Saturday, October 31, 2026
NEWS

VIDEO: Three Released WWE Stars Make Surprise Appearances

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Welcome back. There have been a lot of wrestlers released from WWE over the last year and a half. Those moves have changed the way the wrestling world works and that is not likely to be changing anytime soon. That makes for some rather interesting changes as other promotions are able to pick up some of the wrestlers here and there. That seems to be the case in triplicate this time around. Three recently released WWE wrestlers made appearances of some sort over the weekend. First, Taya Valkyrie, formerly known as Frankie Monet in NXT, appeared at AAA TripleMania and said that she was coming for Deonna Purrazzo Reina de Reinas Title. Also, former Universal Champion Braun Strowman, wrestling under his real name of Adam Scherr, appeared at GLCW Blizzard Brawl. The event was a charity show for the victims of the Waukesha, Wisconsin parade. Finally, Scarlett Bordeaux appeared at an MCW Pro Wrestling event, interfering in a match and attacking King McBride. These were some cool moments. Che..

NEWS

Good News On Why Vince McMahon Has Been Working With Austin Theory

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It’s a good reason. There is no one as powerful or influential in the wrestling world as Vince McMahon. After several decades in charge of WWE, McMahon is still the force in wrestling and someone who can change someone’s career in the blink of an eye. That is what he might be doing again with a younger star who has not been around long but already has a hit on his hands. Austin Theory and Vince McMahon have interacted over the last two weeks on Monday Night Raw. On the November 22 edition, Theory revealed that he stole Cleopatra’s egg from McMahon and received a WWE Title match as a result. On November 29, Theory and McMahon watched the show together in McMahon’s office. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, this is due to Theory’s WWE Title match against Big E. being a hit, including with teenage viewers. Theory could be the next big thing. Check out what he has been up to: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post ..

NEWS

WRESTLING RUMOR: WWE Loses Another Star, Already Appears Elsewhere

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Catch him down the road. There are a lot of wrestlers under the WWE umbrella today, but some of them are going to get a bit less attention than others. Some of them are over in NXT UK, which is often about as far off of the radar as you can get in WWE, allowing it to put on a different kind of product. Now though, one of them will not be around NXT UK any longer. According to Bodyslam.net, NXT UK’s Joseph Conners is gone from WWE and is officially a free agent. It is not clear why Conners left or whose decision it was for him to leave. This comes after Conners disappeared from NXT UK TV, with Jinny announcing that her business relationship with Conners was over. Conners has since made an appearance at a British Wrestling Revolution event. More information to follow pic.twitter.com/VvqElKQLcb — BWR – British Wrestling Revolution (@BritWresRev) December 4, 2021 Conners was a player in NXT UK. Check out some of his time there: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post co..

NEWS

NXT WarGames 2021 Live Coverage And Results

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WarGames 2021 Date: December 5, 2021 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett We’re not at a Takeover, but we’re pretty much at a Takeover. It’s close enough to November so let’s have some WarGames matches, with the men and the women both getting a shot. Other than that, we have a hair vs. hair match, a Tag Team Title match, and a Cruiserweight Title match with only one cruiserweight. Let’s get to it. The opening video looks at WarGames and now violent this is going to be. Team Toxic Attraction vs. Team Raquel Gonzalez Toxic Attraction: Mandy Rosa, Jacy Jayne, Gigi Dolin, Dakota Kai Gonzalez: Raquel Gonzalez, Kay Lee Ray, Cora Jade, Io Shirai We’re in the double cage with Kay Lee Ray and Dakota Kai starting. The first period is five minutes, the rest are three minutes, you can win by pinfall/submission once everyone is in, and Jade falls off of her skateboard on the way in. Ray brings in a baseball bad so Kai brings i..

NEWS

WATCH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn From NXT: Takeover Dallas 2016

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The King of Strong Style has arrived. WWE has posted a new video to its YouTube channel in which they show the full match between Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn at NXT Takeover: Dallas in 2016. This was Nakamura’s debut match under the WWE banner. You can see the match in its entirety below: [This post contains video, click to play] From WWE.com: Quickly, Nakamura’s Strong Style pedigree shone through as he battered Zayn with hard knees to the midsection and boots to the face. Zayn fought back, diving over the ropes onto Nakamura on the floor, then drilling him with a brutal Michinoku Driver back inside the ring. Once both Superstars were back on their feet, they began trading forearm strikes, one of which drew blood from the nose of Nakamura. Zayn downed his foe with a hard clothesline, but was soon caught in a cross armbreaker, which Nakamura transitioned into a Shining Triangle hold. The leader of the Zayniacs withstood the punishment, escaped and even managed to lock Nakamur..

NEWS

WATCH: Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns From Roadblock: End of the Line 2016

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A true friend? WWE has posted a new video to their YouTube channel in which they show the full match between Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship from Roadblock: End of the Line 2016. You can see the video in its entirety below: [This post contains video, click to play] From WWE.com: Whether he was torn up about his strained relations with Chris Jericho or just looking to play mind games with Reigns, Owens started the contest by evading The Big Dog. That plan worked for a bit — until Reigns’ fist swiftly met the WWE Universal Champion’s face with a firm punch to the kisser. From there, The Guy and KO went back and forth in front of the WWE Universe in Pittsburgh, with momentum shifting several times over. KO seemed to have victory in hand when he dished out three vicious Frog Splashes (one onto the announce table, the second crashing him through it and the third in the ring for a near fall), but Reigns would not be derailed. Instead, The Big Dog rallied ba..

NEWS

VIDEO: Big E.’s College Football Flag Battle

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It comes with the title. Being the WWE Champion is one of the top honors in all of the wrestling world. A good chunk of past champions are all time great names and some of the biggest stars in the history of wrestling. It means a lot to be champion but it also brings a lot of new opportunities. That was on display this week, as the reigning champion was allowed to do something pretty cool. WWE Champion Big E. appeared before the Big 10 Championship game, appearing in a flag battle against University of Michigan legend Charles Woodson. Both men held up flags for their respective schools and dueled with the flag poles. Big E. is a former defensive back for the University of Iowa, who sent on to lose the game 42-3. Over the season, Big E. has appeared as a hype man for Iowa. It was a pretty cool moment. Check out the duel, Big E.’s comments and Big E. at his day job: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click t..

NEWS

NXT WarGames Preview, Predictions And Thoughts

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Since it’s NXT 2.0, this is pretty much a Takeover without being a Takeover. We still have the double WarGames matches, which have been set up about as well as can be expected. I’m not sure how the whole thing is going to go, but we could be in for a heck of a fight. That being said, NXT’s expectations have more or less plummeted in recent months so I wouldn’t quite get my hopes up as much. Let’s get to it. Cameron Grimes vs. Duke Hudson I like Grimes a lot and Hudson is slowly growing on me, but what is working for this match is Grimes’ talking over the last few weeks. Grimes has been cutting some old fashioned wrestling promos about Hudson taking away his hair and beard, which apparently meant a lot to him. That’s the kind of thing that has worked in wrestling for the better part of ever and it worked again to set up this hair vs. hair match. He got serious quick: [This post contains video, click to play] I’m not sure on this one, but I think I’ll take Grimes. If nothing else, we..

NEWS

Interesting Backstage WWE Note About Roman Reigns And Brock Lesnar

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That’s a lot. While it might not be as big as it once was, there is no wrestling promotion in the world that compares to WWE. The company makes more money and has more influence than anyone else and a lot of its top names are among the best in the world. Those wrestlers deserve and receive some high compensation, and now we know a bit more about what they earn. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the top stars in WWE earn over five million dollars a year on their guaranteed contracts. This includes names such as Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. There is at least one other unnamed wrestler making at least $4 million a year, while the rest of the top of the roster makes anywhere from $2-$3 million a year. There were no names includes aside from Lesnar and Reigns. The two of them are worth some money. Check out how they have earned it: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: I..

NEWS

More On AEW Flaming Table Ending, Why Cody Rhodes Wanted To Do It

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That’s something. Every now and then, you will see a spot in wrestling that gets your attention in a big way. It might be anything from a big dive to a huge stunt, but it is something that gets people watching and then keeps them talking. That was the case this week and it seems to have been done for one of the more specific reasons you will ever hear. The main event of this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite featured Cody Rhodes vs. Andrade El Idolo in a street fight. The end of the match saw Rhodes superplex El Idolo through a flaming table. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the idea of the finish was for Rhodes to be able to give his hometown a special moment. The previous time AEW was in Atlanta, Rhodes moonsaults off of the top of a cage to defeat Wardlow. It was a crazy match. Check out some of Rhodes’ bigger moments: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: It was cer..

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Brock Lesnar’s WWE Return Almost Went A Bit Differently

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That’s a different way to go. While he might not be the most popular star in the world at times, there is something about Brock Lesnar that just feels different. You do not get someone like him very often and it makes sense for WWE to want to push him as one of the top stars in the company. Lesnar is back again at the moment, but he almost returned in a rather different way. Lesnar returned from a suspension during this week’s SmackDown and by the end of the night, he was set for a Universal Title match against Roman Reigns at next month’s Day 1 pay per view. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the original plans for Lesnar’s return would have seen him appear on next Friday’s December 10 show in Los Angeles, having bought a ticket to sit in the front row. There is no word on when or why the plans were changed. Lesnar does have a good record for returns. Check out some of his comebacks: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] ..

NEWS

Do It Again? WWE May Be Bringing Back Tough Enough

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One more round? WWE has been around for a very long time now and the company has done a lot of things over its history. Some of these things have been more popular than others, but a few of them have been very memorable. That is not necessarily a good thing, but now it seems that WWE might be bringing back one of its older concepts for another try after a good many years. According to Fightful, on November 30, WWE filed a trademark application for Tough Enough. This could mean a return of the competition series, though WWE has not yet made any announcement. Tough Enough originally aired in 2001 and six seasons have been held, with the most recent taking place in 2015. Neither of the most recent winners, Sara Lee and Josh Bredl, ever wrestled a match on the main roster. There have been some moments on Tough Enough. Check out what has happened there before: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play]..

NEWS

AEW Star Out Of Action With Knee Injury

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It can happen to anyone. Injuries are one of the few constants in the world of wrestling and unfortunately that means anyone can be hurt at any time. It happens more often than anyone would like and the question instantly becomes just how long someone is going to be out of action. It seems that we saw another injury take place this week, but it might not be as bad as one might think. AEW’s Alan Angels has announced that he suffered a strained MCL during his match against Bryan Danielson on this week’s Dynamite. As a result, Angels was unable to wrestle at this week’s AEW Dark. It is not clear when Angels will be able to return to the ring. Danielson defeated Angels with a kneebar and referenced the injury as soon as the match was over, taking credit for it in the process. I was supposed to compete at the AEW Dark tapings today but unfortunately I suffered from a strained MCL at the hands of Bryan Danielson Wednesday. Hope to be back soon! — Alan Angels (@Alan_V_Angels) December 3, 2..

NEWS

WWE Reportedly Ending Home Media Releases

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It’s the end of an era. Wrestling is a sport that works a lot better when you can see what is going on. You can only get so far without being able to watch everything and luckily that has gotten a lot easier over time. The rise of streaming video has been a game changer for wrestling fans in a very positive way. Now though, it seems to have led to the demise of something else. According to Wrestling DVD Network, WWE will be discontinuing DVDs and Blu-Rays in the United States, Australia and Canada starting in 2022. The final release will be Survivor Series 2021, which will be released on December 28. The United Kingdom will continue to receive viewers through March. There is no word on why WWE has decided to discontinue the sales. I do get the change. Check out some of the matches that were featured on more than one DVD: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: I’m not surprised that ..

NEWS

WRESTLING RUMORS: Top Wrestling Couple Splits Up

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So much for that? Romantic relationships are some of the most complicated things to pull off in wrestling, as so much of a wrestler’s time is spent on the road. That does not exactly make it easy for the people involved to see each other and that can make things more complicated. Several wrestlers wind up in relationships with other wrestlers, but that no longer seems to be the case with two of them. According to Bodyslam.net, Charlotte and Andrade El Idolo have ended their romantic relationship. This comes after El Idolo has stopped following Charlotte on social media and has deleted all photos of Charlotte from his own social media accounts. While it is not known why, Charlotte is said to have been the one to end the relationship, which was not mutual. The two have been dating since February 2019 and became engaged on January 1, 2020. The two are both great elsewhere. Check out what they have done in the ring: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, ..

NEWS

WRESTLING RUMORS: Elias Was Almost Brought Back Like Randy Savage

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That could be a different way to go. The right character can be everything for a wrestler, but the wrong one can be much worse. If something doesn’t click, it can drag a talented wrestler down in a hurry. It can take a lot of tries to make it work right and sometimes you don’t see everything that a wrestler tries. That is the case again, but what might have been sounds fascinating. According to the WrestleVotes Twitter account, WWE had no long term plans for Elias’ segments in a graveyard and merely wanted to find a way to get rid of his previous character. WWE’s next idea for him would see him with colorful trunks but Vince McMahon felt that it was too similar to Randy Savage and dropped it. There is no word on what WWE plans to do with Elias or when he will be returning to television. Interesting note on Elias, source states they had no end plan for graveyard vignettes. Just shot them to kill off the “music” gimmick. His initial rebranding weeks back looked to similar to Randy Sava..

NEWS

Two Soon To Be Free Agents Backstage At AEW Dynamite

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Maybe they’re next? The wrestling world really has changed in the last few years and those changes continued this year with what seems to be the demise of at least the current version of Ring of Honor. You don’t see that kind of change very often in wrestling, and in this case it opened up the question of what would happen to the Ring of Honor roster. Now we might have a better idea. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Ring of Honor’s Matt Taven and Jonathan Gresham were both backstage at this week’s AEW Dynamite taping. Taven and Gresham’s Ring of Honor contracts both expire later this year, with their last appearances scheduled for Final Battle on December 11. There is no word on if either or both have come to any agreement with AEW. You might need to get to know them. Check out both Gresham and Taven in Ring of Honor: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains ..

NEWS

REVIEW: Monday Night Raw – December 23, 2013: The Battle For Christmas

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Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over twelve years now and have reviewed over 6,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be? Monday Night Raw Date: December 23, 2013 Location: Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield Tonight is the taped Christmas special featuring the potentially amazing Damien Sandow vs. Mark Henry battle to save Christmas. Again, it’s the 400lb monster who talks about splitting wigs fighting a Latin speaking know it all to prevent Christmas from being canceled. There is no way this won’t be awesome. Let’s get to it. We open with Santa Henry and Damien Claus taking turns re..

NEWS

Update On The Contract Statuses Of AEW’s Top Stars

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Stick around for a bit. While it has made quite the impact on the wrestling industry, the reality is that AEW has not been around very long. The company has only been active for a few years now, which means they do not have the longest history. They have yet to have to deal with some of their bigger names leaving, though now it seems that might continue to be the case even longer. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the core of AEW’s roster signed three year deals, effective January 1, 2019. Those deals will expire on December 31, 2021, though Tony Khan will have an option to extend them for two more years. The Young Bucks’ option has already been exercised and wrestlers such as Kenny Omega, Cody and Brandi Rhodes, Chris Jericho and Hangman Page have similar deals. There is nothing to suggest that any of them will be leaving AEW anytime soon. Those are some important names. Check out who will likely be sticking around AEW: [This post contains video, click to play] [Thi..

NEWS

WWE Releases Another Employee After 17 Years With The Company

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It’s a different kind of release. There have been all kinds of changes to the WWE roster over the last year and a half and there is nothing to suggest that the changes have stopped. With so many wrestlers gone, the company is looking rather different than it was before, but several of the releases have been from other areas. That was the case again this week with another release. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, a longtime WWE security guard has been released from the company. Aycock has been with the company since 2004 and it is not clear why he has been released. This comes soon after a fan jumped the barricade and attacked Seth Rollins on Monday Night Raw, though it is not clear if this is the reason for Aycock’s release. Security has a hit and miss record in WWE. Check out some of their efforts: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: I’m not sure what happened her..