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NXT
Date: January 3, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph
We’re in the New Year and that means we have one more week before New Year’s Evil, because the scheduling around here is a little weird. Tonight we have another face to face deal between Grayson Waller and Bron Breakker, as has been the case before. Other than that, we’ll probably get some more matches announced for next week. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of the greatest moments of 2022.
Carmelo Hayes vs. Apollo Crews Trick Williams is here with Hayes, who gets dropkicked down to start. Back up and Hayes hits the springboard spinning clothesline to take over, setting up the fade away springboard legdrop for two. Crews is fine enough to hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two of his own and a string of suplexes have Hayes rocked. An apron moonsault to the floor drops Hayes again and we take a break.
Back with Hayes having banged up Crews’ knee during the break, ..

The Boss is giving thanks. Earlier tonight, Sasha Banks took to Twitter to send thank-you messages to several former and current WWE personalities. Among the people thanked were Triple H, Vince McMahon, and William Regal.
She also took the opportunity to thank her fans as well. You can see the tweets below:
Thank you @WWE
— Mercedes Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) January 4, 2023
Thank you @RealKingRegal
— Mercedes Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) January 4, 2023
Thank you @TripleH
— Mercedes Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) January 4, 2023
Thank you @WWEUniverse
— Mercedes Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) January 4, 2023
Thank you #Krew I love you so much
— Mercedes Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) January 4, 2023
Thank you @VinceMcMahon
— Mercedes Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) January 4, 2023
Thank you #SashaBanks ?
— Mercedes Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) January 4, 2023
Banks, whose real name is Mercedes Varnado, has not been seen on WWE programming since May of 2022. On May 16 of that year, she and ..

They aren’t happy. 2022 was a very eventful year for AEW but some of the things that were going on were a bit less than positive. Despite all of the great things that the company did in the ring, there were also a bunch of moments that were not so well received. Now we are in a new year though and there is already something that seems to be ruffling a few feathers behind the scenes.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He Did It: Surprising Names Top 2022 Merchandise Sales Charts
Last week, AEW’s Dax Harwood debuted his new podcast, with the first episode focusing on the issues between CM Punk and the Elite. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, several people backstage were unhappy with what Harwood said on the matter, as they do not want Punk to return to the company. Punk is currently recovering from tricep surgery and could not return to the ring until some time in the spring at the earliest.
Punk did some things in AEW. Check out some of his efforts in the company:
[This post contains vide..

That isn’t good. There are all kinds of way for a wrestler to get injured during or after a match and some of them can be very serious. At the same time, you never know when a wrestler is selling an injury from their match or is actually hurt. That confusion seems to be the case again this week, as a WWE star needed help leaving the ring after his knee was damaged during a match.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: LOOK: WWE Teases Popular Stable Reunion On Monday Night Raw
The main event of this week’s Monday Night Raw saw Austin Theory defeating Seth Rollins to retain the United States Title. During the match, Theory attacked Rollins’ knee, which gave out on him multiple times. A video from after the show went off the air sees Rollins collapsing on the way to the back and having to be helped to the locker room by Corey Graves. There is no word on if this is a legitimate injury or part of a storyline.
This could be bad. Check out Rollins’ falling, the match, and Rollins on a better day:
[This ..

He’s #1? Merchandise is a huge part of wrestling as fans are able to buy something that supports one of their favorite wrestlers. WWE has released all kinds of wrestling gear and merchandise over the years, some of which is quite unique. They are not the only promotion that does so however, and now a non-WWE star has topped a rather important merchandise list.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: By Association: Eric Bischoff Explains How Another Wrestler Cost Bobby Lashley His Job
Pro Wrestling Tees has revealed that Danhausen has topped their list of merchandise sellers for 2022, beating out CM Punk and Maxwell Jacob Friedman in second and third place respectively. Danhausen debuted with AEW in January 2022 and has been associated with the Best Friends since, despite wrestling only fourteen matches for the team. His best selling shirt was the “Very Nice, Very Elite” shirt.
The Official PWT25 of 2022!#pwt #prowrestlingtees #shopaew #aew #pwtees pic.twitter.com/g1e8ExDWdk
— Pro Wrestling Tees (@..

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?
Royal Rumble 1992
Date: January 19, 1992
Location: Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, New York
Attendance: 17,000
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan
It’s time to get back to one of the classics as this one comes up on the request list pretty regularly. Since this is going to be my fourth time looking at it, odds are this is going to be the last time I look at it for a very good while. You probably know the big attraction by heart at this point and that should be more than enough to carry the whole thing. Let’s ..

That’s a serious issue. With so many wrestlers coming through the doors of various promotions over the years, there have been all kinds of reasons for wrestlers leaving the company. This could range from common to oddly specific and happen to almost all kinds of different names. There have been many big names who have left the company for one reason or another and now we know something about about one of the bigger surprises.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: LOOK: WWE Teases Popular Stable Reunion On Monday Night Raw
Bobby Lashley made his Impact Wrestling (then TNA Wrestling) debut in 2009 but was released from the company in January of the following year. According to Eric Bischoff (then an Impact Wrestling executive) during his 83 Weeks podcast, Lashley was let go from the promotion due to Lashley’s then girlfriend, former WWE star Krystal Marshall, causing issues backstage. Bischoff did not tell Lashley that was the reason, instead saying that the company was going to let him go. Lashley w..

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 2, 2023
Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves
We are inching closer to the Royal Rumble and that means it is time to start setting up the show. With so many wrestlers needed to get into the Royal Rumble matches, there are only going to be so many spots left for other matches. At the same time though, only one person has been announced for either Royal Rumble so they might want to start picking up the pace. Then again, they might want to have a lot of surprises this time. Let’s get to it.
We open with the Bloodline (minus Roman Reigns/Paul Heyman) wrecking havoc at ringside. Sami Zayn says they’re taking over tonight but here is Kevin Owens to interrupt. Sami calls this a hostile takeover but Owens says he wants to punch Zayn in the face. Cue Adam Pearce and company to tell Owens that this isn’t happening tonight or all year. Security goes after the Bloodline but gets dropped, drawing Owens into the r..

Reunion? There are so many wrestlers on the WWE roster that it is difficult to find something for all of them to do. One of the best ways to deal with the problem is to group them together in stables. WWE has used them for years and that tradition continues to be the case to this day. It now seems that WWE is at least considering a reunion of a departed stable.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: And Done: Former WWE Champion Reportedly Now Free Agent, Can Wrestle Elsewhere
This week on Monday Night Raw, Damage Ctrl was seen walking through the backstage area on their way to the ring. In the background of the scene were Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander, who were talking with MVP and Adam Pearce. Benjamin and Alexander were formerly part of MVP’s Hurt Business stable, along with Bobby Lashley. The meeting was not acknowledged on the broadcast.
https://twitter.com/ThomasNg27/status/1610109185299218434/photo/1
The team did well in their day. Check out the Hurt Business in action:
[This post ..

It’s official. 2022 was one of the busiest wrestling years in recent history, with all kinds of changes taking place over the course of the year. That made for some very interesting moments as fans tried to figure out what was going on and where things were heading next. Now we have a major step forward, as well as what what seems to be the conclusion, of one of the stories.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Back In A Bit: Another AEW Star Confirms Injury, Promises To Return Soon
Back in May 2022, Sasha Banks and Naomi both walked out on WWE, vacating the Women’s Tag Teak Titles at the same time. While there were negotiations for both to return to WWE, neither ever appeared again. According to Sean Ross Sapp, Banks is now available for wrestling bookings, meaning she is officially a free agent. Neither Banks nor Naomi have wrestled or appeared on a wrestling show since walking out on WWE, though Banks is expected to be at New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom event later this week.
Good morning. Mercede..

On the shelf. Injuries are one of the worst things that can happen to a wrestler as you never know how long they are going to be out of action. An injury can take place at almost any time and put someone on the shelf out of nowhere. That seems to have taken place again, as an AEW is injured and out of action, leaving someone else to take his place in the ring.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: On The Market: Former Multiple Time World Champion Officially A Free Agent
AEW’s Matt Hardy has announced that Marq Quen is injured. As a result, Hardy will be teaming with Quen’s Private Party partner Isaiah Kassidy for the time being. Quen responded to the announcement, saying that he will be back in the ring quickly. There is no word on when Quen was hurt or how long he will be out of action. Quen’s most recent match took place on November 30.
Since @Marq_Quen is gonna be out of action for a bit, myself & @IsiahKassidy are marching forward.
Tonight we team up on #AEWDarkElevation & plan on stealing t..

They’re big. There are certain names in the history of wrestling that are going to be remembered fondly for a very long time to come. Those stars are the most important in wrestling and were able to build a legacy that is remembered for years. It means something to have those names around and now two of them made an appearance backstage at a recent WWE event.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He Has A Take: Possible Problem With WWE Using Tyson Fury
Two WWE Hall Of Famers were backstage last week at SmackDown. First up, Batista was present, and took a photo with Titus O’Neil, which was posted to Twitter. Batista last wrestled at WrestleMania 35. Second, according to PWInsider.com, Ric Flair was backstage as well, likely to see his daughter Charlotte win the SmackDown Women’s Title. There is nothing to suggest that the two will be appearing on WWE TV in the near future.
#SmackDown Was Awesome tonight and always Great to see all of my @WWE Family ?? pic.twitter.com/V7qtVc8H6x
— Titus O'Nei..