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John Cena Gets Good Review For Role In “Sisters,” Stephanie McMahon Wins Award (Photo)

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– Kristen Paige-Kirby of The Washington Post gave John Cena a positive review for his performance in the new Tina Fey and Amy Poehler film, “Sisters,” going as far as to compare his comedic abilities to that of The Rock. Kirby wrote the following of Cena’s performance in the movie:

“In “Trainwreck,” Cena’s effectiveness largely came from the fact that he was playing against type — big guys aren’t supposed to love independent film and cry easily. In “Sisters,” in which Cena plays a drug dealer named Pazuzu, his intimidating look makes more sense, so he can’t rely on visual incongruity to bring the funny. Cena still gets the laughs, though, because he has the rare ability to say ridiculous things with utter sincerity. That’s not something that comes easily, and it takes an immense amount of smarts to pull off.

Cena’s comedic gifts — like those of Dwayne Johnson and Channing Tatum, who are also in that very-low-body-fat boat — prove that to build your muscles you don’t have to shrink your brain.”

– The United Service Organizations (USO) chapter out of Washington, D.C. has awarded Stephanie McMahon and WWE with the first-ever “Golden Boot Award.” WWE has worked closely with the USO, which supports active duty service members and their families, for years. Stephanie tweeted the following photo of herself holding the Golden Boot Award.

ROH Final Battle 2015 PPV Results: New ROH Tag Champions

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The team of Hansen and Ray Rowe defeated Michael Bennett and Matt Taven at the Ring Of Honor: “Final Battle 2015” event on Friday night to become the new ROH World Tag-Team Champions.

As noted, WWE has expressed interest in Bennett and Taven, both of whom have been working without a contract in ROH as of late.

The following are complete quick-match results of the ROH Final Battle 2015 show:

ROH Final Battle 2015 Results

– ANX def. The Young Bucks and The Briscoes
– Silas Young def. Dalton Castle
– Michael Elgin def. Moose
– Adam Cole def. Kyle O’Reilly
– Alex Shelley, ACH & Matt Sydal def. Addiction & Chris Sabin
– Roderick Strong def. Bobby Fish to retain the ROH World TV Championship
– Hansen & Ray Rowe def. Michael Bennett & Matt Taven to become the new ROH World Tag-Team Champions
– Jay Lethal def. AJ Styles to retain the ROH World Championship

Photos: Vince McMahon & WWE Stars Make Unannounced Trip To Visit Troops In Afghanistan

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Vince McMahon, Big Show, R-Truth and Alicia Fox made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan to meet with some of the United States Troops on Friday night.

Below is a photo that was re-tweeted by Triple H last night, along with an earlier photo posted by Vince McMahon, which also appears to be from this week.

Footage of WWE’s trip to Afghanistan will likely air as part of this week’s WWE Tribute To The Troops special on the USA Network.

https://twitter.com/GetUpMike/status/678044429438033920

John Cena On If He’ll Make More Rap Music, Balancing Acting & Wrestling, More

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John Cena recently spoke with GQ Magazine about balancing his wrestling and acting careers, the possibility of making more music and more. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On balancing John Cena the wrestler and John Cena the actor:

“Because I’ve been in it so long, and if you look at Dwayne [“The Rock” Johnson], he had tremendous success in the WWE, but his success was short-lived when he left full-time for Hollywood. I think he had to do a tremendous switch, but I know he had the ultimate goal for coming back to the WWE and making it a better place. But for me, at this point, so much of our audience loves me, and so much hates me, I kind of just realize I am who I am, and I am John Cena, I’m not “The Rock.” So, yeah, that gray area gets super gray, so it’s challenging at times.”

On if The Rock’s career is something to model his own career after:

“He’s sort of in a universe by himself, and I don’t know if that kind of success is achievable by anyone else. The work ethic of that young man and the desire he has to just keep moving is… I talk to him every so often and tell him he truly sets the pace and the rest of us are just trying to not lag too far behind. I’m really happy to have had the success I’ve had and do the things I’ve been able to do, and excited for some things coming up, but it’s all way too new for me to say, “Oh, yeah, I’m definitely going to do this.” I really love being in the WWE, so it would have to be something where I get to work with a Judd Apatow or Amy Schumer, or an opportunity with Tina and Amy, to pull me away for a small period of time to do something.”

On if we can expect more rap music from him any time soon:

“That’s a young man’s game. If you’re gonna expect music, it would be a soul, R&B, rat-pack-type of thing. Maybe classic. Every once in a while I’ll listen to hip-hop, but it’s all stuff from the early ’90s and late ’90s. I’m kind of out of touch with everything. The song is definitely part of what launched me on this journey…but I think had I just kept being “the rap guy,” I think that would have been short-lived, because it’s so one-dimensional. I’ve never lost my connection to hip-hop, I just don’t know what’s popular today.”

AJ Styles Says Hulk Hogan Was Embarrassed By TNA During His Time There

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfYd9fAZzPA

AJ Styles has a theory about Hulk Hogan’s TNA run, which went from 2009 to 2013 and gave The Hulkster and Eric Bischoff a lot of influence over the company’s television product. Styles recently appeared on The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast and was critical when asked about the Bischoff/Hogan era in TNA.

AJ started by saying Hogan and Bischoff didn’t study the TNA roster before their arrival, and didn’t know enough about TNA’s homegrown talent.

“First of all, I just tried to stay positive. Pretty much anything Hulk Hogan touched at least at the beginning turned to gold,” Styles said. “But it didn’t obviously, because I don’t think he knew the roster that was in front of him and that was the problem. The names, the people who were the “brand names” of TNA that they had no idea who they were. If they didn’t know who they were they just did whatever they wanted with it. They wanted me to dye my hair blonde and be ‘Little Ric’ and just because they didn’t know me. Instead of being Ric Flair I needed to be AJ Styles with Ric Flair. Being with Ric I’ll hopefully get the rub from Ric there is no doubt about that and Fortune could have been great but they broke up Fortune a little bit too early and we were really getting some steam and they broke us up and noting came about it.

Styles feels Hogan didn’t use his many mainstream media appearances to promote TNA, instead discussing his personal turmoils. Styles believes that Hogan was embarrassed by TNA, and purposely didn’t talk about it much with the media.

“It was things like that that got weird, and Hogan seemed like he didn’t have much to do with TNA and seemed like he was embarrassed of the show because he never said anything about TNA at all,” Styles cotinued. “Even when he was on shows he just never mentioned it. I believe that he was ashamed of what was on TV. I believe if TNA were doing a lot better he would have been a lot more gung-ho about saying a lot more about it but he didn’t say a word and it bothered me but thinking back I understand it now.”

Styles has been on the injured list since 11/24 due to a bulging disc in his lower back.

Related: Recap Of Hulk Hogan On Ric Flair’s Podcast: “TNA Had Too Many Cooks In The Kitchen”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Sued For Allegedly Stealing Idea For HBO’s “Ballers”

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Mark Whalberg are being sued for allegedly stealing the idea for their show Ballers on HBO. The former WWE World Champion is an executive producer on the show with Whalberg.

A lawsuit was filed in federal court by Everette Silas and Sherri Littleon, saying they had the idea for a project called Off Season back in 2007. According to TMZ, they claim in 2009 they almost had a deal with Whalberg, Johnson and their manager to develop the project, but it fell apart. They say the reason it fell apart is because Silas and Littleton wanted to be credited as show creators.

Silas and Littleton listed several similarities between Off Season and Ballers, including the plot and location. They also say the title Ballers is ripped from one of their proposed episode titles.

The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages. A rep for HBO told TMZ the case “has no merit.”

Related: Latest On The Possibility Of The Rock Appearing At WrestleMania 32

YouPorn To Sponsor Joey Ryan Thanks To Viral Video

David Bixenspan
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSUDY_xbdlY

Long-time indie wrestler Joey Ryan recently became an internet sensation when a clip of a match between him and Danshoku Dino in Japan went viral. See, Dino does something of a gay sexual predator gimmick (if you’ve ever seen the guy who did the piledriver with his opponent’s head down his trunks, that’s him) and grabbed Ryan’s crotch. Ryan started flexing, acting like his penis had super powers, and eventually suplexed Dino with his groin. Ryan got a ton of attention when the video got popular, being interviewed by Vice Sports with outlets like the New York Daily News picking up the story.

Today, Ryan announced (in the above video) a new development stemming from the popularity of the video: He’s gained a sponsor in YouPorn, and will now be serving as a brand ambassador for the pornography video streaming website. Technically, he’s part of YouPorn Sports, which exists solely to sponsor athletes. Ryan talked to Rolling , saying that “They’ve already given me a bunch of hats and T-shirts – I’m wearing one of the hats right now.”

https://twitter.com/JoeyRyanOnline/status/672099724971806720

As for any potentially negative repercussions? “I’m not too worried about it. When I was in TNA, I was doing a ‘Size Matters’ gimmick, and we had pretaped a Thanksgiving episode of Impact, so when it aired, I was sitting around the table with my family, and there I was on TV, just talking about how big my cock is.”

Magnus On Nearly Quitting TNA Due To Vince Russo Comment, Mickie James Train Angle

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https://youtu.be/_r8fKdwyuKA

Former TNA star Magnus recently spoke with Inquisitr about a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On almost quitting TNA years ago:

“I remember Vince [Russo] specifically saying to me ‘What? You want to be World Champion or something?’ and me saying ‘Yeah’ and he’s like ‘That will never happen, you’re a Brit.’ I remember I almost quit then and there because what’s the of the point of being there?”

On the James Storm / Mickie James train skit:

“We hated it, we all hated it. When it was pitched to us, we all tried desperately to change it to something else but the guy in charge wasn’t having anything to do with it and was convinced it would be great.

“That’s just a perfect example of one of the reasons why I left, we all said that was a bad idea and we all gave what I thought were good alternatives and were basically told ‘do what we tell you.'”

On working for GFW:

“The structure of GFW is completely different, it’s very much to me how I always imagined a wrestling company should be. You know, it’s very much like everyone is on the same page, everyone is treated with respect and there’s no ego when it comes to the people in charge. There’s Jeff [Jarrett], there’s Scott D’Amore, Kevin Sullivan, and Keith Mitchell is at TV’s, Sonjay [Dutt] has a big role and wears a lot of hats in GFW. No one there is walking around like ‘I’m the big boss, everyone has to respect me and if you get on the wrong side of me, you’re gonna pay, I’m gonna bury you,’ there’s none of that.”

PopTV To Begin Airing TNA Shows Next Week

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TNA programming will be moving to Pop TV earlier than expected.

Part 1 of “Best of TNA 2015”  air next Tuesday night (12/22) at 9pm EST. The 2-hour special, which had originally been scheduled to air on Destination America, will run head-to-head with next week’s live SmackDown on the USA Network.

Part 2 will air the following week on Pop TV in the same time slot.

Here’s an updated look at TNA’s move to Pop TV:

  • Tuesday, 12/22: Part 1 of “Best of TNA 2015” (9pm EST)
  • Tuesday, 12/29: Part 2 of “Best of TNA 2015” (9pm EST)
  • Tuesday, 1/5: TNA Impact Wrestling live premiere

The January 5th premiere will feature semi-finals and finals of the TNA World Title Series tournament.

First Look At Charlotte On The Cover Of Muscle&Fitness Hers Magazine

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WWE Divas Champion Charlotte is featured on the cover of the January/February 2016 edition of Muscle&Fitness Hers magazine, on newsstands next week.

CharlotteFlair.com has also published exclusive scans of Charlotte’s interview & photo spread.

Final Card For Tonight’s Ring Of Honor: Final Battle 2015 PPV

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Here’s the final card for tonight’s Ring of Honor Final Battle 2015 pay-per-view, which takes place live from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA:

ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Jay Lethal w/ Truth Martini vs. “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles

ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
War Machine vs. The Kingdom w/ Maria Kanellis

ROH WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
Bobby Fish vs Roderick Strong

GRUDGE MATCH
Adam Cole vs Kyle O’Reilly

SIX MAN TAG TEAM MATCH
Alex Shelley, ACH & #Reborn Matt Sydal vs The Addiction & Chris Sabin

Dalton Castle vs Silas Young w/ The Boys

“Unbreakable” Michael Elgin vs Moose w/ Stokely Hathaway

#1 CONTENDERS TRIPLE THREAT TAG TEAM MATCH
The Young Bucks vs All Night Express vs The Briscoes

YouTube Exclusive
Cheeseburger vs Brutal Bob

Roman Reigns’s WWE Title Side Plates, WWE Viewership & Business Figures

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– Here’s a look at the custom Roman Reigns side plates on his WWE World Heavyweight title:

– The latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter has provided the following breakdown of WWE viewership and DVD sales:

RAW Viewership (Average):

  • October 2015: 2.33 rating, 3.33 million viewers
  • October 2014: 2.70 rating, 3.74 million viewers
  • October 2013: 2.80 rating, 3.92 million viewers

SmackDown Viewership (Average)

  • October 2015: 1.56 rating, 2.14 million viewers
  • October 2014: 1.85 rating, 2.52 million viewers
  • October 2013: 1.86 rating, 2.58 million viewers

DVD Sales

  • October 2015: 106,000 units
  • October 2014: 178,000 units
  • October 2013: 234,000 units

Top Selling DVD’s of 2015 (Q1-Q3)

  1. WrestleMania 31: 118,000 units
  2. Royal Rumble: 59,000 units
  3. The Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe: 54,000 units
  4. Greatest Superstars of the 90s: 53,000 units

Impact Wrestling Viewership Drops For Final Episode On Destination America

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https://youtu.be/c5786OFveKk

The Wednesday, December 16th edition of TNA Impact Wrestling, the final show on Destination America, drew 155,000 viewers in the 11pm time slot.

The 155,000 figure marks a 42 percent decrease from last week’s show, which drew 269,000 viewers in the regular 9pm time slot.

For the second week in a row, Impact Wrestling failed to make the top 150 shows on cable television.

With TNA wrapping up on Destination America, Impact Wrestling will be moving to POP TV with the finals of their World Title Series tournament on January 5th.

Rey Mysterio Says He Didn’t Watch WWE Even When He Worked There

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As we covered last week, Rey Mysterio appeared on the PodNasty wrestling and explained his decision sign with Lucha Underground. The former WWE World Heavyweight champion also talked about WWE and why it’s been so hard for him to watch the product in recent years.

Although the travel schedule was probably part of it, Rey revealed that WWE’s creative direction might have also played a factor in him deciding to work elsewhere. During the podcast appearance, Rey said WWE storylines were so repetitive and uninspiring that he wouldn’t even watch the show when he worked there and had time off.  He still watches WWE occasionally these days to see Alberto Del Rio and The Lucha Dragons, but he can’t sit down and watch a full show.

The interview with Mysterio starts around the 12:00 mark:

Chris Jericho On What Is Missing From WWE, When Things Started To Change & More

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Chris Jericho recently spoke with Maria Menounos on SiriusXM’s “Conversations” about what is missing from the WWE product right now. According to Jericho, the company lost some of its’ creativity and spontaneity when the company went public in 1999.

“When I started it was the wild west, like, just gypsies, tramps, and thieves, like, lunatics. It was worse than rock and roll. Yeah, it was. And then, when you start moving into the late 1990s and early 2000s, it started to have a little bit of a cultural shift where more writers were coming in and the product was kind of cleaned up to be more of a corporate type of thing when Vince [McMahon] went public, right? And then he was trying to get Coca Cola as a sponsor, like the big time family friendly [companies], which is cool. But what happened was you did lose a little bit of that maverick spirit, of that, not so much rebellion, but just, ‘I’m going to take a chance and if it sucks, okay, and if it works, suddenly, you’ve done something different.'”

Jericho continued, explaining why WWE needs to give talent more freedom to make mistakes.

“You don’t have that freedom to try as much anymore because it [has] really gotten into, ‘here’s your script’ like a TV show, but it’s not a TV show.” Jericho continued, “no other entertainment entity is like it, so you have to have that element of giving girls and guys a chance to fail. If it doesn’t work, at least you tried. At least you went outside the box. And I think there is a little bit of that missing where it can still come back, but the opportunities to try stuff [are] becoming less and less. It’s more of, ‘this has been approved. Read this. Memorize these lines and say it.’ I can memorize a Shakespearean play, [but] it doesn’t mean I can say it with any conviction whatsoever. You have to believe in it and you have to commit.”

The first ever undisputed WWE Champion also spoke about part of the problem being that many performers are afraid to be “true heels.”

“Everybody wants to have the merch. Everyone wants to have the t-shirts. I would always say, like Big Show was my [tag team] partner for a long time. We had a great, great partnership. And we were up against DX. And he was like, ‘we [have] got to do these Jeri-Show shirts.’ I’m like, ‘no, we’re not making shirts.’ [He replied] ‘what do you mean? We’re losing money.’ I said, ‘no, we’ll make more money as hated heels against DX in main events at pay-per-views and live events than we ever would selling t-shirts.'” Jericho added, “if you’re going to be a heel, don’t be afraid to get booed and don’t be afraid of having people legitimately not like you. If you can do that, you can accomplish your goal.”

Kurt Angle Says He’s Taking A Year Off To Focus On Acting, Not Retiring From Wrestling

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Kurt Angle recently spoke with Scott Fishman of Channel Guide Magazine to promote TNA’s upcoming European tour. During the interview, Angle shed some more light about his upcoming departure from TNA. After initially calling it a retirement, Angle now says he’ll be taking a year off from pro wrestling and ‘he’d be lying’ if he said he was retiring from the the ring.

“I wanted to get away from it a little bit,” Angle said. “I put a lot of time into my pro wrestling career — not just on the road. I was also studying tape and things like that. It was a lot of fun being a part of those great matches. I will take a break. I won’t be talking to TNA or WWE. I’m taking an acting class and signed with an agency. They’ve been getting me movie reads. I’m in a new part of my career, but at the same time I’m not at a point to say I will never wrestle again. I’d be lying if I’d say that.”

When asked about TNA President Dixie Carter, Angle praised her and said that the door is always open for a potential return to TNA.

“The door will always be open,” he said. “They proved to me what was more important. For them it was the well-being of their wrestlers — above the tickets they were selling or the ratings they were getting. What happened and occurred, Dixie put people first. She didn’t say, ‘TNA is going to go into turmoil because of this …’ She showed that personable side to her that makes you think that you can connect with this person because they care about me.”

You can read the full interview over at Channelguidemagblog.com.

Jim Ross Blogs About Roman Reigns’ Title Win, Vince’s Return To TV

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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog with his thoughts about Vince McMahon’s return to WWE television on RAW and the possibility of Roman Reigns joining The Authority as WWE Champion. Here are the highlights:

Roman Reigns as WWE Champion:

“Even though I’m not predicting it, Reigns suddenly aligning himself with The Authority would be a massive shocker and cast an entire new, long lasting light on the WWE Champion who needs to adopt the ‘Dirty Harry’ philosophy of speaking less and not more.

“Roman doesn’t need to be a Stone Cold or Rock remake but instead allow his natural personality to be put on display, organically. Reigns was great on the WWE2K video game symposium simply being himself. I’d suggest trying that plus Roman becoming more invested in the creation of his own verbiage.”

Vince McMahon’s return on RAW:

“The return of Vince McMahon to RAW was imperative to the TV rating rising. I know he is not overly crazy about being on TV any longer but a short run providing ‘rub’s’ to other talent who need it is good business. Short haul yes but definitely necessary even if McMahon’s only focus is Roman Reigns. Too many stories water them all down.”

You can read the full blog over at JRsBarBQ.com.

 

Total Divas Season 5 Cast Photo, Storyline Arcs Revealed

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The E! network has announced official details for the upcoming fifth season of Total Divs, which premieres Tuesday, January 19 at 9pm ET/PT.

The press release below reveals the major storyline arcs for each of the cast members, including Tough Enough finalist Amanda Saccamanno (the “young and beautiful” Mandy):

THE DIVA DRAMA CONTINUES IN SEASON FIVE OF E!’S HIT SERIES “TOTAL DIVAS” PREMIERING TUESDAY, JANUARY 19 AT 9PM ET/PT

LOS ANGELES – December 17, 2015 – E!, WWE® and Bunim-Murray Productions’ “Total Divas” returns for its explosive fifth season on Tuesday, January 19 at 9pm ET/PT. The Bella Twins (Nikki and Brie Bella), Eva Marie, Paige, Natalya (Nattie), Rosa Mendes, and Alicia Fox will continue to give viewers an exclusive glimpse outside the arena and inside life in the WWE spotlight. Joining the Divas this season is the young and beautiful Mandy, the runner-up on the most recent season of WWE Tough Enough®, who brings her own flavor to the already vibrant group. Now Mandy must prove she can hold her own amongst the veteran Divas in their highly competitive world.

This season, Brie has a lot of conflict with her sister Nikki as their lives and careers go in different directions. Brie and Nikki don’t see eye-to-eye on a huge business venture, and when Nikki gets injured during her final days as the WWE Divas Champion, it leaves The Bella Twins’ career in question. Brie has to contemplate her next career and life move, while Nikki wrestles with coming clean to her boyfriend, WWE Superstar John Cena®, about the romantic advances made towards her by her ex-boyfriend, WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler®. This love triangle puts John and Nikki’s relationship to the test.

Eva Marie continues to thrive with her in-ring training, despite the constant polarization from the other Divas. Paige confesses her true feelings about the quick engagement to her fiancé. Rosa faces the challenge of finding purpose in her professional life while pregnant with her first child. Alicia warily ventures into a new romantic relationship. Nattie continues to work through the trials and tribulations of marriage while grappling with the feeling that the younger Divas’ careers are flourishing more than hers. Mandy comes into the division wide-eyed and eager to fit in, only to find out that in order to make it as a WWE Diva, you need to be much more than just a pretty face to earn the respect of your fellow performers and fans alike.

Season five of E!’s hit “Total Divas” returns on Tuesday, January 19 at 9pm ET/PT.

“Total Divas” is produced by WWE and Bunim-Murray Productions. Gil Goldschein, Jeff Jenkins and Russell Jay are Executive Producers for Bunim-Murray Productions. Kevin Dunn is Executive Producer for WWE.

Reason Stardust Was Kept Off TV This Week, Fan Hits The Ring During NXT U.K. Tour

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– Although he noted on social media that he checked out fine and suffered no fractures, WWE kept Stardust out of the ring again this week. As noted last week, Stardust appeared to suffer an injury during his match against Jack Swagger on the December 7th edition of RAW, and was taken to a local hospital immediately after the show to be evaluated.

– A fan hit the ring at the NXT live event in Sheffield, England as part of the NXT U.K. Tour this past Sunday, December 13th. One of the NXT crew members, possibly Ryan Katz, stopped the fan before anything serious happened. The fan run-in spot took place during a tag-team match that featured The Mechanics vs. Jason Jordan and Chad Gable.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Lizmark Sr., Hall of Fame Luchador, Passes Away At 66

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Late last night, CMLL’s official Twitter account reported that legendary luchador Lizmark (Sr.), real name Juan Banos, passed away yesterday from a heart attack. He was 66. He was, of course, the father of WCW star Lizmark Jr.

In terms of influence, Lizmark is probably best known as the man who helped usher in a new generation of high flyers in Mexico in the late ’70s and early ’80s, While lucha libre always had more of an inherent acrobatic flair than other styles of wrestling, it really ramped up during his era. He wasn’t as flashy  as the next generation was, but he was an excellent all-around worker who helped popularize the top rope plancha and flying dropkick in Mexico. He was a major influence on Satoru Sayama, the original Tiger Mask, who borrowed heavily from him while also integrating British style matwork and kickboxing moves to create the signature style that made him a legend around the world.

While titles in Mexico sometimes have the reputation of not meaning quite as much as they did elsewhere, that’s more because mask and hair matches were the biggest stakes than titles not meaning anything. Lizmark has one of the most impressive title records in the history of Mexican wrestling, being tied with Gori Guerrero as one of only two wrestlers to hold NWA World Championships (EMLL controlled everything south of junior heavyweight) in three different weight classes: Light heavyweight, middleweight, and welterweight.

In terms of major feuds, Lizmark’s biggest rival was probably El Satanico, the legendary rudo best known as the leader of the various versions of the Los Infernales trio. They feuded on and off for years over various light heavyweight titles depending on the promotion. Their 1993 AAA match (for the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Title), embedded above, was Satanico’s finest hour in AAA, as he was not the best fit for the promotion back then and returned to EMLL before long. They had brilliant chemistry, especially in title matches, and the 1993 match is one of the best examples of the “title match style” in lucha libre, where everyone, regardless of their usual style, worked technically out of deference to the championship.

Lizmark’s son, Juan Jr., broke into wrestling in 1991 as Lizmark Jr./El Hijo del Lizmark. While he was physically talented, he didn’t have his father’s charisma and overall working ability. They of course teamed together often, but Sr. eventually slowed down his scheduled when he developed heart problems in 1999.

For more on Lizmark, make sure to check out Jose Fernandez’s excellent article about him at LuchaWiki.

2016 WWE Royal Rumble Promotional Art Features John Cena

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20151215 CAN Network RR Tout

WWE has released new Royal Rumble promotional material focusing on John Cena.

Cena has been out of action since late October and is scheduled to return to the ring after Christmas, where he’ll challenge Alberto Del Rio for the United States Championship at the 12/26 WWE live event from MSG. Cena’s advertised television return will be the final RAW of 2015 on December 28th in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The 2016 WWE Royal Rumble takes place on January 24, 2016, at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.

Roman Reigns’ Family At Monday’s RAW To Watch Him Finally Win WWE Title

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Several members of Roman Reigns’ family were at WWE RAW this past Monday night in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to watch him finally win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Sheamus.

Fans might recall the fact that Reigns’ father Sika and other members of his family were extremely upset at WrestleMania 31 earlier this year, as they were under the impression that Reigns would be winning the title from Brock Lesnar.

As we all saw during the final moments of the WrestleMania 31 event, Reigns’ family witnessed the planned finish being changed, as Seth Rollins would surprise everyone — including the Reigns family — by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase during the conclusion of the Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar main event to become the new champion.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

TNA Aggressively Going After Top Talent For “Surprise Debuts” On POP TV Debut On 1/5

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https://youtu.be/WgNo0T5ujT0

As TNA’s premiere on POP TV draws closer, the promotion is said to be “aggressively going after some talent whose contracts with other promotions are either set to expire or are free agents right now,” according to a report in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

In the case of one particular act, TNA has talked about using outside programming as a way to lure them into signing with them. It’s worth pointing out, however, that when TNA moved to Destination America, similar claims were made until they failed to draw the kind of viewership that the network had anticipated.

Right now, there are talents at least listening to offers, as TNA is obviously looking to secure some “surprise debuts” for their first show on the new network on January 5th.

The Ring Of Honor talents whose contracts expired recently would obviously be on the top of that list, as would some American talents working in overseas promotions whose deals are also up in time for the 1/5 live debut on POP TV.

As things stand currently, TNA is wanting talent to be with them and not have additional deals with groups like New Japan Pro Wrestling, however in some cases that could change based on the specific talent involved, as some have enough leverage that they would simply refuse an offer under those conditions.

TNA Changes Plans Regarding Conclusion Of TNA World Title Series Tournament

Matt Boone
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https://youtu.be/Lxt29S5pe2k

It looks like TNA has changed their original plans regarding the conclusion of their multi-week TNA World Title Series tournament.

TNA announced that the semifinals and finals of the tournament will be airing live (which may be on a few hour tape delay) when the promotion debuts on POP TV on January 5th.

The semifinals remain Bobby Lashley vs. Ethan Carter III and Matt Hardy vs. Eric Young. In the original tournament, Lashley beat EC3 via count out and Hardy beat Young, with Lashley beating Hardy in the finals.

Whatever the new direction is remains to be seen, however the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that their original plans for the conclusion of the tournament have been changed.

Jeff Hardy Needs Another Surgery, Tells Friends He Must Change His In-Ring Style

Matt Boone
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21

Jeff Hardy is in need of yet another knee surgery, one that could keep him out of action until late 2016. The exact timetable for his return won’t be clear until after he undergoes the operation.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Hardy has told friends of his that he will have to finally tone down his in-ring style, and won’t be able to wrestle the same style that he has worked in the past.

As noted recently, both Jeff and Matt Hardy’s deals with TNA are set to expire at some point in the next ten to 12 months.

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