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WrestleMania 37 To Take Place At SoFi Stadium In Los Angeles

Chris Stephens
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8

WrestleMania 37 will take place March 28th, 2021 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The news was announced this morning by the LA Times. A press conference is scheduled for Tuesday morning.

“This is a great way for our city to show how we are going to be hosting these major events in the future with two areas of influence with downtown around L.A. Live and Staples Center as well as SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park in Inglewood,” stated Kathy Schloessman, president of the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission. “Our pitch on all of our events Wrestle Mania 37 will take place at the new stadium in Inglewood in March 2021.”

The schedule of events for WrestleMania 37 week is as follows:

  • Thursday, March 25, 2021 – WWE Hall Of Fame – Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA
  • Friday, March 26, 2021 –  Friday Night SmackDown – Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA
  • Saturday, March 27, 2021 – NXT TakeOver – Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA
  • Sunday, March 28, 2021 – Wrestlemania 37 – SoFi Stadium – Inglewood, CA
  • Monday, March 29, 2021 – Monday Night RAW – Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA

WWE Spokesperson Comments on WrestleMania 37 in Los Angeles

The stadium holds 70,000 but it is believed seating can be expanded for an event like WrestleMania to hold upwards of 100,000 fans.

“So many of the organizations that came together to attract WrestleMania 37 to Los Angeles were the same ones that worked to bring the Super Bowl to Los Angeles,” said John Saboor, WWE Executive Vice President Of Special events. “We now regularly host WrestleMania at venues that either hosted the Super Bowl a year or so prior or after and it’s a wonderful opportunity for those regions to build blue prints that they can use for hosting major events such as WrestleMania and the Super Bowl.”

The announcement from the LA Times can be read here.

WWE RAW Preview: Lynch vs. Asuka, Eight-Man Tag Team Match

Andrew Ravens
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5

WWE has started to announce things for the latest RAW show and it features an interesting lineup. 

Thus, it’s time to look ahead starting with tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW on the USA Network. 

WWE has already confirmed that RAW Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins and Murphy will team with The Authors of Pain to battle Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe and The Viking Raiders in an eight-man tag team match will take place. The belief is that this will be the main event of the episode. 

RAW Preview

WWE holds this show in Ontario, CA at the Toyota Arena. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:

  • WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Asuka
  • Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy and The Authors of Pain vs. Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe and The Viking Raiders

WWE will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds that will take place heading into the Super ShowDown pay-per-view event. 

As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for RAW. 

Join us here later tonight for WWE RAW Live Results and our post-show RAW Takeaways feature.

Matt Riddle Guarantees He’ll Retire Brock Lesnar At NXT House Show (Video)

Chris Stephens
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10

Matt Riddle has once again stated he plans on retiring Brock Lesnar. This time the Original Bro made such comments while performing on an NXT house show in Las Vegas.

“This is just the beginning,” Riddle said at the show. “12 years ago, it started and 12 years from now I’ll still be going and I guarantee you this Las Vegas, the Bro retires Brock Lesnar. And you know what? The Broserweights are NXT, DIY is NXT, and everybody in this building is NXT!”

Riddle had previously noted that the venue in Vegas was where he made his UFC debut 12 years ago.

Matt Riddle Wants Brock Lesnar

Following SummerSlam weekend, the official YouTube account of the WWE Performance Center published a video of Riddle saying he was going to get his match with Brock Lesnar.

“I really wanted to get my hands on Brock,” Riddle says in the video. “You know, I saw him throwing everybody around. I don’t care what he says or what anybody says, I don’t care if he wants the match or not. I’m going to get it. I don’t care, it’s not up to him.”

“I don’t like being told no, especially when I work as hard as I do.”

Mark Henry Talks Cesaro and His WWE Push, Why He May Not Be Looking To Leave

Jake Skudder
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6

WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently commented on SmackDown Superstar Cesaro. Many fans have commented on how they feel the Swiss Superstar is ‘underutilized’ in WWE, with the prospect of Cesaro leaving the company to go to the likes of New Japan or AEW revitalising for his character and in-ring style. Henry added an interesting twist into the conversation, saying that Cesaro might be considering his career beyond the in-ring aspect.

“He does a great job of showing up,” Henry began. “There’s never been a segment that I’ve seen Cesaro that I wasn’t interested in. If that actually gives you any understanding of what I feel about him as a talent is going to come down to.”

“If I can’t hold up, then you know. Fire me.” Henry on Cesaro

Henry elaborated further, discussing how WWE may perceive the Swiss Cyborg. “Do they feel that he is a viable commodity? Some of that is politicing and saying ‘I need this guy, I need that guy. If I can’t hold up, then you know, fire me. Let me go.'”

Cesaro Shinsuke Nakamura Sami Zayn
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Henry then made the point that Cesaro is a talent who is capable of going further in the company, outside of the ring. “Maybe that’s not what he wants, maybe the bigger picture is him, you know after his career is done, there’s a lot of people that they sacrifice their in ring careers for what’s going to happen after so they have another 30 year career after it’s all said and done with. So, you gotta think about that. Well, Cesaro is definitely one of those guys that after his wrestling career he’s gonna step right into a role. Whether that’s a producer role, [or] agent. [Maybe] Somebody in talent relations, somebody in international marketing. He’s a smart guy. Very smart guy.”

Do you think that Cesaro should leave WWE and head to the likes of NJPW or AEW? Let us know in the comments

Spoilers: Impact Wrestling TV Taping Results (2/8/20)

Andrew Ravens
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1

The spoilers from the Impact Wrestling TV taping that took place on Saturday, February 8, 2020, in Las Vegas, NV at the Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall has surfaced online.

These matches and segments will air over the coming weeks on AXS TV. You can read the results here, courtesy of

Impact Wrestling TV Taping Results

Madison Rayne cut a promo in the ring where she says Jordynne Grace cheated to become Knockouts Champion. She announces the Madison Rayne open challenge. Maserati answers.

Madison Rayne defeated Maserati in a short match after hitting Cross-Rhodes.

The Deaners defeated Johnny Swinger and Gil Gilberti. A tease for ICU came up on the big screen.

TJP and Fallah Bahh defeated Impact Tag Team Champions The North in a non-title match. Post-match, TJP cut a promo about how they’ve beaten them three times and challenges them for a future tag title match. Page responds by stating neither of them is championship-worthy but grants them the match.

Moose defeated Petey William after a spear. 

Chris Bey defeated Damian Drake after a rope-assisted fameasser.

Impact World Champion Tessa Blanchard defeated Taya Valkyrie with the hammer lock DDT to retain the title. 

Rhino defeated Madman Fulton with Jake and Dave Crist with the Gore. Post-match, oVe attacks Rhino until Sabu makes the save.

Game Singh did a heel promo

Rascalz (Dez and Wentz) defeated Desi Hit Squad (Rohit Raju and Mahabali) via pinfall.

Daga defeated Jake Crist after an elevated codebreaker. 

Impact Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace defeated Lacey Ryan with Madison Rayne after the Grace Driver.

Michael Elgin versus Eddie Edwards ends in a draw after both guys pinned each other’s shoulders. After the match, Impact Champion Tessa Blanchard says she’ll face both Edwards and Elgin in a three-way at the upcoming Rebellion PPV.

NJPW Announces Wrestle Dynasty at Madison Square Garden (8/22)

Evan S
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4

New Japan Pro-Wrestling has announced that they will make their return to Madison Square Garden with an event titled “Wrestle Dynasty.” This event will take place on Saturday, August 22nd, 2020.

Following their “G1 Supercard” event, which was co-promoted with Ring of Honor and sold out with over 16,000 attendees, NJPW will aim to fill New York’s Madison Square Garden with an event that is all their own.

Information on ticket prices, ticket sale dates, or talent which will be booked for the event, has yet to be announced.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP20ORhpsWY

Matt Jackson On If Marty Scurll Was Going To Be The Exalted One

Anutosh Bajpai
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3

Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks recently did a Q&A on his Instagram story where he answered some interesting questions such as his worst injury, if MJF is really the person he portrays on TV and more.

When asked what is the hardest part about being an EVP while also being an active performer for AEW at the same time, Matt said that the hardest part is that he gets very little time to prepare for his own matches.

The relationship between the Elite and officials from NJPW has been subject to many rumors in recent time. Though when asked if they will go back to the promotion, Jackson explained that it won’t be happening anytime soon:

“NJPW helped put us on the map and I’m incredibly proud of our body of work there over six-plus years. We will not be returning any time soon though.”

The Dark Order storyline has been one of the prominent stories of AEW in recent times. So a fan inquired if the original plans were for Marty Scurll to be revealed as the Exalted One, to which Matt simply replied with “Nope.”

Apart from this, Matt Jackson also said that Hangman Page will be the biggest star in AEW in a year and revealed that his favorite AEW match is the one between the Young Bucks and the Private Party.

NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka 2020 Coverage and Results

Evan S
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0

Today, New Japan Pro-Wrestling presents The New Beginning in Osaka 2020. This event will be held at Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka, Japan. This event will be available to watch on their live streaming service, NJPW World. English and Japanese commentary are available.

Live stream links:

Start times:

  • Pacific USA: February 8th, 11PM
  • Eastern USA: February 9th, 2AM
  • UK: February 9th, 7AM
  • Japan: February 9th, 4PM
  • East Australia: February 9th, 6PM

The New Beginning in Osaka 2020 Card

Manabu Nakanishi, Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan def. Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Toa Henare & Ryusuke Taguchi
This match was dubbed “Manabu Nakanishi Final in Osaka-jo Hall” and indeed, this will be the last big arena show of Nakanishi’s 27-year career. To be honest, it looked to be about time for him. His lariats were slow and his chops were lethargic, but nevertheless, the crowd popped for everything he did. Nevertheless, the crowd was with him, especially when he climbed to the top rope for perhaps the last time ever. Nakanishi delivered a top rope brain chop to Tomoaki Honma, setting up Satoshi Kojima to deliver the lariat and get the pin. (7:08)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match: Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) (c) def. Suzuki-gun (El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Roppongi 3K attacked Suzuki-gun before the bell to remove the possibility that they would receive that treatment themselves. After getting into a gnarly slap fight with El Desperado, YOH tagged in SHO, but both members of Suzuki-gun cut SHO off and began assaulting his knee. Kanemaru held him in a long figure four leglock but SHO was able to make the rope break. Kanemaru hit the Deep Impact on SHO, who kicked out at two. As Rocky Romero rallied the capacity crowd, SHO rallied with heavy lariats. Roppongi 3K went for their 3K finish, but El Desperado was in to break it up. SHO hit the Shock Arrow on Kanemaru for a near fall. Finally, Roppongi 3K hit the dropkick and Shock Arrow combination known as Strong X for SHO to get the pinfall on Kanemaru and make their first championship defense. (16:22)

After the match, as Roppongi 3K celebrated in the ring, Ryusuke Taguchi entered the ring, with a basketball and a rugby helmet on. He told Rocky Romero that he was not only the manager of SHO and YOH, but a great wrestler in his own right. Taguchi stated that he and Rocky, as The Mega Coaches, should challenge Roppongi 3K for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. He threw his basketball to Rocky and made a hoop with his arms. Despite RPG 3K’s assistance otherwise, Rocky shot the ball into Taguchi’s hoop, signifying his agreement to challenge for the Championships.

Juice Robinson, David Finlay, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi def. Bullet Club (Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi)
This matched Kota Ibushi’s return to the ring following a short absence due to a bout of influenza. One wouldn’t have known that he was running a 104 degree fever within the last two weeks, due to some superhuman healing factor. The factor that was of greatest note in this match was the appearance of Tanahashi and Juice. Tanahashi had a very fluffy pompadour and Juice Robinson’s hair was in an afro, continuing the ’70s-dancer-esque appearance he has been going for recently. Tanahashi pinned Tanga Loa with a bridging roll-up. (10:50)

Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi reiterated their desire to challenge for the IWGP Tag Team Championships.

CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Will Ospreay) def. Suzuki-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi)
Following their respective losses at The New Beginning in Sapporo, Will Ospreay and Taichi wrestled with chips on their shoulders to avenge their losses. Taichi seemed unfazed by his defeat among the hometown crowd of Sapporo, and laid into Okada with his hard-hitting offense. The crowds went wild for his dangerous backdrop drivers and loud kicks, but the CHAOS team’s combined might was too much for Dangerous Tekkers. Ospreay landed the Oscutter followed by Okada’s Rainmaker for Okada to take the pin on Taichi. (11:50)

Will Ospreay held the belt around his waist before putting it down on the mat for Zack. Angrily, ZSJ yelled “Look at it, you moron! This is coming back to Japan with me!”

Jay White def. SANADA
In the buildup to this match, Jay White had attempted to get under SANADA’s skin in a way that few have been able to do before, with very little success. SANADA did not seem to be intimidated, and often overpowered Jay when the competition was fair. SANADA hit the backbreaker and went for the moonsault, but Gedo tried to knock him off his perch. SANADA responded by pulling on his Gedo’s beard and using the ropes for a groin attack. Jay tried to capitalize on the opportunity with the Blade Runner, but SANADA caught him and hit the giant swing into the Skull End. SANADA broke the hold and went for the top rope moonsault, but Jay White moved out of the way. White hit the sleeper suplex and Blade Runner for the pinfall victory. (21:52)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiromu Takahashi (c) def. Ryu Lee
For the better part of a decade, Hiromu Takahashi and Ryu Lee have had a reputation of wrestling each other with an exceptional amount of reckless abandon. For the better part of the first five minutes of the match, Hiromu and Lee simply traded slaps to each other’s chests: over and over, until their pectorals were purple, and that was just the start. Ryu Lee teased the Phoenixplex that put Hiromu out of action with a broken neck for over a year, but Hiromu reversed it as the crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief. Lee went for the Phoenixplex once more later on, but Hiromu reversed it into a Canadian Destroyer. Hiromu hit the Time Bomb, but Lee kicked out, so Hiromu simply hit the Time Bomb again and marked the first successful defense of his title reign. (23:54)

IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) def. Minoru Suzuki
This match has been highly anticipated ever since Moxley and Suzuki locked eyes for the first time. It’s safe to say that they delivered on what was expected of them. This was simply a brawl from the outset, when Suzuki invited Moxley to have a chair-swinging fight. They did no acrobatics, they just hit each other, sometimes with foreign objects. Suzuki smashed Moxley’s hand with a chair and then put him in an armbar, only for Moxley to lift him up and powerbomb him through a table. Moxley was clearly chagrined by Suzuki’s remarks that Moxley lacked redeeming qualities as a wrestler. Suzuki went for the Gotch-style piledriver, but Moxley reversed it into a double-arm DDT. He didn’t get much lift on it, so Suzuki was able to kick out at two. Moxley and Suzuki traded strikes until Suzuki pushed Moxley just a bit too far, and Mox decided he had had enough. He bowled Suzuki over with a lariat and hit the Death Rider to retain the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship. (17:16)

After the match, Zack Sabre Jr. ambushed Jon Moxley and took him to the ground with a rear naked choke and bodyscissors. Moxley was temporarily subdued as the British submission specialist held up the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship.

IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental Double Championship Match: Tetsuya Naito (c) def. KENTA
KENTA entered with the majority of Bullet Club with him, and they pushed Red Shoes Unno down before the match even began. All the Bullet Club members save KENTA were removed from ringside. As the match began, KENTA was reluctant to begin, rolling out of the ring instead of engaging Naito. The crowd booed as KENTA took a Naito teddy bear from the crowd and stepped on it, and he relished in the boos. KENTA attempted to remove a turnbuckle pad, but Red Shoes caught him and stopped him in the process, only for KENTA to remove the opposite one as Red Shoes was retying the one he had partially removed. KENTA continued to methodically work over Naito with kicks and arm holds. Naito rallied with elbows, but KENTA was able to apply the Game Over facelock only for Naito to crawl and wriggle his way to the rope for the break. Naito was able to hit a top rope hurricanrana into the valentia. Naito went for the Destino, but KENTA pushed him into the ropes and then Jay White came in to interfere. BUSHI tried to stop Jay White to no avail, but then Hiromu Takahashi came in and successfully apprehended Jay. KENTA went for the Go 2 Sleep but Naito reversed it with a counter Destino. KENTA threw Naito into the exposed turnbuckle, causing him to bleed profusely from his face. KENTA went for the Go 2 Sleep again, but Naito blocked it with a reverse frankensteiner. Finally, the bloody Tetsuya Naito hit the valentia and Destino to retain the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships. (35:50)

The still-bleeding Naito then challenged his faction-mate Hiromu Takahashi to a singles match at the 48th Anniversary Show next month. Hiromu and Naito mutually agreed to it.

Nick Aldis Wants To Wrestle Triple H At Starrcade

Anutosh Bajpai
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9

Nick Aldis holds the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship with pride and many believe that his long reign as the champion has brought some prestige back to the title.

The former TNA star recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet, where he talked about a number of things and also revealed his dream opponent.

Aldis, who has been vocal about WWE not giving him an opportunity, interestingly said that his dream match would be competing for the NWA World title against none other than the Game, Triple H at Starrcade:

“The ultimate culmination of this [being NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion] journey and given the historical context of all of this would be Triple H at Starrcade,” Aldis said.

I’ve heard he has a replica of the ten pounds of gold in a case in his office, and it’s like clearly he holds this [NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship] in high esteem.”

Nick continued by explaining that it may seem like there is some sort of bitterness or negativity towards him and WWE but he claimed that he has nothing but love for the guys at the company.

Aldis revealed that there has been a steady communication between NWA and WWE about various things and per the NWA Champion, the guys at WWE have been very good to them.

Nick Aldis won the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship during the NWA 70th anniversary show and he has currently held the title for 469 days. You can check out his full interview in the video below:

Mark Henry On If Goldberg Is The One Who Will Defeat Bray Wyatt

Anutosh Bajpai
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6

WWE has built ‘The Fiend’ as an unstoppable monster in the last few months and so the upcoming match between him and Goldberg is garnering interest from fans.

Goldberg himself is known to be unstoppable inside the ring. So many people have been wondering if he is going to be the one to finally beat Bray Wyatt and WWE Hall Of Famer Mark Henry recently gave his thoughts on the matter.

Henry talked about the upcoming match between these two stars during the latest episode of Busted Open Radio and when asked if Goldberg is the one to finally beat the Fiend, the former World Champion replied negatively:

“Bill is not the one. This is one of those matches that if it is done right it can be one of those that we really talk about and say ‘Where has this Goldberg been’ and I think he realizes that and wants that, a lot of people would not want to work up to that standard, but that is why he is a Hall of Famer.”

Mark Henry then praised the acting skills of Bray Wyatt. He talked about the segment that set up the match between these two and mentioned how Wyatt transitioned into many different emotions seamlessly. He said that Bray knows how to keep your attention

Bray Wyatt will be defending his Universal Championship against Bill Goldberg at the upcoming Super Showdown event from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 27.

Update On Talks Of Amazon Possibly Buying WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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6

Vince McMahon opened the door of a lot of possibilities when he revealed that they are evaluating “strategic alternatives” to the WWE Network to sell rights of their major PPVs and a deal could be announced in the first quarter of the year.

Then a report about the streaming services suggested that E-Commerce giant Amazon could be interested in purchasing the rights of WWE content, or the company itself.

Though Dave Meltzer talked about the rumours of Amazon potentially buying their streaming rights on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio and revealed that the company does not have interest in it.

Per Meltzer, there is no truth to the rumors of Amazon being interested in the streaming rights of WWE content or the company as a whole. He explained that they are looking for content that’s a little cheaper and noted how they already have a deal with NFL.

For those who don’t know, Vince McMahon had revealed during the 2019 Q4 earning call that they are considering selling the rights of their major PPVs to a streaming service such as ESPN+ or Amazon to increase the company revenue.

Then an article published on CNBC featuring comments from Lauren Martin, who is an analyst of the Needham investment firm started the rumors of the tech giant potentially buying WWE.

He had explained that Amazon could first buy the streaming rights to WWE content and the deal would put them in the right position to possibly purchase the company down the line, when the McMahon family decides to exit the business.

Kelly Kelly Reportedly Returning To WWE on a Part Time Basis

Jake Skudder
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26

Former WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly is reportedly making a return to WWE. RAW commentator Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler recently confirmed on The Jerry Lawler Show podcast that Kelly would be returning in some capacity to WWE.

During this week’s episode of the show Lawler was going through his thoughts on the Royal Rumble PPV from earlier this month. Jerry specifically had huge praise for the Women’s Royal Rumble match, saying it was the best he had seen.

Women’s Rumble Match

“I thought it was the best Women’s Rumble match that I’ve seen,” Lawler began. “It was a little bit NXT-heavy. But I didn’t have a problem with that because every one of the NXT women shined. It wasn’t like you ever thought ‘oh this woman shouldn’t be there.” Every one of them looked like they could win that match.”

Kelly Kelly

Kelly Kelly – Surprise Entrant

One of the surprise returns for the Rumble saw Kelly Kelly enter at Number 21. Lawler talked about his chat backstage with the former Divas Champion; “I got a chance to talk to Kelly before the match for a long time. She’s just doing great. And from what I understand we may be seeing more of her. She may be coming back on a semi-regular basis.”

It has not been confirmed if the former WWE Superstar has signed with WWE in any capacity beyond her Rumble appearance. We will update if this changes in the near future.

Taya Valkyrie Talks Being The Longest-Reigning Knockouts Champ Ever

Chris Stephens
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0

The longest-reigning Knockouts Champion in history will face Jordynne Grace for the belt on Impact Wrestling next Tuesday night. The match was taped in Mexico last month. Taya is the only wrestler ever to hold the championship for longer than a year, having initially won it from Tessa Blanchard at Homecoming on January 6th, 2019.

Valkyrie spoke to Steel Chair Magazine recently about what being the longest-reigning Knockouts champion of all-time means to her.

“I’m extremely blessed and also feel extremely proud of myself. Nobody else understands how much work I put into this than myself, the ups, the downs, the heartaches, the heartbreaks, the successes, everything,” Valkyrie said.

“I’m very proud of myself that it is now manifested itself as the longest-reigning Knockouts Champion,” Taya continued. “To have my face and my name in the Impact Wrestling’s history books with that title is just unreal.”

Revival Of Taya Valkyrie vs Tessa Blanchard Rivalry?

During the interview, Taya also discussed her rivalry with Impact World Champion, Tessa Blanchard.

“On Tessa Blanchard, I’ve beaten her over and over again on many, many occasions. I beat her for the Knockouts Championship, I defended my Knockouts Championship in a Street Fight in Mexico City against her and was successful, I then continued to carry the women’s division for an entire year. I then beat her at Madison Square Garden for the AAA Reina de Reinas championship.”

Taya feels she should be next in line for a shot at Blanchard’s title.

“If anybody has the number one contender spot, it’s me, and I know that in 2020, you will see the revival of the Taya versus Tessa Blanchard rivalry and it is going to get pretty messy because both of us are extremely passionate, hard-working, dedicated, mentally and physically strong.”

She concluded the interview by stating that she plans to be the one to make history in 2020.

“I know this year will be another record-breaking year for me. I will be the one who will be making even more history and even more noise in 2020.”

The full interview can be read here.

The Rock Posts Eulogy For Rocky Johnson

Chris Stephens
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0

Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson posted the eulogy he gave for his father recently to his social media accounts. Rocky Johnson passed away on January 15th, 2020 at the age of 75.

“I wish I had one more shot just to say goodbye, say I love you, say thank you, say I respect you, but I have the feeling he’s watching, he’s listening,” Rock said.

“I know my Dad would be saying ‘kayfabe the tears,'” he continued.

In the video, the Rock tells the story of learning of his father’s death on the first day of production for a film.

“No, it’s not a dream, my Dad is gone. In that moment, I thought what do I need to do? What’s the next thing that I need to do? And I heard a voice say ‘Well, hey, the show must go on’ and that was my Dad. That was my old man who told me that.”

“The wrestling community is a very tight community, it’s a global business but it’s a very, very tight community and they believe the show must go on.”

“This idea about the show must go on just reminded me of what my Dad was about and what he represented to our business,” Rock continued.

Rock’s eulogy can be viewed in the Instagram post below:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B8SZSPGHgKx/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading

Diamond Dallas Page Talks Working With Kanyon

Chris Stephens
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0

Who better than Kanyon? Was a question Chris Kanyon would often ask WCW crowds that he performed in front of. Kanyon was also once a member of the Jersey Triad with Bam Bam Bigelow and Diamond Dallas Page. Recently on the Jericho Cruise, DDP was asked a question about Kanyon during a panel discussion. DDPs answer was posted to the 83 Weeks podcast YouTube channel.

“He may be the most underrated guys ever,” DDP said of Kanyon.

“Chris was part of the FOP – which was ‘Friends of Page’ – and that helped him and that hurt him in ways too,” DDP said. “I felt like whenever I worked with him, cause he was down in the Power Plant when I was down there, I wanted him to get his body better because back in our generation that was important.”

“Every time I wrestled him, I felt like I was wrestling a much younger version of myself so I didn’t even have to think out there,” DDP said.

The Jersey Triad twice held the WCW tag team championships. Kanyon passed away in 2010 at the age of 40.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez1fS93TIKY

William Regal Talks His Relationship With Triple H

Chris Stephens
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2

William Regal is currently the on-screen commissioner of NXT. It’s a role the 51-year-old has played since 2014. Regal also holds the title of WWE’s Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting. He was interviewed by Inside the Ropes recently about his relationship with WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent, Triple H.

“The first day I ever met him, I saw a like-minded soul who was a year younger than me,” Regal said of meeting Triple H.

“He went on to do what he did but we’ve always got this kind of bond that we work well together,” Regal continued.

Regal then told the story of when Regal and Triple H were working together in WCW early in Triple H’s career. The two were admiring how they looked in their robes when Arn Anderson pointed out that they both have large noses.

“We’re looking at each other and Arn Anderson walks behind us and in his way went ‘you two look like a pair of woodpeckers,” Regal said.

Regal continued to say that he and Triple H bonded over music as well when they used to travel together.

“We used to travel together and a thing we bonded over as well was metal music,” Regal continued.

He also mentioned that he and Triple H don’t talk much.

“I’m the last person he ever needs to talk to if that makes any sense because we sort of have this thing that we can communicate without talking,” Regal continued.

The video from Inside the Ropes can be viewed in the player below:

Seth Rollins Comments On Turning Heel, Alliance With AOP & Murphy

Chris Stephens
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Seth Rollins is now referred to as “the Monday Night Messiah” on WWE RAW. He is also flanked by Akam and Rezar, the Authors of Pain, and Buddy Murphy. Rollins spoke to SI.com recently about his heel turn and newly formed alliances.

“The opportunity was presented to me to go in this direction, and the AOP are guys who I’ve watched from afar for a while down in NXT,” Rollins said about aligning with Akam and Rezar. “I was really impressed by some of the tag title matches they had down there, but they came up to Raw and were vastly underutilized right out of the gate and an injury to Rezar that took them out for a period of time.”

Rollins has also aligned with Buddy Murphy, who is now just known as Murphy. The two won the RAW tag team titles from the Viking Raiders recently on WWE RAW.

“Buddy is really self-explanatory. He called himself ‘The Best Kept Secret in WWE’ for a long time, and that’s fairly accurate,” Rollins said about his tag partner. “He’s a guy who was flying under the radar having really great matches on 205 and then on SmackDown, and he’s someone I always thought was very close to being one of the most well-rounded guys we have.”

Seth Rollins On His Recent Heel Turn

Rollins also spoke about his heel turn on RAW during an angle with Kevin Owens.

“I thought the buildup and the lead up to it made a lot of sense. Even though the person sitting in that van may have been kind of predictable, I still felt it was a shock for people to see me in that role again. Whether they were ready for it or not, it was still a jarring visual. I loved it, I thought it was very well executed, and set the ball in motion for what the future of WWE is going to look like, especially in 2020,” Rollins said about the turn.

The full interview with SI.com can be read here.

Chris Jericho Says EC3 Has ‘Big Things’ In His Future, Tags AEW

Anutosh Bajpai
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Many believe that the former Impact Champion EC3 would be a good fit for AEW roster and the AEW World Champion Chris Jericho is now teasing the same.

The former WWE star recently met EC3 in Orlando and he later posted a photo with the former Impact star from his official Instagram account.

What’s interesting to note here is that in the caption of the photo, Jericho claimed that ‘big things’ are coming in the future for the current WWE star and he then proceeded to tag the official account of AEW in the post:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8S24nXh-YN/

While this could just be the former WWE star teasing the fans, his post has sparked rumors with many wondering if we can see EC3 joining the roster of All Elite in near future.

After his stint with WWE from 2009 to 2013, EC3 returned to the company in early 2018. In December the same year, it was announced that he will be making his main roster debut; however, he hasn’t done much since being called up.

EC3 has been part of some minor storylines since his main roster call up. He was even repaired with his old manager Drake Maverick for a bit in April 2019 but it was reported that Vince McMahon didn’t like this pairing and he had ‘given up’ on the former Champion.

So far there is no news on how much time there is left on EC3’s current deal with WWE but it’s sure that this post from Jericho will give the company a reason to try and persuade him to sign a new, long term contract.

Spoilers: Impact Wrestling TV Taping Results (2/7/20)

Andrew Ravens
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The spoilers from the Impact Wrestling TV taping that took place on Friday, February 7, 2020, in Las Vegas, NV at the Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall has surfaced online.

These matches and segments will air over the coming weeks on AXS TV as well as Impact’s Twitch account. You can read the results here, courtesy of Wrestling Inc:

Impact Wrestling TV Taping Results

Ace Austin and Reno Scum defeated Impact World Champion Tessa Blanchard, Tommy Dreamer and Trey Miguel. 

TJP defeated Josh Alexander by countering a Sleeper into a pin. 

Willie Mack defeated Johnny Swinger by using a Frog Splash

Su Yung defeated Jessica Havok in a No DQ match after Havok passed out in the Mandible Claw. 

Rhino defeated Dave Crist with the Gore. Moose came out to join commentary. Rhino and Moose had a staredown after the match

Daga defeated Rob Van Dam with Katie Ford

Rohit Raju defeated Zachary Wentz after a double stomp to the back.

Impact Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace retained her title over Miranda Alize with the Grace Driver

Ace Romero defeated Joey Ryan with a running elbow. 

Eddie Edwards defeated Michael Elgin with a cradle. 

This wraps up the tapings. The promotion returns on Saturday for another set. 

Update On The IIconics’ Absence From WWE TV Since Last Year

Anutosh Bajpai
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The IIconics haven’t been seen on WWE programming from a while and the absence of the female stars has made fans wonder about their status.

One such fan recently took on his Twitter and inquired Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer about the duo and if they will be back on TV anytime soon.

Answering the question, the Wrestling Journalist indicated that the former Women’s Tag Team Champions are not injured and the reason for The IIconics’ absence is because the officials have decided to pull them from TV.

While he didn’t reveal any timeframe for their return, Meltzer also interestingly suggested that the company could be looking to repackage the duo of Peyton Royce and Billie Kay:

The IIconics haven’t wrestled in a WWE ring since November last year and they have been off of the WWE Live Events as well. For the surprise of many fans, they weren’t brought in for the Royal Rumble PPV either.

The duo made their debut on main roster when they appeared on the April 10th, 2018 episode of SmackDown Live. They attacked Charlotte Flair on the show, allowing Carmella to cash in her Money In The Bank contract.

Their only significant achievement in the main roster is winning the Women’s Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 35 which they held until August. Though many believe that The IIconics’ reign as the champions was underwhelming.

Do you think the IIconics should be repackaged when they return to the WWE TV? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

WWE Changes Name Of Current Champion, Carmella On Becoming The #1 Contender

Anutosh Bajpai
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It appears that one half of the current Raw Tag Team Champions, Buddy Murphy is the latest star to have undergone a name change and lose his first name.

WWE has recently updated the former Cruiserweight Champion’s bio page on their official website and as seen in the screenshot below, the page now lists him as only Murphy:

Murphy

Murphy recently joined the stable of Seth Rollins and Authors Of Pain and this move seemed to be working out well for the former 205 Live star as it has resulted in him winning his first title in the main roster.

Carmella On Becoming The #1 Contender

The main event of this week’s episode of SmackDown Live saw Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Dana Brooke and Naomi competing in a fatal four-way match to determine the new #1 contender for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

This match was won by Carmella but she couldn’t celebrate for long. The former NXT star was attacked by Bayley shortly after the match was over and the current champion stood tall to end the show.

The former Women’s Champion was then interviewed backstage where she was asked about her win and how will she prepare for her upcoming championship match. You can check out her interview below:

Former NXT Champion Expected At Raw Next Week

Anutosh Bajpai
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Latest reports suggest that Shayna Baszler will be joining the Raw brand as a permanent roster member and it appears that her debut can come much sooner than we thought.

PWinsider is reporting that the former NXT Champion is expected to be at the next episode of Monday Night Raw from Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA and this is expected to be her starting date with the Red Branded Show.

It was reported recently that Baszler is being moved to the Red Brand after she competed in the Women’s Royal Rumble match earlier last month.

According to reports from Wrestling Observer Newsletter, this move has been in the works for a while and talks of putting Shayna on Raw have been going on for a year.

While there is no news on what WWE is planning for Shayna Baszler once she switches rosters, rumors are that she will be facing the Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch at WrestleMania this year.

Lynch is also scheduled to defend her title against one half of WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors, Asuka on the upcoming episode of Raw.

So while it’s not confirmed what the company has planned for Shayna Baszler, it’s possible that she comes out during or after this match. Though we will have to tune in to Raw to figure out whether or not she actually makes her debut at the show.

Roman Reigns’ Match Confirmed For Super Showdown

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE confirmed Goldberg vs. Bray Wyatt for Super Showdown in Saudi Arabia on SmackDown this week. Though it wasn’t the only match announced for the show during the night and the company also confirmed a stipulation match for Roman Reigns.

Tonight’s episode of the Blue Branded Show saw Baron Corbin issuing a challenge to the Big Dog for a match at the upcoming show after Reigns defeated him in a Falls Count Anywhere match at Royal Rumble.

Roman Reigns then accepted the challenge made by King Corbin but he stated that the bout would be a steel cage match. WWE has since confirmed this stipulation for their fight.

Updated Match Card For Super Showdown 2020

This is the fourth match that has been announced for the Super Showdown event. You can check out an updated match card for the show below:

  • WWE Championship Match: Ricochet vs. Brock Lesnar (c)
  • WWE Universal Championship Match: Bill Goldberg vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (c)
  • SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: John Morrison and The Miz vs. The New Day (c)
  • Steel Cage Match: King Baron Corbin vs. Roman Reigns

Super Showdown 2020 will take place on Thursday, February 27 from King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

WWE SmackDown Results & 5 Takeaways (2/7)

Robert Lentini
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WWE SmackDown aired live from from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Goldberg announced his opponent for WWE Super ShowDown during this week’s SmackDown.

WWE SmackDown Results (2/7)

  1. The Usos def. Roode & Ziggler
  2. Elias def. Cesaro
  3. Daniel Bryan def. Heath Slater
  4. Sheamus def. Apollo Crews
  5. Carmella def. Naomi, Alexa Bliss, and Dana Brooke to become #1 contender

Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:

The Usos Picked Up A Win

the usos

The Miz and John Morrison kicked off this week’s episode with an episode of The Dirt sheet. Miz and Morrison will face New Day at Super ShowDown for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. They rolled a trailer called “Once Upon A Time In Dirt Sheet” that featured Lance Storm, John Lauranitis, and Mr. Miz.

New Day interrupted and came to the ramp with buckets of popcorn. Kofi and Big E cracked a couple of jokes before entering the ring. The Miz claimed that they have already beaten every tag team SmackDown has to offer. The Usos joined the party and stated that Miz and Morrison haven’t beaten them. Dolph Ziggler’s music hit and Miz & Morrison capitalized on the distraction and attacked. Ziggler & Roode then faced The Usos in a tag team match.

Match Recap: Roode and Ziggler dominated early but Jimmy Uso battled back with a massive uppercut to Roode. Jey tagged in and got distracted by Ziggler. Roode capitalized with a Clothesline for a near fall. Ziggler tagged in and connected with a Dropkick for another two count. Roode and Ziggler spent the new few minutes beating Jey down until Jimmy finally was able to tag in. Jimmy hit a couple of Samoan Drops before walking into a Powerslam from Roode for a new fall. Jimmy battled back with a Superkick and tagged Jey in. Jey went for a Splash but Dolph got his knees up. Jimmy tagged in and hit Roode with a Splash for the pinfall victory.

Roman Reigns Will Once Again Battle King Corbin

corbin ziggler reigns

WWE rolled footage of Roman Reigns and The Usos dumping dog food on King Corbin’s head last week. Corbin ran to the production truck and attacked a WWE employee. Corbin threw the employee down a flight of stairs before WWE security arrived.

Goldberg was about to be interviewed before King Corbin interrupted and joked about the 49ers losing the Super Bowl. Corbin demanded another match with Roman Reigns tonight. King Corbin poured a drink over fan’s head before Reigns’ music hit. Roman hit a Superman Punch and Corbin ran away. Roman called Corbin a coward and accepted another match. Reigns suggested a Steel Cage match so nobody can interfere.

Opinion: I don’t understand why we have to see this match again. Their match at Royal Rumble was fine and should have put an end to the feud.

The Fiend Will Defend His Title Against Goldberg

the fiend goldberg

Goldberg was interviewed via satelite tonight on SmackDown. Goldberg was sitting on a weight bench in between two cars and said that he was inspired by last week’s Royal Rumble.

Goldberg stated that his time as Universal Champion was way too short but was interrupted by an episode of Firefly Fun House. Wyatt said that The Fiend accepts Goldberg’s challenge and Goldberg shouted that The Fiend was next.

Opinion: I’m not expecting much from this match at Super Showdown but I thought tonight’s promo was great.

Shinsuke Nakamura Will Get A Rematch For The IC Title

strowman smackdown 2 7

Renee Young interviewed new Intercontinental Champion Braun Strowman tonight on SmackDown. The crowd chanted “you deserve it!” as Renee asked Braun how it felt to be champion.

Strowman stated that being the IC Champion is the greatest accomplishment of his career and raised the belt above his head. Shinsuke Nakamura and Zayn interrupted and Sami claimed that Strowman’s victory was fraudulent. Zayn asked for a rematch for Nakamura but didn’t want the match tonight.

The Revival then attacked Braun from behind and beat him down. Shinsuke and Sami got in the ring and continued to beat Strowman down in the corner of the ring as the crowd booed.

Carmella Earned A Shot At The SmackDown Women’s Championship

carmella smackdown 3 13

Naomi, Carmella, Alexa Bliss, and Dana Brooke battled in the main event of this week’s show. The winner of the match will earn a shot at Bayley’s SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Match Recap: Naomi dominated early and took out everyone with a Splash outside the ring. Bayley got in Naomi’s face and the two started trading punches. Bayley sent Naomi flying into the steel steps as SmackDown went to a commercial break. Back from the break, Naomi connected with a Dropkick on Dana and went for the cover but Alexa broke it up.

Carmella rolled up Alexa for a two count and Bliss responded with a slap to the face. Dana showed off her strength and planted Bliss with a Powerbomb. Carmella sent Dana to the corner and hit her with a Bronco Buster. Naomi hit Carmella with a Bulldog into a turnbuckle and followed it up with a Moonsault but Dana broke up the cover at two.

https://twitter.com/tde_wrestling/status/1225975827726241792?s=20

Dana lifted Naomi up onto her shoulders but Naomi escaped and connected with a Stunner. Alexa hit Naomi with a Dropkick and then bounced her face off the top turnbuckle. Naomi battled back and hit a Leg Drop for a two count. Naomi perched Bliss up on the top turnbuckle and unloaded a couple right hands to her face.

Alexa shoved Naomi to the canvas and went for a cover but Naomi kicked out at two. Dana hopped on the apron and Naomi brought her in the ring with a Suplex. Naomi followed it up with a Leg Drop for a two count. Bliss sent Naomi into the turnbuckle and then climbed to the top rope. Alexa went for Twisted Bliss but Naomi got her knees up and followed it up with Rear View. Carmella snuck up behind Naomi and hit her with a Superkick. Carmella then pinned Naomi for the victory. Bayley then attacked Carmella from behind to close the show.

Opinion: WWE teased a feud between Bayley and Naomi, only to give Carmella the title match. I really only enjoyed the brief promo between Bray Wyatt and Goldberg tonight. Sheamus defeated Apollo Crews in a squash match and then leveled Shorty G with a Brogue Kick after the match. I don’t care about the feud between Sheamus & Shorty G and had forgotten Apollo Crews was even in WWE anymore. Bryan’s match with Heath Slater lasted thirty seconds and Cesaro continues on his never-ending journey nowhere with a loss to Elias. The entire show seemed phoned in and lifeless.

Goldberg Appears On WWE SmackDown, Issues Challenge To Bray Wyatt

Andrew Ravens
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Goldberg was back on WWE television. 

The WWE Hall of Famer did so on Friday Night SmackDown this week in San Jose, CA at the SAP Center on FOX. WWE hyped his appearance earlier this week with an announcement about him being back on Monday Night RAW. 

As seen on the show, Goldberg did a promo via satellite where he stated that since he can’t fight WWE Champion Brock Lesnar at Super ShowDown, he’ll go after another title. He talked about never getting a rematch for when he lost the Universal Title.

He then issued a challenge to Bray Wyatt. This is when Wyatt appeared in a Firefly Funhouse segment where he noted that The Fiend accepts Goldberg’s challenge.

WWE makes its return with the Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia later this month. 

Of course, Goldberg is looking to right the wrongs that were made at last year’s Super ShowDown show where he battled The Undertaker. 

The match had received a ton of criticism from fans. The start of the match was good but it quickly went downhill due to unforeseen circumstances.

WWE presents the Super ShowDown pay-per-view event on Thursday, February 27, 2020 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Fahd International Stadium that will air on the WWE Network. 

Triple H On Goldberg Vs Undertaker Match At Saudi Arabia

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