William Regal has opened up on the kind act that Vince McMahon did for him after working for WWE for over 20 years.
Regal served as the on-screen GM for NXT and was active behind the scenes as a scout and coach before he was let go this past January. He made his AEW debut at AEW Revolution on March 6 by breaking up a fight between Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson.
While speaking at ITR Live, which was taped in October but recently released on YouTube, Regal revealed that McMahon ended his non-compete clause early so he could join AEW.
The Story
“Mr. McMahon was very good to me, to the point of, I will say this because whatever he’s going through, he was excellent to me. I had a talent contract, as well as an employee contract and it didn’t run out until the end of April because I played William Regal. I started for AEW on the seventh of March. I didn’t call anybody else, I sent a message straight to the boss, ‘Hey Boss, I’ve got this thing with Bryan,’ and he loves Bryan as well. ‘Absolutely, you go’ and still paid me until the end of my talent contract. I was the only person who ever got paid by both companies at the same time.”
As previously reported, Regal requested AEW not pick up his option at the end of the year, and AEW President Tony Khan honored his request as Regal wanted to join his son Charlie Dempsey in NXT. Regal will be working behind the scenes in WWE.
Cathy Kelley is excited to be back in WWE and sounds like she is very happy working under WWE’s new leadership team.
Kelley first joined WWE in 2016 and worked for the company a backstage correspondent and host. After her release in 2020, she appeared on Confidence in Life Changes and spoke to Maria Menounous about what led to her to leave her dream job.
She cited exhaustion from the hectic travel schedule and “restrictions” placed on her as the two primary reasons. She also left the door open for an eventual return.
A lot has changed since then, most notably Vince McMahon retiring from WWE in July 2022. McMahon spent 40 years running the organization he purchased from his father in 1982.
WWE’s new executive team includes Stephanie McMahon serving as Chairwoman and co-CEO with Nick Khan, Paul “Triple H” Levesque as Chief Content Officer, Frank Riddick as President & Chief Financial Officer and Kevin Dunn as Executive Producer & Chief, Global Television Distribution.
What Brought Cathy Kelley Back to WWE?
(Photo: WWE)
Cathy Kelley recently appeared on The Big Thing and revealed a ‘happy birthday’ text to Triple H got the ball rolling on her return.
She kept in touch with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon during her time away from WWE. They knew about all the projects she was working on and made it clear that the door was always open for her to return. She sent Hunter a birthday text earlier this year, which led to her having a Zoom call with Stephanie and the rest is history.
Kelley says she always enjoyed working closely with Triple H & Stephanie. In light WWE’s management shakeup, the ‘restrictions’ that hindered her first run were no longer an issue.
“Working for them was very appealing. They’re both the epitome of what great leadership looks like. To get to work for them is great.
She was offered the chance to come back as a writer, a commentator or as a brand ambassador for WWE’s community events. She jumped at the chance to be a backstage interviewing on Raw when that idea was presented.
Kelley is a talented performer and a valuable asset to WWE’s broadcast team. Her sentiments about Triple H and Stephanie McMahon’s leadership qualities have been echoed by countless others who have worked under them.
The list of injuries continues to grow on WWE SmackDown.
Last month, Natalya took a nasty knee to the face from “The Queen of Spades” Shayna Baszler during a bout on SmackDown. As a result, “The Queen of Harts” sustained a dislocated nose. She would undergo nasal surgery a few days later to center it back, and will reportedly miss at least three months of in-ring action.
A few weeks later, Raquel Gonzalez fell to a similar fate. Ahead of Survivor Series: WarGames, Gonzalez was slated to team with Shotzi in a tag team match against SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey, and her ally, Shayna Baszler. On November 25, Rousey and Baszler attacked Gonzalez backstage before their scheduled match, rendering her unable to further compete. WWE later announced that Gonzalez had suffered a broken arm and a dislocated elbow, effectively sidelining her for four to six weeks.
It was later reported by Fightful that Gonzalez’s injuries were “purely storyline.” Gonzalez was recently seen bandaged and taped up during her win over Shayna Baszler at a WWE live event in Charleston, West Virginia this past weekend.
Last week on SmackDown, Shayna Baszler was scheduled to square off with “The Ballsy Badass” Shotzi, but things didn’t go as planned. Prior to the show in Pittsburgh, Ronda Rousey joined Baszler in assaulting Shotzi in the arena parking lot, slamming her hand in a car door as Shotzi writhed in pain.
Following the attack, Shotzi revealed an x-ray of her broken hand, indicating she would be put on the shelf for six weeks. A six-week turnaround would accordingly put Shotzi in line to return ahead of, or maybe at, WWE’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 28, 2023.
Becky Lynch has high expectations for The Judgment Day’s Rhea Ripley, declaring the Australian Superstar the “future of the business.”
Ripley signed with WWE in 2017 and would become the first NXT UK Women’s Champion the following year, as well as the first female Australian champion in WWE history.
After moving to WWE NXT and capturing that brand’s Women’s Championship, Ripley would find similar success after being called up to Raw in early 2021.
The Future
Like Ripley, Becky Lynch is no stranger to success, having held the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships on multiple occasions.
In an interview with Verge, Lynch praised Ripley’s success so far and said she considers her the future of the business.
“I think Rhea is one of the greatest female athletes that we’ve ever seen. I think she’s incredible. She is so young, so full of potential. I look at her and I go ‘well, that’s the future of the business and the business is in good hands.”
Becky Lynch.
Lynch added that while Ripley may indeed be the future, there’s only room for one top star to be called ‘The Man.’
“She’s the future but I’m still the present. There can only be one Man around the place. If I have to put her in her place then I’ll put her in her place.”
Becky Lynch.
Finn Balor
As a member of The Judgment Day, Ripley is working with a Superstar that Lynch has been very familiar with over the years: Finn Balor.
It was Balor who trained Lynch when The Man was starting her wrestling career, and Lynch said it is wise of Ripley to work closely with the inaugural Universal Champion.
“she’s hanging around with somebody that I know pretty well. In fact, somebody that taught me nearly everything that I know. There’s an interesting dynamic there because she’s got Finn Bálor in her corner. I’ve known Finn for over 20 years, so it would be interesting to see what side he would take, you know, if push came to shove.”
Becky Lynch.
Ripley and Lynch did face off during a 2019 episode of WWE NXT but the two are yet to go one-on-one on the main roster.
WWE NXT Superstar Von Wagner could soon find his way to the main roster, Fightful Select reports.
Von Wagner, the son of former WWE Superstar Beau Beverly, signed with the promotion in 2019 and debuted in NXT as part of the NXT 2.0 relaunch last year.
During his first night at NXT, Wagner unsuccessfully challenged for the vacant NXT Championship in a fatal four-way match.
Main Roster
Despite being on NXT programming for little over a year, WWE has main roster plans for the second-generation Superstar.
In their report, Fightful notes that they’ve heard Wagner’s name mentioned as someone WWE considers a main-roster call-up.
Wagner’s call-up was reportedly approved last year but ultimately did not happen.
The NXT Superstar has already had multiple main roster appearances, competing on WWE Main Event and also working dark matches for WWE SmackDown.
Prior to earning the Von Wagner name, the second-generation Superstar competed on an episode of Raw Underground in 2020 in a losing effort to Riddick (now Madcap) Moss.
Slow and Steady
Von Wagner, like all NXT Superstars, is working his way to the main roster, but call-ups could become less frequent in the coming months.
In their report, sources within WWE who spoke to Fightful said there will be a more “slow and steady” flow of NXT talent brought up to the main roster.
It is also reported that talent can expect “less years-long evaluation periods in NXT.”
There’s no word on who else WWE’s backstage team has considered for a main roster call-up from NXT.
Thunder Rosa’s back injury and her absence from AEW programming has made more headlines than her women’s title reign did. Though even after recent events, it doesn’t appear that we will be seeing her back in the near future.
Dave Meltzer of F4Wonline recently provided some update on the former champion’s recovery. He noted that the female star was hoped to be back in February:
“The last word we’d heard was she hoped to be back in February. There were a lot of people who thought she would be Saraya’s mystery partner against Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter on 1/11 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, but the last word on her return was February.”
Thunder Rosa originally announced back in August that she will be taking time off due to injury. She was the AEW women’s champion at the time.
Since there wasn’t a solid timetable for her recovery at the time, Tony Khan made the decision to keep the title on her and move forward with an interim champion.
This decision however was reversed last month. It was announced during the November 23 Dynamite that Rosa had relinquished her championship.
The former champion herself also provided some updates on her recovery recently. She revealed that she wasn’t allowed back in the ring yet which coincides with the belief that the AEW star won’t be returning before next year.
WWE Producer Jamie Noble laced up his boots one last time to compete in a final match during Sunday’s Live Event from Charleston, WV.
The former Cruiserweight Champion started his wrestling career back in 1995. He competed for promotions such as WCW, ROH and NJPW before ending up in WWE first as a competitor and later as a backstage producer.
The WWE star spoke to Byron Saxton for an interview before his final outing in the ring. Noble talked about getting back into the squared circle after 7 years and his pet raccoon among other things:
The bout at the WWE Live Event coming from his hometown saw Jamie Noble teaming up with Braun Strowman and The Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland & Butch) for an eight men tag team match.
This team went up against The Bloodline (The Usos, Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn) in the main event of the show. You can check out some photos and videos of the tag match below:
An emotional night. I’m humbled & honored to have had the privilege of sharing the ring with Jamie Noble tonight in his final match. Very few actually know how much Jamie has contributed to this industry. One of the great minds for the business & an unsung hero at @WWE. Grateful. https://t.co/tkd7AyFtli
This match was set up after The Usos vs. The Brawling Brutes tag team match ended in a no-contest earlier in the night. The ending saw Noble getting the pin over the Honorary Uce after hitting him with a Tiger Driver.
The Enforcer of The Bloodline, Solo Sikoa, recently revealed his backstage relationship with The Wiseman Paul Heyman.
Sikoa made his impact felt this past Monday on WWE RAW. The Usos retained the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships against Matt Riddle and Kevin Owens. Jimmy and Jey were originally supposed to defend against Riddle and Elias on Monday but The Bloodline attacked Elias in the parking lot at the beginning of the show.
Owens was announced as Elias’ replacement but The Usos still retained. They defeated Sheamus and Butch of The Brawling Brutes this past Friday on SmackDown in a tag title match as well. Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman were not at the show or ringside for the match. The Tribal Chief and The Wiseman will be returning next Friday on SmackDonw.
Speaking on the Superstar Crossover show, Sikoa discussed his relationship with Paul Heyman and disclosed that he viewed him “like an uncle”.
He’s like my uncle, man. First of all, he’s been around my family for over 50 years. He’s been around Roman’s dad, he was around my dad. I don’t know if a lot of people know this, but my dad was one of the first Paul Heyman guys when they started in WCW because he was their manager.
Now he’s with Roman and my brothers, and now with me. There’s a lot of things that he’s taught and is still teaching me. There’s just so many things that I can’t even… he does tell me, ‘This is the place where you go be a big superstar, make some money, and take care of your family.’ That’s one of the things that he does tell me.
Solo added that he feels very blessed to be working alongside Heyman and has learned a lot from him in the past couple of months.
He’s real, man. That’s what I love about Paul. They don’t call him the ‘Wise Guy’ for nothing. He knows the game, he knows the one, he knows the outs.
He’s been around the family. He knows our family. He knows how we move, he knows how we work. So I’m very blessed, especially coming up and only being here for two months, I’m very, very happy to be around him and to learn from Paul Heyman.
Rush and Dralistico suffered a loss to AR Fox and Blake Christian to kick off ROH Final Battle yesterday. At the end of the match, AR Fox hit a 450 Splash and went for the cover. The referee counted to three but it looked like Dralistico kicked out in time. Rush and Dralistico threw a tantrum after the match to try and save the botched finish.
8 Best Moments from ROH Final Battle
It was a rough way to start the PPV but the rest of the card was strong enough to overcome a letdown of an opener. Rush attacked the referee and apparently has been “suspended” for the attack at Final Battle.
Jose the Assistant took to Twitter to announce they have been “suspended” for a week by All Elite Wrestling. Jose noted that Preston Vance was not suspended because he wasn’t “too involved”.
RUSH “assaulted” a Referee. We got fined $$ for using chairs. We’ve been SUSPENDED for a week by #AEW. Preston didn’t get too involved and isn’t suspended. You can’t fool the fans, they know the match ending was BULLSHIT. #ROHFinalBattle #LaFaccionIngobernable
ROH Final Battle 2022 took place yesterday afternoon in Arlington, Texas. Six title matches went down at the College Park Center and several changed hands. Claudio Castagnoli defeated Chris Jericho in the main event by getting him to tap out after 32 rotations in The Swing.
After the show, AEW President Tony Khan spoke to media and finally announced the future of Ring of Honor television. The future appears to be the backup plan, as Ring of Honor television will not have a home on TNT or TBS. Instead, Tony Khan announced that ROH TV will start sometime in the future on Honor Club, ROH’s subscription service on their website.
After months of speculation, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has officially revealed the future for Ring of Honor (ROH) television.
Coming off of a heavily praised PPV event on Saturday (Final Battle), AEW released a press release on Sunday morning that officially announced ROH television will begin streaming early next year as part of the relaunched HonorClub streaming service. Tony Khan had mentioned during the Final Battle press scrum that the service, which was previously run by ROH prior to Khan purchasing the company, would be relaunching.
The HonorClub service will also feature the vast library of ROH archival footage, as well as ROH PPV events on a 90-day delay. In order to watch upcoming ROH PPV events live, fans will still need to order them through B/R Live.
The HonorClub service will cost $9.99 per month and is already showing up via the ROH app on iOS, Android, Roku, and Amazon Fire.
Below is AEW’s official announcement:
Tony Khan Announces Relaunch of Ring of Honor’s HonorClub Platform
More than two decades of Ring of Honor Content Now Available For $9.99/Month, With New PPV and TV Content To Come
“December 11, 2022 – On the heels of a momentous Ring of Honor Final Battle pay-per-view from College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, Tony Khan announced that the company’s HonorClub streaming platform has officially relaunched, featuring more than 2,500 hours of premium professional wrestling content dating back to 2002, with new weekly television episodes coming soon to the platform.
“The announcement was made during an afternoon filled with title changes, as Claudio Castagnoli regained the ROH World Championship from Chris Jericho, Athena taking the ROH Women’s World Championship from Mercedes Martinez, The Briscoes winning the ROH World Tag Team Championships back from FTR in their third matchup this year, Wheeler Yuta winning the ROH Pure Championship back from Daniel Garcia and the Gates of Agony defeating Dalton Castle & The Boys for the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championships.
“Fans can sign up immediately for HonorClub for just $9.99 per month by visiting WatchROH.com. HonorClub is accessible via the ROH app on iOS, Android, Roku and Amazon FireTV.
“The relaunched platform features updated functionality, where fans will be able to enjoy thousands of hours of Ring of Honor content including classic matches from the full ROH television archive and hundreds of pay-per-views and special events. Khan also announced plans for a weekly ROH television show to be solidified at the top of next year. Pay-per-view events will be available for viewing on HonorClub 90 days after they happen live, with live broadcasts still airing via Bleacher Report.”
Karrion Kross spoke with WWE broadcaster Peter Rosenberg on the latest Cheap Heat podcast for the Ringer Wrestling Show. He spoke in-depth about his entire pro wrestling career, how he met his wife Scarlett and much more.
Kross and Scarlett are re-establishing themselves on the SmackDown brand, but it hasn’t been an easy road to get there. Following a dominant run together in NXT that included Kross holding the NXT Championship, things got ugly fast when he was called up to the main roster in July 2021.
Everything that worked about their act was stripped away, including Scarlett. He was saddled with a comically-bad gladiator gimmick that was nothing like his NXT character that got over so well. His debut match on Monday Night Raw saw Kross get pinned in less than two minutes. He was the NXT Champion at the time and it was his first pinfall loss in WWE. They were both released in November, right before the holidays.
Processing the Debut & the Releases
Karrion Kross
Rosenberg asked Kross about how he processed all that in real time. Kross said the number one thing on his mind was providing for his family. This was during the pandemic and a lot of his family members lost their jobs. Being a WWE Superstar gave him the chance to take care of his family and the people who helped raise him. Everybody wants to be on the main roster, but his focus was providing for his family.
He said sometimes, you’re given bad ideas and it’s your job to make them work and carry out what’s been written written for you, even if you don’t agree with the direction. His NXT Character was a hit, but the lack of continuity with the gladiator character threw people off. The gimmick may have worked for other people, but was a huge departure from what fans knew from him. He was frustrated, but tried to be a professional and make it work.
Their Act Getting Split Up
When asked how Scarlett felt when she wasn’t called up with him, Kross says she was incredibly upset. “Multiple branches of management” told them she’d be with him on the main roster. They decided to accept the situation and get through it.
Their situation got worse before it got better. Just before the holiday season, they were out of work. Rosenberg said he knows what this is like from personal experience. He’s been released by WWE before and it made him sad and angry. People close to him convinced him to stay composed and realize it’s best to play the long game with your career. You’ll get back to WWE if it’s meant to be.
Scarlett
Kross said their phones blew up within 30 minutes after their releases were made public. By the end of the day, they were booked up for months and were fielding offers from outside of wrestling. They knew they’d be fine financially, but they were devastated. They had more to offer the business and suddenly the door just got slammed in their face. On some level, he was relieved to be done with the gladiator gimmick. He got unanimous feedback that it wasn’t working, from fans in the arenas to people coming up to him at airports and in coffee shops asking when he’d be getting back with Scarlett and
Kross was not tempted to trash WWE when he got released. He had close connections to people in the company and knew he’d make it back.
WWE Returns
Karrion Kross and Scarlett returned to WWE on August 5, 2022. He immediately began feuding with former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. Their program came to ahead at November’s Crown Jewel premium live event, which saw McIntyre prevail.
On a recent episode of SmackDown, Kross identified Rey Mysterio as his next victim.
The WWE NXT Deadline event aired live on Peacock from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Deadline Results
Roxanne Perez won the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge Match.
Isla Dawn def. Alba Fyre.
The New Day def. Pretty Deadly to win the NXT Tag Team Titles.
Grayson Waller won the Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge Match.
NXT Champion Bron Breakker def. Apollo Crews.
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Tag Title Bout
Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson and Elton Prince) put the WWE NXT Tag Team Titles against The New Day (Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston).
Prince and Kingston had a twerk off. Woods did some springboard spots with Kingston. Pretty Deadly gained the momentum and beat down Kingston. Woods with a headkick then a spring board DDT for a near fall. Both teams did the Eddie Guerrero spot with the title and all four stars were down on the ground. Behind the referee’s match, Wilson hit Woods with the title for 2. In the end, Kofi with a double foot stomp off the top rope to Prince for the win.
Isla Dawn vs. Alba Fyre in a singles match took place.
The match saw Dawn control the majority of it. Down the stretch, Fyre did some near falls, including a glory bomb. The referee fell down and was puking up black liquid. Dawn tossed Fyre head-first into an exposed turnbuckle before connecting with her finisher for the win.
The Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge match saw Carmelo Hayes vs. JD McDonagh vs. Grayson Waller vs. Joe Gacy vs. Axiom take place.
The match’s regulations stated that after the first two competitors, a new competitor would enter the match every five minutes until all five were there. In 25 minutes, the individual who has the most falls will win. A pinfall awards one point to the winner, and the loser is forced to spend 90 seconds in the penalty box. The winner will receive a future NXT Title shot.
Axiom and JD started things off followed by Hayes, Gacy, and Waller.
Hayes picked up the first fall on Axiom. Waller was out next and hit his finisher to Axiom and JD for double pinfalls. Waller with a back suplex to Hayes on the announce table. Axiom rolled up Waller for a pinfall. Axiom with a canadian destroyer then hit his finisher for another fall on JD. Gacy put him in a submission hold for the submission fall. JD beat up Axiom in the penalty box as Gacy picked up a pinfall on Hayes.
Axiom hit a back flip off the penalty box. Hayes with the crossface to Waller for the submission fall before Hayes went for a spring board move, but JD headbutted him. The finish saw Hayes connect with his leg drop finisher to Axiom for a near fall as Waller pulled him out of the ring.
Zoey Stark vs. Cora Jade vs. Kiana James vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Indi Hartwell in the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge match was booked.
The match rules were the same as the men’s bout. The winner will receive a future NXT Women’s Title shot.
The match opened the show. Stark and Perez started things off followed by James, Jade, and Hartwell.
Stark hit a superkick on Perez for the first fall. Hartwell hit a big boot to Perez for a pinfall. Perez rolled up Stark for a pinfall. Indi with a suplex to Stark on the floor. They did some outside dives. James with a spanish fly to Stark off the top rope. Perez won the match with two falls.
NXT Champion Bron Breakker made his latest title defense against Apollo Crews.
After defeating JD McDonagh on a recent edition of NXT, Crews revealed during a vignette on the November 22nd episode of NXT that he earned the next title match. During the vignette, he said that he had been looking forward to this moment for six months and couldn’t wait to meet Breakker.
The match had a slow start as Crews hit a back flip off the apron
After a slow start, Crews caught him with a drop kick. Crews with a back flip off the apron. Bron connected with a brain buster before a standing moonsault for 2. Breakker with a leaping dive over the top rope to the floor. Crews with a powerbomb then two more for a near fall. Crews with a frog splash for 2. Bron hit a bulldog off the top rope for 2. Crews with a powerslam for a near fall. Bron with a spear for the win. Post-match, Grayson Waller laid out Breakker and ended the show standing tall with the title.
WWE NXT Champion Bron Breakker made his latest title defense against Apollo Crews at Saturday’s WWE NXT Deadline event.
The match had a slow build, with Crews controlling most of it. Crews with a back flip off the apron before Bron with a brain buster then a standing moonsault for 2. Breakker with a dive over the top rope to the floor. Crews with a powerslam for a near fall. Bron with a spear for the win.
Post-match, Grayson Waller, who earned a future title shot earlier in the show after winning the Iron Survivor Match, laid out Breakker and ended the show standing tall with the title.
On the November 22nd edition of WWE NXT, the match was confirmed in a vignette with Crews announcing he would be getting the next title match after defeating JD McDonagh on a recent episode of NXT. He said during the vignette that he had been waiting six months for this moment and couldn’t wait to step into the ring with Breakker.
Breakker won the NXT Title for a second time on the April 4th edition of Raw when he beat Dolph Ziggler. Breakker previously won the NXT Title from Ciampa at New Year’s Evil in January from Tommaso Ciampa.
Breakker’s recent title defenses have come against Ilja Dragunov and JD McDonagh at Halloween Havoc, Tyler Bate at Worlds Collide, JD McDonagh in August, and Cameron Grimes on July 5th.
In the first-ever Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge match, WWE loaded up the match by booking Carmelo Hayes vs. JD McDonagh vs. Grayson Waller vs. Joe Gacy vs. Axiom.
The match’s regulations stated that after the first two competitors, a new competitor would enter the match every five minutes until all five were there. In 25 minutes, the individual who has the most falls will win. A pinfall awards one point to the winner, and the loser is forced to spend 90 seconds in the penalty box.
The entrant list be Axiom, JD, Hayes, Gacy, and Waller.
Hayes picked up the first fall on Axiom. Waller hit his finisher to Axiom and JD for double pinfalls. Waller with a back suplex to Hayes on the announce table. Axiom rolled up Waller for a pinfall. Axiom with a canadian destroyer then hit his finisher for another fall on JD.
Gacy with a clothesline to Axiom for a near fall then put him in a submission hold for the submission fall. Gacy picked up a pinfall on Hayes. Hayes with the crossface to Waller for the submission fall. Waller pinned Axiom after Axiom received a leg drop from Hayes and that was the final fall.
Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson and Elton Prince) put the WWE NXT Tag Team Titles against The New Day (Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston) at Saturday’s WWE NXT Deadline.
Prince and Kingston had a twerk off. Woods got a tag and did some springboard spots with Kingston. Woods with a headkick then a spring board DDT for 2. Both teams did the Eddie Guerrero spot with the title and all four stars were down on the ground. Kingston connected with a double foot stomp off the top rope to Prince for the win to become the NEW champions.
WWE set up this bout during this past Tuesday’s episode of NXT when Pretty Deadly were in the ring reading their version of A Christmas Story. Once they were done reading their poem, The New Day came out as they wanted to challenge them to a match.
The two teams eventually got into a braw. The New Day gained the upper hand after putting Christmas presents on top of Pretty Deadly’s heads and superkicking them off the apron and to the floor.
At Worlds Collide in September, Pretty Deadly defeated the Creed Brothers, Gallus and Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs in a Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Elimination Match to unify the NXT and NXT UK Tag Team Championships.
Zoey Stark vs. Cora Jade vs. Kiana James vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Indi Hartwell competed in the first-ever Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge match at Saturday’s WWE NXT Deadline.
The way the match was five stars competed in the match that would last 25 minutes where they would battle each other and the clock. Two stars started the match and every five minutes a new star entered the bout until all five were in the ring.
The goal was to have the most falls (pinfalls, submission, DQ) by the time the clock hits 25 minutes. Each fall a star earned they get one penalty while if a star lost a fall then they had to enter a penalty box for 90 seconds.
The match opened the show and Stark and Perez started things off. James was the third star in the bout. Stark hit a superkick on Perez for the first fall. The fourth star was Jade.
Jade rolled up James for a pinfall before Hartwell hit a big boot to Perez for a pinfall.Perez rolled up Stark for a pinfall. There were a lot of dives to the floor. Perez with a sunset flip powerbomb to Jade for a pinfall. Perez won the match with two falls.
AEW Final Battle 2022 aired live today in College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. There were six title matches on the card and several new champions were crowned.
8 Best Moments from ROH Final Battle 2022
Ring of Honor held a media scrum featuring new ROH Champion Claudio Castagnoli, ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe, new ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta, and Tony Khan.
Tony Khan spoke at the end of the conference and he was asked about ROH TV by Women’s Wrestling Talk. He brought up his relationship with Warner Bros Discovery, and said he had a very “nuanced” answer to the question. He said that Warner Bros were not very familiar with ROH and the past two PPVs they watched.
Khan said that he is going to keep the PPV relationship with Warner Bros Discovery via Bleacher Report, but is also talking to New Japan as well.
Finally, he said that they started a soft launch with Honor Club and the TV is going to live there. Khan stated that he will announce when the TV will start on Honor Club soon and hyped New Japan and AEW’s shows for January.
He added that he will have more details after regrouping after Wrestling Kingdom and the big AEW shows in January. Khan added that he will keep Ring of Honor PPV on Bleacher Report. Tonight’s PPV will be available after a 90-day cycle on the Honor Club in mid-March. ROH Honor Club is $9.99 a month.
We have done a soft launch. When I acquired Ring of Honor from Sinclair Broadcasting earlier this year, they had actually done a lot of development work and were really far along with a new Honor Club.
We’ve paid the development cost since then and it is now functional. So now if you go, it has a big library of Ring of Honor content, including the two PPVs we’ve done this year and my plan is to keep the PPVs out 90 days.
So 90 days from now in mid-March you can get this PPV on there. But it is operational and it is $9.99.
The TV is going to live there. There is going to be big participation from New Japan Pro Wrestling I feel pretty confident I can say, based on our relationship, and they want to be involved.
You saw tonight some great wrestlers from NJPW, and also some of our wrestlers have been going there.
So the TV on Honor Club, I’ll announce when it is going to start, but I think it makes a lot of sense for us given that I want New Japan to be focused on it and involved.
Tony Khan on ROH TV
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ROH Final Battle 2022 aired live today at Eastern at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. There were six titles defended during the PPV. Chris Jericho put the ROH Championship on the line against Claudio Castagnoli in the main event.
8 Best Moments from ROH Final Battle 2022
Zero Hour Results
Jeff Cobb def. Mascara Dorada (FKA as Gran Metalik in WWE)
Matt Menard & Angelo Parker def. World Famous Cheeseburger & Eli Isom
Willow Nightingale def. Trish Adora
Top Flight def. The Kingdom
Final Battle 2022 Results
AR Fox & Blake Christian def. Rush & Dralistico
Athena def. Mercedes Martinez to become the new ROH Women’s Champion
Swerve in Our Glory def. Shane Taylor & JD Griffey
The Embassy (Brian Cage, Kaun, Toa Lioana) def. Dalton Castle & The Boys to become the new ROH 6-Man Tag Team Champions
Wheeler Yuta def. Daniel Garcia to become the new ROH Pure Champion
The Briscoes def. FTR in a Dog Collar match to win the ROH Tag Team Championships
Samoa Joe def. Juice Robinson to retain the ROH TV Championship
Claudio Castagnoli def. Chris Jericho to become the new ROH Champion
Zero Hour
Jeff Cobb def. Mascara Dorada
Dorada sent Cobb out of the ring and went for a Crossbody but Jeff caught him. Cobb Suplexed Dorada into the ring post and then onto the apron. Back in the ring, Cobb charged but Dorada got out of the way.
Cobb crashed into the post and tumbled out of the ring. Mascara hit a Corkscrew Flip onto Cobb before the action returned to the ring. Dorada followed it up with a Springboard Senton for a near fall. Cobb hit a standing Moonsault for a two count. Mascara hit a Bulldog off the top rope for a two count. Cobb responded with a massive Powerslam for the pinfall victory. The two shook hands after the match.
Jericho Appreciation Society def. Shinobi Shadow Squad
Shinobi Shadow Squad (Eli Isom, World Famous Cheeseburger) battled Jericho Appreciation Society’s Matt Menard & Angelo Parker. JAS isolated Cheeseburger in the ring and beat him down in the corner. Parker connected with an Elbow Drop and bashed Isom off the ring apron.
Eli got the tag and beat Menard down in the corner. Isom hit Parker with a Neckbreaker and Cheeseburger followed it up with a Double Stomp. Menard hit Isom with a Suplex and JAS followed it up with a Brainbuster for the pinfall victory.
Willow Nightingale def. Trish Adora
Willow Nightingale faced Trish Adora during Zero Hour. Adora got in some offense early but Nightingale battled back. Willow hit a scoop slam followed by a Crossbody for a near fall. Trish responded with a running kick to Willow’s jaw for a near fall.
Nightingale cartwheeled across the ring and leveled Adora with a couple of Clotheslines. Willow followed it up with a bunch of chops in the corner and a Hip Attack. She climbed to the middle turnbuckle and hit a Dropkick for a two count.
Adora connected with a Northern Lights Suplex but Nightgale wouldn’t stay down. Nightingale sent Adora flying across the ring. Willow followed it up with a Powerbomb for the pinfall victory.
Top Flight def. The Kingdom
Dante & Darius Martin battled Matt Taven and Mike Bennett tonight. Maria Kanellis was ras ringside for the match. Dante hit Bennett with a Dropkick and tagged in Darius. Taven tagged in a Darius hit him with a Spinebuster.
Taven accidentally booted Bennett in the face and Top Flight capitalized and beat Matt down in the corner. Dante connected with a Dropkick that knocked Mike Bennett off the ring apron. Taven hit Dante with an Enziguri and Bennett followed it up with a Clothesine.
Back in the ring, The Kingdom ran into each other again and Dante got the tag. Darius hit Taven with a Crossbody and then an Enziguri to Bennett. Maria Kanellis hopped on the ring apron for a distraction and Taven hit the Purple Thunder Bomb.
Bennett tagged in and hit Darius with some chops to the chest. Bennett connected with a Suplex for a two count and tagged in Bennett. Mike hit a Spinebuster and Taven followed it up with a springboard Moonsault. Taven and Bennett hit an Enzigui/Elbow Drop combo but Darius kicked out at two.
Darius battled back with a bunch of strikes but Bennett poked him in the eye. Darius hit a Spanish Fly as Dante fired up the crowd. Dante and Matt Taven tagged in. Dante hit a Clothesline and followed it up with a Standing Moonsault for a two count. Darius tagged back in and hit a Cutter for a near fall. Darius hit a Tornado DDT but Bennett broke up the cover at two.
Taven connected with a running knee but Darius wouldn’t stay down. Darius leveled Bennett with a dive but turned around into a Splash but Darius. The referee kicked Maria Kanellis out from ringside as the crowd cheered. Top Flight hit an insane Powerbomb/Flip move on Bennett for the pinfall victory. The two teams shook hands after the match.
ROH Final Battle 2022
AR Fox & Blake Christian def. Rush & Dralistico
Dralistico and Blake Christian started off the action. The action spilled outside the ring and Dralistico Powerbombed AR Fox onto the steel steps. Rush and Dralistico dominated the next few minutes and kept Blake isolated in the ring.
AR Fox tagged in and hit Dralistico with a Slingblade. Fox hit Rush with a Springboard Dropkick and fired up the crowd. Fox hit a Crossbody onto Rush and Dralistico outside the ring. Back in the ring, he hit a Swanton on Dralistico for a near fall.
Rush hit AR Fox with a big boot and then hurled Blake into the barricade. Dralistico took Fox and Christian out with a flip and rolled Fox back into the ring. Blake Christian hit a springboard 450 Splash and perched Dralistico up on the top rope. The finish devolved into a botch fest with AR Fox stealing the win. Rush and Dralistico beat Fox and Christian down after the match.
Mercedes Martinez defended the ROH Women’s Championship against Athena at Final Battle 2022. Athena controlled the action early but Martinez hit a Spinebuster for a near fall. Mercedes and Athena battled to the top rope. Martinez went for a Suplex but Athena held onto the turnbuckle.
Athena knocked Martinez to the canvas and hit a Superkick for a near fall. Mercedes connected with a Powerslam and went for the cover but Athena kicked out at two. Martinez applied a Cloverleaf submission but Athena was able to escape.
The challenger connected with a slam on the ring apron and dragged Mercedes out of the ring. Athena sent Martinez into the barricade but took a break to pose and Martinez capitalized with a Clothesline. Martinez hit a Twisting Neckbreaker off the barricade and onto the floor outside the ring.
Athena bit Mercedes’ arm to escape a surfboard submission and hit a Backstabber but Martinez grabbed the bottom rope to break up the cover. Athena got pissed at the referee before ripping off the turnbuckle pad. Athena Dropkicked her into the exposed turnbuckle and followed it up with the O-Face (Eclipse) for the pinfall victory. Athena is the new ROH Women’s Champion.
Swerve in Our Glory def. Shane Taylor & JD Griffey, Strickland Left During the Match
Swerve in Our Glory (Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland) battled Shane Tayor and JD Griffey tonight at ROH Final Battle 2022. Swerve and JD started off the match. Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland didn’t appear to be on the same page during their entrance (can they coexist?!).
Griffey and Taylor controlled the match for the first few minutes and isolated Swerve in the corner. Taylor hit a massive Leg Drop on Strickland on the apron but somehow Swerve kicked out at two. Keith Lee and Shane Taylor tagged in and circled each other in the middle of the ring.
Taylor jumped off the middle rope but Keith Lee caught him and the crowd popped. Swerve sent Taylor out of the ring by pulling the top rope down and he tumbled to the floor. JD Griffey went for a dive but Keith Lee caught him. Lee dropped him and Swerve hit a running kick.
Shane hit a Neckbreaker on Strickland but Keith Lee didn’t try to break up the cover. Strickland kicked out at two and Griffey got him in a submission hold. Keith broke it up with a Moonsault off the middle turnbuckle. Keith Lee and Shane Taylor tagged in again but all four men got into the ring.
The two teams traded punches but Keith accidentally caught Strickland in the face with a forearm shot. Taylor hit Keith with Welcome to the Land for a two count. Griffey hit a running knee on Lee but he still wouldn’t stay down. Strickland left Keith Lee behind but Keith still hit a Powerslam on Griffey for the pinfall victory.
Dalton Castle & The Boys (Brandon & Brent Tate)defended the 6-Man Tag Team Championships against Brian Cage & Gates of Agony (Kaun & Toa Liona). The champs danced around and fired up the crowd outside the ring before Castle hit a shoulder tackle in the ring. Brian Cage tagged in and Castle tagged Brandon in.
The Boys hit Cage with a couple of Enziguris and knocked him down with a Dropkick. Toa Liona tagged in and leveled The Boys with a shoulder tackle. Brian hit a slam and tagged in Kaun. He connected with a Backbreaker and tagged in Cage again. Toa hit a Senton and Cage hit Tate with a Superplex.
Tate hit Kaun with a DDT and tagged in Dalton Castle. Dalton sent Cage out of the ring and hit him with an Exploder Suplex when he got back in the squared circle. Dalton got Liona up for a German Suplex and the crowd popped. Liona planted The Boys with a double Samoan Drop and stacked them on top of each other for a two count. Brian Cage hit a Powerbomb for the pinfall victory. Cage & Gates of Agony are the new ROH 6-Man Tag Team Champions.
Angelo Parker and Matt Menard brawled with Top Flight. Parker said that Ring of Honor has always been garbage because of “flippy floppy” wrestlers and Chris Jericho is saving the promotion. Menard pulled out a bucket hat and said Claudio Castagnoli will become a sports entertainer later tonight.
Daniel Garcia defended the ROH Pure Championship against Wheeler Yuta tonight. Garcia controlled the first five minutes of the match. Yuta tried to battle back but Garcia got him in a headlock in the middle of the ring.
Yuta escaped and hit a Dropkick off the top rope. Daniel got Yuta in a Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring. Yuta escaped and connected with a Dropkick of his own. Yuta followed it up with a Piledriver for a two count and then a ton of elbow strikes to the side of Garcia’s head. Garcia passed out and Wheeler won the ROH Pure Championship.
The Briscoes won the ROH Tag Team Championships in a Wild Dog Collar Match
FTR defended the ROH Tag Team Championships against The Briscoes in a double Dog Collar match. Dax Harwood and Jay Briscoe were collared to each other, Cash Wheeler and Mark Briscoe were collared together. Cash sent Mark into the steel steps and busted him open right away.
Jay and Dax Harwood battled into the crowd and Dax threw a drink in Briscoe’s face. Mark hit a Senton on Cash off of the entrance ramps. Harwood started raking the chain across Jay’s eyes in the ring. Mark Briscoe broke it up and they started beating the hell out of Dax while Cash recovered from the Senton outside the ring.
Jay wrapped the chain around his hand and punched Dax in the face several times before stomping him down. Mark whipped Cash with the steel outside the ring. FTR battled back and launched a chair into Jay’s face and he was busted open. Harwood lifted Mark up in the Electric Chair and Cash hit a flying punch with the steel wrapped around his hand for a near fall.
Jay hit Cash with a Neckbreaker and Mark followed it up with an Elbow Drop with the chain for a near fall. Mark set up a table and battled with Cash outside the ring. Briscoe planted Wheeler with a Suplex on the floor as Jay perched Dax up on the top turnbuckle.
Harwood wrapped the chain around his head and hit a Flying Headbutt. The referee then got caught in the crossfire and got busted open. Mark knocked Cash off the ring apron and hit him with a Dropkick. Mark put Wheeler on the table he set up earlier and climbed to the top turnbuckle. Wheeler hopped up and whipped Briscoe down to the floor and on top of a pile of chairs. Back in the ring, Jay hit a Piledriver on Wheeler on top of the steel chain but he kicked out at two.
Jay bashed Dax over the back with a steel chair several times and then set one up in the middle of the ring. Harwood hit Jay with a low blow and then a Piledriver but somehow Jay kicked out at two. FTR slid a bunch of tables in the ring and Harwood hit Jay with a bunch of chops to the chest.
Dax tried for a Piledriver onto the chairs off the 2nd turnbuckle but Jay escaped. Jay returned the favor with a low blow and delivered a Superplex onto the chairs below. Jay got Dax in a Crossface in the middle of the ring the chain across his face. Wheeler tried to break it up but Mark held his chain. The Briscoes are the now 13-time ROH Tag Team Champions.
Samoa Joe defended the ROH TV Championship against Juice Robinson tonight at Final Battle. Joe exposed the concrete floor outside the ring but Juice escaped. Joe went for the Coquina Clutch but Juice broke free by slamming the champ into the barricade. Robinson hit Samoa Joe with a Senton against the barricade.
Joe responded with a running kick to the face and rolled Juice back into the ring. Juice and Joe traded punches in the middle of the ring. Samoa Joe hit an Atomic Drop, a big boot, and then a Senton for a two count.
Robinson hit a Spinebuster and some punches in the corner of the ring. Juice followed it up with a Cannonball and climbed to the top rope. The challenger connected with a Crossbody and went for the cover but Joe kicked out at two.
Juice climbed to the top rope but Samoa Joe tripped him up. Joe hit the Muscle Buster for the pinfall victory and retained the ROH TV Championship.
Chris Jericho defended the ROH Championship against Claudio Castagnoli in the main event of ROH Final Battle 2022. If Claudio lost the match, he’d be forced to join the Jericho Appreciation Society. Chris hit Claudio with a low blow and then chased after the ROH commentators.
Claudio hit a massive uppercut and brought Jericho back into the ring. Claudio connected with the Neutralizer but Jericho kicked out at two. Castagnoli hit a Gutwrench Slam and then booted Jericho out of the ring.
The challenger went for a Senton off the apron but Jericho dodged it. Back in the ring, Jericho hit a Suplex for a one count. Claudio delivered a Pop-Up Uppercut for a two count and followed it up with a series of elbow strikes. Jericho hit a Hurricanrana off the top rope and went for the cover but Castagnoli kicked out at two.
Jericho went for a Codebreaker but Castagnoli blocked it. The ROH Champion hit Claudio with a Clothesline but the challenger responded with an uppercut. Chris connected with a Suplex off the apron and to the floor.
Castagnoli and Jericho hit a Clothesline at the same time and both men fell to the canvas. Jericho and Castagnoli traded chops until they both fell to their knees. Castagnoli got up and started hitting uppercuts. The champ poked Castagnoli in the eye. Claudio got him in the Swing but Jericho brilliantly countered into the Walls of Jericho in the middle of the ring. Castagnoli fought through the pain and got to the bottom rope and the match continued.
Jericho barked at the referee and turned around into an uppercut from the challenger. Matt Menard slid Jericho the badeball bat and he bashed Claudio over the head with it as Angelo Parker distracted the referee. Jericho went for the cover but Claudio kicked out at two. Chris hit the Codebreaker and set up for the Judas Effect. Castagnoli ducked and got Jericho in the Swing for a bunch of rotations (32!) and Jericho tapped out! Claudio Castagnoli is the new ROH Champion.
It’s common to hear wrestling personalities talking about how storylines from the Attitude Era got them hooked on wrestling. However, we have seen the rise of a new generation of talent in recent years which grew up watching the programming of the more recent times. Britt Baker is one such star who actually became a fan of wrestling after watching one of the most popular storylines from the PG era of WWE.
The former AEW Women’s Champion recently had an interview with The Ringer. She talked about things such as her rivalry with Thunder Rosa, the women’s division of AEW, and more. Speaking about how she became a fan of wrestling, Britt Baker revealed that Bryan Danielson’s WrestleMania XXX story was the one that made her obsessed:
“The first story line that made me immensely obsessed with wrestling and gave me the bug to want to do something like this and want to do this because of how the story made me feel, it was the Bryan Danielson storyline at WrestleMania XXX,”
Bryan Danielson defeated Batista and Randy Orton in the main event of WrestleMania XXX to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It was the culmination of the Yes! movement that helped him reach the top of the pro wrestling mountain. Per Britt Baker, it was the coolest thing in the world for her:
“How the fans really decided the storyline. To me, that was one of the coolest things in the world—that the entire wrestling universe got behind this one wrestler who was a massive underdog and should not have been in the spot he was in, but the fans made sure of it.”
The AEW star later explained that there is no other sport where fans get to decide which star will go over. So it was really cool to see the effect of fans in leading Bryan to the huge success.
Those in New Japan Pro Wrestling only found out about Sasha Banks’ impending Wrestle Kingdom appearance when they read the news online.
This week, it was reported that Banks will be attending the January 4, 2023, event, but it is unclear if she will be competing, appearing on-screen, or just being present at the show.
Banks has been suspended from WWE programming since May after she and Naomi walked out of an episode of Raw over a creative dispute.
In the Dark
Banks’ involvement with New Japan is huge news given that she remains under contract with WWE.
During the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that everyone he spoke to in New Japan was not told that the Boss would be at the show.
“There’s nobody there that knew anything about it… including some big insiders.”
Dave Meltzer.
Meltzer added that the winner of the IWGP Women’s Championship match at Wrestle Kingdom between champion KAIRI and challenger Tam Nakano will have their next title defense in San Jose.
Next Stop, AEW?
Banks could be competing for New Japan Pro Wrestling soon enough, but many have speculated whether AEW is next on her list.
Fightful Select reported this week that some in Tony Khan’s promotion believe Banks at Wrestle Kingdom is a sign that her WWE contract is up.
One source who wished to remain anonymous said they believe bringing Banks in could turn around AEW’s dwindling ratings compared to previous years.
Some have suggested that Banks could be Saraya’s mystery partner for her January 11, tag match against AEW Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker.
It was Banks’ kick that would cause the neck injury that cost Saraya nearly five years of in-ring action.
Wrestling fans aren’t always very welcoming of outside celebrities that cross over to the wrestling world. However, in recent times, we have seen a number of people breaking through and earning the respect of the fans. One such performer is Logan Paul and Shawn Michaels believes that his drive to actually be good at the sport is the reason behind his success.
The Heartbreak Kid recently appeared on Notsam Wrestling podcast. During the interview, he was asked what has helped Logan Paul gain the respect of the community. The former world champion explained that the YouTube star understands the psychology of the fans and he is ready to put in the work:
“He’s just got such a real drive. He understands. He’s a bright kid.” said Shawn Michaels, “He understands [that] ‘I’m an outsider. They’re gonna take me this way. I’ve got no problem earning my stripes. The best way I could do that is to be good at this. I will give it the time and the effort.’ Even in the midst of an extremely busy schedule.
He’s got a lot going on in his life. He’s another person again, I guess you could arguably say he doesn’t need to be choosing to do this. But he is and he has a great deal of respect for it. I think that’s what really helps as well.”
Logan Paul made his wrestling debut at WrestleMania 38 and he has wrestled only three matches since then. Though he has managed to impress people with his performance. Paul’s match against Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel has especially helped him gain the respect of the WWE Universe.
You can check out Shawn Michaels’ full interview below:
Bray Wyatt may be a mysterious, enigmatic figure on WWE TV, but the former Universal Champion recently broke character to speak about his uncle.
Earlier this month, Barry Windham suffered a heart attack when traveling through the Atlanta airport and was later transported to an intensive care unit.
This week, it was reported by Mika Rotunda, Windham’s niece and sister of Bray, that the wrestling legend has been stabilized and out of the ICU.
Wyatt’s Message
Taking to Instagram, Wyatt spoke about his uncle, who is the namesake for his real name Windham Rotunda.
In the video, Wyatt thanked a “random citizen” who delivered CPR to Windham before EMTs were able to get to him.
“I want to thank one specific man, Michael Todd Lalic, who was there, a random citizen, and he gave him CPR in there throughout that entire time before everyone else and the EMTs can get to him, and he stayed with him, and he’s the reason that we have Barry still, he’s alive, he’s with us. “
Bray Wyatt.
Wyatt added that his uncle has given his life to professional wrestling, and spoke about his sister’s GoFundMe page to help cover medical bills.
“My sister set up a GoFundMe in his name and not obligated to share, no one is obligated to share anything. But if you could, that would be incredibly helpful. “
WWE has given its biggest tease yet that Cody Rhodes will be back in time for WrestleMania 39, incorporating the American Nightmare in a commercial shoot for the event.
Rhodes returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 in April of this year, 46 days after announcing his departure from All Elite Wrestling.
The American Nightmare would defeat Seth Rollins at the show of shows and would pick up wins over the Architect at WrestleMania Backlash and WWE Hell in a Cell.
The Commercial
Hours prior to Hell in a Cell, Rhodes suffered a torn pectoral muscle which has kept the former AEW TNT Champion on the shelf ever since.
On Thursday of this week, WWE filmed a commercial for WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, which featured The Miz wrestling Rhodes, Fightful Select reports.
They add that while this may not have been Cody himself, it was “at least someone dressed up exactly like him.”
WWE fully expects to have Cody Rhodes back in time for WrestleMania, which a source who spoke to Fightful said was never really in doubt.
Fightful was told that Maryse was supposed to be in attendance as well, though they aren’t sure if it was for a specific commercial spot or just to be there with her husband.
The Royal Rumble
When Cody went down with his injury, WWE reported that he would be out for nine months, giving him a March 2023 return date.
Immediately, fans were suspicious, and many believe that Rhodes will return as part of the Men’s Royal Rumble match, and is a favorite to win.
It was reported this week that WWE is considering having Roman Reigns defend the WWE and Universal Championships separately at WrestleMania 39, with Rhodes being one of his opponents.
In his emotional promo on the post-WrestleMania 38 Raw, Rhodes vowed to become WWE Champion to fulfill a promise to his late father.
The story of Sami Zayn and The Bloodline is one of the top acts of not only WWE but the wrestling world right now. The Miz believes that he is the ‘Michael Scott’ of WWE because a show can easily be built around him.
The former WWE champion recently joined Brian Baumgartner for his Off The Beat podcast. Baumgartner is known for his role of Kevin Malone in the Office series. He asked the WWE star which characters from the series he would compare himself to. The Miz mentioned how he would want to be Michael Scott but it doesn’t fit his life:
“I’d wanna be Michael Scott, to be honest. But here’s the thing though, I can’t be Michael Scott. Because I feel like I’m Jim [Halpert]. Because on Miz and Mrs, which is my reality show on the USA Network, I do the Jim look to the camera almost every episode.
The reason I do that – so I love what Greg Daniels in all your interviews with all the different characters, the crew, the cast, you know, from your makeup people, the casting directors, I loved all those interviews to hear the insights of reasonings on why. I believe the reason that Jim would look at the camera is because it’s so absurd that someone needs to bring reality to this. ‘Is this really happening?’ kind of look, and Jim would always have that look.
‘I Have To Give That Jim Look’: The Miz
The Miz continued the explanation saying that absurd things happen in his day-to-day life so he relates to Jim more. As for Michael Scott, the former IC champion compared him to none other than Sami Zayn:
“So in my reality show, if something so absurd is happening, and trust me, in my real day to day life, absurd things happen that you won’t believe is happening, but it really is. So I have to give that Jim look to the camera to show ‘I’m in on this with you. I know this is ridiculous, but it’s really funny.’ So I kind of stole that from the office because I love the show so much. So I would say I’m Jim.
Michael Scott is the lead. Every story can revolve around him, right? So I would say gosh, it’d have to be like Roman Reigns or a John Cena. Granted it’s not the comedy aspect of [the character], it’s not the airhead aspect of it. I wouldn’t call him airhead but you know what I’m talking about like, he’s just so absurd. So I would say as a lead actor, you’d have to have like a Cena or Roman Reigns as your Michael Scott. But with the comedy aspect, I mean Sami Zayn is doing some really funny stuff in WWE. The whole show can revolve around his character, so he could also be that Michael Scott.”
