Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle are the new NXT Tag Team Champions.
The unlikely tag team did so when they defeated The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) in one of the top matches at the WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland event.
The Grizzled Young Veterans took on Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle in Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with the winners being Dunne and Riddle. As a result, they earned the right to challenge for the straps and did so successfully.
In the first round of the tournament, Riddle and Dunne beat Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster. In the semi-finals, they beat Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner)
O’Reilly and Fish became champions when they beat Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) for the titles on the August 15, 2019 episode of NXT.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on when O’Reilly and Fish will get a rematch for the gold.
What are your thoughts on Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle beating The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) for the NXT Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Rhea Ripley will remain as the WWE NXT Women’s Champion.
She retained the title in her latest title defense over Bianca Belair at the WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland event from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Post-match, Charlotte Flair made her way through the crowd and attacked Belair. She cut a promo about how she’ll see Ripley at Mania.
Before this feud really got started, WWE started a second program for Ripley. WWE had sent Ripley to RAW to confront Flair and vise versa. The belief was that Ripley will defend the title against Flair at WrestleMania 36 and now it’s official.
During the January 15th episode of NXT on the USA Network, WWE held a match that would determine who is next line for a title shot.
Shayana Baszler, Kacy Catanzaro, Mercedes Martinez, Bianca Belair, Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, Vanessa Borne, Kayden Carter, Mia Yim, Santana Garrett, Io Shirai, Shotzi Blackheart and Xia Li competed in a battle royal with the winner becoming the next challenger to the title.
As seen on the show, Belair was victorious, earning the right to challenge Ripley for the NXT Women’s Title.
What are your thoughts on Rhea Ripley retaining the NXT UK Women’s Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Keith Lee keeps on rolling as NXT North American Champion.
As seen at Sunday’s (February 16, 2020) WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland event from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon on the WWE Network, Lee made his first successful title defense as champion when he beat Dominik Dijakovic.
On the February 5th episode of NXT, WWE booked Dominik Dijakovic vs. Killian Dain in a singles match that served as a #1 contender’s match.
This match was expected as WWE teased both Dijakovic and Dain squaring off in the ring after releasing a video earlier today on YouTube where they teased a showdown as both stars wanted a shot at the title. They both thought that they were worthy of a title match.
As seen in the contest, Dijakovic ended up going over. As a result, he will challenge NXT North American Champion Keith Lee at the NXT TakeOver: Portland show. They had a staredown after the match.
Time will tell whether WWE continues this feud going forward.
What are your thoughts on Keith Lee retaining the North American Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
The visit was back in July 2019. Along with the video, the former WWE Champion wrote following in the caption:
“Thank you @wwenxt @wwe students for giving me your time & minds. Challenge yourself to greatness, listen to your gut, check your ego at the door, be kind, be grateful and always block out the noise. These were my principles I applied to my pro wrestling career.
“But I also learned to apply them to something much bigger than wrestling or Hollywood — life. I want you to do the same. Good luck, thank you for your time and always be the hardest workers in the room. And most of all, have fun. #squaredcircleDNA #nxt #peopleschamp”
The Rock is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. He picked up his popularity in the mainstream while working in the WWE from 1996 to 2004. He was the first third-generation wrestler in the company’s history.
The Rock returned to WWE part-time from 2011–13 and continues to make sporadic appearances for the company.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has released a new video with Arn Anderson where he shed some light on the rules for the upcoming steel cage match involving Cody Rhodes.
Of course, Rhodes will battle Wardlow on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite in Atlanta, GA at the State Farm Arena on TNT. If Rhodes wins this match then he’ll secure a match against MJF. This will take place at AEW’s next pay-per-view event, Revolution.
This has been building for months after MJF cost Rhodes the AEW World Title at the Full Gear pay-per-view event in November.
There Will Be No Escape For Cody Rhodes
In Coach’s Corner with the legendary pro wrestler, Anderson revealed that the match can only be won by pinfall or submission. There is no escape.
Some fans will praise AEW for this booking decision as it appears that MJF will not be able to cost Rhodes from escaping through the door or over the top of the cage in order to win the contest.
AEW holds the Revolution pay-per-view event on Saturday, February 29, 2020 in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center. AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley is expected to headline the show.
Co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry made some rather inflammatory comments towards WWE Backstage host CM Punk. This on a recent episode of the Sirius XM show. Henry made it clear that he doesn’t enjoy Punk in the role of ‘analyst’ on the show, saying that he should be out there ‘inciting a riot.’
Henry had interviewed WWE Superstar Aleister Black earlier in the Busted Open broadcast, someone who he feels is “ready for the main event.”
CM Punk had made comments on this week’s episode of WWE Backstage where he believed that the next step for Black should be a run at a mid-card title, specifically the United States. This did not resonate with the ‘World’s Strongest Man,’ who said that stars of much higher stature should be “taking the fight TO Aleister Black.”
“What Punk should say is ‘he’s looking for a fight? Hell, I’ll fight him'” Henry began. “How about that? Let that be the news tomorrow. CM Punk says Aleister Black wants to fight. Take your ass to the ring. And you tell me what day the week it is. And I’ll be there.”
CM Punk has not officially been involved in a professional wrestling bout since he left WWE back in 2014. Punk left the company before WrestleMania 30, forcing the company to change plans for that year’s event. It was rumored that Punk would be facing Triple H at the show of shows.
Mark Henry would then go on to hype how big a Punk vs Black match could be, “listen, you wouldn’t be able to buy a ticket. That’s what CM Punk is supposed to be doing. Inciting a riot. I watched him on WWE Backstage, and I feel like he’s got his hands in his pockets. His arms are folded. I feel like he’s, he’s got to be the focal point, I wish I was on the show, I would challenge him. And I would [say] ‘bro, that’s not who you are. I know you. You’re a fighter. That’s why you quit wrestling. So you could go fight because you wanted to fight. win, lose or draw. What do you like to do in your life? stir the shit and fight. Please do that. That’s what entertains me.’
WWE recently announced that Mark Henry will be joining WWE Backstage for next week’s episode.
You can catch Busted Open Radio every day on Sirius XM as well as their dedicated Podcast show via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Player FM.
The final betting odds have been released for tonight’s WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland event from the Moda Center
The card for the show that takes place tonight (Sunday, February 16, 2020) has been finalized as only 6 matches have been announced.
Make sure to join us tonight for match recaps and our 6 takeaways from this latest pay-per-view event held by WWE.
Some of the more notable odds include the only title change expected with Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne dethroning NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era.
WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland Odds
As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of the show later tonight. The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Here are the final betting odds:
NXT Champion Adam Cole vs Tommaso Ciampa
Adam Cole -110 (10/11)
Tommaso Ciampa -110 (10/11)
NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs Bianca Belair
Rhea Ripley -850 (2/17)
Bianca Belair +450 (9/2)
North American Champion Keith Lee vs Dominik Dijakovic
Keith Lee -1000 (1/10)
Dominik Dijakovic +550 (11/2)
NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era vs Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne
Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne -150 (2/3)
The Undisputed Era +110 (11/10)
Finn Balor vs Johnny Gargano – Singles Match
Finn Balor -160 (5/8)
Johnny Gargano +120 (6/5)
Dakota Kai vs Tegan Nox – Street Fight
Dakota Kai -200 (1/2)
Tegan Nox +150 (3/2)
What are your thoughts on these betting odds? Do you agree with the favorites? Sound off in the comment section.
John Cena is slated to be in action at this year’s WWE WrestleMania 36 event as his opponent has been revealed.
Dave Meltzer was able to confirm that not only will Cena wrestle at this show but he’ll be wrestling Elias. The belief is that the feud will likely kickoff when he makes his return to WWE television. That will be on the February 28 episode of SmackDown as WWE will do an angle for the upcoming match.
Meltzer noted on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio that he was given a name for an opponent. At first, he held on giving it out but stated that it was “so underwhelming, it’s ridiculous.” When Bryan Alvarez guessed Baron Corbin or Elias, Meltzer said it’s not Corbin.
This was when the reveal was made. WWE thinks that Elias will “get the rub from losing to Cena.”
WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 5, 2020 in Tampa, Florida at the Raymond James Stadium that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming months.
Paul Heyman On John Cena’s Brock Lesnar Comments
What are your thoughts on John Cena facing Elias at their biggest event of the year?
The card for tonight’s (Sunday, February 16, 2020) WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland event has been finalized.
The company has yet to officially announce the main event of this event that takes place in Portland, Oregon at the Moda Center and will air on the WWE Network. There is speculation that this special will be headlined by WWE NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa.
This show marks the first special for the yellow brand in 2020, which features a stacked lineup. There are a total of six matches booked for this show with four of them being championship matches.
As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of this special later tonight. Here’s the final card:
WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland Card
NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa
NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle
Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano
NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair
Street Fight: Dakota Kai vs. Tegan Nox
WWE NXT North American Champion Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic
What are your thoughts on this card and the feuds that WWE is presenting to their fans? Sound off in the comment section.
Kurt Angle appeared on TKO recently while in the UK promoting WWE. According to comments Angle made on the show, he is currently dealing with the physical toll that his career has had on his body. Angle’s last official wrestling match of his career took place last year at WrestleMania. He lost to Baron Corbin on the show.
“I don’t know. I mean, I’m hurting pretty badly,” Angle responded when asked if he’d repeat what he did throughout his career. “My knees, my back, my neck. Sometimes I think about would I go back? My quality of life right now sucks. So, I do have a lot of suffering. I had a painkiller addiction that I overcame about 6 years ago. You know, staying clean and struggling the way I have been, it’s very difficult.”
Angle also spoke about the injuries he dealt with in his amateur career. In the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Angle won a gold medal with a broken neck.
“I couldn’t get passed by any doctor. No doctor would pass me or would allow me to wrestle. So I eventually found a doctor and he said, the only thing you can do, you can’t train so we’ll just stick you in the neck with Novocain. Every match I had at trials and the Olympics I got 12 shots of Novocain in the back of my neck. I couldn’t feel it for about an hour. I go out and wrestle and then an hour later I’d be in a lot of pain.”
Angle went into further detail about his injuries, the Olympics in 96, and his pro-wrestling career. The full interview can be found in the player below:
Bayley turned heel in last September and cut off the trademark ponytail that she had for seven years. This marked a major change in her overall character and persona.
Bayley revealed in an interview with The Sun that she receives a lot of criticism from fans about her looks but she doesn’t care.
“I have always taken a lot of flak, fans are always mean to me, what else is new. But who cares?”
Bayley says that a lot of people have told her that they don’t like her haircut and that they want her to get a manager.
“They have been making fun of my hair too but it doesn’t get to me, these guys can make fun of me all they want.”
Bayley also said that she was never the type of fan who would overstep her boundary with her idol. She asked people to not follow her around when they see her outside.
“I don’t like it when they overstep their boundaries, because I was never that sort of fan. If you bump into me at the gym or in a restaurant and you want to say hi, then it’s OK, just don’t follow me,” Bayley said.
Bayley also talked about achieving her dream of finding success in the WWE. She says that she sometimes wonders if this is the same WWE she used to watch as a kid because she is one of the top stars right now.
Bayley added that this has been her dream since she was ten years old, and she tries not to disappoint her. She tries to snap out of it and tells herself that this is her career and she’s doing great as it is. “If I could get a message to that 10-year-old version of me it would be ‘you’re not crazy and it’s going to be OK.”
Bayley is set to defend her SmackDown Women’s title on Super ShowDown against the winner of the number one contender match which will take place next week at SmackDown, between Carmella and Naomi.
Tama Tonga says that his online feud with Enzo Amore is done for, even though he isn’t sure how it began in the first place.
Last year at the G1 Supercard event held at Madison Square Garden, Enzo Amore and Big Cass jumped the guardrail after a tag team match between Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling talents. Enzo was taken out by Bully Ray and then both were pinned down soon. It seemed all too real and fans wondered if it was a work or if Enzo really tried to invade the event.
Tonga was asked about this in an interview with Wrestling Inc and he said that he was as confused as everyone else was.
“I was just as confused as you. The only difference was that I showed just how confused I was backstage to everybody and my frustrations. But I think we’re good now and we’ve all smoothed it out. We’re in a better place now,” said Tonga.
Tonga was not happy with ROH’s decision to bring in Enzo and Cass for the angle and chastised the company online. “I love the fact that Enzo and Cass came and jumped the losers of our match. @ringofhonor booking at its finest,” he wrote on Twitter.
I love the fact that Enzo and Cass came and jumped the losers of our match. @ringofhonor booking at its finest.
Enzo then cut a scathing, profanity-filled promo on ROH and NJPW for not letting him in their locker room. Tonga replied to this and called Enzo “cancer”.
Speaking on their feud, Tonga said that he had his fun with it but now it’s time to get serious and move on from it.
“It was fun, I’m not gonna lie. I love going on social media and having some fun with it,” admitted Tonga. “But now it’s that time that I’ve got to take myself serious and move on.”
Cathy Kelley announced on February 14 that she has decided to leave WWE after working at the company for four years. Sunday’s NXT TakeOver: Portland will be WWE’s final event that she’ll be appearing for.
She made the announcement on her social media, stating that it was hard for her to make the news public.
According to a report from PWInsider, more details have emerged about Cathy’s decision to leave WWE.
The report states that Cathy decided to leave WWE and gave her notice to the company over the past couple of weeks. Higher-ups were respectful of her decision to leave. It’s not WWE who’s releasing her, but Cathy’s own decision to quit.
Cathy has been part of WWE since 2016 and has hosted many digital programs for the company like WWE Now. She has also worked as a backstage correspondent and done interviews with various WWE stars. Before joining the company, Cathy worked for Championship Wrestling From Hollywood and AfterBuzz TV.
In her announcement to depart from WWE, Cathy wrote the following:
“I’ve typed out and deleted this about 20 times over the past few days, still unsure what to write… I have come to the decision to leave WWE, with Sunday’s NXT Takeover being my last day. If you know me, you know this was more than a job, you know how much I loved it and how difficult this decision was. But sometimes in order to have room for growth, you have to step away.
I am so thankful for getting to live out a crazy dream the past four years. Thank you to the WWE digital team for being a platform that never stifled creativity. Thank you to Stephanie McMahon for being a mentor and inspiration in every way. Thank you to Triple H for heading up the best wrestling show currently on tv and letting me be a part of it. And thank you to everyone who has supported me, whether it’s watching a video I’ve done or sending a tweet of encouragement. Words cannot begin to express how much it means.
I’m not sure yet where my next chapter will take me, but I am damn excited for it. And I promise this isn’t a goodbye, it’s just a see you later – CK”
We have seen women’s matches headline many WWE shows in recent times including the main event of WrestleMania 35. However, so far, none of the NXT Takeover events have been headlined by a women’s match.
During a recent interview with Yahoo Sports! the godfather of NXT Triple H talked about a number of things and he explained what they look for while choosing the main event for the special NXT shows.
Triple H first revealed that people ask him how he feels
about women headlining the Takeover events and claimed that when he looks at
Takeovers, all he looks at is where it lays out from a storyline standpoint.
The Game then said that to him, it’s not a thing about woman
or man and he wants to see the biggest storyline with the most emotional
connection in the last spot:
“To me, it’s not a man, woman thing, not a tag team or singles title thing, not anything else.’ said Triple H. “Whatever the biggest storyline and whatever has the most emotional connection is what I want to see in that last spot.
You don’t put the biggest battle scene in the middle of the movie and then taper it off toward the end. You want to approach this that way.”
Apart from this Triple H also talked about the growth of
Bianca Belair as a performer and how she came in with no experience and has
grown into this role.
The former World Champion said that Belair is feeling it and
6 months ago, it would have been hard to imagine that she would be in this
position.
205 Live has a new tag team. On this week’s episode of the show, Tony Nese and Mike Kanellis made their debut as a new tag team. They faced The Brian Kendrick and Ariya Daivari in the main event, and won the match.
Kendrick and Daivari were addressing the crowd saying that they won’t let people like Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch do whatever they want. They were ready for a tag team match, but what they weren’t ready for was this unlikely pairing of Tony Nese and Mike Kanellis, who was actually making his return that night.
The match saw a bit of back and forth, with Kendrick and Daivari doing their best to take down Nese and Kanellis. Frustrated with not being able to secure a victory, Kendrick and Daivari decided to use steel chairs on their opponents.
However, before that could happen, Lorcan and Burch came over to the ring and that was enough distraction needed for Nese to roll up Daivari to pick up the victory.
The company was testing out partnering Nese and Kannellis together and they were teaming up together on NXT live events. It will be interesting to see what the company does with this new tag team.
Former World Champion and veteran wrestling star, the Big Show is currently scheduled to be a part of this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, according to Pwinsider.
After staying away from in-ring action for more than two years, the Big Show returned to WWE programming last month to help Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe in their ongoing feud against Seth Rollins and AOP.
The former Champion teamed up with Joe and Owens to fight the team of Rollins and the former NXT Tag Team Champions in the first-ever fistfight on WWE TV during the January 13th episode of Raw.
Though they couldn’t win the match against the Architect and the others because Buddy Murphy interfered in the bout. He later joined the group led by Monday Night Messiah.
Big Show was written off TV after this bout but Kevin Owens had later announced on the following episode of the show that the Monster Sized Athlete will eventually return to deal with the heels.
It’s unknown what the company has planned for Show when he
returns on Raw but it’s likely that he will get involved in the rivalry between
these two groups once again, as the former Universal Champion had teased last
month.
Will Ospreay has become the new RevPro British Heavyweight Champion.
Ospreay defeated Zack Sabre Jr. on February 14 at RevPro’s High Stake 2020 event at York Hall in London, England to win the title.
This is the first time Ospreay has held the title. He has previously won the Cruiserweight title twice and Undisputed British Tag Team Championships once. Zack Sabre, on the other hand, has held the Heavyweight four times before.
Ospreay later announced that he will be making the move to the heavyweight division after staying in the junior division for seven years. He has held NJPW’s IWGP NEVER Openweight title before and has faced heavyweight wrestlers in the ring.
“7 years put to rest. New British Heavyweight Champion. I will now officially make the jump and be competing in the Heavyweight division,” he wrote in a Twitter post.
Ospreay and Zack Sabre have faced each other in the ring many times before. They have been feuding for the title for the past few weeks in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Earlier this month in NJPW, on day 2 of New Beginning in Sapporo, Zack Sabre Jr. made Ospreay pass out from a submission move in a match for the title. Ospreay passed out because he refused to tap out. Sabre was able to retain his title.
After that match, Ospreay participated in an elimination match involving CHAOS and Suzuki-gun members. He was able to score a victory over Sabre and then challenged him to another title match.
At High Stakes, the Cruiserweight title also changed hands as Oku defeated ELP, and Gisele Shaw defeated Zoe Lucas to become the new Women’s Champion.
The match will be available to stream on NJPW World and the full High Stakes show will also be available on RevPro Wrestling’s own streaming service soon.
Goldberg will make another appearance on WWE SmackDown Live on FOX next week, just six days before he gets into the ring with WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia.
The company made the announcement during this week’s SmackDown. Hulk Hogan made a return to the show and on the episode, he talked about Goldberg’s upcoming match with Wyatt. Wyatt interrupted Hogan during the segment and said that he could be his next victim after Goldberg.
While Goldberg returned to SmackDown via satellite last week, it appears that he will be appearing in person this time.
Another match that’s announced for next week is the number one contender match between Carmella and Naomi. The winner will go on to face WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley on Super ShowDown. This will be the first-ever women’s title defense in Saudi Arabia.
Next week’s SmackDown will emanate from the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona on Friday, February 21. This will be the final SmackDown episode before the upcoming Super ShowDown event taking place in Saudi Arabia on February 27 where Goldberg will face Bray Wyatt.
R-Truth has released a new music video for his latest single “Set It Off”.
The Raw star looks to showcase his rapping skills in the track produced by J-Trx. The song is released exclusively through World Star Hip-Hop.
“I’m setting off the new decade with my new single ‘Set It Off,’” R-Truth told HipHopDX. “The word itself is powerful, it’s leading, it’s the start, it’s like the releasing or the spark that sets that flame of fire … like I’m reintroducing myself.”
R-Truth is trying to bridge the gap between music and wrestling. He even has a new slogan now for the same.
“If you don’t know me or haven’t heard of me throughout my career, guarantee someone you know has and DOES know me, and I’m bout to SET IT OFF. Your favorite wrestler is your favorite rapper!”
The former 24/7 Champion has been making music since 2003 and looks like we’ll see more tunes from him. R-truth said that he will be releasing a single every four to six weeks from now on.
Speaking about “Set It Off”, R-Truth told Uproxx, “…that’s just the beginning of the slew of music that I’m going to be dropping. We’re going to be dropping a single every four to six weeks.”
He also said that he’ll be getting into music more and has a tour as well as concerts planned for the future, taking a route similar to Chris Jericho.
R-Truth has been doing music before he got into wrestling. He believes that his roots are from music, and he got into wrestling because of it.
R-Truth has a lot of goals in mind when it comes to music. He said that he’s at his peak in wrestling right now and he’s only going to go up from here. He also revealed what his next single after “Set It Off” will be called.
“I’m going to ride this thing until the wheels fall off,” he said. “I haven’t even started yet. There’s things I haven’t even done, accomplished and goals I haven’t reached yet. And I’m off to a damn good start. I’m at the highest of my peak right now. I’m hot right now,” R-Truth told Popculture. “Right now I got on a shirt, hoodie and a jacket on. Super hot. The sky’s the limit. I am grateful to have the opportunity that I have now. I’m so excited for ‘Set It Off.’ After that, I got ‘Hit em Up’ coming.”
WWE also released a sneak peek for the newest WWE 24 documentary which will focus on R-Truth. The clip showcases Truth’s love and passion for music, and his process in creating new music.
Hulk Hogan made his return to WWE SmackDown on FOX last night. His appearance on the show, however, was interrupted by the current WWE Universal Champion, Bray Wyatt.
Hogan’s appearance on the show was via satellite, similar to Goldberg’s last week. He was being interviewed by Michael Cole who asked him about the nWo’s upcoming induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, which will make him a two-time WWE HOF’er.
Hogan talked about his career highlights as a singles wrestler and his time with the nWo. He also talked about Bray Wyatt’s upcoming match with Goldberg at Super ShowDown, saying that Wyatt needs to be careful as he has faced Goldberg before and he knows how strong of a foe he is.
As they were talking about Wyatt, the lights flickered and the scene cut to the Firefly Fun House. Wyatt was spoofing the nWo, as the scene was monochrome, akin to the group’s old promos.
Wyatt mocked Hogan by playing with his title belt like a guitar. He joked that eating his vitamins and saying is prayers led him to the championship.
Hogan told Wyatt that he is a funny and entertaining guy, but his jokes won’t be funny when he gets in the ring with Goldberg. Getting into the ring with him is no joke.
Wyatt replied that he as a Fiend so he doesn’t need jokes when faces Goldberg in the ring. Wyatt then more or less threatened to add Hogan to his list of victims by holding up a framed picture of him with his eyes crossed out like his other victims’ pictures.
The segment ended with Hulk Hogan telling Bray Wyatt that he’ll see him in Tampa during the Hall of Fame. Wyatt then waved goodbye to Goldberg as the scene ended.
There has been speculation that WWE is teasing a match between Hogan and Wyatt and that it could take place at Mania, or at the next Saudi event after Super ShowDown.
The fight came and went last month with Tito Ortiz getting his hand raised after beating Alberto Del Rio, who is now reflecting on it.
The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion beat the former WWE Champion by first-round rear-naked choke submission in a 210 catchweight bout. The fight took place at the Payne Arena in Hidalgo, Texas that aired on pay-per-view for $29.99.
Del Rio spoke MMA Junkie for his first interview since the fight where he reflected on this tough loss in this interview.
“I was very upset, and people are never going to know what goes on in the mind of a fighter or athlete after losing a fight,” Del Rio said. “You have live another battle because you have to deal with the fact that you lost in a fight, that there’s a better man than you, that you trained so hard for so many months and that wasn’t enough.
“But after processing the loss, I felt good about it because I trained hard, I gave it my all in the training camp. It was tough adapting to the cage and I think a lot of people don’t understand.”
Alberto Del Rio Reflects
What’s interesting is the fact that Del Rio thinks that he could’ve won the fight. The reason for that is due to him thinking that he made two costly mistakes that he can fix.
“I think I could’ve won that fight, I really do,” Del Rio said. “I made some mistakes with the strategy. but once again the would’ve doesn’t exist. Ring rust is real and it was there. I made two big mistakes and with someone as experienced as Tito that’s deadly.”
Del Rio has a background as a pro-MMA fighter. Before this fight, his previous bout took place at a Cage of Combat show in Madrid, Spain in 2010 where he lost to Yamamoto Hanshi by second-round TKO.
WWE is going to return to Saudi Arabia for its second Super ShowDown event in less than two weeks’ time. The last event of the series took place on June 7, 2019.
The company will then have to prepare for their next event, the Elimination Chamber, which will take place just nine days later.
The WWE women’s division will have their second-ever match in Saudi Arabia as the company revealed that the SmackDown Women’s Championship will be defended at the event.
On last night’s WWE SmackDown, we saw SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley announcing that she’ll be defending her title at Super ShowDown. The announcement was made after Bayley successfully defended her title against Carmella on the show.
In the next week’s episode, Carmella will face Naomi in a number one contender’s match. The winner will then face Bayley for the Women’s Championship at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia.
Prior to last week’s SmackDown, another number one contender’s match had taken place. It was a fatal four-way match between Naomi, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, and Dana Brooke. WWE had advertised that the winner of this bout will face Bayley on Super ShowDown. Carmella won the match, but the company pulled down the advertising and announced that Carmella would instead face Bayley for the title on the next SmackDown, with the Super ShowDown match seemingly nixed.
Looks like plans changed, and Carmella has another opportunity at getting the title shot on next week’s SmackDown from Phoenix.
The Super ShowDown match will the first time that a Women’s title will be defended in Saudi Arabia. This is coming just months after the first-ever women’s match in Saudi Arabia was held at Crown Jewel in October 2019.
WWE Super ShowDown will take place at the Mohammed Abdu Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 27.
Bianca Belair is set to face off against current NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley this Sunday. Speaking with Newsweek, Belair addressed her championship opportunity at NXT TakeOver: Portland. She also reflected on her Royal Rumble experience and her recent exchanges with “The Queen” Charlotte Flair.
Clearly confident with her in-ring abilities, Belair stressed how this TakeOver will be the first time the WWE Universe won’t be considering her an “underdog.”
“This Takeover is going to be the first where I can say for myself and the audience that I’m not considered the underdog in any shape or form,” Belair stated. “This Takeover is the first time when everyone has finally caught on and sees me as a true competitor.”
Royal Rumble Experience
Reflecting on her appearance in the Women’s Royal Rumble matchup, Belair noted how it was the buildup that was hardest for her. The easy part is when her music hits and she can get in the ring.
“The hard part are the parts people don’t see,” she revealed. “Getting into the arena early and hanging out hours before the show starts. But I had to make the most out of this opportunity. I knew this was going to be a make or break moment for me.”
She continued, “Once I got in there I was fine. I just let my body take over and let it do what it does. Afterwards I remember having a huge sigh of relief that everything went well, and it didn’t hit me until the next day. First I was it’s over with, I’m glad I’m healthy, I think I did very well. I was in front of thousands of people, [laughs] and how I got highlighted. It was validation for me and everything I put into Bianca Belair in NXT and WWE, and it’s finally paying off. That’s the best feeling in the world. And it gives me more confidence than I already had.”
Bianca Belair On Charlotte Flair
In recent weeks, Belair has had verbal and physical exchanges with Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair. Flair, who won the Royal Rumble match, had been approached by Ripley over using her Rumble opportunity to face her at WrestleMania 36. Unsurprisingly, Belair wasn’t pleased with being overlooked given her upcoming TakeOver match. Looking back on her first experiences with NXT, Belair remembered being impressed by Flair. She recalled how “The Queen” had that “it” factor.
“[…] the first person who caught my eye was Charlotte Flair. She had that “it” factor. Her moveset, her presence, everything about her had that “it” factor. She was the one person that, if you saw her, that’s what you need if you want to be a superstar in this business.”
She continued, “Four years later I have that same person talking about me and saying all these good things. It gives me confidence, but, at the same time, I’m ready to be in the ring with her now. I want to be in the ring with the best, and doing that brings out the best of me. It’s crazy to think that the person I looked at when I first got to NXT is now talking about me. I don’t want to say validation again, but that’s a feeling of “you know what you’re doing, and you’re ready.” And I’m ready.”
NXT TakeOver: Portland takes place on Sunday, February 16th from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Ring of Honor World Champion PCO has praised Matt Hardy, offering the current RAW Superstar an ROH Championship match over Twitter. PCO’s words come following an interaction between Hardy and a fan online.
Hardy noted how he has great respect for PCO and his recent accomplishments. He highlighted the champion’s “creative, out of the box content” and current character. Hardy stressed that PCO deserves props for his resilience and longevity in the industry.
Seeing his kind words, PCO responded, writing:
“Thanks to @MATTHARDYBRAND who broke through the darkness of creativity and enlightenment creating so much positivity to our industry, Say the word ! PCO the @ringofhonor World Champion with his Creator D.Destro VS Matt Hardy The Match that will POP the entire WORLD”
Thanks to @MATTHARDYBRAND who broke through the darkness of creativity and enlightenment creating so much positivity to our industry, Say the word ! PCO the @ringofhonor World Champion with his Creator D.Destro VS Matt Hardy The Match that will POP the entire WORLD ?
Hardy replied to the championship opportunity, thanking PCO for the offer and noting how the “proposition sounds positively delightful!”
Matt Hardy In Limbo
With Matt Hardy’s WWE contract reportedly expiring at the end of March, there is substantial fan debate and speculation over where he will go next.
Although Hardy has previously wrestled in Ring of Honor, many believe he will be joining All Elite Wrestling. It is thought he will be revealed to be the Exalted One that is frequently referenced by the Dark Order.
Hardy has teased his farewell in WWE alongside cryptic messages on social media and videos on YouTube. Last week on RAW, Hardy was brutally assaulted by Randy Orton. They are slated to face off against each other this Monday night. They clash in a No Holds Barred match.
SmackDown Superstar Sheamus has restated his interest in claiming the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Sheamus has shared his desire in the past. The Intercontinental championship is the only one to have eluded Sheamus during his tenure in WWE. If he were to win the Intercontinental champion, the victory would see him become a WWE Grand Slam champion.
“I’m really focused now as well. I know what I want to do,” Sheamus told CTV News. “The Intercontinental Championship is the only title that I haven’t won in WWE. There are a lot of things I’m not happy about. My first run as WWE Champion, etc, etc, and I want to come back and prove that I have another 10 years left in me, I have a lot more to win, a lot more to achieve.”
Sheamus recently returned to WWE following an extended hiatus from the company. He defeated Shorty G during the pre-show of WWE’s January pay-per-view, Royal Rumble.
On last night’s episode of SmackDown, “The Celtic Warrior” took on both Shorty G and Apollo Crews in a handicap match. Despite having the odds stacked against him, Sheamus was still able to emerge victorious following a Brogue Kick to Crews.
If Sheamus is able to leverage himself into the Intercontinental Championship picture, he would have to face off against the current titleholder, Braun Strowman.
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