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Brackets Released For WWE Mixed Match Challenge

Staff
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WWE has released the official brackets for Mixed Match Challenge, the mixed-tag team tournament premiering on the Facebook Watch streaming platform this coming Tuesday at 10pm (Eastern). The winning team will be awarded $100,000 to donate to a charity.

WWE has also announced that one of the Semi-Final matches (Week 11) will feature one team which had already been eliminated, with fans voting to award them a ‘second chance.’

Here’s the full schedule of first round matches and the official brackets.

Week 1: Finn Balor & Sasha Banks vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Natalya

Week 2: The Miz & Asuka vs. Big E & Carmella

Week 3: Braun Strowman & Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Sami Zayn & Becky Lynch

Week 4: Goldust & Alicia Fox vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champion Jimmy Uso and Naomi

Week 5: Elias & Bayley vs. Rusev & Lana

Week 6: Apollo Crews & Nia Jax vs. Bobby Roode & SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair

mmc brackets

Paige’s In-Ring Career Reportedly Over

Jon Fuentes
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Last month at a WWE live event former WWE Divas Champion Paige took a hard kick to the back from Sasha Banks in Six-Woman Tag Team match that caused what was originally believed to be a mild stinger. She was stretchered out from the ring but was able to leave the arena under her own power. Now PWInsider is reporting that, in a situation similar to what happened to WWE Hall Of Famer Edge, WWE will not be clearing Paige to return to the ring, thus ending her wrestling career with the company.

It is said that Paige is well liked amongst WWE management so they will retain her in an non-physical role for the company going forward. It’s been a rough few years for Paige, as a pair of Wellness Policy violations, her leaked personal pictures and videos, and a neck surgery halted her in-ring abilities for several months. She returned to WWE TV this past November and introduced NXT call-ups Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville to form her Absolution faction.

After competing in professional wrestling since the age of 13, however, her days as an active competitor for WWE have come to an end. Although her career in WWE is done at just 25-years-old, Paige has accomplished so much at such a young age within the company. After becoming the first-ever NXT Women’s Champion of all time, Paige would defeat AJ Lee the night after WrestleMania 30 in her main roster debut to become the Divas Champion. She retires a two-time Divas Champion, the first-ever NXT Women’s Champion, and one of the key pioneers in the Women’s Revolution.

Championship Match Announced For WWE Royal Rumble

Andrew Ravens
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WWE has announced that Enzo Amore will defend the Cruiserweight Title against Cedric Alexander at the Royal Rumble PPV.

The Royal Rumble pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, January 28, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Wells Fargo Center and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured. Here is the updated card:

– 30-Man Royal Rumble Match: John Cena, Elias, Finn Balor, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, Baron Corbin, Matt Hardy, Bray Wyatt, TBA

– WWE Universal Title Triple Threat Match: Brock Lesnar © vs. Kane vs. Braun Strowman

– WWE Title Handicap Match: AJ Styles © vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn

– Women’s Royal Rumble Match: Asuka, Naomi, Ruby Riott, Natalya, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Paige, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Carmella, Tamina Snuka, Lana, Natalya, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Mickie James, Nia Jax, Becky Lynch, TBA

– WWE United States Title Tournament Finals

– Raw Tag Team Title Match: Seth Rollins & Jason Jordan © vs. Sheamus & Cesaro

– SmackDown Tag Team Title Two Out of Three Falls Match: The Usos © vs. Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin

– WWE Cruiserweight Title Match: Enzo Amore © vs. Cedric Alexander

Does John Cena Want To Join The Bullet Club?

Jon Fuentes
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During a recent Q&A session John Cena was asked by a fan if he’d like to join The Bullet Club over in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). Cena responded by saying he doesn’t think they’d have him since it’s “a pretty elite club,” while referencing the movie “Major League.” Check out the video here:

https://twitter.com/KiingDeno/status/951511952127279104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwnerd.com%2Fjohn-cena-comments-like-join-bullet-club-young-bucks-respond%2F

Bullet Club member Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks took to Twitter to respond to Cena’s comments, and said The Bullet Club would love to have “The Leader Of The Cenation” in the group:

https://twitter.com/NickJacksonYB/status/951578639958593536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwnerd.com%2Fjohn-cena-comments-like-join-bullet-club-young-bucks-respond%2F

Aside from teasing to join The Bullet Club, Cena has much bigger fish to fry as rumors suggest he will be facing The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34 this year. The Wrestling Observer reports that a Cena vs. Taker match could begin to build-up as soon as this month’s 25th Anniversary special episode of Monday Night RAW. While some fans think this match should’ve happened years ago, it will still be on of the highest-profile matches on the card this year.

Xavier Woods Takes A Shot At Jinder Mahal, Titus O’Neil Receives Award (Photos)

Jon Fuentes
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– Xavier Woods and Jinder Mahal are set to meet on SmackDown Live next week in the next round of the United States Championship Tournament. Woods took to Twitter to take a shot at Mahal by posting a clip of an old match they had on WWE Superstars back in 2014. Woods and R-Truth teamed up to defeat Mahal and Drew McIntyre in tag team action, as Woods pinned Mahal for the victory:

https://twitter.com/XavierWoodsPhD/status/951494685062819842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

– At last night’s MLK Parade Foundation Honors event in Tampa, Florida, WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil was honored by receiving the Drum Major For Justice Award. He Tweeted out the following:

Former WWE & WCW Star Reportedly Not Doing Too Well

Jon Fuentes
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Former WWE and WCW star Fred Ottman (better known in his professional wrestling career by the names The Shockmaster, Typhoon, and Tugboat) is reportedly not doing too well, per comments from both Victoria and Lanny Poffo on social media.

The former WWE Tag Team Champion made his debut with the company back in 1989 as the Tugboat character. He then became Typhoon in 1991 and formed The Natural Disasters with his partner, Earthquake, and they won the Tag Team Titles. He then departed for WCW in 1993 where he had a brief run as The Shockmaster before returning to WWE in 1994.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdvW8VPnRzL/

Tension In The Bullet Club Before Wrestle Kingdom 12 (Video), ROH’s Wrestler Of The Year, ROH Signs New Female Talent

Jon Fuentes
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– In episode 87 of “Being The Elite” on YouTube The Young Bucks, Cody, Kenny Omega, and Marty Scurll are followed in the lead-up to their respective matches at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo, Japan. Towards the end of the video you see the tension continue to build within The Bullet Club as Kenny Omega gets into an argument with the rest of the club at a restaurant:

– As Ring Of Honor continues to announce their Best Of 2017 awards; the promotion has awarded Deonna Purrazzo Women Of Honor Wrestler Of The Year, and Cody Rhodes ROH Wrestler Of The Year.

– On a related note, ROH has signed Deonna Purrazzo to a non-exclusive contract per a report from Squared Circle Sirens. Purrazzo later confirmed this on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/DeonnaPurrazzo/status/951627494297358336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

IMPACT Wrestling Signs Former Lucha Underground Champion

Jon Fuentes
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At last night’s IMPACT Wrestling tapings in Orlando, former Lucha Underground Gift Of The Gods Champion Brian Cage made his promotional debut as a signed talent. He worked two matches (both with enhancement talents) and won them both. This isn’t Cage’s first time in an IMPACT ring, as he had tryout matches with the company back in 2012 and 2013 but wasn’t signed to a deal.

Cage also wrestled at the Destination X One Night Only event in 2014. He went on to sign with Lucha Underground and won the Gift Of The Gods Championship in 2016. Here’s what IMPACT Wrestling had to say about inking Cage to a deal:

Bruce Prichard Reveals How The Undertaker Looked When He Say Him A Month Ago

Jon Fuentes
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Former WWE official Bruce Prichard was recently a guest on Busted Open to promote his upcoming live podcast recording of “Something To Wrestle” at the Barclays Center on January 19th. During the interview, Prichard was asked about the rumors surrounding The Undertaker and speculation that he could be wrestling at WrestleMania 34 this year. If you haven’t already heard, it’s expected WWE will begin a program between The Undertaker and John Cena at RAW’s 25th Anniversary Show, which will lead to a match at WrestleMania 34.

Prichard said that he saw “The Deadman” about a month ago and claimed he looked the best he’d seen him in 10 years. He also said The Undertaker claimed to feel the best he has in the past 10 years. Prichard also revealed that the former WWE Champion insisted he has wrestled his last match of his career, but Prichard said he has been hearing that for the past 15 years:

MLW Zero Hour Results (1/11/18)

Eric Lynch
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MLW’s Zero Hour event took place on January 11th, 2018 at the Gilt nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

MLW Zero Hour results:

– Rhett Giddins def Kotto Brazil via pinfall

– Jimmy Yuta and Jason Cade def The Dirty Blondes

– Vandal Ortagun def. Parrow: The finish came when Al Sabah interfered and attacked Parrow. It looks like Vandal and Sabah will be a tag-team now.

– Brody King def MJF via pinfall

– Barrington Hughes def. Chico Adams via pinfall

– Darby Allin def. Sammy Guevara via pinfall

– Santana Garrett def. MJ Jenkins via pinfall

– Penta OM def. Rey Fenix via pinfall

– Matt Riddle & Jeff Cobb def. Seth Petruzelli & Tom Lawlor: An attack on Cobb earlier in the evening was shown on the video screens, teasing that Cobb was injured before the match.

– Low Ki vs. MVP – No contest: This one ended after getting out of control when Low Ki kicked the referee and laid him out.

– Death match: Jimmy Havoc def. Shane Strickland

The show was filmed for the MLW.tv VOD service, and will be released on January 18th. Tony Schiavone and Rich Brennan are on commentary.

https://twitter.com/CornellGunter/status/951692936261009409
https://twitter.com/FLWrestlingFan/status/951620748401152002
https://twitter.com/JJWilliamsWON/status/951639514589618176
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd1Tz8dlPLF/

Triple H Comments On Dinner Meeting With Ronda Rousey

Jon Fuentes
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As we’ve noted, WWE COO Triple H had dinner with Ronda Rousey and her agent at a famous LA restaurant this past Tuesday. “The Game” missed SmackDown Live’s tapings in Alabama for the dinner, and with Rousey’s agent being present, it’s expected that business was discussed.

Rousey’s WWE debut has been rumored to occur at or before WrestleMania 34 this upcoming April. With the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble taking place later this month speculation has arisen that she could possibly debut at the event. Triple H recently spoke to The Associated Press about his dinner meeting with Rousey and confirmed that they are talking to Rousey about a possible WWE deal:

“We are talking to Ronda, as we’ve been for a while,” Triple H said. “She has a lot of things going on. We have a lot of things going on. But we have a great relationship with her, a very friendly standpoint for a long period of time now. It was great to catch up with her.”

As far as if a deal has been reached and whether or not a Royal Rumble appearance is planned for Rousey, “The Game” said they have nothing to announce at this time:

“We have nothing to announce at this time,” Triple H said. “But she’s a huge fan of what we do and she’s incredibly interested in what we do and the opportunities that lie there. We’re fans of hers and incredibly interested in what those opportunities could be with us. But there’s a lot of things to walk through. We’re talking. We’re having conversations.”

How Many Stars Did Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega Receive?, WWE Stars Reveal They Have The Flu

Jon Fuentes
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– Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave Wrestle Kingdom 12’s IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification match between Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho five stars. The night’s main event between Okada and Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight Title received four stars.

– RAW stars Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose revealed on Snapchat that they’re suffering from the flu. Deville posted a video of herself in bed recovering while watching a marathon of Friends. No news yet on whether or not they’ll be working Monday’s episode of RAW.

Enzo Amore Reacts To Ronda Rousey WWE Rumors

Jon Fuentes
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Yesterday it was reported that Ronda Rousey, her manager, and Triple H were having dinner together at a popular LA restaurant, Republique. With Rousey’s manager being there it’s likely business was being discussed. The dinner took place on Tuesday night during SmackDown Live’s taping in Alabama.

With rumors running rampant about a possible Rousey signing to WWE, TMZ recently caught up with Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore and asked for his opinion on the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion possibly becoming a professional wrestler. “The Realest Guy In The Room” suggested that Rousey could be in for a ‘rude awakening’:

“Did she?,” Amore asked. “She’s in for a rude awakening. I mean MMA is MMA, I ain’t hating on MMA whatsoever – respect what they do so much. You ever been put through a table? Slammed on concrete? It’s a different ballgame.”

When asked how he thinks she’d do as a wrestler, Amore admitted that he thinks Rousey will translate well as she has enough respect for the business to understand it’s not easy:

“I think she’d translate quite well. Quite well. I don’t think it’s harder than she thinks. I think she respects what we do enough to know that it’s hard.”

Two Big Matches Set For WWE’s MSG Return, Shelton Benjamin Celebrates Milestone

Jon Fuentes
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– WWE will return to Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 16th for a live event. Two matches have been announced for the event; including WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Kane, and Intercontinental Champion Roman Reigns vs. The Miz vs. John Cena.

– Yesterday marked 18 years since current SmackDown Live star Shelton Benjamin signed his first WWE deal. He posted the following on social media to celebrate the milestone:

“On Jan 10 2000 I signed my first @wwe contract and officially became a Pro-wrestler/sports entertainer. Hard to believe that was 18 years ago #TODAY. Thank you to All who have cheered/booed supported or hated it’s all motivation for me. The Ride is far from over. I guess the best way to put it is #Ain’tnostoppinMeNooowwww!!! #18thyearanniversary”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bdyjzf2HlaY/

Kenny Omega Extends New Japan Contract

Jake Skudder
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‘The Cleaner’ Kenny Omega has reportedly extended his contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling. The Wrestling Observer have revealed that his one year extension will keep him with the company until at least January 31st 2019, this of course rules him out of any potential Royal Rumble appearance this year or next as well as a potential spot at Wrestlemania in New Orleans.

There had been some rumblings of Chris Jericho’s involvement in New Japan being a plot by WWE to ‘swoop in’ and raid the company, while these were fairly out there rumors they had begun to gain some traction…hopefully this confirmation of Kenny’s contract extension will quell any doubt that he is in Japan for the foreseeable future.

IMPACT Wrestling Star Injured At Last Night’s Tapings

Jon Fuentes
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It looks like former IMPACT Wrestling Grand Champion Moose may have suffered an injury during last night’s set of TV tapings in Orlando. Moose’s injury took place during a match between EC3, Alberto El Patron and Johnny Impact. The match was meant to determine the new No. 1-contender for he Impact Wrestling World Championship. Moose reportedly suffered a knee injury and was helped backstage by several people.

PWInsider reports that it’s believed Moose didn’t tear anything. Moose is a former National Football League (NFL) offensive lineman that has played for teams such as the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, St. Louis Rams, and Indianapolis Colts. After six years in the NFL he then transitioned into a career in professional wrestling in 2012. Moose subsequently signed with Ring Of Honor in 2014 before departing for IMPACT Wrestling in 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FXsH-vyJB0

Seth Rollins Reveals Which Match Put Him On The Map In WWE

Jon Fuentes
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WWE Superstar Seth Rollins recently did an interview with the Amarillo Globe-News to discuss his rise in the professional wrestling industry. With WrestleMania 34 right around the corner “The Architect” was asked who he’d like to face off against at “The Show Of Shows.” Rollins noted he wants to be in the main event of the show, making himself the reason people are buying tickets, and would love to work with names such as Brock Lesnar or SmackDown Live’s WWE Champion AJ Styles:

“There are a ton of guys I’d love to work with at a WrestleMania. For me, I want to be in the main event of WrestleMania selling the tickets to that show. Whether it’s Brock Lesnar or AJ Styles. Either one of those guys I’d love to look toward being in the ring with when the time comes.”

Late last year WWE fans went nuts when the company decided to reunited The Shield. That reunion was short-lived, however, as Reigns contracted the mumps in a viral outbreak backstage; and soon after he was healthy again Dean Ambrose suffered an injury that sidelined him for several months. Rollins commented on how fans reacted to the initial reunion of The Shield:

“To see the scale in which people were excited about it was pretty cool. I wasn’t really anticipating how incredible it was. It was a nice experience and kind of surreal. It was just awesome to be out there with those guys again and get that reaction.”

Rollins is currently one-half of the RAW Tag Team Champions alongside Jason Jordan, and is one of WWE’s biggest stars. As for what match he thinks put him on the map in the company, Rollins points to his Triple Threat match against Brock Lesnar and John Cena at the Royal Rumble back in 2015:

“Yeah, I’d say so. It was my first opportunity to hang with the guys in the upper echelon. When you see what Brock has accomplished inside and outside of the ring. Then you look at John and everything he’s done. I was kind of the oddball in that pairing. The third wheel so to speak. I wanted to prove I could hold my own and I could be the guy to make that match what it was. I wanted to prove I could compete on that level with those guys. It was cool for me to have that moment. I felt I belonged.”

You can read Rollins’ full interview with Amarillo Globe-News by clicking this link here.

Upcoming Schedule for New Japan on AXS TV

Jake Skudder
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AXS TV will be broadcasting the majority of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 event over the coming weeks. AXS TV head Mark Cuban has been vocal with regards to pushing NJPW this year even further in the United States to coincide with New Japan’s own US expansion plans.

The schedule for the upcoming weeks of AXS television has now been revealed and is as follows:

January 12

  • IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship Match – The Young Bucks vs Roppongi 3K (c)
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match – Will Ospreay vs Hiromu Takahashi vs KUSHIDA vs Marty Scurll (c)

 

January 19th 

  • NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Championship Match – Michael Elgin and War Machine vs Suzuki-Gun vs Taguchi Japan vs Bullet Club (c) vs CHAOS
  • IWGP Tag Team Championship Match – Los Ingobernables (EVIL & SANADA) vs Killer Elite Squad (c)

 

January 26h

  • Cody vs Kota Ibushi
  • IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match – ‘Switchblade’ Jay White vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (c)

 

February 2nd

  • IWGP United States Championship Match – Chris Jericho vs Kenny Omega (c)

 

February 9th

  • IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Tetsuya Naito vs Kazuchika Okada (c)

 

February 16th

  • New Year Dash – Matches to be confirmed

Update On David Otunga’s Legal Issues With Jennifer Hudson

Jon Fuentes
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Last November WWE’s David Otunga was accused of domestic battery after accusations from his wife, Jennifer Hudson. Hudson claimed that Otunga got angry at her and grabbed their son by the hand before pushing her out of their bedroom. Hudson subsequently filed a report with police in Burr Ridge, Illinois. She then requested a temporary restraining order against Otunga which later sparked a custody battle between the pair over their son, David Jr.

Otunga later won that battle as he has been David Jr.’s primary caregiver since birth due to Hudson’s extensive travel schedule. Hudson also dropped her order of protection against Otunga voluntarily. TMZ now reports that Otunga will not be charged in the domestic battery case against him.

Kenny Omega Responds To Roman Reigns Calling Himself The “Best Performer In-Ring In The World”

Jon Fuentes
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Last month on the WWE Network following an episode of Monday Night RAW the company debuted a new show entitled “Straight To The Source” with Corey Graves. Graves’ first guest was none other than current WWE Intercontinental Champion Roman Reigns. Reigns was asked about numerous topics surrounding his WWE career, but one statement “The Big Dog” made stood above everything else. Reigns claimed to be the “best performer in-ring in the world,” which of course sparked criticism from fans everywhere:

“You know I’m the best performer in-ring in the world right now. You can go to my matches and my pay-per-views over the last three years and you can say I’m an idiot or you can be like ‘man, he’s got a point’, you know what I mean?”

As for who most consider to be the best in-ring performer in the world today – New Japan Pro Wrestling star and current IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega is one of the names at the top of that list. In a recent interview with Bleacher Report, “The Cleaner” responded to Reigns’ claims last month and called them ‘ridiculous’:

“I don’t know if Roman was put up to saying a comment like that from a social media team or if it was something that he consciously thought of himself. But I thought it was pretty smart of him to do—to say—that, because it became instantaneously a topic that people were talking about. And just because it sounds so ridiculous. You know what I mean?

“By no means do I actually think he believes in those words. There’s no possible way. I don’t have to feel like I have to speak up about it. It is what it is, and I understand that it’s a fun thing for fans to generate interest in the product. I take absolutely zero offense in him saying it. Especially since it’s quite clear that the fact of the matter is much, much different.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74QIDIO5Pxw

You can read Omega’s interview with Bleacher Report by clicking here.

Mark Henry Reportedly Retired As Active WWE Superstar

Jon Fuentes
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It looks like Mark Henry’s career as an active WWE Superstar has come to an end. Henry wrestled his last match at the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal last year, and only competed in three total matches in the year 2017. Per a report from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, he has confirmed that the man formerly known as “Sexual Chocolate” is pretty much retired as an active WWE Superstar.

Henry is still under contract with WWE but is being advertised for a Northeast Wrestling event on March 2nd in Waterbury, Connecticut. The event will also feature Rey Mysterio, Emma, Flip Gordon, and Matt Riddle. It is a charity event and Henry will not be wrestling at the show, and is not looking for anymore bookings as of this writing.

The former standout powerlifter signed with WWE back in 1996 and is a former ECW Champion, WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and European Champion. He is also one of The Undertaker’s victims at WrestleMania, as “The Deadman” defeated Henry to extend his then-undefeated record at “The Show Of Shows” to 14-0 back in 2006. After over 20 years with the WWE Henry has established himself as one of the most respected veterans within the company.

John Cena Expands Partnership With Nickelodeon: Hosting #KCA, Ninja Turtles, New Game Show

Staff
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The big announcement that John Cena was teasing on social media is that he’ll be hosting Fthe Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards for the second year in a row. The show takes place on Saturday, March 24th.

In addition to hosting the 2018 Kid’s Choice Awards, Variety reports that John Cena has expanded his partnership with Nickelodeon. Cena is joining the voice cast of the Nickelodeon’s new animated series “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and will serve as executive producer on a new game show called “Keep it Spotless.”

Nickelodeon President Cyma Zarghami told Variety, “[Cena’s] just one of those people who kids love, so why wouldn’t we want to be in business with him?”

Cena said, “Nickelodeon and I, we share the same looking glass. We like to make kids laugh and we like kids to have fun. Nickelodeon doesn’t do programming that doesn’t have comedy in it, that doesn’t have smiles in it. I really enjoy putting smiles on faces.”

For more on Cena’s partnership with Nickelodeon, visit Variety.com.

Impact Wrestling Introducing New Championship Belts

Staff
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Impact Wresting will be introducing new championship belts once again.

During a media conference call on Thursday morning involving Impact executives Don Callis and Scott D’Amore, the company revealed that the new championships will be introduced in April, when they hold the next round of television tapings.

Current championship belts being are holdovers from when the company (briefly) rebranded as Global Force Wrestling last year. When the GFW partnership was terminated, the company covered up the Global Force name with ‘Impact Wrestling’ plates.

Impact Wrestling’s current champions include:

  • World Champion: Austin Aries
  • Grand Champion: EC3
  • Knockouts Champion: Laurel Van Ness
  • Tag Team Champions: LAX
  • X-Division Champion: Taiji Ishimori

Austin Aries Returns To Impact Wrestling, Captures Global Championship

Staff
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Austin Aries returned to Impact Wrestling at Wednesday night’s Impact tapings from Orlando, FL and captured the company’s Global Championship from Eli Drake.

Aries, who was released from WWE back in July 2017, held the Impact Wrestling world title  once before (2012) and is a 6-time X-Division Champion.

He’s also the reigning DEFIANT Wrestling Champion and will defend that title this Friday against PROGRESS World Champion Travis Banks.

Plans For Two Top WrestleMania Matches, WWE HOF Inductees

Andrew Ravens
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WrestleMania 34 is less than three months away and plans are well underway to lock in the top matches planned for the show. In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer confirmed that WWE has settled on the top two matches for the show.

The main event will surprise nobody, as Roman Reigns will challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship. This match has been years in the making and was effectively set in stone going back over a year, when Meltzer reported it prior to last year’s Mania.

The other top match for WrestleMania 34 will see “free agent” John Cena finally squaring off against The Undertaker. 

With Taker being backstage at SmackDown this week and the sports entertainment company promoting him for the RAW 25 Anniversary show, the feeling is that the angle for Cena vs. Undertaker will be shot in two weeks at the special edition of RAW.

WrestleMania 34 is set to be held on April 8, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This event airs on pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network and is the most successful and longest-running professional wrestling event in history. 

As for the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018, Meltzer confirmed the names that were on a list first reported by Brad Shepard of Bleacher Report. The headliner for this year’s HOF class will be former WWE & WCW World Champion Bill Goldberg, who had a successful return to WWE after over a decade out of the ring.

Additional inductees for this year include:

  • Bam Bam Bigelow
  • Ivory
  • The Dudley Boyz
  • Kid Rock (celebrity wing)
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