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It’s that time of year again as we are beginning the Road To Wrestlemania. That means we are going to be seeing some of the biggest shows of the year and things are about to get a lot more exciting. WWE has done a nice job setting up the Royal Rumble matches this year as there are a lot of open spots remaining, though the men’s match is more or less a two horse race. Let’s get to it.
Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight Let’s get the goofy out of the way first. This is the Pitch Black match, which is a product placement match from Mountain Dew. WWE still hasn’t exactly explained what it’s going to be, but knowing Wyatt’s involvement, things are going to get more than a little strange. By strange I mean ridiculous, but it’s a new Wyatt so I’m trying to hold on to false hope for as long as I can.
Of course Wyatt wins here, as there is zero reason to have Knight beat him in his first match. Save or some Uncle Howdy shenanigans, I can’t imagine there being any reason to think that Wyatt is in any da..

So he’s gone? Gimmicks and characters are difficult things to figure out in wrestling as wrestlers have to find the right one for them. There are all kinds of different ways to present a star and balancing things out is quite the task. Sometimes a wrestler is able to put together something completely unique but now, one of those characters seems to be done completely.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He’s There: John Cena Reportedly Set For Something At WWE Royal Rumble
Bray Wyatt was interviewed by Ryan Satin for the Royal Rumble, with the full interview being released on Saturday, January 28. WWE has released a clip of Wyatt talking about the Fiend, with Wyatt saying that “The Fiend died that day in Tampa, Florida, at WrestleMania, to me.” Wyatt went on to say that the Fiend was part of what made him a human being, but now it “can’t never be again”. The Fiend has not appeared since Wyatt returned to WWE last year.
The Fiend was a force. Check out the clip, plus the Fiend in action:
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Smackdown
Date: January 27, 2023
Location: Sames Auto Arena, Laredo, Texas
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole
It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and that means we have some final pushes to make to get us to the big event. In this case, we are probably going to have some more names added to the Royal Rumbles, but there is also a Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa match that will probably involve the Bloodline. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of the Trial Of Sami Zayn from Raw. Roman Reigns told Sami Zayn to not be seen until the Royal Rumble.
The Usos and Solo Sikoa arrive and Sami Zayn sneaks in to thank Jey for having his back. If Jey ever needs anything, let him know. Sami leaves.
Opening sequence.
Rey Mysterio vs. Karrion Kross Scarlett is here with Kross. Rey snaps off the hurricanrana to start but gets tossed over the top for his efforts. They switch places though and the sliding sunset flip sends Kross into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Rey fighting..

It keeps happening. There are all kinds of injuries in wrestling and you never want to see someone put on the shelf for any length of time. While the majority of injuries to wrestlers take place inside the ring, there are some that happen away from action that can still slow things down. That has happened again, as an AEW star is out of action for the time being with an injury.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The Symphony Rests: Update On Wardlow’s AEW Status
AEW star Willow Nightingale has suffered a non-wrestling related injury and is out of action for the time being. Beyond Wrestling has announced that Nightingale will not be able to wrestle this weekend as planned but she will still be appearing. There is no word on the nature of her injury but Beyond Wrestling descried it as “minor”. Nightingale last wrestled on the January 18 Dynamite.
Sorry I won’t be able to compete this weekend, but I’ll still be around to see all you lovely people in Worcester https://t.co/lNkTdIEL2G
— Willow Nigh..

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 26, 2023
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan
The fallout from Hard To Kill continues and we are also on the way to No Surrender. The latter means that we need a new #1 contender and we will have one by the end of the night due to a six way elimination match. Other than that, Bully Ray now seems to have to deal with Mickie James and possibly Frankie Kazarian so let’s get to it.
Opening recap.
Opening sequence.
X-Division Title: Mike Jackson vs. Trey Miguel Jackson, 73 years old, is challenging and gets wristlocked down to start. Some running shoulders and a hiptoss have Miguel down for a change but Miguel punches him in the face. A hammerlock slam puts Jackson down but he avoids the springboard moonsault. An atomic drop sends Jackson outside, where he is fine enough to post Miguel. Back in and Jackson stays on the arm but takes too long with Oldest School, allowing Miguel to pull him down. The Lightning..

That explains a bit. There are all kinds of injuries in the wrestling world and what matters the most is getting the injured star healthy enough to get back in the ring. Someone being healthy is far more important than any storyline they might be involved in and hopefully they are able to get back sooner than later. That is the situation with a current AEW star but things might not be as bad as they seem.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He’ll Be Back: Here’s Why Kenny Omega Has Been Missing From AEW TV
Wardlow has not appeared on AEW TV since the December 28 edition of Dynamite when Samoa Joe attacked him and defeated him to retain the TNT Title. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Wardlow has been out of action due to an injury. Wardlow is not expected to be out of action long, but there is no word on when he will be back on television.
Wardlow is a monster when he is around. Check out what happens when he is in AEW:
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He’s a big deal. There are certain wrestlers who become the biggest stars in WWE and you know them when you see them. It makes a difference to have one of them around as it makes any show they are on feel that much bigger. WWE still has a small handful of that kind of stars around and now one of them seems ready to make an appearance at one of the biggest shows of the year.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He’ll Be Back: Here’s Why Kenny Omega Has Been Missing From AEW TV
This weekend, WWE will present its annual Royal Rumble. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, John Cena is expected to appear at the event in some way. There is no word on if Cena will be entered into the Royal Rumble match. This comes less than a month after Cena reportedly filmed material with Austin Theory at the December 30, 2022 SmackDown, though the footage has yet to air. Theory is set for the men’s Royal Rumble match.
Cena has a history at the Royal Rumble. Check out some of his time at the event:
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The international slowdown. There are all kinds of wrestling stars from around the world and several of them appear on national television on a regular basis. You can see many of them every week on WWE and AEW programming but they do have issues that American wrestlers do not have to face. One of AEW’s biggest stars is having just that problem at the moment and it could be a bit before he is back.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He’s In For Now: Former WWE Star Set For AEW Debut
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Kenny Omega is currently dealing with a visa issue that is keeping him off AEW TV. Omega has not appeared on the last two weeks of Dynamite and was said to have “badly” wanted to be on the Jay Briscoe tribute show. AEW is hoping that Omega will be able to return on February 1 but that is yet to be guaranteed so far.
Omega is one of their biggest stars. Check out some of his AEW work:
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The new history. There have been all kinds of moments and incidents throughout WWE history, some of which are more notable than others. In most cases, the issues are written in black and white, but there are some cases that can be a bit more of a gray area. Now WWE is changing something up from what once was pretty straightforward to something a bit more complicated.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Extension Granted: Sami Zayn’s Original Plans With The Bloodline Were Very, Very Different
In the 2023 edition of the Rumble By The Numbers video, the all time longevity record is once again held by Rey Mysterio in the 2006 Royal Rumble. This changes from previous editions, which listed Daniel Bryan’s 2018 performance in the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia as the longer run. There is no word on why WWE made the change but the Greatest Royal Rumble stats are included in other records in the video.
There’s the history. Check out Rumble By The Numbers and a look at both runs in the Royal Rumble..

It wasn’t in the cards. WWE has a lot going on at any given time and it can be a bit difficult to keep track of everything taking place at once. You know a special story or moment when you see one though and that is certainly the case with the top story in WWE today. However, it turns out that the original plan for the angle went a lot differently than what wound up on television.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Mystery Solved: Missing WWE Star Explains Her Four Month Absence
The Bloodline has been the top story in WWE for over a year now and the last several months have focused on Sami Zayn’s involvement. This is expected to continue at the Royal Rumble, where Zayn is to show his loyalty to the team. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, there was no original plan to make Zayn a star. Zayn’s story with the team was expected to last about three weeks but he kept making everything work. Eventually WWE decided to let him run with it and he became a much bigger star as a result. There is no wor..

That’s a good reason. There are all kinds of reasons for a wrestler to miss time from the ring and some of them are a lot more serious than others. Sometimes a situation can cause a wrestler to just vanish from the public eye out of nowhere and there is not much that can be done about it. That seems to be the situation again with a WWE star who has been missing for a long time.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Double Shot: Two More Possible WWE Returns For The Royal Rumble
WWE star Doudrop recently spoke with Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture and revealed that she has been absent from WWE TV due to a bout with Covid. Doudrop said that she had serious symptoms that caused worries about her heart, but every test came back “clean as a whistle”. While she said that she would be around the Royal Rumble in some capacity, she stopped short of saying she would be taking part in the match. Doudrop has not wrestled since September 2022.
Doudrop being back would be an impressive return. Check out what ..

Welcome back? The Royal Rumble is taking place this weekend and that means it is the season for returning wrestlers. The question about the show’s namesake matches is who will be showing up after not being around for a long time. That can make for some interesting guesses, but now we have a good idea of two more stars who are making their returns.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Switch: WWE Changes Plans For Upcoming Women’s Title Matches
According to PWInsider.com by way of Ringsidenews.com, Chelsea Green and Matt Cardona are believed to return to WWE at the Royal Rumble, with Cardona returning as Zack Ryder. The two would return to the main roster rather than appearing in NXT. This is still not confirmed, though it is believed that Cardona finished up with Impact Wrestling at their latest TV tapings.
They have some history. Check out the two in WWE, plus in a tag match together:
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