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Ric Flair Says He Sees Himself In MJF

Chris Stephens
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Ric Flair spent some time on his Wooo Nation podcast recently speaking about Maxwell Jacob Friedman. Some comparisons were made between MJF and Roddy Piper during the show. According to Flair, however, he sees more of himself in Friedman than Piper.

“I’m not taking away from Roddy, Roddy didn’t brag about his clothes and stuff like that,” Flair said. “This kid, what makes him different is he’s talking about the material things and he implies that he has the material things that other people don’t have and that really pisses people off, especially when it’s true.”

Flair continued to praise MJF’s work as a heel. He noted that being a “bad guy” in the way MJF is means not signing autographs for fans. It also means keeping up the character in public.

“If I saw that kid signing an autograph at the parking lot of the building, I’d never talk to him again,” Flair continued. “He’s so damn good at what he’s doing and it really catches my attention but I’ve seen so many guys in this business who go out and be a heel on TV, then they’re out in the parking lot signing autographs.”

“I used to walk through the airport with Hunter and we would say ‘Bad guys don’t sign.’ Standard answer: ‘bad boys don’t sign.’ “

MJF headlined last week’s edition of AEW Dynamite. The show took place in one of Flair’s old stomping grounds, the Greensboro Coliseum. MJF’s team with FTR was defeated by Sting, CM Punk, and Darby Allin.

The full podcast can be viewed in the player below:

H/T To Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions.

Top WWE Stars Pulled From MSG Event Amid Covid-19 Outbreak

Ryan Droste
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WWE is making some major changes to tonight’s live events in New York City and Tampa, all while the company continues to deal with a Covid-19 outbreak with their performers and staff. While we can’t say for certain that the changes are due to the outbreak, four big names are not present tonight at Madison Square Garden who were advertised previously, and further changes are also being made to the main event tonight in Tampa.

Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins vs. Big E in a triple threat steel cage match and Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch in a steel cage match were advertised for the MSG show tonight. According to PWInsider, Rollins, Lynch, Big E, and Belair are not at the show. The report notes that Edge is now being brought in for the show as a replacement, and he is now scheduled to work a match on the show. Natalya will also now be appearing.

Madison Square Garden did announce this afternoon that an NXT title match between Tommaso Ciampa and Pete Dunne has been added to the show. However, it should be noted that that match has previously been planned for the Raw tour this week.

The PWInsider report also notes that changes are in store for the WWE live event in Tampa tonight as well. The advertised main event there has been Roman Reigns and The Usos vs. Drew McIntyre and The New Day. Plus, a women’s match featuring Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks in a Street Fight. We’re not aware of what changes are set to be made as of right now.

WWE’s ticket sales for the MSG show tonight in particular have been disappointing, with the live attendance looking to be WWE’s lowest at the venue since 2004. As of this afternoon, only about 51% of the tickets had been distributed based on the setup for the show. Post-Christmas shows at the Garden have typically been hot tickets in years past.

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.

WWE COVID-19 Outbreak Update, More Cases Confirmed, Holiday Tour Plans

Sammy Guevara Comments on Losing the AEW TNT Title

Ryan Droste
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Sammy Guevara’s AEW TNT Championship reign came to end last night on AEW Rampage: Holiday Bash (taped Wednesday night in Greensboro). Guevara lost the title to Cody Rhodes, making Rhodes a three-time TNT Champion in the process.

Guevara won the title from Miro back on September 29th of this year on AEW Dynamite, making his reign a grand total of 84 days. It’s fair to say that most expected the reign to last even longer, and Guevara dropping the title at this point was a bit of a surprise as it seemed like his run had a bit of juice left.

Guevara took to Twitter to comment on his loss, writing, “What a beautiful life, 11 years of Blood, Sweat & Scars got me here. The ups and the downs, I wouldn’t change a thing. It wasn’t my night but it doesn’t mean tomorrow won’t be. The journey continues.”

Guevara kicked out of the Cross Rhodes at one point during the match on Rampage. He followed that up with a GTH and 450 Splash attempt, but Cody got his knees up. Rhodes then hit two Cross Rhodes and a Tiger Drive to earn the pinfall. He was presented the TNT title belt by David Crockett after the match.

Rhodes definitely received a mixed reaction to the victory by the crowd in Greensboro. It will be interesting to see which direction his character continues to take and whether or not Cody finally considers a full heel turn moving forward.

After the match, Rhodes got on the mic and made a comment to live the crowd about having “a feeling” in his “heel,” teasing a possible turn. He was then confronted by Team Taz member Hook, who came out and slapped Rhodes, teasing a possible program between the two.

What do you think is next for Sammy Guevara? Which direction do you think the Cody Rhodes character should go? Let us know in the comments section below.

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.

Bianca Belair On What She Is Looking Forward To In 2022

Anutosh Bajpai
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2021 was a strange year for Bianca Belair. From winning her first championship in WWE at WrestleMania 37 to losing the title in a disheartening manner at SummerSlam, the year brought a lot of surprises for the female star. The former champion recently had an interview with Milwaukee Record. She talked about things such as her time in NXT and more.

When asked about the upcoming year and what she is looking forward to the most, Bianca claimed that despite the downfalls, 2021 was an amazing year for her. She then said that she would like to win the SmackDown women’s championship back:

“2021 was an amazing year, you know. So amazing that even through my downfalls in 2021, it’s just that I’ve had so many successes that my momentum has been able to just keep going and it’s been amazing.

I just want to continue to carry that momentum into 2022. What I can say, I think that one thing that can make 2022 really just top 2021, not even top 2021, but just make it all just come full circle is to eventually get back my title from Becky Lynch. So that’s really what I’m looking forward to in 2022.”

She was also asked if there is anyone in particular in NXT that helped her become who she is and the EST took the name of Sara Amato, better known by her ring name Sara Del Rey. Apart from this, Bianca Belair talked about her decision to open up about her mental health issues, celebrating Christmas in WWE, and more.

Bianca Belair On Her Thoughts On NXT 2.0

The Bella Twins On Why They Briefly Left WWE In 2012

Anutosh Bajpai
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The Bella Twins have been with WWE for the most part since they signed with the company in 2007, except for a brief period. The sisters left WWE back in April 2012 for a while before returning to the organization almost a year later in March 2013.

During their recent appearance on Wrestling with Freddie, the former champions talked about the dark days of women’s wrestling and more. They also explained the reasoning for their sudden departure from the promotion back in the day.

Nikki Bella explained that The Bella Twins had signed a 5-year contract with WWE when they first got into the company. Their contracts were coming up and they weren’t happy with how women were being treated in the promotion:

“Our five years were coming up. I remember at that point; Brie and I just did not like how women were treated in WWE. Two-minute matches but were allowed ten minutes on live events. While we were working hard on live events, we were never allowed a showcase on TV and our stories didn’t have depth and we just weren’t treated right.”

The Bella Twins On Why They Refused To Re-Sign

The former Diva’s champion continued by saying that they tried to remind the officials about their contracts but they couldn’t get a response. The duo ultimately decided to stop reminding the company. The officials finally reached out to them when their contract had already expired and the female stars decided not to renew them:

“They were like ‘we’ll give you these stories,’ and I was like, you couldn’t even have a conversation with me. I remember we’d just had this conversation and I said ‘we’re leaving.’ They still probably thought Brie and I were going to sign after the show or that week, they kept calling. Literally, when we left RAW in Chicago, after the championship match, we left and that was it.”

Nikki Bella defeated Beth Phoenix to win the Diva’s championship during the April 23, 2012 episode of Raw. Her contract expired the day after the championship win. Nikki dropped the title to Layla the following Sunday at Extreme Rules after The Bella Twins informed the officials of their decision. They had a rematch for the title on the Raw after the PPV and the twins left the company after that show

The Bella Twins Recall the Dark Days of Women’s Wrestling in WWE

H/t to WrestlingInc for the transcribed quotes

Wrestling World Remembers Brodie Lee On 1 Year Anniversary Of His Passing

Anutosh Bajpai
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The wrestling world has come together to remember the late Jon Huber, known to wrestling fans as Brodie Lee or Luke Harper on 1 year anniversary of his passing on December 26.

Lee, who was a former Intercontinental champion and TNT champion sadly passed away on the same date a year ago due to a lung issue.

The sudden passing of the 41-year-old had shocked the wrestling world. All the industry had paid tribute to the wrestling veteran and they have once again reminded everyone that Brodie’s legacy has not been forgotten.

The WWE champion Big E penned down an amazing tribute to the former WWE star. He claimed that he still have dozens of things he wants to tell the late star every day.

E mentioned how he is grateful that so many people have made a commitment to keep the memory of Brodie Lee alive and he hoped to continue to honor him.

AEW’s Alan Angels took on his Twitter to remember the former champion. He noted how Lee was one of the few people in wrestling he never heard anything bad about.

https://twitter.com/Alan_V_Angels/status/1474976520519180290

Other people who paid tribute to the late legend include WWE and AEW names such as Members of The Dark Order, Renee Paquette, Matt Cardona, and more. You can check out all the tributes below:

Kevin Owens On What He Sees Himself Doing After Retirement

Anutosh Bajpai
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Kevin Owens feels a sense of accomplishment in helping other people achieve their goals, and that’s why he sees himself becoming an agent once he has called it a career and retired from active competition.

The former Universal champion recently had an interview with Les anti-pods de la lutte. He talked about things such as possibly becoming a world champion again down the line and more.

Discussing his future goals, Owens said that he would like to help anyone who needs it, before claiming that he might consider doing it professionally once he has retired:

“I have a huge sense of accomplishment when I see other people working hard and who deserve to be recognized for their passion or their talent, to see it happening. I think it’s really cool.

So, I could see myself working as an agent one day, because I already have those feelings of accomplishment even if I’m still active.” said Kevin Owens, “That said, I don’t see myself hanging my boots any time soon, but just to know that it could be a possibility one day, it’s good to know and comforting.”

Though it doesn’t appear that KO will be calling it a career anytime soon. He has recently signed a new contract with WWE and reports suggest that he is being paid handsomely to stay with the promotion.

Kevin Owens is not only receiving a lot of money but he has also received praise from a number of people including Ric Flair. You can check out Flair’s comments here.

Kevin Owens Explains Why WWE Didn’t Send Videos for ROH Final Battle

H/t to WrestlingInc for the transcribed quotes

Matt Hardy On What He Would Like To Do After His Retirement

Anutosh Bajpai
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Matt Hardy is very well aware that he has more wrestling years behind him than in front. Though the 29-year veteran would like to continue his involvement in the business once he has hung up his boots. The wrestling legend recently had an interview with Essentially Sports. He discussed things such as why the broken character didn’t work in AEW and more.

When asked if he would like to become a producer after his retirement, Hardy replied positively. He acknowledged that he has limited time left in his in-ring career and claimed that he would like to continue his involvement in the business:

“Yeah. I mean, whenever I finish my in-ring career which obviously I have a lot less years left than I do behind me, but I would definitely see myself being a producer or someone involved in the creative process. Because at the end of the day pro-wrestling is my passion.

I want to wrestle in the ring as long as I can, as long as my body will physically let me.” said Matt Hardy, “But, once that’s said and done, I can still be involved and I can still contribute but being a producer and you’re still able to, kind of, still live out your passion to some degree.”

The former Impact world champion was also asked if he would like to become the AEW champion somewhere down the line. Replying to it, Matt Hardy claimed that he would definitely like to win a championship in the company. Though at this stage of his career and considering what the company is built around, he is not sure that the world title will necessarily be the best fit.

Matt Hardy: WWE May Have ‘Jumped The Gun’ by Releasing Jeff Hardy

Matt Hardy On Why The Broken Character Didn’t Work In AEW

Anutosh Bajpai
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After fighting hard to win the rights of his Broken character, Matt Hardy finally got a chance to use the character with the creative freedom he desired when he signed with All Elite Wrestling in March 2020.

However, the gimmick still failed to get traction and the wrestling veteran had to switch personalities. During a recent interview with Essentially Sports, the AEW star discussed the reasoning behind it.

Hardy explained that the broken character didn’t work because of the lack of fans in the arena. He also teased the potential return of it:

“The Broken Matt Hardy Character is a very fan-driven character and it was just very hard for it to work as well as it should without having fans in the venue. Obviously, the whole world was in the midst of this pandemic.

So, we just changed courses and then I went to a more reality-based character in Money Matt and you know, we took a step back from Broken Matt. Who knows, now the fans are back, maybe you’ll see Broken Matt again down the road.”

Apart from this, Matt Hardy also talked about the backstage culture of AEW. He explained that from all the way down to Tony Khan at the very top, people in AEW have the mentality of making the product as good as they can.

The former champion claimed that everyone is allowed to feel comfortable in AEW. If you have an issue, you can talk to anyone including Tony Khan.

Matt Hardy: WWE May Have ‘Jumped The Gun’ by Releasing Jeff Hardy

Baron Corbin On How Vince McMahon Came Up With His Happy Corbin Character

Anutosh Bajpai
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Baron Corbin has adopted a number of different monikers since being called up to the main roster in 2016. From Constable to King Corbin and from Sad to Happy Corbin, the lone wolf has embraced whatever character he has been given.

The former US champion talked about his different names on the latest episode of Out Of Character podcast with Ryan Satin. When asked which one of them is his favorite, the WWE star picked the one that irritated people the most:

“Whichever one irritates the people the most, constable irritated people because most people were like ‘I don’t know what a Constable is,’ and I also didn’t as well. Happy irritates people a lot too so I like that one as well, it gives confusion too.”

How Vince McMahon Came Up With Happy Corbin

'King' Baron Corbin
‘King’ Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin also discussed his current character of Happy Corbin. He mentioned how after staying around him for so many years Vince McMahon has started laying out characters for him based on their interactions. He revealed that one such interaction led to him getting his current gimmick:

“Could’ve been something with Vince where I’m making him laugh or just having fun being one of the guys with him and then he goes ‘I’ve got one of these ideas where you’re just over the top happy.’ He always tells me that people don’t like you, they’re really not going to like you when you’re happy all the time.”

Corbin later revealed that he didn’t know about the Happy Corbin name change beforehand and he learned about it on Twitter. The same thing was true with his new music and he didn’t know that the officials were going to change his entrance music before he showed up at the arena.

Baron Corbin Offers Explanation For His Gimmick Change

H/t to WrestlingInc for the transcribed quotes

Watch The Rock Surprise His Mother With New Car

Anutosh Bajpai
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The Rock has continued the tradition of surprising people with new vehicles, this time gifting his mother a new car for Christmas.

The great one took on his Instagram to post a video and some photos of his mom with the new car. In the caption he mentioned how she was shocked to receive the gift:

“Surprised my mom with a new car for Christmas today. She was shocked. She got a few good ugly cries in. Then once her grandbabies joined her inside the car. She was overcome with pure joy.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CX7k6WorvTr/?utm_medium=copy_link

This isn’t the first time The Rock has gifted a new vehicle to someone in his life. The people’s champion has a long-standing history of gifting cars to people who have been close to him or helped him during tough times in his life.

The former world champion has previously given similar gifts to his housekeeper and stunt double. He also gifted long-time WWE employee Harvey Wippleman a new Ford F-150 pickup last year for helping him when he was younger.

The Rock has been open about how much he loves his mother. He has also discussed the hardships she has had to face in her life when the former WWE star was young.

The Rock Teases New Venture, “Quite Possibly My Biggest One Yet”

Cody Rhodes Wins TNT Title At AEW Rampage Holiday Bash

Robert Lentini
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AEW Rampage Holiday Bash aired on Christmas Day and was taped from the Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina. Sammy Guevara defended the TNT Championship against Cody in the main event of the show.

Cody Wins The TNT Title For A Third Time

Sammy Guevara controlled the action early and Clotheslined Cody out of the ring. The TNT Champion posed in the ring as Cody took a walk through the crowd to regroup. Arn Anderson coached Cody up as Guevara continued to show off in the ring. Rhodes battled back and got the champion in a Headlock.

Guevara escaped and connected with an Arm Drag. Sammy followed it up with a Powerslam but Cody kicked out at two. Rhodes got Sammy in a submission hold in the middle of the ring and focused his attack on Guevara’s arm. Cody climbed to the top rope and went for a Moonsault but Sammy got out of the way.

Sammy connected with a beautiful springboard Cutter but couldn’t put Cody away. Guevara hit Cross Rhodes but Cody rolled out of the way. Guevara hit a ridiculous springboard 450 Splash on the floor outside the ring. Cody Powerbombed Sammy into the crowd and turned him inside out with a Disaster Kick in the ring.

Cody hit Cross Rhodes but Sammy somehow kicked out. Guevara then hit the GTH but Cody wouldn’t stay down. Sammy went for the 450 Splash but Cody got his knees up. Cody hit two Cross Rhodes and a Tiger Driver for the pinfall victory. The Rhodes family celebrated to a mixed crowd reaction and then David Crockett presented him with the TNT Title.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1474938325047914497?s=20

Rampage Results

  • Kris Statlander def. Leyla Hirsch via submission
  • HOOK def. Bear Bronson
  • Jungle Boy def. Isiah Kassidy
  • Cody def. Sammy Guevara to become the new TNT Champion

Recent 205 Live Match Was Heavily Edited Before Airing (Report)

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Last week’s episode of 205 Live featured a match between Sarray and Lash Legend. The fight received a lot of criticism from the fans for being one of the worst worked matches of recent times.

As it turns out, fans weren’t the only ones that felt that the bout was lackluster. The officials also considered it to be a match that was very weakly performed.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the 205 Live bout was one of the ‘most edited’ matches of WWE TV before it aired.

The match was so poorly produced that the officials cut it down to 3 minutes of ‘highlights’ and even then, it was considered the worst TV match for WWE this year.

Lash Legend is one of the most accomplished female athletes on the roster. She has played college basketball and also had a brief stint with WNBA.

This was only the second televised match for the young star who made her debut the week before. She defeated Amari Miller during her first match.

Sarray on the other hand has 10 years of experience in wrestling. She has wrestled for a number of Japanese promotions before joining WWE in March this year.

You can check out the match in question below:

Shawn Michaels On How Triple H Is Adjusting To Time Away From WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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After working non-stop for many years, Triple H has had to take an extended break from WWE recently due to his health scare in September. According to his best friend Shawn Michaels, the game has finally started to embrace the time off and he has started realizing that it’s not such a bad thing. Michaels recently had an interview with Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture.

During the talk, HBK was asked if he has been keeping in touch with the WWE vice president and how he has been doing. Replying to it, Shawn discussed how Triple H has worked so much over the last several years and explained that it takes a while to get used to the free time:

“Most of it is me bothering him to be perfectly honest, he has worked so much over the last several years and I don’t think he understood that it becomes your normal. For him to step away for a little bit, look, that takes getting used to. I went through it obviously; I am one of the rare people that was ready to do it and embrace it. But when it just happens out of the blue and you’re not expecting it”

Shawn Michaels Says Triple H Is Adjusting To New Schedule

Shawn Michaels Crown Jewel
Shawn Michaels & Triple H at WWE Crown Jewel

Shawn Michaels continued to explain how going from a lot of work to nothing is an adjustment. Though according to him, the holidays have helped Triple H realize that the time off is not that bad:

“For him to go a hundred miles per hour to nothing was an adjustment. But I think he is, especially around this time of year, he’s now starting to realize like ‘hey this isn’t too bad.’ I think he’s bordering enjoying himself now to be perfectly honest. It’s a well-deserved break for him, for sure.”

Apart from this, Shawn Michaels also talked about the talents that have left NXT in recent times such as Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly and more. He revealed how he feels about their departure. You can check out his comments on the matter here.

Shawn Michaels Says It’s Impossible For Him To Fill Triple H’s WWE NXT Role

H/t to WrestlingInc for the transcribed quotes

Ric Flair Offers Big Praise To Kevin Owens: ‘I Think The World Of Him’

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Kevin Owens is one of the most beloved professional wrestlers among his peers. He has received praise from a number of wrestling personalities and now Ric Flair has joined the list. The Nature Boy talked about the former Universal champion re-signing with WWE on the latest episode of his Woo Nation Uncensored podcast.

During the discussion, Flair explained that Owens is one of the most respectful and nice guys he has ever met. He mentioned how Kevin asked Stone Cold for his permission before he started using the stunner:

“I think the world of Kevin Owens, not a more respectful nice guy I ever met, unlimited talent, he’s got a hell of an interview. The word respect, I told you this story before but before he ever used the Stunner, he called [Stone Cold] Steve [Austin] and asked him. That’s respect.”

Ric Flair recalled how Kevin Owens was very respectful towards him during a segment they worked together on. He then praised the former NXT champion’s work ethics:

“Kevin wants to be at work, there are some guys getting paid that don’t care if they’re at work or not. Kevin wants to be at work, he wants to be on top and he wants to be thought of in that light and he’s very close to it.

Give me another year of watching him but he can be anything he wants to be, But most of all, he’s a very respectful man.”

Apart from this, Ric Flair also talked about things such as the comparison between WWE and AEW and explained why he thinks WWE is still the best wrestling company in the world.

Ric Flair on Jeff Hardy to AEW: “You Know Right Away He’s Already Got a Job”

Thanks to WrestlingInc for the transcribed quotes

Britt Baker gets the last laugh after WWE scrubs her NXT appearance

Michael Reichlin
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AEW Women’s World champion Britt Baker was ringside NXT Takeover: War Games back in 2019. She was actually shown on camera during the broadcast, but you wouldn’t know that by watching the event on Peacock / the WWE Network.

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A fan informed Britt Baker on Instagram that WWE edited her off the broadcast – “they cut your moment out lol”

Baker doesn’t seem bothered by WWE snubbing her with this edit. The Doc replied:

“That’s okay. They took me out, I took their BAY BAY”

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Of course, Baker is referring to her significant other – Adam Cole, bay-bay.

After being featured as the franchise player of NXT for the past several years, Cole jumped ship to All Elite Wrestling back in September.

Kyle O’Reilly Comments On Signing With AEW

AEW Rampage Preview: Some stuff and HOOK

Michael Reichlin
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Merry Christmas! All Elite Wrestling’s Holiday Bash continues tonight with a special Saturday night edition of AEW Rampage on TNT.

The following matches are set for tonight’s broadcast:

  • Cody Rhodes challenges Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship
  • Hook will be in action against Bear Bronson
  • Jungle Boy vs. Isiah Kassidy
  • Leyla Hirsch vs. Kris Statlander

AEW Rampage was taped Wednesday night from Greensboro, North Carolina. If you’re interested in the spoilers, SEScoops has a full report from those tapings:

AEW Rampage Holiday Bash Spoilers

New Championship Match Confirmed For WWE Day 1

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

A new match has been confirmed for the Day 1 PPV that will see Sami Zayn challenging Shinsuke Nakamura for his Intercontinental Championship.

This week’s Christmas Eve special of SmackDown featured a 12 Days of Christmas gauntlet match that included 12 contestants.

Zayn won this match and earned himself a title shot after last eliminating Ricochet. The high-flying star was Sami’s only elimination of the bout

The other participants of the match included Drew Gulak, Mansoor, Erik, Ivar, Shanky, Jinder Mahal, Sheamus, Cesaro, Angel, and Humberto.

WWE Day 1 Updated Match Card

This is the seventh match that has been announced for the upcoming Day 1 PPV. Here is the updated match card for the show:

  • Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar
  • Fatal 4 Way WWE Championship Match: Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens vs. Big E
  • Intercontinental Championship Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn
  • Raw Women’s Championship Match: Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch
  • SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day vs. The Usos
  • Singles Match: Edge vs. The Miz
  • Singles Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss

The inaugural Day 1 PPV will take place on Saturday, January 1, 2022, from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tay Conti Releases Statement On Her Social Media Hiatus

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Tay Conti has come forward to comment on her social media hiatus and respond to the people who have accused her for Sammy Guevara’s split with his fiancé.

The AEW star posted a statement on her Insta story earlier today where she mentioned how she had to take some time off of social media because she was reading unnecessary comments.

Conti noted how her personal life is nobody’s business and nobody has the right to harass her by creating false rumors about something that wasn’t her fault.

She ended the statement by thanking the people who have supported her through the ordeal. You can check out Tay Conti’s statement in the photo below:

Tay Conti 1

For those who don’t know, AEW star Sammy Guevara announced a split with his long-time girlfriend Pam Nizio earlier last week. The couple had gotten engaged in August.

Since Sammy did not mention a reason for the split, many rumors started brewing up about the sudden end of their relationship.

https://mobile.twitter.com/sammyguevara/status/1474558251169722369/

Some people started accusing Tay Conti, who is a close friend of Guevara and regularly appears on his YouTube vlog.

This campaign against the female star led to her deactivating her Twitter account for a while. Sammy Guevara has since commented on the matter. He has also clarified that Conti had nothing to do with his breakup.

Update on Tay Conti’s Social Media Hiatus

WWE SmackDown Results (12/24): Flair vs. Storm, Street Fight, Gauntlet Match

Robert Lentini
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The Christmas Eve edition of WWE SmackDown was taped in the Allstate Arena in Chicago. Charlotte Flair put the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line against Toni Storm. 12 superstars competed in a Gauntlet Match to determine the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship.

SmackDown Results

  1. Charlotte Flair def. Toni Storm to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship
  2. Sami Zayn won a 12 superstar Gauntlet Match to earn a shot at the IC Title
  3. New Day & Drew McIntyre def. The Usos & Madcap Moss

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Paul Heyman Spoke About Being Fired By Roman Reigns

Paul Heyman was interviewed backstage by Kayla Braxton to begin the show. Heyman said he told the truth to Reigns and Roman did not want to hear it publicly. Paul added that he got a Superman Punch because he told the truth. Kayla asked if he regretted telling the truth and Paul noted that it was his role as special counsel to tell the truth, and not just protect Roman.

Heyman said he tried to explain that to Reigns but when he came backstage all his belongings were removed from Reigns locker room and thrown into the hallway. Heyman added that he was supposed to protect the title and Reigns is the greatest Universal Champion of all time. However, Reigns needs to be protected from Brock Lesnar. Kayla asked Paul what he is going to do next and Heyman said it was too late to go to NXT and scout for another top talent. He said he put everything into being Reigns’ special counsel and now his career may be over.

Charlotte Retained The Women’s Title

Charlotte Flair defended the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Toni Storm in the first match of the night. Toni connected with a Dropkick and went for the cover but the champion kicked out at two. Charlotte regrouped outside the ring before taking control as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Toni battled back and hit a Suplex followed by a Hip Attack in the corner. Storm connected with a German Suplex for a near fall. Charlotte hit the Moonsault, land on feet, Standing Moonsault sequence for a two count. Flair sent Storm out of the ring and chased after her.

Storm bounced Flair’s head off the ring post and the action returned to the ring. Charlotte rolled Toni up but grabbed the tights for leverage and the referee caught her. Flair countered into another cradle for the win and retained her SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Sami Zayn Earned A Shot At The IC Title

Angel Garza and Mansoor started off the 12 Days of Christmas Gauntlet Match. 12 superstars battled to determine the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship. Angel quickly advanced after connecting with the Wing Clipper. Erik entered the match next and hit a Body Slam as SmackDown went to a break.

When SmackDown returned, Erik was still in control but couldn’t put Garza away. Angel battled back and eliminated Erik after hitting another Wing Clipper. Shanky entered the Gauntlet Match and eliminated Garza right away with a Wasteland. Ivar knocked Shanky to the mat and hit a Splash off the top rope for the pinfall elimination.

Sheamus entered the match 6th and battled with Ivar. Ridge Holland was ringside for the match. Ivar hit a side Slam but the Celtic Warrior wouldn’t stay down. Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick for the pinfall elimination. Drew Gulak entered the match 7th and immediately exited courtesy of a Brogue Kick from Sheamus.

Cesaro entered the match 8th and had medical tape on his injured ribs. Cesaro hit a Crossbody and beat Sheamus down in the corner. Ridge Holland distracted Cesaro and Sheamus capitalize with another Brogue Kick for the pinfall elimination. Ricochet entered the match and knocked Sheamus to the outside. Ricochet hit a beautiful Asai Moonsault onto Sheamus on the floor as SmackDown went to a break.

Sheamus hit the Irish Curse Backbreaker and applied a Headlock. Ricochet connected with a DDT and went for the cover but Sheamus kicked out at two. Ridge Holland tried to help but Sheamus wound up kneeing him in the face by mistake. Cesaro made his way back and beat Ridge down as Ricochet rolled Sheamus up for the elimination.

Jinder mahal entered the match and went right after Ricochet. Mahal went for the Khallas but Ricochet countered into a roll-up for the pinfall victory. Sami Zayn was the 12th superstar in the Gauntlet Match. Ricochet hit a Frankensteiner and went for the cover but Sami kicked out. Ricochet went for a Dropkick but Sami dodged it and hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. Sami hit the Exploder Suplex and sent Ricochet into the turnbuckle.

Ricochet connected with a Superkick and followed it up with a Benadryller but Sami was able to kick out. Ricochet made his way to the top rope and went for a Shooting Star Press but Sami got his knees up. Sami hit an Exploder Suplex and then the Helluva Kick for the pinfall victory. Zayn has earned a match against Shinsuke Nakamura for the IC Title.

McIntyre & New Day Picked Up A Win

Drew McIntyre & New Day faced The Usos and Madcap Moss in a Miracle on 34th Street Fight. Xavier Woods and Jey Uso started off the action and King Woods took control. Woods applied a Headlock and then an elbow to the face for a two count. Kingston tagged in and connected with kick to the face. Jimmy tagged in and The Usos isolated Kingston in the corner.

Drew McIntyre and Madcap Moss tagged in and traded punches. McIntyre hit the Future Shock DDT before a brawl broke out. Happy Corbin rushed in the ring during the chaos and hit McIntyre with a candy cane kendo stick. The Usos and New Day battled but the entrance ramp and into the Christmas trees as SmackDown went to a break.

When SmackDown returned, Usos and Madcap Moss were in control. New Day battled back and Jey got dunked in eggnog. The action returned to the ring and Kofi hit the Boom Drop for a near fall. McIntyre hit a Neckbreaker and geared up for the Claymore but Corbin interfered again. Drew chased him around but Kofi joined in and cornered with the kendo stick. Corbin went to fight but Kingston dumped eggnog on him. Drew then hit the Claymore on Madcap Moss for the pinfall victory.

CM Punk Reveals Which Young AEW Stars Have Impressed Him the Most

Ryan Droste
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Since announcing his return to professional wrestling this past August with AEW, CM Punk has worked with several young stars. Rather than jumping right into the main event scene, the former world champion has been sharing the spotlight with both new faces and legends.

Speaking with ESPN’s SportsNation, Punk revealed which young AEW stars have impressed him the most and who he sees as future main event stars.

“There’s so many honestly,” CM Punk said when reflecting the roster (h/t Wrestling Inc.). “There’s so many guys. I think the future of AEW is in such good hands. Most of the younger guys that we have that we’re going to wind up spotlighting in the next five years or so are in their early 20’s. Britt Baker, Hook. I mean, everyone seems to love Hook and the guy’s had one match. I just think we take our time with our talents.

“AEW as a whole is still a baby. Two years old. And we’re going to be moving to TBS in the new year. That’s a big step. And just taking time and fostering the new talent instead of just kind of throwing them out there and having a sink or swim attitude, I think helps. Daniel Garcia is a guy that I think is phenomenal. Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricky Starks. I’ll forget so many people if I name them. I just think that the future is very, very bright.”

Punk also explained why he has chosen to work with young talent like Darby Allin, Hobbs, Garcia, and others.

“I think I could use my name, whatever value that has, and kind of highlight some of the guys while knocking off some ring rust and moving myself up the ladder. So for storyline purposes, it makes sense to me. And I always remember guys helping me and they were few and far between. I think more people should help more people and I’m just trying to do my best to do that.”

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.

Shawn Michaels Comments On Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, & Kyle O’Reilly Leaving NXT

Chris Stephens
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Shawn Michaels recently commented on the NXT departures of Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, & Kyle O’Reilly. Now that they are gone, Michaels admits they are the reason he fell back in love with sports entertainment.

“We still keep in contact, but yeah it is bittersweet, those young men were a big part of my life, they were a lot of the reason that I sort of got back into this line of work,” Michaels said during an interview with Denise Salcedo. “I was happily retired.”

“When it came to Johnny, Tommaso, Adam, those guys, even way back, the Revival Boys, Shawn Spears who was Tye Dellinger at the time, all those young men sitting in a room with them; their passion, their excitement, their desire to be better was just hard not to love,” he continued.

In November of 2018, it was revealed that Michaels was now working as a writer and producer for NXT. This was shortly after he had returned for one match at the Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia.

“They are the reason that I came back, and fell back in love with Sports Entertainment, with this line of work. As you’ve heard and everyone has numerous times, in NXT at the Performance Center, is where it’s still pure, it’s still all the reasons we get into it before it becomes business, and money and negotiations and things of that nature. To fast forward your question, I miss them.”

Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish Unite In AEW

Adam Cole debuted for AEW this fall at the All Out PPV in Chicago. He aligned with the Young Bucks and they re-created their Super Kliq team. Then on this week’s Dynamite show from the Greensboro Coliseum, Kyle O’Reilly debuted for AEW as well. O’Reilly helped Adam Cole defeat Orange Cassidy. Then him, Cole, and Bobby Fish all left together, leaving the Young Bucks alone in the ring. After being at the top of NXT since 2017 as the Undisputed Era, they now appear to have re-aligned in AEW.

The full interview with Shawn Michaels can be heard in the player below:

H/T To WrestlingNews.co for the transcriptions

The Rock Teases New Venture, “Quite Possibly My Biggest One Yet”

Chris Stephens
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Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson is teasing that 2022 could be the year he launches his biggest venture yet. While he’s not ready quite yet to announce what it is, he recently revealed in an interview with CNBC that he’s very excited about it.

“I’ll be entering a new industry I’m passionate about in 2022. 2 1/2 years of organizing around this launch with a smart, hungry, credentialed in the streets team. Could be my biggest yet, and I think you guys are gonna love it,” The Rock Tweeted.

CNBC also posted a clip of the Rock teasing the new venture during a recent interview. In the interview, he said that he’s entering a new industry and this venture could be his biggest one yet.

“As far as for 2022, I’m excited about 2022. I think we have some great partnerships, some great alignments. In the world of movies, we have Black Adam coming out, we have Super Pets coming out.

We have one venture, a new venture, I’m entering into a new industry, I won’t say what it is, but when we do I’ll come back and talk to you guys about it. It could be quite possibly my biggest one yet.”

Watch The Rock’s video message from CNBC here:

Greenwich Mansion on Sale for $32 Million

Michael Reichlin
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A mansion in Greenwich, CT mansion is up for sale. Purchased in 2014 for $11.84 million, the stately home is listed for a staggering $32 million.

Even in a hot market, if the seller gets anywhere near the asking price, this would be the real estate investment of a lifetime.

A real estate listing at Compass touts:

“Perched on 10 waterfront acres of lush grounds and mature landscaping, this architectural masterpiece is unrivaled in the juxtaposed design of hand-cut stone and modern design. A custom estate with unmatched luxury offering a lifestyle of comfort, sophistication, and security.”

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The 23,700 square-foot home boasts 6 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, swimming pool, library, elevator and many other luxurious appointments.

View the real estate listing for this Greenwich mansion at Compass.com.

Natalya Sets Another Guinness World Record

Chris Stephens
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No female Superstar in the history of WWE has had the career that Natalya has. The 39-year-old has been with the company since 2007 and has had yet another milestone recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Natalya had previously been recognized for having had the most matches of any female WWE Superstar and the most PPV matches of any female WWE Superstar. Now, Guinness has confirmed that Natalya has more wins than any other female WWE Superstar in history. Her win total currently sits at 641.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CX2KtNRsyLC/

Natalya also helps train members of the WWE roster at her home where her and husband TJ Wilson have a ring set-up. She talked recently about how Liv Morgan has been training with her.

“I am proud of Liv because she has been training with us in the dungeon,” Natalya said. “She’s been training with us for over a year. I said to Liv, ‘it’s so cool to see.’ Because training isn’t once every six months. Training is being consistent every single week, on days that you’re tired.”

“She will get off the plane and come and train with me and my husband and a few of the other Superstars that come in and train with us. It’s a very special, elite group that come in and hone their craft,” Natalya continued. 

Liv Morgan has been training in Natalya’s “Dungeon”
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