Charlotte Flair is one of the leading athletes of not only the women’s division but all of WWE. She is always put into top storylines and marquee matches by the officials. This position in the roster often also attracts criticism from people rooting for more opportunities for fresh talent. Though Natalya who is a 14 year veteran of the women’s division herself, has a different outlook of the situation.
The Canadian star recently had an interview with Jonathan Hood on Tuesday Wrestling Tuesday. She talked about a number of things including how young talents such as Liv Morgan on Raw and Toni Storm on SmackDown are being given new opportunities. Natalya said that she is rooting for Storm to take the SmackDown women’s championship from Flair because it’s time for a change. However, she also acknowledged the perspective of The Queen:
“Charlotte Flair, I think it’s a tough spot because there’s only so much that she can do, there’s only so many places you can go. Once you’ve done it all, once you’ve main evented WrestleMania, you’ve won X amount of championships. When you have had everything and you have experienced everything, it is really really cool to watch other women rise to the occasion and get a chance.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Natalya was asked if there is something in the business which she still wants to accomplish. Replying to it the former SmackDown women’s champion noted how she has never won the Raw women’s championship. She also named a few opponents she would like to face:
“For me, I am currently a triple crown champion in WWE. I would like to be a grand slam champion. I would like to win the Raw women’s championship at some point in my career. There’s a ton of women that I want to work with that I’ve never had the chance to work with, like Io Shirai I’d love to work with. Indi Hartwell is somebody that I’ve kind of got my eye on. I think she’s really really talented,
Of course, my dream match right now would be against Toni Storm. Those to me are all things that I want to accomplish. I also feel like how cool would it be for Beth Phoenix and I to win the women’s tag team championships together.” said Natalya, “I think that would be so freaking cool because Beth is my best friend, also a WWE Hall Of Famer. To do that together with her would be so much fun.”
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
A holiday week of wrestling television begins tomorrow night with WWE Monday Night Raw emanating from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Next Friday night’s SmackDown, occuring on Christmas Eve, has already been taped (you can view spoilers at this link).
WWE has announced five matches for Monday’s Raw. They are:
Finn Balor vs. Austin Theory
Bianca Belair vs. Doudrop
WWE U.S. Champion Damian Priest vs. Dolph Ziggler
AJ Styles and Omos vs. Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio
Queen Vega vs. Rhea Ripley
Monday can't come soon enough! Tune in to catch all the action on #WWERaw.
WWE has also announced Bobby Lashley, Maryse, and MVP for the show. Maryse will be appearing on Edge’s “Cutting Edge” segment, while Lashley and MVP will appear to demand respect after the former WWE Champion was victorious over Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, and Big E last week.
“The Miz is not the only one with the ‘most must-see talk show in WWE’ as Edge returns to host ‘The Cutting Edge’ with special guest Maryse!
“The Rated-R Superstar will hear from Maryse just weeks before squaring off with her husband, The Miz, at Day 1. Edge will look to find out what is going on between Maryse and The Miz after she slapped The A-Lister for using her as a shield to hide from Edge’s attack last week.
“Hear all the drama and find out if it will have any effect on Day 1’s match between Edge and The Miz this Monday night on Raw at 8/7 C on USA.”
Balor vs. Theory was setup last week when Theory attacked Balor and posted for a selfie with him while he was laid out. Belair and Doudrop wrestled last week; Belair was victorious but was attacked by Doudrop after the bout.
Ziggler’s match with U.S. Champion Priest is for a future shot at the title. If he’s able to defeat the champion Monday night during Raw, Ziggler will become the number one contender for the U.S. title. A title match between the two would likely take place at the WWE Day 1 PPV event in Atlanta on January 1st.
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.
While the audience generally praised this week’s episode of SmackDown, it was still one of those shows which was being written and re-written till the last minute.
According to reports from Fightful select, the segment between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns was not going to close the show in the original draft.
The match between The Usos and The New Day which took place just before the Lesnar segment was originally going to be the main event of SmackDown.
The promo with Reigns was scheduled to open the show until Friday afternoon. A sit-down interview with Brock Lesnar was supposed to follow it later but it got nixed.
The tag team match which saw Shotzi Blackheart teaming with Charlotte Flair to face Toni Storm and Sasha Banks was planned to be the main event of next week’s Christmas Eve special of SmackDown.
The match ended up serving as an opener for this week’s episode of the blue branded show. It saw Storm picking up a big win by pinning Flair.
Next week’s taped episode of SmackDown will now see Charlotte Flair defending her SmackDown women’s championship against Storm. You can check out the spoilers for the show here.
The current ROH women’s champion Carla Gonzalez better known by her ring name Rok-C took part in the latest WWE tryouts from the Performance Center.
The company held its latest tryout from the PC in Orlando, Florida from December 15 to 17. They later shared some photographs from the tryouts on their official website.
One of the more interesting names to have been spotted in the photos was Rok-C, who has become a free agent after the mass layoff from ROH.
ROH released all of its contracted talents in October and made the announcement of going dark for the first quarter of 2022 to reimagine the company.
Rok-C, who was trained by WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T made her ROH debut in April this year. Prior to it, she had been working for T’s Reality Of Wrestling promotion.
The female star quickly rose to the top of the ladder within the company. She competed in a tournament and defeated Miranda Alize in the finals at September’s Death Before Dishonor PPV to win the ROH women’s championship.
There is no word yet on how WWE officials feel about the current ROH champion. It will be interesting to see if she is offered a contract by the promotion.
The WWE career of Fandango featured many ups and downs. His career highlights include winning the fourth season of NXT and making his main roster debut in a WrestleMania match against none other than Chris Jericho. Though the most emotional moment of his career for the former WWE star was the one he shared with his former tag team partner Tyler Breeze.
This team known as Breezango was formed in 2016. The duo were sent back to NXT towards the end of 2018. They won the NXT tag team titles from Imperium in August 2020 which was Fandango’s only championship win in his almost 16 years long career with WWE. Speaking to Chris Van Vliet during a recent interview, the wrestling veteran recalled this experience. He called it the most emotional thing of his career:
“The most emotional thing for my whole career was winning those tag straps with [Tyler] Breeze. I said this in an interview here. I think all we really want is respect from our peers and Vince [McMahon], I feel like a lot of guys just want Vince to tell them ‘Good job.’ I feel like we just wanna be respected by people that we respected.”
“It Showed A Different Side Of Us” Says Fandango
Fandango explained that prior to their return to NXT, Breezango were doing skits on the main roster. For a lot of wrestlers, this stigma of being a comic relief is hard to shake. The tag title win allowed the duo to show people a different side of their tag team. It helped them prove that they weren’t just a comedy act:
“To go back to NXT and for them to put the tag straps on us it meant a lot to me, you know. I know it meant a lot to Breeze because it kind of showed a different side of us where we weren’t just comedy act. We could actually go out and work. The last couple years on SmackDown all we did was skits and stuff, which is cool to show in your body of work that you can have a personality and talk a little bit. But, it’s hard to shake that stigma.”
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for the transcription
AEW star Sammy Guevara and fiancé Pam Nizio have revealed that they are no longer in a relationship. The news was announced in a social media post by Guevara.
The post that was made this Saturday afternoon was credited to both. Though as seen below, it doesn’t reveal the reason behind the decision:
“Since you’ve all given us so much love and support, we figured we owed it to y’all to let you know that we are no longer in a relationship. We still love each other and wish nothing but the best for one another.”
The couple had been together for 8 years and Guevara had proposed to Pam before the August 18 episode of Dynamite earlier this year.
The proposal that took place in Sammy Guevara’s hometown of Houston, Texas had been highlighted on Dynamite and the AEW star’s vlog as well.
However, Pam hadn’t been appearing on the YouTube blog for some time now which had made many wonder about the couple’s relationship.
Sammy Guevara is set to defend his TNT championship against Cody Rhodes at next week’s Holiday Bash special of AEW Rampage. This is a rematch of the first-ever match in the history of Dynamite.
Sonya Deville has been outspoken about the importance of LGBTQ inclusion since arriving in WWE. She publicly ‘came out’ as gay during a segment on Tough Enough before she was ever hired.
Deville recently spoke with TalkSport and discussed how WWE could incorporate LGBTQ characters into its programming.
“LGBTQ inclusion is something I’ve talked about for years,” she said. “To incorporate that into WWE TV organically should happen because it’s just part of life. It’s like every TV show usually has a gay character because, statistically, there would be a gay character!”
Sonya Deville On How To Include LGBTQ Characters In WWE
Deville also commented on how it could be included as part of her character if done in an organic and subtle way.
“I think it’s a natural thing. I’d like it to be really organic. I’d like it to be done right, of course, but I would like it to be organic so that if it was ever a part of my character or a layer of me, I would like it to be subtle and make sense.”
Finally, Deville said the best way to include LGBTQ characters on WWE programming is to be subtle about it, not build an entire angle around it, and have it occur organically.
“You don’t necessarily need a whole angle around it. We’ve had ideas in the past and things like that, but it just needs to be organic,” Deville said. “If there’s a scene where one of the male superstars called his wife backstage and then one day, I could call my girlfriend backstage, you know what I mean? Just organic things like that which are a part of life, I don’t think anything needs to be forced.”
The 28-year-old Deville appeared on Tough Enough in 2015 and was signed to WWE shortly after. She made her main roster debut in 2017 along with Mandy Rose. Deville is currently an on-screen authority figure in WWE along with Adam Pearce after losing a “loser leaves WWE” match to Mandy Rose.
WWE has pre-taped the December 24th edition of Smackdown on Friday night frmo the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
3 matches were taped for the show including a 12-person gauntlet match to determine a new #1 contender for the Intercontinental title.
Here are the results, courtesy of Twitter user @TheQumarZaman:
Sami Zayn won the 12-person gauntlet match and is now the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship. The other participants included Angel, Cesaro, Drew Gulak, Erik, Humberto, Ivar, Jinder Mahal, Mansoor, Ricochet, Shanky and Sheamus. Ricochet was the last to be eliminated.
Zayn, a 2x Intercontinental Champion himself, will now face current champion Shinsuke Nakamura at the Day 1 pay-per-view on January 1st.
Charlotte Flair successfully retained the Smackdown Women’s Championship against Toni Storm. Flair reversed a pinning combination from the challenger into her own and got the three count. On this week’s Smackdown, Storm pinned Flair in tag-team action. Storm had also defeated Flair via disqualification in their previous title match.
Then there was a “Miracle on 34th Street Fight” that saw Drew McIntyre & The New Day’s (Woods & Kingston) defeat Madcap Moss & The Usos.
After the match, the babyfaces gave gifts to the fans at ringside.
The full show will air December 24th, 2021 on Fox Sports starting at 8 PM est.
Dax Harwood of FTR has invited ROH and GCW Tag Team Champions the Briscoes to Wednesday’s Dynamite. After FTR attacked Jay and Mark Briscoe at ROH’s Final Battle recently, Harwood took to Twitter to say that the Briscoes should come to next week’s AEW Dynamite in the Greensboro Coliseum.
“Hell no. We came in their house, beat the shit out of them, and made them more relevant in 4 minutes than they’ve been in the last 4 years. They should come the Greensboro and give us their payday from Final Battle. I’m sure I could almost pay my light bill with that money,” Harwood Tweeted.
Hell no. We came in their house, beat the shit out of them, and made them more relevant in 4 minutes than they’ve been in the last 4 years. They should come the Greensboro and give us their payday from Final Battle. I’m sure I could almost pay my light bill with that money. https://t.co/DBdnHPcJQ9
FTR have a scheduled match for the show. They are set to team with their Pinnacle stablemate, Maxwell Jacob Friedman. They’ll face Sting, Darby Allin, and CM Punk in trios action.
FTR recently appeared on Barstool Rasslin‘ with Brandon F. Walker. During the discussion, they spoke in regards to some of their plans for 2022 and mentioned the Briscoes specifically.
“I think we are going to be the first-ever two-time AEW Tag Team Champions. In 2022, we are going to get the titles back. We are going to have the title run that we should’ve had the first time,” said Wheeler. He continued, “…We are never going to lose those again. Rematch with the Young Bucks. Beat the sh*t out of The Briscoes. Hold titles everywhere.”
In late October, Ring of Honor announced that the promotion would be going on hiatus following Final Battle. They also noted they planned to return in April of 2022. It was further revealed that the company would no longer be using contracted talent moving forward. Some fans took this to mean ROH was shutting down. ROH COO Joe Koff recently appeared on the ROH Strong podcast to refute this.
“What seeped into the narrative … is that we were shutting down, when all we announced is that we were not doing any live events in the first quarter,” Koff said. “We never used the words ‘shutting down.’”
According to a report from PW Insider, a venue for a Ring of Honor show in April during WrestleMania week in Dallas has been booked and paid for. It’s not clear what date the show will run or what venue has been booked, however.
With ROH returning in April but running with no contracted talent, they are likely looking at booking wrestlers much like independent promotions do, using whoever happens to be available on the date with no exclusive contracts. The ROH Championship titles are currently held by Jonathan Gresham (ROH World), The Briscoes (Tag-team), Rok-C (World women’s title) and Josh Woods (Pure).
ECK'S FILES ?
??ROH COO JOE KOFF DISCUSSES ROH'S PAST AND FUTURE ON ROHSTRONG PODCAST
AEW star Darby Allin and NXT star Cora Jade are trending worldwide on Twitter after getting involved in a heated exchange earlier yesterday.
It all started when the former TNT champion made a post showing him skateboarding at a local park. This prompted a number of responses.
A fan suggested that Allin should have a skateboarding match with Jade, whose NXT character is also based around skateboarding.
Responding to the fan, Darby Allin fired some shots at the NXT star. He wrote: “Skating is a huge part of my life not a fake character for tv lol”
This led to Cora Jade firing back at the AEW signee, she wrote back: “Being a good person with no abuse allegations against me is a huge part of my life and not just a character I play on TV.”
Both the stars have since deleted their tweets, but social media has been eating up this inter-promotional spat.
Jade is referring to Allin being accused of sexual abuse by indie wrestler Hawlee Cromwell during the speaking out movement last year.
Jade is a friend of Cromwell and the two have previously teamed in the indies. Allin’s ex-wife Gigi Dolin, who is one-half of the current NXT tag team champions, has also feuded with Jade.
Drew McIntyre has gotten his match for the upcoming Day 1 PPV. He will be facing Madcap Moss in a singles match with Baron Corbin on the ringside.
The two sides have been feuding for a while. Last week’s episode of SmackDown saw Moss and Corbin stealing the sword of the Scottish Warrior which was stuck in the desk of Adam Pearce.
This week’s episode of the show featured an episode of Happy Talk with the sword. McIntyre crashed this segment and retrieved the artifact.
Later in the episode the lone wolf booked a match between his partner and the former WWE champion for the Day 1 PPV. Though Moss didn’t look very happy about it.
AEW has officially announced the very first match for their Battle of the Belts special event which will air on TNT at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on January 8th.
It was confirmed during AEW Rampage on Friday night that Britt Baker will defend the AEW Women’s Championship against Riho at Battle of the Belts in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Bojangles Coliseum.
You can see the official announcement graphic from AEW’s Twitter account below.
Riho had earned the title shot by defeating Baker back on the November 26th edition of AEW Rampage in a Black Friday Deal Match. At that point, we knew Riho would get a title shot but didn’t know when. That question has now been answered.
While no other matches have officially been announced for Battle of the Belts, many assume that Bryan Danielson will face AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page on the show. This past Wednesday night, Page and Danielson had an all-time classic on Dynamite — a match which ended in a draw after 60 minutes. The two are understandably due for a rematch, and Battle of the Belts seems like the perfect opportunity.
The Battle of the Belts TNT special has the flavor of the old WCW Clash of the Champions events which aired on TBS between 1988 and 1997. Most are expecting the AEW show to have PPV level excitement behind it by the time we get there.
The event will be held at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte (formerly known as the Charlotte Coliseum and Independence Arena). The venue was home to several WCW events in year’s past.
According to the WrestleTix Twitter account, AEW Battle of the Belts has sold around 73% of the alotted tickets as of press time. That’s good for 4,583 tickets sold out of a setup that will be able to hold 6,240 fans. We’d expect a good majority of those remaining tickets to move over the next couple of weeks, especially if Page vs. Danielson is announced.
AEW Presents "Battle Of The Belts" Sat • Jan 08, 2022 • 7:00 PM Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, NC
Available Tickets => 1,657 Current Setup/Capacity => 6,240 Tickets Distributed => 4,583 (73%)
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.
It appears that Windham Rotunda better known to wrestling fans as Bray Wyatt might be taking an extended break from wrestling instead of returning right away.
Many expected the wrestling star to make his AEW debut during the Winter Is Coming special of Dynamite. He was even trending on Twitter for a while during the event.
However, the expected debut never took place. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter talked about Rotunda and provided some updates.
Per Meltzer, there has been continued talk about the former Wyatt Family Leader within WWE. Word is that he is focusing on his Hollywood gig and does not want to return to wrestling anytime soon.
Bray Wyatt had one of the ‘top five or six’ contracts in WWE. So, unless he was living ‘incredibly large’, there shouldn’t be any financial issue forcing the former WWE star to return before he wants.
Rotunda apparently had talks with Impact wrestling but the two sides were ‘apart on money.’ Tony Khan has said multiple times that he hasn’t talked to Wyatt regarding a possible AEW signing.
Bray Wyatt was released from his WWE contract on July 31 earlier this year. He became a free agent on October 29. A WrestleCon convention in Dallas during WrestleMania 38 weekend is so far the only wrestling appearance he has been announced for.
AEW Rampage aired tonight on TNT. Dan Lambert made his return to All Elite Wrestling during this week’s episode. Lucha Bros, Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz battled 2point0, Daniel Garcia, and The Acclaimed in a 10-man tag team match in the main event. The card for AEW Dynamite Holiday Bash was also announced during tonight’s show.
Best Friends & Rocky Romero def. Young Bucks, Adam Cole, Bobby Fish
Tay Conti def. Penelope Ford via submission
Daniel Garcia, 2point0, The Acclaimed def. Eddie Kingston, Santana, Ortiz, Lucha Bros
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Best Friends & Rocky Romero Picked Up A Win
Young Bucks, Bobby Fish, and Adam Cole faced Best Friends (Chuck Taylor, Orange Cassidy, and Trent) and Rocky Romero. Brandon Cutler and Wheeler Yuta were ringside for the match.
Matt Jackson and Chuck Taylor started off the action and Matt took control. Matt sent Chuck to the corner but but Taylor battled back with Sliced Bread for a two count. Romero and Fish tagged in and traded strikes. Rocky hit a Dropkick and tagged in Orange Cassidy.
Adam Cole tagged in but didn’t have any interest in battling Orange Cassidy and tagged Nick Jackson. Cassidy hit an Arm Drag before a brawl broke out. The Elite slammed Trent’s neck on the ring apron and delivered some Superkicks as Rampage went to a commercial break.
When Rampage returned, Trent tagged in and cleaned house. Best Friends shared a hug before The Elite battled back. Bobby Fish hit a Falcon Arrow off the top rope on Trent and went for the cover but Cassidy broke up the cover. Everyone took turns diving onto each other outside the ring until it was just Trent and Bobby Fish in the ring. Trent hit Strong Zero on Fish for the pinfall victory.
Dan Lambert returned to All Elite Wrestling during tonight’s episode of Rampage. Men of the Year (Ethan Page & Scorpio Sky) came to the ring with Lambert for a promo. The crowd was booing Lambert and he called them douchebags. Lambert called Tony Khan a conman who gives special treatment to the EVPs. Dan claimed that AEW was turning into WCW in the late 90’s and bashed Cody’s forgettable reality TV show, Rhodes to the Top.
Cody Rhodes interrupted and ripped the microphone away but Dan took it back. Cody then grabbed the microphone again before a brawl broke out. Cody was outnumbered and Dustin Rhodes rushed the ring to help his brother. Sammy Guevara joined in and helped Cody & Dustin. Sammy connected with a Cutter and Men of the Year retreated. Sammy will defend the TNT Title against Cody on the Christmas edition of Rampage.
Tay Conti faced Penelope Ford in a Submission match. Anna Jay and The Bunny were ringside. Conti controlled the match early and showcased her submission wrestling. The Bunny hopped on the apron for a distraction and Ford battled back. Penelope connected with a Backbreaker and transitioned into a standing Crossface. Conti countered into a choke hold and Ford tapped out. After the match, The Bunny hopped in the ring and hit Conti with brass knuckles. Anna Jay grabbed a chair and Ford & The Bunny retreated.
Eddie Kingston, AEW Tag Team Champions Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix), Santana & Ortiz faced Daniel Garcia, The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster, 2point0 (Matt Lee & Jeff Parker) in a 10-man tag match. Mark Henry interviewed the competitors before the match. Max Caster went to rap during his entrance but a brawl broke out.
The brawl went on for a bit before the action finally made it’s way to the ring and the bell rang. Lucha Bros isolated Caster early on and took turns beating him down. Bowens tagged in but Ortiz leveled him. Santana followed it up with a Moonsault Press. Fenix went for a Splash but wound up hitting Garcia in the face with his knees. Eddie went after Garcia for a bit before chaos ensued. As everyone was battling outside the ring, Garcia rolled up Kingston from behind and used his trunks for leverage. The referee didn’t catch it and Garcia stole the victory.
After the match, Anthony Bowens bashed Eddie over the head with the boombox. Jurassic Express and Christian ran down to the ring for the save. Jungle Boy took a look at the AEW Tag Team Championships before handing them back to Lucha Bros. Jurassic Express and Lucha Bros had a stare down to close the show.
It was announced during tonight’s episode of Rampage that the men’s and women’s tournaments for the Owen Hart Cup will take place in May of 2022. The finals will be at Double or Nothing and Martha Hart will be at the PPV to award the winners.
Bret Hart was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame on Friday evening, and the ceremony featured a specially recorded video from an old friend of Hart’s — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The Rock wasn’t the only name from the wrestling world making an appearance for Hart’s big night. Chris Jericho delivered the induction speech for the Hitman. And while Johnson’s video is not yet available online, we do have a screencap.
“Thank you to @therock for making a special appearance to honour @BretHart during our Celebrating Greatness: @CWOFame 2021 broadcast special featuring all of our 2021 Inductees & Honourees!” wrote Canada’s Walk of Fame on Twitter.
The Rock replied with a heartfelt message about Bret Hart’s impact on his career.
“My pleasure,” he wrote. “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.”
My pleasure, 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 ? https://t.co/VEwSy5q9Wc
Bret Hart closed his speech by saying, “Most of all, thank you to all my fans around the world and across the country. I’m a proud Canadian and thank you for letting me be your hero.”
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.
One famous story was when Hart and Johnson wrestled on Monday Night Raw (March 31, 1997), and Hart refused to beat the rising star even though that was what was originally booked. Both Triple H and Shawn Michaels were reportedly very upset that Hart had the finish changed.
It’s always good to see one of the biggest movie stars in the world remember his roots in professional wrestling and the people who helped him long before he became an icon.
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.
WWE SmackDown aired live from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL. Universal Champion Roman Reigns returned after not appearing last week. In addition to the takeaways below, A 12-man Gauntlet Match was announced for next week’s SmackDown. The winner of the match will earn a shot at the Intercontinental Championship.
Toni Storm & Sasha Banks def. Charlotte Flair & Shotzi
Viking Raiders def. Jinder Mahal & Shanky
Ridge Holland def. Cesaro
Naomi def. Shayna Baszler
New Day def. The Usos
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Toni Storm Pinned The Champion, Will Face Flair For The Title Next Week
Paul Heyman was shown holding the Universal Championship in the parking lot waiting for Roman Reigns’ arrival to begin the show. Toni Storm & Sasha Banks faced Charlotte Flair & Shotzi in the first match of the night. Everybody got their entrance aired besides Toni Storm. Toni took Shotzi down to the canvas and applied a Headlock.
Shotzi escaped to the corner and tagged in Charlotte Flair. Sasha tagged in and connected with a Hurricanrana. Banks rolled up Flair for a near fall before tagging Toni back in. Storm hit Flair with a couple uppercuts but Charlotte shoved her away. Flair booted Banks off the apron and posed for the crowd. Storm hit a slam and went for the cover but Shotzi broke it up at two. Shotzi threw Toni out of the ring as SmackDown went to a break.
When SmackDown returned, Toni hit Shotzi with some punches before tagging Sasha back in. Sasha knocked Charlotte of the apron but turned around into a Clothesline from Shotzi. Charlotte tagged in and booted Banks out of the ring. Charlotte followed her and launched Banks into he barricade. Flair carried Sasha back into the ring and went for the cover but Banks kicked out at two.
Charlotte hit a Tilt-a-Whirl Backbreaker for another two count. Shotzi tagged in and went for a Bronco Buster but Sasha got out of the way. Toni tagged in and connected with an inverted Atomic Drop. Storm followed it up with a Slingblade before Flair was able to tag back in. Charlotte hit a Fallaway Slam and Toni rolled out of the ring as SmackDown went to another break.
Sasha sent Charlotte to the corner and hit Double Knees for a near fall. Banks connected with a massive Bulldog and climbed to the top rope. Storm tagged in as Sasha jumped down and hit a Backstabber on Shotzi. Toni hit a Crossbody and went for the cover but Flair still kicked out. Charlotte went for the Moonsault and then the standing Moonsault after Toni rolled out of the way. Storm got her knees up and rolled up Flair for the pinfall victory.
Shanky & Jinder Mahal battled the Viking Raiders tonight on SmackDown. Shanky planted Erik with a Side Slam for a two count. Jinder and Shanky took control and isolated Erik in the corner. Erik battled back and tagged in Ivar. The big man beat Jinder down and Shanky tagged in. Viking Raiders isolated Shanky in the corner and sent Jinder out of the ring. Ivar climbed to the top rope and connected with a Splash for the pinfall victory.
Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss were shown backstage still pushing around the desk with McIntyre’s sword Angela stuck in it. They then made there way to the ring for an episode of Happy Talk. A limo arrived and Paul Heyman opened the door. Brock Lesnar emerged and smiled at Heyman. Lesnar said that it looks like Heyman was expecting someone else and mention Roman Reigns. Brock told Heyman “good luck with that” and gave him a pat on the chest before walking away.
Corbin and Madcap brought the desk to the ring and joked around as the crowd booed them. After several excruciating minutes of bad jokes, Drew McIntyre finally interrupted and made his way to the ring. McIntyre knocked Corbin and Moss out of the ring and then ripped his sword out of the desk. McIntyre then walked around backstage looking for Corbin & Moss later on the show.
Ridge Holland faced Cesaro tonight on SmackDown. Before the match, Ridge hit Cesaro with his cane as SmackDown went to a break. Cesaro had his ribs taped up during the commercial but wanted to wrestle the match. Ridge controlled the action early and focused his attack on Cesaro’s ribs. Cesaro battled back with a Clothesline that sent Holland out of the ring. Cesaro hit some uppercuts and the action returned back to the ring. Holland hit Cesaro in the ribs again and followed it up with a Powerslam for the pinfall victory.
Naomi came to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. Naomi called out Sonya Deville once again. Sonya made her way to the ring and Sonya Deville attacked Naomi from behind. Baszler applied a submission hold but Naomi countered into a roll-up to end the match.
The Usos faced New Day this week on SmackDown. The Usos will also face New Day at Day 1 with the SmackDown Tag Team Championships on the line. Jimmy and Jey dominated the action early and isolated Kofi Kingston in the corner. The crowd chanted “New Day rocks!” to get behind Kofi but the Usos kept him grounded as SmackDown went to a break.
When SmackDown returned, King Woods finally got the tag and connected with a Clothesline. Woods followed it up with a Russian Leg Sweep and fired up the crowd. Woods Clotheslined Jimmy out of the ring and hit a Dropkick through the ropes. Back in the ring, Woods delivered an Elbow Drop for a two count.
Kofi tagged back in and climbed to the top rope. Woods was thrown into the barricade outside the ring by Jimmy. Jey hit Kofi with a Superkick and went for the cover but Kingston kicked out at two. Kingston hit Trouble in Paradise after Woods provided a distraction for the pinfall victory.
Roman Reigns Fired Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar Attacked
Universal Champion Roman Reigns arrived at the arena twenty minutes before SmackDown went off the air. Reigns said “lets go out to my ring” as SmackDown went to a break.
When SmackDown returned, Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman made their way to the ring. Reigns was sporting his new “Needle Mover” t-shirt. The Usos then joined them in the ring as Roman asked the Chicago crowd to acknowledge him. Roman told the crowd that he doesn’t like it when his cousins lose but they can get through it. Reigns said The Usos are blood and family, but Paul Heyman is not his blood.
Roman told Heyman that he cannot have people disrespecting him because that means he would be disrespecting his entire family. The Tribal Chief asked Paul if he can trust him and noted that Heyman was shady last week. Reigns once again asked Heyman if he knew Lesnar was going to return at SummerSlam, and then wondered if he was a “special council” or “an advocate”.
Heyman asked for a microphone but Reigns stopped him. Roman asked Heyman why he was protecting Brock Lesnar from him and Paul smirked a bit. Paul took a look down at the Universal Championship and said “my Tribal Chief, I’m not protecting Brock Lesnar from you, I’m protecting you from Brock Lesnar”. Heyman looked to the skies and said “help me” before uttering those words.
Roman gave Heyman and told him he loved him. Reigns thanked Paul for his honesty and for years of service to his family. Roman then fired Heyman and went to walk away but stopped before the ropes. Reigns leveled Heyman with a Superman Punch and Uso handed him a steel chair. Roman set up for a con-chair-to but Lesnar’s theme hit. Brock beat down Jimmy and Jey on the entrance ramp as Roman watched with a steel chair. Lesnar hit both Jimmy and Jey with an F5 and stared at Reigns. Lesnar circled the ring as Roman waited for him with the chair. Brock got in the ring and Reigns unloaded a couple chair shots. Lesnar shrugged them off and planted Roman Reigns with an F5 to close the show. Reigns will defend the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar at Day 1.
It has been many years since WWE’s tag team division has had any real focus. While we’ve had entertaining teams throughout the years, especially over the last several years with The New Day, the division has always seemed like an afterthought on television when it comes to booking.
That’s for good reason. It’s been well known in the industry for years that Vince McMahon is not the biggest fan of tag team wrestling. This despite the fact that some of his biggest stars of all time started out in tag teams — names like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Jeff Hardy, Edge and many more.
Former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. recently shared a story on his podcast (Wrestling With Freddie Prinze) about why McMahon dislikes tag team wrestling.
“I connected with Harry (David Hart Smith) a lot and I really want to get him and TJ (Wilson) over,” Prinze said (via Fightful), looking back on when he was trying to pitch the tag team division to have more importance. “I worked hard to do it. I failed those boys. I never got over that. I failed The Usos too.
“Tag team wrestling is tough. I remember Vince, I was working so hard on building up a tag team division and Vince said, ‘Freddie, I gotta pay four guys for one fucking match.’ I kind of went, ‘Oh.’ I had never looked at it like that. It’s show business. I was in charge of the Colon Brothers, I named Primo, that was my name. It kind of changed my perspective on things and the way I approached storylines. I couldn’t pitch for as much anymore.”
Are Tag Teams The Future For WWE?
When looking at the current landscape of WWE, one of the names who could be a major singles star of the future is Montez Ford. Will he follow the same path as a Shawn Michaels or Bret Hart before him?
The Street Profits, Ford’s team, are undoubtedly one of the best teams in the current tag team division. However, with tag teams split across two brands with two divisions, it oftens feels like the teams are left spinning their tires, so to speak. They’re seemingly having the same matches week in and week out.
Will Ford be able to rise above McMahon’s distaste for tag team wrestling and come out a star in the long run? That remains to be seen.
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.
Tony Khan has given his reaction to an article published by Fox News that brought up the Jacksonville Jaguars firing Urban Meyer as their head coach as well as AEW’s television ratings.
The article claimed that the Jaguars team owner and Tony’s father, Shad Khan, had a “rough 15 days of December” with the Meyer situation and AEW ratings “cooling off” since the big talent signings such as Bryan Danielson and CM Punk. The media outlet doesn’t cover pro wrestling very often and there’s no history of them covering AEW’s television ratings.
While Dynamite ratings have dropped off as of late compared to where they had been, the partial reason for that is due to the west coast feed airing the show live at 5 pm because of NHL coverage. Also, while the overnight ratings have been down, AEW’s DVR numbers continue to be strong.
Khan took to Twitter to give his reaction and first wrote, “Hey @FoxNews it’s amusing hearing you opining about @AEW ratings considering #AEWDynamite on Wednesday has beaten EVERY single @FoxNews show for 6 straight weeks! Here are the recent charts (including this week) to prove it. See you TONIGHT on @TNTdrama10pmET/9pmCT @ #AEWRampage.”
He followed up with a second tweet: “Thanks @FoxNews, I appreciate that you’ve highlighted @AEW ratings when #AEWDynamite on Wednesdays has beaten EVERY single show on your network for 6 straight weeks. Here are a few more charts, Twitter only let me attach 4 weeks worth to my last tweet! See you TONIGHT #AEWRampage”
The AEW President also shared charts from ShowBuzz Daily that shows AEW regularly beats Fox News programming in the key demo.
Thanks @FoxNews, I appreciate that you’ve highlighted @AEW ratings when #AEWDynamite on Wednesdays has beaten EVERY single show on your network for 6 straight weeks. Here are a few more charts, Twitter only let me attach 4 weeks worth to my last tweet! See you TONIGHT #AEWRampagepic.twitter.com/Ow0vUmLnBs
WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley believes Thunder Rosa is a one-of-a-kind talent.
Rosa signed with AEW back in July. She had been with the NWA on a per-date deal. Once she put pen to paper with AEW, it was the biggest opportunity in her pro wrestling career.
Thunder Rosa has gained plenty of steam over the past year. She constantly gets big crowd reactions and seems to be in prime position to challenge for the AEW Women’s Championship sometime in 2022.
Thunder Rosa & The ‘It’ Factor
Mick Foley appeared on Busted Open Radio and during a chat with Mark Henry and Dave LaGreca, he detailed why he thinks Thunda Rosa is a special talent.
“She strikes me as one of those really rare people who feels it every time she’s hitting the ring, and I mean, I’d like to say I felt it every time. I didn’t.
“Ric Flair did, Terry Funk did, and it’s a short list but she’s somebody that just like, oh man, lives, breaths wrestling and she’s just a super cool person.”
In the midst of a book tour to promote his Have a Nice Day! autobiography, Foley was joined by Thunder Rosa in San Antonio. Foley knew that Rosa was a draw and that much was evident during that tour appearance.
“She killed it. I said, ‘Yeah, set up a merch table.’ So, she killed it on merch which was really nice and she also — I mean she got the big pop.
“I think that was a big reason that we had such a big house in San Antonio. We had almost 300 people on a Monday and that’s on the very high-end for my shows.
“My shows usually [do] 150 to 200 and on a Monday, even as little as three years ago, I didn’t dare do a show on Monday because I thought, ‘Oh no, no I can’t compete with Raw,’ so I really think she puts butts in seats.”
Thunder Rosa is a semi-finalist in the TBS Championship tournament. She will meet Jade Cargill and the winner will move on to the finals.
The finals of the tourney will be held on Jan. 5. This will mark the debut of Dynamite on its new home, TBS. Rampage will remain on TNT and AEW will be running quarterly specials on TNT.
Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article
Jim Ross and Michael Cole shared the commentary booth for many years. While the two are now in different promotions, they still share text messages occasionally.
On the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast, the wrestling veteran discussed his relationship with various wrestling personalities including people such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, CM Punk, and more.
Speaking of his relationship with his former broadcast partner, Ross said that he exchanges text messages with Michael Cole during holidays, but the two haven’t talked in the last several years:
“I don’t know that we’ve talked in the last several years, we do engage in text messages here or there during the holidays. He’s got a great family, sometime this month, I’m sure we’ll exchange text messages but that’s the extent of it. He’s on the road a lot, he’s got a lot of responsibilities.
There’s that competitive nature that some people have with WWE and AEW, I don’t think Cole is in that league.” said Jim Ross, “I don’t think he cares. I say we text each other once or twice a year and I wish it were more, but it’s just hard.”
Kurt Angle liked working with Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock so much that he can’t pick a favorite.
Angle made his climb up the WWE ranks rather quickly. The Olympic gold medalist not only had the in-ring chops but he also had quite the personality. That combination and the ability to adapt led to Angle becoming a Hall of Famer.
Angle found himself feuding with the likes of Stone Cold and The Rock. In fact, Angle’s first WWE Title run came off a victory over The Rock at No Mercy back in 2000.
Kurt Angle Not Picking Favorites
(via WWE)
During an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the WWE and TNA Hall of Famer admitted that he can’t choose who he liked working with more.
“That’s tough, they’re both really good. Austin was more intense, more physical. The Rock was more athletic. So, [there was] a huge difference between the two but they were both very effective. I’d have to say it’s a tie. I can’t pick one or the other.”
Angle has long said that working with Austin, he knew he’d be on the receiving end of some stiff strikes. Angle never took it personally either and actually liked that style because he also likes to be snug with his punches.
As for The Rock, Angle has said he will always hold “The Great One” in high regard. Angle has credited The Rock with helping him early in his career.
Today, Angle, Rock, and Austin are all renowned legends of the pro wrestling world. They have even found themselves on plenty of Mount Rushmore lists.
Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article
Tony Khan broke the news that there will actually be two Owen Hart Cup tournaments One men’s singles tournament and one women’s singles tournament.
Dr. Martha Hart, widow of the late Owen Hart, will be on hand to present trophies to the winners.
The finals of the men’s and women’s Owen Hart Cup tournaments will take place in May at the annual Double or Nothing pay-per-view from Las Vegas.
Additional details will be given next week on the Holiday Bash edition of AEW Dynamite. A video package will air on that show featuring Owen Hart from his days in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Khan thanked Rocky Romero for being instrumental in securing that footage.
You can listen to Tony Khan’s comments from Friday’s Busted Open here:
Tony Khan previously had this to say about AEW’s relationship with the Hart Family:
“AEW’s relationship with the Hart family dates back to our inaugural pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing in 2019, and Owen’s influence is still felt today,” said Khan. To extend his memory and his legacy even further through this agreement is a powerful and meaningful moment for the entire wrestling community.”
Martha Hart issued this statement on behalf of the Owen Hart Foundation regarding the Owen Hart Cup Tournament(s) and its decision to partner with All Elite Wrestling:
“The Owen Hart Foundation is extremely pleased to partner with AEW in this wonderful joint venture to honor Owen’s substantial international wrestling career and the lasting influence he and his craft has had in the sport.
AEW’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament serves as a tremendous tribute to Owen and provides an incredible way for professional wrestling enthusiasts to celebrate his work in a most fitting way.
We trust that Tony Khan and his amazing AEW team will do a brilliant job with this highly anticipated project. This OHF/AEW partnership is my special gift to all of Owen’s magnificent loyal fans who forever remember him and his inspiring repertoire of talents.”
Impact Wrestling on 12/16 continued the build to the Hard to Kill PPV on January 8th. It featured a major angle between Moose and Matt Cardona.
Impact quick results 12/16:
Josh Alexander defeated Rohit Raju w/Raj Singh
Joe Doening & Doc Gallows w/ Karl Anderson & VBD defeated Rich Swann & Willie Mack w/ Heath & Rhino
Trey Miguel defeated John Skyler
Chris Bey defeated Laredo Kid
Tenille Dashwood defeated Jessie McKay
Josh Alexander Defeats Rohit Raju
Alexander had to contend with interference from Raj Singh on the outside but came back to win this match with a C-4 Spike. Commentary played up that we are seeing a more aggressive side to Alexander recently. They also noted Alexander is still dealing with injured ribs from JONAH’s attack at Turning Point.
The Good Brothers and Violent By Design were interviewed in the back and spoke about having come to a business agreement to work together, as we saw them do last week. This led to Doc Gallows teaming with Joe Doering to take on Rich Swann and Willie Mack this week. The finish of the match came shortly after Doering tossed Swann off the top turnbuckle and then him and Gallows gave Mack a double choke-slam and got the pin.
After the match, VBD and the Good Brothers continued the assault on Mack, Swann, as well as Heath and Rhino who were in Mack and Swann’s corner. This led to Eddie Edwards coming out with a kendo stick to make the save.
X-Division Champion Trey Miguel defeated John Skyler with a meteora this week. As he was heading to the back after the match, however, he was attacked by Steve Maclin. Maclin then dragged him backstage to end the segment.
After the break, we cut to a video of Miguel tied up backstage while being taunted by Maclin.
Laredo Kid had to contend with HIKULEO on the outside and it cost him this match here. After a crazy back and forth match, Laredo Kid looked like he had the match won. Bey was prone on the mat and Laredo went to the top. HIKULEO got up on the ring apron, however, and Laredo eventually took him out with a diving attack to the floor. The distraction allowed Bey to recover. Bey then countered a diving attack from his opponent into a cutter and got the 3-count.
Deonna Purrazzo vs Mickie James At Hard To Kill Made a Texas Death Match
Footage of Deonna Purrazzo and Knockouts Champion Mickie James getting into a confrontation at an autograph signing aired. We then cut to a clip of Purrazzo and James being told their match at Hard to Kill will now be a Texas Death Match by Gail Kim.
The short-lived alliance between the Iinspiration and the Influence continues to implode. This week Jessie McKay took on Tenille Dashwood in singles competition. McKay looked like she had the match wrapped up after delivering a big boot but Kaleb pulled the referee out of the ring. This led to Madison Rayne attacking Cassie Lee and McKay coming out of the ring to deal with her. As McKay got back in the ring, Kaleb grabbed her foot, which allowed Tenille to hit the spotlight kick for the win.
Chelsea Green Knocked Out By Chair Shot During Hard To Kill Contract Signing
The main event of the show featured a contract signing for the Impact World Championship match at Hard to Kill. Consistent with how such segments usually go, this one eventually broke down into a brawl. Morrissey signed the contract and promptly left. Moose then called Chelsea Green some names and Cardona attacked. Moose put Cardona through the table and then taunted him with his title belt.
It looked like Moose was going to leave but he turned around and came back. He wrapped Cardona’s neck in a chair and looked like he was going to hit him with another chair but Chelsea Green stopped him. Cardona then went to go hit Moose with a chair but missed and hit Green. Cardona checked on Green as Moose laughed and made his way to the back to end the show.
Coming Up In Impact Wrestling
ICYMI: The IPWF returns as @PabstBlueRibbon presents Throwback Throwdown II this Saturday December 18 from the Davis Arena in Louisville, KY, LIVE on @IMPACTPlusApp!
Impact World Championship Moose (c) vs Matt Cardona vs W. Morrissey
Knockouts Championship Texas Death Match Mickie James (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
Ultimate X Match For The #1 Contendership to the Knockouts Championship Lady Frost vs Rachael Ellering vs Tasha Steelz vs Jordynne Grace vs Chelsea Green vs Rosemary
Women’s wrestling has certainly raised the bar in the year of 2021.
It’s also had its share of highs and lows this year, so let’s take a look back at some of this year’s highlights from the world of women’s wrestling.
On the latest edition of Women’s Wrestling Focus, Ella Jay runs down the the year in Women’s Wrestling, including WWE, AEW, Impact, ROH, NWA and independents.
WWE
WWE began the year with their 2021 Royal Rumble, where Bianca Belair stood tall, eliminating Rhea Ripley to claim the victory. Belair would embark on a three month journey, before meeting Sasha Banks in the night one main event of WrestleMania. Competing in arguably match of the year, Banks and Belair delivered an emotional and high action bout. Belair prevailed to become the new Smackdown Women’s Champion.
In the absence of Sasha Banks following WrestleMania, Bianca Belair would pursue feuds with Bayley and Carmella. She would achieve a series of successful title defenses before Banks’ eventual return ahead of SummerSlam. The two were set to collide at the summer’s biggest event, but Banks was left unable to compete. So Belair was met with a new opponent, in the form of a returning Becky Lynch. “The Man” would stun the audience in a twenty six second victory over Belair, winning the Smackdown Women’s Championship.
In the weeks following, Lynch and Belair would trade blows and intense words, before the return of Sasha Banks. The WWE Draft would seperate this trio of superstars, but before the selections were officially put into place, they would meet at WWE Crown Jewel. All three competitors would display strong resilience, but Becky Lynch emerged victorious, and retained her Smackdown Women’s Championship.
Sasha Banks would stay on Smackdown, while Belair and Lynch would travel to the red brand on RAW. Becky Lynch would be forced to trade women’s championships with the reigning RAW Women’s Champion, Charlotte Flair. Therefore, Lynch became the RAW Women’s Champion, while Flair would become Smackdown Women’s Champion, as Flair was now assigned to Smackdown following the draft.
Let’s back up a bit here though.
Following her impressive performance in the Royal Rumble, Rhea Ripley disappeared from WWE programming. Resurfacing on Monday Night RAW, she challenged RAW Women’s Champion, Asuka, to a title match at night two of WrestleMania. Ripley would emerge victorious, defeating Asuka to become the new RAW Women’s Champion before entering a feud with Charlotte Flair.
Flair and Ripley would go back and forth for months, before meeting at Money In The Bank in July. Flair would outlast her competition, forcing Ripley to tap out, becoming the new RAW Women’s Champion. The same night, Nikki A.S.H. outlasted seven other competitors to win the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, earning herself a future title opportunity.
A.S.H. wasted little time, cashing in on a stunned Flair the next evening on RAW to become RAW Women’s Champion for the first time in her career. A.S.H. found herself in the middle of three way feud with herself, Flair and Ripley, as each competitor collided the next month in a triple threat match at SummerSlam. Charlotte Flair would regain the RAW Women’s Championship, ending A.S.H’s reign. The next month, she defeated Alexa Bliss at Extreme Rules.
Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley would form a tag team shortly after, and captured the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, before eventually following to Carmella and the 2021 Queen Crown winner, Zelina Vega. Vega defeated Doudrop (fka Piper Niven) in the finals of the inagural tournament to become the first ever Queen’s Crown in WWE.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Flair is drafted to Smackdown following the annual draft, and is forced to swap titles with Becky Lynch, as previously stated. The two former friends now turned foes met at Survivor Series in a grueling back and forth battle, in which Lynch utilized rope leverage to defeat Flair.
Also at Survivor Series, Team Raw outlasted Team Smackdown to earn the victory in the battle for brand supremacy. Bianca Belair found herself down 4-1, but overcame her competition to secure the win for the red brand. This win marked an impressive third win this year for Belair within WWE’s “big four” pay-per-views.
In the weeks following Survivor Series, Flair has been met with a new challenger: Toni Storm. Storm made her Smackdown debut earlier this year, and now founds herself in the hunt for the Smackdown Women’s Championship.
On RAW, Becky Lynch has pursued a program with crowd favorite, Liv Morgan. Morgan would fall short in her shot for the RAW Women’s Championship, but a rematch has been quickly lined up for WWE’s Day 1 show, coming up on January 1st.
NXT
Mandy Rose
NXT began the year with a huge announcement of the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Classic, where the winners would receive a championship opportunity against the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai would go on to win the tournament, but fall short to Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler in their pursuit of tag team gold. Shortly after, however, NXT unveiled their NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship and awarded them to Kai and Gonzalez, winners of the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Classic. This reign would last merely one hour, as Kai and Gonzalez lost their titles on the same night to the team of Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart.
Raquel Gonzalez would assume a feud with Io Shirai, heading into NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver, where she would defeat Shirai, ending her 300+ day reign. Gonzalez would go on to dominate the women’s division, picking up victories over Franky Monet, Xia Lee, and former friend, Dakota Kai. This reign would last six months, until Mandy Rose defeated Gonzalez with the aid of Dakota Kai, who wielded a shovel against Gonzalez at Halloween Havok.
Mandy Rose returned to NXT earlier this year, aligning herself with Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne to form the stable known as Toxic Attraction. This trio would dominate the NXT women’s division, winning not only the NXT Women’s Championship, but the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships as well. Rose defeated Gonzalez for singles gold, while Dolin and Jayne dethroned Io Shirai and Zoey Stark at Halloween Havok to capture the tag team titles.
Most recently, Toxic Attraction teamed with Dakota Kai to take on Io Shirai, Raquel Gonzalez, Kay Lee Ray and Cora Jade at NXT WarGames. The two teams would collide in an all out brawl, before Jade secured the pin on Jacy Jayne. Cora Jade now aims her sight on NXT Women’s Champion, Mandy Rose, as we head into 2022.
AEW
All Elite Wrestling rang in the new year with Hikaru Shida at their Women’s World Champion before announcing and Eliminator Tournament, featuring eight superstars from Japan and eight competitors from the USA.
Nyla Rose would plow through the USA bracket, while Ryo Mizunami picked up victories in the Japan bracket to advance to the finals. On the March 3rd edition of Dynamite, Mizunami defeated Rose via pinfall to earn herself an AEW Women’s World Championship title opportunity against Shida.
Maki Itoh also marked as a notable standout from the AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament with her high energy, charimsa, and exceptional singing ability. She teamed with Britt Baker at Revolution to defeat Riho and Thunder Rosa.
Following the tournament, AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida would later retain against the winner of the tournament, Ryo Mizunami, before entering a feud with Dr. Britt Baker.
After being eliminated from the tournament, Britt Baker would engage in an epic Lights Out match against Thunder Rosa in the main event of the March 17th edition of Dynamite. Rosa would emerge victorious, after Baker dawned a bloody crimson mask.
Britt Baker would get her retribution a few months later at ADouble or Nothing pay-per-view in May, defeating Hikaru Shida for the AEW Women’s World Championship, to much applause.
Britt Baker
From there, Baker dominated in her reign as champion, defeating the likes of Nyla Rose, Red Velvet, and Kris Statlander. However, she found herself with a new ally following her successful title defense against Velvet in August. Jamie Hayter was now All Elite, joining forces with Rebel and the DMD Britt Baker. Together, the three would form a seemingly unstoppable trio.
Baker would later compete in the main event of Grand Slam against a recently debuted, Ruby Soho. Soho made her shocking debut to All Elite Wrestling at All Out, in the women’s Casino Battle Royale as the joker. Soho reigned victorious after eliminating Thunder Rosa, earning herself that future title shot against reigning champion, Britt Baker.
Baker proved herself as the victor of the matchup, again successfully defending her championship. Baker would move on the face Tay Conti at Full Gear in November, further establishing her dominance as the women’s champion, and arguably a pillar of AEW. She heads into 2022 with Hayter and Rebel by her side, although some tension has been brewing amidst the trio.
Meanwhile, All Elite Wrestling also introduced another women’s title in the form of the TBS Championship. Ahead of their move from TNT to TBS early next year, AEW unveiled a second championship for their women’s division a few months ago. Amongst the tournament to crown the inaugural champion, included twelve competitors, with four of them earning first round byes.
At the time of this writing, AEW is down to the final four in the tournament. Crowd favorite Thunder Rosa itches to take on the dominant Jade Cargill in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Ruby Soho must take on former AEW Women’s World Champion, Nyla Rose.
Thunder Rosa signed with All Elite Wrestling earlier this year after leaving the NWA, and brings a plethora of experience.
Jade Cargill has remained undefeated since entering AEW just over a year ago, notably feuding with Red Velvet this year.
Ruby Soho entered AEW with a hot start, winning the Casino Battle Royale, and looks to gain even more steam.
Nyla Rose aligned herself with Vickie Guerrero earlier this year, and hopes to be the first to hold both women’s championships in AEW.
The first ever TBS Champion will be crowned on the January 5th edition of AEW Dynamite.
IMPACT Wrestling
Deonna Purrazzo
Deonna Purrazzo slayed her competition this year during her second run as the IMPACT Knockouts Champion. Starting the year defeating the likes of Taya Valkyrie, and ODB, Purrazzo gained confidence heading into her Career vs Title match against wrestling legend, Jazz. Consequently, Purrazzo would retire JAZZ from IMPACT Wrestling following her victory at Hardcore Justice.
In the months following, Purrazzo would steam roll her competition with victories over Tenille Dashwood, Thunder Rosa, Melina Perez, and more, before she finally met her match in the form of “Hardcore Country”, Mickie James.
James would reemerge into IMPACT Wrestling at Slammiversary, following Purrazzo’s win over Thunder Rosa. Mickie would extend an invitation for Purrazzo to be a part of NWA’s first ever all-women’s pay-per-view, Empowerrr, which Deonna initially declined. However, after some persuasion from James and IMPACT producer, Gail Kim, Deonna Purrazzo eventually accepted the offer and was set to face Melina Perez with the Knockouts Championship on the line.
After defeating Perez at Empowerrr, Purrazzo shocked the audience the following night at NWA 73 by attacking Mickie James, following her victory against Kylie Rae. From there, the two would make waves on IMPACT, notably engaging in a brutal barnyard brawl at James’ home in Nashville. Purrazzo and James would meet at IMPACT’s Bound For Glory event with the Knockouts Championship on the line. Mickie James would end Purrazzo’s impressive reign, becoming a four-time Knockouts Champion.
James then defeated Madison Rayne and Mercedes Martinez in the successful title defenses, before Purrazzo returned with vengeance. In a invoke of her rematch clause, Purrazzo is now slated to face James at Hard to Kill on January 8th.
Outside of the Knockouts Championship, IMPACT also re-introduced the Knockouts Tag Team Championships earlier this year. Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz were the first to capture them this year, before falling to Jordynne Grace and the debuting Rachael Ellering. Fire N Flava (Hogan & Steelz) would win the championships back a few weeks later, before engaging in competition against the team of Decay. Fire N Flava would lose the titles to Decay, resulting in an ultimate split of the duo. Steelz would introduce Savannah Evans, would ultimately took out Hogan from IMPACT programming, before signing with All Elite Wrestling.
Decay headed into Bound For Glory as the Knockouts Tag Team Champions, after previously succeeded in their title defense against Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood at Knockouts Knockdown.
Following the return of the all-Knockouts event, it was announced that The IInspiration (formerly the IIconics in WWE) would be joining IMPACT.
The IInspiration defeated Decay at Bound For Glory in October to claim the Knockouts Tag Team Championships before now pursuing programs with The Influence, Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood.
2021 also introduced the Digital Media Championship at Bound For Glory, won by Jordynne Grace. Grace now becomes the first ever Triple Crown Knockout in IMPACT Wrestling history.
IMPACT also saw the return of Taylor Wilde, and ended the year with the notable signings of Masha Slamovich and Lady Frost following their impressive performances at Knockouts Knockdown.
