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Update On Hall & Nash At RAW Reunion, Details On New Episode Of WWE Countdown

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– The first new episode of WWE Countdown will air on the WWE Network next Monday, January 5th, immediately after WWE RAW at 11:06pm EST. The show will count down the “biggest cry-babies of all-time.”

– Regarding the upcoming RAW Reunion show on January 19th in Dallas, Texas, it’s worth mentioning that WWE is billing Scott Hall as Razor Ramon and Kevin Nash under his real name. As noted on Sunday, Nash has reportedly been pulled from the event following the recent domestic incident with his son, however he is still listed in the advertising for the event on the official WWE website. Also scheduled to appear on the show are Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan.

  • Backstage News On WWE Keeping BRAY WYATT Strong For THE UNDERTAKER At WRESTLEMANIA 31
  • Update On Randy Orton, HBK Book Tour, WWE’s Top Unexpected Breakout Stars

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    WWE.com has published a feature looking at 2014’s most unexpected breakout stars, including Damien Mizdow, Stardust, Jack Swagger and The Bunny.

    – Shawn Michaels noted on Twitter that he is working on finalizing a book signing tour for early 2015. “Wrestling For My Life: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar” is scheduled to be released on February 10th.

    – Saturday night’s WWE’s Tribute to The Troops special on drew 1.55 million viewers. By comparison, the USA Network Troops special that aired last Wednesday night drew 2,230,000 viewers.

    – Randy Orton defeated Kane via pinfall at Sunday night’s WWE Live Event from Hershey, PA. After being pulled from the previous night’s live event (yet doing a run-in during the main event), Orton wrestled an 8-minute match and did not seem to be injured last night.

    WWE RAW Preview: Edge & Christian Host, Brock Lesnar & More

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    Here’s a preview for tonight’s episode of WWE RAW takes place from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., the final show of 2014:

    – Former WWE Tag Team Champions Edge & Christian are will serve as special guest hosts.

    – WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is advertised and will continue the hype for his title defense against John Cena at next month’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

    – Randy Orton is scheduled to return after being written off TV several weeks ago at the hands of Seth Rollins. Orton was back on the road with WWE for this past weekend’s holiday live events.

    – NXT tag team The Ascension is scheduled to make their main roster debut.

    The advertised dark match main event will see John Cena & Orton teaming up against Seth Rollins and Big Show. 

    As always, join us here tonight for our Live Coverage of WWE RAW.

    Finn Balor Speaks On Learning At The Performance Center, Busy NXT Schedule

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    The following are highlights of a new Finn Balor interview from The Score:

    On being in WWE: “It’s kind of like the culmination of 14 years hard work. At the beginning, I just wanted to have a wrestling match, and I did that in England. I just took it step by step and to be here in WWE — it’s a real feeling of achievement. But now that I’m here, I want to achieve more. So this is the beginning of a whole new chapter for me. It’s been an incredible experience so far and I’m just looking forward to seeing what happens in the future. WWE is the biggest wrestling company in the world, and it is that for a reason.”

    On learning at the WWE Performance Center: “The coaches here include Billy Gunn, Matt Bloom, Norman Smiley and Terry Taylor… So there’s just a wealth of experience to learn from. It’s really been like the floodgates have opened for me. The amount I’ve learned in the last three or four months here has surpassed what I learned in the past three or four years before that.”

    On the busy schedule in NXT: “The schedule here [is manic]. We’re working six days a week. We train in the ring three hours in the morning and an hour and a half in the weight room in the afternoon Monday to Friday. Then Thursday, Friday and Saturday we have shows in the evening where we’re competing. So there’s very little free time to get home, and at the moment, it’s all eyes on the prize, and training to build my career in NXT.”

    Check out the complete interview at TheScore.ie.

  • * Backstage News On WWE Keeping BRAY WYATT Strong For THE UNDERTAKER At WrestleMania 31
  • Paige Comments On Her MSG Debut, Eden’s Video Blog Looks At New Rhodes Tradition

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    – WWE Diva Paige wrote the following on Twitter about her debut at Madison Square Garden, which took place this past Friday night.

    https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/548686468936654848

    – The latest edition of Eden’s video blog looks at a new “Rhodes family tradition.” You can check that out below.

  • * Backstage News On WWE Keeping BRAY WYATT Strong For THE UNDERTAKER At WrestleMania 31
  • Tribute To The Troops On WWE Network On 1/2, Next “Beyond The Ring” Special

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    – The 2014 WWE Tribute to the Troops special is scheduled to premiere on the WWE Network on Friday, January 2nd at 3pm EST.

    – Speaking of the WWE Network, the next “Beyond the Ring” special will be the documentary portion of the “Wrestling’s Most Powerful Families” DVD, which was released back in 2007.

  • * Backstage News On WWE Keeping BRAY WYATT Strong For THE UNDERTAKER At WrestleMania 31
  • Kevin Nash Pulled From RAW Reunion Special On January 19th

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    Kevin Nash will not be appearing at the upcoming “RAW Reunion” special on January 19th in Dallas, Texas.

    Nash was originally scheduled to appear along with Scott Hall, Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels, however WWE pulled him from the show due to the recent domestic incident with his son that led to his arrest.

    As noted, WWE also suspended Nash from his “Legends” contract due to the same incident.

  • * Backstage News On WWE Keeping BRAY WYATT Strong For THE UNDERTAKER At WrestleMania 31

    (Credit: WrestlingINC.com)

  • Heath Slater Given Time Off To Deal With His Legal Issues?

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    It appears as though WWE has given Heath Slater time off while he deals with legal issues stemming from an alleged assault incident at the WrestleMania 27 after-party a few years ago.

    As noted earlier this month, a misdemeanor arrest warrant was issued for Slater. Slater subsequently issued a statement claiming his innocence and pointing out his confidence that the charges would ultimately be dismissed. WWE also issued a statement and claimed they would take the appropriate action once they received details on the warrant.

    Slater’s last WWE match was at the SmackDown tapings on November 25th, just one week prior to the arrest warrant being issued. NXT star Tyler Breeze has apparently replaced Slater on the current holiday tour.

  • * Backstage News On WWE Keeping BRAY WYATT Strong For THE UNDERTAKER At WrestleMania 31
  • Jeff Jarrett Talks TNA’s New TV Deal, Talent Scouting For GFW, Wrestle Kingdom 9

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    The following are highlights of a new In Your Head Wrestling interview with Global Force Wrestling founder Jeff Jarrett:

    How did the deal with New Japan to promote Wrestle Kingdom 9 come about? Was this something that GFW wanted to do or something New Japan wanted to do to get into the North American market?

    “Well, a little of both. Back in April of 2014 when I announced the formation of my company and founded Global Force Wrestling, I had already been talking to the partners around the world and piecing things together. New Japan approached me and knew that they wanted to bring their product to the North American audience. It became real obvious real quick that what better way than to pick their biggest event, this is the 24th year, the annual Tokyo Dome show,…to really make a splash on the North American scene with the New Japan product. So we started piecing things together, and quite frankly we couldn’t be happier with where we’re at now: The Bullet Club red hot, Jim Ross getting on board, Matt Striker, all the videos and promotional stuff that we’ve put out, the buzz, the excitement. It all just sort of came together one thing after another and it has shaped up very nicely, and I’m really excited for January 4th.”

    Are the plans for GFW in the future to do more shows like Wrestle Kingdom 9 where you present different wrestling from around the world or will you have your own roster and have more of a traditional wrestling program?

    “The answer is both. In 2015 we will continue the rollout of Global Force Wrestling. I am talking with several international companies about bringing their product to North America. We are in the process, and there was a press conference December 22nd in South Africa and we have big plans down there in 2015. Then there is the stand-alone company with talent and sponsorship and venue and distribution and everything that goes together; that rollout will continue in 2015 as well.”

    Have you seen a lot of guys on the Independent scene that you would like to bring into GFW?

    “Absolutely. I’ve said it dating back to February of this year that I believe the professional wrestling business is just on the cusp of a boom period and I think a big component of that is that wrestling is healthy, and wrestling’s healthy because the free-agent market …I don’t like to refer to it as the Indy wrestlers; they may be independent promotions but I like to call them free-agents…is red hot. I’m sitting in my office right now and there’s a white board and there are 64 names on it and 48 of them are guys who have never worked for a major company with worldwide distribution. The Independent scene is red hot in my opinion.”

    What do you think about TNA’s new television deal with Destination America?

    “Thank the Lord that they got a deal. You know there was a couple of months there that I didn’t know, and certainly anybody else didn’t know, and there were reports online…I don’t think it would’ve been good for the industry whatsoever. Remove the fact that I’m still a minority owner; the wrestling business is my passion and I want everyone to succeed and I think there’s plenty of room. You have ROH in the syndication market and they’re just entering into the pay-per-view world. You have TNA with Destination America. You have New Japan coming on AXS TV. You have El Rey with Lucha Underground. You have Global Force – we’re going to continue our rollout. With all of that being said, the WWE still probably has 75, 80, 85, 90 percent of the market share. Other promotions need to be healthy.”

    Check out the complete interview at IYHWrestling.com.

  • * Backstage News On WWE Keeping BRAY WYATT Strong For THE UNDERTAKER At WrestleMania 31
  • New Name For Cesaro & Tyson Kidd’s Tag-Team, RVD & Sabu To Reunite As A Team

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    – Rob Van Dam and Sabu are scheduled to reunite as a tag-team for the first time in nine years at the 2015 WrestleCon event during WrestleMania 31 weekend in the Bay Area. Van Dam will not be appearing at the 2015 WWE Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, as he and Sabu will be wrestling at the independent event at WrestleCon that Saturday evening.

    – Cesaro and Tyson Kidd are now calling their new tag-team “The Masters of the WWE Universe.” Below is a photo of the two at the WWE live event in Chicago, Illinois on Friday night.

    Latest News Regarding Chris Jericho’s WWE Status, Possible WrestleMania 31 Appearance

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    At last word, Chris Jericho’s current deal with WWE calls for 15 live events and no television appearances during January and February. After that, he is scheduled to go back on the road with Fozzy for a European tour from March 4th through March 19th.

    Jericho’s status for WrestleMania 31, which is on March 29th, is said to be up in the air, however it’s looking likely that he will not be appearing on the show. Having said that, there are those who feel if Vince McMahon wants him bad enough, he could appear.

    Recently, the plan was to keep Jericho off of television so that his return would mean more, although he has already worked two television shows since November.

  • Backstage News On WWE Keeping BRAY WYATT Strong For THE UNDERTAKER At WrestleMania 31

    (Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Update: Randy Orton Does Run-In At Saturday Night’s WWE Live Event

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    Randy Orton did not wrestle at Saturday night’s WWE live event from Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum as advertised, but did a run-in at the conclusion of the show, gave RKO’s to Seth Rollins and Kane and helped John Cena win his match.

    WWE announced that Orton wouldn’t be competing at the start of the show. There has been some speculation that he was injured on Friday night, which is why he did appear but didn’t work a full match.

    He returned to the ring the previous night at Madison Square Garden (photos) after taking several weeks off to film the WWE Studios movie The Condemned 2.

    Here’s a photo of Orton backstage Saturday night:

    WWE Keeping Bray Wyatt Strong For Undertaker, Graves Retirement Note

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    – WWE executives have been planning on making the announcement that NXT star Corey Graves was going to be retiring from in-ring competition and moving to his new announcer role since the summer.

    – WWE officials are said to be afraid of hurting Bray Wyatt by having him lose to Dean Ambrose in their series of matches recently. The plan is to keep Wyatt strong in case the rumored match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 31 comes to fruition.

    • MAJOR Backstage Heat On AJ Lee For Her Slammy Awards Speech AND A Separate Incident (Full Story)

    (News from The Wrestling Observer was used in this post. Visit F4WOnline.com for subscription information.)

    Rob Van Dam Comments On His WWE Status, Jesse Jackson Backstage At WWE Event

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    – Part-time WWE Superstar Rob Van Dam told a fan on Twitter recently that he’s still “between contracts” with WWE. He also noted that, “full time on the road = no real life. Associates < family."

    – Jesse Jackson and his family were backstage at the WWE live event in Chicago, Illinois on Friday night. Jackson is friends with WWE Superstar Titus O'Neil.

  • MAJOR Backstage Heat On AJ Lee For Her Slammy Awards Speech AND A Separate Incident (Full Story)
  • Randy Orton & Bad News Barrett Returned This Weekend

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    – Randy Orton made his in-ring return at the WWE live event in Madison Square Garden this past Friday night. Orton, who has been away shooting the WWE Studios film “The Condemned 2,” defeated Kane in singles action.

    – Also back in action on Friday night was Bad News Barrett, who appeared at the live event in Chicago, Illinois. Barrett cut a promo and said he wouldn’t be wrestling on the show because Chicago is a “second-class city.” Barrett has been on the sidelines since June with a shoulder injury.

  • MAJOR Backstage Heat On AJ Lee For Her Slammy Awards Speech AND A Separate Incident (Full Story)
  • Sheamus Buys A DeLorean (Photo), WWE Checks For CM Punk Signs In Chicago

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    – WWE security was said to be checking for and removing any CM Punk signs in attendance at the WWE live event this past Friday night in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois.

    TMZ has an article up on their website about WWE Superstar Sheamus buying a DeLorean motor vehicle, one that gained fame in the “Back to the Future” movie franchise. Sheamus purchased the car for $55,000 last weekend from “Just Toys Classic Cars” in Orlando, Florida. Below is a photo of Sheamus with the vehicle.

  • MAJOR Backstage Heat On AJ Lee For Her Slammy Awards Speech AND A Separate Incident (Full Story)
  • Update: Kevin Nash Not Appearing At Tonight’s MCW Show

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    Kevin Nash will not be appearing at tonight’s Maryland Championship Wrestling show from Joppa, MD, despite a message on the company website stating that he will in fact be there ‘contrary to Internet rumors.’

    WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley will be taking his place. Former WWE talents Matt Sydal and Melina will also be in attendance.

    Nash will be appearing for MCW some time in 2015.

    Mickie James Engaged To TNA Star Magnus

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    Former WWE and TNA wrestler Mickie James announced on Instagram that she is now engaged to TNA star Magnus. The two had a son back in September named Donovan Patrick Aldis. Here’s a photo of the ring:

    Video: WWE Ranks The Top 25 Matches Of 2014

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    WWE.com has published a feature ranking the Top 25 Matches of 2015. Here’s their top 10:

    #10 The Usos vs. The Wyatt Family — 2-out-of-3-Falls WWE Tag Team Championship Match (WWE Battleground)

    #9 Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro (NXT ArRIVAL)

    #8 Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (WrestleMania 30)

    #7 Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Batista — Triple Threat WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match (WrestleMania 30)

    #6 Natalya vs. Charlotte — NXT Women’s Championship Match (NXT TakeOver)

    #5 The Shield vs. Evolution (Extreme Rules)

    #4 Adrian Neville vs. Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Tyson Kidd — Fatal 4-Way NXT Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way)

    #3 The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family (Elimination Chamber)

    #2 Adrian Neville vs. Sami Zayn — NXT Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: R Evolution)

    #1 Team Cena (John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Ryback & Erick Rowan) vs. Team Authority (Seth Rollins, Kane, Rusev, Luke Harper & Mark Henry) — Traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match (Survivor Series)

    Photos: TNA To Introduce New Knockouts Title In 2015

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    TNA tweeted a photo for the holidays of the company’s championship belts under a Christmas tree. TNAInsider.com noticed that the TNA Knockouts championship has been upgraded. The design of the belt is similar, but the belt now has a black strap (instead of white) and the highlight colors are blue instead of red.

    Return Of WWE Rivalries On Monday, Cousin Of WWE Star On American Idol

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    – The next edition of “WWE Rivalries,” which focuses on the feud between The Hardy Boys and Edge & Christian, will air this coming Monday night on the WWE Network immediately following WWE RAW. It will air again on Tuesday night.

    – Reno Anoa’i, who is the nephew of WWE Hall Of Famers Afa and Sika, and is the cousin of Samu, Afa Jr. and Roman Reigns, will be competing on the next season of American Idol. Reno has been singing for years and is very involved in the Samoan church in San Francisco, California.

  • MAJOR Backstage Heat On AJ Lee For Her Slammy Awards Speech AND A Separate Incident (Full Story)
  • More Details & Confirmed Matches For WWE’s New DVD & Blu-ray On The Shield

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    As we noted recently, WWE will be releasing a new DVD and Blu-ray set called “The Destruction of The Shield” on February 17, 2015. According to WrestlingDVDNews.com, there will be a documentary, as well as an interview with Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose airing before and after each match on the set.

    The following matches are confirmed thus far for the project.

    – Roman Reigns on FCW Triple Threat Match
    – Triple Threat Match: Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins vs. Leakee, FCW • February 5, 2012

    – Dean Ambrose on United States Championship
    – United States Championship Match: Dean Ambrose vs. Kofi Kingston, Extreme Rules • May 19, 2013

    – Roman Reigns on WWE Tag Team Championship
    – Tornado Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship: Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins vs. Team Hell No, Extreme Rules • May 19, 2013

  • MAJOR Backstage Heat On AJ Lee For Her Slammy Awards Speech AND A Separate Incident (Full Story)
  • WWE Releasing New Ultimate Warrior Documentary, NXT Diva Talks Recovering From Injury

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    – WWE is scheduled to release a new Ultimate Warrior DVD and Blu-ray on April 14, 2015. The project is called “Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe” and is expected to feature a new documentary.

    – In the following video, NXT Diva Bayley talks with NXT announcer Rich Brennan about her recovery from a knee injury and drawing inspiration from Triple H. She also sends a message to “Team BAE’s” Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch.

  • MAJOR Backstage Heat On AJ Lee For Her Slammy Awards Speech AND A Separate Incident (Full Story)
  • Big Rematch Set For Next Week’s NXT, Matt Hardy & Reby Sky Reveal Baby Gender (Video)

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    – A tag-team rematch from NXT Takeover: R Evolution between The Ascension and the team of Hideo Itami and Finn Balor is confirmed to take place on next week’s edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network.

    – As noted a few weeks ago, Matt Hardy and his wife — Reby Sky — are expecting their first child together. In the video below, they reveal that they are having a boy.

  • MAJOR Backstage Heat On AJ Lee For Her Slammy Awards Speech AND A Separate Incident (Full Story)
  • Kevin Nash To Wrestle For MCW Tonight

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    Suspended WWE legend Kevin Nash will be making an appearance at the Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW) “Season’s Beatings” event in Joppa, Maryland tonight.

    Nash will be teaming with the Fed-Up tag-team to compete in a six-man tag-team match against Buck Chyld, Justin Schlegel and Ken Dixon. Nash will also take part in a pre-show meet and great.

    For more information, visit MarylandWrestling.com.

  • MAJOR Backstage Heat On AJ Lee For Her Slammy Awards Speech AND A Separate Incident (Full Story)