– Shane McMahon celebrates his birthday on Monday as the Commissioner of SmackDown Live turns 48 years old.
– Sami Zayn and Becky Lynch will compete for children across the globe with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), their charity in WWE Mixed Match Challenge. In the video below, Zayn and Lynch explain their support for UNICEF.
Shamrock was the first person to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship (later renamed the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship) and retired as the four-time defending undefeated champion. He and Ranallo are longtime friends as they regularly called Strikeforce events together on Showtime until the promotion’s acquisition and eventual merger by the UFC in 2013.
– John Cena and Nikki Bella held their engagement party on Saturday night, according to WWE.com. Cena gave fans some insight on his experience with this tweet.
Such a wonderful, meaningful, emotional day yesterday with the woman of my dreams and both of our families. I love you Nicole, you’ve made me realize the importance of togetherness.
After Raw, Rosenberg and Corey Graves will reveal the WWE Universe’s picks for the 25 moments in Raw history.
– Gene Snitsky celebrates his birthday on Sunday as the former WWE Superstar turns 48 years old. WWE acknowledged his birthday with this post on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd8gbncAxLR/
Snitsky wrestled on Saturday night as he took on former WWE Superstar Mordecai.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts was recently interviewed by CBC News to discuss several professional wrestling topics. Roberts was first asked about breaking new ground in wrestling and continuing to learn within the business. He admitted it’s scary breaking new ground in the industry but the key is to continue to try and get better:
“It’s kind of scary breaking new ground. It’s kinda scary trying things that haven’t been tried. You don’t know if you’re going to come out on the upside or the downside of it. They remember the bad nights, they don’t remember all the good ones. If you have a ‘stinkaroo’ of a match, man, people remember that, so you don’t want to have one of those, you know, and you go out there and give it your best nightly.
“The nights you come up short should drive you to be better. That’s the key — always try to get better. The day that you go to the ring and say you didn’t learn anything, then it’s time for you to take your tights off, put them in a pile, squirt them with some lighter fluid and then burn them, because if you quit learning, then you’re not trying.”
Roberts also revealed that some talents still contact him and ask him for advice. He’s asked to watch several talents’ matches and offer them pointers afterwards:
“These guys are very open to listening to what I have to say. Several of them come to me nightly and say ‘Hey, will you watch my match and give me some pointers?’ And that makes me feel really good, and I love helping them because I want the product to be the best that it can be. I want these guys to enjoy what they’re doing, so I try to teach them a little bit, you know, give them some of the knowledge that was given to me many years ago. That’s my duty, that’s my pleasure, that’s my dream.”
When asked about his current status with WWE Roberts said that he has no idea what the company is doing, but if they decide they’d like to get in contact with him they could always call:
“I have no idea what those guys are doing. If they decide they want me, they’ll call me.”
You can ready Roberts’ full interview with CBC News by clicking this link here.
– “Woken” Matt Hardy posted a new video on his YouTube channel entitled “DELETE your STUPOR.” You can check it out here:
– Wrestling promotion The Crash has announced that they will be holding a show in the US sometime this year, as they usually run their shows in Mexico. There has been no date or location given for the show as of this writing. In the picture posted by The Crash former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio is featured:
As we’ve reported last week, WWE COO Triple H and ex-UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, along with her agent, were having dinner in Los Angeles Tuesday night. Both Rousey and Triple H were asked about what was discussed in the meeting but nothing was said.
Per a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it’s believed this was a planted story by WWE. It’s possible the company wanted major news outlets such as TMZ to pick up the story to build-up hype around Rousey’s future WWE debut. Meltzer revealed this is something that occasionally happens between TMZ and WWE, and stated if WWE truly wanted to keep things a secret they wouldn’t have held the dinner in a public restaurant.
They also wouldn’t have shot angles with Rousey at the Mae Young Classic last summer if the two sides hadn’t already come to an understanding. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more…..
– Jason Jordan was advertised to defend he and Seth Rollins’ RAW Tag Team Titles against Sheamus and Cesaro at a WWE live event from Amarillo, Texas this past Friday, but the son of WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle did not appear. The match never took place and Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins instead defeated The Miz, Curtis Axel, and Bo Dallas in a 2-on-3 Handicap match.
– Early last week it was announced that former NXT Champion Bobby Roode and SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair would be teaming up for the Mixed Match Challenge this week. It will air after SmackDown Live on Facebook Watch over the next several weeks. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that WWE paired the two up so they could be called “The Robe Warriors.”
It’s easy to get caught in the hype before a 30 man Royal Rumble event; with the potential for anyone on the roster to enter the ring, it’s an event which holds almost infinite possibilities.
However, we all know that sometimes, things just don’t click, and the much anticipated Royal Rumble can be overshadowed by a previous match on the same night. Perhaps 2 superstars put together something special, or maybe the main event collapses into a predictable or botched affair.
Either way, here is a reminder of 3 matches that completely eclipsed their main event counterparts at the Royal Rumble PPV.
2015 – Brock Lesnar (c) vs John Cena vs Seth Rollins
Royal Rumble Winner: Roman Reigns
In the midst of WWE’s push for Roman Reigns to be the number 1 face of the company, of course he was going to win the next Royal Rumble. Unfortunately for Roman, not everyone in the WWE Universe enjoyed his push; the crowd at the 2015 Royal Rumble hardly ‘popped’ when Reigns was declared the winner.
Compare the sound of Roman Reigns winning the Royal Rumble to the sound of Rollins putting Lesnar through a table… no contest.
But that’s not all, the overall story lines and feuds are much more appealing from Rollins’ perspective.
Although the rumble match was entertaining, the bitter aftertaste of Roman’s win soured the event, leaving the destruction and mayhem of Brock Lesnar vs John Cena vs Seth Rollins as the ultimate star that night.
2013 – The Rock vs CM Punk (c)
Royal Rumble Winner: John Cena
Whether a Rumble is predictable or not, if the winner doesn’t excite the crowd, it’s not going to be remembered as a great match. Sadly, having already experienced this match as the main event of Wrestlemania a year before, John Cena vs The Rock was not what the WWE Universe wanted at the end of The Royal Rumble in 2013.
Especially since The Rock VS CM Punk had been teased in July a year earlier!
Challenge Presented, Challenge Accepted:
Two Promo Kings Go To War:
The Rock’s Sharpshooter:
As well as the quality of wrestling on show from these two superstars, this match featured a tactical sabotage from The Shield, an appearance from Vince McMahon, AND a restart. Essentially, this was a rollercoaster with an outrageous number of twists and turns that no rumble could compete with.
2003 – Kurt Angle (c) vs Chris Benoit
Royal Rumble Winner: Brock Lesnar
This is just a great match, and while the Royal Rumble saw a young Brock Lesnar making his way in WWE, nothing compares to Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit in 2003.
Understandably, a dark cloud hovers over anything that concerns Chris Benoit. Looking past the tragic events and focusing purely on professional wrestling, there is no doubt about this match featuring.
The two masters of submissions had great chemistry and put together a fast paced battle full of counters, and counters to those counters, with both superstars looking to use their signature holds that they became famous for.
It’s almost worth advising against watching the highlight reel beneath as it doesn’t do justice to this spectacle.
2000-2003 were golden years for Royal Rumble PPVs. There were so many superstars working in, or building to their prime during this era. And while I’d love to single out Cactus Jack vs Triple H, or almost every match involving The Rock or Chris Jericho during this time, it’s Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit in 2003 that get the nod.
Other Honorable Mentions:
John Cena vs AJ Styles (2017)
A contender for match of the year in 2017, this entry was extremely close to making the main list. But even though I was personally disappointed with a Randy Orton victory, the competitors involved were all valuable in some way, even James Ellsworth. Correction: especially James Ellsworth.
Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho (2001)
If Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit features, it’d hard to leave out this ladder match from 2001. This chaos filled spectacle, which is hard to watch when thinking about Benoit and potential head injuries, just falls short due to highly rated rumble match.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t43VEeTwwAk
Triple H vs Cactus Jack (2000)
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I’d love to have this match featured in the list. But you can’t escape the controversy behind The Big Show’s attempted elimination of The Rock. Anyway, skip to 2:10 of this promo and enjoy the shock and horror on Triple H’s face as Mankind becomes Cactus Jack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw8GlbtRGsg
The Rock vs Chris Jericho (2002)
This match went in and out of the main feature so many times I became dizzy. It has twists, turns, and Jericho providing the perfect masterclass in how to be a heel. The only reason it’s not in the list is because the 2002 Royal Rumble match is also extremely good.
There’s no hiding Braun Strowman’s physicality, demand for respect, and desire to destroy everything.
But does The Monster Among Men have what it takes last in WWE, or will he be just another big guy? As a guest on Uproxx’s With Spandex Podcast, The Big Show has given his take on Braun Strowman’s career potential in WWE.
The Big Show explained that Strowman has all the right qualities to make it as one of the all-time greats, as long as he stays healthy.
He’s got the right attitude, he’s got the right intensity and hunger for it, and he understands there’s times to be a monster, and there’s also times to make other guys look good.
The Big Show explained that it’s easy to make yourself look good, but the true greats work to make others look good. He furthered this with a three step philosophy when approaching any match:
Get the match over,
Get your opponent over,
Then get yourself over.
The Big Show also emphasised the importance of versatility when it comes to big men in WWE. Being dependable against any opponent, whether they are 5’2” or 7′. And according to the veteran, Braun Strowman shows great promise and potential when moving forward.
As one of the long standing superstars in the WWE who has worked with The Undertaker throughout their career, the usual question of The Dead Man’s career was also mentioned. The Big Show was very clear with his answer, which was actually quite shocking:
“No, man, I’m telling you: the Undertaker, they don’t call him ‘The Phenom’ for nothing bro, I’m telling you. An Undertaker at 30 percent is better than most everybody else at 90 percent, I’ll tell you that much. If that makes any sense at all. He’s just that damn good.”
Opinion:
While most know what match they would want The Undertaker to return for, is it possible that WWE may set-up Braun Strowman to take on The Dead Man?
The 5-star bout between Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom show was monumental for a number of reasons. Y2J’s unexpected return to Japan and his performance shocked many in the industry and showed that his claims to being the ‘Alpha’ of professional wrestling aren’t wildly off the mark.
It appears that Jericho will now be in NJPW for a stretch, his attack on Tetsuya Naito at the New Year Dash show will eventually lead to a bout between the two…but who else in the New Japan ranks would we like to see the ‘Ayatollah of Rock n Rolla’ face?
Here are three feuds we’d like to see for “The Alpha” Chris Jericho in New Japan:
Hiroshi Tanahashi
An icon of the Japanese wrestling scene, Hiroshi Tanahashi would be an ideal opponent for the reinvigorated Jericho. The two men have grown to define the styles that they represent, Tanahashi has sat atop the NJPW Heavyweight division and was a vital ingredient in the eventual rise of Kazuchika Okada, their feud defined the spirit of New Japan and brought a lot of expectant eyes to the product.
Jericho himself has graced the main event of Wrestlemania cards and is to many the definition of what an American pro wrestler should aspire to, a bout between these two stalwarts would be very different to that of the Alpha/Omega match and would be an excellent opportunity to see how the two could work at this stage in their respective careers.
Kota Ibushi
Kota Ibushi is an enigma. Longtime fans of New Japan would agree that right now he should be in the main event scene and should be arguably one of the biggest stars on the planet…the issue is Kota simply refuses to stay in one place for any length of time, he also seems to like setting himself on fire.
That being said a bout between the ‘Golden Star’ and Y2J has blockbuster written all over it. The dynamically wild style of Ibushi clearly works with a more traditional ‘American heel’ persona, he proved this against Cody at Wrestle Kingdom, but imagine what he could achieve being paired off with one of the greatest (and despicable!) minds in the game?
2018 could end up being the year that Ibushi finally hits the heights that he is capable of and a feud with Jericho just before an opportunity to face longtime rival Kenny Omega at next year’s Wrestle Kingdom could be the ideal way to get him there.
Zack Sabre Jr
Many people would’ve put Kazuchika Okada on their list…but realistically Jericho probably won’t be going near the IWGP Championship during his run. That leads to our next pick in Zack Sabre Jr.
Sabre Jr is one of the most underrated stars from the recent explosion of popularity in the UK scene, fellow stars Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate and Will Ospreay are far more widely recognised even though ZSJ has performed in EVOLVE, New Japan and the WWE Cruiserweight Classic.
From a stylistic standpoint Jericho should mesh extremely well with the unique Sabre, this bout could be worked almost exclusively on the mat and Y2J’s penchant for embarrassing his opponents at their own game would hopefully lead to a submission-fest akin to some of Y2J’s early WWE and WCW work.
Discussion: Who would you like to see Jericho face in New Japan? Let us know in the comments.
Finn Balor, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows recently reformed The Balor Club in WWE. As one of the leading groups in NJPW, The [Balor] Club will be looking to dominate the RAW locker room, in the same way that The Shield has done in the past.
While The Balor Club already houses a formidable offense, another WWE superstar wants to join and expand the reunion, creating what could be the most lethal group in WWE.
In an interview with IGN News, AJ Styles has described his admiration towards the newly reformed group on RAW.
Styles explained that the combination of Balor, Anderson and Gallows is special and unique because they were the three original founders of The Club back in NJPW. Even though AJ Styles got the chance to part of The Club in WWE when he first arrived, he expressed a desire and interest to be part of something even more special with Finn Balor.
Unfortunately, AJ Styles added in some realism into the interview as he explained that nothing is in the pipe-line at the moment with him on SmackDown Live and The Balor Club on RAW. However he is also very optimistic about making something happen in the future.
Opinion/Discussion:
Does the use of The Club in WWE cross too many boundaries between companies? Or perhaps it’s perfect for NJPW who would welcome US fans that want to find out more?
Just incase you missed it!… RAW is celebrating their 25th Anniversary this month, and WWE have promised some big names to join the celebration.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Nia Jax commented on who she would most like to face in a match at the 25th Anniversary edition of RAW.
Nia explained that she would love to get in the ring with Bull Nakano who was her hero growing up, and “the definition of a badass woman”. Looking back at Nakano’s wrestling matches, Nia describes them as revolutionary – but without the benefit of the spotlight that modern day superstars of the women’s division are given.
Nia Jax offered thanks to those women of Nakano’s generation, for paving the way and enabling her, and other female superstars, to access new and exciting opportunities.
Jax also expressed love for the stiff Japanese style that Nakano featured, comparing it to women in UFC:
“You have women in UFC who are kicking the crap out of each other. If you look at what they were doing back then, you wouldn’t want to be on the end of one of those backfists or the way they hit each other.”
Opinion:
Looking back at these matches, it’s easy to see a comparison between Nia Jax and Bull Nakano. But one key difference is Nakano’s use of submissions which Nia lacks. If she found or used a submission would that enable Nia Jax to become a dominant force in WWE?
Former Impact Wrestling world champion Eddie Edwards was hospitalized after an incident with Sami Calihan during Saturday’s TV tapings from Orlando.
After Edwards pinned Sami Callihan in a singles match, Callihan delivered a post match attack that left Edwards bleeding profusely from the head.
Callihan placed a chair on Edwards and hit it with a baseball bat. The bat ricocheted off the chair and struck Edwards on the top of his head. According to fans in attendance, it was immediately apparent that the spot did not go as planned. Edwards abruptly left the ringside area and had blood pouring from his head as he headed to the back.
According to PWInsider, he was taken to the hospital to stitched up and evaluated.
Having already made significant progress in 2017, the women’s division has certainly kicked off 2018 with huge promise and potential for even greater success.
Below is a few examples of how Women in WWE have moved forward during 2017:
With NXT, returning legends, and invasions, it’s clear that the women’s division has been expanding and growing with depth, enabling the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble.
And while it’s natural to single out one or two superstars who have made the most impact in WWE, Alexa Bliss emphasised the importance and value of unity within the women’s division during an interview on 96.9 The Fox with Jim Lambert.
Alexa highlighted Stephanie McMahon’s involvement in announcing the historic match on January 28th, and explained that she loves the fact that every woman is involved.
“It was great that Becky [Lynch] and I had a cage match and a tables match. It’s great that Sasha [Banks] and Charlotte had the first-ever Hell in a Cell match, but it took every woman to get here, and the fact that every woman is included on this historic match, I think it’s that much bigger. And, bigger for the women’s evolution, because it took everyone to get there, the fact that everyone’s included is what I love about it.”
Alexa Bliss isn’t wrong either; every woman in the WWE is vital to the survival and development of the division. If one member of the locker room leaves, there needs to be significant depth to sustain and meet expectations from the WWE Universe.
Implementing historic matches like The Royal Rumble and Money In The Bank won’t have value if they are dropped from the schedule later down the line. Therefore it’s clear to see that WWE are confident with their development plans for the division and, more importantly, those plans are working.
Opinion:
The main question on my mind is: Tag Team Championships. The only thing holding this back is depth in the locker room, but it seems as though this is something WWE are working on. It’s only a matter of time.
One of IMPACT Wrestling’s biggest stars, EC3, appears to have finished his time with the company, the recent television tapings featured the now infamous ‘feast or fired’ briefcase match and EC3 found himself with the unfortunate fate of grabbing the ‘fired’ case.
Here are the results for the ‘Feast or Fired’ match:
Moose – Took the World Title Opportunity
Petey Williams – Took the X Division Title Opportunity
Eli Drake – Took the Tag Title Opportunity
EC3 – Fired
It was recently revealed that both Ethan Carter and Bobby Lashley were likely to leave the company imminently and that a return for both to WWE was extremely likely, now that EC3 is off IMPACT he could potentially appear at the Royal Rumble in just a few weeks.
PWG’s Mystery Vortex V event took place this past Friday from the American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, California.
Here are the results from the event:
David Starr b. Fred Yehi in 18:42
Joey Janela b. Morgan Webster in 13:54
Sammy Guevara b. Rey Fenix in 13:50
Keith Lee b. Zack Sabre Jr. in 19:09
Trent b. Marty Scurll in 20:10
PWG World Tag Team Title Match – The Chosen Bros (Jeff Cobb & Matthew Riddle) (c) b. Ringkampf (Timothy Thatcher & WALTER) in 18:29
PWG World Title Guerrilla Warfare Match – Chuck Taylor b. Ricochet (c) in 23:56 after the match Ricochet said farewell to the fans following the news of his impending move to WWE
WWE has released the official brackets for Mixed Match Challenge, the mixed-tag team tournament premiering on the Facebook Watch streaming platform this coming Tuesday at 10pm (Eastern). The winning team will be awarded $100,000 to donate to a charity.
WWE has also announced that one of the Semi-Final matches (Week 11) will feature one team which had already been eliminated, with fans voting to award them a ‘second chance.’
Here’s the full schedule of first round matches and the official brackets.
Week 1: Finn Balor & Sasha Banks vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Natalya
Week 2: The Miz & Asuka vs. Big E & Carmella
Week 3: Braun Strowman & Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Sami Zayn & Becky Lynch
Week 4: Goldust & Alicia Fox vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champion Jimmy Uso and Naomi
Week 5: Elias & Bayley vs. Rusev & Lana
Week 6: Apollo Crews & Nia Jax vs. Bobby Roode & SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair
Last month at a WWE live event former WWE Divas Champion Paige took a hard kick to the back from Sasha Banks in Six-Woman Tag Team match that caused what was originally believed to be a mild stinger. She was stretchered out from the ring but was able to leave the arena under her own power. Now PWInsider is reporting that, in a situation similar to what happened to WWE Hall Of Famer Edge, WWE will not be clearing Paige to return to the ring, thus ending her wrestling career with the company.
It is said that Paige is well liked amongst WWE management so they will retain her in an non-physical role for the company going forward. It’s been a rough few years for Paige, as a pair of Wellness Policy violations, her leaked personal pictures and videos, and a neck surgery halted her in-ring abilities for several months. She returned to WWE TV this past November and introduced NXT call-ups Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville to form her Absolution faction.
After competing in professional wrestling since the age of 13, however, her days as an active competitor for WWE have come to an end. Although her career in WWE is done at just 25-years-old, Paige has accomplished so much at such a young age within the company. After becoming the first-ever NXT Women’s Champion of all time, Paige would defeat AJ Lee the night after WrestleMania 30 in her main roster debut to become the Divas Champion. She retires a two-time Divas Champion, the first-ever NXT Women’s Champion, and one of the key pioneers in the Women’s Revolution.
WWE has announced that Enzo Amore will defend the Cruiserweight Title against Cedric Alexander at the Royal Rumble PPV.
The Royal Rumble pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, January 28, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Wells Fargo Center and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured. Here is the updated card:
– 30-Man Royal Rumble Match: John Cena, Elias, Finn Balor, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, Baron Corbin, Matt Hardy, Bray Wyatt, TBA
During a recent Q&A session John Cena was asked by a fan if he’d like to join The Bullet Club over in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). Cena responded by saying he doesn’t think they’d have him since it’s “a pretty elite club,” while referencing the movie “Major League.” Check out the video here:
Bullet Club member Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks took to Twitter to respond to Cena’s comments, and said The Bullet Club would love to have “The Leader Of The Cenation” in the group:
Aside from teasing to join The Bullet Club, Cena has much bigger fish to fry as rumors suggest he will be facing The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34 this year. The Wrestling Observer reports that a Cena vs. Taker match could begin to build-up as soon as this month’s 25th Anniversary special episode of Monday Night RAW. While some fans think this match should’ve happened years ago, it will still be on of the highest-profile matches on the card this year.
– Xavier Woods and Jinder Mahal are set to meet on SmackDown Live next week in the next round of the United States Championship Tournament. Woods took to Twitter to take a shot at Mahal by posting a clip of an old match they had on WWE Superstars back in 2014. Woods and R-Truth teamed up to defeat Mahal and Drew McIntyre in tag team action, as Woods pinned Mahal for the victory:
– At last night’s MLK Parade Foundation Honors event in Tampa, Florida, WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil was honored by receiving the Drum Major For Justice Award. He Tweeted out the following:
Proverbs 4:19 The ways of right-living people glow with light The longer they live the brighter they shine. God Placed light inside of you for a reason.LET IT SHINE!!Thanks again 2all of my Family&Friends that came out 2support me receiving the Dr. MLK Drum Major 4Justice Award pic.twitter.com/M6aOdD4xvf
Getting ready to be honored and Awarded tonight at the Dr Martin Luther King Jr Parade Foundation Gala with the “Drum Major For Justice Award” for Family/Community with my friends and Family ?? #Proud#Legacypic.twitter.com/GGqBCfSuPv
Former WWE and WCW star Fred Ottman (better known in his professional wrestling career by the names The Shockmaster, Typhoon, and Tugboat) is reportedly not doing too well, per comments from both Victoria and Lanny Poffo on social media.
The former WWE Tag Team Champion made his debut with the company back in 1989 as the Tugboat character. He then became Typhoon in 1991 and formed The Natural Disasters with his partner, Earthquake, and they won the Tag Team Titles. He then departed for WCW in 1993 where he had a brief run as The Shockmaster before returning to WWE in 1994.
– In episode 87 of “Being The Elite” on YouTube The Young Bucks, Cody, Kenny Omega, and Marty Scurll are followed in the lead-up to their respective matches at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo, Japan. Towards the end of the video you see the tension continue to build within The Bullet Club as Kenny Omega gets into an argument with the rest of the club at a restaurant:
– As Ring Of Honor continues to announce their Best Of 2017 awards; the promotion has awarded Deonna Purrazzo Women Of Honor Wrestler Of The Year, and Cody Rhodes ROH Wrestler Of The Year.
– On a related note, ROH has signed Deonna Purrazzo to a non-exclusive contract per a report from Squared Circle Sirens. Purrazzo later confirmed this on Twitter:
At last night’s IMPACT Wrestling tapings in Orlando, former Lucha Underground Gift Of The Gods Champion Brian Cage made his promotional debut as a signed talent. He worked two matches (both with enhancement talents) and won them both. This isn’t Cage’s first time in an IMPACT ring, as he had tryout matches with the company back in 2012 and 2013 but wasn’t signed to a deal.
Cage also wrestled at the Destination X One Night Only event in 2014. He went on to sign with Lucha Underground and won the Gift Of The Gods Championship in 2016. Here’s what IMPACT Wrestling had to say about inking Cage to a deal:
There are some BIG names showing up at the IMPACT taping tonight at @UniversalORL! Here's an exclusive First Look at one of them. Any guesses who it is? pic.twitter.com/Fxhpt3I8SN
Former WWE official Bruce Prichard was recently a guest on Busted Open to promote his upcoming live podcast recording of “Something To Wrestle” at the Barclays Center on January 19th. During the interview, Prichard was asked about the rumors surrounding The Undertaker and speculation that he could be wrestling at WrestleMania 34 this year. If you haven’t already heard, it’s expected WWE will begin a program between The Undertaker and John Cena at RAW’s 25th Anniversary Show, which will lead to a match at WrestleMania 34.
Prichard said that he saw “The Deadman” about a month ago and claimed he looked the best he’d seen him in 10 years. He also said The Undertaker claimed to feel the best he has in the past 10 years. Prichard also revealed that the former WWE Champion insisted he has wrestled his last match of his career, but Prichard said he has been hearing that for the past 15 years:
