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Matt Riddle Says Gillberg Is 10x The Man Goldberg Is

Chris Stephens
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Last night on WWE RAW, Gillberg made an appearance on John Morrison and the Miz’s “Dirt Sheet” interview segment. Since debuting as the character in 1998, Gillberg has been WWE’s satirical gimmick of Bill Goldberg.

Matt Riddle has publicly called out Goldberg on numerous occasions. After RAW last night, however, he posted a photo of him with Gillberg. According to Riddle’s comments, Gillberg is 10x the man that “Willy G” is.

Riddle’s MMA career was derailed due to multiple failed drug tests for cannabis. He recently reacted to the news that cannabis is no longer a prohibited substance in the UFC.

Last month, Riddle stated that he could “redeem” Goldberg.

“I’m all about the quality of the work. So, hey, if we could make quality work and you’d would be willing to listen to what I have to say, I’ll listen to what you have to say. I will. But I think it could be magical, and I think the fans would eat it up.”

Riddle has been feuding with the Hurt Business as of late on RAW. He dropped a United States championship match to Bobby Lashley two weeks ago. The Hurt Business defeated Riddle and the Lucha House Party on last night’s show.

AEW Files To Trademark “Too Sweet”

Chris Stephens
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Kenny Omega, the Good Brothers, and The Young Bucks are all involved in a program in AEW at the moment that references their past as members of Bullet Club. According to information publicly available on the US Patent and Trademark Office website, AEW filed to trademark the Bullet Club-related term “Too Sweet” on January 14th, 2021.

“Too Sweet” was a common phrase used by members of the New World Order in WCW. It then became part of the Bullet Club angle in NJPW beginning in 2013. The Young Bucks were reportedly sent a cease and desist letter in 2017 preventing them from using the “Too Sweet” hand signal. This occurred after the Young Bucks, Cody, and other members of Bullet Club “invaded” a WWE event. WWE writer, Jimmy Jacobs, was released after posing for a selfie with the “invading” members of Bullet Club.

Tama Tonga recently expressed skepticism that WWE did actually send the Bucks a cease and desist letter, however.

Shortly after Tonga Tweeted his doubts, the Young Bucks posted the following:

On Dynamite last week, the Good Brothers teamed with Kenny Omega. The Young Bucks had thought they would be teaming with him. Don Callis swerved the Bucks and the fans when he introduced the Good Brothers, however.

Update On Bullet Club Branding Appearing On Impact Wrestling

Chris Stephens
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In the main event of Impact Wrestling’s Hard to Kill PPV, Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers wore Bullet Club branding. Karl Anderson wore a Bullet Club hoodie, Doc Gallows had the faction’s logos on his gear, and Kenny Omega wore a cut-up Bullet Club Halloween special edition t-shirt. Branding for the faction appearing on Impact was addressed recently by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.

“Everyone thinks it has something to do with New Japan, it’s got nothing to do with New Japan,” Meltzer said.

The words “Bullet Club” were never mentioned on commentary.

“I cannot imagine that wearing a t-shirt would be illegal in any way shape or form. I mean, if he was selling the t-shirt that would be illegal. Giving them publicity for wearing a t-shirt? No, there wouldn’t be anything illegal about that at all. They should be happy that he’s publicizing their t-shirt on television.”

“Why would (NJPW) ever get mad about something like that?” Meltzer continued. “Gallows and Anderson are going to be in New Japan soon enough and they are going to be in Bullet Club. Or at least the theory is they will be in Bullet Club, I don’t know that 100%”

Impact Wrestling is back tonight with the first episode from the tapings held over the weekend. Eric Young will face Rhino, and Jordynne Grace & Jazz will face Kimber Lee and Susan (aka Su Yung) on the show.

Impact on AXS Preview (1/19): Hard To Kill Fallout

Michael Reichlin
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Impact Wrestling returns tonight with an all-new episode of Impact on AXS-TV. This will be the first episode featuring the new commentary team of Matt Striker and D-Lo Brown.

Impact will feature fallout from Saturday night’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view:

  • How will Impact Wrestling World Champion Rich Swann react to getting pinned by AEW World Champion Kenny Omega?
  • Moose filled in for Alex Shelly in the main event of Hard to Kill. He put on an impressive showing, despite his team coming up short. Will Moose turn his sights
  • Fire ‘n Flava (Tasha Steelz and Kiera Hogan0 are the new Knockouts Tag Team Champions.
  • Deonna Purrazzo is still the Knockouts Champion.
  • How will X-Division Champion Manik (TJP) react to being unmasked at Hard to Kill?
  • Matt Cardona is hinting that he’ll be at Impact following his debut at Hard to Kill. Impact is selling a new Matt Cardona t-shirt, so it does look like he’ll be sticking around.

Impact Matches

Impact is advertising the following matches for this week:

  • Eric Young vs. Rhino
  • Kimber Lee & Susan vs. Jordynne Grace and Jazz in Knockouts tag team action

How to Watch Impact Wrestling:

  • USA: Tuesdays at 8pm EST on AXS TV & Twitch
  • Canada: Tuesdays at 8pm on Fight Network & Twitch
  • UK: Wednesdays at 10pm on FreeSports & Wednesdays at 3am on IMPACT Plus

Jeff Jarrett-Anthem Lawsuit Officially Dismissed

Chris Stephens
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The lawsuit involving Jeff Jarrett and the owners of Impact Wrestling, Anthem Sports and Entertainment, has been officially dismissed. The lawsuit can be re-opened, however, if the agreed-upon settlement between the two parties falls through. Jarrett and Anthem are reported to have reached an undisclosed settlement in the first week of January.

According to a report by PW Insider, sources within WWE have stated that Jarrett has been in a “great mood” since the settlement. This would seem to indicate he is happy with what was agreed upon. The settlement follows more than 2-years of legal battles between the two parties. Jarrett was officially released by Impact Wrestling in the fall of 2017.

Jarrett filed a lawsuit against Anthem Sports and Entertainment following the 2017 attempt at combining his Global Force Wrestling with Impact Wrestling. At some point during the aftermath of the falling out between the two parties, tapes of Jarrett’s GFW Amped show were deleted.

Jarrett won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 6x while with TNA. He was inducted into the promotion’s Hall of Fame in 2015. Jarrett appeared on WWE RAW last night. He gave his opinion of the scheduled Drew McIntyre vs Goldberg match at the Royal Rumble.

Lio Rush Returning To NJPW

Chris Stephens
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Lio Rush will return to New Japan Pro Wrestling on January 29th, 2021. It will be his first match back for the promotion since competing in the Super J-Cup last month. NJPW recently announced matches for the next two weeks of NJPW Strong airing on New Japan World with Rush appearing in the main event of the show on the 29th.

Rush will team with TJP and Fred Rosser (aka Darren Young) to take on the Bullet Club team of El Phantasmo, KENTA, and HIKULEO on the show.

https://twitter.com/TheLionelGreen/status/1351396826520326146

The full lineups for the next two episodes of NJPW Strong is below:

July 22nd, 2021 New Japan Strong

  1. Kevin Knight & Jordan Clearwater vs Logan Riegel & Sterling & Riegel
  2. Brody King vs JR Kratos
  3. Ren Narita vs Bateman

July 29th, 2021 New Japan Strong

  1. Clark Connors vs The DKC
  2. Rocky Romero vs Chris Dickinson
  3. Lio Rush, TJP, & Fred Rosser vs Hikuleo, KENTA, and El Phantasmo
https://twitter.com/TheLionelGreen/status/1351306718878175233

Lio Rush was eliminated in the 1st round of the Super J-Cup, losing to El Phantasmo. He recently defeated Myron Reed to win the MLW World Middleweight Championship at Kings of the Colosseum.

The next big NJPW show will be the New Beginning in Nagoya on January 30th, 2021. The promotion will then present the New Beginning in Hiroshima over 2-nights on February 10th and 11th.

https://twitter.com/TheLionelGreen/status/1351298285399511041

Danny Limelight On His Contractual Status With AEW

Anutosh Bajpai
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Danny Limelight has wrestled for companies such as NJPW, AEW, Championship Wrestling From Hollywood and GCW in the past year and gained a lot of reorganization from his appearances for these promotions.

Though his participation in events of both AEW and NJPW have raised questions among fans and many people have been wondering about his status with both the companies.

During his recent interview with WrestlingInc, Limelight revealed his contractual status with both the promotions and he confirmed that he remains a free agent:

“I’m not signed anywhere. I haven’t signed any contracts. When an opportunity presents itself, I’m gonna make sure it’s a company that I can add value to, that I feel like I would be an asset to,

A company I feel that’s gonna care about me and care about how my career is gonna go.” said Danny, “It needs to be what I feel is best for the company and what’s best for me and my daughter.”

Talking about the year he has had, the indie star said that he is very fortunate that the last year took him in the right direction and the hard work and consistency paid off.

Apart from this, Danny Limelight also talked about things like a potential partnership between AEW and NJPW and more. You can check out his full interview at this link.

Madison Rayne Opens Up About Decision To Retire From Impact Wrestling

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Former Knockouts Champion Madison Rayne announced her retirement from the wrestling world earlier this week, though at the time, she hadn’t explained the reason behind her decision.

The former champion recently had an interview with SportsKeeda where she talked about a number of things and also opened up about her call.

Rayne, who recently earned a college degree first talked about how the business has given her a lot before explaining that it’s time for her to move away from the industry:

“This business… I have given it so many years of my life, but it has given infinitely more back to me,” Rayne said. “In the sense that, for the first seven years of my daughter’s life, I haven’t been sitting behind a desk, and committed to a structured schedule. And, I spent so much time with her that a lot of parents don’t get in those early years.”

But, I think it’s time now to pivot, and to… you know, I just graduated from college in December.” revealed Madison Rayne, “So, it’s time to put those student loan dollars and that degree to use.”

The female star continued by showing her appreciation for the fans saying that her supporters deserve a lot more but all she can say is thank you.

Apart from this, Madison Rayne talked about how she will now have to adjust to the ‘real life’ away from wrestling and more. You can check out her full interview at this link.

WWE RAW Results (1/18): Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka, Randy Orton Responds To Fireball Attack

Robert Lentini
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WWE RAW aired live from the ThunderDome inside Tropicana Field. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre said he is feeling stronger than ever and will return once he is cleared of COVID-19. McIntyre called Miz and Morrison clowns and that he will be seeing them very soon. Drew stated that he respects Goldberg and is prepared for the title match at Royal Rumble. McIntyre told Goldberg to bring the intensity at Royal Rumble or he will lose in two minutes. McIntyre and Goldberg will both be on RAW next week.

RAW Results (1/18)

  1. Charlotte Flair def. Peyton Royce
  2. Mace def. Xavier Woods
  3. Shayna Baszler def. Mandy Rose via submission
  4. AJ Styles def. Ricochet
  5. Hurt Business def. Riddle & Lucha House Party
  6. Jeff Hardy def. Jaxson Ryker via DQ
  7. Alexa Bliss def. Asuka

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Randy Orton Is Wearing A Mask To Hide His Burns

Randy Orton kicked off RAW with a vignette. Orton was wearing a mask after getting shot with a fireball by Alexa Bliss last week. Orton said he can hear the voices louder than ever now and showed footage of him showing compassion to Alexa three weeks ago. Orton hated himself for showing compassion and brought up Bliss interrupting his match against Tripe H last week on RAW.

Orton stated this was the damnation he received for showing compassion and hasn’t been able to sleep because he sees the fireball. Randy said that feeling of fire melting his flesh will no ever go away and all the compassion in his body is now gone. Orton added that he is wearing the mask to protect himself and shield everyone from the horror that he endured.

Randy said that he has first degree burns and is lucky it wasn’t worse. Orton added that he doesn’t blame Bliss, he blames The Fiend. Orton claimed that The Fiend was responsible for this and that The Fiend wants to stop him from winning the Royal Rumble. Randy vowed to compete in the Royal Rumble and said that the pain fuels his every move. Orton stated that everyone can thank The Fiend when he burns their Royal Rumble dreams to ashes and goes on to main event WrestleMania. Orton lit a match and then blew it out to end the segment.

Charlotte def. Peyton Royce

Charlotte Flair faced Peyton Royce in the first match of the night. Peyton attacked Charlotte Flair from behind during her entrance before WWE officials broke it up as RAW went to a break.

When RAW returned, the match officially started and Charlotte took control. Flair brought Peyton out of the ring and hit her with a couple chops. Royce ducked under a chop and Charlotte hit the ring post. Royce shoved Flair into the ring post and then back into the ring. Flair battled back and caught Royce with a right hand to the face. Charlotte connected with a Neckbreaker and went for the cover but Peyton kicked out at two.

Ric Flair’s music hit and the Nature Boy danced around on the stage with a smile on his face. Lacey Evans then showed up in Ric’s robe and Charlotte got distracted. Peyton hit Flair with a kick to the face for a two count as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Flair rolled up Peyton for a two count.

Royce made her way to the top rope but Charlotte got out of the way and sent Peyton into the turnbuckle. Charlotte followed it up with a big boot that knocked Peyton out of the ring. Back in the ring, Charlotte targeted her attack on Peyton’s leg and locked in the Figure Four. Charlotte bridged into a Figure Eight for the submission victory. Charlotte didn’t let go of the hold for a bit after the match.

Opinion: This match was really bad and it looked like Charlotte and Peyton couldn’t get in sync at all. I have zero interest in another storyline revolving around Charlotte and Ric Flair.

Mace def. Xavier Woods

Xavier Woods faced Mace from RETRIBUTION tonight on RAW. Before the match, Mustafa Ali cut a promo from the dugout inside Tropicana Field. Mustafa noted that Kofi replaced him in the Elimination Chamber in 2019 and hopes that Kingston’s broken jaw keeps him from competing in the Royal Rumble. Ali got Woods’ face before the match and Woods caught him with a punch to the face as RAW went a break.

When RAW returned, Mace and Woods were battling in the ring with RETRIBUTION ringside. Woods hit Mace with a chop to the chest but Mace responded with a massive Chokeslam. Woods battled back and knocked Mace out of the ring. Xavier hit Woods with a Dropkick and Mustafa ordered RETRIBUTION to surround the ring. Woods got distracted and Mace planted him with a slam for the pinfall victory.

Shayna Baszler Tapped Out Mandy Rose

Shayna Baszler squared off against Mandy Rose tonight on RAW. Dana Brooke was ringside and Nia Jax joined commentary. Shayna dominated the action early and applied a submission hold in the middle of the ring. Mandy broke free and connected with a couple Clotheslines. Baszler went to work on Mandy’s arm and then locked in the Kirifuda Clutch for the submission victory. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler started arguing ringside and Dana hit them with a Dropkick to end the segment. Shayna and Nia were then interviewed backstage and said that they didn’t even get along as champions. Shayna said that now was a good time to get their rematch for the Women’s Tag Team Championships.

Ricochet Failed To Earn His Way Into The Royal Rumble

Ricochet battled AJ Styles tonight on RAW. Ricochet would earn a spot in the Royal Rumble if he won. Omos was in AJ’s corner for the match. Styles controlled the action early and got Ricochet in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Ricochet escaped and planted Styles with a Hurricanrana. Ricochet followed it up with a Dropkick and started trash talking with Omos. Ricochet tried to hit Styles with a Crossbody but AJ ducked and Omos caught him. The ref demanded that Omos put Ricochet down and he simply dropped him to the floor as RAW went to a break.

When RAW returned, Styles connected with a Backbreaker in the middle of the ring. Ricochet hit a Tornado DDT and both superstars fell to the canvas. Ricochet leveled Styles with a Clothesline and went for the cover but AJ kicked out at two. Ricochet hit an awesome German Suplex for another near fall. Styles connected with a Brainbuster and went for the cover but Ricochet managed to kick out at two.

Styles connected with a Neckbreaker for another two count. Styles went for the Phenomenal Forearm but Ricochet countered into the Recoil. Ricochet took a few seconds to go for the cover and it cost him because AJ was able to kick out. AJ bounced Ricochet off the ropes and connected with the Styles Clash in an awesome sequence for the pinfall victory and Ricochet will not be in the Royal Rumble.

Gillberg Appeared On RAW

The Miz and John Morrison hosted an edition of “The Dirt Sheet” tonight on RAW. They advertised their guest as Goldberg but it wound up being Gillberg. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre’s theme hit and someone dressed as Drew came to the entrance ramp. Chubby McIntyre got in the ring with his ass crack hanging out and vowed to kick Goldberg’s ass back to 1998. Miz shouted that this is a mess and blamed it on Morrison. The Miz said that Goldberg and Drew McIntyre are both going to lose at Royal Rumble because he is going to cash in the MITB contract.

Hurt Business Picked Up A Win

Hurt Business faced Riddle & Lucha House Party in a 6-man tag team match. Earlier on RAW, United States Champion Bobby Lashley stomped on Riddle’s foot backstage. Cedric Alexander connected with a Dropkick and followed it up with a Dropkick on Metalik. Lince Dorado tagged in and beat Cedric down in the corner. Dorado hit a Moonsault and went for the cover but Cedric kicked out at two.

Shelton tagged himself in and hit Lince with a Clothesline. Cedric tagged himself in and Shelton returned the favor. Cedric and Shelton argued until MVP demanded that Alexander get to the ring apron. Cedric tagged himself in and Lince hit the Rewind. Alexander dragged Lince to the corner and tagged in Shelton. Cedric and Shelton argued some more and Benjamin sent Alexander out of the ring as RAW went to break.

When RAW returned, Lashley tagged in and slammed Dorado to the canvas. Lashley told Benjamin and Alexander to get it together as MVP pleaded with Hurt Business to focus. Cedric tagged back in and Dorado hit him with a Crossbody. Riddle and Shelton tagged in and Riddle booted Benjamin in the face. Riddle escaped a Powerbomb and kneed Shelton in the face for a two count.

Riddle went for the Floating Bro but Benjamin got out of the way. Gran Metalik tagged in and hit Benjamin with a Hurricanrana. Alexander tagged himself in again and hit a slam. Lashley tagged himself in and hit Metalik with a Spear. Lashley applied the Hurt Lock for the submission victory.

Jeff Hardy def. Jaxson Ryker

Jeff Hardy faced Jaxson Ryker tonight. Before the match, Ryker apologized for not getting involved last week. Elias said Ryker did not walk with Elias last week and told him to beat Jeff Hardy until he accepts the universal truth. Jeff leveled Ryker with a Clothesline and followed it up with an inverted Atomic Drop. Jeff followed it up with a Dropkick and a Splash for a one count.

Ryler took back control and reigned down punches to Jeff’s face. Ryker connected with a Suplex for a near fall. Jaxson applied a Headlock but Jeff broke free with a Jawbreaker. Hardy planted Ryker with a Neckbreaker and made his way to the top rope. Elias shoved Hardy off the turnbuckle and the match ended in a DQ. Jaxson and Elias then started arguing and Jeff hit Elias with a Dropkick. Ryker then slammed Jeff to the canvas to end the segment.

Alexa Bliss Pinned The RAW Women’s Champion

Alexa Bliss welcomed RAW Women’s Champion Asuka to “Alexa’s Playground” tonight. Bliss said she was so excited that everyone was here tonight and immediately brought up Randy Orton. Bliss claimed that she was just coming to the ring to talk to Randy last week and then things got a little “heated”. Alexa laughed and said that she was glad to see that Orton is in good spirits and feeling okay. Alexa then introduced Asuka and the RAW Women’s Champion came to the ring.

Bliss declared that she will enter the Royal Rumble and said that they could face each other at WrestleMania. Asuka said she was a big fan and shouted “yowie wowie!”. Bliss looked at the empty swing and apologized for Asuka saying that. Asuka asked for her entrance music to play and started dancing around the ring. Alexa shouted “stop it!” and the music cut off. Asuka mentioned The Fiend and Bliss told her not to do that. Asuka left the ring as Bliss rode a pony.

Asuka then faced Alexa Bliss in this week’s main event. Bliss rolled up Asuka early but the RAW Women’s Champion kicked out at two. Asuka connected with a Shining Wizard but Bliss kicked out at two. Asuka locked in a Crossface but Bliss battled to her feet. Alexa rolled out of the ring and Asuka chased after her. The lights started to go out as Alexa Bliss got into the ring and RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Bliss was standing emotionless in the ring. Bliss and Asuka circled each other until the RAW Women’s Champion went for an elbow to the face. Alexa ducked and continued to circle Asuka. Bliss blocked a couple punches until Asuka finally connected with a kick. Bliss leveled Asuka with a shoulder tackle that sent her out of the ring. Asuka got back into the ring and Alexa did the Wyatt pose in the corner.

Alexa looked at her hand and went for the Mandible Claw. Asuka blocked it but Bliss connected with a right hand for a two count. Alexa strolled around the ring while staring at Asuka. The RAW Women’s Champion hit Bliss with a spinning backfist but Bliss popped up and hit the Sister Abigail for the pinfall victory. Bliss then mouthed the words “let me in” as The Fiend’s voice played to close the show.

Opinion: Unfortunately, this week’s RAW was another lackluster show. There were too many matches that we have seen before and it appears that every single heel faction cannot find a way to get along. The storyline between Orton, The Fiend and Bliss is interesting but simply cannot carry this entire three hour show. Hopefully, RAW can pick up some momentum next week heading into the Royal Rumble because the past few weeks have been rough.

ODB Confirms She Is Returning To Impact Wrestling Soon

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former TNA knockouts champion ODB has confirmed that she is returning to the company now known as Impact Wrestling and bringing her food truck with her.

The female star recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet where she talked about her time with the company and confirmed the news of her return.

During the interview, ODB explained how despite the hard moments, she has never burned a bridge in wrestling before announcing that she will be getting back in the ring:

“I am actually getting back in the ring, so IMPACT obviously called me and that’s the cool thing about stuff, I’ve never burnt a bridge in wrestling.”

The former ROH star also talked about bringing her food truck to the company and said that driving ODB’s Meat and Greet truck into a stadium has been her ultimate goal:

“They were like ‘Hey, do you want to come back and see what happens? And possibly bring the food truck?’ So that’s my ultimate goal, to actually drive my ODB’s Meat and Greet into a stadium and kick some ass.”

ODB wrestled for Impact Wrestling from 2007 to 2014 and during the period, she won the knockouts championship on 4 different occasions. Since 2014, she has made sporadic appearances for the company.

Updated WWE Royal Rumble Card: New Competitors Announced

Andrew Ravens
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WWE continues to announce more competitors for both the Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble Matches.  

The company announced the latest batch on Monday’s episode of Raw. The women’s match has added the likes of Peyton Royce, Alexa Bliss and Shayna Baszler. There are now 21 spots left in the 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match.

On the flip side, Jeff Hardy has now been confirmed to be in the men’s match. 

So far, WWE has only announced four matches for this show including two big championship matches. 

Updated WWE Royal Rumble Card

  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens – Last Man Standing Match
  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Goldberg
  • Men’s Royal Rumble Match: Jeff Hardy, Jey Uso, Cesaro, Daniel Bryan, WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Otis
  • Women’s Royal Rumble Match: Nia Jax, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Bianca Belair, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, Peyton Royce, Alexa Bliss, Shayna Baszler

WWE presents the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on January 31, 2021 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida which will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks. 

Joey Ryan Says He Hasn’t Committed Any Crimes, Questions Expectation From Some People

Andrew Ravens
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Joey Ryan has been posting more on social media in the new year and took to Twitter today to send out an interesting message. 

Ryan has apparently seen tweets about him from various people and how they think he should live his life in the wake of serious allegations against him during the #SpeakingOut movement.

He wrote, “I have not committed any crimes. I have never been investigated for a crime. There has never been any evidence connecting me to a crime. I have never even been a person of interest in a crime. It is bizarre that some would expect me to live my life like a criminal.”

The sexual assault allegations were made against him last year. Ryan had his contract with Impact Wrestling terminated in June due to the accusations. Later on, he released a video that was about one-hour long where he addressed the allegations. However, the video wasn’t available for long as it was deleted on his YouTube channel. 

Since that time, Ryan has filed various lawsuits including two against his accusers for defamation. However, those lawsuits have been dismissed.

Ryan also filed a $10 million breach of contract lawsuit against Impact Wrestling as they released him before his deal was slated to expire. 

Adam Pearce Expresses Gratitude For Supportive WWE Fans

Michael Reichlin
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0

WWE official Adam Pearce appreciates fans who have shown him support in recent weeks.

Pearce, a former NWA World Champion, recently earned the right face Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble. He was the last man standing in a Gauntlet Match a few weeks ago on SmackDown. It was his first time lacing up the boots in several years.

Last week, it was revealed that he is not medically cleared to compete at the Rumble. Instead, Kevin Owens was named as his “suitable replacement” in the match against Reigns.

Adam Pearce’s Message

Adam Pearce won’t get to wrestle on the big stage as planned, but he’s thankful for the people who followed his journey. In a message posted to Twitter on Sunday evening, Pearce his gratitude:

“Wrestling fans have amazed me for 25+ years and now is no different,” he wrote. “That said, some things just aren’t meant to be, and ‘not medically cleared’ is a status I wish on no one.”

The Royal Rumble takes place Sunday, January 31st from St. Petersburg, FL. The event airs live on the WWE Network.

Kofi Kingston Details Recent Jaw Injury, Getting Teeth Knocked out

Chris Stephens
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Kofi Kingston hasn’t wrestled since the January 4th, 2021 edition of WWE RAW. He missed last week’s show due to a broken jaw. On the most recent edition of the New Day “Feel the Power” podcast, Kingston detailed when and how he suffered the injury.

“I got kneed in the face by Cedric Alexander like 3 weeks ago and a couple of my teeth chipped. It was all fine, it was cool and the point of impact was just real sore. I thought ‘okay it’s a bruise or whatever.’ The next week we actually had like a 6-man match and everything was fine, a little pain but not terrible”

The day after New Day lost the RAW tag-team titles to the Hurt Business at WWE TLC, Kingston Tweeted out the following:

Kofi Kingston Jaw Injury

Kingston would continue to say that his jaw just didn’t feel right in the weeks and matches that followed.

“Then the next week when we had our match — right before we went out, it just kept feeling like it was just loose,” Kingston continued.

“As soon as we get out there to the ring, I’m moving around and now I’m feeling it kind of like come out of place and just feel like it wasn’t set in. And I feel like if the fans were there, I wouldn’t have felt that. Like throughout the whole entire match, anytime something would happen, I would get hit or whatever, I’ll grab my jaw. And I’m like, the entire match thinking about it the whole time.”

Kingston also mentioned he’s not sure if he would have noticed the injury had there been fans in the arena.

“I’ve been not necessarily injured but been hurt in a match and you feel the adrenaline of a crowd and it makes you will your way through it.  It changes the whole dynamic of how we do what we do and the approach.”

Nick Aldis Talks About Being A Traveling World Champion, NWA Update

Michael Reichlin
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NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis takes a lot of pride in being a ‘traveling champion.’ He’s not satisfied with his lack of recent title defenses and is looking ahead to 2021.

The National Treasure recently spoke with Wrestling Headlines about the significance of the NWA title. Aldis recalls taking bookings around the world when he first became champion. His willingness to defend the title in other promotions all around the world strengthened the legacy of the prize.

“You could tell that the momentum was there because right away all of those promoters were contacting me and going, ‘Can we make it an NWA title match?’ … We have a unique opportunity here because just as luck would have it I happened to have bookings in Europe, Australia, and across the states. We have a unique opportunity here to re-establish the folklore of the traveling world champion. The real world champion.”

Nick Aldis is proud that former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Tim Storm was elevated by his title reign. He remembers fans telling him that they fell in love with Tim Storm and saw him as being on the same level of himself and Cody Rhodes.

“I took great pride in that,” said Aldis. “I’m business. I want people to work with who generate interest and sell tickets for a pay per view. I don’t like the fact that I haven’t defended the title much lately. I don’t need to be champion forever…I just wanna be in the most important thing.”

The NWA in 2021

The National Wrestling Alliance is looking to regain its footing and build some momentum in 2021.

Billy Corgan recently exercised an option to keep Nick Aldis under contract with the NWA for one more year. Nick Aldis told Konnan and the Keepin’ It 100 podcast, “I truly believe in what we’re doing with the product and I wouldn’t walk away from it because we haven’t even scratched the surface of what we could accomplish.”

The NWA went on hiatus last year partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ve partnered with UWN to produce new content, including the NWA Shockwave series on YouTube.

We’ve seen NWA performers on AEW programming in recent months, including NWA Women’s Champion Serena Deeb and Thunder Rosa. Deeb appeared on The Hashtag Show last month and said she believes the NWA will be holding TV tapings soon.

“For the foreseeable future, I’m really excited,” said deeb. “The NWA is probably starting back up again with some tapings in January or early next year. My intention as champion is to defend it all over the world. I would love to be a platform to showcase other women. The possibilities are endless.”

WWE Raw Preview (1/18): Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss, Randy Orton Speaks

Michael Reichlin
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WWE returns to the ThunderDome tonight with an all-new live edition of Raw from St. Petersburg, FL.

Here’s what’s advertised for this week’s show:

  • Alexa Bliss faces Raw Women’s Champion Asuka in a non-title match.
  • Randy Orton will address the WWE Universe after Alexa Bliss attacked him with a fireball last week.
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WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair mentioned on his Facebook page that he at Raw, so expect the latest chapter in his storyline with Lacey Evans and daughter Charlotte Flair.

Plus, we’ll get more hype for the WWE Royal Rumble, which takes place in less than two weeks. Expect to see more entrants announced for the Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble matches.

Join us here later tonight for our WWE Raw Results and Takeaways feature right after the show goes off the air.

Asuka tweeted the following ahead of her match against Alexa Bliss. Asuka says she’s not scared of Bliss or “her monster.”

https://twitter.com/WWEAsuka/status/1350931325486772231

Jim Ross Comments On Shawn Michaels vs Owen Hart Feud in 98

Chris Stephens
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After the infamous Montreal Screwjob in 1997, Owen Hart returned to the WWF and looked as though he was going to enter a long-term program with Shawn Michaels. It didn’t work out that way, however. Owen and Shawn’s feud never seemed to take off and eventually, Owen and Triple H began feuding over the European Championship leading to WrestleMania 14.

On a recent episode of Grillin Jr, the topic of Owen Hart and Shawn Michaels’ abbreviated program in 1998 was brought up. Conrad Thompson mentioned that some rumors hold that Triple H and HBK quashed the idea of Shawn working with Owen. JR believes that while that might be true, it’s also the case that Vince McMahon didn’t have full faith in Owen.

“Could it have happened? Of course, it could have happened,” JR responded when asked if Triple H and HBK quashed the idea of Owen feuding with Shawn. “Can I confirm that it definitely happened? No, I cannot. I don’t know the answer.”

“I don’t know if there was as much confidence in Vince’s eyes in Owen because of the perception that Owen didn’t have this animal magnetism that Bret possessed.”

“So maybe Vince’s lack of total confidence in Owen affected that decision making. Owen was another guy just like Shawn, you knew that bell-to-bell, nobody was going to be better. Owen Hart was a great worker but maybe he didn’t have that zest of charisma to the level that Bret had and that is what he was being compared to. That was obviously not that fair, but that’s the only thing I can think of, Conrad.”

“Maybe Shawn and Hunter just wanted to get away from the Hart thing. They rode that horse a long time. I don’t know, I don’t have the answer to that scenario, I wish I did.”

A clip of JR talking with Conrad Thompson about the Owen Hart vs Shawn Michaels feud in 1998 is below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAq2YlD1-xQ

Eric Bischoff On Brock Lesnar Beating Kofi Kingston In 7 Seconds

Chris Stephens
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On the first edition of WWE Smackdown to air on Fox in 2019, Brock Lesnar defeated Kofi Kingston to win the WWE Championship in just 7 seconds. Many fans were disappointed with how Kofi’s title reign came to an end. Eric Bischoff was the Executive Director of Smackdown when the title change took place. He spent some time recently on the 83 Weeks Podcast talking about Lesnar’s quick victory over the former champion.

“Brock is Brock as a character, Brock’s character is Brock’s character. He eats people, he eats big people, he eats tough people,” Bischoff said on the show.

Bischoff continued to talk about the the size-difference between Brock and Kofi and how that played into what happened in their match.

“Kofi is my size, granted he’s in shape. But Kofi is maybe 200lbs, 210lbs, 220lbs-guy, whatever it is. Is there a story that would be remotely believable that would allow Kofi in this match to be in there and mix it up with a guy like Brock, in a believable way, that would have allowed him to maybe hold onto that underdog status?”

“What could Kofi have done in the body of that match that would have been believable and allow Kofi’s fans to hold onto some hope that he might find a way to overcome Brock Lesnar? I challenge people to think of it.”

Eric Bischoff on Brock Lesnar vs Kofi Kingston

Bischoff believes that WWE made the inevitable problem of ending a popular champion’s title reign worse by having it end in such a short match.

“People were hot that Brock ate Kofi in the manner in which he ate him and spit him out. They were hot, and I understand that. But what else could you do that would have been believable?”

“So I think it was destined to failure from the beginning to the end. It was a mistake. But I think that mistake was exacerbated by the fact that they did it so quickly.”

Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the player below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVT83n8PFR4

Britt Baker: “Everything Cody Gets Involved In Turns Into The Cody Rhodes Project!”

Jake Skudder
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AEW Women’s division star Dr Britt Baker recently appeared on the Sunday Night’s Main Event podcast. The pro wrestler/dentist talked a number of topics whilst on the show, including her Waiting Room segments.

The Waiting Room was originally only used as a segment on AEW Dark, but this past week was the first time it was brought to AEW Dynamite. The segment featured Cody Rhodes and Jade Cargill, furthering the storyline involving the aforementioned pair, Shaq and Brandi Rhodes.

Baker would discuss how Cody Rhodes was influential in bringing the concept to life, and how he’s now ‘hands off’ with it.

Britt Baker on The Waiting Room

“When we first started, I obviously met with Cody [Rhodes] and Tony [Khan] to make sure we had the the vision down, that we’re on the same page with what we wanted to do” Baker began on the Sunday Night’s Main Event show.

Britt Baker then described how the segment is used to help get ‘other storylines over.’ The Waiting Room has a Barber Shop or Piper’s Pit vibe, with a full set created to backdrop the action. “Essentially, it’s just a great platform to get other storylines over, to get people who maybe don’t get to talk as much.”

“[It was for] people who don’t get to talk as much on Dynamite or Dark” Baker continued. “Give them the mic let’s, you know, see what they can do.” Baker then finished by saying how as the segment has progressed Cody Rhodes has had less and less involvement in it. “Cody, as of now? Has very little to no involvement in it. Because once Cody Rhodes gets involved, it turns into Cody Rhodes project! And I’m sick of that (laughs)! So, now? It’s my baby.”

Knockouts Tag Team Champions Call Out AEW & Tony Khan

Chris Stephens
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Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz, collectively now known as Fire & Flava, won the Knockouts tag team championships at Hard to Kill. After the show, cameras caught up with the new champions celebrating. The video was posted to Impact’s social media accounts and features Hogan and Steelz calling out AEW and Tony Khan.

“We said it from the beginning, Fire & Flava is the team not to F with,” Steelz said in the video. “And Tony Khan, you want to talk about better tag-teams in AEW? What you think about the Knockouts tag-team in Impact. This is how you crown tournament champions, not participation medals.”

“2021 and the next years to come, Fire & Flava is it baby,” Hogan added.

Fire & Flava defeated The Sea Stars, Rosemary & Taya Valkyrie, and Havok & Neveah in an 8-team single-elimination tournament to win the belts.

Steelz comment about participation medals is in regard to the AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup held last year. The tournament was won by Diamante and Ivelisse, who have responded to Fire & Flava’s comments as well.

Diamante, who previously wrestled in Impact as a member of LAX, congratulated her partner, Kiera Hogan, on her win at Hard to Kill, however.

Sareee Headed To WWE After Announcing Final Joshi Match

Chris Stephens
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Joshi wrestler Sareee is on her way to WWE. The 24-year-old signed with the promotion in February of 2020 but has been unable to report to the Performance Center due to the ongoing global pandemic. She is considered a standout star on the Joshi scene.

Sareee sent out a Tweet confirming that her upcoming match for the SEAdLINNNG promotion on the 22nd will be her last bout before moving to the United States. She is expected to report to the WWE Performance Center after she does so.

In August, it was reported by Tokyo Sports that WWE would allow Sareee to continue to wrestle in Japan while she waits out the travel band.

Like many Joshi wrestlers, Sareee got her start at an early age. She was just 15 when she began performing for the World Woman Wrestling Pro Diana promotion. Sareee is a 2x World Champion with the company and a 1x tag-team champion.

Sareee spoke about moving to the United States and starting with WWE in the below video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgQJKXsbWwY&feature=emb_logo

“WWE is handling my schedule to move to the States. Their initial plan was for me to be training over there already but look at the circumstances around the world… maybe best when the vaccine is developed rather than re-debuting with worries. I want to show my solid wrestling live without any anxieties.”

Blue Demon Jr. Running For Mayor In Mexico City Municipality

Staff
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Luchador Blue Demon Jr. is running for political office. He seems to become mayor of the Mexico City municipality, Gustavo A. Madero.

During a recent interview with Mexican TV personality Gustavo Adolfo Infante, Blue Demon Jr. spoke about his candidacy.

“My party is called Redes Sociales Progresistas (Progressive Social Network). I am trying to become mayor of the GAM. There is Tinieblas for Venustiano Carranza and Carístico for Cuauhtémoc,” said Blue Demon Jr.

The former NWA World Heavyweight Champion also said that if elected as the mayor, he is going to focus on matters like education, security, and economics.

rock demon

Blue Demon Jr. in Politics

It is forbidden in Lucha Libre culture to reveal one’s real name and face to the public under any circumstance. Honoring his heritage, Blue Demon Jr. hopes to run for mayor without taking off his mask or revealing his identity. He explained that he would only have to identify himself in front of the authorities and not to the public.

Blue Demon Jr. is not the first masked wrestler to run for office masked. Masanori Murakawa of Japan, better known as The Great Sasuke, became the first masked wrestler to serve in politics. He was elected as the legislator of Iwate Prefectural Assembly.

Blue Demon Jr. is the ‘adopted’ son of legendary Luchador Blue Demon. He was the first Mexican and only the second masked wrestler to win the NWA Championship. After an initial stint with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide from 1996 to 2001, he returned to the promotion in 2013. He still wrestles there on occasion.

He was asked if he’ll be able to balance politics with his wrestling career. “I will try to balance everything, in a way that does not affect,” said Blue Demon Jr. “I am independent and I own my time. I can schedule struggles and certain things, but I do believe that it gives me time.”

Mark Henry Says Ryback Should Apologize To The Wrestling Industry, Ryback Responds

Chris Stephens
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Mark Henry has taken offense to former WWE Superstar Ryback’s lack of respect for the wrestling business. During a recent episode of Busted Open, Henry said that many of Ryback’s peers found him difficult to work with and unsafe in the ring.

“A lot of his peers looked at him as difficult, a lot of his peers looked at him as dangerous,” Mark Henry said on the show.

Henry also took offense to Ryback stating that wrestling championships are just “props.”

Henry takes pride in his accomplishments in pro wrestling and defended the value of titles.

“The championship is the championship, it’s not a prop and he’s wrong,” said Henry. “I’ve been a world champion in 3 sports and I consider pro-wrestling one of those. Ryback can’t take away what I achieved. You are wrong. Every wrestler that sees your face should walk up to you and say ‘hey, you’re an asshole.’ And I hope you know how to fight for real because you know and I know, there’s a lot of people that would whoop your ass.”

Henry finished by saying, “You owe the wrestling industry an apology. If you don’t, I think that pro-wrestlers all over the world should never give you respect.”

You can listen to Mark Henry’s comments about Ryback in the audio player embedded below:

Ryback Responds To Mark Henry

Ryback has since responded to Mark Henry’s comments with a series of Tweets posted last night.

https://twitter.com/Ryback/status/1351029848014249984
https://twitter.com/Ryback/status/1351032569459048450
https://twitter.com/Ryback/status/1351034260308840452
https://twitter.com/Ryback/status/1351075800896970752

Ethan Page Rips Into IMPACT For Karate Man Presentation

Jake Skudder
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IMPACT Wrestling held their Hard To Kill PPV event this past weekend. One of the featured ‘matches’ on the card saw Ethan Page face ‘Karate Man,’ an alter ego of Page that was originally created on YouTube and brought to television.

Ethan Page had already left the company before the PPV aired, so he did not hold back in stating his thoughts on the Mortal Kombat inspired video at all. “I’m going to take a full blown break from social media,” Page noted in on social media. “I’ll be staying active on my personal Patreon as much as I can & probably in this group too cuz I love the fig life & u guys. Xoxox.”

“But man, last night sucked” Page continued, talking about the segment. “I’m so embarrassed with how IMPACT! lazily edited that segment last night & forced it to be a joke. I felt the thought of the same guys fighting eachother was comedy enough & the more serious we took it the better the reaction would be. But cuz I left the company, they lied to my face & just did what they wanted the whole time. I’m sorry if any of my fans paid for that PPV & felt cheated. I honestly feel the free version I gave away was made with more love, care & attention to detail.”

The actual presentation from IMPACT had Ethan Page appear in front of a green screen and cut cheesy lines. Whilst the spectacle had humorous moments, Page was absolutely livid that he didn’t even get a look at the footage before it aired.

karate finale

Ethan Page’s Departure from Impact

“Sadly I had no control over the creative or the final product” Page then continued. “The editor refused to send it to me before hand, so I saw it live with you guys & was surrounded by family. [They were] all scratching their heads at that high school project level delivery on a PPV. I pray ppl know I didn’t edit that hot garbage. I actually begged IMPACT! Not to even have Karate man on tv. I only wanted it for my YouTube channel. But, we don’t write the shows. We just get the scripts & do our best. Idk what else to say. Breaks my heart this company refuses to respect its talent or it’s fan base on a regularly basis.”

Did you see the Hard To Kill PPV? Did you enjoy the Karate Man vs Ethan Page segment? Let us know in the comments

Jim Ross On His Pitch Which Convinced Shawn Michaels To Come Out Of Retirement In 2002

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Shawn Michaels coming out of retirement in 2002 is one of the most unbelievable wrestling returns of all time. Broadcasting legend Jim Ross reveals that he was one of the people who convinced HBK to lace up the boots once again.

JR discussed Michaels’ comeback during a recent Royal Rumble themed episode of his Grilling JR podcast. Michaels had a Hall-of-Fame-worthy career up until WrestleMania 14. Sadly, he was forced out of the ring due to a debilitating back injury. Towards the end of his run, Michaels was admittedly difficult to deal with. According to Jim Ross, he told the Heartbreak Kid that his legacy deserved better than how he was remembered in 1998.

“My pitch to Shawn was always that you can’t allow your legacy to end this way,” said Ross. “You have put a bad taste in peoples mouth, whether inadvertently or premeditatedly. I don’t know and I don’t really care. Right now, the perception of you is not so positive.”

Jim Ross recalls telling Shawn Michaels that he was up there with Ric Flair as one of the greatest pro wrestlers ever. He owed it to himself and the fans to make things right.

“For a guy that’s considered to be, along with Ric Flair, the two greatest in ring performers of all time, that’s just not right,” Ross recalls telling Michaels. “It’s not right for you or your fans.”

Shawn Michaels’ back was in bad shape for some time, but was worsened at the 1998 Royal Rumble during a match with The Undertaker. After dropping the WWE Championship to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin at WrestleMania, he closed the book on what was thankfully only the first half of his storied career.

Michaels made sporadic non-wrestling appearances for WWE over the next several years. He made a full-time return to the ring in 2002. He wrested a full-time schedule until 2010. That run included classic matches against the likes of Triple H, Kurt Angle, John Cena and of course, The Undertaker.

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