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What also could have been. We are less than two and a half months away from WrestleMania 39 and that means the card is about to start coming together. There are all kinds of things that need to be done, with one of the most important being the matches at the top of the card. A few of them have been rumored, but now we know of another one that would be among the biggest.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Crossover: Former WWE Star Trying His Hand(s) At Boxing
Earlier this week, a story broke that WWE had pitched Roman Reigns vs. Steve Austin for WrestleMania. However, according to Wrestling Observer Radio, the match pitched was actually Austin vs. Brock Lesnar. The match has not been made and there is no word on if it will be, though it is still a possibility. Lesnar returned to WWE TV this week on Monday Night Raw, attacking Bobby Lashley. However, there is no guarantee that a match between them will take place at WrestleMania, though it is still a possibility.
WOR: Dave Meltzer discusses the ..

Call it a crossover. Wrestlers receive a lot of criticism due to the pre-planned results of their matches, but it does not take away from the athleticism. The wrestlers that can get to the top of the industry are incredible athletes and some of the best you will find in any sport. It can be interesting to see what happens when wrestlers try their hand at another sport and that is the case again.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: WWE Unveils John Cena As WWE2K23 Cover Star
John Hennigan, formerly known as John Morrison/Johnny Impact/Johnny Elite etc., has been announced as one of the participants in Creator Clash 2, a charity boxing event. Hennigan will face Epic Meal Time’s Harley Morenstein as part of the card, which will be held to benefit charity. The event is scheduled to take place at the Amalie Arena in Orlando, Florida on April 15.
CREATOR CLASH 2 IS GONNA BE A STACKED ONE ? pic.twitter.com/rzyNlIrgm1
— Creator Clash (@TheCreatorClash) January 24, 2023
Hennigan had a heck of a ..

It fits. Wrestling and video games go hand in hand. It makes sense to have wrestlers available in a game where fans can pick what they want to do and make any matches. This has been the case for decades and WWE has been involved with the in video game industry for a very long time. Now they are at it again and this time there is going to be a major name involved.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: VIDEO: WWE Hall Of Famers Take Issue With Raw XXX
WWE has announced that John Cena will be the cover star for WWE2K23, the latest in the company’s line of video games. The game will be released on March 17, 2023 and will feature a Cena edition of the 2K Showcase mode. There will also be different versions of the game with different versions of Cena on the cover. A trailer for the game has also been released, featuring Cena in action.
It should be fun. Check out the trailer, an ad for the game and the real life Cena:
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Monday Night Raw
Date: January 23, 2023
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick
It’s Raw XXX as the company celebrates thirty years on the air. As usual with the big Raw milestone episodes, we’ll be seeing a bunch of legends for special appearances. In addition, there are two title matches and a cage match so the card is stacked. If that isn’t enough, it’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble so let’s get to it.
Here are Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart to get things going. Hogan talks about Raw debuting in 1993, pauses because the mic doesn’t work, praises the Philadelphia Eagles and is all done.
We look at some of the cities the show has taken place in over the years before switching into the big highlight package. The hit a lot of the big names, including a bunch of AEW names, debuts, title changes, reveals and almost anything else you could want.
Here is the Bloodline with their long form entrance for the Trial Of Sami Zayn. ..

They aren’t happy. This week’s WWE Monday Night Raw was a special edition focusing on thirty years of the show. That is the kind of milestone that no wrestling show reaches, especially not as one of the biggest wrestling shows in the world throughout its run. It meant something to be associated with the show and now two legends are taking issue with something that wasn’t involved.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Dem Boy? Update On Mark Briscoe Possibly Appearing On AEW TV
The Bella Twins had been previously advertised for Raw XXX but were later removed and ultimately did not appear on the show. The Twins recorded a live Instagram stream after the show was over, talking about how there was little mention of the Women’s Revolution and saying WWE could not mention Mercedes Mone (Sasha Banks) because she is too popular. There is no word on why the two were pulled from the show.
They might have a point. Check out what the Twins said, plus their time on Monday Night Raw:
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Still no. Last week, the wrestling world was rocked by the death of Jay Briscoe in a car accident in Delaware. Briscoe was a reigning Ring Of Honor Tag Team Champion at the time with his brother Mark as part of the Briscoes. The team is one of the most successful of their generation, but they have not been allowed to work for major promotions due to some past comments. Now those comments are causing more issues.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: And The Award Goes To: AEW President Tony Khan Names His MVP Of 2022
On Wrestling Observer Radio, a fan asked about the possibility of Mark appearing on AEW TV following Jay’s death. Dave Meltzer said that the answer is no, though he did say that the answer could change in the future. This continues Warner Brothers Discovery’s edict that the Briscoes not be allowed to appear on AEW TV due to homophobic comments made by Jay on Twitter in June 2011.
The Briscoes were a great team. Check them out together and apart:
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Another perspective. WWE is in the middle of a huge change as Vince McMahon is back from his five and a half month retirement and seems set to sell the company later this year. This is the kind of change that can shake up the wrestling industry and it has come close to doing so already. It is something that is hard to fathom, but now we are hearing from someone on the inside.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: Fight Breaks Out At WWE Performance Center
WWE CEO Nick Khan appeared on the Bill Simmons Podcast where he discussed McMahon returning to WWE. Khan talked about McMahon’s return to the company and praised him for using his authority as majority shareholder to come back. He also said that he always felt McMahon would come back after the dust had settled. Finally, Khan said that he didn’t not believe the board of directors forced McMahon to step away, but rather that McMahon chose to do so. Here are some highlights, with transcription courtesy of 411mania.com:
On McMahon’s Return
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The build continues. There are all kinds of ways to set up a wrestling match, with some of them being a bit more unique than others. This can include various angles and moments between the wrestlers involve, some of which can take place in different areas. With the advent of various modern technology, it can be easier than ever to film something outside of an arena and that took place again this week.
WWE NXT recruit Alexis Lete uploaded a video to her Instagram page where she talked about a series of drills. As she was talking, Grayson Waller and NXT Champion Bron Breakker got into an incident, which included Waller throwing a water bottle. This caused the two to get into a fight, with officials having to break it up. Waller is scheduled to challenge Breakker for the NXT Title at Vengeance Day on February 4.
Things got intense. Check out the fight, plus who got into it:
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You can’t fit everything in. This week’s edition of Monday Night Raw was the Raw XXX special. The show celebrated thirty years of Monday Night Raw, which saw a stacked show. The card featured a pair of title matches, along with a huge grudge match several weeks in the making. However, one of those things did not happen as something else took up too much time.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Return: Brock Lesnar Returns, Interferes In Main Event On Monday Night Raw
A scheduled cage match between Bayley and Becky Lynch did not take place on Raw XXX. While the two came to the cage, the rest of Damage Ctrl attacked Lynch and left her laying with the match never starting. According to Fightful Select and later PWInsider.com, the match was cut due to the Trial Of Sami Zayn segment running long. Other unnamed segments were reportedly cut down as well. There is no word on when or if the match will take place.
It’s a feud worth seeing. Check out what Lynch and Bayley can do:
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He’s here again. Wrestling is like almost any other form of visual media, in that is it built around stories. The right characters have to be put in the right places and situations to make the fans care. That can be difficult to do, but one of the easiest shortcuts is to have people the fans care about in the first place. That was on display this week, as a top star is back in WWE.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Acknowledge What? WWE Pitches Steve Austin vs. Roman Reigns
The main event of this week’s Monday Night Raw saw Bobby Lashley challenging Austin Theory for the United States Title. Later in the match, Lashley put Theory through a table before Brock Lesnar returned to take Lashley out. As a result, Theory was able to retain the title. The attack continues Lesnar and Lashley’s feud, which saw them split a pair of matches in 2022. No third match has been announced.
There is a history here. Check out the two of them together:
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That’s a bit one. Roman Reigns has held the WWE Undisputed Title for two and a half years and there is nothing to suggest that he is going to be losing the title anytime soon. Unfortunately this has led to Reigns having almost no credible challengers left. WWE has brought in some legends to challenge Reigns, and now it seems that WWE has tried to find another such to go after the title.
According to Fightful Select, WWE pitched a match between Roman Reigns and Steve Austin for WrestleMania 39. There is no word as to whether or not Austin accepted the offer, though the money offered was said to be “enormous”. Another source said that Austin had another major name pitched to him as well. Austin returned to the ring or the first time in nineteen years last year at WrestleMania 38, defeating Kevin Owens.
This would have been big. Check out the two in action:
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It was a staffing issue. WWE has reached a special milestone for its flagship show. This week, Monday Night Raw will celebrate thirty years on the air, with several former stars appearing on the show. There have been all kinds of names announced, including some of the biggest stars in WWE history. However, three names who cannot appear caused a major change to the schedule.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He Almost Got There: How Ricochet Wanted To Pay A Gory Tribute To Steve Austin
Last week, WWE cancelled the scheduled Bloodline Acknowledgment Ceremony will not take place on Raw XXX. The ceremony was expected to include multiple members of the Anoa’i wrestling family. According to F4WOnline.com, the ceremony was canceled because multiple people scheduled were unable to attend. Afa and Sika (80 and 77 years old respectively) were unable to be ready for the trip and Rikishi was sick. The ceremony has since been replaced by The Trial Of Sami Zayn.
That is a talented family. Check out what the..