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There is the first one. We are officially done with the Royal Rumble and that means all roads are leading to WrestleMania 39 on April 1 and 2. That is the kind of thing that makes for some of the most important moments of the years. You get to see WWE presenting its biggest stars all at once, but the building has to start early. Now we know one of the bigger matches coming to the show.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: A Serious Problem: Hulk Hogan Reportedly Has No Feeling In His Legs
On Saturday at the Royal Rumble, Rhea Ripley won the Women’s Royal Rumble, earning her the right to choose which Women’s Champion she gets to challenge at WrestleMania 39. This week on Monday Night Raw, Ripley announced that she would challenge SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte. Ripley had previously lost the NXT Women’s Title to Charlotte at Wrestlemania 36.
They do have a history. Check out Ripley’s win, plus her time with Charlotte:
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That is serious. While wrestling storylines are pre-determined, the action that you see between the bells is very real. It takes special athleticism and incredible talent to make everything work safely, but there will always be physical issues brought on as a result. This can lead to some serious issues for wrestlers and that is the case again with one of the biggest names of all time.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: They Got It: WWE Went To Extreme Lengths For Royal Rumble Surprise
Last week’s edition of Monday Night Raw was the Raw XXX special, celebrating thirty years of the show. The show featured a variety of legends from throughout the last thirty years, meaning several legends were present for the show. During a recent edition of the Kurt Angle Show, Kurt Angle mentioned speaking to Hulk Hogan at the event. Angle revealed that Hogan has undergone another back surgery, which involved nerves being cut from the lower half of his body. As a result, Hogan has no feeling in his legs but is s..

That’s some secret keeping. Wrestling receives a lot of criticism for being planned in advance. There is some truth to that, but at the same time, there is a lot of work and effort that goes into making fans believe that what they are seeing is at least somewhat realistic. Every so often you see a genuine response in wrestling though and that was double the case this weekend.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: LOOK: Popular AEW Star Backstage At WWE Royal Rumble
Last Saturday, WWE presented its annual Royal Rumble event. The show opened with the surprise return of Pat McAfee to the commentary team, ending a four month hiatus. According to PWInsider.com, WWE made McAfee’s return as much of a surprise as possible, with co-commentators Michael Cole and Corey Graves having no idea he would be back. There was also a “quick scramble” to get McAfee a chair and headset. It is currently unknown if McAfee’s return is full time or just for the Royal Rumble.
It was a big night. Check out some of the show’s..

He seems to be a fan. The rise of AEW has changed the way the wrestling world works and it has made all kinds of differences in the industry. For the first time in years, there is another top level wrestling promotion in the United States, allowing more wrestlers to work on a large stage. There is also a bit of a rivalry between WWE and AEW, but now there is at least one AEW star who is a WWE fan.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last Second Change: Here Is Why Rey Mysterio Missed The Royal Rumble, What Is Next
WWE held its annual Royal Rumble event over the weekend, with Cody Rhodes winning the Men’s Royal Rumble match. Since then, a photo has made its way online, showing Rhodes backstage with AEW star Ricky Starks behind him. There is nothing to suggest that Starks was there as anything more than a visitor. Starks has since commented on the photo, saying “they brought back GTV”, referencing a hidden camera storyline from the late 1990s in the WWF.
Damn they brought back GTV ?
— Ricky Stark..

He couldn’t make it. There are all kinds of injuries that can leave wrestlers on the sidelines for any amount of time. You never know when you are going to see someone get injured and it can cause issues for multiple people at once. There are ways to fix some of the problems though and that might have taken place over the weekend when an angle had to be adjusted.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: That’s In A Name: WWE Quickly Drops Team Name Due To Similarity To Adult Film Company
Rey Mysterio did not appear as advertised during this year’s Royal Rumble. Instead, Dominik Mysterio came to the ring with Rey’s mask, with commentary suggesting that Dominik attacked Rey backstage. According to PWInsider.com, Rey missed the match due to being banged up from his match against Karrion Kross the previous night on SmackDown. It was also said that WWE went back and forth on having Rey in the match but decided against letting him wrestle. Rey is said to be “ok” and there is nothing to suggest that he will ..

They probably should have looked into that. The right name is an important aspect of any wrestler, as you never want someone to be given a name that is going to make them feel like a joke. Occasionally you will see someone get a name which has to be changed for one reason or another, and now that is the case with a pair of WWE stars who had quite the problem with their collective name.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: That’s Unique: WWE Star Reveals Lengthy Absence Due To A Ruptured Breast Implant
Earlier this month, Sheamus and Drew McIntyre formed a tag team which was unofficially named the Banger Brothers. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the name was dropped due to its similarity to an adult film company called Bang Bros. Sheamus and McIntyre have continued to team together, though WWE commentary made fun of the Banger Bros name during the Royal Rumble.
They’re still good. Check out the team together and apart:
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That’s a different one. There are all kinds of injuries in wrestling and some of them are not so common. You might see someone get hurt in a way that you have not heard before, or at least not heard of in a very long time. Either way, it can put someone on the shelf for a long time and that was the situation last year, when a star went on the shelf with something you probably do not hear very often.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: They’re Back: Full List Of Royal Rumble Returns (Injured Stars, Legends, Surprises)
Zelina Vega missed about half of 2022 with an undisclosed injury. While speaking on the Anna Faris Is Unqualified podcast, Vega confirmed that she suffered a ruptured breast implant while taking a northern lights suplex against an unnamed opponent. Vega was absent from April 11, 2022 until October 7 when she returned as the manager of Legado del Fantasma and an occasional wrestler.
Vega can be quite the star in WWE. Check out what she can do:
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He’s no longer feeling Ucey. Jey Uso took to Instagram earlier today and posted a cryptic message, following the events of last night’s Royal Rumble premium live event.
Jey simply wrote, “I’m out” with a red teardrop and an image of him just before he left the ring after the rest of The Bloodline destroyed Sami Zayn. You can see the post below:
View this post on Instagram A post shared by FATU (@uceyjucey)
From our own Thomas Hall:
Post match Jey goes to give Sami his own lei but Reigns says hang on a second. The big beatdown is on Owens, with a chair being wrapped around his neck in the corner. Solo Sikoa hits the running Umaga Attack as commentary wants someone to do something about this. Reigns busted out the handcuffs as Sami is looking more and more uncomfortable. Owens is cuffed to the rope so the Usos can superkick him over and over.
The fans chant for Sami as Reigns picks up the chair. Reigns talks a lot but Sami FINALLY gets in front of him before the swing. Sami says Owe..

He thinks this man would burn it down. WWE superstar Seth Rollins was recently interviewed by Wrestling Inc’s Nick Hausman before the 2023 Royal Rumble premium live event. They discussed a number of topics, including the rumors that CM Punk may be coming back to WWE.
When asked if Rollins would want Punk back in the locker room, The Visionairy had this to say:
“Oh Philly Phil, stay away. Stay away, you cancer. Get away from me forever. I don’t like Phil, he’s a jerk. Did we just figure that out, did we just figure that out? He’s a jerk…we figured it out over there, we knew it over here. I don’t want him back. Go do something else. Bye bye, see ya later.”
CLIP: Seth Rollins calls CM Punk a “cancer” and tells him to stay away from WWE. @WWERollins @Nick_Hausman @WWEGames #WWE2K23 #RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/m9QC71bunL
— WrestlingINC.com (@WrestlingInc) January 28, 2023
You can see the full interview below:
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Editor’s Opinion:
So basically..

It’s that kind of a show. The Royal Rumble is one of the most unique events in the wrestling world. The show is built around its namesake matches, which combine to have sixty wrestlers entering a pair of battle royals. That is the kind of thing that is going to need a lot of effort as the matches can need several wrestlers to be brought in to fill out the lineups. That was the case again this year.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Big Ouch: Rhea Ripley Says She Dislocated Her Kneecap During The Royal Rumble
The 2023 Royal Rumble matches featured the traditional thirty entries each and both includes returns and surprises.
• The men’s edition included three surprise entries, as WWE Hall Of Famers Booker T. and Edge entered the match.
• Later, Logan Paul returned to enter the match as well. This came less than three months after Paul suffered a knee injury during Crown Jewel 2022.
• The women’s edition featured eight surprise entrants. There were three stars from NXT, including NXT Women’s Cha..

That could have been worse. There are all kinds of injuries in wrestling and some of them can be very serious. That is the sort of thing you never want to see as any wrestler being hurt is a bad situation. It can be even worse in a way if it happens during an important moment, which seems to have been the situation this weekend for one of the most important stars on a major show.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: She’s Back: WWE Hall Of Famer Makes Surprise Royal Rumble Return, Match Seems Likely
Rhea Ripley won the Women’s Royal Rumble match on Saturday, becoming the first woman to enter the match at #1 and win. During the post show press conference, Ripley revealed that she dislocated her kneecap early in the match but said it popped back in. She also said she could smell blood in her nose. There is nothing to suggest that Ripley will miss any ring time due to the injury.
It was a big night. Check out some of Ripley’s night at the Royal Rumble:
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That’s how you change things up. We are officially on the Road To WrestleMania 39 and that means it is time to bring back some of the bigger stars in WWE. What matters most is having the right people in the right place, which can be made easier if seeds have been planted earlier. That is the case with a returning star this weekend, as we might know where all of this is going.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: Sami Zayn Turns On Roman Reigns At Royal Rumble
During the men’s Royal Rumble, Edge returned and continued his feud with the Judgment Day. The team ultimately eliminated him though and Edge brawled with the up the aisle. Eventually Rhea Ripley appeared for a showdown with Edge, who would not hit her. This brought out Edge’s wife Beth Phoenix to go after Ripley with a spear. The incident comes after rumors of a mixed tag match at Elimination Chamber next month.
This could be big. Check out what happened, plus Edge and Phoenix teaming together:
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