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In The Making: WWE Planned This WrestleMania 39 Match Since Last July

February 21, 2023 • Admin

That’s on tap. We are less than forty days away from WrestleMania 39 and that means the card is really starting to come together. If the matches have not yet been announced, you can probably guess a good few of them, as they have been all but flat out said. This is the culmination of several months of build and now we know just how long one of them has been set in stone. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Lawyer Up: WWE Facing Lawsuit Over Injury At WrestleMania 38 Earlier this week, WWE announced that John Cena will be returning to Monday Night Raw on March 6. United States Champion Austin Theory mentioned Cena’s return this week on Monday Night Raw and was not happy about it. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Cena vs. Theory is set for WrestleMania 39 and that has been the case since July, just after the two had a confrontation during Cena’s most recent Monday Night Raw appearance. Cena and Theory have a bit of a history. Check out what happened, plus the two in action: [This post conta..

Ouch: AEW Personality Says He Might Have Suffered A Broken Jaw This Week

February 21, 2023 • Admin

That’s one way to go. There are all kinds of injuries in wrestling, some of which can be a lot more serious than others. As a physical sport, you never know when you are going to see someone get hurt in the course of a match. At the same time, there are also injury angles that are used to progress a story. The latter seems to be true in this case, and someone has something to say about it. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: On The Mend: Update On Injured AEW Star’s Recovery Status This week’s edition of Dark: Elevation saw Tony Nese and Ari Daivari face the Lucha Bros. During the match, the Lucha Bros superkicked Nese and Daivari’s manager Mark Sterling. Following the match, Sterling said that “they think my jaw might be broken”. Sterling also bragged about the ratings for the show being so high. There is nothing to indicate that this is anything more than a storyline. In regards to tonight’s @AEW main event… I’m ok. First, It was a heinous attack and they think my jaw might be broken. Secon..

Lawyer Up: WWE Facing Lawsuit Over Injury At WrestleMania 38

February 21, 2023 • Admin

That’s a bad one. WWE is a multi billion dollar wrestling promotion and the most powerful in all of the industry. That is the kind of thing that can lead to a variety of issues, as the company is going to have to deal with a bunch of problems. Several of these involve situations that take place at their events, and now they might be in trouble involving a lot of money. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: REVIEW: March To WrestleMania IX: They’re Marching The Wrong Way According to PWInsider.com, WWE is being sued by a man named Marvin Jackson, who claims that a pyro display at WrestleMania 38 caused him to lose the hearing in his left ear. The lawsuit claims that Jackson sat near the stage at WrestleMania but WWE did not post any kind of notification of the dangers of being so close to the pyro. As a result, WWE is facing accusations of negligence, gross negligence and strict liability. Jackson is seeking a jury trial and more than $1 million in “damages of any kind, penalties, costs, expenses, p..

Reunion: Former WWE Star Backstage At Elimination Chamber After 8+ Year Absence

February 21, 2023 • Admin

He’s still here? There have been all kinds of wrestlers throughout WWE’s history and a good many of them do not make the biggest impact. There are some names who are more infamous than anything else, while there are other names who did not do all that much while they were around. Now a former WWE star you might not have thought about much lately was backstage at a major WWE event. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Her Take: Charlotte Explains Why WWE Should Not Unify Titles According to Fightful Select, former WWE star JTG was backstage at last weekend’s Elimination Chamber event. JTG was said to just be there to visit friends and is on good terms with WWE, though there is nothing to suggest anything about a return. JTG wrestled for WWE as part of Cryme Tyme and then as a singles wrestler before being released in 2014. He has since wrestled on the independent circuit. You might not remember JTG. Check out some of his time in WWE: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains..

Her Take: Charlotte Explains Why WWE Should Not Unify Titles

February 21, 2023 • Admin

That does make sense. Titles are some of the most important parts of any wrestling promotion. They can drive any storyline and identify the wrestlers that the promotion wants to present. A title changing hands can make a huge difference for both a wrestler and the company as a whole, but it can mean even more when one of them goes away. One of the top WWE stars is now explaining why that is a bad thing. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: Naomi And Mercedes Mone Appear Together In New Advertisement SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte was interviewed by the Daytona Beach News-Journal and talked about the possibility of unifying the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Titles. Charlotte said that she was not in favor of unifying the titles, as while it can be special for one woman to have both titles at once, it takes away opportunities for the women. Charlotte is currently scheduled to defend her title against Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 39. There have been some big title unifications. Check out som..

WATCH: Naomi And Mercedes Mone Appear Together In New Advertisement

February 21, 2023 • Admin

They’re still a thing. Nine months ago, Naomi and Mercedes Mone (then Sasha Banks) walked out on WWE on the same night, vacating their Women’s Tag Team Titles in the process. That is the kind of career altering change that you do not see a wrestler deal with very often, but the two seemed united in what they were doing. Now we will get to see them united again in a very different world. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Maybe Later: How WWE Nixed Plans To Bring Back Finn Balor’s Demon The Bar Rescue Twitter account has sent out a video advertising an upcoming episode. The video includes a clip of Naomi and Mone, though it is not clear if it will be in the advertised February 26 episode. While Naomi has not wrestled since walking out on WWE in May 2022, Mone has gone on to wrestle for New Japan Pro Wrestling, including winning the promotion’s Women’s Title over the weekend. The team was good while it lasted. Check out the ad, plus the team in the ring: [This post contains video, click to play]..

Maybe Later: How WWE Nixed Plans To Bring Back Finn Balor’s Demon

February 21, 2023 • Admin

That would have been different. One of the most complicated aspects of wrestling is to make sure that the most important material is used at the right time. A promotion has to build things up over time and then pay it off when everything is ready. WWE is no exception, and now we know that they hit the brakes instead of letting someone make a special return. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Swap: Trish Stratus Reportedly At Monday Night Raw, Not Used As Planned According to Fightful Select, WWE had originally planned to bring back Finn Balor’s Demon persona at the Royal Rumble. The Demon would have fought Edge, possibly inside Hell In A Cell. However, due to Edge’s filming schedule, WWE went with the mixed tag instead. In addition, some people who were asked about the plans were unsure if the Demon would fit in with the current version of Balor. There is no word on if the Demon will return anytime soon. In case you forgot. Check out what the Demon is all about: [This post contains video, clic..

Swap: Trish Stratus Reportedly At Monday Night Raw, Not Used As Planned

February 21, 2023 • Admin

That would have been different. Women’s wrestling has come a very long way in just a few years and the upgrades have been quite the improvement. Rather than having women’s wrestling as little more than filler on a show, it has since become some of the more important material in all of WWE. That is still the case to this day, though there was quite the change in what we saw this week. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: WWE Teases Huge WrestleMania 39 Showdown This week on Monday Night Raw, Becky Lynch announced her intentions of challenging Damage Ctrl for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. Lita then came to the ring and was announced as Lynch’s partner for the title match coming next week. According to Fightful Select, WWE Hall Of Famer Trish Stratus was backstage at the show and was expected to be revealed as Lynch’s partner. The decision to use Lita was described as a “creative change” and Stratus left the arena before the segment aired. There is no word o if Stratus will appear on WWE TV..

WATCH: WWE Teases Huge WrestleMania 39 Showdown

February 21, 2023 • Admin

That would be a big one. We are less than forty days away from WrestleMania 39 and that means it is time to start putting together the rest of the card. There are already a few matches set for the show but at the same time, there are several spots to be filled. WWE has been teasing some matches and they did just that again this week, with a possible clash of the titans. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The Champ Is Back: WWE Announces John Cena’s Return To Monday Night Raw At Elimination Chamber, Brock Lesnar had to get himself disqualified to escape Bobby Lashley’s Hurt Lock. This week on Monday Night Raw, Lashley’s former associate MVP called Lesnar a coward before challenging Lesnar to face the 7’3 Nigerian Giant Omos at WrestleMania. Lesnar was invited to accept Omos’ challenge next week on Monday Night Raw. There is no word on if WWE is planning to run the match at WrestleMania. This has potential. Check out the challenge, plus the two in action: [This post contains video, click to play..

Monday Night Raw Results – February 20, 2023

February 21, 2023 • Admin

Monday Night Raw Date: February 20, 2023 Location: Canadian Tire Center, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves We’re done with Elimination Chamber and that means it is time to get ready for Wrestlemania. The big story is that Roman Reigns retained the World Title over Sami Zayn, who seems promised to rejoin forces with Kevin Owens to fight the Bloodline. We might see the start of that tonight so let’s get to it. We open with a long recap of Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber, with Zayn coming up short and Kevin Owens saving him after the match. Here is Sami Zayn to get things going and he looks to be a wreck. He talks about how everything has been going on for the last few days and the response he has gotten from the fans means more than they could know. After pausing to soak in a few more cheers, Sami talks about feeling guilty for letting people down by not getting the big win. What he understands though is that the story is not over, but..

The Champ Is Back: WWE Announces John Cena’s Return To Monday Night Raw

February 20, 2023 • Admin

He’s back. There are very few stars in WWE history who have become the faces of the company. Those are the names that almost every fan can remember and it means a lot when those wrestlers get to do something. In some cases those moments can be pretty rare, but now we know when one of the biggest stars in all of WWE history will be returning to the company. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: They’re Back: Update On Backstage Reaction To Recently Returned WWE Superstars WWE has sent fans an email announcing that John Cena will be returning to Monday Night Raw on March 6 in Boston, Massachusetts. There is no word on what Cena will be doing at the show. Cena last appeared on the December 30 edition of SmackDown when he and Kevin Owens defeated Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn. It is not clear when Cena’s next appearance will take place. Cena has been on Monday Night Raw over the years. Check out some of his time on the show: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to..

They’re Back: Update On Backstage Reaction To Recently Returned WWE Superstars

February 20, 2023 • Admin

So maybe not? One of the biggest wrestling stories over the last year has been the return of several former WWE stars. After multiple years of mass releases, a bunch of the former WWE wrestlers have been brought back into the company. These returning stars have had varying levels of success but now we know a little more about their internal reception with possibly the most important person around. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE Interested In Bringing In Two Former World Champions Back in December, a rumor speculated that WWE COO Triple H was unhappy with some of the stars who had been brought back into the company. However, in an update from Fightful Select, if there is any truth to this, WWE officials are downplaying the idea. It is said that even if Triple H were disappointed, he would never make this known, either publicly or privately. The wrestlers were said to be brought back to add depth to the roster, though some, such as Bronson Reed and Johnny Gargano, will be..

WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE Interested In Bringing In Two Former World Champions

February 20, 2023 • Admin

They have people in mind. There are some very talented wrestlers on the WWE roster, but there are also several top names outside of the company’s circle. WWE will occasionally try to bring some of these names in, which can make for some very interesting moments. Now it seems that WWE is interested in a few names, with one of them appearing to be a bit further along. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: Bayley Attends Mercedes Mone’s First New Japan Match, Helps Lead Cheers According to WrestleVotes by way of GiveMeSport, Triple H has asked the WWE creative team to start coming up with ideas in case the company is able to sign Jay White. In addition, Kota Ibushi was also brought up as a possible free agent during a meeting in January. White reportedly finished up with New Japan over the weekend and Ibushi wrestled in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic. Those are some talented stars. Check out the two of them in action: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click..

WATCH: Bayley Attends Mercedes Mone’s First New Japan Match, Helps Lead Cheers

February 20, 2023 • Admin

She’s a friend. There have been several teams throughout the years in WWE and some of them develop quite the friendship during their time together. Every so often you will see that friendship continue after the wrestlers leave a promotion, but it is much rarer to see it continue when one star is in a different promotion entirely. That was on display over the weekend. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: On The Mend: Update On Injured AEW Star’s Recovery Status Over the weekend, Mercedes Mone, better known as Sasha Banks during her time in WWE, defeated Kairi to become the new IWGP Women’s Champion. A fan shot video from the match shows Mone’s former partner Bayley in the crowd, helping lead chants for Mone. There was no mention of Bayley being at the show and she was not recognized in any way. Bayley and Mone were the inaugural WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. This was a cool visual. Check out Bayley in the crowd, plus the two in their WWE days: [This post contains video, click to play] [This po..

On The Mend: Update On Injured AEW Star’s Recovery Status

February 20, 2023 • Admin

It could be a little while. Injuries are one of the worst things that you can see in wrestling as you never know how long someone is going to be out of action. Someone getting hurt can slow them down out of nowhere and cut off anything they have going. That just leaves everyone waiting around for the injury to heal up, and now we know a bit more about how long an injured AEW star will be out of action. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: AEW Star Returns After Two Month Hiatus To End Rampage Andrade El Idolo has been out of action since September 2022 and has not been seen on AEW television in months. According to Fightful Select, El Idolo is still recovering from surgery to recover from a torn pectoral muscle. He is not expected to return until some point this spring. In addition to his injury, El Idolo was suspended in November for attacking Sammy Guevara backstage at an AEW TV taping. El Idolo is a rather talented star. Check out his time in AEW: [This post contains video, click to pl..

He’s Managing: Wrestling Legend Reportedly Negotiating Authors Of Pain’s Possible WWE Return

February 20, 2023 • Admin

It’s a different job. Managers have been around wrestling for decades and they have long since served an important purpose. A manager often serves as a wrestler’s mouthpiece and gets the fans to care about him more than the wrestler can make happen on their own. Occasionally an on-screen manager has some off-screen responsibilities and now a former WWE manager might be helping some old clients. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Could be Worse: Update On Montez Ford’s Health After WWE Elimination Chamber Earlier this year, reports surfaced saying that WWE had an interest in bringing the Authors of Pain back to the company. According to Fightful Select, the team has a strong sense of loyalty to their former manager Paul Ellering, who would actually be negotiating any possible return. Ellering managed the team in NXT but they were split when the team debuted on Monday Night Raw. The team was quite the force. Check out some of their time in WWE: [This post contains video, click to play] [This p..

Could be Worse: Update On Montez Ford’s Health After WWE Elimination Chamber

February 20, 2023 • Admin

That could have been a lot worse. You never know when you are going to see someone get hurt during a wrestling show and unfortunately the question becomes how long the injured star is going to be away from the ring. At the same time, there is always the chance that what you are seeing is part of a storyline, which thankfully seems to be the case with a recent situation. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: WWE Releases First WrestleMania Movie Trailer Featuring Seth Rollins And Becky Lynch Over the weekend, WWE presented its annual Elimination Chamber event, featuring a men’s and women’s version of the show’s namesake matches. During the men’s version, Montez Ford took a Stomp onto the area outside of the ring. Ford was taken out of the ring and appeared to be injured. However, according to Fightful Select, Ford is fine and the injury angle was an excuse for Logan Paul to interfere. It was a busy night. Check out some of the better parts of the match: [This post contains video, click to p..

Mercedes Mone Wins First Championship In NJPW

February 19, 2023 • Admin

Call her a champion. Mercedes Mone, known as Sasha Banks in WWE, has won her first championship as a member of the NJPW roster. She defeated Kairi for the IWGP Women’s Championship at NJPW’s Battle in the Valley show in San Jose, California. From Bleacher Report: NJPW sold out tickets to Battle in the Valley after Kairi vs. Mercedes Moné was announced and it showed as the crowd erupted as it began. It was the loudest the audience in attendance got all night. Mone entered the arena wearing new gear as a tribute to the late Hana Kimura. You could see how much she reveres Japanese wrestling, and how much this moment means to her. The former WWE star hasn’t wrestled since May 13, 2022, but she hasn’t missed a beat. The Blueprint dominated early on with the crowd behind her, but Kairi came roaring back. It looked like the champion could retain when she locked in the Ikari, but Mone fought out and cinched in her trademark crossface. Then, Kairi hit her staggering spinning back fist to f..

AEW Files New Trademark; New Television Show Coming?

February 19, 2023 • Admin

What are they up to? AEW has filed a new trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, looking for “AEW Collision” to be found under entertainment services. This filing seems to suggest that the company is adding another television show to its lineup, as the trademark is listed as a show. AEW already airs Dynamite on TBS and Rampage on TNT while their streaming shows, AEW Dark and AEW Dark: Elevation, air on YouTube. AEW’s PPV events air on Bleacher Report. The trademark reads as follows: “Mark For: AEW COLLISON™ trademark registration is intended to cover the categories of educational and entertainment services, namely, a continuing program about wrestling accessible by radio, television, satellite, audio, video and computer networks; Entertainment services in the nature of live wrestling performances; Entertainment services in the nature of production of wrestling programs and events; Entertainment services, namely, an ongoing multimedia program featuring wrestling..

WATCH: The Miz Hits Half Court Shot In Celebrity Basketball Game, Gets Waived Off

February 19, 2023 • Admin

The rules are the rules. The NBA held its annual celebrity basketball game this weekend, which was part of its All-Star festivities. One of the celebrities who participated was The Miz, who had a fantastic moment that suddenly turned into a disaster. The Miz, who was on Team [Dwayne] Wade, hit a half-court shot to potentially tie the game and send it to overtime, only to have it waived off because he released the ball after time expired. You can see the shot and the aftermath below: [This post contains video, click to play] From NBA.com: The second-most star-studded game of All-Star weekend wasn’t short on bling, fame, drama, or last-minute excitement Friday as the basketball weekend kicked off in style. It was the 2023 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and it was decided at the final buzzer — or not. WWE Superstar The Miz sank a half-court heave that was waved off, much to the relief of Team Dwyane Wade, which survived and beat Team Ryan Smith 81-78. The MVP of the game was ..