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(Spoiler) Major Return Planned For Saturday’s WWE Royal Rumble

Michael Reichlin
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The Royal Rumble is all about surprise returns. According to Bryan Alvarez of F4Wonline.com, Ronda Rousey is slated to be a surprise entrant in the Women’s Royal Rumble this Saturday night.

Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey

WWE generated a lot of buzz by announcing several legends would be returning for the Women’s Royal Rumble, including Mickie James, The Bella Twins, Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool and more. As it turns out, they are keeping a few tricks up their sleeve.

“I was told that Ronda Rousey will be in the Royal Rumble”

– Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live

As of this writing, 21 women are confirmed entrants for the women’s Rumble match.

Women's Royal Rumble 2022

Ronda Rousey in WWE

Ronda Rousey made her WWE debut at the 2018 Royal Rumble pay-per-view. After Asuka had won the inaugural Women’s Royal Rumble match, Rousey stunned the live crowd by making a surprise appearance. Moments later, ESPN dropped the bombshell news that Rousey had signed a full-time contract with WWE.

Rousey would go on to compete at WrestleMania later that year. She teamed with Kurt Angle against Stephanie McMahon and Triple H in match that exceeded expectations.

She went on to capture the Raw Women’s Championship and wrestled the top competitors of that era including Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch.

The last time we saw Ronda Rousey in a WWE ring was at WrestleMania 35. It was another historic appearance, as she, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair became the first women to main event a WrestleMania.

In September 2021, Ronda Rousey and husband Travis Browne announced the birth of their daughter, La’akea Makalapuaokalanip.

CM Punk Delivers the Final Verdict on Wrestlers’ Court

Michael Reichlin
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CM Punk is no fan of Wrestlers’ Court.

Wrestlers’ Court is a bygone practice where backstage issues amongst talent are settled by an appointed ‘judge’ before things escalated beyond the point of no return.

When someone was ‘acting up’ in a way that offended the rest of the locker room, they would ‘stand trial’ and have the opportunity defend themselves. If they were found guilty, a punishment was handed down by the judge as a way of resolving the matter.

The appointed judge was often a locker room leader, with The Undertaker presiding over many trials during his day.

Today’s wrestling business is far from perfect, but things have evolved and cleaned up dramatically from past eras. The antics that would have landed someone in Wrestlers’ Court are more taboo today than they were in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Many find Wrestlers’ Court itself to be completely antiquated.

On Monday, CM Punk mentioned on social media that he’d like to one day dress up like a cowboy for one of his matches, including leather chaps and vest. A few of his followers pointed out that Adam “Hangman” Page already has this gimmick.

One fan told Punk that he might land himself in Wrestlers’ Court if he started dressing up like a cowboy and ‘infringing’ on Hangman Page’s gimmick. Punk took the opportunity to share his thoughts on Wrestlers’ Court.

According to CM Punk, Wrestlers’ Court was “the most insecure small dick energy average white man embarrassment to the wrestling business shit of all time.”

Case closed!

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Eva Marie Lands Starring Role in ‘Phoenix’ Action-Thriller

Michael Reichlin
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Former WWE Superstar Eva Marie has landed a starring role in the upcoming action thriller, Phoenix.

The film will co-star UFC legends Randy Couture and Rashad Evans, as well as former WWE tag team champion Vladamir Kozlov (Oleg Prudius).

According to Deadline, Eva Marie will play Fiona “Phoenix” Grant, a US Army veteran who teaches hand-to-hand combat skills in Afghanistan.

Things go sideways when her father, security specialist Everett Grant (Randy Couture), is found dead. A police report lists his cause of death as a suicide, but she doesn’t believe it.

When Fiona returns home to the United States, she learns that the prime suspect in her father’s death is drug kingpin Maxim Vasiliiev (Vladamir Kozlov).

“Armed to the teeth, she plans to take out Vasiliiev with her bare hands, and nothing is going to stop her.”

Back in November, she posted this photo from the set of a new ‘big screen’ project in the works:

Visit Deadline for more details on Phoenix.

Eva Marie was released from WWE back in November 2021. This wrapped up her second run with the company.

Outside of wrestling, she’s been working to launch her acting career. Last year, she appeared as a series regular on Paradise City, a musical drama that streams on Amazon Prime Video.

Quote: WALTER’s Name Change Won’t Hurt Him In Any Way

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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One WWE legend doubts that the name change from WALTER to Gunther will cause any issues in the long run.

Fans were up in arms with WWE’s decision to change WALTER’s name now that he will be a regular on WWE TV outside of NXT UK. He now goes by the name Gunther. WWE found themselves in hot water for trademarking the name “Gunther Stark” as that is the name of a known Nazi.

WWE has dropped the trademark but WALTER’s new name is indeed still Gunther.

Booker T Talks WALTER’s Name Change

Taking to his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T said that being called Gunther shouldn’t hurt WALTER’s stock.

“Three months ago maybe with Steiner and Breakker and now, do anybody think about Bron Breakker now? Is anybody thinking about it? Everybody’s talking about how freakin’ awesome Bron Breakker is.

“That’s the only thing I hear now. Now, of course, WALTER is his real name. Of course, that may cause some kind of conflict from a logistic perspective, I don’t know. Changing his name, I don’t think that’s something that’s gonna hinder him or hurt him in any way when he goes out there and performs in the middle of the ring.

“I think people will forget it soon.”

WWE is known for changing names of established independent and international talent before they make it to the main roster. There are exceptions such as AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Ricochet.

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

Moose Says Impact’s Shows Are Just As Good As AEW or WWE

Chris Stephens
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Impact World Champion Moose recently stated that he believes Impact’s shows are just as good as AEW or WWE’s. He also stated that he hopes the promotion will begin to run bigger venues as well.

“If you watch our shows, I feel our shows are just as good, if not better than AEW and WWE,” Moose said. “I think the biggest challenge, if I was running the company, I would try to expand our following in the sense of getting bigger venues and seeing if we can draw a 5,000 or 6,000 seat arena. You never know unless you try it. Let’s see if we can start slowly running in big arenas, especially our PPVs.”

Moose continued to say that he had a custom Impact World Championship belt made but the company decided against him using it.

“I’m going to break the news now. I actually had a custom Impact World title made. It looks exactly the same, but it’s on a red strap, on red leather. I pitched it and it got turned down. I understand why it got turned down. I don’t want to get into the details of it, but I understand why. If I keep it long enough, maybe they’ll change their mind on it.”

At the Hard to Kill PPV earlier this month, Moose successfully defended his title against Matt Cardona and W. Morrissey in a triple threat match. He’s scheduled to face W. Morrissey in another title match at No Surrender next month. Impact recently spent two days in Fort Lauderdale taping episodes of their weekly programming. Spoilers for those shows are available below:

H/T to WrestlingNews for the above transcriptions.

WWE Trademark Indicates Character Change for Alexa Bliss

Michael Reichlin
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Alexa Bliss may be getting another character change in the near future.

Last Wednesday, January 19th, WWE submitted an application to trademark the name, “The Goddess.”

According to the United States Patent & Trademark Office database, the name would be used primarily for:

“Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service;”

Alexa Bliss Supernatural
Alexa Bliss’ Supernatural character

Alexa Bliss used The Goddess moniker back in 2020, before she was possessed by The Fiend Bray Wyatt.

A lot has transpired since then, including the departure of Bray Wyatt and Charlotte Flair destroying Lilly, Bliss’ beloved doll.

Alexa Bliss took several months off from WWE television, but recently made her return. As part of her journey back to Raw, her supernatural character is undergoing therapy sessions.

Admit reports of WWE trademarking the name of her old Goddess character, Alexa Bliss tweeted that she likes to “evolve” and always move forward without taking steps backwards.

Hall of Fame, NXT Stand & Deliver Set for ‘Mania Weekend

Michael Reichlin
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WWE has announced an updated lineup for WrestleMania 38 weekend from Dallas, Texas. The news was first provided to DallasNews.com.

When WrestleMania to town, it’s typically a week-long event. In addition to SmackDown, two nights of WrestleMania and Raw, WWE will also present the Hall of Fame Class of 2022 induction ceremony, the next NXT premium live event and the Axxess fan fest.

Here’s the updated schedule for WrestleMania 38 weekend:

  • April 1st: Friday Night SmackDown
  • April 2nd: WrestleMania 38 (Night 1)
  • April 3rd: WrestleMania 38 (Night 2)
  • April 4th: Monday Night Raw
  • TBA: WWE Hall of Fame
  • TBA: NXT: Stand & Deliver
  • WWE Axxess Fan Fest

The dates, times and locations of the Hall of Fame and Stand & Deliver have yet to be determined and will be announced at a later date.

Bully Ray & Renee Paquette Respond To The “F*ck Bully Ray” Chants On GCW PPV

Chris Stephens
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Bully Ray and Renee Paquette have both responded to GCW fans chanting “F*ck Bully Ray” in the Hammerstein Ballroom last night. On Busted Open Radio recently, Bully expressed the idea that Moxley should have apologized to the AEW fans on Dynamite for him being away while he went to rehab.

“I would have liked to have heard just a little bit of accountability from Jon. I understand the whole demons thing and we always use the word demons as a creative word to get around the real issues,” Bully said.

“So, okay we have our ‘demons.’ These demons got the best of Jon for a time period where he had to step away from AEW. I would’ve liked to have heard him say a bit of an apology to the AEW fans.” 

This led to Paquette putting out a Tweet that was critical of Bully.

When Moxley faced Homicide for the GCW World Title last night on The WRLD On GCW, loud “F*ck Bully Ray” chants rang out through the venue.

https://twitter.com/authofwrestling/status/1485455161140998144

Bully Ray responded with the following Tweet:

Renee Paquette Tweeted out the following:

Mark Henry also recently stated on Busted Open Radio that he disagreed with Bully’s take on Moxley’s situation.

“I have to disagree with our contemporary Bully Ray. He didn’t owe anybody an apology,” Henry said on the show.

NJPW Cancels Events In January Due To Rising COVID-19 Cases

Chris Stephens
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New Japan Pro Wrestling has cancelled its events in January due to rising COVID-19 cases. Touring will resume in February.

The following events have been cancelled:

  • Tuesday January 25th in Fukushima ?Toyota Crown Arena 
  • Saturday January 29th at Korakuen Hall
  • Sunday January 30th at Ibaraki?Kamisu Bousai Arena

The event on January 28th from Aichi has been rescheduled to April 18th.

The first event back will be the February 6th card from Chiba. The following night, NJPW is scheduled to be in Korakuen Hall with English commentary available on New Japan World. The next event for NJPW USA will be on February 17th, 2022 from the Vermont in Hollywood for New Japan Strong tapings.

Toru Yano, Tomoaki Honma, Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, Taka Michinoku, and Satoshi Kojima all missed shows on the most recent tour due to medical protocols.

“With a number of wrestlers presenting elevated temperatures or being in close contact with same, and in accordance with event protocols, New Japan Pro-Wrestling has arrived at the difficult decision to cancel or postpone remaining live events on the schedule for January,” an NJPW press release reads. “We deeply apologise to fans for the inconvenience, disappointment and concern caused by this decision, and appreciate your understanding.”

Matt Cardona & Chelsea Green React To The WRLD On GCW PPV

Chris Stephens
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Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green took to social media following the WRLD On GCW PPV last night. Cardona defeated Joey Janela on the show and pulled out some rather epic tactics to do so.

With a “If Cardona Wins We Riot” sign hanging from the rafters (and printed on Cardona’s shirt), he made his entrance to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” through the crowd in a fashion that ECW fans will be familiar with. He also wore a red flannel with the words “F*ck Mick Foley” on the back of it.

During the match, Cardona did all of the following:

  • Had Mark Sterling bring out Virgil in a Vince McMahon mask to distract Janela.
  • Him and Chelsea Green faked Green turning on Cardona only for her to then attack Janela.
  • Re-created the 2006 One Night Stand spot where Cena tossed his shirt to the crowd and the crowd tossed it back.
  • Swoggle came out from under the ring and attacked Janela. Eventually Sam Stackhouse and Marko Stunt would make the save on Janela’s behalf, however.
  • Had Brian Myers spear Janela through a door similar to what Edge did to Cena at One Night Stand 2006.

After Cardona won, it did appear as though the crowd was ready to riot. Sean Waltman then came out and made the save and this also seemed to prevent the rioting from happening, however.

Cardona and Chelsea Green took to social media following their victory. A collection of their posts are below:

X-Pac Appears at The Wrld on GCW

Jake Skudder
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WWE Hall of Famer Sean X-Pac Waltman made a surprise appearance at The Wrld on GCW event from Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, New York.

Waltman appeared during the chaotic match between Matt Cardona and Joey Janela, which also saw appearances from Marko Stunt, Hornswoggle, Virgil and Brian Myers.

X-Pac would help Joey Janela after he was defeated by Cardona, who had major help from his tag team partner Brian Myers.

The WWE legend actually came down to the ring with the D-Generation X music blaring for the crowd in attendance, and both Janela and Waltman celebrated to end the segment.

X-Pac Appears in GCW

Here is the full card for The Wrld on GCW PPV event:

  • GCW World Championship Match – Jon Moxley (c) vs. Homicide
  • Lio Rush vs. Blake Christian
  • Gringo Loco, Flamita & Arez vs. Bandido, ASF & Laredo Kid
  • Jeff Jarrett vs. EFFY
  • Allie Katch vs. Ruby Soho
  • Joey Janela vs. Matt Cardona w/ Chelsea Green
  • GCW Tag Team Championship Match – The Briscoes (c) vs TBA
  • Grab The Brass Ring Ladder Match – Jordan Oliver vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Alex Colon vs. Lio Rush vs. PCO vs Tony Deppen
  • PBR Kickoff Battle Royal (Kickoff Show)
  • PBR Kickoff Scramble: Jack Cartwheel vs. Dante Leon vs. Grim Reefer vs. Ninja Mack vs. Nick Wayne vs. Alex Zayne (Kickoff Show)

The show is available to watch now via FITE TV for $14.99.

Lio Rush Replaces Jonathan Gresham at The Wrld on GCW

Jake Skudder
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GCW is currently presenting The Wrld on GCW tonight live from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, New York.

One of the more anticipated matches on the night would’ve seen Jonathan Gresham defend his Ring of Honor Championship against Blake Christian.

Unfortunately, Gresham was unable to appear on the night, and soon to be released AEW star Lio Rush took his place.

Lio Rush at The Wrld on GCW

Blake Christian confirmed before the match that Jonathan Gresham was unable to make it to the arena, but there was no further information given beyond that.

Fightful Select confirmed just before the show went live that Gresham would not be appearing.

They wrote: “Jonathan Gresham is not at tonight’s show. We’re told that Lio Rush was expected to replace him as of this weekend, which is why G-Raver took Lio’s spot in the ladder match.”

  • GCW World Championship Match – Jon Moxley (c) vs. Homicide
  • Ring of Honor World Championship Match – Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Blake Christian
  • Gringo Loco, Flamita & Arez vs. Bandido, ASF & Laredo Kid
  • Jeff Jarrett vs. EFFY
  • Allie Katch vs. Ruby Soho
  • Joey Janela vs. Matt Cardona w/ Chelsea Green
  • GCW Tag Team Championship Match – The Briscoes (c) vs TBA
  • Grab The Brass Ring Ladder Match – Jordan Oliver vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Alex Colon vs. Lio Rush vs. PCO vs Tony Deppen
  • PBR Kickoff Battle Royal (Kickoff Show)
  • PBR Kickoff Scramble: Jack Cartwheel vs. Dante Leon vs. Grim Reefer vs. Ninja Mack vs. Nick Wayne vs. Alex Zayne (Kickoff Show)

The show is available to watch now via FITE TV for $14.99.

Former WWE Title Holders Turn Down Royal Rumble Appearance

Ryan Droste
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WWE made headlines recently when it was announced that Impact Wrestling Women’s Champion Mickie James would return to the company for an appearance in this year’s women’s Royal Rumble.

It turns out that James wasn’t the only former WWE talent currently with Impact that WWE reached out regarding the Rumble. According to Fightful Select, former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The IIconics (Peyton Royce and Billie Kay) were asked about coming in for the match.

The two are currently the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Champions as The IInspiration. Both Cassie Lee (Royce) and Jessica McKay (Kay) decided against the return. They’re happy where they are at now in their careers since their WWE releases last year.

The Fightful report notes that Impact would have signed off on the request and allowed them to compete in the match had they wanted to. Apparently they are not the only former WWE releases who have been asked about returning for the Rumble match.

Difficulty Filling Out The Rumble Roster?

Royal Rumble
WWE Royal Rumble

The women’s side of the Royal Rumble appears to be quite challenging for WWE when it comes to filling out the roster with names the general audience will recognize (read: non-rookies from NXT). Given all of the releases over the last couple of years, the roster has been left pretty thin. Several names from the past have already been announced.

So far confirmed for this year’s women’s Royal Rumble: Mickie James, Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley, Nikki A.S.H., Dana Brooke, Carmella, Queen Zelina, Shotzi, Natalya, Aliyah, Naomi, Shayna Baszler, Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, Lita, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly, Summer Rae, Bianca Belair, and Liv Morgan.

Names confirmed so far for the men’s Royal Rumble match: Johnny Knoxville, Big E, AJ Styles, Angelo Dawkins, Montez Ford, Rey Mysterio, Dominik Mysterio, Austin Theory, Sheamus, Damian Priest, Happy Corbin, Madcap Moss, Sami Zayn, Kofi Kingston, and Kevin Owens.

Regarding the note that other WWE releases have been contacted about appearing in the Rumble matches, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer recently noted that no AEW talent will appear in the match.

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.

Thunder Rosa Appears at The Wrld on GCW

Jake Skudder
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AEW star Thunder Rosa made a surprise appearance at The Wrld on GCW PPV event tonight from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

Rosa appeared during the PBR Kickoff Battle Royal, appearing as an entrant late into the match to a huge pop from the crowd.

A number of independent wrestling stars appeared during the match, including some Hall of Famers such as Rukus and B-Boy.

Thunder Rosa appeared following the appearance of LuFisto in the match, and the two women worked in tandem towards the end of the match against the two remaining male competitors.

Thunder Rosa at The Wrld on GCW

The AEW star was able to eliminate the huge Parrow during the match, and this got one of the biggest pops of the entire kickoff show.

Rosa was finally eliminated by JCW star Charles Mason, who was one of the final two competitors in the ring alongside Big Vin.

Here is the full card for the PPV event tonight:

  • GCW World Championship Match – Jon Moxley (c) vs. Homicide
  • Ring of Honor World Championship Match – Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Blake Christian
  • Gringo Loco, Flamita & Arez vs. Bandido, ASF & Laredo Kid
  • Jeff Jarrett vs. EFFY
  • Allie Katch vs. Ruby Soho
  • Joey Janela vs. Matt Cardona w/ Chelsea Green
  • GCW Tag Team Championship Match – The Briscoes (c) vs TBA
  • Grab The Brass Ring Ladder Match – Jordan Oliver vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Alex Colon vs. Lio Rush vs. PCO vs Tony Deppen
  • PBR Kickoff Battle Royal (Kickoff Show)
  • PBR Kickoff Scramble: Jack Cartwheel vs. Dante Leon vs. Grim Reefer vs. Ninja Mack vs. Nick Wayne vs. Alex Zayne (Kickoff Show)

The show is available to watch now via FITE TV for $14.99.

The WRLD on GCW Results (01/23/22)

Jake Skudder
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GCW presented The Wrld on GCW Sunday night live from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, New York.

Here are the results:

  • GCW Tag Team Championship Match – Matt Tremont and Nick Gage b. The Briscoes (c) – NEW CHAMPIONS
  • GCW World Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) b. Homicide – Moxley took the win after hitting the Deathrider on a chair
  • Jeff Jarrett b. EFFY – Jarrett took the win after hitting Effy with a guitar and then the Stroke
  • Ruby Soho b. Allie Katch – The crowd were not happy that Allie lost
  • Matt Cardona w/ Chelsea Green b. Joey Janela – Cardona hit a Ruff Rider through a door after a million people interfered including Marko Stunt, Hornswoggle, Virgil, Brian Myers and X-Pac
  • Blake Christian b. Lio Rush – Christian took the win after hitting the 450 footstomp. Jonathan Gresham had to be replaced due to a medical precaution
  • Gringo Loco, Flamita & Arez b. Bandido, ASF & Laredo Kid – Gringo Loco took the win after hitting a Gotch style piledriver on ASF
  • Grab The Brass Ring Ladder Match: AJ Gray b. Jordan Oliver vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Alex Colon vs. Lio Rush vs. PCO vs Tony Deppen – Gray was a last minute addition to the match after Eddie Kingston was unable to make the event and their match was cancelled
  • PBR Kickoff Scramble: Grim Reefer b. Jack Cartwheel vs. Dante Leon vs. Ninja Mack vs. Nick Wayne vs. Alex Zayne (Kickoff Show)
  • PBR Kickoff Battle Royal (Kickoff Show): Big Vin won after eliminating Charles Mason

Impact TV Taping Spoilers From Night 2 In Fort Lauderdale

Chris Stephens
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Impact Wrestling held the second TV taping on back-to-back nights on Saturday from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Two episodes of their weekly television show were taped. The results are below.

The results from night 1 of the Fort Lauderdale tapings can be found here.

Impact TV Taping Spoilers

  • Jack Tolos defeated VSK
  • Lady Frost defeated Alisha Edwards. Following Frost’s victory, Gisele Shaw stood on the rampway and motioned at Frost.
  • Black Taurus defeated Raj Singh
  • The IInspiration (Cassie Lee & Jessica McKay) defeated The Influence (Madison Rayne and Kaleb with a K)
  • Josh Alexander cut a promo about facing the Honor No More faction at No Surrender. He said while the world title is important to him, defending Impact Wrestling from the invaders is important too. Big Kon, the former Konnor from WWE, then came out and an impromptu match began.
  • Josh Alexander defeated Big Kon. After the match, Alexander continued to assault Kon. Then security tried to break it up but he attacked them too. Scott D’Amore came out and was pushed down by Alexander. D’Amore then removed Alexander from the match at No Surrender and sent him home.
  • A segment featuring Bullet Club and the Good Brothers/VBD alliance took place. Matches were scheduled for No Surrender with Eric Young vs Jay White and GOD vs The Good Brothers.
  • Mike Bennett and Matt Taven (OKC) defeated Rhino & Rich Swann. Maria threw powder in Rhino’s eyes to help the Honor No More faction win. Steve Maclin came in to make the save after.
  • W. Morrissey defeated Brian Myers in a No DQ match. Moose attacked Morrissey after the match. Moose and Morrissey will meet for the title at No Surrender.
  • JONAH defeated Crazzy Steve of Decay and then had a stare down with Taurus.
  • Masha Slamovich defeated Kiah Dream
  • Ace Austin defeated Blake Christian and Laredo Kid in a triple threat.
  • Gisele Shaw defeated Lady Frost
  • Chris Sabin defeated Kenny King
  • Tasha Steelz & Savannah Evans defeated Mickie James & Chelsea Green
  • A contract signing between Moose and W. Morrissey surprisingly got physical.
  • Violent by Design (Eric Young, Deaner, and Joe Doering) defeated Bullet Club (Jay White, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa)

Photos From Impact Tapings From Florida

The Twitter account @MrJacobCohen Tweeted out the below photos:

MJF Snubs Wardlow Once Again

Ryan Droste
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The feud between MJF and Wardlow has been simmering for a couple of years now. The two on-screen partners have been building up to a split for pretty much the entire duration of AEW — one of the longest term stories that the company has told.

That split seems to finally be coming sooner rather than later. We saw MJF cost Wardlow a match against CM Punk on Dynamite two weeks ago, and with Dynamite taking place in Wardlow’s hometown of Cleveland this week, many are wondering if we could see that split finally take place.

MJF continues to build up heat for that eventual turn, most recently Sunday afternoon on Twitter.

MJF took it upon himself to wish a Happy Birthday to Will Hobbs in a way that read like a shot to Wardlow.

“Happy birthday to the best big man in AEW by a country mile,” MJF wrote.

One can’t overstate just how well the build has been to the eventual moment when the turn for Wardlow against MJF takes place. The crowd is sure to give it a massive reaction, especially if it occurs in his hometown this week. Everyone involved in the story has built Wardlow up into a cool character with an unstoppable feel around him, including Punk in the match two weeks ago. Of course, MJF, the top heel in AEW and arguably the entire business, has played his role perfectly in the build throughout.

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.

MLW Blood & Thunder Results from Dallas, TX (1/22/22)

Michael Reichlin
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Major League Wrestling held its latest live event from Dallas, Texas on Saturday night, MLW Blood & Thunder.

Matches from Blood & Thunder were taped for upcoming episodes of MLW Fusion.

This event featured the MLW debuts of Rok-C, Buddy Matthews and Bandido.

Here are the results, courtesy of PWInsider:

  • King Muertes def. Richard Holliday
  • National Openweight Champion Alex Kane retained against Calvin Tankman
  • Ikuro Kwon answered EJ Nduka’s open challenge, but lost. After the match, he denied losing and called out Jacob Fatu.
  • Jacob Fatu def. Ikuro Kwon
  • Davey Richards def. ACH.
  • Amaris, El Dragon & Micro Man def. Arez, Gino Medina & Mino Abismo Negro
  • Hammerstone def. El Pagano in a Falls Count Anywhere match. After the match, Alicia Atout gave Hammerstone a low blow and presented the MLW World Championship to Richard Holliday.
  • The Saito Brothers defeated Bud Heavy & Gnarls Garvin
  • TJP def. Buddy Matthews
  • KC Navarro def. Ho Ho Lun
  • Myron Reed def. Bandido, Matt Cross & Tajiri (c) to win the MLW Middleweight Championship.
  • 5150 def. Los Parks in a Ladder Match
  • Miranda Gordy def. Rok-C
  • Jacob Fatu def. Mads Krugger

WWE Considers Money In The Bank Change

Ryan Droste
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This year’s WWE Money In The Bank premium live event is scheduled to take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, the home of the Las Vegas Raiders and the same location as last year’s SummerSlam event.

Currently, Money In The Bank is scheduled for Saturday, July 2nd. However, the UFC will now be in Las Vegas on the very same date for a PPV event at the T-Mobile Arena. Obviously, this could create logistical chaos for people who want to attend both events.

WWE has a hold on Allegiant Stadium for Sunday, July 3rd and is reportedly considering moving Money in the Bank to that date to avoid conflict with the UFC show, according to Sean Ross Sapp.

Tickets are not on sale yet for WWE Money In The Bank, so this is still a very fluid situation. Either way, we’re looking at a massive Independence Day holiday weekend in Las Vegas.

With the Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, and of course WrestleMania having been held in stadiums, Money In The Bank now joins that elite group of regular WWE shows to be held in front of such a large live audience, not counting the twice per year Saudi Arabia special events as well as other special international events that have been held in stadiums over the years.

Last year’s Money In The Bank event was held in Fort Worth, Texas and saw Big E capture the briefcase on the men’s side, while Nikki A.S.H. won the match on the women’s side. That show was part of WWE’s first weekend live touring once again following the hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.

MVP on Bianca Belair: “She’s the Fastest, the Strongest, the Best.”

Michael Reichlin
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Bianca Belair has a huge fan in MVP. The former leader of the Hurt Business says the EST is the fastest, strongest and best women’s wrestler in WWE. He’s so high on her that he’s actually tried recruiting her to his faction.

MVP sat down with Corey Graves this week for the latest episode of WWE’s After the Bell podcast.

It’s late January, so of course the main topic at hand was the Royal Rumble. However, MVP just couldn’t help gushing over Bianca Belair.

MVP says Belair vs. Sasha Banks at WrestleMania 37 was one of the greatest matches he’s ever seen. It was the moment that Bianca Belair stepped into the spotlight and showed the world that she’s the new face of WWE’s women’s division.

He couldn’t believe WWE’s decision to book Belair in a 20-second loss to Becky Lynch at SummerSlam. MVP said he could rant about that incident for a half hour, but spared us of that.

Next weekend at the Royal Rumble, Doudrop challenges Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship. It’s a match that Doudrop says is 15 years in the making.

MVP could see Doudrop winning the title, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. He wants Bianca Belair as champion and everything else is just fodder.

“I don’t want to talk about any other women in the WWE,” said MVP. “Bianca Belair isn’t in the conversation, because she truly is The EST. She’s the fastest, she’s the strongest, she’s the best. I can’t see a conversation about the WWE Women’s Championship without Bianca Belair in it.”

MVP Wanted Bianca Belair in the Hurt Business

The Hurt Business has been one the most dominant factions in WWE over the past several years. Back when they were in full swing, MVP says people would tell him they need to add a woman to the group.

Hearing MVP profess his admiration for Bianca Belair, it should come as no surprise that MVP tried recruiting her.

“There were some discussions with Bianca Belair, but things went a different way,” said MVP. “So I say all that to say that I’m a fan of Bianca Belair and I believe that when you talk about the WWE Women’s Championship, if Bianca Belair isn’t in that conversation, I don’t want to have it.”

Listen to MVP’s appearance on the After the Bell podcast here:

Vince McMahon “Shows No Signs of Slowing Down”

Michael Reichlin
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Vince McMahon is still going strong at 76 years old. The Chairman and CEO of WWE is working as hard as ever, according to one of his closest allies.

WWE Senior Vice President Bruce Prichard has worked with McMahon on and off since the 1980’s. He’s seen McMahon operate during the glory days of Hulkamania, the dark days of the steroid trial in the mid-90’s, WWE’s peak Attitude Era and is one of the most influential people in WWE to this day.

During a recent episode of his Something to Wrestle podcast, Prichard said he could see Vince McMahon running WWE for decades to come. The latest installment focused on the 2005 Royal Rumble pay-per-view. That show featured the infamous ending of Vince McMahon charging to ringside and tearing both of his quads as he entered the ring.

Wrestlers, promotions and eras have come and gone over the past 40 years. One constant in this industry has been Vince McMahon.

“He’s a freak of nature…”

– Bruce Prichard describing Vince McMahon

During times when business is soft or fans are unhappy with WWE’s creative direction, some people question if McMahon still has “it.”

Bruce Prichard says McMahon still has the energy and vision to lead WWE into the future. When asked about Vince McMahon’s longterm future running WWE, Prichard gave a glowing review of pro wrestling’s Walt Disney.

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Vince McMahon (2022)

“Yeah, I can’t imagine him not doing it and I am sure that he will continue to do it probably for the next 25-to-30 years,” said Prichard. “His mom’s 101 and still going so, you know, he shows no signs of slowing down at all.”

Prichard added that it’s hard to imagine WWE without Vince McMahon at the helm. Thankfully, he doesn’t think we’ll have to worry about that scenario any time soon.

“He’s a freak of nature and it’s hard to imagine it without him and I don’t think that we’ll have to imagine it without him for a long, long time.”

Listen to Something to Wrestle: Royal Rumble 2005 with Bruce Prichard and Conrad Thompson below or at AdFreeShows.com.

Doudrop vs. Becky Lynch is 15 Years in the Making

Michael Reichlin
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Doudrop will battle Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship next weekend at the Royal Rumble. This is the biggest match of her career to date.

Doudrop spoke with Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT this past week about why this match is so significant for her.

Let’s go back 15 years when she was training to be a pro wrestler. She was (literally) ‘learning the ropes’ in a small warehouse in Linwood, Scotland.

“Way back when I first started training in a little warehouse in Linwood, Scotland, there really wasn’t many experienced girls in the UK wrestling scene at all.”

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Doudrop and Becky Lynch (Photo: WWE)

At the time, the UK was a hotbed for future women’s wrestling talent. She trained in Scotland with Nikki Storm, best known to WWE fans as Nikki ASH. Mischief and Erin Angel were down in England. They all knew about this up and comer in Ireland named Rebecca Knox.

“We were very aware of Becky at the time, she said.”Even back then she was at the top of her game, she recalls. “She was the girl our trainers were trying to get in and have matches with us so we could learn from her, get some kind of experience.”

She never did get a chance to work with Becky Lynch back then. Rebecca Knox was doing everything she could to make it over to the United States, which she ultimately did.

Doudrop made a name for herself as Piper Niven in the UK and Japan. She had impressive runs in ICW, EVE and Stardom.

15 years later, Piper Niven will finally cross paths with Becky Lynch on the big stage.

Doudrop vs. Becky Lynch goes down next weekend at the WWE Royal Rumble.

Killer Kross Wants to Be a More “Complete Version” of Himself post-WWE

Jake Skudder
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Former WWE NXT Champion Killer Kross/Karrion Kross recently discussed his plans post-WWE, with him wanting to round out his character and in-ring performance even more.

Speaking on the Wrassle Rap podcast, the former NXT and RAW Superstar revealed “I learned so much in my entire experience with that company, with NXT and the main roster.

“I feel like a more complete version of myself actually going through that entire experience. There were different challenges on the main roster than there were in NXT” Kross continued.

Killer Kross on Post-WWE

“One of them, and this might not translate to a lot of people but this is like, just having your times changed when you’re out there” Kross noted.

“And that happened pretty frequently. Having the confidence to go out there and perform live while the entire world is watching, and change things on the fly when somebody else’s life is completely in your hands. There’s just a lot going on” Kross revealed of his time on the main roster.

It is not yet confirmed where Kross will be appearing next, however, the chances of a return to IMPACT Wrestling is certainly not out of the question.

AEW is another potential option for the former NXT Superstar, but it is not known if All Elite and Tony Khan are interested in bringing him into the company.

h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Rey Mysterio Names His ‘Dream’ WrestleMania Moment

Jake Skudder
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WWE and WCW Legend Rey Mysterio recently revealed his ‘dream’ WrestleMania moment, which unsurprisingly includes his son Dominik.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Mysterio revealed that he wants to have a match at the iconic event alongside his flesh and blood.

“There is definitely a WrestleMania moment that has yet to be seen next to my son,” Mysterio began the interview.

“That is something that if you would have told me a year ago, that I was going to be able to share the ring with my son, let alone become tag-team champions – the first-ever in WWE – I would have said, ‘get out of here,'” Mysterio added.

Rey Mysterio WrestleMania Moment

“Now things have just flourished and have manifested,” Mysterio continued. “I’m putting this out in the world that I want to have a WrestleMania moment with my son before I end up hanging up the mask.”

Mysterio is no stranger to major WrestleMania moments, with the former WCW Cruiserweight Champion having matches against the likes of Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle and Randy Orton at the Showcase of The Immortals.

Getting the opportunity to share the ring with his son will of course be the most sentimental WrestleMania moment he could hope to have.

It remains to be seen if WWE will honor the request from the Luchador legend, but it would certainly make sense for the Mysterios to have a match of some form on this year’s WrestleMania 38 card.

Gisele Shaw Debuts for IMPACT Wrestling

Jake Skudder
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Gisele Shaw officially made her debut for IMPACT Wrestling as part of the recent television tapings that took place.

Shaw appeared on the entrance ramp after Lady Frost defeated Alisha Edwards, Gisele would pose in front of Lady Frost while ignoring her, then leave.

Gisele Shaw is currently the PROGRESS Wrestling Women’s Champion and will be appearing for the company at their Sunday 6th February show in Manchester, England.

It is not currently confirmed if Shaw is now officially signed to the company or whether this will be a short run.

Gisele Shaw IMPACT

It is also not confirmed if Shaw will be dropping the PROGRESS Women’s Championship, or whether she will be able to honor the dates she is already booked for to drop the title.

Rhio and Mercedez Blaze are set to collide at today’s PROGRESS live show return in the Revelations of Divine Love tournament final. The winner of that bout will go on to face Shaw for the title on Sunday 6th February.

It is not known when the episode of IMPACT Wrestling featuring the debut of Gisele Shaw will be aired, but it will likely be in the coming weeks ahead of the No Surrender event on Saturday February 19th.

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