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Impact News: New TNA Champion, Kong Returns, Angle Wrestles

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Last night, TNA hit the “reset” button once again and presented the first edition of Impact Wrestling on Destination America. The show was certainly eventful, with multiple title changes, multiple heel turns, a wild brawl to start the show, head shavings and more. Here are the main news items coming out of the show:

– In the main event, Bobby Lashley recaptured the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Bobby Roode. The title change came after Roode was betrayed by his longtime friend Eric Young. Also during the match, MVP formed a new stable with heel turns by Samoa Joe and Low Ki.

– Kurt Angle announced he was leaving his position as the TNA authority figure and wrestled MVP in a street fight.

– Former TNA Knockout Kong returned for the first time in almost 5 years and went face to face with Havoc.

– Austin Aries captured the X Division championship from Low Ki.

Comment below and tell us what you thought about this new era of Impact Wrestling.

Awesome Kong Returns On TNA Impact Wrestling

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Former TNA Knockout Awesome Kong made a surprise return on Wednesday’s Impact Wrestling premiere on Destination America.

After the Knockouts Battle Royal, Havoc attacked Knockouts champion Taryn Terrell. The lights went out and when the turned back on, Havoc and Kong were face to face in what the announcers called a “fantasy booker’s dream.” A loud “holy shit” chant broke out.

Referees separated the women, but Kong delivered a choke slam to one of the refs and soaked up the cheers.

Kong is back in TNA for the first time in nearly 5 years, last appearing for the promotion back in March 2010. She was under contract with WWE from 2010-2012 and wrestled back in September for the Shine promotion.

Possible Spoiler: Former WWE & TNA Star Backstage At Tonight’s Impact Wrestling

Matt Boone
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Former TNA Knockouts Champion Awesome Kong is backstage at the TNA Impact Wrestling taping at the Manhattan Center in New York City tonight. There is no word yet as to whether or not Kong is returning, or if she’s simply visiting friends at the show.

If Kong were to return to TNA, it would be a bit of a surprise, as she has stated in interviews that she would likely never return to the company.

Below is an excerpt from an interview Kong did in November of last year:

“WWE, everybody dreams to go there. They say they don’t, they’re a liar and they’re in denial. TNA, I don’t know if you’ll ever see me there again. Though I appreciate what I did in TNA, I think I’m past that now.”

(Credit: PWInsider.com)

Backstage Talk On Roman Reigns’ Promos, Recent WWE Attendance Figures

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– There is said to be a lot of talk within WWE about the way Roman Reigns’ promos have been scripted as of late. Many are under the impression that Reigns’ promos have put him in “quicksand” and aren’t helping him reach the next level at all.

– The WWE live event in Hidalgo, Texas on Sunday, January 4th drew approximately 6,000 fans. The WWE RAW show this past Monday night in Corpus Christi, Texas was a sellout, with around 7,000 fans in attendance.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Update On Possibility Of Alberto Del Rio Making TNA Debut On Tonight’s Impact Wrestling

Matt Boone
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As noted, TNA officials badly want Alberto Del Rio (aka Alberto El Patron) to debut with them on their live edition of Impact Wrestling, which airs tonight on Destination America. It appears that it’s pretty unlikely that it is going to happen, because as of two days ago, the two sides weren’t even close to reaching a deal.

Del Rio signing with TNA at any point down the road may even be a long shot, likely due to the fact that he’s receiving so many offers right now, many of which would conflict with TNA.

Additionally, those close to Del Rio have advised him that TNA is nothing more than a sinking ship and does nothing but hurt the careers of talents who work there.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Another Possible WWE HOF Inductee, More On Naomi Being Taken Off Total Divas

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– Pat Patterson is reportedly pushing for his former tag-team partner, “The Crippler” Ray Stevens to be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame this year, particularly because of the fact that it is located in Northern California, where Stevens was a major star during the territory days.

– One of the reasons WWE Diva Naomi was taken off of the cast of Total Divas this season is because of the belief that the show can only have so many storylines centered around married couples having issues. The decision was made to take her off of the show in favor of two single women, Paige and Alicia Fox.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Update On Plans For NXT Involvement At WrestleMania Weekend, NXT Diva On “The Bachelor”

Matt Boone
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– Despite the fact that Triple H was reportedly down on the idea of doing a NXT show during WrestleMania weekend this year, there are in fact plans to have NXT matches during the weekend, likely as part of WrestleMania Fan Axxess.

– NXT Diva Devin Taylor was on the season opener of the popular reality television show “The Bachelor” on January 4th as a contestant under her real name — Brittany Fetkin. On the show, Fetkin was referred to as a “WWE Diva in training.” She ended up being eliminated from the show pretty early on in the season.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Randy Orton Undergoes Surgery This Week?, Update On Plans For His Return

Matt Boone
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As things stand right now, Randy Orton is scheduled to make his in-ring return at the WWE live event on January 17th in Abilene, Texas.

If Orton does return on the 1/17 date in Abilene, it is likely that he underwent the operation for his deviated septum this past week, since he was supposed to be out for just a few short weeks after surgery.

It’s said that WWE timed Orton’s operation so that he would have time to recover and be able to return in time for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 25th.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

WWE Keeping Quiet About Rey Mysterio’s Status, Latest News On His Future

Matt Boone
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WWE is apparently not saying anything regarding Rey Mysterio. The word going around is that everything regarding Mysterio is being kept quiet on both sides.

As noted a few weeks ago, WWE originally had a script put together for Mysterio to do a storyline that was scheduled to begin at the Survivor Series pay-per-view and end at WrestleMania, but the feeling was he was on his way out of the company at that point, so they decided against it.

As things stand now, the Mysterio storyline has been completely dropped and there are no plans for him to be brought back in the sense that the WWE creative team has been told not to worry about coming up with any ideas or plans for him.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Backstage Update On Heath Slater’s Situation, Reason Kidd/Cesaro Were Put Together

Matt Boone
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As noted last week, Heath Slater has been taking time off from WWE for what the company is describing as “personal reasons.” Those reasons stem from the alleged domestic assault incident from the WrestleMania after party in 2011.

Due to Slater’s absence, WWE decided to officially drop the “Slater Gator” tag-team with Heath Slater and Titus O’Neil. Everyone within WWE had been praising Slater’s work in getting over what was viewed as a lower card comedy gimmick.

It appears as though the team of Tyson Kidd and Cesaro was put together due to the fact that the Slater Gator team was dropped, as a way to fill the hole left in the heel-end of the tag-team division.

On non-televised live events, Tyler Breeze has been brought up from NXT to work with O’Neil against Los Matadores.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Update On Jerry Lawler’s Health, More On WWE “Firing” Angle From RAW

Matt Boone
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– As noted earlier this week, WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry Lawler was hospitalized with diverticulitis, which is why he was replaced by Booker T on commentary at this past Monday’s RAW. Lawler was reportedly released from the hospital on Monday, January 5th and is said to be doing a lot better right now.

– Also reported recently, Dolph Ziggler was pulled from the WWE live events scheduled for this weekend as a way to continue the “firing” storyline from RAW. Since then, it has been revealed that both Ryback and Erick Rowan, who were also “fired” on Monday, will not be working the live events this weekend as well.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Potential Spoiler For Tonight’s Impact Taping In NYC – Former Knockouts Champion Backstage

Daniel Pena
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According to PWInsider.com, former TNA Knockouts Champion Awesome Kong is backstage at tonight’s Impact Wrestling taping at the Manhattan Center in New York City. It was not, however, stated whether she has renewed her relationship with TNA.

Kong, who last appeared for TNA in 2010, has repeatedly stated in interviews that she would likely never return to the organization. In this video interview, which was shot in November, she considered TNA a thing of the past.

“WWE, everybody dreams to go there. They say they don’t, they’re a liar and they’re in denial,” Kong said in response to whether she would return to either WWE or TNA if the door was open to. “TNA, I don’t know if you’ll ever see me there again. Though I appreciate what I did in TNA, I think I’m past that now.”

See Photos of Nikki Bella and Dolph Ziggler dating ->

First Photo Of Batista On The Set Of James Bond: Spectre

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– HeymanHustle.com has published exclusive photos from WWE’s recent holiday tour live event from Madison Square Garden feturing The Bella Twins vs. Alicia Fox and Emma with Paige acting as guest referee.

– The official James Bond Twitter account has posted a photo of part-time WWE Superstar Batista on the set of the upcoming James Bond: Spectre movie. Batista plays the villain Mr. Hinx in the movie.

Here he is with Daniel Craig (James Bond) and Léa Seydoux (Madeleine Swann):

Preview Upcoming “Total Divas” Episodes, Poor Attendance To SmackDown, Melina Speaks

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– The next two all-new episodes of Total Divas will center on Eva Marie. The synopsis for this Sunday’s show is as follows: “Eva blindsides Jonathan with news that she should have delivered before they got married. Also: Rosa’s job is threatened; and Nikki retaliates.” It is titled “Baby Not on Board 312.”

The synopsis for the all-new episode airing on Sunday, January 18 reads “Eva is faced with a life-threatening medical issue; Paige gets a bit too close to Nattie in the ring; and what starts out as a friendly competition between Nikki and John escalates into a serious fight.” It is titled “Twin Leaks.”

– Attendance at last night’s SmackDown and Main Event tapings in Laredo, Texas was said to be very poor.

– Former WWE Divas and Women’s Champion Melina, who has not granted many interviews since parting ways with WWE in 2011, spoke to Jim Ross on Tuesday for a Ross Report podcast that will be released next month on PodcastOne.com.

See Photos of Nikki Bella and Dolph Ziggler dating ->

When Did WWE Decide To Add Seth Rollins To Royal Rumble Main Event?, WWE Tryout Camp Notes

Matt Boone
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– The decision to add Seth Rollins into the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view main event with Brock Lesnar and John Cena was made at some point in the past two weeks.

– WWE is scheduled to hold another tryout camp three weeks from now at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The word going around is that there will be a lot of women trying out for the company during this latest camp.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Former WWE Diva Kaitlyn Blogs About The One-Year Anniversary Of Her Leaving WWE

Matt Boone
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Former WWE Diva Kaitlyn posted the following on Instagram today, which marks one-year since she requested her release from WWE.

“Today marks one year that I asked for my release from the WWE. The beginning of 2014 began on a very bitter sweet note for me. I made a life changing decision to leave the WWE and completely change my path in life. Needless to say, 2014 turned out to be the greatest year of my life personally and professionally.

While I had a wild ride with WWE and did some really cool shit, I was very unhappy the last 6 months that I was there. After having a phenomenal year with the company, I was on a downward slope. I was mostly unhappy with myself physically and it began to affect my emotional state. I had health and weight issues which in turn negatively affected my career.

I reached a breaking point and decided that I wanted to be happy and take control of my life. It was the hardest decision that I have ever faced. But if you never take risks you will Never know what could’ve been.

I am incredibly thankful for my time and experiences with WWE. WWE is a part of my story and part of who I am.

While I do miss it from time to time, I’m making strides in the shoot game of life :) 2014 marks the year that I said goodbye to my WWE family, married my soul mate, launched my own business and found myself again.

2015 has some big ass shoes to fill.”

Triple H Talks To Michael Cole About Firings On RAW, Sting, The Authority’s Return

Matt Boone
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The latest edition of Michael Cole’s weekly sit-down interview, which features the return of Triple H, is now available.

On this week’s interview, Triple H talks in-depth about the return of The Authority and the angles from RAW, namely the “firing” storyline involving Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan.

HHH also brought up Sting, noting that “he has had his 15 seconds of fame.”

As noted earlier today, Seth Rollins did not appear on “Miz TV” at the SmackDown tapings on Tuesday night as was advertised on Monday’s RAW. HHH revealed during the interview that Rollins wouldn’t be appearing on the talk show segment, because “he doesn’t need to be.”

You can check out the complete Michael Cole sit-down interview with “The Game” above.

ROH Champion Jay Briscoe Talks CM Punk Going To UFC, Success Of Stars In NXT

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The following are highlights of a new Chad Dukes Wrestling Show interview with Ring of Honor Champion Jay Briscoe:

On his gruesome shoulder injury in 2013: “It was pretty nasty, man. They said they could have did surgery for it and drove a screw down screwed the shoulder bone back into my arm but they said I would have been out for a while. So I just kinda let it heal on its own and now I guess it’s gonna be popped up like this until I get it taken care of. It’s not too bad I’ve learned to live with it.”

On the success of ROH and independent stars in NXT: “I think it’s awesome. You see people like Claudio (Cesaro) on TV, I mean that’s my friend, I’m watching my friend succeed on TV, it’s cool being able to watch that. All the guys now in NXT seems like they’re just blowing up. It just shows that what we’re doing here in Ring of Honor, it’s almost like a proving ground. If you can do your thing and you can succeed here, it pretty much proves that you can handle it, you’ve got what it takes.”

On CM Punk: “Punk’s my boy and he’s a determined dude if he puts his mind to something. I wish him all the luck in the world and I think he’s gonna surprise some people, man.”

Check out the complete interview at ChadDukesWrestlingShow.com.

New Additions To Official WWE Roster, Stephanie Hosting Twitter Event, WWE Network Updates

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– Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury, who have been appearing as henchman for The Authority in recent weeks, have been officially added to the current WWE roster page on WWE.com. Both are listed as members of Raw.

– On Twitter, fans can join Stephanie McMahon and @WWEmoms at 7 pm ET (4 pm PT) on Thursday as they promote the WWE Fit Series: Stephanie McMahon DVD. Click here for additional details.

– The latest updates to the WWE Network vault are as follows: Prime Time Wrestling (May 19, 1986), Raw (April 1, 1996), Raw (November 24, 2014), Raw (December 1, 2014). The April 1, 1996 episode of Raw took place the night after WrestleMania XXII, and included the in-ring debuts of Mankind and Marc Mero, as well as Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with new WWF Champion Shawn Michaels.

See Photos of Nikki Bella and Dolph Ziggler dating ->

Rollins Signing In Philly Before The Rumble, Barry Horowitz Profiled By Rolling Stone

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– The latest episode of Monday Night War on the WWE Network featuring Vince Russo is getting rave reviews from fans, with many calling it the best installment of the series thus far. If you haven’t seen it yet, definitely check it out.

– RollingStone.com has published a feature looking at former WWE “enhancement talent” Barry Horowitz, who spoke about his runs in WWE and WCW as well as his beef with rapper Action Bronson.

– Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins will be appering at the Adventureland Store in Philadelphia, PA on Sunday, January 25th, the day of the Royal Rumble. The event takes place from 10am-12pm. For more information, click here.

Dixie Carter On Ross Report Now Available, Taz’s New Podcast Launches Today

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– TNA commentator Taz launches his new official weekly podcast today. The first guest on Taz’s show is WWE Hall Of Famer Edge. You can listen to the show by going to Radio.com.

– TNA President Dixie Carter is featured on the latest edition of Jim Ross’ weekly “Ross Report,” which is available now. The official description for the show reads as follows:

TRR – Ep47 – TNA’s Dixie Carter

“JR has TNA President Dixie Carter! She’s talking all about their new TV deal with Destination America and the debut of their new TV show tomorrow (Wed) night! They also discuss Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, Vince Russo, the Impact name and brand, live touring vs TV, and the state of the wrestling biz today. It’s an interesting and insightful conversation!”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

Lucha Underground Preview For Tonight: First Ever Champion To Be Crowned

Matt Boone
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Lucha Underground returns to the El Rey Network tonight for the latest edition of their weekly television show.

On tonight’s edition of Lucha Underground, the main event will feature 19 luchadores facing off in a Royal Rumble style match to determine the first ever Lucha Underground Champion.

The official video promo for the show can be seen below.

Hulk Hogan On Chris Jericho’s Podcast, Seth Rollins Appearance Note

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– WWE Superstar Seth Rollins will be appearing at the Adventureland Store at the Voorhees Town Center in Voorhees, New Jersey for a “meet and greet” from 10am-12pm on Sunday, January 25th. For more information, visit AdventurelandStore.com.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan is the special guest on today’s edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk is Jericho” podcast. The official description for the show, which features part one of the Hogan interview (part two will be available on Friday’s edition of the show) reads as follows:

TIJ – EP106 – Hulk Hogan Pt1 & the infamous Speewee

“Hulkamania is taking over “Talk Is Jericho”! One of the most iconic wrestlers in history sits down with Y2J & talks about his own wrestling heroes, why he loved working in Japan, his role in the Rocky movie, his first meeting with Vince McMahon Sr, working for Verne Gagne, and taking a chance with WWF and his hot & cold relationship with Vince Jr. Plus, Chris’ friend Speewee, one of the masterminds behind the greatest rib ever pulled on Y2J, joins the show to explain how he put one over on Jericho!”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

Dixie Carter On Impact Wrestling Moving To Friday, Possibility Of Doing More Live Shows

Matt Boone
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The following are highlights of a new Sporting News interview with TNA President Dixie Carter:

On if she likes Impact Wrestling being moved to Friday nights on Destination America: “I think I’ll tell you in a few months if I like being on Friday nights.

They presented us with a lot of research and felt very strongly about Friday nights being a potential for them. +3’s is how people look at ratings nowadays, it’s not overnight ratings. With your +3 numbers, you have a much bigger chance for your +3 number over a weekend versus only, like if we were staying on Wednesday, that would be Thursday, Friday and you would have part of Saturday. It’s just an overall strategy. They feel really strongly about it. Wrestling has been successful on Friday nights and is no longer there and so we’ll see how we’ll do.”

On the possibility of TNA airing Impact Wrestling live on a regular basis: “I think that where we want to go from a production and a feel standpoint from the show does not work going live. It does not allow us to do the kind of things that we’re going to want to do because there’s just a lot of post-production time involved in it. So, we’ll have to see. We can always go live and it can be a show like it will be this Wednesday and it’s going to great action and lots of surprises and just be an amazing show that you’re not going to want to miss but I think where we’re going to try to take the show is definitely going to take post-production time and we’re not going to be able to pull off all the bells and whistles we want if we try to go live.”

Check out the complete interview at SportingNews.com.

Dolph Ziggler Pulled From Weekend WWE Live Events

Matt Boone
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In what is likely a follow-up to the “firing” storyline from Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, Dolph Ziggler has been removed from the advertised lineups for this coming weekend’s WWE live events. Ziggler has been replaced on the shows by the new WWE Intercontinental Champion, Bad News Barrett.

As things stand right now, Ryback and Erick Rowan have not been removed from the lineups, despite the fact that they too were “fired” on Monday’s show.

It’s possible that fans at the live events this weekend will be told that Ryback and Rowan are “fulfilling contractual obligations,” or something along those lines, as a way of getting around the television storyline, as that is how WWE has handled similar situations like this in the past.

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