According to sources, MSK is the name WWE will use for Desmonz Xavier and Zachary Wentz, formerly known as The Rascalz in Impact Wrestling. Xavier and Wentz are among the latest class of WWE Performance Center recruits.
The Dusty Classic kicks off tonight with two opening round matches: The Undisputed Era vs. Breezango and Ever-Rise vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans. MSK will face Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and Jake Atlas in a first round match that is expected to take place over the next two weeks.
A tweet sent out by WWE indicates that we may find out the identities of MSK on tonight’s episode of NXT TV.
This Monday will be Martin Luther King Day in the United States. WWE has announced a special tribute will air on RAW for the civil rights icon. The company has released a special tribute video package that will air on the show.
In recognition of #MartinLutherKingDay, @WWE has produced a special tribute video honoring the life and legacy of Dr. King, whose actions continue to impact the nation. This video will air on #WWERaw this Monday, January 18 at 8/7c on @USA_Networkhttps://t.co/oFDmq0vrMt
Every year around Martin Luther King Day, Vince McMahon reiterates that he considers MLK to be his hero. Every year, these comments tend to draw a wide range of reactions amongst people in the wrestling world.
Below is Vince McMahon’s post about Martin Luther King from last year:
Two years ago in 2019, Vince McMahon Tweeted out the following near Martin Luther King day:
“The time is always right to do what is right.” Thinking of the powerful words and indelible legacy of my hero, Martin Luther King Jr., on this #MLKDay. pic.twitter.com/km0oT9kG4n
This drew a reaction from former WWE wrestler, Gail Kim. The most decorated Knockout in Impact history posted the following about Vince’s love for MLK.
All respects to Martin Luther King Jr., but is this really Vince tweeting this? Hero? ??? https://t.co/R5o9twr4ow
Last summer, Stephanie McMahon also Tweeted about Martin Luther King.
“I love and support my Black friends and colleagues. To everyone who has ever felt the impact and fear of racial injustice, I will use my voice for you,” Stephanie Tweeted along with a quote from MLK.
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends” – MLK
I love and support my Black friends and colleagues. To everyone who has ever felt the impact and fear of racial injustice, I will use my voice for you.
Erick Redbeard, aka Erick Rowan, recently revealed a new tattoo he got to honor the passing of his friend and former tag-team partner, Brodie Lee. The two were formerly known as Luke Harper and Erick Rowan of the Wyatt Family and also performed together in WWE as the Bludgeon Brothers.
The Bludgeon Brothers held the Smackdown tag-team championships from April 2018 until that August. The duo were also former NXT tag-team champions as members of the Wyatt Family.
Rowan appeared on the AEW Tribute to the Life of Mr. Brodie Lee show two weeks ago. He held up a sign that said “Goodbye for now my brother, see you down the road.”
“I’m not really sure how to answer that question because I’m not used to him being the leader, I’ll have to watch a little bit more of his stuff. Yeah, I’d love to lock back up with Brodie and get back together, but there’s a place and a time for it, you know? Now just might not be the right time.”
Brodie Lee also commented on what he felt was next for Rowan in an interview exclusive to SEScoops.com:
“I think Erick Rowan is almost tailor-made for a Japan run. I don’t know if we’ll ever find each other over there because that would be pretty cool. Or if we’ll find each other in AEW, who knows? I think there’s going to be a lot of opportunity for these guys.”
Impact Wrestling World Champion Rich Swan is gearing up for one of the biggest matches of his life. This Saturday night, Impact presents Hard to Kill live on pay-per-view. Swann will team with the Motor City Machine Guns against AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Impact World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers (Gallows & Anderson).
Swann appeared on Wrestling Epicenter this week and spoke to host James Walsh about the significance of this match. The full interview is embedded here, with highlights below.
Rich Swann is currently the top dog in Impact Wrestling, but it almost didn’t happen. He suffered a wave of injuries last year that almost forced him into retirement.
“It was excruciating, it was painful, it was something that I wouldn’t ever wish on my worst enemy,” said Swann. “I broke my leg, my fibula, my ankle… Everything in my ankle, my foot… And then, not only that, my back. My lower back was broken. You know, I was told that I probably would never wrestle again let alone walk the same way again. That was just another something that I had to overcome.”
Thanks to exhaustive physical therapy, he eventually trained himself back into fighting shape. Swann captured the Impact World Championship at Bound for Glory 2020. He says “the crown is heavy on the head” because so many legends before him have held that title. It means the world to him that he’s the leader of a company that has such a rich history.
Impact Working With AEW
Impact Wrestling’s working relationship is one of the hottest angles in pro wrestling. As Impact World Champion, Swann is one of the key players involved in the inter-promotional conflict. He feels that the two companies working together is “awesome” for the business and for fans.
Last week, we saw The Good Brothers crash AEW Dynamite and come tot he aid of Kenny Omega. The Young Bucks joined in and the group embraced in what appeared to be a reunion of former Bullet Club members. Swann says he’s not surprised at what we saw. He feels that it was just a matter of time before the Bullet Club members threw up the Too Sweet symbol and showed their true colors. Even though he’ll be standing across the ring from Omega and the Good Brothers this Saturday night, he can’t help but admit that it’s cool to see them together again.
Don Callis has been claiming that Kenny Omega is the “real” world champion, which has to be seen as a slight to people like Rich Swann. When asked how he feels about this, Swann said he does not let it get under his skin.
“No, it doesn’t get under my skin because I know what I had to do to win the World Heavyweight Championship,” said Swann. “So, for someone to say that they’re the “real” world champion, guess what? You are the real world champion… in AEW! Maybe thanks to the tactics that he used with Don Callis, don’t forget to mention! I did it the old fashioned way – With heart, determination, and the power of love of professional wrestling. If you look at our wins, if you compare those two, who is the real World Champion?”
AEW World Chamion Kenny Omega has made it known that he is on the hunt for more titles. Would Rich Swann be interested in a match to unify the AEW and Impact World titles?
“I’m from Baltimore, Maryland.” said Swann. “I’m not afraid to step into the ring with no man. I fear no man and I only fear one thing. The thing is, that is not one thing that I would ever fear. If he (Kenny Omega) wanted to step into the ring and do a Unification… We’ve it. We’ve seen seen him go into Mexico and he beat Loredo Kid in AAA. Do I think he could come into my house and do what he did there? I don’t know. Time will tell.”
With just days until Impact’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view, Rich Swann says he and the Motor City Machine Guns are ready with “a whole lot of ammunition and we’re ready to unload.”
Order Impact Wrestling Hard to Kill now at FITE.TV.
Impact Wrestling has just announced a change to their commentary team. Longtime commentator, Josh Mathews, has been promoted to a behind-the-scenes role and will be leaving the commentary booth. Similarly, Madison Rayne will be leaving the commentary booth to begin a career outside the world of wrestling. In their place will be the new commentary team of Matt Striker and D’Lo Brown.
Josh Mathews will now serve as senior producer for all of Impact’s weekly shows and PPVs. He was quoted in a press release announcing the change.
“My play-by-play career has spanned nearly 20 years – from WrestleMania to Bound For Glory to incredible moments from IMPACT Wrestling on AXS TV,” Mathews said. “Producing will allow me to have a bigger role in the overall production of our weekly show, PPVs and IMPACT+ Specials.”
“This transition has been a great process, Matt and D’Lo are bringing a fresh energy and are ready to go. It was a special year in 2020, and both Madison Rayne and I will always be grateful for the opportunity and look forward to these exciting changes.”
Matt Striker has been working on Xplosion for the promotion as of late. Previously, Striker has worked on commentary for WWE, Lucha Underground, and AAA.
“I’ve always loved professional wrestling. It is a love that unites so many people,” Striker said. “Pro wrestling is a sport and I want to be mindful to call it as such. I’ve learned and grown so much since I began, and I thank the fans – and the critics – for that.”
“It is not lost on me the opportunity that is before me – I can once again lend my voice to the sport that I love. In doing so, I’m poised to describe, analyze, and witness the most advanced athletes the sport has ever seen. I am excited, nervous, thankful, and humbled. I cannot wait to get out there. You will always be able hear the fan in me.”
D’Lo Brown was also quoted on his new role as color commentator for Impact.
“I’m humbled to follow the IMPACT broadcasting path of Don West and Mike Tenay, and most recently Don Callis, Madison Rayne and certainly Josh Mathews. I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity. I know there are big shoes to fill, but Striker and I will do our best.”
The new commentary team will debut this Saturday at Hard to Kill. Last night’s Impact Wrestling, will be the last for the Josh Mathews and Madison Rayne team.
BREAKING: Starting at #HardToKill, Matt Striker and D'Lo Brown will be IMPACT Wrestling's new broadcast team! @AsleepOnThBeach @dlobrown75
The Bella Twins were recently guests on “Pretty Big Deal with Ashley Graham.” During the discussion, Nikki Bella said she’s interested in possibly working in WWE creative, something her brother-in-law, Daniel Bryan has been doing more of as of late.
“Brie’s husband is a part of the creative team and works a lot with Vince McMahon on creative stuff and I’ve always thought in the back of my head, I would really like to do that for the women,” Nikki said on the show. “I’ve lived it as a WWE Superstar but also am a fan. So, I feel like I know what the people want and then I know how to get the best out of each woman because I know them. It would be a lot of fun to be on creative.”
Brie Bella then spoke about her husband Daniel Bryan’s work on WWE’s creative team.
“What’s cool is my husband works with very well-trained writers who have come from TV shows that have done great but with their writing skills with my husband’s wrestling ability and his experience, they really come up with some great stuff.”
Nikki would continue to talk about how Daniel Bryan helps the writers understand basic wrestling booking ideas.
Impact Wrestling on January 12th, 2021 was the go-home show before Saturday’s Hard to Kill PPV event. Karl Anderson faced Rich Swann in a non-title match in the main event.
Impact Wrestling Quick Results 1/12:
Kimber Lee defeated Taya Valkyrie
Chris Bey & Rohit Raju defeated Manik & Suicide
Deaner defeated Tommy Dreamer via DQ
Rosemary defeated Tenille Dashwood
Moose defeated Matthew Palmer
Rich Swann defeated Karl Anderson
Below are 8 key takeaways from the show:
Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers Brawl With Rich Swann & MCMGs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1KoeKz58Oo
During the show this week, Kenny Omega, Don Callis, and the Good Brothers were shown regularly from their luxury bus outside the venue. This week, the faction was preparing for Karl Anderson’s 1-on-1 non-title match with Impact World Champion, Rich Swann. Neither the Motor City Machine Guns nor Bullet Club would be allowed ringside.
Anderson spent much of the match working on his opponent’s arm. It’s possible this injury may potentially play into the match at Hard to Kill as well. The champion fought through adversity, however, and countered the Gun Stun into a pinning combination for the win.
After the match, Omega and Gallows attacked the Motor City Machine Guns in their dressing room while Don Callis watched on. Swann arrived to help but Anderson wasn’t far behind. These two teams are heading into Hard to Kill with some built up animosity.
“Susan” Helps Kimber Lee Defeat Taya Valkyrie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUbQyCc7ro8
This was seemingly a warm-up match for Taya as she is scheduled to challenge Deonna Purrazzo for the Knockouts title at Hard to Kill. Taya looked to have the match won with a double-knee strike in the corner but Purrazzo put Kimber Lee’s foot on the ropes during the pin attempt. Rosemary then chased the KO champ up the ramp but this brought out “Susan” Su Yung’s newest alter-ego. Susan working alongside Purrazzo and Kimber Lee distracted Taya, allowing Kimber Lee to score the pin on a roll-up. Will Susan be on-hand to help Purrazzo retain at Hard to Kill?
Moose Gets Revenge On Matthew Palmer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgxR_XyaBho
Last week, Moose was unable to defeat former security guard, Matthew Palmer, in under 3 seconds. This week, Moose again needed longer than 3-minutes to beat his opponent, but he did eventually do so. The referee called a halt to the match as Moose was laying elbows into his unresponsive opponent.
We saw at Genesis, that Moose’s victory over Willie Mack was enough to earn him a future title shot at Rich Swann. It’s not clear when exactly that match will take place, but it’s coming and it’s something Moose has been preparing for.
Eric Young’s Faction Gets Ready To Go Old School At Hard To Kill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8bxm3PyfqI
Eric Young, Joe Doering, & Deaner will face Tommy Dreamer, Rhino, and Cousin Jake in an old school rules match at Hard to Kill. This week, Deaner took on Tommy Dreamer in singles action. Cousin Jake is still all torn up about Cody Deaner joining Eric Young’s faction. He again tried to talk some sense into his former partner but to no avail. Eventually, Jake grew frustrated with Deaner and attacked him while he was on the ring apron, leading to the disqualification.
Things broke down into a brawl after the match. Both Rhino and Joe Doering, who had been sent to the back during the match, returned and brawled as well. The segment ended with Eric Young delivering a vicious piledriver to Dreamer.
Knockouts Tag Team Title Tournament Finals Preview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQugVanxpMI
After an 8-team single elimination tournament, we are down to two teams. Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz will face Havok & Neveah in the finals at Hard to Kill. It’s the most established teams in the tournament facing off in the finals. We saw a sit-down face-to-face interview between the two teams this week. Steelz and Hogan had plenty to say but their opponents sat silent. Finally, Havok & Neveah got up and pushed their opponents up against the walls to let them know they will do their talking in the ring on Saturday.
Chris Bey Picks Up Momentum Ahead Of Hard To Kill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KYGNOVrhdI
The X-Division Championship picture continued this week as Manik & Suicide teamed up to face Chris Bey and Rohit Raju. Raju seems obsessed with unmasking Manik to prove that he is TJP but this might be to his detriment. Bey seems much more focussed on the task at-hand, which is likely why he was able to walk away with the victory this week. Bey hit the Art Of Finesse on Suicide for the win. There will be nobody under the Suicide mask at Hard to Kill, however, when Manik defends against Bey and Raju in a triple threat match.
Decay Reunite Against Tenille Dashwood & Kaleb
Tenille Dashwood’s personal photographer, Kaleb with a K (Caleb Konley) got involved often during this match. He tripped Rosemary’s foot as she came off the ropes and he sprayed hairspray in her eyes. Fortunately for Rosemary, an old ally appeared to even up the odds. Crazzy Steve and Rosemary are former members of Decay, and evidently, their bond still runs strong. Steve chased Kaleb away from ringside. This allowed Rosemary to spray hairspray in the eyes of Tenille Dashwood and then hit a spear for the win. A match between the former members of Decay and Dashwood and Kaleb has now been scheduled for Hard to Kill.
Hard To Kill Lineup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42aaPBHpzYQ
Here is the scheduled lineup for Saturday’s Hard to Kill:
Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers vs Rich Swann & The Motor City Machine Guns
Knockouts Tag Team Championships (Tournament Finals) Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz vs Havok & Neveah
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
Barbed Wire Massacre Sami Callihan vs Eddie Edwards
Old School Rules Eric Young, Deaner & Joe Doering vs Tommy Dreamer, Rhino, & Cousin Jake
X-Division Championship Manik (c) vs Chris Bey vs Rohit Raju
The Karate Man vs Ethan Page
Tenille Dashwood & Kaleb vs Rosemary & Crazzy Steve
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair. Bully Ray would claim that Charlotte is “one of the greatest women’s performers ever” and that he finds it ridiculous that certain fans slam her online.
“You’re always gonna have people on social media, who think that they understand or know what’s going on in that ring” Bully Ray began on Busted Open. “[Think they know] what makes a great talent. What does make great talent? Charlotte Flair is top of the food chain, all time when it comes to women’s wrestling. All time, all time.”
Bully Ray on Charlotte Flair
“She’s possibly in the top three females of all time” Bully Ray continued. “It’s not even up for debate. That’s a cold hard fact. And to sit there on social media and to talk crap about Charlotte? ‘Oh, she’s only in that spot because her father.’ I mean, how old is that one? Because OF COURSE if she didn’t have the last name Flair? She wouldn’t be as athletic as she is, she wouldn’t look as good as she does. She wouldn’t have the gear that she does…just stop it already!”
Bully Ray finished by calling out the detrimental fans online by saying “you look completely foolish and ignorant.” Ray added “if you take the social media and start bashing one of the greatest wrestlers of all time? You look foolish and ignorant.”
Do you agree with Bully Ray? Do you think that Charlotte Flair is one of the greatest performers ever? Let us know in the comments
AEW’s Eddie Kingston recently appeared on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast. The ‘Mad King’ would discuss a number of topics on the show, including his current relationship, appearing overseas and tribute to his long-time friend Brodie Lee.
When Paquette asked Kingston what else he wanted to accomplish in his career, he would reply emphatically, saying NJPW. “Of course New Japan, but there has to be certain guys” Eddie Kingston would state.
Eddie Kingston on NJPW
“I want to get in there with [Hiroshi] Tanahashi, he is number one” Kingston continued. “Stone Cold Steve Austin is my favourite American wrestler, and to me Tanahashi is the Stone Cold Steve Austin of New Japan. He saved that company.”
Kingston also confirmed that he wants to appear for other promotions in Japan. “I want to step into an All Japan Pro Wrestling ring, because I love All Japan Pro Wrestling. Especially the 90s with the four pillars: [Akira] Taue, [Toshiaki] Kawada, [Mitsuharu] Misawa, and my personal favourite of all time Kenta Kobashi.”
Kingston finished by naming the All Japan Pro Wrestling legend that he desperately wants to face. “But I NEED this” Kingston stated, “I NEED me versus Jun Akiyama, that would be the cap on everything.”
All Japan aside, it’s interesting that Eddie Kingston notes his want to face Hiroshi Tanahashi. There have been rumors and rumbling since Harold Meij left New Japan regarding a potential collaboration between AEW and NJPW. Reportedly, Meij was not on good terms with The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega; meaning that the link up between the two brands was highly unlikely. There are however several AEW performers who appear in NJPW, such as Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley.
Do you want to see Eddie Kingston appear in New Japan? Let us know in the comments
Chris Jericho recently spent some time talking about the ongoing global pandemic on his Talk is Jericho podcast. His guest was Dr. Alex Patel, an ICU doctor working in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. During the discussion, Jericho revealed that he tested positive for COVID-19 in September.
The former WWE & AEW World Champion says he did not experience any symptoms of the virus, but still quarantined for 10 days to protect his loved ones.
“I haven’t really told anyone this but I tested positive back in maybe September and I had zero symptoms” Jericho said on the show. “I had my 10 days in isolation and stayed away from everybody.”
Jericho added that he was very surprised to learn he had COVID-19 when he took a routine test.
“I didn’t even know that I had it, I went and got a test just in general. It was one of the ones where they said you’re positive and I was like ‘Really? Are you serious?’ I had nothing, I didn’t have a headache, I didn’t have a cough.”
“Once I did have it, and it wasn’t a false positive because I took 3 different tests and they were all positive, but now I have the antibodies,” Jericho continued.
Former NWA commentator and outspoken pro wrestling personality Jim Cornette recently discussed Johnny Gargano and his role on NXT television.
Cornette was reviewing the most recent episode of NXT during the Drive Thru podcast. During the show, Cornette would make some comments towards Gargano and his wife Candice LaRae. Jim Cornette has made it clear in the past that he finds Gargano boring, bland and not the right fit for WWE television.
“I can’t explain putting these f*cking two on the show constantly” Cornette began on the Drive Thru. “I mean, even if he’s a good…her (Candice LaRae) aside? She’s just a run of the mill girl wrestler, who gives a sh*t? But he technically is a good performer.”
“Sure if it wouldn’t be for his size, his lack of personality and his obnoxiously phoney interview style and everything else about him he’d be great” Jim Cornette continued. “Give him a contract and make him a trainer, you know? He can do all the moves. Let him do motion capture for the video game.”
Jim Cornette would then finish by saying emphatically that Gargano should be taken off of NXT television. “He can do all the moves but this guy is not a television personality that anybody wants to f*cking see. The only people that want to see it are the people that want to see moves.”
Overall, Cornette appears to be far more favourable of talent in NXT than that of AEW. Every week Cornette will praise the likes of Damian Priest, but he will also lambast NXT for pushing the ‘generic’ performers he sees, such as Gargano.
Do you agree with Jim Cornette’s opinion of Johnny Gargano? Do you think that Gargano will have a good run on the ‘main roster’ if he ever gets called up full time? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. It was confirmed by WWE before this week’s episode of RAW that the Scottish Superstar had tested positive for COVID-19.
It was also revealed that McIntyre was asymptomatic, so he was not suffering from any of the usually expected symptoms of the disease. With McIntyre being in well health, he confirmed that he will still be facing Goldberg at the Royal Rumble PPV. Goldberg challenged Drew McIntyre on the Legends Night episode of Monday Night RAW.
Many fans have been worried about Goldberg potentially getting the win at the Rumble, taking the belt from McIntyre. Bully Ray would suggest that WWE use the fact that McIntyre had/has COVID and weave it into the storyline.
Bully Ray on Drew McIntyre/Goldberg Storyline
“With the way they presented Goldberg last night and the fact that drew does have COVID? Who’s to say that even though he’s asymptomatic it doesn’t take a little bit out of him?” Bully Ray began on Busted Open. “You know? Maybe it affects his training, affects his ability to get in the ring. Maybe there’s a little bit of ring rust not being in there? I don’t mind using the fact that Drew has COVID as the base of a story, if Goldberg is gonna win [at the Royal Rumble].”
“Drew got it at the ‘wrong’ time and timing is everything” Bully Ray continued, elaborating on the storyline aspect. “Goldberg was able to step up to the plate at the right time and take advantage of the situation. Hell, maybe you have some of the WWE doctors telling Drew; ‘you should not be getting back in the ring right now, you’re just not ready to go, you’ve taken a hit over the past two weeks. Your lungs may not be able to take it.’ I like using it as an aspect of the World Championship match.”
Bully Ray would finish by saying how the positive test could also work as an ‘out’ for WWE taking the title off of Drew McIntyre. “And it’s also something, not for Drew to fall back on, but people to fall back on for Drew. Because they’ll say, ‘oh well Drew had COVID, maybe he wasn’t strong enough. Then drew goes, ‘you know what? Enough with this COVID excuse. No, I lost, Goldberg was the better guy but at WrestleMania I’m going to get my championship back.'”
With WWE being completely averse to mentioning COVID-19 on television on air this seems unlikely.
Do you agree with Bully Ray? Do you think that WWE should use Drew McIntyre’s positive COVID test to further the Goldberg storyline? Let us know in the comments
WWE has announced a Superstar Spectacle special for the Indian audience. It will be airing on the Republic Day in the country as part of their strategy to expand its operations in India.
Superstar Spectacle will be taped at WWE Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida at around 21 January. The event is scheduled to air on Sony TEN 1 and Sony TEN 3 on the Indian Republic Day on Tuesday, January 26 at 8 PM local time.
The Superstar Spectacle is expected to be 90 minutes to two-hour-long show and it will features commentaries in both English and Hindi languages.
The previous plans were for the show to be taped across several days and edit it together to make one show but it’s now expected to be taped in one day.
The local advertising for the Superstar Spectacle is built around the Indian stars of the WWE roster including names such as Jinder Mahal, NXT star Kavita Devi and tag teams Indus Sher and The Bollywood Boys.
The show is expected to feature a number of Indian NXT trainees as well and the company has filed a trademark for names Giant Zanjeer, Dilsher Shanky and Guru Raaj for their Indian recruits.
WWE has confirmed the upcoming special with a official announcement on their website and provided some more detail on the show:
“WWE Superstar Spectacle, an unprecedented two-hour television special event for India featuring WWE’s Indian performers alongside Superstars from Raw, SmackDown and NXT, will premiere exclusively on Sony Ten 1, Sony Ten 3 and Sony MAX on India’s Republic Day, Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. IST, with commentary available in both English and Hindi.
The unique showcase of Indian-inspired action will emanate from the state-of-the-art WWE ThunderDome and incorporate stunning elements of traditional and contemporary Indian culture among epic matches featuring WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, Rey Mysterio, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair, AJ Styles, Bayley, The New Day, Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro, SmackDown Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode, Natalya, Ricochet and many more plus an appearance by WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair.
“We love the passion and support from the huge WWE Universe in India, so we’ve teamed up with SPN, the exclusive home of WWE in India, to surprise our fans with an incredible event to kick off 2021,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Global Talent Strategy & Development. “WWE Superstar Spectacle will be an epic event with electrifying matches featuring some of the biggest names in WWE along with our incredible Indian performers, plus thrilling and authentic Indian-inspired entertainment.”
“WWE has consistently featured among the top watched sports properties in India over the years,” said Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India. “We are excited about presenting WWE Superstar Spectacle to WWE fans and viewers in India on Republic Day which will showcase and celebrate the best of the next generation Indian talent in WWE.”
With matches announced in the coming weeks, WWE fans can look forward to witnessing appearances by 10 Indian WWE talent, including:
WWE Superstar Jinder Mahal, the first WWE Champion of Indian descent.
The Bollywood Boyz, WWE Superstars Samir and Sunil Singh.
The first all-Indian tag team in WWE, Indus Sher, featuring Rinku and Saurav.
NXT Superstar Jeet Rama.
Kavita Devi, the first Indian woman to sign a WWE contract.
The Great Khali trainees Giant Zanjeer (7ft 2in, 340 pounds) and Dilsher Shanky (7ft, 310 pounds).
Guru Raaj, the first Indian-born high-flyer in WWE.
The arrival of WWE Superstar Spectacle comes at a time when WWE’s popularity in India continues to increase. WWE is one of the most-watched sports properties in India, and India ranks No. 1 for WWE YouTube consumption and No. 1 in WWE Facebook followers. In addition, WWE has been actively recruiting elite athletes and performers from the country. In 2019, WWE hosted its largest tryout in history, where more than 70 top athletes from India showcased their abilities in Mumbai and four Indian recruits were selected to train at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Follow WWE social channels for all the latest updates on WWE Superstar Spectacle.”
WWE superstar Big E has never received a world title opportunity and he is ready to win the Royal Rumble PPV and get his first shot at the world title.
The Intercontinental Champion recently had an interview with Stuart Osborne of Dayton 24/7 Now where he talked about the upcoming PPV and more.
Discussing a potential opportunity to win the Universal Championship after winning the Royal Rumble match, Big E said that he is looking forward to his first world title opportunity:
“You know, I’ve never had a world title match, a world title opportunity. This would be my very first one, so I’m looking forward to that,”
The New Day member also opened up about his singles run and Big E said that he wants to see how much he can do as a singles competitor:
“I want to see how much I can do as a singles competitor. A lot of people have had these high hopes for me, which I really appreciate,”
It was reported last year that WWE officials were high on Big E and they are planning a singles push for the former NXT champion in future.
Since then, the company has broken up his pairing with the New Day by drafting them onto different brands and Big E also recently won the intercontinental championship by defeating Sami Zayn.
WWE NXT Superstar Ridge Holland has made his first comments since being put out of the action due to a leg injury he suffered during the October 7 episode of NXT last month.
The heavyweight star was recently interviewed by Alex McCarthy of Talk Sport where he opened up about his injury and provided updates on his recovery.
Holland first provided some details on the damage he suffered revealing that his left leg was fractured and he dislocated his kneecap in his right leg:
“On my left leg I fractured and dislocated my ankle and then on my right leg, I dislocated the kneecap and ruptured my patella tendons. Kind of a buy one get one free on injuries! But, it’s coming on well. The WWE medical staff are top-notch and they’ve got me well on the road to recovery.”
When asked about a potential timeline for his recovery, Ridge Holland mentioned that it’s still early to say anything for certain but the doctors have given an initial timeline of six to nine months:
“It’s early days yet, but the doctor has said six to nine months, so I’m just taking it day-by-day and see how the knee and ankle feels.
If I look too far in the future I’ll probably take my focus on what needs to be done today. So yeah, we’ll see how it goes,”
Apart from this, Ridge Holland also spoke positively of the WWE management for taking care of him after his injury and revealed the influence William Regal has had on him.
Retribution’s T-BAR has accused a current AEW star of stealing his finisher.
The former NXT star took on Twitter earlier today and made an interesting tweet, claiming that “some little teenage virgin on AEW” stole his finisher four years ago. He wrote, “Some little teenage virgin on AEW stole my finisher like four years ago after we did a show together. I’d steal something from his move set but it’s all just @KingRicochet moves.”
T-BAR did not mention any names in the since-deleted tweet, the post invoked a response from Sammy Guevara who claimed that the move known as Feast Your Eyes belongs to indie wrestler Matt Demorest.
You can view the two finishers here:
Sammy Guevara fired back at the Retribution member saying that he is just trying to get the move to be seen by fans because the Raw star is never on TV.
AEW star Dax Harwood also joined in on the conversation by replying to Guevara and called T-BAR “an idiot” who is lucky to even be in the wrestling business.
“Stole MY finisher”. MY FINISHER?! ? The guy is an idiot. He’s lucky to even be in the business.
T-Bar later referenced a controversial joke Guevara made about Sasha Banks in 2016, which AEW suspended him for last year when they resurfaced. He wrote, “Someone tell panda kid I had a singles match on TV last night, and I didn’t steal the move from some backyarder, I thought of it in a professional wrestling ring with @Kill4nova. Try being creative sometime, instead of, oh I don’t know, making jokes about rape.”
He also responded Dax Harwood’s tweet, writing, “I could never understand what your problem was with me. I was always polite to you. Complimented your matches. I think you hated my style? So weird. Hope all is well, you usually seem like a nice enough dude.”
T-Bar eventually decided to delete the tweets related to this conversation and said the whole argument was dumb. “You know what, everyone is right. This is a dumb argument and I’m deleting my contributions to it.”
The former world champion took on his Twitter and made a couple of tweets in reply to the fans asking about his health after he announced the news of his positive test.
Foley noted that his health isn’t too bad but he is getting fatigued too easily and his head feels a little cloudy. The former hardcore champion also requested the fans to take the pandemic seriously:
“Many of you have been asking how I’m feeling after my positive COVID test. All in all, not too bad – but I get fatigued very easily, and my head still feels a little cloudy. PLEASE take this pandemic seriously – the daily death count is staggeringly high..and climbing.”
Mick Foley got COVID-19 after holding a virtual autograph signing on December 12. He met with a couple of people in an isolated room for the signing and one of them later tested positive for the virus.
Don Callis says nobody is on Kenny Omega’s level, including his “onetime close friend” and former partner, Kota Ibushi.
The former Golden Lovers partners sit atop the wrestling world with championship gold to prove their worth. Omega is the reigning AEW World Champion and the AAA Mega champion. Ibushi was the big winner coming out of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 by winning and defending the IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental titles.
“The Invisible Hand” recently spoke with Talk Sport about Omega’s success. He says Ibushi was a good friend of Kenny Omega “at one point.” He knows Ibushi is a great wrestler. But he’s not the best.
“Kenny Omega is still the best wrestler in the world and number two isn’t close,” said Callis “Whether it’s [Impact World Champion] Rich Swann or Kota Ibushi, you’re getting in the ring with Kenny Omega, a generational, once in a lifetime performer.”
Callis thinks that no matter how good of a wrestler Kota Ibushi is, he exists in a bubble. Ibushi hasn’t tested himself around the world like Kenny Omega has.
“What makes Kenny great isn’t just the athleticism, it’s his next level thinking. Kota Ibushi thinks in the IWGP bubble. It’s all he knows and all he’s ever known. In order for Kota Ibushi to truly evolve into the Kota Ibushi he can be, he needs to get on an airplane. He needs to come from Japan and defend that title around the world like Kenny Omega does.”
The Problem With Kota Ibushi…
Don Callis honed in on what he believes to be, “the problem” with Kota Ibushi. Naturally, Callis will promote his guy and is protective of how Kenny Omega is perceived.
“The problem with Kota Ibushi has never been a lack of ability, it’s been a lack of imagination,” he began. “But Kota is very much like the wrestling fans we spoke about, he has a limited world view. He has been a great friend of Kenny’s in the past, the reality is, sometimes as we move through our lives we have to shed friends like we shed dead skin cells. What once worked in a friendship or relationship no longer works for us, so we move on.”
Callis finished by teasing that he and Kenny Omega have plans that most of us are thinking ‘too small’ to comprehend. “A lot of people would love to see Kenny and Kota Ibushi reunite, but that’s very small-minded thinking and it is what it is. People get excited about their dream matches.”
Head over to Talk Sport to check out their full interview with Don Callis.
Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.819 million viewers with a 0.55 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. Last week’s show did 2.128 million viewers with a 0.68 rating.
Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Monday night:
The first hour did 2.024 million viewers and a 0.62 rating (A18-49).
The second hour did 1.802 million viewers and a 0.53 rating.
The final hour of the show had just 1.632 million viewers and a 0.51 rating.
This episode was expected to drop for two reasons. The first being that last week’s show featured Legends Night and it worked at the time as it was the best ratings the show has done since the August 24th show that did over 2 million viewers.
WWE brought back the likes of Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair for a one week boost. The other reason for the decline was due to it going up against the college football championship game between Ohio State and Alabama on ESPN that did 18 million viewers.
Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.120 million viewers. This is up from the 2.013 million viewers on FS1 that the show did for the previous week.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.56 rating in the 18-49 demos, up from the 0.53 rating as previous week’s show. The episode drew an average of 2.003 million viewers in the overnight ratings, up from the previous week that did 1.915 million viewers.
The first hour saw it pull in 2.036 million viewers while hour two did 1.969 million viewers. The show did 1.996 million viewers in hour one while hour two did 1.834 million viewers two weeks ago.
With Wrestle Kingdom 15 and New Year’s Dash!! in the books, we look ahead to New Japan Pro Wrestling’s next big events, The New Beginning.
You can visit the NPJW website for the Road to The New Beginning tour dates. The New Beginning takes place over three nights from two cities (Nagoya and Hiroshima) NJPW has announced the lineups for all three shows and there’s a lot to get excited about. All three shows will stream on NJPW World.
New Japan’s top champions will be in action, including IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion Kota Ibushi, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi, NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi. The full lineups are below.
The New Beginning in Nagoya (1/30)
Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NEVER Openweight Championship)
Satoshi Kojima vs. Will Ospreay
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Great-O-Khan
Kota Ibushi, Tomoaki Honma, SHO, and Master Wato vs. SANADA, Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI
Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano vs. EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi
The New Beginning in Hiroshima (Night 1: 2/10)
Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. SHO (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship)
Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (c) vs. Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (IWGP Tag Team Championship)
Kota Ibushi and Tomoaki Honma vs. SANADA and Tetsuya Naito
Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, and YOSHI-HASHI vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo, Taiji Ishimori, and El Phantasmo
BUSHI vs. Master Wato
Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura, and Gabriel Kidd
NJPW The New Beginning in Hiroshima (Night Two: 2/11)
Kota Ibushi (c) vs. SANADA (IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships)
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., and DOUKI vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Jado
Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano vs. EVIL and Dick Togo
Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI vs. Tomoaki Honma, SHO, and Master Wato
Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori, and El Phantasmo
Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, and YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura, and Gabriel Kidd
It is a dream of Cody Rhodes to stand across the ring from Sting, his favorite wrestler and childhood hero.
Sting returned to wrestling at AEW Dynamite in December and has signed a multi-year deal with the company. At 61 years of age, he is not expected to perform as a full-time wrestler. However, he is expected to wrestle in some capacity. Among the wrestlers Sting has interacted with since joining AEW, Cody Rhodes is one.
Sting has a long and decorated history with the late Dusty Rhodes. It seems like he would share some storyline in the future with Cody as well.
In an interview with Daniel Trainer earlier this week to promote AEW Dynamite, Cody Rhodes talked about Sting and discussed the possibility of a singles match with Sting. Rhodes admitted that Sting was his favorite wrestler growing up, along with the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels.
“It’s no secret that Sting was my favorite wrestler,” Cody began. “I had Sting in WCW and Shawn [Michaels] in WWF. But really I wasn’t supposed to watch WWF. So, Sting was everything. I got to see him live so often and I got to see the connection he had. I honestly am scared to answer that. Obviously, as a wrestler, to stand across the ring from your hero is everyone’s dream, to share that field. So, yes, I would love and envision that.”
Sting & Dusty Rhodes
Cody Rhodes vs. Sting
In order for a match against Sting to occur, Cody Rhodes would have to put his fandom on hold and focus on Sting as a competitor. He understands this dynamic and responsibility that would come with sharing a ring with Sting.
“When you put yourself in that position, you’re no longer a fan. You’re now out to outperform them, out to beat them, however you look at wrestling. You are opposite of them. You are their dance partner, their competition. You’re all these things. That is a big responsibility and that is also just scary, especially if you’re somebody like me who loves the memory and the legacy of wrestlers. I never want them to feel like they have to carry on. Their memories carry on enough as they get older.”
He noted that Sting appears to be moving around quite well for a legend with over three decades in pro wrestling.
Cody Rhodes is waiting for Sting’s current storyline with Darby Allin to run its course and see how that unfolds. After that, the fans might get one or more matches between the two, if ‘Sting has his eyes on him as much as he does on Sting’.
Other topics discussed in the interview include Brodie Lee and AEW’s tribute, including Amanda Huber’s involvement with that show. To read a full transcript of the discussion, visit Daniel Trainer’s blog.
Jim Ross recently spent some time on his “Grillin JR” podcast talking about the time WWE hired Randy Orton. According to JR, Orton was someone he had to convince Vince McMahon to hire. This was due to Vince being hesitant to sign the 3rd generation Superstar on account of his dishonorable discharge from the US Marines.
“Believe it or not, he was somewhat a controversial hire for us,” Ross said on the show regarding Orton. “Vince was the problem child that went to military school and Randy was the problem child that went to the Marines and got dishonorably discharged.”
“That was an issue for Vince?” Conrad Thompson asked.
“Big time,” JR responded.
“I said ‘Vince, you got a second chance, so why not this kid? He’s only a 3rd generation performer and both his father and his grandfather were outstanding in-ring guys.”
Orton wrestled Triple H in the main event of last night’s RAW. He was originally scheduled to face Drew McIntyre.
According to a report from TMZ, Orton spent 38 days in a military prison as a result of multiple incidents of going AWOL.
Orton’s history with the Marines came up again in 2012 when he was removed from the Marine 3 WWE film project. A WWE representative told TMZ that Orton’s removal was due to his past with the organization.
“WWE demonstrated poor judgment in signing Randy Orton for the 3rd installment of the film,” the statement reads. “Despite Randy’s popularity, the fact that he was dishonorably discharged from the USMC made it inappropriate for him to be cast in this film.”
Kota Ibushi holds both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships. The belts have been defended together since Tetsuya Naito won them at Wrestle Kingdom in 2020. Ibushi reiterated to NJPW1972.com recently, however, that he wants to unify the two title belts.
“I said this after the match on the fifth, but I want to put it out there again. I want to take these two belts and unify them,” Ibushi said. “This isn’t something I take lightly. I have a big connection with this Intercontinental belt. And the Heavyweight Championship is the top prize in NJPW. But that said, I still want to make these two things into one.”
“Last year, these belts were defended together, right? One belt didn’t change hands without the other. So if we take these two and make them one belt, that makes you the strongest and the best, all in one. Maybe not everyone can see it right now, but there’s no doubt in my mind, it’d make for something awesome. I have a big plan for this. So I’ll say it again, on the record. I want these two belts to be one.”
Ibushi would continue to say that he wants this change to happen as soon as possible. Ideally, it would happen before his scheduled title defence against SANADA on February 11th, 2021.
“Splitting the two back up would be confusing, so I think it’s really better to just have one. Maybe it might be different, a new design, perhaps, but that’s what I want to do here,” Ibushi continued.
NJPW is currently preparing for its New Beginning tour. The big events will be held January 30th in Nagoya, and February 10th and 11th in Hiroshima.
