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WWE Raw Preview (1/17): Lashley, Becky Lynch, Team RK-Bro

Michael Reichlin
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This week’s edition of WWE Monday Night Raw takes place from Tulsa, Oklahoma at the BOK Center.

With less than two weeks until the Royal Rumble, WWE has announced the following segments for Raw:

  • Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch will address her Royal Rumble challenger, Doudrop. Doudrop defeated Bianca Belair and Liv Morgan last week to earn the championship opportunity.
  • Bobby Lashley will have words for his Royal Rumble opponent, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. How will Lashley react to former Hurt Business partners Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin attacking him last week?
  • Finally, RK-Bro looks to bounce back after dropping the Raw tag team championships to Alpha Academy last week. Will Oron and Riddle continue teaming together, or go in separate directions?

It’s worth noting that Monday Night Raw will feature stiff competition from the NFL playoff game between the Arizona Cardinals will face the LA Rams. Don’t be surprised to see Raw viewership to take a big hit this week against the NFL game.

Britt Baker Comments On WWE Expressing Interest In Her

Chris Stephens
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AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker recently spoke to Inside the Ropes magazine about WWE expressing an interest in signing her. Baker said that she can’t trust anything WWE might promise her, however.

“They definitely expressed interest,” Baker said. “Unfortunately, I’ve got to pick and choose how I say this—but I just feel like you can’t trust anything with that company, whereas at AEW, I’ve never been promised anything that didn’t follow through. So it’s something that, unfortunately, it’s sad that it comes down to that, that it makes a company not really desirable because you can’t trust anything they say. And I know business is business, and I understand totally that’s what it is, but as a wrestler, business is business as well.”

Baker recently won 3 awards in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards issue for 2021. She won for the Most Improved Wrestler of the Year, Match of the Year for her match against Thunder Rosa, and Woman of the Year.

Baker then took to social media to thank Tony Khan, Kenny Omega, Jerry Lynn and others for all the success she enjoyed in 2021.

“Eternally thankful for these two guys. The first independent wrestling t-shirt I bought as a fan was a Kenny one. Pretty cool to now call him both a mentor and a friend. Tony has never doubted me, even when it felt like most of the world did! Without these two there’s no DMD.”

Baker’s current reign with the AEW Women’s belt is the 2nd longest in company history. As of this writing, she’s held the title for 231 days and defended it 6x. The record is held by Hikaru Shida who held the title for 372 days and defended it successfully 8x.

The Hardy Boyz Appearances Announced

Michael Reichlin
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The Hardy Boyz are reuniting. Matt and Jeff Hardy will be appearing together at two autograph signings in March.

Matt and Jeff Hardy will appear at the following events:

  • Saturday, March 12: Zombie Hideout (Springfield, MA)
  • Sunday, March 13: Pandora’s Box (Lafayette, NJ)

Jeff Hardy has made a handful of solo appearances since his WWE release. He currently wrapping up a ‘meet and greet’ tour.

Jeff Hardy is appearing at BIGS Sports in Sioux Falls, South Dakota – right down the road from tonight’s WWE live event.

The Hardy Boyz have not made any public appearances together since Matt’s release from WWE in March 2020. Jeff remained with the company until last month.

Matt and Jeff Hardy are 12-time tag team champions. Jeff’s WWE non-compete clause prohibits him from appearing for other wrestling organizations at this time. However, the brothers from Cameron, North Carolina are determined to team again.

On Saturday, Matt posted a photo on Instagram of himself and Jeff holding the ECW and WWE Championship titles. The caption reads, “Every Saturday until we reunite in the ring.”

Jim Ross Says Jade Cargill Has “A Lot Of Work To Do”

Chris Stephens
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Jim Ross recently mentioned that he believes AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill still has a lot of work left to do in her development.

“I said, ‘you’ve got a lot of work to do’,” Jim Ross said he told Jade Cargill. “Talked to her about this yesterday and I said, ‘you know, in basketball, a sport you did really well in, you gotta learn things that go along with the game, for example, in basketball you gotta learn how to shoot free throws. In wrestling, there are certain things you gotta learn how to do that are critical in the maturation of a pro wrestler. Taking a flat-back bump, doing crisp strikes, not being stupid, that type thing’. She’s really smart and she wants to be really, really good.”

He continued to say that he spoke to Cargill about how right now, her look is her meal ticket. Ross also said Cargill needs to be constantly working at her craft.

“Once your look is exposed for several weeks and what have you, it becomes not as special,” Ross continued. “So you gotta bring things with your game and that’s her charge right now. She’s gotta be able to do that, that’s not going to happen overnight, I don’t even know if it’ll happen in 2022. It’s got to be constant work to be good at what you do and that’s where we are with her.”

Jade Cargill Wins PWI Rookie of the Year Award

Cargill is undefeated thus far in her AEW career. Her first ever official pro-wrestling match was at AEW Cross Rhodes where she teamed with Shaq and defeated Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet. Before getting into wrestling, Cargill played for the Jacksonville University basketball team.

Cargill attended a WWE tryout camp in 2019. She is currently being trained by QT Marshall at the Nightmare Factory.

Cargill was recently awarded the PWI Rookie of the Year Award for 2021.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. For The Above Transcriptions.

Malakai Black Talks The History Of Poison Mist In Wrestling

Chris Stephens
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Malakai Black has been using the poison mist frequently since debuting in AEW. He has seemingly blinded PAC, caused Julia Hart to wear an eye patch, and misted several others as well.

During a recent interview with SHAK Wrestling, Black spoke about some of the history the poison mist has in wrestling. When asked to rank the top mists in wrestling, Black stated that The Great Muta should be on the top of that list. Somewhat surprisingly, Black includes Triple H’s water mist in his rankings.

“Muta’s on top,” Black said. “Any other answer in terms of mists is a fraudulent answer. I’d say Hunter’s, Triple H’s entrance water mist after that because it’s such a characteristic of who he was with this entrance, obviously because of who he is and what he’s done.”

The Vampire Warrior aka Gangrel also made Black’s list. Also surprisingly, Black included Carlito, who used to spit a mist of apple chunks at his opponent.

“I would say Gangrel’s because it was a completely unique standout. And I say last, but like, it’s definitely not least because it’s difficult to fit that in, Carlito was the same as Gangrel because they added so much to what it is they were doing. It complimented their work. So I’d say those are tied, and they’re definitely not tied in a negative sense.”

In addition to the names mentioned above, wrestlers such as Yoshihiro Tajiri, Killer Khan, The Great Kabuki, Rosemary in Impact, and Asuka in WWE have all used the mist previously.

The full interview with Malakai Black is available in the player below:

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the above transcriptions.

Watch: The Undertaker’s entrance theme played at Donald Trump rally

Michael Reichlin
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The Undertaker’s legendary theme music was played at a “Save America” rally for former US President Donald Trump over the weekend.

WWE Hall of Famer Donald Trump held an event Saturday night in Florence, Arizona.

Just prior to Trump taking the stage, the Dead Man’s “Rest In Peace” entrance theme played for the audience.

You can see footage of The Undertaker’s music played at the Save America Trump rally in the tweets embedded below:

https://twitter.com/_labour_first/status/1482537731586674692
https://twitter.com/hottub_twin/status/1482537906220646400

Roman Reigns makes history with historic Universal Title reign

Michael Reichlin
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Roman Reigns is officially the longest-reigning Universal Champion in WWE history.

Love him or hate him, you must acknowledge him. On Sunday, January 16, Reigns’ Universal title reign reached a record-breaking 504 days. He’s been champion since August 30, 2020.

Reigns has commented on his historic achievement. He wrote on Twitter:

“The greatest of this generation, the best to ever hold the #UniversalTitle. The numbers, the main events, the dominant performances… they don’t lie. 504 days and counting… #GOAT”

Roman Reigns Makes History

Reigns surpasses Brock Lesnar, who previously held the record at 503 days. Lesnar’s longest reign lasted from April 2, 2017 through August 19, 2018.

This is Reigns’ second run with the Universal title. His first reign lasted 63 days. In addition to being the longest-reigning Universal Champion, he’s also held title for more days in total than anybody else (567 days). He’s a 3-time WWE Champion and has competed in five WrestleMania main events.

Reigns’ next big title defense will take place at the Royal Rumble when he defends against Seth Rollins.

Visit WWE.com for more statistics about the Universal Championship.

Top Dolla Says He Could Dominate In The XFL

Michael Reichlin
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Former WWE Superstar Top Dolla says he would dominate in the XFL, if he decides to pursue a pro football career.

Top Dolla (AJ Francis) recently spoke with Muscle Man Malcolm about the possibility of restarting his football career. Prior to joining WWE, Francis played in the NFL from 2013-2018. The XFL returns in 2023, creating another opportunity for football players.

“I mean, let me say this, do I think that I could play in the XFL and dominate the XFL? Absolutely,” he said. “Go watch the tape. My last game in the NFL, I had six tackles as a nose guard. I would like to know the list of nose guards that have had six tackles in a game since I got out of the NFL. I guarantee you it’s not long.”

Football is a young man’s game. At 31 years old, Top Dolla knows he can’t take physical punishment like he did in his early 20’s.

“Let me just talk the actual facts of the situation. But, I’m also 31 years old and football is a young man’s game. So, could I do it? Yeah. Do I want to go back and have my body feel like when I was playing in the NFL? Not really, no.”

Top Dolla AJ Francis

Unlike football players, pro wrestlers are able to wrestle into their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Top Dolla says football is a very different sport than wrestling.

“You got to realize, this is going to shock a lot of people, but wrestling ain’t real. Yeah you take bumps, and yeah, you do hurt, but compared to 40 plays against a 300-pound man who’s trying to kill me every play as I’m trying to kill him, it’s not the same. It’s not even close to the same. It’s different levels of body movement aching pain.”

Top Dolla is 6’5″ and 350 pounds. He usually wrestlers against much smaller people, which limits the abuse his body had to take.

“It was easier for me than it is for a lot of guys in the industry because a lot of guys are not my size so they got to take 15 bumps in a match,” he said. “… It was easy for me, but not everybody is that lucky because not everybody is the same size.”

Watch Top Dolla’s interview with MuscleManMalcolm here:

Dwayne Johnson Going Head to Head with WWE Raw This Monday Night

Ryan Droste
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WWE legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will go one on one with Monday Night Raw this week.

Johnson has been announced for the ESPN2 “ManningCast” broadcast of Monday night’s Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams NFC Wild Card playoff game. Raw will be live that night from Tulsa, Oklahoma. The NFL game will air on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN 2.

The ManningCast has been a popular broadcast this year as part of ESPN’s Monday Night Football. Airing on ESPN2 as an alternate broadcast to the main feed on ESPN, it features Peyton Manning and Eli Manning in a more relaxed atmosphere calling the game. Johnson will be a special guest this week.

Johnson tweeted out a promotional video Saturday night promoting the appearance.

Johnson Continues to Remember His Wrestling Roots

Johnson recently honored his old WWE comrade, Bret Hart, during Canada’s Walk of Fame induction ceremony.

“Bret Hart was a mentor to me when he didn’t have to be and in our wild and intense world of pro wrestling, there weren’t many ‘mentorship programs’ back then. He gave me guidance and I’ll always be grateful. Congrats my friend on your incredible accomplishment,” Johnson said of the Hitman.

Johnson has always went out of his way to mention the respect he has for Hart. When the Hollywood icon joined WWE as Rocky Maivia in late 1996, Hart was reportedly one of the nicest veterans to the young star. Johnson has shared memories before about how Hart would go out of his way to sit by him on bus trips overseas.

“I’m always happy to shine light on those who impacted my life early in my pro wrestling career. Bret Hart treated me so good, took me under his wing and gave me great advice. Respect the business, save your money and never let those assholes bring you down. The rest is history,” Johnson wrote on Twitter earlier this year.

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.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: Every Men’s Team Announced

Ryan Droste
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This year’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is taking shape, and WWE NXT 2.0 has now revealed all of the teams who will participate on the men’s side.

The men’s tournament begins next week. The teams will be as follows:

  • MSK (Wes Lee and Nash Carter)
  • Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs
  • Jacket Time (KUSHIDA and Ikemen Jiro)
  • Malik Blade and Edris Enofe
  • Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson and James Drake)
  • Andre Chase and Bodhi Hayward
  • Legado del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza)
  • The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed)

Blade and Enofe qualified for the tournament this past Tuesday night on NXT when they defeated Joe Gacy and Harland. Harland was disqualified in the match.

NXT has since released the brackets for the men’s tournament:

dusty mens brackets 2022

There will be a women’s tournament beginning in February. This will be just the second year that a women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic has been held.

The inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic was held in 2015. On the men’s side, the winners (in order) have been: Finn Balor and Samoa Joe, The Authors of Pain, The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly), Aleister Black and Ricochet, The BroserWeights (Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne), and MSK (Wes Lee and Nash Carter).

On the female side, the inaugural winners last year were Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez.

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.

Booker T on Jade Cargill: “She’s Something We Have Never Seen Before”

Ryan Droste
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Jade Cargill became the first-ever AEW TBS Champion during the first edition of AEW Dynamite on TBS last week. It was the culmination of a multi-week tournament, with Cargill defeating Ruby Soho in the finals.

The match itself was a major winner for AEW, ranking at the top of the ratings for the night. Cargill appears to be a ratings winner for the company, though we’ll need to have more data to see for sure.

During a recent edition of his podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T was incredibly complimentary of Cargill.

“I don’t give a damn if Jade Cargill couldn’t do a wrist lock or headlock takeover. I wouldn’t care,” Booker T said. “I would put the title on her because she’s a specimen. She’s something that we have never seen before. When you put her on the marquee, whether you think she can wrestle or jump off the top rope, you want to buy a ticket just to see her.

“Some people don’t understand this business of drawing money. When I see Jade Cargill, I see, man we can draw some money here. Then if we can teach her the ins and outs to do the little things about this business, man, we can really do something. So, when you look at someone like Cargill and you know exactly what she brings to the table just from that box, she checks all of them off. Then she gets in the ring and performs. Now we got something.”

Some have compared Cargill to Goldberg, and Booker T responded to those comparisons as well.

“For her to be compared to Goldberg, I wouldn’t say it’s 100 percent spot-on or anything like that, but I wouldn’t say it’s so far-fetched that it’s something we shouldn’t even be talking about. Both were green. Both were young in the business. Both look so impressive that you can’t do anything other than let them go out there and beat the hell out of somebody. I think Cargill is the prefect person to build something with to where people go, ‘Man, I don’t think she’s gonna ever lose the title.’”

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.

H/T to EWrestlingNews for the transcript.

WWE Critical of AEW For Use of Blood and ‘Gory Self Mutilation’

Ryan Droste
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WWE has had an on-again, off-again relationship with the use of blood over the years. Some of the company’s most famous angles in history involved blood, both on purpose (Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13) and on accident (Becky Lynch after an errant punch from Nia Jax on Raw in 2018).

AEW has been much more liberal with the use of blood in their matches, and WWE didn’t shy away from taking a shot at their competition in a statement to the Toronto Star.

The piece looked at SmackDown and Dynamite’s ratings numbers on TSN in Canada and noted that AEW is very competitive in the younger demographics. The writer of the article argued that AEW’s edgier content was a reason for the overall competitiveness in the 25-54 demographic.

“If you look at the gory self-mutilation that bloodied several women in the December 31 event on TNT, it quickly becomes clear that these are very different businesses. We had an edgier product in the ‘Attitude’ era and in a 2022 world, we don’t believe that type of dangerous and brutal display is appealing to network partners, sponsors, venues, children, or the general public as a whole,” WWE stated.

WWE was referencing the Anna Jay and Tay Conti vs. Penelope Ford and The Bunny match that aired on the New Year’s Smash edition of AEW Rampage on December 31st.

romanwrestlemania34

WWE’s Inconsistent Attitude on Blood

Despite the statement, WWE has indeed leaned into excessive violence and even blood at different times in recent years. The aforementioned incident with Becky Lynch bleeding profusely on Raw was shown over and over again on television, adding to Lynch’s rise in popularity. Additionally, Brock Lesnar drew hardway blood on Randy Orton at SummerSlam 2016 with some brutally stiff forearm shots. Roman Reigns also bled profusely in the main event of WrestleMania 34 in 2018.

WWE is also presently working to help promote the upcoming Jackass movie by including Johnny Knoxville in the Royal Rumble. The Jackass movies and television show feature a lot of gore and self mutilation, as well.

Do you like or dislike the use of blood in professional wrestling? Let us know in the comments section below!

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.

Petey Williams Hired as Full-Time Producer for WWE

Tyriece Simon
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Former Impact Wrestling talent Petey Williams is now a WWE employee.

Fightful Select reported that the WWE had hired Williams as a full-time producer. The report shares that the company has had him working on a trial basis since October 26, 2021. Williams also has worked as a producer in Impact Wrestling.

“…Williams has been with WWE on a trial basis for several months now, and we’re told that he’s passed that period, and WWE finalized a deal with him to bring him on full-time as a producer,” said the report.

Petey Williams Work as a Producer in WWE

Williams is already making a great impression in the WWE. The report states that several WWE talents speak highly of his skills as a producer. Fightful Select also shared that he helped produce the AJ Styles vs. Austin Theory match on Monday Night Raw on January 10th.

“…Several WWE Superstars that we’ve spoken to since he’s come onboard spoke highly of his producing and noted that they grew up watching his work,” the report shared.

New Talent Joining Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling seems to be looking to add new talent to their roster. The company signed former Ring of Honor talent PCO on January 13th. Impact Wrestling is also doing an invasion angle with former ROH talent like PCO going against their wrestlers. However, it’s unclear if the company plans to sign the talent involved with the storyline like Mike Bennett and Matt Taven.

While Impact Wrestling maybe adds new names to their roster, they are also losing some of their veterans. Other than Williams, Impact Wrestling couldn’t keep Kiera Hogan, Matt Striker, and Rohit Raju. Fightful Select reports that Jake Something’s contract will expire on February 28th unless the company can reach a new deal. Luckily, the wrestling business currently has different promotions like the WWE and All Elite Wrestling looking for new talent both in the ring and backstage. Williams is an example of the current thriving wrestling business and will look to contribute to the WWE.

John Cena Details His Experience Sitting In Crowd For WrestleMania 34

Anutosh Bajpai
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The build-up leading to the match between John Cena and The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34 was one of most unique stories ever told for a match of this calibre. Cena, who was looking for a way to get into Mania called out Taker for weeks.

When he didn’t get a response from The Dead Man, the Cenation Leader actually went to the show as a fan. He watched the PPV from the crowd for a good amount of time before finally having a confrontation with The Last Outlaw.

The 16-time world champion recalled this moment during his recent interview with Pat McAfee. John explained that it was one of his favorite experiences of all time because normally he only gets to peek at what’s going on in the ring from the curtain:

“That was one of my favorite experiences of all time because I got to sit out there. Normally I’m peeking around from a curtain. I can’t sit and watch a WWE show.” said John Cena, “I remember when they’re like ‘yeah, we wanna put you out there from like 8:06 to 8:17’ and I’m like ‘no, I’m going out when doors open.’

And I went out at three o’clock. I watched like three hours of WrestleMania. It was so cool, because they’re like ‘you’re gonna get mobbed.’ I’m like ‘I’m gonna get mobbed only for as long as it takes to meet everybody.’ And I literally met like three sections of people. Then everybody’s chilled and watched the show.”

What John Cena Learned From The Undertaker And Eddie Guerrero

John Cena
John Cena

John Cena discussed how he got to be a fan in the moment. He claimed that this passion as a fan is what has kept him going for so long. He then mentioned how earlier performers had the mentality of giving people the worth of their money:

“That was a great experience for me because I got to be something I admire, and something that I am, I got to be a fan. I got to watch it from the seat. So I guess that’s what kept me on every night. Earlier performers like Undertaker, like Eddie Guerrero. Those guys really leaned into the fact that people paid to see them. They would give them all of themselves to make sure that you got your money’s worth. I learned that message very early.”

If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

Kofi Kingston Addresses Criticism Of Their Match With The Usos

Anutosh Bajpai
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The New Day and The Usos are two of the longest-running tag teams of the WWE roster and they have collided many times. Their most recent match took place just a few days before during the January 7 SmackDown. However, some fans have been critical of their repeated encounters. Kofi Kingston recently responded to this criticism.

The former WWE champion had an interview with Bleav In Pro Wrestling. He discussed many different things. Speaking of The Usos and The New Day, Kingston said that he has never heard so many people complaining about a guaranteed great match. He claimed that they take pride in the fact that their every next match with The Usos is better than the last one:

“I never heard so many people complain about a guaranteed great match, you know what I’m saying? Like, you don’t go out there and complain, ‘Aw, I gotta watch another great match!” Every match that we’ve had with The Usos, we pride ourselves on making it better than the last.

I always say this and I don’t mean to compare myself to the Dudleys and the Hardys and Edge & Christian but with their ladder matches,” said Kofi Kingston, that was the standard that they set, was to outdo themselves every single time.”

The New Day member went on to discuss how they share the mentality with Jimmy and Jey in terms of constructing a match and stealing the show no matter where they are on the card. Kofi Kingston said that he doesn’t like watching many of his matches back after participating in them. Though it’s not the case with The Usos and he always goes out of his way to re-watch their fights with The Bloodline members.

Kofi Kingston Reacts To Big E’s Title Loss

Thanks to WrestlingInc for the transcribed quotes

John Cena On Possibly Bringing Back The Dr. Of Thuganomics

Anutosh Bajpai
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The Dr. Of Thuganomics is a character that is usually associated with the time when WWE used to have a more mature presentation. With John Cena becoming a mainstream Hollywood star, people wonder if we have seen the last of the gimmick.

The Cenation Leader recently had an interview with Pardon My Take. He was there to promote his Peacemaker TV series. The wrestling star discussed a number of things during his appearance.

When asked about the Thuganomics gimmick, Cena mentioned how it has become somewhat of a nostalgic act. On the question of its return, John gave the natural answer of never say never:

“Over the years, you’ve actually seen more of the good [version of] ‘Doctor of Thuganomics’ than over the past 10 years. The appearance in the Firefly Funhouse match, the appearance at WrestleMania with Elias.

It’s almost like that character has taken on a sense of nostalgia itself.” Said John Cena, “So when it shows up, it’s a thing that gets people excited. So, never say never.”

The 16 time world champion last brought back the Thuganomics gimmick during WrestleMania 36. He wrestled Bray Wyatt in a Firefly Fun House match at the show.

John Cena’s Peacemaker TV series is now streaming. The first three episodes are available to watch on-demand on HBO Max. The other five episodes will be released weekly through February 17.

John Cena Shares His Perspective On WWE Talent Releases

Thanks to Essentially Sports for the transcribed quotes

Lita Was In Talks With AEW For A Huge Match Prior to WWE Return

Ryan Droste
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0

Lita made her first appearance on WWE SmackDown in nearly 20 years on Friday night as part of the build to her in-ring return at the Royal Rumble in two weeks. However, Lita’s return to the ring was close to happening in a different wrestling company entirely.

Lita had conversations with AEW about a return to the ring in 2021, according to Fightful. However, the two sides were obviously unable to come to a deal.

The report notes that AEW laid out a story where Lita would feud with AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker. That feud would culminate in a match between the two at AEW All Out 2021 this past September in Chicago. However, Baker ended up working a match against Kris Statlander at that show when negotiations with Lita broke down.

Despite no deal being reached, Fightful reports that the negotiations between Lita and AEW were amicable and there’s a possibility of the two doing business in the future.

Lita has been cleared to work for WWE for over four years now. She has not been on their “no contact” list according to Fightful.

Lita’s last match was in October 2018. That was a 10-woman tag team match on WWE Monday Night Raw that saw Lita, Trish Stratus, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Natalya defeat The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan), Alicia Foxx and Mickie James.

As mentioned, Lita was recently announced as a participant in this year’s 30-woman WWE Royal Rumble match which will take place two weeks from this Saturday in St. Louis, Missouri. There’s a feeling that this may not be a one-off, and WWE leaned into that during Friday night’s SmackDown broadcast as Lita had a confrontation with Charlotte Flair.

If Lita sticks around after the Royal Rumble, who would you like to see her work against? Let us know in the comments section below!

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.

AEW Rampage Results (1/14): Tag Title Match, Adam Cole vs. Trent Beretta

Robert Lentini
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AEW Rampage was taped from the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. AEW Tag Team Champions Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) put the titles on the line against Dark Order’s John Silver & Alex Reynolds in this week’s main event. In addition the takeaways below, Jay Lethal confronted Ricky Starks at the announce table and challenged him to a match for the FTW Championship.

Rampage Results

  1. Adam Cole def. Trent Beretta
  2. Shawn Spears def. Adam Everett
  3. The Bunny, Penelope Ford, Nyla Rose def. Leyla Hirsch, Kris Statlander, Red Velvet
  4. Jurassic Express def. John Silver & Alex Reynolds to retain the AEW Tag Titles

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Adam Cole def. Trent Beretta

Adam Cole faced Trent Beretta in the first match of the night. AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker, Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish, Young Bucks & Brandon Cutler, Chuck Taylor, Orange Cassidy, Wheeler Yuta, and Kris Statlander were all ringside for the match.

Trent controlled the action early and beat Adam down in the corner of the ring. Beretta knocked Cole out of the ring and made his way to the ring apron. Cole tripped him up and sent him to the floor.

Back in the ring, Cole connected with a Neckbreaker and went for the cover but Trent kicked out at two. Trent got out of the ring to regroup but Cole went after him. Cole set up for a Panama Sunrise but Trent countered into a Back Body Drop. Trent went for a Spear but Cole side-stepped it and Beretta crashed into the barricade as Rampage went to a commercial break.

When Rampage returned, Trent battled back and hit an avalanche Brainbuster. Trent took some time to go for the cover and Cole kicked out at two. Cole hit a Canadian Destroyer but Trent responded with Strong Zero. Trent went for the cover but Cole just got his foot on the rope at the last moment to brea up the pin. A brawl broke out ringside and Cole capitalized on the distraction with a low blow. Cole hit The Boom for the pinfall victory.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1482189458577444867?s=20

Shawn Spears Picked Up A Win

Shawn Spears faced Adam Everett on this week’s episode of Rampage. Spears mocked Everett and quickly hit the C4 for the pinfall victory. After the match, Spears cut a promo on CM Pun and said he isn’t the best in the world. Spears vowed to take Punk out next week on Dynamite and there will be no apologies. The crowd began to chant for Wardlow but Spears cut them off and called Wardlow a “one move wonder”. Wardlow wasn’t pleased with that line. Shawn added that CM Punk can’t hang anymore and he will show that on next week’s Dynamite.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1482191915697283073?s=20

Statlander & Hirsch Couldn’t Get On The Same Page

Kris Statlander, Leyla Hirsch, Red Velvet faced Penelope Ford, The Bunny, and Nyla Rose in a Trios Match. All of the entrances were skipped and Rampage just cut to them in the ring after a rap video from The Acclaimed. Caster poked fun at Sting & Darby Allin. The Acclaimed will battle Sting & Darby Allin on Dynamite next week.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1482192350554345474?s=20

Statlander and Rose were going to start off the action but Leyla tagged herself in. Nyla planted Leyla with a Belly to Belly Suplex and Statlander quickly tagged herself back into the match. The Bunny tagged in and Statlander greeted her with a headlock takedown. The Bunny escaped but Statlander caught her with a Powerslam for a near fall.

Red Velvet tagged in and beat The Bunny down some more before Leyla got back in the action. Statlander wanted a tag but Leyla again declined. Red Velvet tagged herself in but the arguing allowed The Bunny to escape. Nyla tagged in and beat Red Velvet down as Rampage went to a break.

Back from commercial, Statlander tagged in and battled with Penelope Ford. Kris took control and hit The Bunny with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Leyla tagged herself in again and they argued. The Bunny shoved Leyla and she knocked Statlander out of the ring. The Bunny then covered Leyla to end the match.

Jurassic Express Retained The AEW Tag Titles

Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) defended the AEW Tag Team Championships against John Silver & Alex Reynolds in the main event. Mark Henry interviewed both teams before the match.

Luchasaurus hit Reynolds with a Body Slam and Jungle Boy followed it up with a springboard Senton off his shoulders. Dark Order battled back and sent Jungle Boy out of the ring. John Silver lifted Jungle Boy up for a Suplex and Reynolds hit him with a Suicide Dive as Rampage went to a final commercial break.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1482198455179173892?s=20

When Rampage returned, Dark Order had Jungle Boy isolated in the ring for a bit. Jungle Boy escaped and tagged in the big man. Luchasaurus sent Reynolds and Silver to opposite corners and delivered some Splashes. Luchasaurus went for a Chokeslam on Silver but Alex broke it up. Luchasaurus then delivered a Chokeslam to both Dark Order members at the same time.

Jungle Boy tagged back in and everyone brawled to the corner. This led to a Tower of Doom spot that sent all four wrestlers to the canvas. Jungle Boy sent Silver out of the ring and onto Evil Uno outside the ring. Jurassic Express isolated Reynolds and hit him with several slams. Jungle Boy took out John Silver with a dive and Luchasaurus covered Reynolds. Jurassic Express are still the AEW Tag Team Champions.

WWE SmackDown Results (1/14): Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins, Lita Returns

Robert Lentini
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WWE SmackDown aired live from the CHI Health Center in Omaha, NE. Lita made her first appearance on SmackDown in over 20 years. Seth Rollins confronted Roman Reigns ahead of their Universal Championship match at WWE Royal Rumble later this month.

SmackDown Results

  1. Viking Raiders def. Los Lotharios, Cesaro & Mansoor, Jinder Mahal & Shanky to become #1 contenders for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
  2. Aliyah def. Natalya
  3. Sheamus def. Ricochet
  4. Madcap Moss def. Kofi Kingston

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Viking Raiders Are #1 Contenders

SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos kicked off the show and boasted about defeating the New Day. Jimmy and Jey introduced Los Lotharios, Cesaro & Mansoor, Jinder Mahal & Shanky, and Viking Raiders. Those four teams competed in a Fatal 4-Way to determine the #1 contenders for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. The Usos joined commentary for the match.

Mansoor hit Humberto with an Atomic Drop and tagged in Cesaro. Erik tagged himself in and argued with Cesaro. Shanky tagged in and hit Erik with a Clothesline. Viking Raiders isolated Shanky in the corner and beat him down. Ivar tagged in and climbed to the top rope. Jinder knocked Erik out of the ring and punched Ivar in the face. Cesaro and Mahal teamed up and went for a Superplex. Erik got back in the ring for the Tower of Doom spot as SmackDown went to a break.

When SmackDown returned, Cesaro hit a Samoan Drop and followed it up with a Clothesline to Garza. Ivar tagged in and Cesaro went for the Swing but Jinder Mahal broke it up. Mansoor connected with an Enziguri but Shanky sent him to the outside. Los Lotharios hit Mansoor with a Superkick and followed it up with a couple dives. Garza and Carrillo leveled Ivar with a Drop but the big man battled back. Viking Raiders then hit the Viking Experience for the pinfall victory.

Naomi and Sonya Deville had another conversation backstage to continue the storyline that began last September. Deville noted that it is cold in the office and Naomi said it is just like her heart. Naomi called Sonya a liar and Deville responded by threatening Naomi’s job. Sonya added that Naomi shows up like a main character but everyone knows she is just an extra. Deville warned Naomi to keeps her hands off her or she will be removed from the Royal Rumble. Adam Pearce arrived after Naomi walked away and also commented on the office being cold.

Nakamura & Boogs Attacked Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn announced that he will be in the Royal Rumble match this year and ranted about Johnny Knoxville. Sami then mocked Jackass with a segment called In-Zayn. He put on a helmet and had a couple people shove him towards a skate ramp in shopping cart. Sami kept stopping them before they would get close to the ramp and said he needed a breather.

Zayn got out of the shopping cart and got in the ring without doing the stunt. Rick Boogs showed up and flexed in front of Sami for a distraction. Shinsuke Nakamura leveled Sami with the Kinshasa and then Boogs slammed Sami onto the pad outside the ring.

Aliyah def. Natalya In Record Time

Aliyah faced Natalya tonight on SmackDown. Before the match Aliyah was interviewed backstage. Aliyah was nervous but wanted to put on a good showing against Natalya and try not to embarrass herself. Natalya showed up and told Aliyah that there is no shame in losing to her. Natalya bragged about being the Guiness Book of record and Aliyah seemed surprised that the book still existed. They both then made their way to the ring. Aliyah rolled Natalya up right away for the pinfall victory and set a record. The win in just over 3 seconds was Aliyah’s first singles victory on the main roster.

Lita Sent A Message To Charlotte Flair

Michael Cole interviewed WWE legend & Hall of Famer Lita tonight. Lita made her first SmackDown appearance in 20 years and will be in the 2022 women’s Royal Rumble. Cole brought up how today’s WWE superstars talk about how Lita inspired them and asked what her career highlight was. Lita noted that she was the first woman involved in ladder matches, winding up in the Hall of Fame, but has not had the opportunity to compete in the Royal Rumble. Lita added that she has one final run left in her and wanted to win it so she could main event WrestleMania.

SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair interrupted and strutted to the ring. Flair took the microphone away from Cole and he exited the ring as Lita gave him a pat on the back. Charlotte told Lita that she is entering the Royal Rumble as champion so she can pick her opponent at WrestleMania and vowed to throw Lita over the top rope to end “this fun little run” she’s talking about. Lita joked that it will be tough to throw Charlotte over the top rope with the giant head she has.

Flair brought up Lita’s friend Trish Stratus, and bragged about beating her. Charlotte claimed that she broke Trish and caused her to retire again. Flair suggested that she would do the same to Lita and smiled in her face. Lita faked a slam and Charlotte ducked. Lita then planted Charlotte with the Twist of Fate to end the segment.

Sheamus Picked Up A Win

Sheamus faced Ricochet this week on SmackDown. Ricochet took the Celtic Warrior down to start off the action and applied a Headlock. Sheamus escaped but Ricochet sent him out of the ring. Ricochet flipped onto Sheamus and rolled him back int he ring. Sheamus got out of the ring again and tripped Ricochet up on the apron. Sheamus catapulted Ricochet into the steel beam under the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Ricochet connected with a Crossbody and followed it up with some chops to Sheamus’ chest. Sheamus went for a pump kick but Ricochet got out of the way. Sheamus got tangled up on the ropes and Ricochet caught him with a springboard Moonsault for a near fall.

Ricochet went for a 450 Splash but Sheamus got out of the way. Ricochet landed on his feet but Sheamus planted him with the Irish Curse Backbreaker. Sheamus dragged Ricochet to the ropes and hit him with the 10 Beats of the Bodhran before Clotheslining him back into the ring.

Sheamus lifted Ricochet up in the Fireman’s Carry and climbed to the middle turnbuckle. Ricochet escaped and caught Sheamus with a few kicks to the face. Ricochet slammed Sheamus’ face off the ring post and connected with a Sunset Bomb for a near fall. Ricochet went for another springboard move but turned right into a Brogue Kick from Sheamus for the pinfall victory.

Deville and Naomi conversed again later on SmackDown. Sonya had told Naomi that she had the jacket on and that made her the boss earlier on the show and Sonya had now removed her jacket because the office was now apparently too hot. Naomi wanted to attack Sonya but Adam Pearce broke it up. Pearce was also jacket-less due to varying temperature in the room. Naomi vs. Charlotte Flair in a Championship Contenders match was announced for next week.

Madcap Moss Easily Defeated Kofi Kingston

Kofi Kingston came to the ring and announced that he will be in this year’s Royal Rumble. Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss interrupted and rolled footage from Day 1 of them attacking Drew McIntyre backstage. They continued to make lame jokes until Kofi interrupted them with fake laughter. Kingston then faced Madcap Moss in a singles match. Happy Corbin was ringside for the action. Kingston knocked Madcap to the outside and then took them both out with a Crossbody as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Kofi Kingston went for a Crossbody off the top but Madcap caught him. Kingston escaped and went for the SOS but Moss countered into a Neckbreaker for the pinfall victory.

Reigns & Rollins Met Face-To-Face

Universal Champion Roman Reigns & Seth “Freakin” Rollins met face to face in the final segment of this week’s edition of SmackDown. Roman Reigns will defend the Universal Championship against Seth Rollins at Royal Rumble. Reigns told the crowd to acknowledge him and they booed him.

Rollins suggested that they do The Shield fist bump and Reigns declined. Seth spoke about the good old days and Reigns laughed in his face. Roman said he is god mode right now, he is the head of Seth’s table, and the provider around here. Reigns added that he is the greatest Universal Champion of all time without question.

Seth wondered if Roman can look in the mirror and honestly say he accomplished this by himself. Rollins claimed that he was holding his hand back in The Shield days and then Roman still needed The Bloodline to hold himself up. Rollins told Reigns that he created him and he can destroy him. Seth cackled into the microphone and danced around a little bit as Reigns smirked. Roman told Rollins that he is waste of his time and called him a clown.

Reigns noted that Seth doesn’t have the star power that he has and that he would have chosen Rollins’ wife (Becky LYnch) if he wanted to main event Royal Rumble with a mega star. The Usos tried to attack Rollins but Seth escaped at the last moment. The Usos chased him out there but Rollins avoided them and got back into the ring with Roman. Rollins stared at Reigns and got back out of the ring before The Usos count catch him. Seth laughed on the entrance ramp as Reigns was pissed off to close the show.

Renee Paquette Baffled By William Regal’s WWE Release

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Renee Paquette can’t believe that WWE has cut ties with William Regal.

On Jan. 5, Regal was among the list of NXT names who were released by the company. Regal joined the likes of Road Dogg, Scott Armstrong, and others. The following day, Samoa Joe was released.

Renee Paquette Reacts To WWE Cutting William Regal

Renee Paquette was a guest on an episode of Busted Open Radio. During the show, she expressed her disbelief at the fact that WWE has let go of Regal.

“I just can’t get over the fact that William Regal has been let go by WWE. It just kills me. I just can’t wrap my head around what the thought process was of not having William Regal be a part of any wrestling promotion.

“When you think of the respect that comes from William Regal you think of the history and the knowledge. Just all of the things that sum up William Regal as a wrestler, as a mentor, on the creative side, even having him in a GM position.

“He just brings so much to the table. You keep hearing about these releases and you see different names pop up. Samoa Joe is just another one that you’re like, ‘What is happening over here?’

“It’s upsetting, it’s really upsetting and it bums me out. I know William Regal will I’m sure land somewhere happily and be able to put his services to good use somewhere and I can’t wait to see what that is.

“Maybe he doesn’t, maybe he just wants to hang out. I don’t know what William Regal’s gonna do but I think someone that was just one of the cornerstones of NXT — maybe part of what’s happened here is looking at what those cornerstones are of what has been NXT as we move forward on NXT 2.0.”

Regal seemingly already has at least one other promotion that is interested in his services. Tommy Dreamer, who works behind the scenes with Impact Wrestling, said the door is open for Regal.

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Jon Moxley Returning at THE WRLD ON GCW on Jan. 23

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Jon Moxley is back. Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) has announced Mox is ready to handle business inside the ring again.

Moxley will put his GCW World Championship on the line against Homicide. The match will headline THE WRLD ON GCW, the company’s upcoming show from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City (Jan. 23).

This is encouraging news and hopefully means that Moxley’s health is in a better place than it was when he took a hiatus from wrestling back in November.

The WRLD ON GCW card also features:

  • Janela vs Cardona
  • Allie vs Ruby
  • Gresham vs Blake
  • Team Bandido vs Team Gringo

Jon Moxley’s Hiatus

Moxley has been away from the wrestling business as he checked himself into an alcohol treatment program. The announcement was made by AEW boss Tony Khan back in early November.

“Jon Moxley has allowed me to share with you that he is entering an inpatient alcohol treatment program,” Khan said. “Jon is a beloved member of the AEW family. We all stand with him and Renee, and all of his family and friends, as he shifts his focus to recovery.”

“Jon is making a very brave choice to get help, and we’re embracing his choice and supporting him however we can.”

The former AEW and WWE Champion had been promoting his book titled, “MOX.” He planned to go on tour but this matter was simply more important.

Lita Makes First WWE SmackDown Appearance in 20 Years

Ryan Droste
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Lita made her first appearance in nearly 20 years on WWE SmackDown on Friday night.

Michael Cole interviewed Lita in the ring and and talked about her being a trailblazer who broke through glass ceilings during her career. The fans chanted her name as Lita declared that she was “home.”

They brought up many of the female stars on the roster today who idolized Lita, and Cole asked her why she decided to come back for the Royal Rumble. Lita said that she did a lot during her career, was one of the first women to main event a Raw, wrestled in a cage and TLC match, but there was no women’s Rumble when she was wrestling full time (she did work the match in 2018). Lita said she’s back because she thinks she has one more run in her and wants to win the Rumble and go on to WrestleMania.

WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair then made her entrance and came out to confront Lita. She took the microphone from Cole and said she’d do the interview. Charlotte declared she’d win the Rumble and choose her WrestleMania opponent. Lita came back by calling Charlotte “Tonya Harding” and asked her how she doesn’t fall down from her giant head, inciting chant from the crowd.

Charlotte talked about Trish Stratus, Lita’s best friend Charlotte said she retired Trish in 2019 and will do the same to Lita. Lita went to slap Trish, but stopped as Charlotte cowered away. Lita then hit a Twist of Fate on Charlotte to end the segment.

Earlier story prior to SmackDown.

A WWE Hall of Famer will make her return to SmackDown tonight as Lita has been announced for this evening’s show on FOX.

This will be the first time that Lita has appeared on SmackDown in nearly 20 years. Her last actual match on SmackDown occurred on March 19th, 2002, a tag team victory alongside Trish Stratus against Jazz and Ivory.

Lita’s last match was in October 2018. That was a 10-woman tag team match on WWE Monday Night Raw that saw Lita, Trish Stratus, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Natalya defeat The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan), Alicia Foxx and Mickie James.

Lita was recently announced as a participant in this year’s 30-woman WWE Royal Rumble match which will take place two weeks from this Saturday in St. Louis, Missouri.

Lita’s appearance on SmackDown tonight will tie-in to her return at the Royal Rumble as part of building up to that match.

Per WWE.com:

Last week, it was announced that WWE Hall of Famer Lita would be among the honored participants competing in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match for the opportunity to headline WrestleMania.

Now, for the first time in nearly 20 years, the groundbreaking four-time Women’s Champion is set to return to the blue brand. Don’t miss SmackDown tonight at 8/7 C on FOX.

WWE.com

Other Announcements for Tonight’s WWE SmackDown

In addition to Lita’s return to SmackDown tonight, the following segments have also been announced for the FOX broadcast:

  • A face-to-face between WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins
  • Aliyah will make her SmackDown singles debut in a match against Natalya.
  • Sami Zayn will debuts his new InZayn stunt show. He is trying to “out-Jackass” Johnny Knoxville

SEScoops will have full coverage of tonight’s SmackDown on FOX. Make sure to check back with us tonight for full results and analysis.

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.

Elimination Chamber No More? WWE Looking at Changing the Name

Ryan Droste
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Earlier this week, a report surfaced that indicated WWE may be bringing back the Elimination Chamber match at their February 19th event in Saudi Arabia.

Almost immediately, sarcastic comments began to surface about the use of the match, with that kind of name, in Saudi Arabia due to the country’s poor record on human rights.

According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is looking at rebranding the Elimination Chamber as the WrestleMania Chamber. Nothing official has been decided of yet, and this plan could still be abandoned, but it is something under consideration.

“WWE is looking at rebranding the Elimination Chamber the ‘WrestleMania Chamber.’ Not official until it’s announced,” Meltzer wrote on Twitter.

There’s no information on whether or not the match’s next location, Saudi Arabia, is what started these discussions.

The name of the Elimination Chamber match has been a problem in other countries before. In 2010 and 2012, the match was advertised as “No Way Out” in Germany due to the history of the Holocaust and actual elimination (gas) chambers being used there during the World War 2 era. It has since been rebranded as “No Escape” there (that name was also used in 2011).

WWE held a men’s Elimination Chamber match in 2021. The last women’s Elimination Chamber match was in 2020. There’s no word on whether or not this year will feature both a men’s and women’s match.

The first Elimination Chamber match was held in 2002 at the Survivor Series. Shawn Michaels captured the World Heavyweight Championship in that match, his only world title victory during his post-2002 return to the ring era.

What’s your favorite Elimination Chamber match from the past? Let us know in the comments section below!

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.

Mickie James Explains How WWE Royal Rumble Appearance Came To Be

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James has detailed how her WWE Royal Rumble appearance is coming to fruition.

WWE turned a lot of heads by announcing Mickie for its upcoming Royal Rumble PPV. The company even acknowledged James as the Impact World Knockouts Champion.

WWE has acknowledged titles from other companies such as the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but usually, that is only mentioned for a wrestler they’ve signed full-time.

Mickie James Talks Royal Rumble Appearance

  • Mickie James

Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, Mickie James recalled her initial reaction to WWE’s offer.

“It was a few weeks ago and Scott [D’Amore] had called me first just to kind of see where I was at and if I was interested.

“I think immediately I was excited because I think about, historically this has never happened before for WWE to do this or to have anyone participate in the Rumble, especially to acknowledge the championship.

“It’s really cool and it just shows a different, I don’t know, amount of respect. I feel really great about it. Plus, I think in my mind the last thing most people bring up or talk about was on the other end of the spectrum with it [trash bag incident].

“So, it’s just cool not to have that be the thing or the last thing or whatever that is. So, I’m just so excited, honestly.”

Mickie then discussed how talks of showing up at the Royal Rumble came to be.

“I feel like Johnny [John Laurinaitis] reached out to Scott first just talk to him professionally because it is [different] companies. This never has really been done before by them.

“So, definitely they talked first to see if this was gonna be something [that could happen]. Impact worked together with WWE in the past for other things for when Flair went in the Hall of Fame and Christian Cage and all that stuff.

“So, it wasn’t unforeseen that it could possibly happen. I think that’s why Scott first reached out to me to see what my interest was and obviously we were all able to make that happen somehow.”

Mickie is still signed with Impact, so this will be a one-off at least for now. There’s been a lot of talk regarding WWE’s motives for working with Impact.

It’s been said that the company wasn’t comfortable throwing in its developmental talent from NXT 2.0 and instead wants to rely on proven veterans for the Rumble match.

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Tony Khan: There’s Nothing Official On The Briscoes To AEW

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Tony Khan has broken his silence on The Briscoes.

It’s no secret that Mark and Jay Briscoe have become the hottest free agent tag team. The two were mainstays under Ring of Honor but the company has released all of its talent and is going through a hiatus.

A feud has been brewing between The Briscoes and AEW tag team FTR. The two teams even got into a confrontation at the ROH Final Battle PPV back in December.

Tony Khan On The Briscoes

Busted Open Radio host Dave LaGreca recently asked AEW boss Tony Khan if there’s any word on The Briscoes possible making their way to his company. Khan insisted that nothing has been made official.

“Well, it’s a great team, great history in Ring of Honor. No, I don’t [have anything official on The Briscoes]. We have a great roster right now.

“I think they’re a great team and definitely somebody to keep an eye on but no, nothing official on them. We debuted so many great wrestlers recently.

“You mentioned Mercedes Martinez and of course, we just saw the arrival of Brody King on Wednesday night. So, there’s a lot of exciting things and of course, we do have new world tag team champions Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus, and there’s a ton of great teams lined up to challenge them.

“So, we’ll have to wait and see I guess. They’re a great team who I’ve followed for well over 15 years. Who am I kidding? Much longer than that and I think they’re great, great wrestlers.”

It’ll be interesting to see if Tony Khan is just playing things up or if The Briscoes truly haven’t been in contact with AEW. With FTR and The Briscoes going back-and-forth, it seems inevitable that the two teams will share the ring.

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