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Brock Lesnar Added To Upcoming Raw, Lilian Garcia Lands Magazine Cover, Stephanie McMahon

Daniel Pena
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– Two weeks before WrestleMania 34, Raw will take place at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Both WWE.com and the official website of the Quicken Loans Arena are now advertising Universal Champion Brock Lesnar for the event on Mar. 26.

There will also be a big 8-Man Tag Team Match pitting Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, John Cena and Seth Rollins against The Miz, Kane, Cesaro, and Sheamus. This dark match is also slated for the following week’s Raw from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

– Former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia is featured on the cover of the latest issue of FOCUS magazine, which features interviews and articles on entrepreneurs in West Los Angeles.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be_z7Uygo8N/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be9eRGbnL6p/

Inside the magazine is an interview with Garcia where she talks about her podcast, Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia. You can read the interview here.

– WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon will be a guest speaker at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France. This will be her third consecutive year at the event, where she talks about WWE, content marketing and how to build a global brand.

WWE’s First Female Wrestler From India Reports To PC, Titus O’Neil Honored By NAACP

Daniel Pena
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– Kavita Devi, the first female professional wrestler of Indian nationality to wrestle in WWE, recently reported to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, according to Squared Circle Sirens.

A former powerlifter who won gold while representing India at the 2016 South Asian Games, Devi began her wrestling career the very same year training under The Great Khali. She participated in the Mae Young Classic last summer, where Dakota Kai eliminated her in the first round. The match drew a lot of interest as it was WWE’s most watched YouTube video related to the Mae Young Classic with over 17 million views.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9TZNPmEBnk&w=620&h=349]

WWE announced her signing in October and noted that she was expected to begin training at the WWE Performance Center in January.

“It was a privilege to be the first Indian woman to compete in WWE,” Devi said. “Participating in the Mae Young Classic with some of the best female performers in the world was a great learning experience. Now I am looking forward to pursuing my dream of becoming the first WWE Women’s Champion from India.”

– On Thursday at the 2018 Freedom Fund Dinner in Tampa, Florida, the Tampa Chapter of the NAACP honored Titus O’Neil with the Reverend Hosea Williams Award for his community service.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be9t7gwhNsX/

O’Neil’s longtime friend, Dave Bautista, was in attendance as he posted the following on Twitter congratulating him.

IMPACT Wrestling VP Wants AJ Styles Back, John Cena Officiates A Wedding (Video)

Jon Fuentes
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– Scott D’Amore, IMPACT Wrestling’s Vice President, was recently a guest on the Sitting Ringside with David Penzer podcast. During the episode Penzer asked D’Amore who he’d like to build IMPACT around if they were available. D’Amore made it very clear that one day he wants to see “The Phenomenal One” back in an IMPACT Wrestling ring:

“God, that’s a tough question!” D’Amore said. “A.J. [Styles] was the face of this company for so long, and I have to think somewhere in the back of my mind, very deep in my heart, there’s one day that A.J. steps back in an Impact ring and has that homecoming moment!”

Listen to D’Amore on Sitting Ringside with David Penzer by clicking here.

– John Cena was again on TODAY this morning and actually officiated a wedding. He also made a joke about his “You Can’t See Me” catchphrase. Watch the segment here:

More Information On John Cena vs. The Undertaker At WrestleMania 34

Jon Fuentes
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As WrestleMania 34 approaches there has still been very limited news as to whether or not we’ll actually see the rumored match-up between John Cena and The Undertaker. Several months ago it was being reported that Cena’s plans for WrestleMania were bigger than the title matches on the card.

It was then reported that Cena vs. Taker was penciled in for “The Show Of Shows.” Many fans expected the feud to setup at RAW 25, however, Undertaker’s appearance on the show was arguably the most disappointing segment of the night. Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer reports that, as of a few weeks ago, Cena vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania 34 is still the plan.

Meltzer speculated that if WWE still wants to do it they could set it up after Cena loses the Elimination Chamber match. It should be interesting to see how creative books the feud between these two legends on the road to New Orleans.

Why Daniel Bryan Was Removed From WrestleMania AXXESS Listing

Jon Fuentes
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Yesterday SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan was removed from the WrestleMania 34 AXXESS VIP Signings on April 8th, the day of the event. Several hours after this was reported, Bryan was added back to the listing by WWE. Bodyslam.net reports that Bryan was initially removed from the listing because tickets sold out.

Someone decided to remove Bryan from the listing, however, after news got around that he would no longer be at the event he was quickly added back. In conclusion, Bryan has not been pulled from the signing and is still scheduled to sign autographs at 8 A.M. Many fans began to speculate that this was a sign Bryan could be wrestling at the event. This does not seem to be the case, however, and he has yet to be cleared by WWE doctors.

The Real Reason Booker T Was Removed From RAW Commentary Team

Jon Fuentes
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WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T was removed from the RAW commentary team and replaced with the recently re-signed Jonathan Coachman. Some fans believed Booker T’s initial claims on his radio show, Heated Conversations, that it was due to his friction with Corey Graves on-air.

A report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter reveals that the real reason the WWE Hall Of Famer was moved to pre-show panels was strictly because of the signing of Coachman. It had absolutely nothing to do with Corey Graves. The WWE Universe has mixed feelings about Booker T’s ability on commentary, but WWE wanted to bring back “The Coach” because he was always loyal to the company before departing for a job with ESPN.

After his time with the sports news juggernaut came to an end the WWE welcomed back the former Executive Assistant to Vince McMahon back with open arms. Unfortunately that meant that Booker needed to be moved off of weekly WWE commentary.

MLW: Road To The World Championship Results (2/8/18)

Staff
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Major League Wrestling held its “Road To The World Championship” event last night from Orlando, Florida at GILT Nightclub. Here are the results, courtesy of Jacob Cohen:

– Santana Garrett def. Lacey Lane.

– Destino Negro def. MEGA Danger.

– Seth Petruzelli & Simon Gotch def. Jimmy Yuta and Jason Cade. Col. Robert Parker and the Dirty Blondes interfered and helped Petruzelli & Gotch.

– Low Ki def. Kotto Brazil. Low Ki removed Kotto’s mask to reveal his identify as Snoop Strikes.

– Chelsea Green def. Pricilla Kelly via disqualification.

– Austin Aries def. ACH.

– Mike Parrow & Barrington Hughes def. Vandal Ortagun & Saieve Al Sabah.

– Jimmy Havoc def. Maxwell Jacob Friedman to advance to the semifinals of the MLW Title tournament.

– Shane Strickland def. Brody King to advance to the semifinals of the MLW Title tournament.

–  Tom Lawlor def. MVP to advance to the semifinals of the MLW Title tournament.

– Matt Riddle def. Jeff Cobb to advance to the semifinals of the MLW Title tournament.

– Darby Allin def. Sami Callihan in the main event with help from Jimmy Havoc.

https://twitter.com/mlw/status/961846081578348544

NJPW New Beginning in Osaka Lineup

Chris Stephens
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New Japan Pro Wrestling presents a big show February 10th, 2018, from Edion Arena in Osaka, Japan.

The event is built around the CHAOS versus Los InGobernables rivalry. The final 5 matches on the show will all feature single’s matches featuring wrestlers from each faction against each other. 3 CHAOS single’s champions will defend their titles against members of LIJ.

The press conference for the event (w/ English subtitles) is below:

New Beginning in Osaka Lineup

  1. Yuji Nagata vs. Katsuya Kitamura (Kitamura’s 7-match trial series)
  2. Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh) vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (Suzuki-Gun)
    • I would imagine if Suzuki-Gun wins, they would earn a shot against Roppongi 3K for the Jr. Heavyweight titles.
  3. David Finlay, Juice Robinson, & Tenare vs. Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, & Jay White (CHAOS)
    • Earlier this week, White attacked Finlay after defeating him in a single’s match. Kelly has been playing up their history training together on commentary.
    • If someone pins Jay White (or even someone else on CHAOS) they might be in a spot to challenge White for the IWGP US title.
  4. Ryusuke Taguchi, Michael Elgin, Kushida, & Togi Makabe vs. Taka Michinoku, Taichi, Takashi Iizuka, & Minoru Suzuki
    • Suzuki turned down Makabe’s challenge for an IWGP Intercontinental championship earlier this week.
  5. Gedo (CHAOS) vs. Bushi (LIJ)
    • Gedo stole Bushi’s mask earlier this week
  6. Yoshi-Hashi (CHAOS) vs. Tetsuya Naito (LIJ)
  7. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
    Will Ospreay (CHAOS) (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi
  8. NEVER Openweight Championship
    Hirooki Goto (CHAOS) (c) vs. EVIL (LIJ)
  9. IWGP Heavyweight Championship
    Kazuchika Okada (CHAOS) (c) vs. SANADA (LIJ)

ROH Honor Reigns Supreme Streaming Tonight For Free

Chris Stephens
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Ring of Honor will be live-streaming their “Honor Reigns Supreme” show from Cabarrus Arena in North Carolina tonight for free. Fans can see the show at ROHWrestling.com, Facebook Live, or the FITE App.

The promotion is currently building anticipation for their upcoming “Honor Club” streaming service. Vignettes for Honor Club have been appearing on ROH television lately, and further details about the service were released earlier this week.

ROH Honor Reigns February 9th, 2018

  • Cody, Hangman Page, & Marty Scurll (Bullet Club) vs. Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan, & Vinny Marseglia (the Kingdom)
  • Dalton Castle & the Boys vs. Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, & Scorpio Sky (SoCal Uncensored)
  • Jay Lethal vs. “the Octopus” Jonathan Gresham
  • The Best Friends vs. the Young Bucks
  • Kenny King vs. Shane Taylor

the Briscoes, Silas Young, and Mandy Leon are all expected to be on the show as well.

Lars Sullivan Returns To Action, Natalya’s Tribute To Her Father, Renee Young Talks To Sam Roberts

Daniel Pena
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– In his first match in over a month, Lars Sullivan returned to action at tonight’s NXT live event in Dade City, Florida.

Taking on Babatunde Aiyegbusi, Sullivan beat the six-foot-10, 350-pound former football player in three minutes after putting him down with the Freak Accident.

https://twitter.com/FLWrestlingFan/status/961767054532599808

https://twitter.com/FLWrestlingFan/status/961767570964705280

https://twitter.com/FLWrestlingFan/status/961768420286124038

Before tonight, Sullivan had not wrestled since squashing Lio Rush at an NXT television taping on Jan. 4 in Atlanta, Georgia.

– Renee Young is this week’s guest on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast as the WWE personality talks about her journey to WWE, her marriage to Dean Ambrose, changing her name on Instagram, Talking Smack, and more.

You can listen to the podcast below, or on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher.

– Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart celebrates his birthday today as the two-time WWF Tag Team Champion turns 63 years old. In honor of his birthday, Natalya posted the following on their close relationship.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be8WXKJhQRq/

New Video Of Undertaker Working Out, Trish Stratus and Mickie James Talk Women’s Royal Rumble Match

Daniel Pena
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– Coming off his recent appearance at Raw’s 25th Anniversary show, The Undertaker has been busy at the gym lately.

Michelle McCool posted this video tonight on Instagram of her husband performing deadlifts at their gym.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be9Si7Bhtjl/

The Undertaker was also at the gym on Wednesday as McCool posted a photo of herself with “The Deadman” while wearing Chalk Line’s Undertaker Vintage Fanimation Jacket (click the right arrow below to see it).

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be6DYPRBz9b/

– Trish Stratus and Mickie James are this week’s guests on Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia as the former champions talk about locking up in the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match and much more. Here is the synopsis:

“This episode of Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia features WWE Superstar Mickie James discussing her 20+ year career in pro wrestling, getting her start during the Attitude Era, her experience at the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble where she locked up with old foe Trish Stratus, plus her career as a musician, being honored at the Native American Music Awards, motherhood, the #metoo movement, and more! Plus, WWE HOF’er Trish Stratus returns to relive her experience at the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble!”

Garcia’s interviews with Stratus and James were conducted separately. You can listen to this episode on Podcast One or iTunes.

Shinsuke Nakamura Autobiography To Be Released In English

Chris Stephens
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In 2015, Shinsuke Nakamura released a 2-volume autobiography. The Japanese language book was titled “King of Strong Style: 1980-2014″. Plans are now underway for the book to be released in English.

Viz Media sent out a release today that they have obtained the rights to the English-language version of the book. Digital and hard-copy editions will be available this summer.

Shinsuke Nakamura: King of Strong Style: 1980-2014

As the book only covers up until 2014, it won’t cover his decision to leave NJPW for WWE. It will, however, cover Wrestle Kingdom 8 in 2014. His match that night with Hiroshi Tanahashi was controversially voted to be the main event. Okada and Naito were wrestling for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship but fans voted for Tanahashi and Nakamura’s Intercontinental Championship match to close the show.

Last month, Shinsuke Nakamura won the 2018 Royal Rumble. After the match, Nakamura announced he was choosing to face the WWE Champion at WrestleMania, which could mean a rematch with AJ Styles.

Styles and Nakamura first met at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in the Tokyo Dome on January 4th, 2016. Nakamura defeated AJ Styles to retain his IWGP Intercontinental Championship that night.

WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne Challenging for Gender Neutral Championship on March 3rd

Jake Skudder
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WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne has been confirmed as the next challenger to the OTT Wrestling Gender Neutral Championship when he faces current Champion ‘Session Moth’ Martina on March 3rd from The Arena in Suir Road, Dublin.

OTT first introduced the Gender Neutral title (the first of its kind) back in 2017, ‘Session Moth’ Martina was crowned the first ever Champion at OTT’s Being The Elite event and has successfully defended her title twice in multiple person matches against the likes of Adam Maxted, Charlie Sterling, Angel Cruz and Chuck Taylor.

Martina is one of the most unique stars in the UK/Ireland and she has been demanding a match with the WWE Superstar ever since we was crowned GN Champion, this bout is set to turn a few heads in the UK scene and push the Championship even further into the spotlight.

WWE Hires Mae Young Classic Wrestler As New Coach

Chris Stephens
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Mae Young Classic performer and former member of CM Punk’s “Straight Edge Society”, Serena Deeb, is the newest coach at the WWE Performance Center in Florida. Deeb will be coaching the female talent alongside Sara Amato

In addition to being a former member of the Smackdown main roster, Deeb has a history of teaching. She has been working as a yoga instructor in Los Angeles for the past few years.

Deeb’s release from WWE in 2010 was controversial. She was fired after evidence of her not living up to the straight-edge gimmick outside of WWE was discovered. 7 years later the company brought her back to participate in the Mae Young Classic tournament. Today she was officially announced as the newest WWE Performance Center coach.

Serena Deeb Hired By WWE

WWE has published an interview with Deeb on their website. In the interview, Deeb goes into more detail regarding her approach to teaching. It appears evident that Deeb’s yoga background will play a role in her work with WWE recruits.

Being able to contribute to instilling a healthy mindset and helping [recruits] to be better people though the whole process is very important to me.

– Serena Deeb

Deeb also mentioned WWE first approached her about the coaching position before the Mae Young Classic.

WWE Polls Fans On The Best Ever Crossface Chickenwing, Marty Scurll Responds

Jake Skudder
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WWE’s ‘WWE Universe’ Twitter account recently sent out a poll asking fans to rank the best of the best when it comes to the Crossface Chickenwing…Superstars included in the poll were Bob Backlund, Asuka, Cesaro and Dean Ambrose.

Several fans were quick to respond to the tweet with their chosen pick, Bullet Club’s Marty Scurll. ‘The Villain’ has utilised the Crossface Chickenwing for a number of years, the move has helped to define his villainous persona and has seen him win countless championships including the PROGRESS World Title and New Japan’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

The WWE fans were not the only ones to notice this glaring omission from the poll, Marty himself tweeted in acknowledgement to the effect of “wait…what?” Whilst there was never a chance that WWE would refer to someone contracted outside of the company this bodes extremely well for the UK star, his position in the Bullet Club stable has helped to establish him in the Junior ranks of New Japan and his unique style and persona has carved a niche for him in the territory, if WWE were unaware of ‘The Villain’ before this poll then they certainly should know who he is now.

https://twitter.com/MartyScurll/status/961317971497975813

Matt Riddle and Jeff Cobb Announced for Rev Pro ‘Epic Encounter,’ Could This Lead to a NJPW Run?

Jake Skudder
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The ‘Chosen Bros’ tag team of Lucha Underground’s Jeff Cobb and EVOLVE/PROGRESS’ Matt Riddle will be making their way to Rev Pro’s ‘Epic Encounter’ event on May 11th from the world famous York Hall in Bethnal Green, London. The team were expected to be part of New Japan’s World Tag League event last year but plans were allegedly nixed once NJPW officials became aware of Riddle’s previous drug history. Jeff Cobb still made an appearance in the tournament alongside Michael Elgin.

With Rev Pro’s strong working relationship alongside New Japan there is always the chance that Riddle could be brought into the fold, he is regarded as one of the top independent stars on the planet and could be a huge asset to New Japan, especially considering their US expansion plans.

Riddle and Cobb will be taking on one of the best up and coming teams on the UK circuit right now, Aussie Open. Comprised of Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis, Aussie Open have been tearing through the United Kingdom’s tag ranks ever since they joined forces in 2017. Incredible bouts through PROGRESS against the likes of Mark Haskins & Jimmy Havoc, CCK and Moustache Mountain/British Strong Style have garnered the Australian stars a huge following on UK shores. This bout will surely be Aussie Open’s biggest test yet and a massive opportunity to test themselves against two of the world’s best.

The two main event bouts for the card have also been announced and they are as follows:

  • Revolution Pro British Tag Team Championship Match – Suzuki-gun (RPW British Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr & IWGP Intercontinental Champion, Minoru Suzuki) vs CCK (Chris Brookes & Travis Banks)
  • WWN World Champion Keith Lee Vs Tomohiro Ishii

Becky Lynch Wants In On New Disney Channel Movie (Video), John Cena To Crash High School Prom

Jon Fuentes
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– With some acting experience now under her belt as she co-starred in WWE Studios’ “The Marine 6: Close Quarters” last year, former SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Becky Lynch wants in on the upcoming Disney Channel movie “Kim Possible.” The show was originally an animated series that ended back in 2007, however, Disney is now rebooting it for a live-action movie. Lynch, who looks a lot like the Kim Possible character, volunteered on Twitter for the role:

https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/961294107791441921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

– WWE Superstar John Cena appeared NBC’s “Today” show yesterday and announced he’ll be crashing one lucky fan’s high school prom to promote his upcoming movie “Blockers.” Below is WWE’s official announcement on the promotion:

Find out how you could get John Cena at your school dance

Your senior prom is about to get an Attitude Adjustment thanks to John Cena.

The 16-time World Champion stopped by “TODAY” with Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb to talk about his upcoming movie, “Blockers,” and revealed his wild plan to crash the school dance of a lucky high school senior.

Cena didn’t attend his senior prom, but he wants a second chance — and it could happen at your school dance.

If you are a high school senior, older than 17 and have a dance coming up, visit the Kathie Lee and Hoda Facebook page and submit a creative video inviting Cena to #CrashOurDance.

The submission cutoff is Friday, Feb. 23. “Blockers” premieres Friday, April 6.

Cena also revealed that he officiated a wedding for one lucky couple. Don’t miss the ceremony Friday on “TODAY” during the 10 a.m. hour.

Hotel Named After Roman Reigns (Photo), Next WWE 24 Subject Revealed

Jon Fuentes
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– The ‘Hotel Roman Reigns’ Bed & Breakfast has opened up in Duff Dunbar, India. Booking.com has the following description of the hotel:

“Featuring free WiFi, Hotel Roman Reigns offers accommodations in Duff Dunbar.

“All rooms include a flat-screen TV. Certain rooms have a sitting area to relax in after a busy day. Certain rooms feature views of the mountains or garden. Every room comes with a private bathroom.

“There is a 24-hour front desk at the property.

“The nearest airport is Gaggal Airport, 54 miles from Hotel Roman Reigns.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be6nAd6hq2h/?utm_source=ig_embed

– Another WWE 24 special on the WWE Network will focus on The Women’s Evolution. The title of the special is WWE 24: Women’s Evolution 2, and no release date for the special has been announced as of this writing. The WWE’s initial special on the Women’s Evolution came back in August of 2016 entitled WWE 24: Women’s Evolution. It focused on the Women’s Division getting a big spot on WrestleMania 32’s card.

Charlotte Flair Responds To Ronda Rousey Question, MVP On His RAW 25 Appearance

Jon Fuentes
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– SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair was asked by a fan on Twitter if she’d face-off against Ronda Rousey ‘if she had to.’ Here’s how she responded:

– A lot of former WWE Superstars and personalities returned to the company for RAW 25. One was former United States Champion MVP. He recently was a guest on Big League Wrestling’s podcast to talk about his return to WWE and indicated that it was a one-time deal and there are no plans as of this writing to have him back:

“By and far and away I was the sharpest dressed poker player in the building. At the end of the day I made a very nice pay day to show up in a suit, play cards, say hi to my friends, no bumps I win. It makes me laugh because people were like congratulations on going to RAW. Congratulations for what? It’s a date. I’m going to work, it’s a one off. Thanks I guess. not that big a deal. For me. With all due respect.”

Jerry Lawler Reveals How Triple H Joked About He & JR Sleeping At RAW 25

Jon Fuentes
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WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler recently took to his Dinner With The King podcast to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Lawler recently served as a guest commentator for the Men’s Royal Rumble match and discussed the preparations for commentators before the bout:

“Honestly, I think Michael Cole does know. When I said I don’t have to go to production meetings, Michael Cole does. I mean, he has to,” Lawler said. “When you are the main guy you have to be ready for that information so I’m pretty sure who was coming out next from 1-30. I had no list. I went into this thing so unprepared I honestly felt like they may have forgotten they called me to be at the Royal Rumble. I mean, I talked to some people, but nobody in charge. I didn’t speak to anybody in charge all day,” he said.

“I had finished the pre-show and had headed up to the Gorilla position when the Royal Rumble started, because as you know the Men’s Royal Rumble was on the third match, so I went and changed into my old King coat and crown and all of this stuff. I had went up there and started standing around and then the show started. Vince McMahon saw me and got up and shook my hand to ask me how I was and then he went and sat back down. Michael Cole was already out there. I just felt weird because we were getting closer to the time of the Royal Rumble but nobody told me anything.

“Then, I finally had gone to Billy Kidman because he’s the one who kind of runs the time of the show because the Royal Rumble was about to start and then they run a package. I went over to him to ask if I was supposed to be out there already and he looked over at the sheet and said, ‘Oh no; you are going to have your music and entrance.’ I let out a big sigh of relief. Then, little bit after that I went out. I hadn’t talked to anybody; I hadn’t talked to Michael Cole or Corey Graves about what to do or say about the show. I had no clue about anything on the order that was going to happen.”

The King also offered his thoughts on former WWE World Heavyweight Champion and former Royal Rumble match winner Rey Mysterio returning for the bout:

“Rey Mysterio looked amazing. They have John Cena being the spokesperson for Pistachios, Rey Mysterio needs to be the spokesperson for Kapiti. What a tan he had! He’s like Tom Brady. I hope he is back full-time. I wish I had known he was 43 years old, I would have had some one-liners for that.”

Lawler also said that when he ran into Triple H at the Royal Rumble “The Game” joked at him by saying to stay awake for the match. This was in reference to the picture that went viral on social media during RAW 25, making it seem as if Lawler and Jim Ross fell asleep while off-air:

“The first time I saw Triple H at the Royal Rumble, he goes, ‘Hey King.’ I said, ‘Hey Hunter.’ He said, ‘Try to stay awake out there tonight.’ I said, ‘OK.’ So yeah, it’s kind of like a joke.”

You can listen to Dinner With The King by clicking this link here.

AJ Styles & Dolph Ziggler React To Fastlane Change, Why Tye Dillinger Hasn’t Been On WWE TV

Jon Fuentes
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– Earlier today SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon announced on Twitter that the Triple Threat match between AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn for the WWE Title at Fastlane will now be a Fatal Four-Way match. Next week’s SmackDown Live match between Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler will determine the fourth entrant. AJ Styles and Dolph Ziggler took to Twitter to react to the news:

https://twitter.com/HEELZiggler/status/961645478214385664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mandatory.com%2Fwrestlezone%2Fnews%2F922559-ziggler-reacts-huge-stip-added-to-his-match-w-corbin-wwe-wishes-big-show-neidhart-a-happy-birthday

– As he was discussing SmackDown Live’s Top 10 list on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed why Tye Dillinger has been kept off WWE TV. Meltzer revealed WWE doesn’t want fans doing the “10” chant anymore:

“Dillinger is just a guy on the brand that works prelims and they put him at number 10 and it makes for a cute minute for people to chant 10, which they don’t even want people to chant anyway. That’s why they keep him off TV so much because they don’t want people chanting 10. So the whole thing is completely stupid.”

WWE Reportedly Using Ronda Rousey To Elevate Stephanie McMahon’s Mainstream Status

Jon Fuentes
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The hot topic in the professional wrestling world at the moment is the WWE’s signing of Ronda Rousey to a full-time deal. Rousey made her debut at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) following the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble. She pointed to the WrestleMania 34 sign, indicating her intentions to wrestle at the event.

Per a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, one “key reason” WWE brought the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion in is to help Stephanie McMahon become a bigger mainstream name. While McMahon is a big name in the world of professional wrestling, she isn’t as well known outside the context of WWE. Meltzer noted that although she didn’t fight in 2017, Rousey was still the most searched female athlete in the U.S last year.

The entire goal for a Rousey-Stephanie program is to help elevate McMahon’s mainstream star status outside of the company. The goal was compared to that of how Vince McMahon’s name was made – through his feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin. And Austin’s rise in mainstream media came with the help of his feud with Mike Tyson.

This explains why WWE is planning a Mixed Tag Team match between Rousey and a mystery partner (WWE hopes that can be The Rock) against the team of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 34.

How Jason Jordan’s Injury Affected Elimination Chamber Main Event

Jon Fuentes
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It turns out that Jason Jordan’s recent injury had some lasting affects on the Elimination Chamber match. Per a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE’s original plans had Jordan and Seth Rollins being a part of the Elimination Chamber match. This was in order to set up an eventual WrestleMania match between the pair in New Orleans.

Due to Jordan’s recent injury neither man is now planned to participate in the match. Jordan underwent successful surgery to help his neck injury earlier this week. As for a possible WrestleMania match between Jordan and Rollins, Meltzer noted that it’s “not a dead issue” at this time. It’s currently unknown how long Jordan’s injury will keep him sidelined.

It should be noted that prior to undergoing surgery Jordan’s wife took to social media and called overexagerations of his injury on the internet ‘fake news.’ She also described the injury as ‘minor’:

“I will address this once…

“Yes, “Jason Jordan” is injured. I assure you everything you have seen online is “Fake News!” He has a minor neck injury and will be back in no time! Although, I am very excited to have him home for a bit, I promise, I will help guide him to a speedy recovery! Thank you to everyone who reached out to check on him! He is very positive and already planning his comeback! In the meantime, just please keep sending Nathan and I good vibes!!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be11PEOhLql/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_ufi_test

Update On Chris Jericho Working With New Japan

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Following up on Chris Jericho working with New Japan Pro Wrestling, it appears his rumored match against Tetsuya Naito will not be taking place as soon as expected.

Jericho put on a 5-star classic against Kenny Omega back on January 4th at Wrestle Kingdom 12. The following night, the “Alpha” made a surprise appearance at New Year’s Dash and attacked Tetsuya Naito – presumably planting the seeds for an eventual showdown.

The match has been rumored for NJPW’s upcoming Strong Style Evolved show from Long Beach, California on March 25th. Dave Meltzer noted on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio that Jericho vs. Naito at Strong Style Evolved was the original plan, but that show has already sold out without the match being announced.

With Strong Style Evolved sold out (and featuring a high-profile Cody Rhodes vs. Kenny Omega main event), there’s a good chance that NJPW will hold off on Jericho vs. Naito until a later date. Even though Jericho is available to work Strong Style Evolved, the company is probably better suited using Jericho’s drawing power to sell out another show.

Meltzer speculated that the match could take place at Dominion in June, as Jericho’s touring schedule with Fozzy would allow for it.

Back in November, Jericho appeared on Busted Open Radio and commented on the success of New Japan and how important it is for WWE to have competition keeping them motivated.

“The good thing about New Japan and even Ring Of Honor to an extent is showing that WWE is not the only place in town, and I think the first people that would be happy about that are the guys that are running the WWE because it just makes for a better business, for a healthier business. And not just for the boys but for the fans. It pushes everybody to think more and to be more clever and creative and to work harder.”

Earlier this week, New Japan announced that Strong Style Evolved will air LIVE on AXS TV with Jim Ross and Josh Barnett on commentary.

Final Card For MLW: Road To The World Championship (Tonight)

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Major League Wrestling returns to Orlando, FL tonight with Road To The World Championship live from Gilt Night Club. The show will be available for streaming this weekend at MLW.TV and a limited number of tickets are still available at Eventbrite.com.

MLW’s World Championship tournament finally kicks off, with 8 of the top independent wrestlers in the game battling to crown a new MLW World Champion.

Opening round matches scheduled for tonight include:

  • Matt Riddle vs. Jeff Cobb
  • MVP vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor
  • Shane “Swerve” Strickland vs. Brody King
  • Jimmy Havoc vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Other matches signed for the card:

  • Sami Callihan vs. Darby Allin (Grude Match)
  • Austin Aries vs. ACH
  • Priscilla Kelly vs. Chelsea Green
  • Jimmy Yuta & Jason Cade vs. Simon Gotch & Seth Petruzelli
  • Destino Negro vs. Mega Danger

Visit MLW.com for more information on tonight’s big show and check out these preview videos for MLW: Road To The World Championship:

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