News

WWE Star Sets Third Guinness World Record This Year

December 24, 2021 • Admin

She did it again. Wrestling is a little bit different when it comes to records as it is a little bit difficult to buy what a wrestling promotion or a wrestler says happened. It can get a little confusing with everything going on and how many different ways a company likes to stretch the truth, but sometimes you can get some outside sources. That is the case again for a pretty impressive WWE milestone. Guinness World Records has announced that WWE’s Natalya has officially set the record for most matches won by a woman in the history of the company. As of November 2021, Natalya won her 641st match, which means the record breaking win could have come on November 10 at a live event in Manchester, England or in a tag match on the November 19 SmackDown. This comes less than two months after Natalya was certified as having the most matches and pay per view appearances by a woman in WWE history. She's made the most PPV appearances and had the most matches for a female in WWE history… N..

Another Former Top NXT Star May Be In AEW Soon

December 24, 2021 • Admin

It’s an option. We are in a new era in the wrestling world as there is now a second major wrestling promotion. WWE has dominated the landscape for decades but now we have another option available in the form of AEW. Several wrestlers have either already jumped or seem likely to do so. Now it seems that the list of former WWE stars on the AEW roster might be growing soon. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, former NXT Champion Johnny Gargano is said to be “heavily considering” signing with AEW. Gargano has spoken about wanting to face various AEW wrestlers, including Kenny Omega. As Gargano’s WWE contract expired, he could show up in AEW at any time, with the possibility of a debut in his hometown in Cleveland, Ohio on January 26 being seen as a possibility. Gargano is a heck of a star. Check out his time in NXT: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: I don’t think this is any kin..

Recent WWE Match Had To Be “Heavily Edited”

December 24, 2021 • Admin

It needs some work. There are a lot of wrestlers in WWE at the moment and some of them are more experienced than others. Therefore, it makes sense to not put everyone on the same level of show, as some of them are not ready for that kind of a stage. Sometimes even then things can go badly, which seemed to be the case last week with a rookie’s match. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, the match between Sarray and Lash Legend from last week’s 205 Live was “heavily edited” before being broadcast. The match was Legend’s second in her career and Sarray’s first match since her return to the United States following a return to Japan. The aired version lasted less than four minutes, though it is not clear how long the full match ran. It was a different kind of match. Check out the match, plus the two of them in better situations: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is one of the..

NXT UK Results – December 23, 2021

December 24, 2021 • Admin

NXT UK Date: December 23, 2021 Host: Nina Samuels It’s almost Christmas and that means this show is getting a week off. We have a special holiday edition of the show, which is UK for Best Of 2021. That could make for a good show, as NXT UK has had a rather nice year so far. There are a lot of matches to pick from so let’s get to it. These are going to be the full version of the matches copied over from the original reviews. Nina Samuels welcomes us to the show and promises to give us the best. Shawn Michaels narrates a video on the Iron Man match. From August 5. A-Kid vs. Jordan Devlin Thirty minute Iron Man match and A-Kid might have a bad knee coming in. Feeling out process to start and they take turns going after wrist control. Devlin gets him down into an armbar but A-Kid is right back up. A dropkick puts Devlin on the floor but it’s back inside for more grappling. The threat of an armbar sends Devlin over to the ropes and he grabs a Gory Stretch to put A-Kid in trouble for a..

WATCH: AEW’s CM Punk Appears On ESPN SportsNation

December 23, 2021 • Admin

He has something to say. There are a lot of wrestlers who are known for their in-ring abilities while others are known for their talking. Very rarely do you see someone who is excellent at both and it makes sense to have those people as the focal point of a promotion. That is the case with modern wrestling as well, and now one of them is getting some extra attention. AEW’s CM Punk appeared on ESPN’s SportsNation and discussed his time in AEW so far. In addition, Punk spoke about his debut, as well as some of the younger names that he is looking forward to working with in the future. Punk also spoke about his promo insulting the NHL’s New York Islanders and his thoughts on boxing and combat sports stars coming into professional wrestling. It was an interesting interview. Check out the whole thing, plus Punk in AEW: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is one of those things th..

Hit Row Made WWE A Fortune Before Being Released

December 23, 2021 • Admin

That’s a lot. WWE is a lot of things, but ultimately it is a business that is designed to make as much money as possible. Sometimes their methods of doing so can be a cross between confusing and annoying for fans, which was the case with several of their recent releases. Now it appears that some of them are even more confusing than it seemed in the first place. Earlier this year, WWE released the entire Hit Row stable less than a month after they debuted on SmackDown. The team had been drafted and wrestled one match on SmackDown before being let go. According to Isaiah Scott, the leader of the team, Hit Row generated $2 million of revenue in the four months they were in NXT. It is not clear how this money was generated. None of the team’s members have announced their future plans in wrestling so far. #HitRow generated $2 million together JUST in NXT… #money — Just Different (@swerveconfident) December 22, 2021 We did that in 4 months…. ? — Just Different (@swerveconfident) Decembe..

WATCH: AEW’s Touching Tribute To Owen Hart

December 23, 2021 • Admin

He’s worth the tribute. There are certain ways to honor a wrestler that you will see come up over and over. The easiest way tends to be to name something after them, which can come in a variety of forms. Some of these are a bit more effective than others as you can tell when a promotion has put in the effort. That is the case at the moment, as one legend is getting a double shot. AEW has announced a pair of tournaments honoring Owen Hart, with one men’s and one women’s edition. The tournaments will begin in May with the finals taking place at Double Or Nothing. This week, AEW has released a video tribute to Hart, showing various home movies and photos of him, along with wrestlers talking about what Hart meant to their careers. It’s a pretty touching tribute. Check out the Hart video, plus some of his better matches: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This really was a special tri..

REVIEW: King Of The Ring 1994: The Owen Hart Show

December 23, 2021 • Admin

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? King of the Ring 1994 Date: June 19, 1994 Location: Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, Maryland Attendance: 12,000 Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Randy Savage, Art Donovan It’s tournament time and that means it’s not likely to be the most interesting show in the world. On top of that, this is one of the weaker fields they’ve ever had, which makes for a rather dull few hours. Finally, this show is infamous for the commentary, which really was a disaster and a horrible idea. Let’s get to it. Earlier today, Jeff Jarrett ca..

WATCH: Another Former WWE Star Makes AEW Debut

December 23, 2021 • Admin

Welcome to the team. We are in the middle of the first real promotional war on a national level in over twenty years. That has made weekly wrestling shows a heck of a lot more interesting as fans have been able to wonder who they are going to be able to see come in next on either show. That was the case again this week, as a somewhat expected debut took place. Former NXT and Ring of Honor star Kyle O’Reilly made his AEW debut during this week’s edition of Dynamite. O’Reilly interfered in Adam Cole’s match with Orange Cassidy to help Cole pick up the win. After the match, Cole left with O’Reilly and Bobby Fish as the Young Bucks looked on. O’Reilly finished up with NXT earlier this month when his contract expired, making him a free agent. It’s a big debut. Check out O’Reilly coming to AEW and what the former Undisputed Era can do together: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: I don..

This Surprising SmackDown Star Has Caught Vince McMahon’s Eye

December 23, 2021 • Admin

Sounds like he’s a fan. There have been some issues bringing wrestlers up from NXT to the main WWE rosters. One of the bigger problems has been taking away what made the wrestlers work in NXT and changing them into something else entirely. It does not always happen, and one of the recent non-changes was ordered by none other than Vince McMahon himself. In a new interview with GiveMeSport, SmackDown’s Rick Boogs spoke about the origins of his SmackDown character. Boogs said that he screamed as loud as he could during his first appearance, where he was told to tone it down. However, McMahon told him to be himself and be as loud as he wanted. Ultimately the style was praised and Boogs has continued doing it his own way since. It is an interesting interview. Check out the full interview, plus Boogs on SmackDown: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: It’s great to see Boogs getting to b..

Special Return Taking Place On Next Week’s AEW Dynamite

December 23, 2021 • Admin

Welcome back. Sometimes, for one reason or another, someone has to take some time away from wrestling. Some of these reasons are a lot more serious than others, but the worst reasons often involve health issues which need to be tended to in a big way. That can be the case with people who do not actually compete in the ring and this time around, one such person is getting to come back. This week on AEW Dynamite, Excalibur announced that Jim Ross will be returning to the broadcast team next week. Ross’ return comes after he has missed the better part of a month due to radiation treatment for his skin cancer. There is no word on how well the treatment went or if Ross will be missing any more time. Taz has been filling in for Ross during his absence. Ross is a big deal in AEW. Check out his time in the company: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: That’s great to hear as you never wan..

AEW Dynamite Results – December 22, 2021 (Holiday Bash)

December 23, 2021 • Admin

Dynamite Date: December 22, 2021 Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz We’re back with yet another special show, this time in the form of Holiday Bash. That should make for another big card, though this time around the major draw is Sting being back in Greensboro. I’m still not sure why that should matter to anyone but the live audience, though seeing Sting team with CM Punk and Darby Allin against MJF and FTR should be fun. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Orange Cassidy vs. Adam Cole They stare each other down to start and trade headlock takeovers. Cassidy grabs a rollup for two and it’s right back to the mat, with Cassidy bouncing out of a headscissors. Cole kicks him down again and grabs a chinlock as they keep fighting for minor victories to start. Cassidy fights up again and grabs some rollups for two each. Back up and Cole hits a Backstabber out of the corner, setting up a hard whip into another corner to put ..

WWE Dealing With A Coronavirus Outbreak

December 22, 2021 • Admin

That’s never good to hear. The Coronavirus pandemic has shaken up the world and there are only a few ways to deal with the whole thing. The wrestling industry has certainly been changed as well and things are only starting to get back to normal. That is no guarantee of the future though, and now it seems that the biggest promotion in the world is having another problem. According to PWInsider.com, WWE is dealing with a Coronavirus outbreak, with several of its wrestlers testing positive for the virus. There is no word n who has tested positive, but the positive tests were said to take place after last week’s live events. This week’s SmackDown was taped in advance and will not be affected, but the upcoming live events schedule and the December 27 Monday Night Raw may face problems. There is no word on how WWE will handle several of its wrestlers possibly being out of action. WWE can do well at full strength. Check out what they have been doing lately: [This post contains video, click..

KB’s Review: Wrestling Shows Need Thank You Cards

December 22, 2021 • Admin

We are less than a week away from Christmas and that should mean everyone has already written their letters to Santa Claus (though I have heard good things about giving them to your parents to take care of it for you). It’s also a time to look back at the good things we have and hopefully remember some of the better times that have taken place over the last year. That is certainly the case with wrestling and it is what we are going to look at this week. I’m going to keep things simple this week as we are going to look at the major wrestling shows (not promotions) and see what their best news/gift was this year. It might not have been the best year for wrestling, but there have certainly been good things to look at for almost every show. Those things need some attention, even if some of them are not exactly the strongest positives. Note that these are only going to be the shows that I watch, as there isn’t much of a point in talking about a show I don’t see. Also, for the sake of sani..

Brock Lesnar May Be Returning To WWE Live Events

December 22, 2021 • Admin

He hasn’t been there in a bit. There is no one in wrestling like Brock Lesnar and that has been the case for a long time now. Lesnar is an absolute monster and no one really comes close to him. It is a special treat to get to see him get in the ring and dominate someone, but he isn’t around that often. Now though, we might be seeing him get in the ring a bit more frequently. According to PWInsider.com, WWE is advertising a Universal Title match between the winner of Drew McIntyre vs. the winner of the Day One match between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar for a string of live events. The shows are in: Boston, Massachusetts – January 8 Fargo, North Dakota – January 15 Salt Lake City, Utah – February 5 Boise, Idaho – February 6 Should Lesnar appear at the shows, it would be his first matches at live events March 2018. Lesnar has only wrestled on a handful of live events since his return to the company in 2012. Lesnar has done some things at live events before. Check out what he can do a..

WWE Seems To Be Unifying Two Of Its Titles

December 22, 2021 • Admin

One for two. Titles are the lifeblood of a wrestling promotion as you have people fighting to be recognized as the best in the world. They have been around forever and always will be, even if there are occasionally more than there need to be around a promotion. That is the case in WWE, but now it seems that they are getting rid of one of them as a few are going to be unified. This week on NXT, a title for title match was set for New Year’s Evil on January 4, 2022, as North American Champion Carmelo Hayes will face NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong. The two champions ran into each other last week and got into a brawl this week, with the title match being made later in the evening. This comes as WWE is phasing down its cruiserweight division, as the weight limit has been waved and there has been talk of changing 205 Live. We could be in for something special here. Check out the titles in action, plus some unification matches: [This post contains video, click to play] [This ..

WWE Announces Return Of Former Star For Special Grudge Match

December 22, 2021 • Admin

Guess who’s back? Wrestlers are legitimate athletes, but they do not do the same things as their contemporaries. One of the major differences is in the area of retirement, as you do not see wrestlers stay out of the ring forever most of the time. It also helps that wrestlers are able to come back for a one off match if they choose, which is the case again with another retired wrestler. Last week on NXT, Harland attacked WWE producer and former star Brian Kendrick, causing him to suffer a neck injury. This week, Harland and Joe Gacy blamed Kendrick for causing his own injury due to his comments about Harland. As a result, Kendrick announced that he had resigned as a producer and would be returning to the ring to face Harland next week. This will be Kendrick’s first match since the October 28, 2010 edition of 205 Live. Kendrick had a heck of a career of his own. Check out what is coming for Harland: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] ..

WWE Has Different Priorities For Male And Female Signees

December 22, 2021 • Admin

They want different things. We are in a period of change for WWE and a lot of those changes have been due to the company releasing all kinds of wrestlers. The reason is said to be that WWE wants younger stars for the future rather than established names. However, it seems that there are some differences between the kinds of wrestlers that WWE is hoping to recruit. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE has different priorities when it comes to signing male or female wrestlers. WWE is said to be looking for bigger male wrestlers, with shorter wrestlers not likely to be brought in. When it comes to women, WWE is more interested in looks, and will be more likely to hire women who are “good looking” or can do something special in the ring. WWE has signed several wrestlers over the years. Check out some of the better debuts: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: I don’t think this i..

Vince McMahon “Adamantly Against” Certain WWE Contract Clause

December 22, 2021 • Admin

I guess he isn’t a fan. WWE has been undergoing all kinds of changes in recent months and there is nothing to suggest that those changes have come to an end. Most of the changes have been related to wrestlers’ contracts, including several who have been let go from the company. There are ways to prevent those cuts from taking place, but it seems that the most powerful person in WWE is not a fan. According to Fightful Select, there are several higher ups in WWE who are interested in allowing no cut clauses in new contracts. However, these clauses are not something negotiable because Vince McMahon is “adamantly against” the idea of including such clauses. In addition, WWE is said to have extended or re-signed most a large portion of its roster since 2019, though over 100 wrestlers have been released since then. I guess they won’t be included. Check out some WWE contract signings: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains..

Former WWE Star Planning Full Time Return To Wrestling

December 22, 2021 • Admin

Back to it. Retirements in wrestling are one of the bigger moments you will see, as it means, at least in theory, that a wrestler won’t be around any longer. Granted that is just in theory, as wrestlers rarely stay out of the ring forever when they first announce their retirement. That seems to be the case again, as another former star is wanting to get back in the ring. According to PWInsider.com, former WWE star Mike Mondo is planning a full time return to the ring starting in 2022. Mondo has not wrestled full time since 2019 and is best known for his time as part of the Spirit Squad. He wrestled for WWE from 2005 until 2008, mainly in Ohio Valley Wrestling. There is no word on where he might be making appearances or when his first match back would take place. Mondo certainly had a career of his own. Check out some of his time in the ring: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: Th..