him out. Sabian distracted the referee and Penelope hit Cody with a Hurricanrana. Penelope and Kip went to kiss again before Joey Janela came out of nowhere and stuck his face in between them. Joey then flipped them the bird before escaping through the crowd. Cody hit three Cross Rhodes in a row for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: Both the Janela and Hangman Adam Page spots were hilarious tonight. It was announced that Cody will get the 10 lashes from MJF on next week’s episode and that should be quite the segment.
Tony Schiavone interviewed Britt Baker once again tonight. Baker referred to Tony as Mr. Starbucks and then took the microphone from him.
Britt told Jim Ross to never interrupt her when she is speaking again. Baker added that all Jim Ross talks about is her being a dentist when she wrestles.
Baker called Jim a “sloppy BBQ sales rep who cannot even get the AEW roster’s names right”. She pointed out that the AEW Women’s Champion Riho is never on the show before diagnosing Tony with gingivitis. Britt then told the Cleveland crowd that they finally have a Baker they can believe in.
Opinion: Britt Baker cut an awesome tonight and she definitely isn’t wrong about Jim Ross. Jim has made a lot mistakes and made another one tonight by referring to Maxwell Jacob Friedman as “Matthew Jacob Friedman” tonight. I wasn’t a fan of Britt’s match or promo last week but this was great.
Chris Jericho, Santana, and Ortiz faced Private Party & Darby Allin in the main event of this week’s show. Jake Hager and Sammy Guevara were ringside.
Match Recap: Inner Circle dominated early and isolated Marq in the corner. Isiah Kassidy tagged in and rolled up Ortiz for a two count. Jericho tagged in and beat Kassidy down as Dynamite went to a break. Back from the break, Darby Allin tagged in and hit Ortiz with a Stunner. Darby planted Santana with a Sunset Flip Powerbomb and went for the cover but Jericho broke it up. Allin hit Jericho with a Moonsault for a two count. Allin hit Jake Hager with a Coffin Drop as Kassidy tagged in. Isiah hit a Senton off the top rope on Jericho and went for the cover but the AEW Champion kicked out at the last second. Jericho hit Kassidy with the Judas Effect out of nowhere for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Inner Circle attacked Private Party and Darby Allin. Sammy broke Darby’s skateboard and shared a hug with Jericho. Inner Circle then placed the skateboard on Darby’s throat and slammed him to the canvas. Moxley rushed the ring with a baseball bat and sent Inner Circle on the retreat to end the show.
Opinion: This week’s episode of Dynamite was another solid show. There are several storylines that I’m interest in right now. Moxley versus Jericho/ Inner Circle, MJF versus Cody, and Hangman Adam Page’s relationship with The Elite are all entertaining and give people a reason to tune in every week.
The January 29, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from the Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
The show was headlined by The Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle in Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals.
WWE NXT Results (1/29/20)
Finn Balor def. Trent Seven
Shotzi Blackheart def. Deonna Purrazzo
Dominik Dijakovic def. Damian Priest
Tegan Nox defeated Dakota Kai
Kayden Carter def. Chelsea Green
Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle def. Grizzled Young Veterans
Here are the 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
Finn Balor Stands Tall
Finn Balor in NXT
Former NXT Champion Finn Balor was in action when he took on Trent Seven in a singles match.
WWE actually gave Seven some offense and rightfully so as he’s a heck of a worker. However, just like he should have, Balor went over in the end of a hard-hitting affair.
WWE set up this contest after Balor attacked Seven in a parking lot after Saturday’s Worlds Collide show in Houston, Texas. At this show, Balor beat Ilja Dragunov in a singles match while Seven and Tyler Bate lost to DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa).
Balor will take on Gargano at the NXT TakeOver: Portland event next month.
NXT North American Champion Keith Lee came out to the ring for a promo. This led to Damien Priest and Dominik Dijakovic walking out to the ring to make their case for a title shot.
However, Dijakovic and Priest started talking trash about each other which led to Lee walking to the back and a match being booked. An odd start to a match.
It turns out that Dijakovic ended up winning the match with his finisher in a back and forth affair.
Thus, it appears that WWE has set up a potential challenge for Lee going forward with the outcome of this match. This isn’t a fresh feud as the two have feuded in recent months and worked several multiple man matches in that time.
WWE NXT Champion Adam Cole will have an opponent at the next special for the NXT brand.
This episode saw the confirmation of Cole making his next title defense at the NXT TakeOver: Portland event on Sunday, February 16, 2020 in Portland, Oregon at the Moda Center that will air on the WWE Network. This was set up when Tommaso Ciampa attacked Cole in the ring where he put him through a table and signed a contract in his own blood.
Cole has been on top of the division for quite some time and it will be interesting to see whether WWE finally pulls the trigger on a title change.
The company has been building up to this match for months and rightfully so as it’s the biggest match that WWE can make right now. It also sets up a potential feel-good moment for Ciampa, who never lost the title but rather had to vacate it due to him being sidelined after getting neck surgery.
The fight was on as Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai battled in a singles match.
These ladies put in hard work and delivered a pretty good match. It ended when Knox went over with some outside help by Candice LeRae, who has also wrestled Kai in the past.
This match came after NXT TakeOver: WarGames III event when Rhea Ripley, Mia Yim, Tegan Nox & Candice LeRae beat Shayna Baszler, Bianca Belair, Io Shirai & Kay Lee Ray to win the WarGames match.
There was a heel turn during the match as Kai attacked Nox in the holding cell, which marked her heel turn.
Time will tell whether WWE books these two stars in a gimmick type match.
Former Impact Wrestling star Chelsea Green made her television in-ring debut when she took on Kayden Carter.
As expected, Green got the majority of the offense but ultimately lost to Carter. This was an odd outcome as most fans expect for Green to win her matches considering she’s being hyped as a top free agent and has a manager. Perhaps WWE doesn’t have an opponent for her next.
Green is still managed by Robert Stone, who was Robbie E in Impact Wrestling. This comes a few days after she worked the Women’s Royal Rumble Match where she was quickly eliminated.
Green resurfaced in NXT last June and eventually made her debut on television late last year after being sidelined due to a broken wrist that resulted in her getting surgery.
The 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is in the books.
On this show, The Grizzled Young Veterans took on Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle in the finals of the tournament to honor the legendary pro wrestler. This was a fun match to watch and one that I thought was better than my original expectations.
In the end, it was Riddle and Dunne who won the match. They will challenge The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) for the NXT Tag Team Titles at NXT TakeOver: Portland.
The dynamic of Riddle and Dunne continues to be an interesting watch. Now, where Dunne and Riddle go from here is the next question and something to look out for going forward. Whether they become the new champs or split off in a separate program.
Having The Grizzled Young Veterans in this contest also brought up their drawing ability, which will be something to keep an eye on as time goes by.
While this year’s tournament may not have had the star power that previous year’s did, it was fun to watch.
New matches have been announced for the upcoming WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland special.
On Wednesday’s episode of NXT, it was revealed that Adam Cole would make his next title defense as NXT Champion against former champion Tommaso Ciampa at this event. There was a segment on the show where Ciampa attacked Cole in the ring where he put him through a table and signed a contract in his own blood.
Also, The Grizzled Young Veterans took on Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle in Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with the winners being Dunne and Riddle. As a result, they will challenge The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) for the NXT Tag Team Titles at this event.
WWE presents the NXT TakeOver: Portland event on Sunday, February 16, 2020 in Portland, Oregon at the Moda Center and will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks. Here is the updated card:
Updated WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland Card
NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa
NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle
Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano
NXT Women’s Title Match: Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley (c)
What are your thoughts on these matches being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
The official YouTube channel for the WWE Performance Center has published a video today teasing a possible encounter between Matt Riddle and Brock Lesnar. Riddle has made frequent public comments regarding Lesnar and there have been reports the two had a verbal altercation backstage at the Royal Rumble.
“I really wanted to get my hands on Brock,” Riddle says in the video. “You know, I saw him throwing everybody around. I don’t care what he says or what anybody says, I don’t care if he wants the match or not. I’m going to get it. I don’t care, it’s not up to him.”
“I don’t like being told no, especially when I work as hard as I do.”
WWE posted the following video to the WWE PC YouTube channel:
“NXT Superstar Matt Riddle competed in the 2020 Royal Rumble this past weekend, and he made sure to express his interest in facing WWE Champion Brock Lesnar,” a description of the video reads on YouTube.
Matt Riddle Posts About 2020 Royal Rumble Experience
Riddle posted to social media to say his Royal Rumble appearance didn’t go as planned. He also mentioned his big match on NXT this week along with Pete Dunne against the Grizzled Young Veterans.
Last night on NWA Powerrr, Nick Aldis unveiled some unique potential stipulations for another title match against Marty Scurll. Aldis defeated Scurll and successfully defended the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the Crockett Cup last year but Scurll is lobbying for another crack at the belt.
On Powerrr, Aldis said that he is willing to defend the title against Scurll again at this year’s Crockett Cup event but only under one condition. That condition is if Scurll doesn’t defeat Aldis for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, Scurll will refund every single person who attended the show the cost of their ticket.
The NWA has pinned a video of Aldis laying out the terms to the top of their Twitter page:
Aldis also made a point of mentioning that the exact date and venue for the Crockett Cup have yet to be announced. He invited cities to bid for the event. The show is planned for April.
Aldis sat down for an interview with Chris Van Vliet recently and discussed what led to him joining the NWA.
“Dave (Lagana) called me and just kind of said ‘what’s going on with you? What are you doing?’ Cause I mean I had just fallen off the face of the Earth in wrestling,” Aldis said. “Everyone just assumed that I would go to WWE after I finished up with TNA, that didn’t happen.”
Today is “Bell Let’s Talk” day, an annual tradition dating back to 2011 where people are encouraged to open up about mental health issues. The day is sponsored by Bell Media which owns TSN, the network that airs AEW Dynamite in Canada.
AEW’s Allie (aka the Bunny) has been vocal in the past regarding her battles with mental health issues. She took to her social media accounts today to talk further about mental health.
Allie is also auctioning off some worn ring gear for a good cause. Proceeds from the sale of her gear will be donated to the GoFundMe for a woman living with Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer.
“For most of my life, anxiety and depression have had a huge toll on me,” Allie said to the Gorilla Position in 2018. “Even when I was going through it all at the time, I didn’t realize that I was depressed. I could feel it, but I didn’t know what it really was for a long time.”
“I lost my father when I was 12… very young. That was one of the things that triggered my depression,” she continued. “Flash forward a few years later, and a very, very close friend of mine committed suicide. That just kind of pushed me further down that hole that I was in.”
Allie also posted the following video to her official YouTube channel in 2017:
AEW rankings for January 29th, 2020 have been released. The promotion releases new rankings every Wednesday morning now though its official social media channels.
AEW Men’s Single’s Division
There was no change at all this week in the single’s division rankings. Moxley defeated PAC this week, Omega won the tag titles with Page and neither Cody or Guevara competed.
Le Champion: Chris Jericho
Jon Moxley (3-0)
PAC (1-1)
Cody (1-0)
Kenny Omega (0-0)
Sammy Guevara (2-1)
AEW Women’s Single’s Division
Britt Baker and Awesome Kong swapped places this week with Baker taking the #4 spot and Kong dropping to #5. Baker picked up a win on Dynamite last week over Priscilla Kelly before blasting Tony Schiavone in a post-match promo.
Nyla Rose defeated Shanna in a tables match which aired on Dark this week though was taped on 1/21/20.
Champion: Riho
Nyla Rose (1-1)
Hikaru Shida (0-1)
Kris Statlander (0-1)
Britt Baker (1-1) (+1)
Awesome Kong (1-0) (-1)
AEW Tag Team Division
The only change to the tag team rankings this week is the former champions SCU dropping to the #1 spot after Omega and Page took the titles away from them.
The Dark Order won a match on Dark this week though as with the match between Shanna and Rose, it was actually taped on 1/21/20.
Impact Wrestling was back in Frontenac, Mexico this week for another edition of its weekly television program. They were also back on Twitch this week as the ban caused by Rob Van Dam’s celebrations with his girlfriend and girlfriend’s girlfriend has been lifted.
Impact Wrestling 1/28/20 Quick Results:
Vikingo defeated Josh Alexander w/Ethan Page
Dez & Wentz (the Rascalz) defeated Pagano & Murder Clown
Moose defeated Taurus
#1 Contender for Knockouts Championship: Jordynne Grace defeated Madison Rayne vs Kiera Hogan
Daga & Dr. Wagner Jr. defeated Reno Scum
Best of 5 Series (Match 1): Michael Elgin defeated Eddie Edwards (Elgin leads 1-0)
Here are 9 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 1/28/20:
Michael Elgin Takes Early Lead In Series Against Eddie Edwards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIPLAvNEZUg
Michael Elgin really feels cheated by the referee’s decision at Hard to Kill. Elgin feels Edwards tapped to his crossface during their single’s match but he was really just reaching for the ropes when his hand hit the mat. Regardless, Elgin feels he should have been awarded Edwards’ Call Your Shot trophy. They met in this week’s main event in the first of their best-of-5-series.
Elgin would score the first victory in the series, choking out his rival after delivering a Death Valley Driver from the top rope.
Jordynne Grace Earns A Title Shot Against Taya Valkyrie
Jordynne Grace picked up the win in a triple threat match against Kiera Hogan and Madison Rayne this week that has earned her a shot at Taya Valkyrie’s Knockouts Championship. Hogan and Rayne had made a deal with Valkyrie that one of them would get the next title shot but Grace inserted herself into the picture as well.
Rayne and Hogan attempted to work together during the match but their combined efforts simply were not enough to stop the streaking Grace. She has come up short when challenging Taya before but Grace seems as though she’s really hit her stride lately and could provide more of a challenge than before.
Joey Ryan was interviewed backstage this week. He commented on Rob Van Dam’s criticism of him from last week. RVD said that Ryan’s match against Maximo last week made him feel embarrassed to be a wrestler.
Ryan then said this week that he doesn’t think it was his match against Maximo that got RVD all upset, he thinks Katie Forbes wants to touch “it” and that is why Rob said what he said. It seems as though these two could face-off against one another soon.
Last week, Suzie wandered off away from James Mitchell during a match between Rosemary and Havok. Rosemary approached Suzie in the back this week and told her she thinks she can turn her into a real warrior. Suzie seemed to like this idea so Rosemary challenged her to an exhibition match next week and then handed her some wrestling gear before Suzie just sort of wandered off again.
Moose Gets Revenge On Taurus, Rhino Gets Revenge On Him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnZyooPrHEw
Last week on Impact Wrestling, Taurus won a triple threat match against Moose and Rhino. This week Moose and Taurus went one-on-one. After Taurus missed a running strike into the post, Moose landed the No Jackhammer Needed spear and picked up the win.
After the match, Rhino ran out from the back and delivered a Gore to Moose. It looks as though this rivalry between these two heavyweight contenders will continue.
OVE Assaults Daga & Dr. Wagner Jr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KSG6Tbkt-0
Daga teamed up with Dr. Wagner Jr this week in victorious fashion over Reno Scum. After the match, however, the members of OVE minus Sami Callihan attacked. They would even beat up Wagner Jr. in front of his own son who was at ringside and was forced to witness the events by Reno Scum.
Vikingo Defeats Josh Alexander In Fast-Paced Opener
Vikingo certainly opted to make the most of his opening match on Impact Wrestling this week against Josh Alexander from the North. This was a really interesting style mash-up as Vikingo has a high-flying Lucha style and Alexander’s offense is heavy on suplexes and amateur wrestling moves.
After several exciting exchanges between the two, Vikingo pulled off the mild upset with a head-scissors into a pinning combination.
It was later announced that Vikingo will face TJP next week.
The Rascalz Defeat Their Peyote-Induced Clown Hallucinations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddEtwLzTsSc
Last week on Impact, the Rascalz were shown in the back taking peyote. Things were going fine until Pagano and Murder Clown sat down. This week, the Rascalz were forced to face their fears when they met the two stars from AAA in tag-team action.
As frightened as they were, Dez and Wentz managed to pull off the victory with some unique double-team offense. The next set of tapings for Impact is in Nevada, where the Rascalz will likely go back to what they are accustomed to.
Gail Kim recently spoke to PW Insider regarding the recent controversy surrounding Impact World Champion Tessa Blanchard. The weekend of Impact’s Hard to Kill PPV, several female wrestlers accused Blanchard of using a racial slur and bullying wrestlers backstage.
“It was pretty stressful in the sense I didn’t like the angst of all these women fighting, or I don’t know what the term is, but it weighed heavily on my heart in a way. When that happened, we went to a pay-per-view and it wasn’t even 24 hours,” Kim said to PW Insider. “I went to speak to Tessa. Those details are private between her and I and are no one’s business. I based my decision of support at the pay-per-view and showing that support based on her time in the company. In the three years that she started with Impact wrestling, I’ve never seen any signs of any of that, of the undertones of bullying or racism. That’s where I made my decision of what I did and what I showed.”
Gail Kim Says Tessa Blanchard Has The Support Of The Impact Lockerroom
Kim would continue to say that she hasn’t seen any attitude problems from Blanchard in the entire time she has been with the company. Blanchard signed with Impact in April of 2018 as a 22-year-old and became the promotion’s youngest ever world champion when she won the title at 24.
“Any wrestler would tell you this, if someone was so crappy and such a terrible attitude and terrible person, do you think we would support that person? We would probably let that person bury themselves. She has the support of the locker room for a reason,” Kim continued.
“I didn’t see any attitude problems, that’s the thing. I don’t know what that reasoning is. I’ve never even heard anybody say in the locker room in the last three years that she had an attitude problem,” Kim would later add.
Tommy Dreamer Comments On Tessa Blanchard Controversy
On Busted Open Radio, Tommy Dreamer also commented on the situation and his relationship with Tessa Blanchard.
“I would state that I have a great relationship with (Tessa), I also have a great relationship with a lot of the other women that were talking about her. I was not there, I do know that there was a very very physical confrontation between her and this other wrestler and that led to I mean a physical brawl. Sometimes in the heat of battle you say things that you regret. I know that Tessa used to date a famous wrestler who’s in WWE that is African American. I know Tessa is currently engaged to Daga who is Mexican, I do not feel that Tessa Blanchard is racist.”
Edge returned to WWE at the Royal Rumble this weekend after having been gone since 2011. His early retirement was announced shortly after WrestleMania in 2011. According to a report from Talk Sport, Edge’s new deal with WWE is for 3 years and $3 million per year.
The report from Talk Sport would continue to state that the deal requires Edge to compete in 3 matches a year and make 25 appearances a year. Edge and Beth Phoenix were said to be quite happy with the deal.
There is some mystery over when Edge received his medical clearance to resume his wrestling career. Edge delivered a spear to Elias on the SummerSlam Kickoff show in August which led many to speculate he may have been given the green light from doctors. He would continue to deny reports that he had been cleared in the months and weeks leading up to his return at the Rumble, however.
“It’s kind of funny to be honest,” Edge said to Live on 4 Legs. “All of these rumors that I’ve been to Pittsburgh and I’ve been cleared to wrestle and I’ve signed a new contract. I have no idea where any of it came from. The last time I was in Pittsburgh I had my wrist fused in 2013. I don’t know.”
The Bella Twins are both pregnant and their due dates are less than 2 weeks apart. News of the twins’ dual pregnancies was first reported on by People Magazine. The Bellas posed for several exclusive pregnancy announcement photos as well.
Brie and Nikki Bella Are Both Pregnant — and Due Less Than 2 Weeks Apart: 'It's Crazy!' https://t.co/JOlhQzC5p6
“Wait, twins being pregnant at the same time?” Brie told People. “People are going to think that’s a joke. We both are shocked. People are going to think we planned it, but you can’t really plan pregnancy!”
“[It was] a total surprise,” Nikki added. “It took even me a good week to come to terms with like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m pregnant.’ I’m not ready for it.”
Brie & Nikki Bella Both Pregnant
For Brie Bella, this is her second-child with Daniel Bryan. Their first child, Birdie Joe, was born in May of 2017. She spoke to People about how her and Bryan were hoping to have another child but had resigned to thinking they might only have one.
“My husband and I were trying for seven or eight months, but then I felt in my heart it was a sign from God, like, ‘You guys are good with one,’ so we stopped trying,” said Brie. “When we were in France meeting Artem’s family, I felt a little off. I was irritated and uncomfortable in my body. When we got home, I took a test two days before Thanksgiving, and when I saw the positive sign, I was like, ‘Oh, s—!’ “
This will be Nikki Bella’s first child along with her fiance ArtemChigvintsev, whom she met on Dancing With The Stars. She spoke to People about finding out she was pregnant. At the time, Brie had already told Nikki that she was pregnant.
“I was in yoga, and I kept getting this feeling that you need to take a pregnancy test, but I wasn’t even late yet,” says Nikki, who got engaged during a romantic trip to France in November. “And so I’m like, ‘Why do I keep having this feeling? Am I getting twin vibes from her? Because she just told me she’s pregnant?’ “
Nikki would continue to say that she waited until after the pregnancy test confirmed her suspicions before telling Artem.
WWE NXT is back for another episode with an interesting lineup, so let’s take a look at the preview for the show.
The company will present the fallout from Saturday’s Worlds Collide show that only featured one title change, which was Angel Garza dropping the NXT Cruiserweight Championship to Jordan Devlin. It’s likely that Devlin will appear on the show and perhaps make his next title defense.
The company is building up this show around the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic that will see The Grizzled Young Veterans take on Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle.
The winners of this contest will then challenge The Undisputed Era for the NXT Tag Team Titles at NXT TakeOver: Portland.
WWE NXT Preview
WWE holds this show in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Adam Cole’s TakeOver: Portland challenger to be named
The Grizzled Young Veterans taking on Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle in Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai to battle
What’s next for new NXT North American Champion Keith Lee?
WWE will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds.
As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for NXT.
Join us here later tonight for WWE NXT Results and our post-show NXT Takeaways feature.
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 2.402 million viewers in San Antonio, TX at the AT&T Center on the USA Network, which is up from the 2.380 million viewers the previous week.
RAW Viewership
Here is the hourly viewership breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
Hour 1: 2.541 million – Last Week: 2.548
Hour 2: 2.441 million – Last Week: 2.492
Hour 3: 2.224 million – Last Week: 2.101
The episode was expected to increase in its viewership from last week. The reason for that is due to the lack of competition it faced as well as it serving as the post-show for RAW coming out of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event this past Sunday.
Here is the hourly 18-49 demos breakdown:
Hour 1: 0.81 – Last Week: 0.90
Hour 2: 0.76 – Last Week: 0.87
Hour 3: 0.72 – Last Week: 0.73
Some of the matches that took place include Drew McIntyre vs. The OC (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows), Rey Mysterio vs. MVP, RAW Tag Team Champions Buddy Murphy & Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens & Samoa Joe, Humberto Carrillo vs. United States Champion Andrade, Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka, and Liv Morgan vs. Lana.
There was also a segment with WWE Hall of Famer Edge talking about his return to WWE that led to an angle with Randy Orton. Also, Drew McIntyre declared which title he will challenge for at WrestleMania 36 in Tampa, Florida this April.
After earning the right to do so by winning the Men’s Royal Rumble Match, McIntyre will challenge Brock Lesnar, who made an appearance on this show, for the WWE Title at the biggest event of the year for the company.
WWE will attempt to increase its viewership for Monday Night RAW next week due to no sports competition and the road to WrestleMania on its way.
In case you missed the show, you can check out the eight takeaways here.
Roman Reigns recently spoke to the LA Times about finding out Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash the day of the Royal Rumble. Reigns is a Lakers fan and found out about the tragedy from Triple H backstage at Minute Maid Park on Sunday. He then flew home immediately after the show.
“At Minute Maid Park right before the Rumble, Triple H received a text message and he showed it to me. I just didn’t believe it to be honest. I’m a Lakers fan, I watched religiously throughout his career and I’ve always been a huge fan, massive respect. I never really thought losing someone like that, essentially a stranger, obviously a public figure and I’ve seen him and watched him but he didn’t know me and I didn’t truly know him but I didn’t realize it would affect me so much.”
Roman continued to talk about how much Kobe Bryant’s death impacted him.
“I legitimately cried. I got home last night, I flew home right after the Rumble. The first thing I did when I got in my house was I went right to my daughter’s room and I hugged her. She was asleep, she has no clue that I hugged her for probably 3, 4, 5 minutes and was teared up the whole time.”
Reigns’ comments to the LA Times can be viewed in the Tweet below:
WWE superstar @WWERomanReigns is a big Lakers fan and he found out about Kobe Bryant’s death before Sunday’s Royal Rumble from @TripleH. He flew home immediately after the event and when he got home he went to his daughter’s room. She was sleeping but he just held her and cried. pic.twitter.com/2RKNT5tmzR
Triple H cracked a joke about Paige during a recent interview. Hunter was talking about retired wrestlers returning and how having families might impact that when he made the joke about Paige.
“Paige – maybe. She probably has some (children) that she doesn’t know of,” Triple H said of Paige when asked about her potential return.
Paige recently appeared on Chasing Glory with Lillian Garcia and spoke about how the joke impacted her and her boyfriend, Ronnie Radke. Paige said that Triple H’s joke opened the door for people online to send hateful messages to her and Radke.
“After [Triple H] made that joke, which, I respect Hunter – he [has] always been respectful to me and he has always just been a gentleman, so when he made that joke, it kind of just ignited this thing where it opened the door for all these fans to attack me and take pictures, and screenshots, and videos. And then, all-of-a-sudden, it’s being sent to Ronnie and to my family and stuff like that all over again and it took me a couple of years to really get over it.”
Paige continued to talk about how the joke brought up many issues that had taken her a long time to feel better in regards to.
Paige On Triple H’s Joke
“Like I said earlier, I had to talk to four different therapists. Like, I was thinking about suicide back then. I was in a really dark place. And then, knowing that I couldn’t have kids too, so that whole joke was just bad! I was like, ‘I can’t have kids!’ And then, all-of-a-sudden, these videos are being brought up, so it was just all of this stuff, kind of like an influx of hatred just thrown at me by all these fans. And I’m just like, ‘damn, I was just getting over this, and now it all just came back again, and now I have poor Ronnie who has to be involved in all of this, and my family, again, has to be involved in this.'”
Paige continued to say that she doesn’t mind making jokes but what hurts is when it opens the door for people to bully her online.
“I don’t mind jokes. Honestly, I really don’t. Like, backstage, I’ll joke all the time. I was like, ‘you can throw these jokes at me.’ I would joke about myself. I don’t care, but if it’s in the media, then it just opens doors to strangers to do it and that’s not okay because then I feel like these people on the internet are bullying me again.”
The full interview with Paige from Lillian Garcia’s podcast can be viewed below:
The National Wrestling Alliance presented Hard Times last Friday night. NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis faced ROH’s Flip Gordon on the show. Aldis recently sat down with Chris Van Vliet and spoke about how he first got involved with the NWA.
“Dave (Lagana) called me and just kind of said ‘what’s going on with you? What are you doing?’ Cause I mean I had just fallen off the face of the Earth in wrestling,” Aldis said. “Everyone just assumed that I would go to WWE after I finished up with TNA, that didn’t happen.”
Aldis said he was just bouncing around the indies when his wife Mickie James was brought back to WWE.
“I just very candidly told (Lagana) that for whatever reason there seems to be some sort of problem with WWE and I don’t really fit in anywhere else. This new style had taken such a hold on everything. Celebrating this high-impact, fast-paced, high-spot style, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
He would continue to say he felt as though he didn’t fit in with where wrestling was going.
“You have hot and cold periods and I was cold,” Aldis continued.
Nick Aldis Joins The NWA
Then Billy Corgan bought the NWA and Dave Lagana phoned Alids, who had worked with Corgan briefly in TNA.
“Then Dave started explaining what their philosophy was and their vision for what they want to achieve, and explain Billy’s vision for the things he missed in wrestling,” Aldis said. “I have to explain. When Billy came to Impact, literally his first day on the job was my last day.”
“He helped produce this one thing I was in and then it was like ‘alright, bye.'”
Aldis went on to tell Lagana some of what he missed in wrestling as well.
“I think there is a bunch of people that miss the classic like irresistible force versus immovable object, here’s the showdown, who is going to win and who’s going to be the world champion? The world champion?”
“Billy called me 2 minutes later and was just gushing about Dick the Bruiser and the Crusher,” Aldis continued.
The full interview can be viewed in the player below:
WWE has signed Gurvinder Singh of Jagadhri and Sukhwinder Grewal, two students trained by the Great Khali. Both Singh and Grewal have reported to the WWE Performance Center. As was the case with their trainer, these two wrestlers stand above 7-feet tall.
“A pair of towering seven-footers are among a trio of recruits from India that have reported to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla,” a WWE press release for the signings reads.
WWE also signed Laxmi Kant Rajpoot, another Great Khali student. While Rajpoot doesn’t stand over 7-feet tall as the other recruits do, he has an athletic background that includes javelin and taekwondo.
Gurvinder Singh is listed at 7-feet tall and 310lbs. His background before being trained by Khali is in cricket and acting.
Sukhwinder Grewal is listed at 7-feet 2-inches and 340lbs. Before beginning his training with the Great Khali, Grewal played basketball.
Great Khali’s Wrestling School
Khali opened Continental Wrestling Entertainment in Punjab, India in late 2015. It is both a wrestling academy and a promotion. Khali himself is a former 2x Heavyweight Champion in the promotion.
In an interview with the New Indian Times from 2018, Khali said WWE failed in India.
“The WWE has failed in India. They thought they would use the Great Khali fully and then leave him. I [had] been trying hard for [a long time] to leave WWE, but they kept on offering me [a] contract. Finally in 2014, I decided I [would] leave once my contract [ended] and [would] not work with them ever again. Then I came back and opened CWE [Continental Wrestling Entertainment] in Punjab, which is doing well.”
Shayna Baszler entered into the Royal Rumble on Sunday as the 30th entrant. She tossed out 8 other competitors before being the final elimination by Charlotte Flair. Baszler’s longtime training partner and 4 Horsewomen of MMA stablemate Ronda Rousey posted her reaction to Baszler’s performance on her official YouTube channel.
Ronda gets quite into the match. Video of her reaction can be viewed in the player below:
Ronda Rousey Responds To Royal Rumble Return Speculation
Rousey posted the following to her Twitter account after it was clear she would not be returning at the Rumble:
Rousey has said she’s pitched ideas to WWE about her return, however. In an interview with People, Rousey said she’s hoping to find a way to balance family and a WWE career.
“I think I need to figure out a different way of doing it. To be able to not have to choose career over family or family over career and kind of find that happy medium,” Rousey said.
“Right now, I think my family needs my undivided attention,” she continued. “I’m happy to give them that. But I’m trying to figure out a way or a system or somehow that I could give both my family and WWE the best of me and not be half-ass in both.”
Zack Sabre Jr. has addressed his challenger, Will Ospreay, ahead of their clash this Sunday. The two compete for Sabre’s British Heavyweight Championship on night two of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s New Beginning In Sapporo weekender.
Speaking with njpw1972.com, Sabre Jr. talked about the importance of the British Heavyweight Championship. He also addressed his national pride as a British wrestler and shared how he considers Ospreay a “blithering idiot.”
“It’s definitely important,” Sabre Jr. replied when asked if national pride is important to him. “I’ve been coming to Japan for ten years now. A lot of my influences were from Japanese wrestling. Japan is a very important place to me, but at my core, I’m a British wrestler.”
He continued, “In that sense, being with Ospreay and being that little history note is important, but like I said, I’m not going to be fulfilled with these little accomplishments. I’m thinking about where the British heavyweight Championship will be ten years into the future, and where I’m going to be along with that.”
Zack Sabre’s Low Opinion Of Will Ospreay
When it comes to his opponent, it’s clear the Sabre Jr. doesn’t hold Ospreay as a person in high regard. Sabre Jr. believes that Ospreay is “one of the stupidest people I’ve ever had a conversation with.”
Despite this low opinion of the Aerial Assassin, Zack Sabre Jr. also acknowledged Ospreay’s in-ring ability:
“[…] he’s also one of the most incredibly talented wrestlers in the world. In his own way he’s representing classic British wrestling with a modern vision as well. We’ve come from two separate points, but they interlink. He’s a very underappreciated technical wrestler- he’s a freak, he can do anything he wants- but I think this match will be a very modern representation of what British wrestling was, in a New Japan ring and it’s very important that it is in an NJPW ring. You’re very naive if you don’t think Will Ospreay is an incredibly talented wrestler.”
The New Beginning in Sapporo takes place on February 1st and 2nd, 2020. The shows emanate from Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center in Hokkaido, Japan.
Villain Enterprises’ leader Marty Scurll made a surprise appearance at New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s New Beginning USA event. The Ring of Honor (ROH) star made his return during their show in Durham, North Carolina.
“The Villain” hasn’t been in a NJPW ring since he competed in their Best of Super Juniors tour seven months ago. Despite this absence, Scurll appeared, grabbed a mic and laid out a huge challenge to Bullet Club leader, “Switchblade” Jay White. He challenged White to a matchup at ROH’s upcoming Supercard of Honor event, which takes place on April 4th:
“Consider this a challenge; an international dream match: “Switchblade” Jay White versus “The Villain” Marty Scurll.”
Scurll also promised fans that this appearance wouldn’t be the last time “The Villain” would grace a NJPW ring in 2020.
It was recently reported that Marty Scurll had re-signed with ROH. His contract is said to be a lucrative one—one that has seen him join Delirious as co-booker for the promotion. Despite this, Scurll has been making frequent appearances in the National Wrestling Alliance as of late.
The “Switchblade” wasn’t in attendance for the show in North Carolina. With this challenge, however, it would appear as though ROH and NJPW are interested in continuing to cultivate their working relationship.
Drew McIntyre recently won the 2020 Men’s Royal Rumble matchup. In an interview with Bleacher Report, the Scottish Superstar opened up about what it would be like to face off against Brock Lesnar. He also shared when he found out he would be winning the Rumble matchup.
When asked if he was ready for the challenge of ‘The Beast Incarnate,’ McIntyre responded “Damn right I am. This is when you’ve got to turn up to a 100. I generally work around a 100, so this is probably where I turn up to 110.”
He continued, “I know I’ve got a beast breathing down my neck. There’s nobody in the world like Brock at any sport. And I know he’s coming for me. Some people get upset like, ‘Oh, Brock Lesnar, he doesn’t show up to work and blah blah blah blah.’ I mean, to be fair, he signed a contract where he doesn’t have to. We can’t hold that against him. What I hold against him is the fact he’s got our title. We need that title on TV. We need it in the live events. That’s a very important part of RAW, and I want it back.”
McIntyre shared how there’s no other WWE Superstar that wants to get into the ring with Lesnar. Except him. He compares how they are matched in size, speed and experience. He noted how he’s not “sitting at home all the time, chilling out.”
Although he conceded that Lesnar is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete, he stressed how he has a few tricks up his sleeve that should help him defeat the champion. “And as soon as he makes a mistake, which he does, just not very often, I will exploit it, and I’ll win that title if I get that opportunity.”
When Drew McIntyre Found Out He’d Win The Royal Rumble
Despite winning the Rumble match, Drew McIntyre divulged that he wasn’t aware he would until shortly before the event itself.
“I didn’t know anything yesterday,” he confessed. “I’m talking about today late. I’ve learned through my experience just to go with the flow. And when you get information, you take it and you perform it to the best of your ability.”
“That’s why I always say sports entertainers, wrestlers, don’t get the credit we deserve. You got to be thinking on your feet, you’ve got to be ready to improve, and you’re doing your own stunts. You’ve got to pull the emotions of the crowd in the direction you want them to go. And there is no business like this. We literally think on our feet.”
Drew McIntyre faces Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36. The event takes place on April 5th at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
With Royal Rumble in the rearview mirror, WWE is officially on the road to WrestleMania.
During Monday’s episode of WWE RAW, Drew McIntyre chose to face Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. Despite teasing she would share her decision, previously indicating she would choose Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair did not announce her choice. Her refusal to answer has fans wondering what could be in store for the RAW Women’s Champion, Becky Lynch.
According to Dave Meltzer, WWE reportedly plans for Becky Lynch to face former NXT Champion Shayna Baszler at WrestleMania.
Baszler was allegedly initially slated to win the 30-Women Royal Rumble match this past Sunday. Instead, Flair would join Asuka and Becky Lynch as a Royal Rumble winner. Despite this report, Meltzer noted that WWE does not have any plans that would lead Flair to challenge SmackDown Women’s Champion, Bayley.
Baszler And Lynch’s History
During last year’s Survivor Series pay-per-view, Baszler would encounter both Bayley and Lynch. They competed in a Championship triple threat match. Baszler would emerge victorious from this match, helping NXT come out on top in their brand competition against RAW and SmackDown.
If WWE commits to Baszler and Lynch, they will probably begin building a feud between the two of them soon. However, if they don’t intend to have Flair challenge Bayley, it does leave the question as to who Flair will ultimately face on the “Grandest Stage of Them All.”
WrestleMania 36 takes place on April 5th at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Beth Phoenix made an impressive return during this Sunday’s Women’s Royal Rumble matchup. Unfortunately, “The Glamazon” would suffer an injury early into her Rumble appearance. This injury caused the back of her head to become bloody. As the match continued, the blood continued to flow, matting her hair and dying it red.
According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com, Phoenix suffered the injury after hitting the back of her head against a ring post. Thankfully, although the damage looked bad, especially as the match drew on, it’s reportedly not a severe injury.
Phoenix appears to have cut her head while selling a punch from NXT’s Bianca Belair in the corner. She threw her head back at the moment, connecting with the ring post behind her.
“The Glamazon” entered the Women’s Rumble match at number 19. She eliminated only one person: Natalya. The two had been partnering successfully until that point. She was eliminated from the match by NXT’s Shayna Baszler. During the matchup, she would be confronted by a surprise return from her past, Santina Marella.
Phoenix’s husband, Edge, made a triumphant WWE return during the Men’s Royal Rumble matchup. Returning after retiring in 2011, Edge would manage to be one of the last remaining men in the match. He was eliminated by Roman Reigns.
WWE SmackDown Superstar Dolph Ziggler has called out WWE’s production team for missing a crucial Royal Rumble moment. Ziggler would be the first Superstar to receive a spear from Edge, who made his return during the event. Unfortunately, this moment was missed on screen as the production team cut to shots of the crowd.
Dolph Ziggler’s Disappointment
Taking to Twitter, Ziggler initially criticized the team. He asked, “who cuts away from an official in-ring return, while two opponents are running towards each other?”
He followed up with a more understanding take, acknowledging how people make mistakes. Regardless, he noted how a “very special moment was inexplicably missed” because of it.
people make mistakes, we all do & I have made tons. That being said; a very special moment was inexplicably missed. anyone got cell phone footage?
WWE has since uploaded a video titled “Unseen footage of Edge’s Royal Rumble return on WWE Network” to their YouTube channel.
Unsurprisingly, this footage showcases a different angle to Edge’s return. The video captures not only Edge’s emotional return, but also the full impact of Dolph Ziggler receiving the spear. This spear was the first the Rated-R Superstar delivered as an active in-ring competitor in 9 years.
Last night on Monday Night RAW, Edge’s former Rated-RKO tag team partner Randy Orton would brutally assault him. The attack came after Orton proposed a team reunion, before striking with an RKO. He proceeded to attack a defenseless Edge with a steel chair.
