By going up against the odds, Angel Garza didn’t do enough to remain as the NXT Cruiserweight Champion as he was dethroned by Jordan Devlin.
Devlin beat Garza, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, and Travis Banks in a Fatal 4-Way Match to win the title at the WWE Worlds Collide event from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on the WWE Network.
Back on the January 15th episode of NXT on the USA Network in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University, Scott took on Lio Rush and Tyler Breeze in NXT Cruiserweight Title Qualifying Triple Threat Match that advanced him to this contest.
WWE held NXT UK TV tapings later that week from York, UK at the York Barbican. This is where it was revealed that Devlin and Banks would be joining the contest.
Devlin defeated Ligero to qualify for the match. Banks then defeated Brian Kendrick to qualify.
Garza won the NXT Cruiserweight Title back on the December 11th episode of NXT when he beat Lio Rush to win the strap.
On April 18, 2019, it was announced that Garza signed a contract with WWE. This contest came less than a month ago when Rush and Garza had their first match.
What are your thoughts on Jordan Devlin winning the NXT Cruiserweight Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
The WWE stars are out in Houston, Texas where WWE will hold its first pay-per-view event of the new year, Royal Rumble, at Minute Maid Park.
The Undertaker and Michelle McCool are in town as the two stars have been posting photos on their official Instagram accounts as seen here with Taker:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7wX3iygKdR
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on if they will be used in the WWE Royal Rumble matches.
Also, WWE Hall of Famers Pat Patterson, Ted DiBiase Sr, Mark Henry and WWE Backstage analyst Christian are also in town for the Rumble, according to PWInsider.
Fans can expect to read about more former WWE stars to be in town for the show as the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event is considered one of the big four events of the year for WWE along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series.
The Men’s Royal Rumble match only has three spots left while the company still needs to announce several spots in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match, which has 21 more spots available.
Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross, Sarah Logan, Natalya, Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, and Carmella have all been announced for the Women’s Royal Rumble Match.
ECW legend and owner of the House of Hardcore promotion Tommy Dreamer recently made an interesting point on Busted Open Radio show. During the latest episode of the show Dreamer discussed the possibility of The Undertaker winning the Royal Rumble this Sunday and going on to face The Fiend at WrestleMania. When co-host Dave LeGreca mentioned that the ‘fans want to see’ Undertaker vs Sting at WrestleMania Dreamer responded by saying he felt that it was more of a match suited to a Saudi Arabia card. Or, potentially even a show other than ‘Mania in a stadium.
“it’s more of a Saudi match”
“I think it’s more of a Saudi match. Or it would be a hell of a match to fill a stadium at Minute Maid Park” Dreamer began. “The Saudi Arabia audience would appreciate that more than the audience here in the United States. I also feel that [it] would have been a great match for something like this weekend (the Royal Rumble) to fill out a stadium. Think about this card, Andrade with Selena Vega and Rey Mysterio in a ladder match. Undertaker versus sting and the two Royal Rumbles? That will sell you one hell of a stadium for a Royal Rumble. For WrestleMania we expect a lot more.”
Undertaker vs Sting – “I don’t think the fans want to see that matchup at a WrestleMania anymore”
Dreamer would then go on to elaborate on the point. “I don’t think the fans want to see that matchup at a WrestleMania anymore,” Dreamer stated. “It’s past its prime, It really is.”
“you’re gonna put it at the Greatest Royal Rumble, in Saudi on a random three o’clock afternoon on the WWE Network?”
Dave LeGreca also wanted to ask Dreamer why he would put such an iconic match on at a random ‘throwaway’ show, stating “he (Sting) wants that one validating match. Do you think that Sting deserves that one last match? You’re gonna do it with those two icons together in a last time ever, career ending match for both of the greatest characters and icons in this business; and you’re gonna put it at the Greatest Royal Rumble, in Saudi on a random three o’clock afternoon on the WWE Network?”
“I am the biggest Undertaker fan”
“If the streak never went away, then yes that match should’ve been at a WrestleMania” Dreamer reacted. “Would you like to see two men aging in the ring? I am the biggest Undertaker fan, I wanted to be Sting when I was younger. I still need a younger performer to make me look like ‘Tommy Dreamer’ in the ring.” Dreamer was very quick to point out that he has huge respect for both men, and would be concerned once the entrances were over and the match got into full swing. Ala what occurred in the Goldberg vs ‘Taker match in Saudi Arabia last year.
Would you like to see Sting vs The Undertaker at WrestleMania this year? Or do you think that a crowd in Saudi Arabia would be more ‘forgiving’ of the older performers? Let us know in the comments.
John Cena has talked about wanting to make a WWE return in the near future. A photo posted on his Instagram account has led fans to believe that could be happening sooner rather than later.
Cena posted a Royal Rumble photo earlier today. It should be noted that he didn’t provide any context for the photo posted.
The former WWE Champion made his last Royal Rumble appearance in 2018 where he made it to the final four in the contest alongside Finn Balor, Roman Reigns, and the winner, Shinsuke Nakamura.
There haven’t been any reports about Cena making an appearance and WWE hasn’t confirmed whether he’ll be appearing at the show. There are only three spots left in the contest.
The following stars have been confirmed for the Men’s Royal Rumble Match:
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in the #1 spot, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet, Rey Mysterio, AJ Styles, Erick Rowan, King Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Otis, Tucker, Elias, Aleister Black, Rusev, Bobby Lashley, R-Truth, Braun Strowman, WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, RAW Tag Team Champion Seth Rollins, RAW Tag Team Champion Buddy Murphy, Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens, SmackDown Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston, SmackDown Tag Team Champion Big E, John Morrison, and The Miz.
The card for tonight’s (Saturday, January 25, 2020) WWE Worlds Collide event has been finalized.
The company has officially announced the main event of this event that takes place in Houston, Texas at the Toyota Center and will air on the WWE Network.
That bout will see The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. Imperium (WALTER, Alexander Wolfe, Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) in an eight-man tag team match.
This show marks a cross special for the yellow brands as NXT will battle NXT UK which features a stacked lineup. There are a total of five matches booked for this show with two of them being championship matches.
As a reminder, we will be providing live play-by-play coverage of this special later tonight. Here’s the final card:
WWE Worlds Collide Card
The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. Imperium (WALTER, Alexander Wolfe, Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) – Eight-Man Tag Team Match
NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm
Ilja Dragunov vs. Finn Balor
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Angel Garza vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Jordan Devlin vs. Travis Banks – Fatal 4-Way Match
DIY (Tomasso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) vs. Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) – Tag Team Match
Mia Yim vs. NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray – Non-Title Match (Pre-Show)
What are your thoughts on this card and the feuds that WWE is presenting to their fans? Sound off in the comment section.
While WWE tries not to mention Chris Benoit’s name, fans have not forgotten his excellence in the ring and every once in a while, a wrestling star also reminds people of his legacy in the squared circle.
Booker T who attended Chris Jericho’s Rock N’ Wrestling Rager took part in a Q&A session at the boat and talked about his early days in wrestling business.
During the session, The WWE Hall Of Famer also talked about Chris Benoit’s influence on his career, saying that his matches with the former WWE star were what put him on the map:
“It’s not talked about a lot, but the matches that put me on the map was with Chris Benoit in the best of seven series, god rest him and his family’s soul. Chris Benoit was literally, the greatest wrestler that I ever had the pleasure of being inside the ring with.
“He was one of the best wrestlers, if not, the best to put on a pair of boots. He brought out the best of every guy that got in the ring with him. Anyone who got in the ring with Benoit was a better person when they walked out of the ring, trust me.”
Booker T then revealed that he never had to practice his
matches with Benoit in advance and most of the things they did in the ring was
worked on the fly.
Apart from this, Booker also explained that The Nasty Boys were his favorite tag team to face and claimed that he is lobbying for them to be inducted into Hall Of Fame this year.
Killer Kross has become one of the hottest free agents in pro wrestling after finally getting his release from Impact and he is said to be drawing interest from across the board.
During a recent interview with WrestlingInc, the former Lucha Underground star talked about a number of things and also revealed how it feels to be in this position.
Kross explained that being in his current spot in the pro
wrestling world makes him feel grateful and to be here with options is
something he has been working for since the beginning of his career:
“I’m definitely grateful for it. That would be the
easiest way to summarize it. A lot of it also feels surreal but also at the
same time this is something I’ve been working for since the beginning of my
career to be here with options,”
“It’s funny, you try to get to this situation and
there’s no playbook for it. You clock in every single day and do the absolute
best job you can in finding the best version of yourself. You have to take a
leap of faith and hope things land where you would like them to.
Killer Kross continued by saying that you have to take a
gamble because there are so many wrestlers out there. He then claimed that he
has a lot of mixed emotions but it’s all good.
Where Will Killer Kross End Up Next?
While Impact took their time in letting the heavyweight star
go, it appears that his release couldn’t have come at a better time for the
former AAA star.
Just recently he was announced for his MLW debut and it appears that WWE officials are also taking some serious interest in signing him to the promotion.
It was reported last week that he had a scheduled meeting with none other than Triple H and Kross was likely to end up with the company.
Where would you like to see Killer Kross land after his release from Impact Wrestling? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Paige is one of the few stars who have gotten the chance to work with CM Punk after the former world champion’s return to WWE programming as part of the WWE Backstage Crew.
The former Divas Champion recently talked to Seconds Out while she was in England with some other WWE stars to celebrate the new partnership between WWE and BT Sport.
During the talk, the former SmackDown General Manager discussed her experience of working with the Straight Edge Star and Paige claimed that he is wonderful:
“He’s so wonderful,” Paige said. “I respect
him. I didn’t get to talk to him until he came back, which was a big surprise
for me – I marked out. He’s very respectful and he helps. He guides you, like
when it comes to production meetings, he’s like, ‘Maybe, you can say this or
that.'”
Paige then talked about how it feels to get back to England and she said that it’s good to be back. The female star revealed that her family jokes with her on occasion and asks her if she has become an American now because of her accent.
The retired wrestler has been in news after some recent comments from her started rumors about her future and possible in-ring return. You can check out her remarks that have caused the speculation here.
Every wrestling star has his own signature set of moves which reminds people of him whenever they see them and for the WWE NXT UK Champion WALTER, it’s his vicious chops that fans associate with his character.
The Austrian star recently had an interview with Sports
Illustrated where he talked about things like his upcoming match at the Worlds
Collide tournament and more.
During the interview, he was asked when he realized that the chops can be his calling card and answering the question, WALTER revealed why he started using them:
“I started using it because I always found what’s most
effective for me was what was the most logical,” WALTER said. “I’m
not the most athletic guy, but I bring a certain amount of strength with me. I
have big limbs, big arms, and big hands, so I thought, I should use them.
The NXT star later explained that he started using the chops very early in his career. He went to Japan where he learned this striking technique properly.
When asked if his opponents ever complain about the chops, the WWE star said that he doesn’t care if they do. Per WALTER, no one complains to his face and if they do afterward, then it’s nothing he cares about.
Apart from this, the NXT UK star also talked about his teammates of Imperium, his comments about wanting to face Brock Lesnar and more. You can check out his full interview at this link.
WWE SmackDown aired live from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. It was the final episode of SmackDown before the Royal Rumble PPV this Sunday night.
WWE SmackDown Results (1/24)
Roman Reigns & The Usos defeated King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and Robert Roode
Elias & Braun Strowman defeated Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro
John Morrison defeated Kofi Kingston
Here are 5 takeaways from the show:
Reigns & The Usos Picked Up A Win
Roman Reigns & The Usos battled King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and Robert Roode in the first match of the night.
Match Recap: Jimmy Uso tweaked his knee while falling out of the ring and Ziggler capitalized by launching him into the steel steps. Reigns and Jey told the WWE doctors to check Jimmy’s head as SmackDown went to a break. It then became a Handicap Match as Jimmy could not continue. Roode, Ziggler, and Corbin took turns beating Reigns down for the next several minutes.
Jimmy Uso hobbled down the entrance ramp and tagged back in. Jimmy hit a Crossbody on Roode but Corbin broke up the cover. Reigns hit him with a Superman Punch and then threw Corbin over the barricade. Jimmy hit Roode with the Uso Splash for the pinfall victory. King Corbin and Roman Reigns will once again battle this Sunday at Royal Rumble in a Falls Count Anywhere Match.
Opinion: SmackDown started off with a solid match tonight and the crowd was into it. The match lasted almost 30 minutes and was much better than anticipated.
Michael Cole interviewed Lacey Evans tonight on SmackDown. Lacey spoke about losing her father to addiction/ drepression and how her time in the military made her a better person and leader. She turned into a motivational speaker for a moment and told everyone in the crowd that they can accomplish their dreams if they put their mind to it. Evans claimed that her daughter was crying backstage after Sasha Banks and Bayley bullied her.
Lacey vowed to put Bayley on the shelf this Sunday at the Royal Rumble PPV. SmackDown Women’s Champion attacked Lacey from behind and shouted “where is your daughter now?”. Evans and Bayley continued to fight backstage before Dana Brooke and Carmella broke it up.
Opinion: I couldn’t stand this promo. It was so heavy-handed and written to basically force people to clap for Evans. I felt like I was watching someone running for President instead of someone fighting for a wrestling title this Sunday.
Elias & Braun Strowman faced Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura tonight. Sami Zayn was ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Elias dominated early and leveled Cesaro with a Clothesline. Nakamura distracted the referee and Sami Zayn tripped Elias up. Cesaro hit Elias with an uppercut as Braun Strowman took out Shinsuke with a shoulder tackle outside the ring.
Cesaro and Nakamura hurled Strowman into the ring post for a near fall. Sami Zayn once again distracted the refereee and Shinsuke tried to bring a chair into the ring. Elias prevented it and Strowman planted Cesaro with the Running Powerslam. Elias tagged and connected with an Elbow Drop off the top rope for the pinfall victory.
John Morrison faced Kofi Kingston tonight on SmackDown. Big E and The Miz were ringside for the match. John Morrison defeated Big E on last week’s episode of SmackDown. Before the match, The Miz scolded the crowd for booing John Morrison last week. Miz claimed that he hasn’t changed and plugged his reality show. The Miz then announced that they are entering the Royal Rumble this Sunday night.
Match Recap: Kingston controlled the action early but Morrison battled back and sent Kofi flying out of the ring. John tried to flip onto Kofi but Kingston got out of the way and Morrison crashed on the floor outside the ring. The action returned to the ring and Morrison connected with a knee to the face. John went for Starship Pain but Kofi got out of the way at the last moment. Kingston went for Trouble in Paradise but Morrison countered with a kick to the face for a near fall.
Morrison poked Kofi in the eye while the referee was distracted and followed it up with a Spanish Fly off the middle rope for a two count. Kofi hit SOS and went for the cover but Morrison was able to kick out at two. Big E chased The Miz around the ring. The Miz hopped on the ring apron and Kingston leveled him with Trouble in Paradise. Morrison capitalized on the distraction and elbowed Kingston in the back of the head. Morrison then connected with the Starship Pain for the victory.
A contract signing has been announced for SmackDown
The contract signing for the Universal Championship Strap Match at Royal Rumble was the final segment of this week’s episode of SmackDown.
Daniel Bryan made his way down to the ring first to a chorus of “yes!” chants. Wyatt interrupted with an episode of Firefly Fun House. Bray said that he was trying to fax the contract over but it wasn’t working. Bryan told Bray to cut the crap and come down to the ring and sign the contract.
Bray stated that his attorney, Mercy the Buzzard, has advised him to stay put. Daniel claimed that all Wyatt does is run and that The Fiend cannot run this Sunday at the PPV. Bray stated that Bryan betrayed him in the past and now it was time to pay. Wyatt added that it was only fitting that The Fiend sign the contract and the lights went out in the arena.
The Fiend appeared in the ring and Bryan went after him. The Fiend locked in the Mandible Claw and then planted Daniel with the Sister Abigail. The Fiend ripped Bryan’s shirt off and started whipping him with the strap. The Fiend stabbed his own and signed the contract in blood.
The lights in the arena went back out and turned back on as Bryan leaned against the ropes. Bryan saw the contract and nodded his head as SmackDown went off the air.
Opinion: This year’s Royal Rumble build has been lackluster at best. The women’s Royal Rumble match has barely been built up at all in recent weeks. I’ll always be excited to watch Royal Rumble every year but there are several matches on the card that I simply am not invested in. Bryan and Wyatt continue to be the most entertaining part of SmackDown and hopefully the Strap Match at the PPV delivers.
The NWA Hard Times pay-per-view event is in the books.
The show took place on Friday night at the GPB Studios in Atlanta, Georgia and aired on FITE.tv.
The event sold out in three hours when the tickets went live on December 20, 2019. The company also announced that the VIP tickets sold out in just three minutes. The complete results from the show are below:
NWA Hard Times PPV Results
Trevor Murdoch defeated Question Mark to advance to the semifinals of the NWA TV Title tournament.
Dan Maff beat Zicky Dice to advance to the semifinals of the NWA TV Title tournament.
Ricky Starks defeated Matt Cross to advance to the semifinals of the NWA TV Title tournament.
James Storm and Eli Drake defeated The Rock & Roll Express and The Wilds Cards in a Triple Threat to win the NWA Tag Titles.
Thunder Rosa defeated Allysin Kay to win the NWA Women’s Championship.
Trevor Murdoch defeated Dan Maff to advance to the finals of the NWA TV Title tournament.
Ricky Starks defeated Tim Storm to advance to the finals of the NWA TV Title tournament.
Scott Steiner beat Aron Stevens by DQ in an NWA National Championship match.
Nick Aldis defeated Flip Gordon to retain the NWA Championship.
Ricky Starks defeated Trevor Murdoch in the tournament finals for the NWA TV Title
Drew McIntyre recently spoke with TV Insider where he showed interest in one certain showdown, which is a potential encounter with WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.
He won’t have to wait long to share the ring with “The Beast” as they could fight in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match as Lesnar will be entering as the first entrant.
McIntyre brought up how it’s a big deal that Lesnar will be entering the match first and it’s never happened like this before as Lesnar is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete. He thinks it will be interesting to see how it plays out and hopes he will be able to wrestle Lesnar.
Drew McIntyre vs. Brock Lesnar?
McIntyre brought up how there hasn’t been a confrontation between himself and Lesnar since he came back. He recalled them exchanging when he was younger and he got the upper hand. Since then, things have changed as he’s bigger and strong than he was at the time.
Obviously, with the winner of this match getting to pick whether they will challenge Lesnar for the WWE Title or the winner of Sunday’s Strap Match between Daniel Bryan and WWE Universal Champion “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, McIntyre could face Lesnar for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 36.
McIntyre made it clear that he will go after Lesnar if he wins.
“If I won the Rumble, it’s the same guy I’ve had in mind for years. I’d fight Brock Lesnar in a second,” McIntyre declared. “A lot of people on the roster genuinely wouldn’t want to get in the ring with him. They are terrified of the idea. I want to get in the ring with him. I know we could put on a heck of a spectacle and a fight.”
The reason for his decision is to bring the title back to the show on a full-time basis.
“There aren’t many who can stand toe-to-toe with me. That’s someone I definitely want. He gets this criticism that he doesn’t show up to work all the time and this and that. The way I look at it, he was offered the contract. He signed the contract. It’s not his fault. The only problem I have is the title is not on the shows and live events. We need the title back.”
Rey Mysterio recently spoke with TV Insider where he spoke about how WWE United States Champion Andrade reminds him of WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero.
This is where the idea of a potential Mask vs. Title match between himself and Andrade at WrestleMania 36 was brought up.
This comes after Andrade recently snatched Rey’s mask off during a post-match angle. Andrade just retained the United States Title over Mysterio in a Ladder match on last Monday’s episode of RAW.
Mysterio noted that he would be willing to do a Mask vs. Hair match at WrestleMania 36, which he thinks would be a huge stepping stone for them
“I think something along the ways that if he wants to keep feuding and going a step further, I’m willing to put my mask on the line versus his hair for a WrestleMania moment. Whatever the case might be, whoever ends up winning, I think it would be a huge stepping stone for either of us.
As far as moments, I really would love to relive a Royal Rumble moment, being that I hold the record right now for having the longest time in a Rumble match. These moments stick in my mind and heart. You always want to become better than you were yesterday.”
It appears that WWE is moving on from the Mysterio vs. Andrade feud as Andrade already has his next title defense booked.
Andrade will defend the United States Title against Humberto Carrillo at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.
Seth Rollins recently spoke with The Houston Chronicle where he discussed a wide range of topics including a showdown with CM Punk.
During the interview, the WWE RAW Tag Team Champion spoke about a possible match with the WWE Backstage analyst. He was also asked if the main event of WrestleMania is the only situation that would be big enough for the potential contest.
Rollins doesn’t think it would have to be at WrestleMania but he would be interested in the match. He talked about whether Punk is going to get back into the ring and how it appears that Punk hasn’t been interested in a return.
Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk?
Instead, Rollins thinks that Punk is comfortable sitting behind the desk and talking about wrestling.
“But if he wants to get back into the ring and show that he’s more than just a critic, and that he can actually back up what he is saying then I would love to be the guy to get in there and have the match and I think WrestleMania would be the proper stage for it, but I don’t think it has to happen at WrestleMania.
I think that match is bigger than any one event and so if he were ever to come back, we could do it anytime, anyplace and it would sell out wherever.”
Rollins had called out Punk a few times on social media when news surfaced that Punk had joined the WWE Backstage show on FS1. Time will tell whether that match gets booked.
Punk has talked about not being totally against the idea of wrestling again but not something that he’s interested in doing at this stage of his life.
WWE RAW Superstar Drew McIntyre recently appeared on the Jerry Lawler Show podcast, which is produced and distributed by PodcastOne. The former Intercontinental Champion discussed a variety of topics on the show; including moments from his career in WWE and the independent scene.
The Royal Rumble Match
Lawler turned the conversation to the upcoming Royal Rumble event this Sunday. There have been persistent rumors surrounding McIntyre’s chances in the 30-man match this weekend, with many predicting that he will go all of the way and win the match. If Drew McIntyre were to win the bout, he would likely face WWE Champion Brock Lesnar; who himself enters the Rumble in the #1 spot. Lawler asked McIntyre if he felt Paul Heyman announcing that Brock would be first in the match was ‘deflating.’ Thus seemingly trying to keep the interview as storyline driven as possible. McIntyre gave a fairly standard answer, saying “I’ve had like so many ups and downs but not deflating. If anything [it] inspires me in my own right.”
Paul Heyman wanting more creative freedom?
Drew McIntyre then revealed that RAW Executive Producer Paul Heyman has apparently started attempting to get the RAW Superstars to show more of their personalities on camera. “Paul Heyman has come in. You know, he’s allowed people to start showing a little bit more of a personality” McIntyre began. “It’s up to you if you get that kind of freedom, like I’ve been doing over the past couple of months to really take advantage of it [and] ensure you know that you can get over if you’re given that opportunity. I think that is what was missing [from my character] and the pieces are coming together. The size I am, the experience I have the look etc. And now that I’m putting those final pieces together, being myself. I cannot wait, the opportunity was last night I’ve been thinking about it for a very long time.”
There have been several reports regarding Brian Cage’s free agency as of late. It had been reported that Cage was AEW bound but Melissa Santos publicly refuted the claim. Cage recently posted a video and message on Facebook stating that he is set to undergo surgery on a torn bicep on Monday and will not be signing with any promotion until he is healed.
“My contract did come to an end with Impact Wrestling and they did make me an incredible offer to stay as did multiple other companies,” Cage said in the video. “While I was mulling all that over, unfortunately, I tore my bicep.”
Cage continued to say he tried to avoid surgery and didn’t want to say anything publicly until he knew what was going on. He also confirmed he’s going in for surgery on Monday and will not sign with any company until he is fully healed.
“I’m just hoping they are still there when I heal up,” Cage said of the offers he’s had from wrestling companies.
Cage is a former X-Division and Impact World Champion stemming from his run in Impact Wrestling. He defeated Johnny Impact for the title at Rebellion from Toronto’s Rebel Nightclub last spring. He finished his run with the company off by dropping a match to Rob Van Dam at Hard to Kill.
Baron Corbin has been presented as one of the top heels of WWE in recent months. However, some fans have complained about his raise to this status saying that the heat he has with the audience is ‘go away heat.’
The King Of Ring 2019 winner recently had an interview with
The Houston Chronicle where he talked about things like his ongoing feud with
Roman Reigns and more.
Talking about fans’ comments about his heel persona, the former Constable of Raw claimed that he takes pride in being a ‘true heel’. Baron Corbin explained that he doesn’t want to be a cool heel and discussed the phrase ‘go away heat’:
“I take pride in being a true heel; I take pride in
really irritating people in that way so much that they are trying to make up
words like ‘go away heat.’ This is actual irritation that I am causing people.
And I am trying to do it as much as possible.” said Corbin, “I don’t want to be cool. I want to walk out and watch people’s faces just turned to anger and frustration. I am getting the middle finger from an 8-year old kid to a 90-year old grandmother.”
Baron Corbin continued by saying that he thinks it’s fantastic and more people should take pride in the ability to generate this kind of reaction from fans. He detailed his comments further saying that he doesn’t take cheap shots to get the heat.
Corbin said that he is not the guy who comes out and says ‘your town sucks’ and he takes pride in everything he does. You can check out his full interview at this link.
NXT UK Superstar Toni Storm is confident that the NXT Championship is in her future. Speaking with WWE.com following her matchup against Io Shirai, Storm addressed the woman who interfered in her bout, Bianca Belair, before turning her attention to the champion, Rhea Ripley.
“Bianca Belair can go and get in line with the rest of them. Because I picked up the NXT Women’s Championship, and I held it up, and it looked good,” Storm said. “And all that is is just a little preview to what’s going to happen at Worlds Collide. And I can’t wait to step in the ring with Rhea Ripley and make some magic.”
Storm’s match this week ended in disqualification thanks to Belair. Ripley would quickly insert herself into the fray before Shirai took both her and Belair out. The skirmish ended with Storm holding the NXT Championship. Toni Storm faces Rhea Ripley for the championship this Saturday at Worlds Collide.
Worlds Collide Card
Mia Yim vs. Kay Lee Ray
#DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) vs Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven and Tyler Bate)
Fatal 4-Way Match for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship Angel Garza (c) vs Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs Jordan Devlin vs Travis Banks
Finn Balor vs Ilja Dragunov
NXT Championship Match Rhea Ripley (c) vs Toni Storm
Imperium (WALTER, Fabian Aichner, Marcel Barthel and Alexander Wolfe) vs The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong)
After having defeated Roderick Strong for the NXT North American Championship on this week’s episode of NXT, Keith Lee took part in an exclusive interview with WWE.com.
“Let me educate you on something about Keith Lee. If you saw the battle that happened out there: four men trying to take down one Limitless specimen—a deity if you will—then you see the result,” Lee said, looking towards his championship.
“All it takes is an opportunity. Cap off? No, sir, I’m just getting started. You see, now there was a great end to 2019. A fantastic beginning to the year 2020, but we don’t stop here,” Lee said. “Every day is a grind. Every day we become better than the day before. This is the beginning of what could possibly become the most prestigious champion in all of WWE because now the NXT North American Championship is also like me…limitless.”
Is Keith Lee Royal Rumble Bound?
With the Royal Rumble taking place this Sunday, some are wondering whether Keith Lee could make an impact in the Rumble match. On this week’s episode of WWE Backstage, CM Punk shared his explanation as to why he thinks Keith Lee “should” be the Superstar to win it.
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Former WWE Superstar Alex Riley has opened up about the issues between himself and John Cena. Speaking candidly with Chris Van Vliet, Riley reflected on how the problems between himself and Cena stemmed from “two men just not liking each other.”
“As sad as that is, it had an impact on my career because he is who he is,” Riley explained. “I just happened to be in a situation where, right from the start, it was just … he didn’t like me. I just don’t think he did. I tried to change that the best I could. I worked very hard and tried to do the best I could to grow and learn and fit in in the way a wrestler fits in and he wanted me to fit in. It just kinda got to the point where, a little bit, even some of the other guys would kinda be like, ‘what’s up with that?’ ‘I don’t know.’ So it was a tough situation.”
Alex Riley & John Cena’s Argument
Riley shared an occasion between them where a mistake was made. He couldn’t remember who had made the mistake itself but confessed that they subsequently got into a “little bit of an argument.” Trying to make amends, Riley explained how he went straight to Cena the next day to try and apologize.
He believed that Cena was offended by what had transpired. Riley reiterated that their working relationship boiled down to “two grown men that just didn’t see eye-to-eye at the time.” He added that he isn’t holding on to any grudges as he isn’t interested in having things like that hang over him.
Riley was a part of NXT in 2010 before his main roster association with The Miz. He was with WWE until he was released from his contract in 2016.
WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair recently spoke with Digital Spy. During the interview, she was asked about whether WWE needed to host a follow up to 2018’s Evolution. For her, it’s not necessarily about standing out because it’s an all-female event. Although she is a fan of the concept, she would rather put on the most memorable match, regardless of whether the show features men and women or just women.
“I’m a huge fan of Evolution,” Charlotte said. “But I also think there’s something to whether we have an all-female Pay-Per-View or not. I’m a firm believer that I want to be on the card with men going, ‘I’m going to have the best match.’ So do I want Evolution? Yes, but if it’s something that doesn’t happen again I’m not opposed to it because I want to go, ‘Okay, I had the best match out of any male or female on the roster.'”
Charlotte Flair On Her TakeOver Turning Point
Charlotte also divulged her and her father, Ric Flair, hardly spoke about wrestling when she first began pursuing it as a career. According to Charlotte, Ric never talked about the business with her. That all changed, however, after her matchup against Natalya at NXT TakeOver in 2014.
“When I first started (wrestling) there was really no communication,” she said. “He didn’t talk about the business with me. I just don’t think he ever saw the women in that light. Then when he came to my Takeover match with Natalya he was like, ‘Oh wow.’
She continued,” After that, he knew I was all on board because I had never said, ‘Hey dad, I want to be a WWE Superstar.’ It was something my brothers aspired to be. So I think when he was like, ‘Oh, wow, she’s serious about this and is good.’ That’s when our relationship and bond about the business took off.”
Charlotte Flair is one of the 30 participants in this Sunday’s women’s Royal Rumble event. The show takes place from Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
Impact Wrestling star Moose has addressed the evolution of his character since his debut with the company in 2016. Speaking during a recent media scrum, Moose confessed how he was too “comfortable” with his character and style when he first arrived. However, it got to a point where, if he wanted to take the next step, he was advised he would have to change his approach.
“I have so much more to give to pro wrestling that the old Moose wasn’t doing. My new attitude just shows how much charisma I have. I get to talk a bit more on the mic and it shows my presence in the ring and my swag. So I felt like it was the right move for me to make to grow as a professional wrestler.”
He continued,” I think me, Quinn Ojinnaka which is my real name, is a really fun guy to be around. I’m a fun guy like Kawhi Leonard says. People like to be around me and I’m charismatic. I felt like when I first got to Impact I was trying to be this tough guy and I’ll kick your ass. I feel like wrestling in 2020, everybody is a tough guy. One thing I’ve been doing lately is going to the archives and watching old wrestling from 1990-92 and there wasn’t a lot of tough guys. There were a lot more characters and there’s not a lot of character-driven guys in wrestling in 2020.”
Moose’s Turning Point
Moose shared how his evolution began after he told himself that he didn’t want to be a “tough guy” anymore. Instead, he wanted to fuse his in-ring ability with more personality, allowing him to show his swagger and have more fun.
Moose recently competed at Impact Wrestling’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view. He defeated Rhino in a No Disqualification matchup.
Current WWE United States Champion Andrade and his fiancee Charlotte Flair were recent guests on Seconds Out. During the conversation, Andrade spoke about how he didn’t have much difficulty adjusting to WWE’s in-ring style. He credited his international experience with helping him make the adjustments. Andrade did, however, share some frustrations he experienced during his time in WWE’s Performance Center.
Andrade’s WWE PC Frustrations
Andrade confessed that he had difficulty with WWE’s demanding schedule. He compared it to his time wrestling on the indies and in Mexico, explaining how “you have your time” there. However, upon signing with WWE and moving to America, you’re suddenly locked into their regimented schedule, where “[…] you need to go the gym, you need promo, you need all this schedule. I don’t like schedules.”
Having had years of experience before stepping into a WWE ring, Andrade admitted he had problems attending lessons covering the basics:
“When you would workout with the guys who have never wrestled in their life? I’ve been wrestling for nine years in this moment and some of these guys don’t know a wrist lock, or waist lock, or head lock,” Andrade explained. “I stay in the corner and say, ‘Ugh! Three hours?’ Because the class is three hours.”
He continued,” I have to stay in the ring because I’m learning headlocks, or a spot, or a little wrestling. And I’ll say, ‘Okay, Norman Smiley, next.’ People are standing in the ring while he says, ‘A headlock is this, a headlock is this, a headlock is this.’ Norman Smiley keeps saying wait, wait, and he understands because he speaks Spanish and says, ‘Hey, tranquilo, tranquilo, tranquilo, relax, wait, wait.'”
“After that, you stay in promo class and between promo class with the English and Spanish,” Andrade continued. “Sometimes when I have my English class, I don’t get home until like 5 or 6 PM when I start my day at 8 AM. I think, ‘Oh, I’m so tired.’ From Monday to Thursday or Friday for one year? Whew, I’m so tired. It was a hard time for me but for now, I’m here. I have a beautiful lady that’s a superstar, my belt, and a good life.”
Andrade is scheduled to defend his United States Championship this Sunday at Royal Rumble against Humberto Carrillo. He recently retained his championship against Rey Mysterio in a Ladder Match.
The card for Friday’s (January 25, 2020) NWA Hard Times pay-per-view event has been finalized.
National Wrestling Alliance is slated to hold its first pay-per-view event of the year at the GPB Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.
The show will be headlined by NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis facing Flip Gordon in a non-title match.
Other top matches featured on this card include NWA Women’s Champions Allysin Kay vs. Thunder Rosa and NWA Tag Team Champions The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) vs. The Wild Cards (Thomas Latimer & Royce Isaacs) and James Storm & Eli Drake in a Triple Threat Match
The pay-per-view event can be purchased via the FITE app. The show will begin at 6:05 pm ET. Here is the final card.
Final NWA Hard Times Card
NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis vs. Flip Gordon – Non-Title Match
NWA Women’s Champions Allysin Kay vs. Thunder Rosa
NWA Tag Team Champions The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) vs. The Wild Cards (Thomas Latimer & Royce Isaacs) and James Storm & Eli Drake – Triple Threat Match
NWA National Champions Aron Stevens vs. Scott Steiner
TBA vs. TBA – NWA TV Title Tournament Semifinals and Finals
Trevor Murdoch vs. The Question Mark – NWA TV Title Tournament First Round Match
Zicky Dice vs. Dan Maff – NWA TV Title Tournament First Round Match
Tim Storm vs. Ken Anderson – NWA TV Title Tournament First Round Match
Ricky Starks vs. Matt Cross – NWA TV Title Tournament First Round Match
What are your thoughts on this match card? Do you plan on buying the pay-per-view and watching? Sound off in the comment section.
“The Darewolf” PJ Black has reportedly re-signed with Ring of Honor (ROH). Black has been competing for the promotion under a one-year deal but has allegedly signed a new multi-year deal with the company. According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, Black’s new contract was signed right before his previous contract expired. He made his ROH debut last year during their Survival of the Fittest tournament.
PJ Black’s “No-Brainer” Decision
Black was previously offered an opportunity to return to WWE. He shared how he was offered the same amount of money as ROH. However, he would be required to compete for approximately 200 additional shows. Black noted how by staying with ROH, he’s been afforded creative freedom. This extends to his life inside and outside of the ring, which played an important factor in his choice. He ultimately declined WWE so he could continue his career in ROH, a decision he referred to as a “no-brainer.”
PJ Black is aligned with the Lifeblood stable. He is currently involved in a storyline where he is attempting to mentor ROH talent Brian Johnson.
The news comes in the wake of other notable stars choosing to stay. Other names include Bandido, Josh Woods and Villain Enterprises’ Marty Scurll, who will also shoulder new responsibilities as ROH’s co-booker. Before signing with ROH, the former WWE Superstar wrestled across several promotions including Lucha Underground, NWA and even TNA/Impact Wrestling.
