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REVIEW: Monday Night Raw – December 23, 2013: The Battle For Christmas

December 4, 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? Monday Night Raw Date: December 23, 2013 Location: Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield Tonight is the taped Christmas special featuring the potentially amazing Damien Sandow vs. Mark Henry battle to save Christmas. Again, it’s the 400lb monster who talks about splitting wigs fighting a Latin speaking know it all to prevent Christmas from being canceled. There is no way this won’t be awesome. Let’s get to it. We open with Santa Henry and Damien Claus taking turns re..

Update On The Contract Statuses Of AEW’s Top Stars

December 4, 2021 • Admin

Stick around for a bit. While it has made quite the impact on the wrestling industry, the reality is that AEW has not been around very long. The company has only been active for a few years now, which means they do not have the longest history. They have yet to have to deal with some of their bigger names leaving, though now it seems that might continue to be the case even longer. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the core of AEW’s roster signed three year deals, effective January 1, 2019. Those deals will expire on December 31, 2021, though Tony Khan will have an option to extend them for two more years. The Young Bucks’ option has already been exercised and wrestlers such as Kenny Omega, Cody and Brandi Rhodes, Chris Jericho and Hangman Page have similar deals. There is nothing to suggest that any of them will be leaving AEW anytime soon. Those are some important names. Check out who will likely be sticking around AEW: [This post contains video, click to play] [Thi..

WWE Releases Another Employee After 17 Years With The Company

December 4, 2021 • Admin

It’s a different kind of release. There have been all kinds of changes to the WWE roster over the last year and a half and there is nothing to suggest that the changes have stopped. With so many wrestlers gone, the company is looking rather different than it was before, but several of the releases have been from other areas. That was the case again this week with another release. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, a longtime WWE security guard has been released from the company. Aycock has been with the company since 2004 and it is not clear why he has been released. This comes soon after a fan jumped the barricade and attacked Seth Rollins on Monday Night Raw, though it is not clear if this is the reason for Aycock’s release. Security has a hit and miss record in WWE. Check out some of their efforts: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: I’m not sure what happened her..

It’s A New Day 1 Card, Yes It Is! Two Huge Title Matches Added To WWE Day 1

December 4, 2021 • Admin

Time to set it up. We are rapidly closing out the year and that means it is time to get ready for the new one. WWE is not exactly wasting time with this one as they are setting up their Day 1 pay per view event on January 1. That is not a lot of time to get ready but now they are boosting things up in a big way, as they have tripled the amount of matches set for the show in one night. This week’s SmackDown saw the addition of two more matches to the Day 1 card. First up the New Day will be challenging the Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles. King Woods was facing Jey Usos when Jimmy Uso interfered, drawing in Kofi Kingston for the save. The match was made later in the show. Also on the show, Roman Reigns defeated Sami Zayn to retain the Universal Title. As a result, Reigns will now be defending against Brock Lesnar at Day 1. There are three matches set. Check out how all of them were set up: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [..

AEW Rampage Results – December 3, 2021

December 4, 2021 • Admin

Rampage Date: December 3, 2021 Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia Commentators: Taz, Ricky Starks, Excalibur This week we get to find out what happens after Cody Rhodes lit himself on fire to try and get people to cheer for him. That could make for a slightly weakened crowd, but I’m not sure how much of a difference it is going to make. At least the card looks good this week so let’s get to it. Opening sequence. TNT Title: Sammy Guevara vs. Tony Nese Guevara is defending and goes right after Nese at the bell. Nese is sent outside and the big running flip dive takes him down again, but Guevara bangs up his own ribs in the process. Guevara gets sent into the steps but comes back with some chops against the barricade. Back in and a gutbuster plants Guevara again and Nese gets to stomp away at the bad ribs. The double springboard moonsault gets two on Guevara, setting up a spinning kick to the face for two. The logical bodyscissors goes on and we take a break with Guevara in tro..

Now On The Team: AEW Officially Signs Another Former WWE Star

December 4, 2021 • Admin

Welcome to the team! There are a lot of wrestlers on the AEW roster, as the company has put together a heck of a lineup. They have a great mixture of young, up and coming wrestlers, veterans and legends. Several of them have come from other promotions, many of which have had quite the exposure. That was the case again this week, as AEW has announced the signing of a former WWE star. AEW President Tony Khan has sent out a tweet promoting the TNT Title match between champion Sammy Guevara and Tony Nese for this week’s edition of Rampage. In the same tweet, Khan announced that Nese has officially signed a contract with the company, making him a member of the roster. Nese is a former WWE Cruiserweight Champion and was released from the company earlier this year: The TNT Title is at stake in a huge match TONIGHT on #AEWRampage! We have a great Champion @sammyguevara & I’m so impressed by the challenger, he’s been one of the hottest free agents in the business; ahead of this HUGE match ton..

VIDEO: Surprise Return On This Week’s SmackDown

December 4, 2021 • Admin

Welcome back! Returns can be a lot of fun in wrestling as they can be quite the surprise. Sometimes you might have an idea that someone is on the way back but other times it can pop up when they are needed the most. This can make for some very fun moments, and that was the case this week as a pretty big name made his return to television after a few weeks away. This week on SmackDown, King Woods was set to face Jey Uso, who was accompanied by his brother Jimmy. Rather than face Jey alone, Woods brought out the returning Kofi Kingston to be in his corner. Kingston had been missing since the November 5 edition of SmackDown when the Usos injured his knee. This was a cover for Kingston to take time off for the birth of his daughter. He could be useful. Check out Kingston’s return, plus what he can do against the Usos: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: I’ve been a Kingston fan for a..

SmackDown Results – December 3, 2021

December 4, 2021 • Admin

Smackdown Date: December 3, 2021 Location: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee In something you probably don’t remember hearing around here, it’s the Brock Lesnar Show as he is back after his suspension last month. Odds are this is going to set something up for either Day 1 or the Rumble and that opens up a few questions. I’m curious to see where this is going so let’s get to it. We open with a recap of Sami Zayn becoming #1 contender last week but Brock Lesnar’s return was announced for the show immediately thereafter. Here is Brock Lesnar to get things going. Lesnar says he is here for the Universal Title but cue Sami Zayn to interrupt. Sami talks about how he’s a fan of Lesnar and is cut off almost immediately. Lesnar: “I’m sorry, you’re a fan?” Lesnar talks about living in Saskatchewan, where he hunts, kills and eats things. Now why hasn’t he ripped Sami’s head off yet? Sami explains the battle royal win….and Lesnar starts laughing. Sami says ..

205 Live Results – November 26, 2021

December 3, 2021 • Admin

205 Live Date: November 26, 2021 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph NXT is on its way to WarGames and that means we are on our way to a non-cruiserweight challenging for the Cruiserweight Title. I’m not sure why that should be a surprise, as Roderick Strong hasn’t defended the title in about two months, so the future isn’t exactly bright. At the same time, that has very little to do with this show so let’s get to it. Valentina Feroz vs. Elektra Lopez Legado del Fantasma is here with Lopez. Feroz tries to take her down to start and is blocked with straight power. A hard slap to the face sets up a slam spun into a Rock Bottom and we hit the nerve hold. That’s broken up and Feroz kicks away at the leg, setting up a running hurricanrana. Lopez isn’t having that though and muscles her up into a sitout powerbomb for the pin at 3:50. Result: Elektra Lopez b. Valentina Feroz – Sitout powerbomb (3:50) Erica Yan vs. Amari Miller Th..

Impact Wrestling Results – November 25, 2021

December 3, 2021 • Admin

Impact Wrestling Date: November 25, 2021 Commentators: James Mitchell, Dr. Ross, Sinn Bodhi So it’s Thanksgiving and that means things are going to be a little different around here. Since Impact Wrestling is smart enough to realize that a TV show on Thanksgiving isn’t going to draw so well, this is going to be a special look at the second season of Wrestle House. In other words, it’s the wrestling version of a reality show, whose first season was a mixture of a lot of fun and near torture at times. Let’s get to it. A rhyming narrator (sounds like James Mitchell) welcomes us to Wrestle House and we recap the first season, featuring a bunch of people who have not been around much lately. This ultimately led to Rosemary nearly marrying John E. Bravo, Tommy Dreamer, then a shooting at the wedding, an investigation, more Tommy Dreamer, the rise of Swinger’s Palace, the closing of Swinger’s Palace and then Bravo sending everyone here so Swinger can be happy. The cast figures out they are..

NXT UK Results – December 2, 2021

December 3, 2021 • Admin

NXT UK Date: December 2, 2021 Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness It’s time for a big show with the United Kingdom Title on the line as Ilja Dragunov defends against Rampage Brown. Dragunov works well against big powerful bruisers so we should be in for a good one here. Other than that, we have…well probably a bunch of UK wrestlers in a variety of matches. Let’s get to it. We open with a video on Brown vs. Dragunov. Opening sequence. Women’s Title: Meiko Satomura vs. Xia Brookside Brookside is challenging after whining her way into a title match (daddy threats were made). Satomura takes her down by the arm to start and a slightly shaken Brookside gets up for a test of strength. A wristlock is broken up with some well timed flipping and spinning so Satomura takes her down by the leg for some cranking. Brookside grabs a headlock takeover but gets reversed into a headscissors. That’s broken up with a headstand and a bit of dancin..

WATCH: Funny Fall Takes Place During AEW Dynamite Main Event

December 3, 2021 • Admin

I don’t think that was in the plans. Almost every major wrestling show has some kind of plan. There has to be an idea of what to do during the show but that does not always mean it is going to work. At some point, something is going to go wrong and there is little way to plan for such a situation. The best you can do is hope that no one gets hurt, which had to be on someone’s mine during a pretty nasty botch this week. The main event of this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite featured an Atlanta street fight between Andrade El Idolo and Cody Rhodes. The match also saw a brawl between Arn Anderson and El Idolo’s assistant Jose, who fought up to the ramp. During the fight, Anderson fell off of the stage, leaving Jose to help him up before the brawl could continue. There is nothing to suggest that Anderson was injured during the fall. This could have been worse. Check out the fall, the fight, and Anderson in his own in-ring days: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contai..

WWE Legend Announces He Needs Back Surgery

December 3, 2021 • Admin

That could be worse. There are all kinds of injuries in the wrestling world and some of them are a lot worse than others. Some of them are the kinds that take place all at once but others are things that have been built up over the course of a long career. Either kind needs to be taken care of though and that seems to be the case again with another wrestling legend. During the latest edition of his Table Talk podcast, WWE Hall of Famer and current producer D-Von Dudley announced that he will be undergoing back surgery in the near future. Dudley said that he has been dealing with the issue since 2010 and should be missing about two to three weeks of work. He described the surgery as having his back scraped, as a disc needs to be moved back in to place and secured. Hopefully he gets better soon. Check out the whole show plus some of Dudley’s time in WWE: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] ..

How WWE May Be Changed By The Golden Girls (Seriously)

December 3, 2021 • Admin

That isn’t one you hear very often. There are a lot of stories about how hard life can be on the road for professional wrestlers, especially in WWE. You will hear about wrestlers having to be on the road for 300 days a year with very little time off and it can be incredibly difficult for everyone involved. Things have gotten a bit better, but time off is still precious. One current WWE star had a very unique reason for wanting time away. SmackDown’s King Woods has posted a tweet revealing that he has requested time off from WWE to attend and cover a Golden Girls convention in Chicago from April 22-24. The convention is the first of its kind, though there is no word on if Woods has been given the time off. Woods is currently the reigning King of the Ring and has been feuding with the Bloodline. When we ask for days off at wwe we have to give a reason as to why we would like the time off. pic.twitter.com/q1Kvyh1J6l — Austin Creed – King of The Ring (@AustinCreedWins) December 2, 2021 ..

Try Again Later: WWE Postpones International Tour

December 3, 2021 • Admin

Not right now. The Coronavirus pandemic has changed the way the world works and that is likely going to be the case for a rather long time to come. There have been all kinds of issues around the world and one of the biggest changes has been the ability to move from one country to another. That has been affecting wrestling and now it seems to be doing so again. WWE has officially released a statement to PWInsider.com, confirming the postponement of a series of upcoming shows in Canada. Four shows were scheduled for January 21-24 but have been moved to dates in September and October. There is no word on why the shows have been postponed, but this comes soon after the Omicron strain of the Coronavirus has begun spreading. There is nothing to suggest that any American shows will be canceled. WWE has done some great things in Canada. Check out some of their time in the country: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains vid..

WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE Spoiler For Upcoming Title Match

December 3, 2021 • Admin

So that’s what’s going to happen. We are rapidly approaching the end of the year and that means a lot in WWE. With so few shows left, WWE is going to stack the shows that they have with a series of big matches, many of which are likely to have title implications. That is going to be the case next week, and now we might already know what is to be expected in the match. According to Wrestlingnews.co, the current plan for next week’s Raw Women’s Title match between champion Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan calls for Lynch to retain the title. Lynch is currently scheduled to defend the title at both the December 26 Madison Square Garden Live Event against Bianca Belair and against an opponent to be named at Day 1 on January 1, 2021. Lynch is kind of a star. Check out what she has done as champion: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This wouldn’t be a shock, but WWE has done a nice job of ..

WWE Considering Dropping One Of Its Titles

December 2, 2021 • Admin

A little less silver. Titles are a rather simple concept in the world of wrestling as they are so easy to understand: the person who has the big shiny belt is at the top of the ladder and everyone else wants to take it away. That is something anyone can understand, but there is a limit to how many titles can still be effective. WWE seems to know this and might be dropping a title. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE is considering dropping the NXT Cruiserweight Title. The potential move would be part of a long string of changes NXT has been making in recent months. This comes before Joe Gacy, who does not meet the cruiserweight limit, challenges Roderick Strong for the title at WarGames. There is no word on if Gacy will be winning the title or if it will just be dropped with Strong retaining. Strong has not defended the title since the September 28 edition of NXT. The title has done well when it is around. Check out some of its better moments: [This post contains video, click..

AEW Dominates This Year’s PWI Tag Team 50 List

December 2, 2021 • Admin

Add it to the trophy case. Tag teams have an interesting place in wrestling history, as it has been big in just about every promotion outside of WWE. Other promotions have emphasized it more over the years and as a result, WWE teams may not be as recognized as some others. That was the case again this year as another promotion has won a prestigious honor. Pro Wrestling Illustrated has announced that the Young Bucks have topped the PWI Tag Team 50 list. This is the second year that the list has been released and the second year in a row that an AEW team has been on top, following FTR last year. The Young Bucks were also on last year’s list at #11. The only WWE team in the top five was the Usos, who came in at #4 and were unranked last year due to Jimmy Uso’s knee injury. Here is the top 5: 1. The Young Bucks 2. Lucha Bros 3. Dangerous Tekkers 4. The Usos 5. ALK (Giulia & Syuri) Congratulations to Matt & Nick Jackson, The Young Bucks, for ranking #1 in the second annual PWI #TagTeam50..

WWE Hall Of Famer Stepping Away From Commentary Role

December 2, 2021 • Admin

Fare thee well. Commentary is a very important part of any wrestling show as it serves as the fans’ guide to the show. The commentary team tells fans what they need to know and why it is so important. That is a hard task to pull off and some of the teams are quite good at their jobs. Now though, one of those teams will be missing one of its longstanding members. WWE Hall of Famer has announced that she will be leaving the NXT broadcasting team following this weekend’s WarGames event. Phoenix says that she is leaving the position to spend more time with her family and thanked everyone who helped her during her time on the show. Phoenix began working on the commentary team in 2017 in a part time role before moving into the full time position in 2019. pic.twitter.com/pwazRlwLP5 — Beth “Phoenix” Copeland (@TheBethPhoenix) December 2, 2021 She has had quite the career. Check out what Phoenix has done throughout her time in NXT: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post con..

WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE’s Wacky Theory About Tony Khan And AEW Tickets

December 2, 2021 • Admin

He’s doing what? For a very long time, one of the things that wrestling fans wanted to see more than anything else was another billionaire to come along and try their hand at going up against the WWE. It is not an easy task but it has finally happened in the form of AEW owner Tony Khan. He has certainly been a success so far, though some think he might be up to something. According Bryan Alvarez on the F4WOnline message board, there are some in WWE who believe that Khan is personally buying tickets to AEW events to beef up ticket sales. There is nothing to suggest that this has actually taken place, or where the fans who fill the paid seats came from. AEW returned to running events on the road in September after staying in Jacksonville, Florida throughout the Coronavirus pandemic. It would be a heck of a trick. Check out some of the shows the fans have paid to see: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, clic..