The WWE uploaded a video to their YouTube channel of Superstars making their predictions for the Super Bowl. Nikki Bella, Kofi Kingston, Mojo Rawley and Sasha Banks picked the New England Patriots. Xavier Woods, Titus O’Neil, AJ Styles and The Miz picked the Atlanta Falcons.
The WWE posted another video entitled 4 things The Undertaker hasn’t accomplished yet. The four thing are have a match in NXT, defeat Vince McMahon, win the Intercontinental Championship or win an Iron Man match.
WWE.com is currently running a poll of which Superstar would you consdier be the WWE equivalent to Tom Brady (multiple titles, one of the greatest ever, polarizing among fans). 61% of the vote so far has gone to John Cena. Triple H and “Other” are tied with 15%. Roman Reigns is currently in last place with 9% of the vote. If you’d like to vote, click here.
PROGRESS Wrestling have released the latest in their series of short form interviews. In this episode of Face to Face the “Sexually Frivolous, Morally Ambiguous” Jack Sexsmith talks starting out as a comedy character in the company to becoming an unexpected role model for the LGBT community.
It’s a very moving, emotional interview and with that please note that there is strong language throughout.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com with thoughts on Samoa Joe’s main roster debut and Impact Wrestling officially dropping the letters “TNA.”
Joe made a surprise appearance in the closing segment of Monday’s RAW, serving as Triple H’s henchman and taking out Seth Rollins. JR thinks WWE made the right call by keeping Joe out of the Royal Rumble if he wasn’t booked to win.
“Who Joe wrestles at ‘Mania is TBD at this time, unless it is ‘leaked,’ like Randy Ortonwinning the Royal Rumble match,” Ross said. “Are these leaks predetermined or is some one just happy to ‘share info?’ RAW was a much better debut for Samoa Joe than if he only participated in the Rumble match unless he won it which wasn’t in the cards this go around.”
JR also broke some news, noting that Impact Wrestling will be officially dropping the TNA initials in the near future.
“My sources tell me that Impact Wrestling is going to permanently ditch the TNA initials and that their TV tapings going forward in Orlando will be done in four day increments which will make the talents and crew happier and more productive.”
Other topics discussed include Randy Orton’s Royal Rumble win, WWE’s Cruiserweight Division, Kurt Angle and calling next weekend’s WCPW “True Destiny” event next week in the UK. Head over to JRsBarBQ.com to read the full blog.
WWE announced on Friday that Seth Rollins is not medically cleared to wrestle at this weekend’s live events due to the knee injury he sustained earlier this week. Rollins underwent a medical evaluation in Birmingham, Alabama and WWE will provide an update on his condition this coming Monday on RAW.
At this time, there is said to be ‘guarded optimism’ regarding Rollins’ status for WrestleMania 33. In light of Rollins’ injury, the WrestleMania card is once again in question. Rollins had been scheduled to face Triple H at the show, but now Shane McMahon is being considered as the backup option for Triple H in the event Rollins isn’t medically cleared in time. The SmackDown commissioner was going to face AJ at WrestleMania.
Kevin Kelly is leaving his full-time position with Ring of Honor in order to free-up his schedule for other projects, namely NJPW. While Kelly has given his notice to the company, it does not necessarily mean he is done as a broadcaster with ROH. It is believed he intends to work on more of a freelance basis, which would include calling shows for both ROH and NJPW.
Ring of Honor has recently lost two members of their broadcast team, Nigel McGuinness and Steve Corino, to WWE. McGuinness recently replaced Corey Graves on NXT, and was also an announcer for the company’s recent UK tournament. Corino is working as a trainer in developmental.
In addition to working for ROH since since 2010, Kelly was a broadcaster with the WWE from 1996-2003.
ROH and NJPW Joint Shows
Kevin Kelly will be flying to Japan shortly to team with new NJPW broadcast partner Don “Cyrus” Callis, for the company’s event on February 5th 2017. Ring of Honor will also be heading to Japan later this month for their second annual “Honor Rising” shows at Korakuen Hall. It is assumed at this point that Kevin Kelly will still be on commentary for those shows.
At last year’s ROH Korakuen Hall shows Roderick Strong lost the ROH TV title to Tomohiro Ishii on night 1. Then on night 2 last year Jay Lethal successfully defended the ROH Championship against Tomaki Honma.
New Japan Pro Wrestling is taking further steps to combat WWE’s international growth strategy. The company launched their full-english site earlier this week at NJPW1972.com. The site has interviews, match results, and news available in english. The company’s online streaming service, NJPWWorld.com, has both English and Japanese versions available as well, though you may have to use google translate to access the english version.
New Japan Pro Wrestling Expansion to English Markets
The popular Japanese-based promotion has been slowly taking steps to expose their product to english speaking markets in recent years. Since launching their streaming service NJPWWorld.com, the company has been bringing in english announce teams to cover their bigger events. Recent events had been covered by Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino. With Corino now employed by WWE, Don “Cyrus” Callis will be replacing him for future events
The first event NJPW will be running after the launch of their new site, and with their new english announce team, will be this Sunday in Sapporo. The show will feature the return of many NOAH wrestlers who have recently been brought back to NJPW.
The lineup for the card is as follows
IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match
Kazuchika Okada (Champion) vs. Minoru Suzuki
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship 3-Way Match
Ishii and Yano (Champions) vs. Honma and Makabe vs Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer
NEVER Openweight Championship Match
Hirooki Goto (Champion) vs. Juice Robinson
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match
Roppongi Vice (Champions) vs. Taka Michinoku and Taichi
– Dragon Lee, Taguchi, Nakanishi, Tanahashi and Michael Elgin vs. Takahashi, Bushi, EVIL, Sanada, and Naito
– Yoshi-Hashi vs. Takashi Izuka
– Tiger Mask, Justin Liger, and Shibata vs. Will Ospreay, Gedo and Jado
– Nagata, Kojima and Tenzan vs. Oka, Henare, and Yoshi Tatsu
– Kawato and Kushida vs. El Desperado and Kanemaru
Court Bauer of the MLW Radio podcast network recently confirmed that Lucha Underground is officially coming to Netflix. The news comes after a year of speculation and lobbying from fans. Various Twitter hashtags, such as #NetflixNeedsLucha, were used in 2016 by fans in an attempt to bring wider exposure to the promotion.
Seasons 1 and 2 are expected to debut on the streaming service in US and Canada on February 15th 2017. The company will continue to air first-run programming on El Rey. The deal is not expected to impact their relationship with the network. El Rey continues to own a stake in the promotion.
Kevin Nash revealed on Instagram that he’s undergoing surgery for a torn rotator cuff, a detached rotator cuff, a torn bicep and a torn labrum.
“Just got my MRI back, torn rotator cuff one detached, torn long head right bicept,torn labrum. Going for surgery 31. Thought I’d grind a little bone on bone and get a pump today. Read on @therock the other day instead of why me? Try me! Shits on right shoulder.”
Brian Pillman Jr. recently contacted Lance Storm about training to be a professional wrestler at the Storm Wrestling Academy in Canada. Brian was referred to Storm by Steve Austin.
Brian Jr. was 3 years old when his father passed away on 10/5/1997. Pillman passed away from a previously undetected heart condition that also led to the death of his father several years before.
Below is a photo of the 23 year old and a recent post he made about his father:
After being evaluated by doctors this past week, Finn Balor was not cleared to return to the ring. While his WrestleMania 33 status is still up in the air, The Wrestling Observer reports that he’s still expected to be at WrestleMania 33 in some form.
Balor underwent shoulder surgery after winning the WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam last August and has been out since then. Balor has said in December interviews that his target return date was WrestleMania 33 but apparently the internal target return date has been late February or early March, according to the Wrestling Observer.
Balor recently revealed on Twitter that his full list of injuries from the SummerSlam match were a torn pec, torn labrum, torn biceps, shoulder cartilage damage and a fractured glenoid neck socket.
“Slobberknocker: My Life in Wrestling” from WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross will be released on Tuesday, October 3 of this year. Ross is currently finishing the book with co-author Paul O’Brien.
The hardcover book can be pre-ordered from Amazon for just $24.99 at this link. The book is being published by Sports Publishing.
The full synopsis for “Slobberknocker” can be read below:
There are few people who have been in the wrestling business longer than Jim Ross. And those who have made it as long as he has (half a century to be exact) probably made enemies or burned bridges. But that’s just not JR.
Known as the voice of the WWE, Slobberknocker is the story of Jim Ross’s life?probably the most notable person connected to the sport who has never wrestled. He opens up about his life growing up on a farm in Oklahoma and his discovering of wrestling to somehow getting a foot in the door to the business that started a historic career, one where he held almost every job in the business?from putting up the ring to calling matches, to finding talent, to booking programs, to handling payroll. With all those responsibilities, he’s also recognized as the man who built and nurtured a once-in-a-generation talent roster that took the WWE to new heights, including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock to name a few. Readers will finally get the opportunity to hear never-before-told stories about the politics and personalities of all the biggest stars.
But this isn’t just a wrestling story. It’s a story about overcoming adversity and achieving your dreams. As someone who has suffered multiple bouts of Bell’s Palsy, Ross has never given up on a dream that is still going strong.
Currently the host of the podcast The Ross Report, any fan of wrestling?from the territory days to today?will be enthralled with stories from the road and behind the scenes. Slobberknocker is the first time Ross tells his story?and you don’t want to miss it!
About the Author
Jim Ross has been involved in professional wrestling for over forty years. Elected into the WWE, NWA, and National Wrestling Halls of Fame, he is known and respected throughout the wrestling world. Ross is also a New York Times bestselling author, a BBQ guru, the host of his own podcast (The Ross Report), and can be read through his columns on Fox Sports as well as his work with both CBS Sports, AXS TV, and Britain’s ITV.
Paul O’Brien is a writer from Wexford, Ireland. His self-published Blood Red Turns Dollar Green trilogy has been a bestseller in Canada, Australia, Germany, Mexico, Spain, Italy, the UK, Ireland, and the United States. Currently, Paul has two US TV pilots in development, one of which is based on his Blood Red Turns Dollar Green novels.
RICOCHET TALKS WWE TRYOUT, GOLFING WITH TULLY BLANCHARD, MATT SYDAL’S FUTURE
Former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Ricochet joined Sean Waltman on this week’s X-Pac 12360 podcast, revealing what he wants more than a WWE title, giving an update on tag partner Matt Sydal, and calling Jim Cornette a “bitter old man.”
Here are some highlights sent in by Christy Olson:
How he feels about criticism of his wrestling style?:
“I don’t personally care. I think a lot of that stuff stems from that match I had with [Will] Ospreay in Japan. The thing is, that’s such a small part of what I can do. I think other than Jim Cornette, who’s just you know a bitter old man who wants viewings, other than people like that guy who are just bitter, I could probably find whatever fan out there and show them some match that I’ve done that they would enjoy.”
Wanting to work for WWE, but not right now:
“I have some stuff in New Japan I still want to do. I really want to be IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. I want that belt more than I want any belt in professional wrestling right now. I really want that belt. I really still enjoy Japan. I love going to New Japan. It’s great.”
If he’d mind competing in WWE’s Cruiserweight division:
“If that’s what they had me do I would make the best of it. But I really want to just go a different path. I would like to do the same route that Finn Balor went, or Kevin Owens went, or even now [Samoa] Joe. I’d like to go to NXT, be NXT Champion.”
On his WWE tryout:
“It was hard, maybe one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, because it was just cardio, cardio. They really try to test you and make sure they’re getting some athletes, you know what I mean? So I said, anybody who does that they can do anything, because it was hard.”
What it’s like to hang out with girlfriend Tessa Blanchard’s father, Tully Blanchard:
“He takes me golfing. It’s really cool. I’m horrible at golf, but I love to golf because it’s fun…Just everyday stuff. Like we went out to P.F. Chang’s last night, I think. I was like, I’m eating P.F. Chang’s with Tully Blanchard. It’s funny to me. I think it’s awesome.”
What the future holds for Matt Sydal, Ricochet’s tag partner for two IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship wins:
“The thing is with him, he is the most positive guy. Hanging out with him in Japan was one of my favorite experiences, because he’s so positive and it just rubs off. His brother is the same way. It just rubs off on you. It makes you happy and it makes you positive. So with him I think literally anything is possible. I wouldn’t be surprised anyway. Just his mentality, the way that he thinks, is so forward and positive that I don’t think anything is going to hold him back for anything.”
In a blog post at her official website, former WWE performer AJ Lee reveals that she has been battling bipolar disorder for most of her adult life, a condition characterized by alternating periods of mania and depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, bipolar disorder affects approximately 5.7 million adult Americans, or about 2.6% of the U.S. population age 18 and older. AJ candidly revealed,
“But the interesting thing about ‘flaws’ is that they truly are in the eye of the beholder. Weakness can turn into strength with just a simple shift of perspective. You get to choose. One day I made the choice to stop throwing myself a pity party. I chose to stand up and fight. I would embrace what society taught me to shun. What was once my shameful secret was going to become my secret weapon.
When I harnessed its seemingly uncontrollable might, I realized Bipolar disorder’s powers could be used for good. My diagnosis didn’t have to be an affliction. It could simply be the gift of extraordinary emotions. When a loved one hurt, I could feel their pain with every inch of my skin through my super human ability of empathy. When I witnessed injustice, my anger was transformed into righteous indignation, and nothing could stop me from raising my voice. My passion-fueled soul convinced me to jump into life headfirst, without overthinking. When I was scared, my super-sized heart reminded me I could be invincible. When I doubted myself, my overachieving mind made me believe I was capable of flying. And when I desired something, there was not a person on earth who could hold me back. I could walk through fire if it meant making my dreams come true.”
AJ Lee’s forthcoming autobiography “Crazy Is My Superpower: How I Triumphed by Breaking Bones, Breaking Hearts, and Breaking the Rules” will be released on April 4th and can be pre-ordered now at Amazon.com.
The latest on Seth Rollins’ knee injury is that it could be a torn MCL, which would keep him out of action for about 8 weeks. Rollins’ scheduled match against Samoa Joe at Fastlane on 3/5 is obviously off and it it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to work WrestleMania on 4/2.
WWE held a creative meeting on Wednesday afternoon to discuss alternate WrestleMania plans. Triple H has been training to compete at WrestleMania and he could face Shane MCMahon or even Samoa Joe if Rollins isn’t cleared in time.
Finn Balor, who is recovering from a shoulder injury suffered at the hands of Seth Rollins at SummerSlam, sent Rollins a get well soon card:
– The release date for WWE’s upcoming “Diamond Dallas Page: Positively Living” DVD has been moved from March 21st to April 4th, the day after WrestleMania. DDP is rumored for this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class.
– Ric Flair recently asked his followers what the phrase “lit” means and got a response from the official @Twitter account.
– Referee Charles Robinson was injured during Sunday night’s Royal Rumble match between John Cena and AJ Styles. The foot injury will bench the official, but Robinson pledged to be back in the ring for February’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
Loving my stylish new footwear! Looking forward to being back for @wwe Elimination Chamber in less than two weeks! pic.twitter.com/3bLAi1sy42
WWE has announced that Brock Lesnar vs. Kevin Owens will take place at the March 12th SmackDown live event from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Here’s the full card:
– WWE Champion John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt
– Universal Champion Kevin Owens vs. Brock Lesnar
– Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin vs. The Miz in a triple threat match for the Intercontinental Championship.
– Randy Orton vs. Luke Harper
– American Alpha vs. The Usos for the SmackDown tag team titles
– Dolph Ziggler vs. Apollo Crews
– Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch, Naomi and Tamina vs. Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Natalya and Carmella (with James Ellsworth)
– Rhyno, Heath Slater and Kalisto vs. Breezango & Curt Hawkins
A rumor going around this week is that WWE Champion John Cena will be teaming with girlfriend Nikki Bella at WrestleMania 33 against The Miz and Maryse. Earlier this week, Dave Meltzer reported that he heard about Cena’s WrestleMania match and implied that fans wouldn’t be excited about it. Cena working an inter-gender tag match with his girlfriend does fit that description.
Cena defends the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber later this month against AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt, The Miz, Baron Corbin and Dean Ambrose. After Randy Orton’s Royal Rumble win, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that it won’t be WWE Champion John Cena vs. Orton at WrestleMania. Orton is rumored to be working against Bray Wyatt at Mania, so Cena’s record-tying title reign may be a short one.
It’s also worth noting that in the fallout of Seth Rollins’ knee injury, there has been renewed talk of John Cena feuding with Samoa Joe. Prior to Joe’s surprise debut on RAW, WWE had given serious consideration to Joe working on the SmackDown brand.
Discussion: What do you think of John Cena teaming with Nikki Bella at WrestleMania?
NXT taped TV episodes for February and early March last night at Full Sail University. Below are full spoilers:
2/8 episode:
– SAnitY’s Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe defeated The Bollywood Boyz. After the match, Eric Young cut a promo on Tye Dillinger while Nikki Cross called Asuka out.
– Liv Morgan beat Billie Kay.
– SAnitY attacks Tye Dillinger backstage after he refuses to join them. They brawl to the ring, and Roderick Strong makes the save for Tye with No Way Jose.
– The Revival beat Heavy Machinery. After the match, Revival challenged The Authors of Pain to a NXT Tag Team Championship match at TakeOver. The AoP come out and Paul Ellering takes the mic but Revival attacks from behind after leaving.
– Bobby Roode has his NXT Championship celebration in the ring. He declares that it’s no longer “#WeAreNXT” but “#MyNXT” as in Bobby Roode’s NXT.
– SAnitY defeated Tye Dillinger, No Way Jose and Roderick Strong.
2/15 episode:
– The Authors of Pain defeated local jobbers.
– Billie Kay and Peyton Royce beat Ember Moon and Liv Morgan.
– DIY is out to address their championship loss at TakeOver last weekend. They start talking about theri rematch when Ellering and The AoP interrupt. The rematch will take place in two weeks. The Revival comes in from the crowd and attacks DIY from behind.
– Tyler Bate beat Trent Seven to retain the WWE United Kingdom Championship.
2/22 episode:
– #1 contenders match: Peyton Royce beat Liv Morgan and Ember Moon in a three-way
– Pete Dunne beat Mark Andrews.
– Bobby Roode beat No Way Jose in a non-title match. Roode attacked after the match but Kassius Ohno ran out for the save, leading to Roode granting Ohno a match. Ohno is taking his jacket off when Roode attacks first. Ohno makes the comeback and clears the ring.
3/1 episode:
– Patrick Clark beat Sean Maluta.
– Kassius Ohno comes out and tells Bobby Roode to get to the ring because it’s not over between them. Roode comes from behind and attacks him.
– Asuka retained the NXT Women’s Championship over Peyton Royce. Peyton & Billie double teamed her after the match until Ember Moon made the save and they cleared the ring. Asuka and Ember had a face off.
– The Authors of Pain retained the NXT Tag Team Championships over DIY by DQ after The Revival interfered
– Former English rugby star Eorl Crabtree recently toured the WWE Performance Center and attended a set of NXT tapings, seen in this video. Crabtree predicts a definite future for the WWE in the UK and in regards to the WWE UK tournament, he says WWE is going to be massive for the British Wrestling scene, and that he wants a behind the scenes role. Crabtree’s uncle was UK wrestling legend Big Daddy.
– RAW Superstar Luke Gallows is partnering up with former WWE producer Joey Mercury to open up a pro wrestling school. Called the Bulletproof Dojo, the school will open in Jenkinsburg, Georgia later this year. Mercury will be installed as head trainer while Gallows and other special guests will assist as their schedules permit. For season wrestlers only, camps are scheduled for February 7th to February 9th and February 28th to March 2nd. The cost is $100. Email [email protected] for more information.
– This week’s WWE Main Event episode features Titus O’Neil and The Shining Stars vs. The New Day, plus Bo Dallas vs. Sin Cara. It’s available now on Hulu.
– RAW announcer Corey Graves will be replacing WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler at the Big Event Convention in Queens on March 4th. If you’ve pre-ordered Lawler items to be signed at the convention, you can email [email protected] for an exchange or refund. This will be Graves first convention appearance.
– According to WWE, 52,020 fans were in attendance at this year’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view from the Alamodome. In 1997, the Rumble played the same venue to 60,477 fans.
– Watch the Bella Twins open gifts from their fans and admirers in this new video from their YouTube channel:
Seth Rollins took to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon and issued a statement on his knee injury, also mentioning how he still must get revenge on Triple H.
Rollins’ right knee was re-injured during the RAW segment with Samoa Joe on Monday. WWE has not announced an official update on Rollins’ status as he was just getting examined in Birmingham, AL.
Rollins wrote the following on his Twitter today:
Wanted to take a second to thank everyone who has reached out to me over the last two days. Life doesn't always go your way, but that ….
Corey Graves praised the WWE behind the scenes crew for their hard work during a very busy week. There was NXT Takeover, Royal Rumble, Raw and Smackdown four days in a row. Graves took to Twitter to acknowledge their efforts.
Just wanna send a shout out to our amazing @WWE crew BEHIND the cameras, who worked harder than anybody this week! #respect#homestretch
Wrestling LAD has been uploading a series of videos of people reacting to Roman Reigns coming out at number 30 at the Royal Rumble. Below are three more videos of people flipping out.
