Sasha Banks made her WWE TV return earlier than expected during the opening segment of this week’s Friday Night SmackDown.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair was in the ring for a promo segment when she was interrupted by Natalya, Shotzi, Shayna Baszler, and Aliyah where they all talked about winning the Women’s Royal Rumble Match. Banks came out and declared, “The Boss is back, baby, and I’m ready to Rumble.” A brawl broke out with Banks standing tall to end the segment.
Banks had been on the sidelines since earlier this month when she suffered an injury at a house show during a match against Charlotte Flair in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The injury occurred when she took an over-the-knee backbreaker as her leg was planted awkwardly.
WWE later announced that Banks would be out of action for 6-8 weeks due to an injury.
Before the show, Fightful had reported that WWE had plans to bring Banks back ahead of the publicly announced schedule and the company informed after the injury creative that she wouldn’t be factored into the Royal Rumble plans because they expected her to be out past the show.
The 2022 WWE Royal Rumble premium live event takes place Saturday night, January 29th from St Louis, Missouri at The Dome.
The Road to WrestleMania begins at the Royal Rumble. The card is stacked and WWE is about to kick the year’s top storylines into high gear.
SEScoops staff members Fernando Quiles, Andrew Ravens and I have gotten together to provide our official Royal Rumble Predictions.
But first, SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay did an in-depth preview for the Women’s Royal Rumble match on the latest episode of Women’s Wrestling Focus.
Royal Rumble Predictions:
Edge & Beth Phoenix vs. The Miz & Maryse
Andrew: Another month, another match involving Edge and Miz against each other. To WWE’s credit, at least they didn’t run back another single match, but got straight to the point. If WWE wants to extend this feud then the heels could go over. As much as I hope WWE moves on from this feud, I can’t see WWE beating Miz in back-to-back matches so have Maryse and Miz go over before booking a third and final match.
Prediction: The Miz and Maryse
Fernando: I’ve gone back-and-forth with this one. A loss in this situation doesn’t hurt anybody although Miz would lose to Edge in back-to-back PPVs with another defeat. Edge will be due for a big singles match at WrestleMania and I can see Miz sharing the ring with another celebrity at the big event. Ultimately, I’m gonna go with Beth pinning Maryse in her return match.
Prediction: Edge & Beth Phoenix
Michael: This match is somewhat of a guilty pleasure. It’s a little corny with the warring couples but most of the participants can really go in the ring and I think they will all rise to the occasion. I don’t see Beth Phoenix coming out of retirement to lose and WWE should want to keep Edge strong in this stage of his career so he can still be featured at the top of cards as a singles wrestler.
Andrew: No one is giving Doudrop a chance here to win the match. I wouldn’t be surprised to see if WWE runs this match back for next month’s Elimination Chamber match, but Lynch isn’t losing the title before Mania and especially not to do Doudrop.
Prediction: Becky Lynch
Michael: Becky Lynch isn’t losing to Doudrop. She’s in the upper echelon of box office draws on the entire roster and she’s on the fast track to big things at WrestleMania 38. Doudrop’s booking on the main roster has been questionable, despite her in-ring abilities. This is a chance for Doudrop to make a statement with a strong showing on the biggest stage of her career. However, Becky is getting her hand raised.
Prediction: Becky Lynch
Fernando: Becky and Doudrop had a pretty good segment on the go-home episode of Monday Night Raw. Doudrop has done her best to make herself appear to be a viable threat to Becky’s championship but we all know the outcome here. I’m just hoping that this match ends up being a banger, which both wrestlers are more than capable of doing. It’ll boil down to how this one is booked. Becky will move on to a massive WrestleMania match.
Michael: The Women’s Royal Rumble has more intrigue this year than the men’s. It’s looking like at least a third of the participants will be legends from the past. Most of these blasts from the past have no chance of winning, but only a handful of competitors have a chance at winning anyways, legends or not. We’ve seen the reports that Ronda Rousey is rumored to be at the Royal Rumble. She could win the Rumble to set up a big WrestleMania match against Becky Lynch. However, I think WWE uses this as a chance to reset Bianca Belair and push her back to the top tier after her big push faltered last year around SummerSlam. Bianca Belair makes history and becomes the first person to win the Women’s Royal Rumble back-to-back.
Prediction: Bianca Belair
Fernando: There’s been a lot of buzz about a potential return for Ronda Rousey. Before the hoopla, I would’ve guessed that Bianca Belair would win her second straight Royal Rumble and go on to avenge her SummerSlam loss to Becky Lynch. With Rousey now potentially in play, there’s only one prediction to make here.
Prediction: Ronda Rousey
Andrew: Before this week, I would say that Bianca Belair is the clear-cut favorite and still could be if Ronda Rousey doesn’t show up during the match. Belair, Rousey, and Charlotte Flair are really the top favorites in my mind. WWE could hold off on plans for Rousey so I will stick with my Bianca pick that will send her to WrestleMania.
Prediction: Bianca Belair
Consensus: Bianca Belair
Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins
Andrew: This should be the best normal match of the night as these guys have worked together a lot both as a tag team and against each other. There is no chance Reigns loses the title here as WWE has much bigger plans in place for him, but fans can still sit back and watch a classic this match could be.
Prediction: Roman Reigns
Fernando: It’s hard to see this match not being a banger. When it comes to the bright lights, Reigns and Rollins are absolute pros. They also have great chemistry whether they’re teaming together or facing each other. Seth will likely get the babyface treatment from the crowd here but I doubt Reigns is eating a pin before WrestleMania. Get ready for a slew of near-falls, however.
Prediction: Roman Reigns
Michael: These work so well together. Rollins and Reigns will deliver a match worthy of the stadium they’ll be fighting in. Roman Reigns is the top dog in WWE and Seth Rollins is not the man to dethrone him. Once again, WrestleMania fantasy booking comes into play. Reigns is on a collision course with Brock Lesnar an Rollins isn’t knocking this thing off course. Roman Reigns stands tall when all is said and done in what I predict will be match of the night. Believe that.
Fernando: This match has been years in the making and may have never happened if Roman Reigns wasn’t pulled from the Day 1 event, allowing Brock to capture the WWE Championship. I’m hoping this is a fast-paced hard-hitting match similar to Lesnar vs. Goldberg. It doesn’t have to go long, it just has to be exciting. I think Lesnar drops the WWE Title due to interference from either Reigns or The Usos.
Prediction: Bobby Lashley
Michael: I won’t believe this match is really happening until both men are standing in the ring together. The phrase dream match gets thrown around a lot, but Lashley has been talking about wanting to face Lesnar for so long now. This is Lashley’s moment and I see him scoring a career-highlight victory over Brock Lesnar. A win for Lashley would mean much more for Lashley and Lesnar doesn’t need the WWE Championship for the big showdown with Reigns. Bobby Lashley gets his moment
Prediction: Bobby Lashley
Andrew: A title change will happen. WWE doesn’t want to do title vs. title for Reigns and Lesnar at Mania so Lesnar has to drop the title at some point. While the case for Big E to be the man to beat Lesnar can be made, if WWE wanted to go in that direction they wouldn’t have had him eat the pin at Day 1 nor not book Big E vs. Lesnar at the Royal Rumble. Lashley is the second most credible guy on the Raw roster to beat Lesnar so have Lashley take the title and allow Lesnar to move on.
Prediction: Bobby Lashley
Consensus: Bobby Lashley regains the WWE Championship
Michael: The Royal Rumble is one of the most anticipated matches of the entire year. I’m looking forward to seeing the creative spots and surprise appearances WWE has planned. My personal pick would be for Big E to win and get a true ‘chase’ storyline for the WWE Championship. However, I think we’re going to see Brock Lesnar pull double duty, enter and win the Royal Rumble after dropping the WWE title earlier in the night.
Prediction: Brock Lesnar
Fernando: This is going to be a boring prediction but one I can easily see coming to fruition. I don’t believe both Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar will successfully defend their world titles. I only see one of them walking out of Royal Rumble with gold and WWE isn’t having Roman lose before WrestleMania. My prediction is The Bloodline costs Lesnar the WWE Title in his match with Bobby Lashley. This will give WWE an excuse to throw him in the Rumble match and win it.
Prediction: Brock Lesnar
Andrew Ravens: My lock here is Brock Lesnar, who isn’t confirmed for the match just yet as he’s facing Lashley on this show. I still stand by my theory that Lesnar will drop the title here so why not have him come back strong and win the rumble match as the #30 entrant in the bout, which will no doubt get a big pop. This would allow WWE to get to their plans at WrestleMania.
The internal restructuring in WWE seems to still be going at full pace as another long-term employee has left the promotion after over a decade.
According to reports from PWinsider, long-time executive Amanda Tustian who was working as the Director of OTT (Over The Top) Content Operations left WWE yesterday. Though there is no word on the reason behind her departure.
The female executive had been with the promotion for almost 12 years. She was hired back in February 2010 as the Creative Writing Assistant.
In her role, Tustian assisted the creative vice presidents of Raw and SmackDown. She also handled the travel logistics for a team of 14 employees.
She was appointed the Talent Development Coordinator in October 2011. She stayed in this role till August 2013 and helped with various tasks concerning talent recruitment. This included booking extras for events.
This trend of changing responsibilities continued throughout her career. Amanda Tustian was finally promoted to the role of WWE Director of OTT Content Operations in September 2020.
Tustian’s LinkedIn profile mentions that in her last role, she oversaw the launch of WWE Network on Peacock. She helped migrate over 14,000+ hours of content and metadata to the NBCUniversal-owned streaming service.
Shawn Michaels is in charge of NXT creative at the moment. WWE rebranded NXT to NXT 2.0 back in September. This is when Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard were said to have taken a larger role backstage in NXT. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, however, McMahon and Prichard do not play a major role in creative in the same way they do for RAW and Smackdown.
“We are told that even with the perception that Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard are running NXT, it’s really not the case. When it comes to creative, the guy basically in charge is Shawn Michaels,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Vince McMahon is said to be more involved than he used to be in NXT, however. While he will look at run sheets, he does not change the show last-minute as he often does with RAW and Smackdown.
There are some directions that come from the top that Michaels has to follow. One of those directives is said to be the pushing of Joe Gacy. McMahon apparently believes that Gacy’s gimmick will earn the company mainstream publicity.
Also, there are several NXT talents who could be called up to the main roster shortly. LA Knight is slotted to get called up after WrestleMania, but that may have gotten pushed up. The Creed Brothers have reportedly earned praise as well, with Julius getting some Kurt Angle comparisons.
Currently, there are no plans for Triple H to return to creative for either WWE or NXT due to health issues. WWE officials are pleased with the job Shawn Michaels has been doing in his absence. Michaels is being praised for turning guys like Bron Breakker, Carmela Hayes, Knight, Grayson Waller and Tony D’Angelo into stars.
Saturday night’s WWE Royal Rumble premium live event is sure to feature several surprise appearances.
SEScoops has learned that former Superstar Kaitlyn (Celeste Bonin) is currently in St. Louis, Missouri, site of the Royal Rumble.
Kaitlyn first signed with WWE back in 2010. She wrestled for Florida Championship Wrestling before getting called up to the main roster.
She is a former Divas Champion, but left the company in 2014. Kaitlyn returned to WWE for a brief run in 2018-2019.
Kaitlin is currently involved in Project This is Me, an organization dedicated to, “getting you back to who you were, before you conformed to what you presumed what was expected of you; Clearing the path to create everything you’ve ever wanted to become. Everything.”
Visit our official Royal Rumble event page to catch up on all the latest news regarding the Rumble and all the expected surprise returns.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYcXlBVLeiQ/
Update: Since our report, Kaitlyn posted a photo on her Instagram story of herself in front of the famous Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
Impact Wrestling on 1/27 was the first show to air from the recent tapings in Fort Lauderdale. The tapings featured the Impact debut of the Guerrillas of Destiny.
Impact Results 1/27:
Jake Something defeated Chris Bey
The iinspiration (Cassie Lee & Jessica McKay) defeated Kaleb with a K & Madison Rayne
W. Morrissey defeated The Learning Tree in a handicap match.
Jake Something picked up a victory over Chris Bey in this week’s opening contest. After the match, however, the Guerrillas of Destiny Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa hit the ring and attacked Something. “Speedball” Mike Bailey came out to make the save but Jay White came up behind him and gave him a suplex.
Tama and Tonga then sent a message to the Good Brothers into the camera. We haven’t seen those two teams come face to face since the NJPW USA show this summer.
Honor No More vs Team Impact Booked For No Surrender
Vincent, PCO, and the OKC bought tickets and made their way to ringside. This led to a team of Impact babyfaces (Rhino, Rich Swann, Eddie Edwards, Chris Sabin and Josh Alexander) coming out to the ring to prevent anymore invasions. Scott D’Amore came out and booked a 5-on-5 match for No Surrender with the stipulation that if Honor No More wins, they can remain in Impact. He also booked a match between Chris Sabin and PCO for later in the show. D’Amore noted that the Honor No More faction does not represent ROH like Jonathan Gresham does, they are in it for themselves.
Later in the show, D’Amore brings Honor No More to a backstage room that they can use as their locker room. There, they are visited by former ROH owner Cary Silkin, who says the group do not represent Ring of Honor.
The Iinspiration defeated Madison Rayne and Kaleb with a K
Tenille Dashwood was not able to make it to the tapings in Fort Lauderdale, so Kaleb with a K subbed for her in this match. Since Kaleb is not eligible to compete for the Knockouts tag team titles, the match was changed to a non-title bout. Lee ended up pinning Kaleb with a pinning combination to pick up the win for the Iinspiration.
Mickie James Gives State of the Knockouts Division Address
James put over the division roster. She did refer to Deonna Purrazzo as “the worst person” she’s shared a ring with, which obviously the Virtuosa did not take too kindly to. Purrazzo had a few words for James before leaving the ring area.
James also spoke about taking part in the Royal Rumble on Saturday. She said she is honored and excited to walk into the Rumble as the Knockouts World Champion. Chelsea Green got in the ring and complimented James and listing off her accomplishments. Green said Mickie is going to win the Rumble and she wants the first title shot after she does. Tasha Steelz reacted to this with loud boos, since she’s scheduled to face James at No Surrender next month.
Steelz hit James with the Red X from Ultimate-X and a melee ensued between her & Savannah Evans against Green and James. It ended with Green and James throwing both of the heels out of the ring.
W. Morrissey Defeats The Learning Tree In Handicap Match
Brian Myers inducted multiple people into his Learning Tree in the back earlier in the show. Several of these wrestlers then took on W. Morrissey in a handicap match. Morrissey had little trouble with any of them. He squashed all of Myers’ new recruits and is building momentum on the road to his No Surrender title match with Moose.
After the match, Myers tried to attack Morrissey but Morrissey got the better of him. Then Moose attacked from behind. The Learning Tree got back involved but Morrissey fought them off before getting speared by Moose to end the segment.
JONAH didn’t have any trouble at all with Johnny Swinger this week. He defeated him with his big tsunami splash off the top rope. American Top Team and AEW’s Dan Lambert was shown watching and applauding JONAH’s performance from the crowd.
After the match, JONAH looked to do more damage to Swinger when the members of Decay came to the ring. They had a bit of a staredown with JONAH as he went to the back.
The night’s main event saw Honor No More’s PCO take on Chris Sabin in singles action. Sabin looked as though he had PCO where he wanted him, but PCO thwarted the Cradle Shock. Sabin then had to fight off the members of Honor No More at ringside but Bennett managed to knock him off the top ropes while Maria had the ref distracted. PCO then delivered a full nelson slam and got the pin.
After the match, Honor No More attacked Sabin but Josh Alexander, Eddie Edwards, Rhino and Rich Swann made the save. Alexander put Vincent in the ankle lock until Honor No More pulled their stablemate to safety as the show came to a close.
Coming Up In Impact Wrestling
Next Week:
Digital Media Championship Jordynne Grace (c) vs Matt Cardona
Jonathan Gresham vs Steve Maclin (traditional rules, not Pure rules)
Ace Austin, Madman Fulton, Mike Bailey, & Jake Something vs Bullet Club (Jay White, Chris Bey, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa)
No Surrender (February 19th)
Knockouts World Championship Mickie James (c) vs Tasha Steelz
Impact World Championship Moose (c) vs W. Morrissey
Charles Barkley dedicated a portion of his podcast recently to send a message to AEW’s Jon Moxley. Barkley said he’s proud of the former AEW World Champion for seeking out treatment for his issues with alcohol.
“I know you all don’t know this guy, his name is Jon Moxley. You guys know I’m a big wrestling fan,” Barkley said on the show.
“So Jon Moxley, he’s one of the biggest stars for AEW. He left three months ago for alcohol treatment. You know I had a younger brother who passed away so I know a lot about addiction, and he just came back this week and I just want him to know, we never met, I just want to say, man, I’m really proud of him.”
Barkley continued, “I wish him nothing but the best. I’ve been through it with my family and, man, it’s a tough situation. But I just want him to know that I’m really proud of him and just keep battling. It’s all you can do. So, shoutout to those guys.”
You can listen to Charles Barkley’s comments about Jon Moxley here:
Shinsuke Nakamura has been cleared to return to in-ring action. Nakamura had been on the shelf with a hand injury dating back to mid-December. The winner of the 2018 Royal Rumble noted on his Instagram stories recently that he has been cleared to return.
Nakamura’s last match was on a December 18th, 2021 WWE live event in Rockford, Illinois. He teamed with Boogz on that card and defeated Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss.
Rick Boogz Comments On Shinsuke Nakamura’s Injury
Nakamura’s injury was first revealed by his partner, Rick Boogz, on the Out of Character podcast.
“We’ve only had a couple of tag matches together and he suffered a hand injury that has kept him out for close to two months now, it seems like. I’m looking forward to him being healthy and cleared so we can kick some tail,” Boogs said on the podcast.
“From there, down the road, we’ll branch off, but I’m in no rush with that. There is a new approach, pairing up the seasoned vets with new up and comers and it’s obviously for a reason. It helps get more exposure, TV time, valuable insight. I don’t think he’d be as willing to help me out if I wasn’t with him, Strong Style Shred. What’s his incentive to help me?”
Royal Rumble is a PPV of surprise appearances. Reports suggest that this year it will include the return of another star who hasn’t been in quite some time.
Former WWE star Aksana is in St. Louis and is scheduled to appear in the Women’s Royal Rumble match, according to PWinsider.
Aksana
Aksana in WWE
Aksana signed a developmental contract with WWE in 2009. She trained at Florida Championship Wrestling held the FCW Divas Championship once during that run.
She made her main roster debut in October 2011 in a Divas Halloween costume battle royal. She was never a major character on WWE television. She did, however, have a brief on-screen relationship with Cesaro. She also had short-lived tag team with Alicia Fox named Foxsana.
The Lithuania native never won a championship on the main roster.
Aksana was with WWE for almost 5 years before getting released in June 2014. She’s been away from the wrestling world since her release.
WWE recently reached out to Jeff Hardy regarding a potential return to the company and an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
John Laurinaitis, WWE’s head of talent relations, personally reached out to Hardy in hopes of getting him back in the fold. Hardy declined the offer.
WWE announced this week that the 2022 Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place during WrestleMania 38 weekend from Dallas, TX.
“Hardy turned it down and asked for his drug test results because he knew he wasn’t going to test positive for recreational drugs.”
– Wrestling Observer Newsletter (Issue dated 1/30/22)
The report continues to say that WWE does not want Hardy to go to AEW and reunite with his brother Matt Hardy there. The Hardy Boyz would be revitalized going up against teams such as the Young Bucks, FTR, Santana & Ortiz etc.
AEW is not able to make an offer to Hardy until after his WWE contract runs out on March 9th. The belief is that Hardy is AEW bound once he becomes a free agent.
Matt Hardy recently stated that his brother’s passion for wrestling has been renewed.
“You know Jeff’s excitement and passion for wrestling have been so renewed now that he has this new horizon in front of him. I’m very excited about that,” Matt said on the Wrestling Perspectives podcast.
Disney and WWE have made a streaming deal that will see the entertainment giant carry the WWE Network in Indonesia, per Sports Business Journal.
The deal will make all the WWE Network content available on Disney+ Hotstar streaming service including this year’s Royal Rumble PPV from Sunday, January 30.
The subscribers will be able to see all the WWE shows in the Indonesian language, and English. Though this isn’t the first deal between the two organizations.
WWE previously signed a deal with Fox in Latin America. The California-based company inherited this deal when they took over Fox Entertainment assets in 2019.
The wrestling promotion also has a deal with Hulu for the streaming rights of Raw and SmackDown. Disney is the majority owner of Hulu. Though this deal is set to expire later this year.
The recent spree of WWE releases has made many believe that Vince McMahon might be gearing up for a sale of the company. Disney’s name has been thrown around as potential buyers for the promotion numerous times.
Although president Nick Khan recently claimed that they aren’t actively looking to sell the company despite interest from parties. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.
After decades of running PPVs on Sundays, WWE has finally made the switch to Saturday. This weekend’s Royal Rumble will be the latest of the WWE premium events to be moved to a Saturday and Rey Mysterio thinks it’s a good idea.
The former world champion recently had an interview with Barstool Wrestling. He discussed things such as his son Dominik Mysterio’s progression and more.
When asked about WWE switching to Saturdays for their big events, Rey Mysterio said that the whole company is making a change for good:
“I don’t mind it. I can kind of see why they switched from Sundays to Saturdays. You know, just the whole company overall, is making a change for good. A lot of people have to work Monday mornings, [so] going to an event on Sunday and having to wake up the next morning [is not convenient].
Even kids. kids have to go school. So I think Saturday is a good family day to go out and have a good time. Even if it’s just the homies, [who] wanna go have a beer and check out some wrestling. What a perfect day to enjoy.”
Rey Mysterio will be entering his record 13th Royal Rumble match this Saturday. He will have the opportunity to join the exclusive club of stars who have won the rumble multiple times including names such as Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin.
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
Dominik Mysterio comes from a family of wrestlers and it’s no surprise that he wants to face fellow generational wrestler and internet sensation Hook.
The WWE star recently had an interview with My Mom’s Basement podcast. During the talk he was asked which Forbidden Door wrestlers he would like to face.
Mysterio unsurprisingly took the name of fellow second-generation wrestler Hook immediately, before revealing some more of his dream opponents:
“HOOK. That would be a fun one. For the culture, Penta (El Zero M) and (Rey) Fenix. Me and my dad against Penta and Fenix, I think we would knock the doors down and bring the house down. We would tear it down with those guys.
Andrade would be another one. He left us, but he’s another one.” said Dominik Mysterio, “(CM) Punk. Sting. There are so many guys I would love to work with. We’ll see what the future holds.”
The 24-year-old also revealed which WWE stars he would like to face. He explained that he would like to go up against names such as Santos Escobar and Angel Garza because of the culture they come from.
Mysterio later said that he would love to get his hands on Seth Rollins again now that he has wrestled a few matches and won a title in the company.
Rey Mysterio is one of the most recognizable stars in wrestling right now. Though his beginning in the business was very humble. The wrestling veteran wasn’t even paid in cash for his first wrestling match back in 1989.
The WWE 2K22 cover star was recently interviewed by Brandon Walker of Barstool Wrestling. During a discussion about Mysterio’s longevity in the business, he explained that he’s truly blessed to be still wrestling in 2022.
“So I was talking to Edge the other day in the locker room. He was saying, ‘Rey, you know, we’re the only two guys left that have been part of five decades of wrestling.’ I started in 89. So I was part of the 80s, 90s, 2000s, 10s, and 20s. Now, that’s amazing, man! I’m truly blessed to be able to be in this for this amount of time.”
Mysterio’s First Match was in a Parking Lot
Rey Mysterio (Photo: WWE)
When Walker showed his amazement at the fact that Rey Mysterio has been wrestling so long, the wrestling legend recalled his first match. He revealed that it took place in parking lot of a church and he was paid for it with a sandwich and a Coca Cola:
“That was my first match. I was 14 years old. Imagine that. It counts because I got paid. Not money, but I got a sandwich and a Coca-Cola. It was in front of maybe 80 fans outside of a church, in a parking lot church in Tijuana.”
Apart from this, Rey Mysterio also talked about the upcoming Royal Rumble PPV, being the cover star of WWE 2K22 video game and more. You can check out his full interview in the embedded video
After almost 17 years in the business, Bobby Lashley has started to understand that wrestling is about more than just impressive-looking moves. He believes that it’s about telling a story and that’s why the All-Mighty thinks that Roman Reigns is the best wrestler in the business right now.
The former WWE champion was recently asked about his training routine during his appearance on The Pat McAfee show. Replying to it, Bobby explained that his training is the same but as time has gone on, he has started putting more thought into his character work. He also offered some big praise to The Tribal Chief:
“Roman is the best in the game right now because he’s the best storyteller. He has incredible character. He sticks to his character and he makes everything that he does mean more.” said Bobby Lashley, “So as you go on in your career [you understand that]. When you’re young, you want to throw everything out there.
When you start getting to the point of really just understanding what it’s kind of about [you think more]. Mine is [that] I’m mean. So I throw a few mean things in there like the whiplash when I sling the guy against the pole and everything like that. That’s just dirty and that’s mean. As I’ve gotten further in my career, I just think of things to make my character better, not just another cool move that I can throw out there.”
Bobby Lashley is currently scheduled to challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE championship at the Royal Rumble PPV this Saturday. You can check out the betting odds for the PPV here.
Mickie James is all set to make history at Royal Rumble this year by becoming the first outside champion to enter the battle royal. Though she is looking even further. The Knockouts champion is ready to defend her own title in a champion vs champion match at WrestleMania if she wins this Saturday.
The wrestling veteran hyped up her upcoming appearance during a promo on the latest episode of Impact Wrestling. She mentioned how it will be the first time a world champion that doesn’t belong to WWE will be represented at Royal Rumble. She then explained her plans for WrestleMania if she wins:
“For the first time ever, a world champion will be represented at the Royal Rumble that doesn’t belong to them, because it belongs right here.” said Mickie James, “I am truly honored and I can’t tell you how excited I am to walk into that Royal Rumble as your Impact Knockouts World Champion.
Hardcore country is going to bring everything she has because I am in it to win it. You talk about making history, I talk about at the end of the Rumble winning and walking into WrestleMania, putting my Knockouts Championship on the line. Title versus title. Champion vs champion. We’re gonna see just who the best in the world is.”
Mickie James won’t be the only exciting name returning for Royal Rumble. Stars such as Lita and Summer Rae have been announced for the show already. Reports suggest that there is another big return planned for the show which hasn’t been announced yet. Click here to read the spoiler on the surprise entrant.
Game Changer Wrestling has made some big announcements for the 2022 edition of The Collective during the WrestleMania 38 week in Dallas, Texas.
The extreme wrestling promotion first announced the return of The Collective in December last year, confirming that it will be taking place from March 31 to April 2.
The return of Joey Janela’s Spring Break was confirmed by the hardcore star himself today. He revealed that this time it will be a two-night event:
“Everything is bigger in Texas, And One night isn’t big enough for Spring Break! Thursday 3/31 8pm And When the clock strikes midnight and Friday turns into Saturday, Join me for “THE GREATEST CLUSTERFUCK” 4/2 12am!!!!!”
The company has previously confirmed the debut of Wrld Fair for the weekend as well. The Wrld Fair will include 17,000 square feet of vendors, exhibits, games, podcasts and stage shows.
No matches have been announced for the shows as of yet but we can expect to see some big names being added to the card for the event as the weekend gets closure.
Legendary play-by-play announcer Jim Ross would rather see a fresh talent win this year’s men’s Royal Rumble match than an already-established main eventer.
The Road to WrestleMania will officially begin this Saturday night (Jan. 29). The 2022 Royal Rumble event (see betting odds here) will be held inside The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
Besides the two Royal Rumble matches, the event will also include three world title matches. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will put his gold on the line against Seth Rollins. Brock Lesnar’s WWE Title will be at stake against Bobby Lashley.
The third world title match will see Becky Lynch put the Raw Women’s Championship up for grabs against Doudrop.
A Fresh Face?
During an episode of his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross shared his belief that a new star can be born by winning the men’s Royal Rumble match.
“One of those new young guys, I’m not sure. I’d say it’s a great opportunity to make somebody, so to speak. If they use that philosophy, I’m thinking one of their young studs is gonna be victorious just to get a fresh start, new winner, all that.
“We could go through all the top guys that are in it, there are tons of em’ that could theoretically and realistically win the damn thing. But I think if I were WWE and I were Vince, this is an opportunity that I would take to make some talent.”
Stick with SEScoops this Saturday as we’ll be providing coverage of the WWE Royal Rumble event. We’ll be sure to update you on the Rumble match winners and any title changes should they occur.
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Mark Henry is of the belief that things in the wrestling industry wouldn’t get much bigger than The Rock vs. Roman Reigns.
Reigns’ “Bloodline” angle has been praised by wrestling fans. “The Tribal Chief” was in need of a fresh coat of paint and he got it in the form of a heel turn back in Aug. 2020.
“The Head of The Table” aligned himself with Paul Heyman and The Usos to create the Bloodline faction. The story has evolved and Reigns turned on Heyman for re-aligning with Brock Lesnar.
Enter The Great One?
During an episode of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry said he feels The Rock and Roman Reigns beginning a feud would go down in history.
“There’s only one thing that can be changed and it’s really not even a change. It’s only one thing that can happen that can take it out of this world and make it — and that’s for The Rock to come and say, ‘No, you don’t run the family. I run the family.’
“If that was to happen it would be the biggest thing to happen in pro wrestling. Because this is already historically [a] top tier story without The Rock. You add The Rock, man you can put it right up there with [The Mega Powers].
“You can put it right up there with another thing that The Rock was involved in, The Nation. You can put it right up there into Stone Cold Steve Austin’s run and rise to prominence. There’s really nothing that it wouldn’t surpass.”
The question remains, can The Rock fit WWE in his schedule? As everyone knows, he is Hollywood’s biggest star and constantly stays busy.
“The People’s Champ” was able to make some room for WWE from 2011 to 2013. By the end of his return run, The Rock suffered torn abdominal and abductor muscles as well as a hernia.
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Finn Balor admits he was bogged down before he returned to the NXT brand.
Balor has enjoyed success in WWE on both NXT and the main roster but he got the sense that things were at a bit of a standstill. In 2019, Balor had been on the sidelines for nearly two months before he returned to NXT.
A Second Wind
Finn Balor appeared on Mark Andrews’ My Love Letter to Wrestling podcast and he revealed that he had been burned out by backstage politics before returning to NXT (h/t POST Wrestling).
“I think it’s yet to come [his prime]. I feel like, I had got a little bit stale and I was just kind of like — I was tired, I was exhausted. I was kind of like worn out by dealing with the politics and the office and the writers and all the everything that goes with it and I just had enough and when I returned to NXT, I really feel like that rejuvenated me in the ring and one thing I feel that helped in all the negative effects of the pandemic.”
A lot has changed since Balor was last on NXT. The brand has gone in a new direction, focusing on younger and less-seasoned talent than independent and international wrestlers.
Balor currently competes on the Monday Night Raw brand. WrestlingNews.co reported that Vince McMahon has given up on pushing Balor as a main event player.
Balor was pinned clean by Austin Theory on the Jan. 17 episode of Raw.
Paul Heyman has shared his unique insight on CM Punk’s return to professional wrestling. According to Heyman, Punk is still riding the momentum of the excitement surrounding his return. He believes it will be at least a year until we can truly evaluate the impact of his current run.
Heyman appeared on The Ringer’s The Masked Man Show podcast this week to promote Saturday’s WWE Royal Rumble premium live event. He spoke with David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide about working closely with Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, what it means to be a Paul Heyman Guy and much more.
CM Punk returned to wrestling last summer. He made his debut for All Elite Wrestling at AEW Rampage: The First Dance on August 20, 2021. Since then, Punk has worked memorable programs with Darby Allin and MJF. He appears to be thoroughly enjoying himself, a stark contrast from when he left WWE in 2014.
When asked what he thinks about the work CM Punk is doing in AEW, Paul Heyman says he’s not sure if Punk should be judged on the work he is currently doing.
“I think what will be interesting is what happens when the novelty that he’s back wears off, both for the audience and for him.”
– Paul Heyman on CM Punk’s return to wrestling
According to the mastermind behind ECW, it’s going to take some time before we can truly gauge Punk’s return to wrestling. Will Punk simply ride the wave of nostalgia, or will he revolutionize the business again?
“What happens a year from now? How’s he going to feel? How will the audience look at him and accept him in a year? If he can continue to drive himself to being a progressive, compelling, riveting character on the cutting edge that presents himself in a different manner than anybody else can present himself, herself, then he’s going to be fascinating character to watch.”
Heyman continued, “If he can’t, then he’s going to be someone that came back, rode a wave of nostalgia but didn’t progress into the future when he as a rebel was always looking forward in the business and never trying to live off what the business had already accomplished or what he had already accomplished in the business.”
What fascinates Paul Heyman most is the vision CM Punk has for his character. We are still in the “honeymoon period” of Punk being back in wrestling.
CM Punk & Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns & CM Punk
Heyman says Punk’s current situation is very similar to Roman Reigns’ transition from The Big Dog to The Tribal Chief. Before they joined forces on WWE television, Heyman had a heart-to-heart conversation with Reigns. He told Reigns that everything he had done up to that point was the “appetizer” of his career. Even though he had already main evented WrestleMania four times, that was practice.
“This is where your legacy gets crafted,” he told Reigns. “This is your Hall of Fame run. This is what you will be remembered for and everything before was just getting you here, including four WrestleMania main events.”
Heyman says CM Punk is still in the “warm up” phase of what could be an all-time great career. A year from now, when this current honeymoon phase is over, he’ll have a chance to solidify his legacy.
“Where does he take the CM Punk character in 2023, 2024, 2025? Can he make that character so progressive, so revolutionary, so evolutionary, so riveting, so compelling, so different and unique than anybody that’s out there that he truly defines himself as a transformative figure, a true disruptor in the professional wrestling/sports-entertainment game? That’s the interesting part to me.”
Heyman added that “momentum eventually stops” and Punk has to create the next wave of momentum to truly touch the audience in a meaningful way.
WWE Superstar Kofi Kingston shared that he doubted that KofiMania would happen until his Wrestlemania 35 entrance.
CBS’s Shakiel Mahjouri interviewed Kingston ahead of the Royal Rumble on January 29. Kingston will compete in the Men’s Royal Rumble match to earn a title opportunity at Wrestlemania. During the interview, Mahjouri asked Kingston to reflect on his WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 35 on April 7, 2019. Kingston admitted that he was unsure until that day.
“…It really wasn’t until like I heard my music or rather like when the promotional package right before the match came on I was like oh my god,” said Kingston. He continued, “…I’m looking around making sure no one’s going to come up to me like ‘Oh well, we just changed the plans. Sorry, We are not going to go with you right now, and you know we’re going to do this. Brock Lesnar is going to come in the middle of the match, and you know what I mean, you just have no idea.” Kingston added that Mustafa Ali had a similar situation with Lesnar winning the Money in the Bank match on May 19, 2019.
Kingston also shared that he didn’t want to get his hopes up to be let down by WWE. Luckily for him, the company decided to have Kingston defeat Daniel Bryan to win the WWE Championship.
What’s Next for the New Day
The New Day faction of Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E is having a difficult time in the WWE. Woods suffered an injury, and the WWE hasn’t added him to the Men’s Royal Rumble. However, both Kingston and Big E will compete in the match, but it’s unclear if either will win. The former WWE Champion Big E hasn’t won a match since Monday Night Raw on December 6, 2021. Kingston has worked as a singles competitor against Madcap Moss for several weeks. It’s unclear what WWE has planned for The New Day heading into Wrestlemania this year.
A new action figure portraying Sasha Banks’ Mandalorian character is now available for pre-sale. WWE’s Legit Boss played Koska Reeves in the popular Star Wars series The Mandalorian on Disney Plus.
The “sixth scale” figure from Hot Toys will not come cheap. The figure is currently on sale for $270 and will not ship for over a year.
Sasha Banks reacted to the news of this pre-sale, writing, “My heart is on fire holy holy”
The description of the Koska Reeves Sixth Scale figure reads,
In continuation of expanding the widely popular The Mandalorian collectible series, Sideshow and Hot Toys are excited to officially introduce the new Koska Reeves Sixth Scale Collectible Figure!
“The Koska Reeves collectible figure features newly developed head sculpt with great likeness and detailed hair sculpture, Mandalorian helmet and armor with weathering effects, skillfully tailored under-suit, a jetpack with booster fire effects, a blaster rifle, a blaster pistol, a wired grappling hook, a flamethrower effect, a themed display stand, and backdrop!”
Visit Sideshow.com to pre-order and for additional information
Rosenberg asked the Awesome One what he thinks about MJF. Miz praised the Island loudmouth and believes that he’s not an imitation of anybody.
“I don’t think he wants to be The Miz, to be honest,” said The Miz. “I don’t think any superstar, no matter what company you’re in, wants to be the next this person. You want to be an original,”
He also believes there are comparisons, but every wrestler strives to be an original.
“I don’t think he wants to be the next Miz, I think he wants to be the first him, and honestly, I say he’s doing a great job at it.”
The Miz also praised MJF for what he’s accomplished at just 25 years old.
Listen to The Miz on the latest episode of Cheap Heat:
What’s Next for MJF
MJF is currently in a feud with CM Punk. The rivalry started two months ago, but AEW hasn’t put them in a singles match against each other. However, last night on AEW Dynamite, the company finally booked them in a match for next week.
AEW’s next pay-per-view, Revolution, takes place on March 6th at the Additional Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida. This match seemed destined to be a PPV attraction, but Punk vs. MJF will go down on TBS in just a matter of days.
Bad Bunny earned the respect of his peers and the fans with his WWE run last year and latest reports suggest that he is set to make his return as soon as this Saturday at the Royal Rumble PPV.
According to RingSideNews, a tenured member of the creative team has confirmed that the Puerto Rican singer and songwriter is “in the Rumble.”
The Grammy-winning artist has said only positive things about his previous stint with WWE. The site notes that ‘Bad Bunny is always looking to do more with WWE.”
The music star who has been a lifelong wrestling fan took the opportunity to participate in the industry last year. He made his debut at the Royal Rumble PPV itself.
He initially performed his single ‘Booker T’ during the show. Bad Bunny later got involved in a segment with The Miz and he ended up delivering a top rope dive to Miz and John Morrison during the PPV.
This interaction quickly turned into a storyline that led to the rap star teaming with fellow Puerto Rican talent Damian Priest to defeat The Miz and Morrison at WrestleMania 37.
Bunny received praise for his work ethic from a number of wrestlers. The news of his return is an exciting development. It will be interesting to see if he sticks around for another program after the show as well.
