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Brock Lesnar Now Advertised For WWE Fastlane In February

Matt Boone
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WWE is now officially advertising Brock Lesnar for the upcoming Fastlane pay-per-view in Cleveland, Ohio on February 21st.

Lesnar, who was also announced for next week’s RAW in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been added to the list of talent advertised to appear at the 2/21 pay-per-view event.

Although he is not officially advertised yet for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view scheduled for this month, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently reported that Lesnar is booked for the Rumble event and would be returning to WWE television in January to help promote that fact.

With Lesnar now being advertised for Fastlane, it appears likely that he will in fact be working WWE’s next three pay-per-view events in a row, with WrestleMania 32 being the third.

Muscle & Fitness Breaks Down Vince McMahon’s Intense Weekly Workout Routine

Matt Boone
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MuscleAndFitness.com released a new article looking at the rigorous training regimen that 70-year-old WWE Chairman Vince McMahon maintains up to seven days a week to this day.

The article runs down the specific exercises that McMahon does, with comments from his trainer and workout partner Mike Monteforte.

“On the bent-over row he can do 315 for 10 reps,” says Mike Monteforte, McMahon’s trainer and workout partner. “He has unbelievable strength in his back.”

According to the article, McMahon rotates through a split of chest, shoulders, arms, legs and back workouts, noting that his back is his “strongest body part and favorite to train.”

After he’s done focusing on individual body parts, McMahon and Monteforte do a CrossFit-inspired workout that consists of battling rope slams, sled drags, sledgehammer swings and sprints. After that he does a circuit of ab exercises, which wraps up what generally amounts to a 90-minute workout session.

Kurt Angle Speaks On Undertaker Possibly Retiring, Preferring To Be A Heel

Eric Lynch
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4VH7tPOEnI

As his TNA career comes to an end, Kurt Angle says he preferred to work as a heel over being a babyface during his time in the company. In an interview with Digital Spy to promote TNA’s European tour, he explained why.

“I was very comfortable being a heel and I knew my role. There are a lot of guys out there who want to be cool, they want to be liked as a heel, and that’s not the way it is,” Angle said.

“You have to play that role and you have to want people to hate you. It’s hard these days because everyone wants to be accepted. Everybody wants to say, ‘You know what, he’s a heel but he’s a cool heel and I like him’. That’s not how it is. You’ve gotta be hated.”

With his own TNA retirement on his horizon, the Olympic gold medalist was also asked about the possible retirement of another wrestler: The Undertaker. Here’s what he had to say:

“It’s sad, because what he’s brought to the table since the early ’90s, gosh, he’s done so much for the business, I don’t want to see him go,” Angle said. “I’d love to see him go another five WrestleManias. Whether he can do it or not, that’s really up to him.

“The crazy thing is, I don’t think he should have been beaten at WrestleMania. His legend is all about the Streak and it would have been nice to see him go out undefeated. But, if you’re going to going to get beat, it might as well be against Brock Lesnar, who’s the most legit athlete who’s ever gone in the business besides myself.”

Related: Kurt Angle Talks About Returning To WWE, Confident About HOF Induction

Do you agree with Angle? Sound off with your opinions in the comments below.

Viewership For Impact Wrestling On Pop TV Premiere

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Tuesday night’s live TNA Impact Wrestling premiere on Pop TV averaged 255,000 viewers. The featured Ethan Carter III winning the TNA World championship, the return of James Storm and the debuts of “The Miracle” Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis.

By comparison, their first show on Destination America drew 359,000 viewers while the final primetime episode of Impact on Destination America Drew 269,000 viewers.

Pop TV is available in approximately 20% more homes than Destination America, so the Pop premiere drawing fewer viewers than the Destination America finale is somewhat of a disappointment. That said, Impact was on a new network and a new night, so things could have been a lot worse.

Mason Ryan Now A Cirque du Soleil Performer (Photo)

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Former WWE & NXT Superstar Mason Ryan is now working as a performer for Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. He performs as the ‘chief archer’ in the cirque show KA based out of the MGM Grand hotel.

He tweeted the following this week showing off his impressive makeup work, which he applies himself for each performance.

https://twitter.com/MasonTheManiac/status/684463856056274944/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Five Matches Announced For This Friday’s “TNA One Night Only: Live!” PPV

Matt Boone
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https://youtu.be/v0QUi-YbSBg

TNA has announced five matches for their TNA One Night Only: Live! pay-per-view event, which will be broadcast live from the Sands Bethlehem Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania this Friday, January 8th.

The following five matches were made official for the live pay-per-view event. Due to the three-hour window blocked out for the pay-per-view broadcast, one would assume additional matches will be added before Friday.

TNA Tag Team Title Match
– Kurt Angle and Drew Galloway vs. Eli Drake and Jesse Godderz vs. The Wolves

#1 Contenders Gauntlet Match
– Madison Rayne, Velvet Sky, Awesome Kong, Jade, Marti Belle, Rebel

– James Storm and Bobby Roode vs. Eric Young and Bram

– Bobby Lashley vs. Tyrus

– Aiden O’Shea vs. Mahabali Shera

Jim Ross Blog: Reigns’ Rumble Title Defense, Chris Jericho’s Return, Charlotte’s Heel Turn

Matt Boone
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WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog at JRsBarBQ.com with his reaction to Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, as well as his thoughts on some other current topics.

On Monday’s RAW main event and Roman Reigns defending his title in the Royal Rumble match this year:

“Reigns vs. Sheamus was a solid match and Mr. McMahon as the referee was intriguing but alas it came at the end of the three hour marathon so that affected the proceeding somewhat. Nonetheless, McMahon providing Reigns the ‘rub’ is a good thing and now Reigns is booked in the most challenging of circumstances at the Rumble whereas he apparently must win the Rumble to retain WWE World Title. Indeed the hero is in deep jeopardy.”

On Charlotte’s heel turn:

“I assume that Charlotte is now a villain and that her father the Nature Boy is as well. I can see Ric helping Charlotte get established but Natich doesn’t need to be in his daughters corner for the long haul. He’s too powerful a presence to allow Charlotte to grow over the long haul, IMO.”

On Chris Jericho’s return:

“I don’t think that Chris Jericho wrote is own promo. Nonetheless it was good to see Chris back for his seemingly, annual Rumble to Wrestlemania run. Jericho can help get young talents over.”

Original Plans For TNA’s New World Champion, Angle & Beer Money In Action This Week

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– Ethan Carter III is the new TNA World Champion after defeating Matt Hardy in the finals of TNA’s World Title Series tournament. The original plan was for Bobby Lashley to defeat Matt Hardy in the finals, according to PWINsider.com.

– TNA will be taping more television tonight from Bethlehem, PA at the Sands Casino Arena. Kurt Angle vs. Drew Galloway will headline next week’s show.

– The following matches are scheduled for Friday night’s TNA One Night Only PPV taping from Bethlehem:

  • Beer Money vs. Eric Young & Bram.
  • Kurt Angle & Drew Galloway vs. The Wolves vs. Eli Drake & Jesse Godderz.

(H/T: PWInsider.com)

WWE RAW Viewership Increases For First Episode Of 2016

Matt Boone
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The Monday, January 4th edition of WWE RAW, the first episode of the show in 2016, averaged 3.575 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. This is slightly up in viewership compared to the final episode of 2015, which did 3.536 million viewers.

RAW featured Roman Reigns defending the WWE Championship against Sheamus in the main event with Vince McMahon as the special guest referee.

The hourly viewership breakdown for this week’s RAW is as follows:

  • Hour One: 3.707 million viewers
  • Hour Two: 3.516 million viewers
  • Hour Three: 3.503 million viewers

We should have the final rating for Monday’s RAW should be up soon.

Finn Balor Teasing The Arrival Of The Bullet Club

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Finn Balor is fueling the speculation that members of the Bullet Club, the organization he used to lead, are headed to WWE. News broke on Monday that several top names ‘gave notice’ to New Japan Pro Wrestling, including AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson.

WWE is even getting in on the action, addressing the speculation and tweeting photos of AJ Styles and the Bullet club.

As exciting as all of this is, we should all keep our expectations grounded, because there is still no confirmation that any of the departing NJPW stars have signed with WWE. That said, the reigning NXT Champion is patiently waiting for the arrival of his old pals. Or just trolling.

They should have been here by now….

A photo posted by Finn Bálor (@wwebalor) on

Photo: James Storm Returns At Impact Wrestling On POP TV, Teases Beer Money Reunion

Matt Boone
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Former TNA World Heavyweight Champion James Storm made his TNA return at the premiere edition of Impact Wrestling on POP TV on Tuesday night.

Storm had been wrestling off-and-on for NXT as of late, however he didn’t sign an actual deal with WWE. On Monday, Storm took to social media to address rumors that he would be appearing at the first Impact Wrestling on POP TV show, claiming he would be in town, but only to meet with TNA officials.

As it turned out, Storm was bluffing, as he did make a return at the show on Tuesday night. Storm did a run-in during the King Of The Mountain title match between Bobby Roode and Bram. Below is an excerpt from our TNA Impact Wrestling On POP TV report, detailing Storm’s return and the Beer Money reunion that he and Roode teased, as well as a photo of Storm’s surprise return at the show:

James Storm comes into the ring and he clears house. Josh Mathews says that he thought Storm wasn’t part of Impact Wrestling anymore. Storm said that he left Impact several months ago because he didn’t like who he was portraying. Storm said that he’s a beer drinking, Johnny-Cash listening beer drinker from Tennessee. He said that he wasn’t having fun anymore. Storm said that he was sitting at home and came across Impact Wrestling and saw that he got the “biggest disappointment” award. Storm said that he put everything he had into this company for 13 years. He said that guys like him made this damn company. Storm looked at Roode and said that they drank a lot of beer together. He said that they made a lot of money together. Storm says it’s time to get back to having fun. Storm cracks open a couple of beer bottles and gives one to Roode. Storm: “Beer?” Roode hesitates. Storm grabs it and says, “Money.” The old Beer Money theme plays. So it looks like Beer Money is back.

Apollo Crews On Wanting A Manager, Getting To WWE, His NXT Goals & More

Matt Boone
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NXT star Apollo Crews recently appeared as a guest on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast and spoke about a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On taking gymnastics as a kid:

“I took gymnastics as a young kid. I could always flip. I’d be on my bed or whatever, trampolines, just doing the most random stuff.” Crews continued, “[people] are harsh as kids. I wish I had my mentality now when I was a kid because, right now, I wouldn’t really care what people thought back then. But, back then, I cared what people thought, so I’d take gymnastics [and other kids would say], like, ‘ah, naw, that’s not something a guy should be doing,’ just teasing me [and] picking at me for doing that.”

On his goal to make it to WWE:

“It was always a goal [to make it to WWE]. Like, the reason I did start working on the indies and doing those things before I got here was to get here, so it was cool. At the time I was asked to come here, I didn’t even know if WWE knew about me.”

On being in no rush to make it to the main WWE roster:

“I don’t want to miss out on the moments. Like, I want to remember everything. Triple H said before, ‘no matter where we go from here, we’re going to look back on this moment and it’s probably going to be the greatest time in our life’. I don’t want to look back and be like, ‘NXT, I loved it, but it just went by so fast’. I want to enjoy every [moment].” Crews added, “I have goals that I set and I want to accomplish everything I can here possible. For me, it’s amazing because my tryout was a year ago. Like, day one, I said I was going to come in here and my goal is to be [NXT] Champion, so for me to be in this spot is an honor.”

On his preference to be a singles competitor and his interest in having a manager:

“I like being solo. Like even when I did things in high school [or] even in team sports, there’s something about just depending on yourself. Like, when you’re out there, it’s you versus this guy and you know that you are your only chance of survival. I thrive off of that.” Crews continued, “Definitely, I’d love to have [a manager]. I definitely wouldn’t mind that. It would be pretty cool. I think there could be some interesting things we could do there too, so that would be cool. Tagging, I wouldn’t mind it, but I do love singles a lot more, but a manager would be cool, actually. I could see that though.”

Impact On Pop Results: New TNA Champion, Big Return, The Miracle

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IMPACT Wrestling On Pop Premiere
1/5/16 from Bethlehem, PA
Report via Greg Beck & WrestlingNews.co

We are live with IMPACT Wrestling’s official debut on Pop TV.

New graphics, new opening song (by Billy Corgan). Josh Mathews and The Pope kick off the show.

Dixie Carter is in the ring. She thanks the fans and Pop TV. She says that she picked this network as TNA’s new home because Pop is about fandom. She talks about TNA entering it’s 15th year. She says TNA is committed to making 2016 the most exciting year for TNA. She says that wrestling has always been a vital part of pop culture and nothing is more vital to wrestling than the World Heavyweight Championship. Ethan Carter (with Tyrus) interrupts.

EC3 said that he wants to have a good ole fashioned “airing of grievances.” He says that grievance number 1 is that Dixie was upset when he beat Angle for the title. He said that Dixie was upset because he defended the title successfully each and every week. Grievance number 3 is that she loves him but he doesn’t have the title because of her. He said it is not over until he wins the title tonight. He promised to become 2-time champion tonight. Dixie tells him to take a long, hard look in the mirror so he could see what he has become. She says that Matt Hardy won the championship but EC3 used lawyers and attorneys to get his way and most people feel that Matt was robbed. She asked how it makes him feel. Fans chanted for “Hardy.” Matt Hardy’s music plays and he comes out. Matt declared that he will be the World Heavyweight Champion because it’s his destiny Eric Young attacks Hardy. EC3 and Tyrus joined in. Lashley ran into the ring and cleaned house. Lashley locked Tyrus in a choke but Eric Young attacked. Lashley turned things around, though. Hardy got back up and tossed EC3 out of the ring. Hardy and Young brawled at ringside and then back into the ring while EC3 and Tyrus attacked Lashley.

Commercial break.

EC3 vs. Lashley (semi-final match)

They are off to a good start. This is a good back and forth match. There was a little interference from Tyrus but most of the action took place in the ring. EC3 won the match with a roll up after Tyrus jumped on the apron to distract Lashley. EC3 advances.

Kurt Angle is shown backstage. He says that he has something to say in the ring.

Commercial break.

They aired a teaser for “The Miracle.”

They show Bobby Roode arriving earlier today. Roode says that tonight he will back it up tonight and his open challenge is laid out to anyone from any promotion because tonight they will find out that it pays to be Roode.

Kurt Angle in-ring segment

Kurt Angle comes out to the ring in a suit. Angle says he’s been very blessed. He talks about his Olympic gold medals and his 13 world titles. He says he couldn’t have done it without the fans. Angle starts to get emotional as fans chant his name. Angle said that he has made it public that he will be stepping down. He names Rock, Austin, Undertaker, Triple H, Undertaker, Hogan, AJ Styles, Lashley, Roode, Eric Young, EC3 as great names that he has faced. He said that it is important to have high caliber matches for his farewell tour. Angle says that there is so much talent backstage…guys like Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards. Angle says that he wants to wrestle Drew Galloway for his farewell tour. Galloway comes out and says that he is honored by the things Kurt said and he is honored to face Kurt Angle in the main event next week. Jessie Godderz interrupts. Jessie says that you are looking at “the man…the future of professional wrestling.” Jessie says that the fans want instant access to superstars like him. He talked about starring on CBS’ Big Brother for 7 years. Jessie says that HE (not Kurt) is the veteran on this network and on social media. Eli Drake interrupted. Drake says that the 3 dummies have bored the audience. He mocks Jessie for being cool with 13-year old girls. Drake says that “Anglesaurus” talks about the future of wrestling but failed to mention Eli Drake. Drake is really good on the mic. Good to see him featured in this segment. Drake says that anyone with 2 brain cells can look at Drew Galloway for the waste of space that he is. Drake tells Galloway to stand up and take a walk. Angle says Galloway does things with action but Drake is all talk. Angle says he’s got a few minutes and Drew probably has a few minutes. Angle dares Drake and Godderz to do something about it. A brawl breaks out between the four men in the ring.

The babyfaces get the better of the heels.

Jeremy Borash is backstage and he is trying to get an update on Matt Hardy’s condition. Jeff comes out of the dressing room and says that his brother will be champion by the end of the night.

Commercial break.

They plugged the live One Night Only pay-per-view that airs this Friday night.

Matt Hardy vs. Eric Young (semi-final)

Eric Young is already in the ring as they come back from commercial. Young tells the referee to count Matt Hardy out but Hardy’s music comes out and he limps to the ring. The match is on. Late in the match there was a spot with Young hitting Matt with a piledriver on the floor. Jeff came down to check on his brother but Young nailed him with a baseball slide kick from inside of the ring. Young had things in control and went for a dive from the top rope but Matt caught him in a diamond cutter. Matt Hardy gets the pin. He advances to the finals and will face EC3.

Commercial break.

Eric Young is angry backstage. He says everyone is against him. Meanwhile, in another section of the backstage area we see EC3 and Tyrus walking up to Jeff Hardy. They talk trash. Jeff says that his brother will win and EC3 won’t have anyone to blame after tonight.

King Of The Moutain Championship – Bobby Roode vs. Bram

Bram comes out and says that this is his year. Bram wants to accept the open challenge. Decent match. Roode wins. Young attacks Roode. Young tried to hit a piledriver but Roode reverses and takes out Young but Bram hits Roode with a low blow. James Storm comes into the ring and he clears house. Josh Mathews says that he thought Storm wasn’t part of Impact Wrestling anymore. Storm said that he left Impact several months ago because he didn’t like who he was portraying. Storm said that he’s a beer drinking, Johnny-Cash listening beer drinker from Tennessee. He said that he wasn’t having fun anymore. Storm said that he was sitting at home and came across Impact Wrestling and saw that he got the “biggest disappointment” award. Storm said that he put everything he had into this company for 13 years. He said that guys like him made this damn company. Storm looked at Roode and said that they drank a lot of beer together. He said that they made a lot of money together. Storm says it’s time to get back to having fun. Storm cracks open a couple of beer bottles and gives one to Roode. Storm: “Beer?” Roode hesitates. Storm grabs it and says, “Money.” The old Beer Money theme plays. So it looks like Beer Money is back. Jeremy Borash interviews The Beautiful People. Angelina says she’s not wrestling since she is pregnant but she will be in the corner of Velvet and Madison tonight. Velvet says they are not weak pathetic copies like The Dollhouse. They will be picking a partner to fill in for Angelina.

Commercial break.

Beer Money is backstage. They reveal that they will face EY and Bram on Friday at the One Night Only PPV.

The Beautiful People vs. The Dollhouse

Rebel is the new leader of the Dollhouse. She replaces Taryn Terrell. Gail Kim is filling in for Angelina Love. Decent match. Gail got the win but The Dollhouse attacked after the match. Awesome Kong’s music plays and she comes out to the ring. The Dollhouse looks scared as Kong enters the ring but Kong attacks Madison and Velvet. Fans boo. Velvet took a bump before Kong made contact. Kong hits the implant buster on Gail Kim. Kong poses in the ring with The Dollhouse.

Commercial break.

Apparently they handed out paddles since there are people holding paddles with the Pop logo on it.

The Miracle debuts

Maria Kanellis comes out first as the lights dim down. She cuts a good promo. She says we are hoping and praying that someone will save professional wrestling. She says we want a miracle because she does and his name is Mike Bennett. Bennett then appears on the stage. He’s wearing a suit and he and Maria walk to the ring. Bennett said that he is the baddest mofo on the show and he is your pro wrestling Jesus. Bennett referred to himself as “your new hero.” He said that pro wrestling needs a miracle because wrestling used to be fun and exciting and it was mainstream when he was a kid. He said wrestling is filled with washed up people that call themselves pro wrestlers. He said that later on tonight Matt Hardy will battle for the TNA world title against EC3 but that is not the moment that will save pro wrestling. He said that the miracle will be when he has the TNA world title and he raises it over his head as fans chant “go Bennett go.” Fans booed him. Matt is shown backstage with his wife and baby. Matt talks about his match tonight. He says he will fulfill his destiny and will become champion.

Commercial break.

ackstage, Drew Galloway thanks Kurt Angle for the opportunity. He says that he is not taking it lightly. Angle said he will not go down without a fight. He told Drew that he is the future. The Wolves walk up. They suggest a dream match. Drake and Godderz then walk up and they make a challenge. Godderz/Drake vs. The Wolves vs. Galloway/Angle this Friday night at the ONO PPV.

Matt Hardy vs. EC3 (TNA World Championship Final)

Jeff Hardy and Tyrus are at ringside. Pop has given them an overrun so this show will go past 11pm eastern. Jeff suggested that he and Tyrus leave the ringside area and he agreed so this should be a one on one match without interference. Before the match started, they played a teaser for Pop TV’s “Schitt’s Creek.”

The Schitt’s Creek promo ran for several minutes. The match starts and Josh tells us that there will be no more commercial breaks so the title match will go on interrupted. Good back and forth match. It looked like Hardy had the match one after hitting a twist of fate but EC3 landed on his stomach so Matt couldn’t get the pin. EC3 hits the 1 percenter and goes for the pin but Matt kicks out. EC3 yells at Matt to stay down but Matt suprises him with a twist of fate. 1-2.. kick out by EC3. Matt sets up EC3 on the turnbuckle. Matt goes for a twist of fate but EC3 blocks it and hits the 1 percenter off the top rope. EC3 is the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion.

That’s the end of the show.

Tommy Dreamer Appearing On FOX Sports 1 This Week

Eric Lynch
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OCPENuRYyQ

Former ECW, WWE and TNA star Tommy Dreamer taped an episode of Garbage Time to air on Wednesday, January 6th. The show will air on FOX Sports 1 at midnight, then will repeat throughout the day on Thursday, January 7th.

Dreamer returned to WWE in May, and was last on WWE TV on the December 14 edition of Raw. He took part in a match as part of the ECW Originals, who were defeated by The Wyatt Family in a Extreme Rules match. Dreamer tweeted in December that he would no longer be appearing on TV for the company.

Here are the rest of Dreamer’s scheduled non-televised appearances for WWE:

  • January 9th – Montgomery, AL
  • January 10th – Mobile, AL
  • January 16th – Charleston, WV
  • January 17th – Canton, OH

Related: Video: Rhyno Returns On RAW Alongside The Dudley Boyz & Tommy Dreamer

WWE.com Covers Rumored NJPW Mass Exodus, Triple H Declines To Comment

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WWE.com published a new feature story on the rumors regarding top New Japan Pro Wrestling stars AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson possibly jumping ship from NJPW to WWE.

Their article, which they promise to continue to update with any new information that surfaces, mentions that the four are rumored to be WWE bound, however noted the following about Triple H “declining to comment” on the rumors.

“The office of WWE COO and EVP of Talent Relations, Triple H, declined to comment on the rumors for WWE.com.”

The official WWE website story also tells a bit of the story behind NXT Champion Finn Balor’s relationship with the aforementioned NJPW talents, including some of the history of the Bullet Club faction, as well as the Balor Club t-shirts.

“Additionally, the official Twitter account for the Bullet Club tweeted the NXT Champion Monday, telling him to keep more Bálor Club shirts on hand in case they need them. That tweet has since been deleted.”

The article ends with WWE.com pointing out the significance of the four NJPW talents possibly jumping to WWE simaltaneously to fans who might not be overly familiar with the international wrestling scene.

“The addition of Styles, Nakamura, Anderson and Gallows would represent one of the most significant bulk talent acquisitions in WWE history.”

*Spoilers* WWE SmackDown Taping Results – 1/7/2016 (USA Network Debut Show)

Matt Boone
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WWE taped this week’s edition of SmackDown, the first episode to air in its’ new cable home on the USA Network, on Tuesday night in Laredo, Texas. Below are results from the tapings.

– Mauro Ranallo, the new voice of SmackDown, heads down to ringside to join Jerry Lawler and Byron Saxton at the announce table.

– For the show itself, John Cena’s music hits and out he comes to kick off the first episode of SmackDown on the USA Network. He challenges Alberto Del Rio to give him another shot at the WWE United States Championship because of how their match ended in his RAW comeback two weeks ago. Del Rio refuses and taunts Cena.

– Kalisto def. Alberto Del Rio in a non-title match that was apparently an excellent first match of the evening for the live crowd.

– Miz TV is up next. The Miz is interrupted by The New Day, who comes out talking about Chris Jericho only to get interrupted themselves by Dolph Ziggler. Before all was said and done, Goldust, R-Truth and Neville also come out, which leads to a big multi-person match.

– Dolph Ziggler, Goldust, R-Truth & Neville def. The New Day, The Miz in eight-man tag-team action.

– Charlotte def. Becky Lynch in Divas singles action with an assist from Ric Flair at the end of the match.

– Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens fought to a double count out in the main event of the evening, which was advertised as a WWE Intercontinental Championship match. In the end, Ambrose and Owens kept brawling to the back.

EC3 On Dean Ambrose Using His Finisher, TNA Locker Room & More

Matt Boone
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https://youtu.be/azn0iuyqFpk

Former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Ethan Carter III recently took part in a Reddit A.M.A. (Ask Me Anything) chat to promote tonight’s live, two-hour premiere of TNA Impact Wrestling on POP TV. Below are some of the highlights. You can check out the complete chat Reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle.

On EC3’s mainstream appeal and the TNA locker room:

“Even if I’m “the face” or “will be,” I’m not nearly there yet in terms of mainstream appeal. Where I want to be. We have that with Hardys/Angle/etc. I think the locker room when given the chance is of the highest quality and realize what is at stake. The effort will be there on their part. I assure you.”

On thoughts about his Bound For Glory match with Matt Hardy:

“Great besides the finish. Watching it back the other day, I didn’t like me try to convince Jeff to hit Matt. It didn’t make sense, came off as confusing in retrospect.”

On whether or not he watches WWE:

“I view them as the biggest show in this game. I watch constantly because I do not improve if I don’t watch what is taking place in all aspects of wrestling. As far as if it’s somewhere I want to go back, my focus is on where I am at, what I am doing, and what I am in control of. TNA is where I am at. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity here. I will always have a chip on my shoulder. A prove them wrong/ftw attitude. I like my angst. It helps me. Keeps me on edge.”

On his finisher and the fact that Dean Ambrose is no longer using it:

“It’s a tough move for it to look great every time, so I understand him switching it up. If I could go back, I might consider something else, but it’s beaten everybody here, so I guess it works! If anyone had right to steal it first, it was him, since I think I stole it from Callihan and they tagged prior. Either way.”

Cameron On Going Back To NXT, Says She “Didn’t Like Where She Was” In WWE

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WWE Diva and former Total Divas regular Cameron recently spoke with The Edmonton Sun about going back down to NXT and some changes she has made to her training routine. Below are some of the highlights.

On her decision to request to be sent to NXT:

“There’s still a lot of things that I would like to accomplish there (in WWE). I didn’t like where I was at the time. I wasn’t happy. I wanted to have a storyline. I wanted to get better and … sometimes you have to take a few steps backwards in order to move a few steps forward. So that’s what I decided to do. I’m doing that in hopes of coming back bigger and stronger than ever.”

On her training routine in NXT:

“There’s a trainer that they have (at NXT) and he has his own style of how he trains. His routine is completely different than what I’m used to doing. Then obviously being in the ring and having a three-hour practice, that’s like a workout in itself. With her, it’s circuit training. So it’s not as heavy but it’s non-stop.”

“I stopped running a little bit because my knees are not the best. And plus, I don’t want to burn my muscles. For instance, I woke up at 5:30 this morning and went to see my trainer because I knew that would be the only time I would have today to get it done. I’m like, ‘If I don’t wake up by 5:30 and get to the gym by 6:45, then I’m not going to be able to do it at all today.’ So it’s about being disciplined and dedicated. It’s definitely not easy. I mean anyone can pretty much do it, but what are you willing to do for it? Are you willing to wake up at 5 in the morning or are you willing to do it after you’ve had a long day at work? Everyone has their things in life that they push for. What are the things you want to accomplish? It’s not going to happen overnight, but it’s about being consistent and getting better each day.”

Roman Reigns Reacts To Royal Rumble Title Defense, WWE On GMA, Daniel Bryan’s Tour (Video)

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– WWE posted the above video on their official YouTube channel, which shows highlights of his recent promotional tour of India.

– WWE also posted the following regarding WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns and The Bella Twins appearing on ABC’s “Good Morning America” this coming Thursday, January 7th at 8am EST.

“This Thursday, WWE takes over ABC’s “Good Morning America” when WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns and The Bella Twins join the hit morning show. Tune in to ABC during the 8 a.m. hour to see Reigns, Nikki and Brie join Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Lara Spencer and the entire GMA crew. Don’t miss the WWE takeover of ABC’s “Good Morning America” at 8 a.m. this Thursday.”

– Speaking of Reigns, the WWE Champion posted the following reaction on his official Twitter page to the announcement made by Vince McMahon on Monday’s RAW regarding Reigns defending his title in the 30-man over-the-top-rope Royal Rumble match at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view on Sunday, January 24th.

Ryback On Rumored SmackDown Changes, Possibility Of NXT Getting Their Own Cable TV Deal

Matt Boone
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Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback recently took part in a media conference call to promote WWE SmackDown moving to the USA Network this coming Thursday evening. During the call, “The Big Guy” spoke about the evolution of WWE’s former developmental territories into the full-fledged stand-alone brand that NXT has become. He also touched on the possibility of WWE SmackDown becoming a more wrestling-focused show with the possible inclusion of NXT talents, and who from NXT he would like to work with if that were to happen.

On the evolution of the WWE developmental system to the NXT brand and the possibility of NXT getting their own cable TV deal:

“What Triple H has done with NXT is absolutely incredible. Myself, personally, I’ve been in all the developmental systems from Deep South Wrestling to Ohio Valley Wrestling to Florida Championship Wrestling and then being a part of the initial, inaugural NXT with Daniel Bryan and guys like Wade Barrett and Heath Slater and Darren Young and guys like that. And to see the show go from that to taking WWE developmental and putting it on the map like Triple H has, it’s absolutely incredible and the sky is the limit with NXT. And essentially, it is the WWE. It’s a WWE brand, but we’ve put a different flavor on it and a different spin on it and the WWE Universe has been very receptive towards that, so with the WWE Network specials with NXT, those have been a huge hit.

“The NXT brand keeps expanding and traveling the way that they are, they’re selling out every venue they go to and they’ve been a huge hit. I think it’s only a matter of time before they decide to bring it to somewhere like the USA Network and do a television special to get even more eyes on the product because these kids down there, they can deliver, they can go, they now have eyes on them, and they have stepped up to the plate, and they’re hitting home runs. So I say absolutely [NXT programming could be broadcast on television]. It’s definitely something that is a possibility.”

On SmackDown possibly becoming a more wrestling-focused show with NXT stars mixed in, and who from NXT he’d like to work with:

“You look at the NXT roster and you’ve got guys like Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, and Finn Bálor, the NXT Champion. I’d love to be in the ring with all three of those guys and someone like Finn Bálor, you’ve heard such great things about, he goes out there and delivers night in and night out. And I feel my best matches are with having that different style, having what I bring to the ring with a guy like Finn makes for some great, amazing match ups. There are still things that the WWE Universe have yet to see from me and I think having a guy like him doing such innovative, cool things and having that bring that out of me in a natural way in front of the fans, I think would make for tremendous TV.”

WWE Network Now Available In Germany And Japan

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WWE issued a press release on Tuesday to announce that the WWE Network is now available in Japan and Germany. The service will be priced at $9.99 with the option for subscribers to cancel at anytime.

WWE’s Chief Strategy and Financial Officer George Barrios stated the following about the WWE Network service expanding into the German and Japanese markets.

“Japan is strategically important for WWE given our passionate and engaged fan base in the market. The global expansion of WWE Network is critical to the continued growth of our brand internationally.”

“Germany is a strategically important market for WWE with a passionate and engaged fan base. We are committed to growing our brand internationally, and global expansion of WWE Network is critical to achieving that goal.”

NJPW Exodus: Latest On AJ Styles, Nakamura & Bullet Club Members To WWE

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Since the initial post yesterday, some more details have come out with regards to the huge news that various wrestlers have given notice to New Japan Pro Wrestling and appear to be WWE-bound. As noted yesterday, the story first broke publicly via a paywalled posting to former indie promoter and WWE writer Court Bauer’s podcast network, MLW Radio, where Bauer announced that Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, and two or three of Styles’ Bullet Club stablemates had given notice to the company. Being that the Bullet Club’s Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and Rocky Romero have a podcast on MLW Radio, they seemed like the obvious candidates.

The first update came from Wrestling Observer Radio behind the paywall at F4WOnline.com, with some additional details coming on last night’s traditional weekly post-Raw show. On the shows, here are some of the key details laid out by Dave Meltzer:

The wrestlers who gave notice are Nakamura, Styles, Anderson, and Gallows, and yes, they’re seemingly WWE-bound, though nobody has signed yet. All but Styles, who had no contract, were working on NJPW’s traditional one year deals, which always expire at the end of January. This is not the first exodus of this kind, as Hiroshi Hase helped engineer Keiji Mutoh, Satoshi Kojima, and Kendo Ka Shin jumping to AJPW in 2002 when their NJPW deals were up. Styles had already been removed from ROH advertising and stopped accepting new indie bookings before Wrestle Kingdom, so it was kind of known within wrestling that he was done. He was seemingly written out of storylines at New Year Dash (full spoilers here) earlier today, with Mike Johnson at PWInsider confirming it was his last NJPW booking.

Meltzer made it clear that Nakamura won’t be leaving immediately, instead sticking around for a few months. He shot an angle setting up a new program for his IWGP Intercontinental Championship today at New Year Dash (again, the full spoiler details are here) so at the very least, it looks like he’ll see that through. There’s also the chance that NJPW could make him an offer to stay.

Meltzer made a point of saying that it looks like Styles and Nakamura aren’t earmarked for NXT, in part because of the money that they have to be paying to get them. Nakamura was believed to be making somewhere from a quarter to half a million dollars U.S. each year and Styles had a full calendar of well-paying indie dates (where his road expenses were also covered by promoters, unlike in WWE) on top of his NJPW tours. Whether making that kind of financial commitment means anything as far as WWE’s main shows changing stylistically is harder to tall. Also, as pointed out by Mike Johnson at PWInsider yesterday (before Meltzer’s confirmation that WWE was the destination of the wrestlers), Nakamura also needs to have a work visa secured by WWE so he can wrestle here legally, and that will take time.

Meltzer noted that rumors of Anderson leaving had been well known for a while (he’s right) but didn’t say much more about he and Gallows. While it was speculative on his part, he did throw out the idea of Anderson and Gallows being earmarked for a “Balor Club” heel stable, though that’s not necessarily the most wild guess. As for Gallows’ WrestleMerica indie promotion out of Barnesville, Georgia, which has become increasingly successful, there’s been no word on its status yet. Being that his wife, Kimberly Davis (Amber O’Neal/Amber Gallows/The Bullet Babe) is a wrestler, one would think she could take over the promotion unless it would still be seen as a political issue with WWE.

Video: New Impact Opening Package For POP TV With Original Music By Billy Corgan

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Smashing Pumpkins frontman and TNA’s Senior Producer of Creative & Talent Development, Billy Corgan, recorded original, never-before-heard music for the new opening video package for Impact Wrestling each week on their new cable home of POP TV.

The music, along with the actual video that will be used to kick off Impact Wrestling on POP TV each week, has been made available to Yahoo! Music ahead of tonight’s live, two-hour premiere.

“Billy and I were discussing creative elements for the show when he suggested the song and presented the opportunity to use it on Impact Wrestling,” said Senior Vice President of Television John Gaburick. “To be able to use an unreleased Smashing Pumpkins song is awesome and sets a commanding stage as fans tune in every Tuesday.”

Find out what TNA has in store for tonight’s live, two-hour Impact Wrestling premiere on POP TV by clicking here.

Spoiler – NJPW Runs Major Angle With AJ Styles At New Year Dash

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Earlier today (tonight, Japan time), New Japan Pro Wrestling ran what has become an annual tradition, the New Year Dash show at Korakuen Hall in the Tokyo Dome City complex. If Wrestle Kingdom is their WrestleMania, New Year Dash is their Monday Night Raw the night after WrestleMania, complete wth major angles to kickstart the year, and they definitely delivered on that front.

FINAL SPOILER WARNING:

If you haven’t watched the show yet on NJPW World (and for what it’s worth, Kevin Kelly and Matt Striker did stay in Japan to do English commentary on it) and you don’t want to know what happens, don’t read beyond this point.

Last night, the big angle was that AJ Styles was kicked out of The Bullet Club after Styles and Kenny Omega defeated Shinsuke Nakamura and YOSHI-HASHI when Omega pinned Nakamura clean with the One-Winged Angel. At first, Omega was celebrating the win, which should put him in line for a shot at Nakamura’s IWGP Intercontinental Championship, but then he attacked Styles and hit the One-Winged Angel on him. Next, most of the rest of The Bullet Club ran in. Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and Cody Hall tended to Styles, while The Young Bucks were holding back Omega in the corner. They teased a split of some kind, only for the Bucks to both super kick Styles, leading to everyone else joining in on the beatdown.

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Omega then announced that Styles was officially fired from The Bullet Club and now “had nothing” after “giving everything.” He then announced that he was tired of “pretending to b a junior heavyweight” and would be coming for Nakamura’s belt. Being that Styles was already removed from advertising for Ring of Honor dates already before giving notice to NJPW (we’ll have more on that in a bit), this appears to be NJPW’s way of writing him out of storylines. Earlier this morning, Mike Johnson reported at PWInsider that this is indeed the case, with New Year Dash being Styles’ last scheduled NJPW booking.

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Here are the results for the whole show:

  1. Shiro Koshinaka, Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Sho Tanaka defeated Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV, Cheeseburger & Yohei Komatsu
  2. Ricochet & Matt Sydal defeated David Finlay Jr. & Jay White
  3. Jay Lethal defeated Juice Robinson
  4. King Haku, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Yujiro Takahashi & Tama Tonga defeated Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & KUSHIDA
  5. Tetsuya Naito, EVIL & BUSHI defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin & Mascara Dorada (BUSHI challenged KUSHIDA for a shot at his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship after the match)
  6. AJ Styles & Kenny Omega defeated Shinsuke Nakamura & YOSHI-HASHI
  7. Hirooki Goto, Katsuyori Shibata, Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish defeated Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Rocky Romero & Barreta @ 13:19 via pin
  8. Toru Yano, Jay Bricoe & Mark Briscoe (c) defeated Bad Luck Fale and The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) to retain the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship

Luke Harper On His Ambitions As A Singles Superstar, Success Of The Wyatt Family

Matt Boone
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One of the original members of The Wyatt Family, Luke Harper, recently appeared as a guest on the Chad Dukes Wrestling Show and spoke about the level of success The Wyatt Family has achieved this early into their WWE run, as well as some of his own personal ambitions as a singles star one day. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On his WWE career ambitions as a singles star:

“I want to win every title that this promotion has. I want to be the World Heavyweight Champion, on my own, I want to be the Intercontinental Champion, want to be the U.S. champion, wanna be a Tag Champion, I personally want all of that for myself. But at the same time, I have brothers at arms that we are very successful together and I understand that part of it too. I don’t know why I would be here if I didn’t want a championship.”

On The Wyatt Family’s success already and how they still have “another level” of success to attain:

“We’ve dominated lots of people, we’ve beat up lots of people, we’ve sent a lot of messages, we’ve been successful, but there’s another level of success that we have yet to attain and that we want to attain.”

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