Booking AJ Styles’ Final Year in the Ring
In the world of professional wrestling, so, here’s the thing: AJ Styles has made it clear that his in-ring career is winding down. As reported by multiple repor...
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In the world of professional wrestling, so, here’s the thing: AJ Styles has made it clear that his in-ring career is winding down. As reported by multiple repor...
NXT Date: February 14, 2023 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph It’s Valentine’s Day and that is not likely to mean much of anything here. We are about a month and a half away from Stand & Deliver and Carmelo Hayes is looking like a strong option to go after Bron Breakker’s NXT Title. Other than that, NXT has some work to do so let’s get to it. In Memory Of Jerry Jarrett. Grayson Waller vs. Tyler Bate Waller takes him to the rope to start the choking, while shouting that Shawn Michaels bet on the wrong horse. Bate grabs his own foot and swings it into Waller’s face, followed by a dropkick for two. A quick shot lets Waller grab a cravate with the knee to the face getting two more. The back and forth continues as Bate runs him over and hits a standing shooting star press for his own near fall. They go outside with Booker going on his latest long winded rant about how attitude will get you to Wrestlemania. Waller slides back in and ..
It’s a change. There are all kinds of ways to present a wrestler and some of them work better than others. A slight tweak in how a wrestler comes off can change everything about them, either for good or bad. Occasionally a wrestler with a serious background might want to shake things up a bit and now an established veteran is going to be trying to do just that for himself. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: King Time: Jim Ross Provides Health Update On Jerry “The King” Lawler Following Stroke Dirty Dango, formerly known as Fandango during his time in WWE, was a guest on the Windy City Slam podcast where he confirmed that he had signed a one year contract to join the Impact Wrestling roster. Dango also talked about wanting to transition to a more serious style rather than his established comedy style. There is no word on how he plans to make such a transition, but he did say he was already enjoying wrestling more serious matches. Dango is a talented star. Check out what he can do in the ring: [..
That’s a special place. There are a lot of wrestlers on the WWE roster and that adds up to quite a bit of talent. It takes a lot for someone to move up the ladder and reach the top of the pile but you know someone special when you see them. Now WWE is seeing something in one of its stars and thinks enough of them to put them above most of the roster all at once. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Again: Vince McMahon Facing Another Lawsuit Over Alleged Sexual Harassment Payments According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Bray Wyatt is currently slotted in as the #1 babyface on the SmackDown roster and the #1 star that Roman Reigns has not worked with during his title reign. There is also no word on if Reigns will be feuding with Wyatt anytime soon, as Reigns is said to know that people who feud with Wyatt wind up looking “a lot worse than going in”. Wyatt is scheduled to have his first televised match after his return this weekend at the Royal Rumble. There is a history between them. Check out Reig..
They had an idea. This week’s edition of Monday Night Raw was a special one, as the show celebrated thirty years on the air. As a result, WWE stacked the card, loading it up with multiple title matches and grudge matches. One of the more violent matches was several weeks in the making but did not wind up taking place. Now we know what was originally planned for the whole thing. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Ouch: NXT Star Hospitalized After Attack In Parking Lot One of the matches scheduled for the show was a cage match between Becky Lynch and Bayley. However, due to the Trial Of Sami Zayn segment running long, the match was cut. Instead, Bayley and Damage Ctrl attacked Bayley and left her laying without the match beginning. According to PWInsider.com, the match would have seen Lynch winning and then being attacked by Damage Ctrl. There is no word on if the match will take place later. What could have been. Check out what we got and how we got there: [This post contains video, click to pl..
It’s part of the job. Despite its problems, WWE is still the biggest and most powerful wrestling promotion in the world. The company is active in several countries, but the majority of its work is done in the United States. It makes sense for the company to want to be associated with some of the biggest sporting events in the country and they tried to do so again this week. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Again: WWE Reportedly Makes More Office Cuts This Week Monday Night Raw stars Montez Ford and Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair appeared on NBC’s pre-game coverage of the Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Kansas City Chiefs NFL playoff game. Ford talked about the energy being the same as you find at a WWE event and Belair talked about the high stakes. Both picked the Chiefs to win, which would wind up being correct. It was a cool moment. Check out part of their appearance and the two of them in their more familiar location: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, clic..
NXT LVL Up Date: January 13, 2023 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Sudu Shah, Byron Saxton As usual, LVL Up has me wondering what in the world I should be expecting. It might be a boring show, it might be a show with some slightly bigger NXT names or it might be a show that winds up being rather entertaining. It really is a show that could go anywhere, but it would be nice to have some more consistency. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Von Wagner vs. Oba Femi Mr. Stone is here with Wagner, who powers Femi into the corner to start. A running shoulder drops Femi but he’s back with a running shoulder of his own. Wagner cuts him off with a clothesline though and starts in on the back. A belly to back suplex and elbow to the face put Femi down again and we hit the chinlock. Femi fights up and hits a running clothesline in the corner, earning himself a big boot. The Death Valley Driver finishes Femi at 4:13. Result: Von Wagner b. Oba Femi – Death Valle..
Hard To Kill 2023 Date: January 13, 2023 Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt It’s back to pay per view and Impact is actually on a heck of a roll right now. They are getting almost everything right at the moment and I’m wanting to see the show a lot more than I would have expected. We have a double main event as Bully Ray is challenging Josh Alexander in a Full Metal Mayhem match, plus Mickie James’ Last Rodeo continues as she challenges Jordynne Grace for the Knockouts Title. Let’s get to it. Pre-Show: Kushida vs. Angels vs. Delirious vs. Mike Bailey vs. Mike Jackson vs. Yuya Uemura The previously unadvertised Delirious is replacing Bhupinder Gujjar). Delirious misses (maybe) a charge at the returning Kushida to start and winds up on the floor. Uemura and Kushida are left in the ring to trade arm holds until Kushida hiptosses him into the basement dropkick. Delirious comes back in to neckbreaker Kushida but it’s Jackson (73 years ol..
They have plans. We are in the middle of a whirlwind time for WWE, as the company seems likely to be sold off in the near future. That is the kind of change that could have all kinds of ramifications and there is no telling of how widespread they could be. In the middle of all that though, there is the question of when it could happen. Now we might have a better answer. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: They Don’t Approve: Backstage Reaction And More On Rumored WWE Sale According to Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE is hoping to have the company sold by the middle of the year, though there is no word on who the buyer will be. There are several options in the running, including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Earlier this week, WWE CEO Nick Khan met with Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger and ESPN CEO Jimmy Pitaro. Another possible buyer is Endeavor, the parent company of the UFC. Those are some interesting options but there may be a surprise. Check out some WWE surprises: [This post contains video, ..
Maybe? There are a lot of moving pieces in WWE at the moment and it can be difficult to keep track of what is going on from time to time. It can be made even more difficult with WWE changing plans so often, as you never know what kind of things you will wind up seeing compared to the original plans. That seems to have happened again, possibly with a pair of upcoming shows. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: No More: Wrestling Couple Announces Official Separation According to Fightful Select, as of November, WWE’s plans for Edge called for him to face Finn Balor inside Hell In A Cell at the Royal Rumble. In addition, Edge and his wife Beth Phoenix were planned to face Balor and Rhea Ripley at Elimination Chamber. However, the limited dates remaining on Edge’s contract may have caused some issues and none of the matches were ever officially announced. Balor and the Judgment Day became #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles this week on Monday Night Raw and there is nothing to suggest that Edge will ..
New home. There have been a lot of comings and goings with the WWE roster in recent months and those changes are likely to continue. One of the interesting things about the departures winds up being where someone winds up next. That can make for a great moment, even if you know someone is going to wind up. Now one of the arrivals has actually taken place. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WRESTLING RUMORS: Major Title Change Planned Before WrestleMania 39 This week at New Japan Wrestle Kingdom 17, Mercedes Mone, formerly known as Sasha Banks in WWE, made her debut for the promotion. Mone, referring to herself as the CEO, debuted after IWGP Women’s Champion Kairi (formerly known as Kairi Sane in WWE) defeated Tam Nakano to retain her title. Mone went on to attack Kairi’s arm before announcing that the two will face each other in San Jose, California on February 18. There is no word on if Mone will wrestle before then. Here she is. Check out Mone’s New Japan debut: [This post contains video, cl..
Impact Wrestling Date: December 29, 2022 Hosts: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan It’s the final show of the year and that means we’re going Best Of. It has been a pretty strong year for Impact, as there have been quite a few stars coming and going, along with some rather awesome matches throughout. We’ll also get the Year End Awards, which are often rather fun. Let’s get to it. Note that I’ll be posting the full versions of the matches shown rather than the clipped versions in the broadcast. Opening sequence. The hosts bid us welcome. From Hard To Kill. Impact World Title: Moose vs. Matt Cardona vs. W. Morrissey Moose is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Cardona gets sent outside to start and Morrissey boots Moose down for an early two. Everyone winds up outside, with Moose powerbombing Cardona onto the apron. Back in and Morrissey hits some running splashes in the corner until Moose crossbodies him down. The middle rope chokebomb gives Moose two, with Cardona making the sav..
That’s a nasty one. There are all kinds of injuries a wrestler can suffer, with some of them being more serious than others. While there are certain injuries that are going to leave a wrestler out of action for a very long time, others can seem rather small but wind up being more nagging than anything else. That might have taken place again to a big WWE name at a recent live event. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: WWE Referee Drops Sami Zayn With A Stunner At Live Event WWE held a live event in Miami, Florida earlier this week, featuring Bray Wyatt in action. Following the match, Wyatt spoke to some fans in the audience and noted that he could not shake hands due to breaking his finger during the match. There is no word on if Wyatt’s finger has officially been diagnosed as broken or if he will miss any ring time. Wyatt has yet to wrestle on television since his return at Extreme Rules. That could be a rough one. Check out Wyatt’s statement, plus some more of him since his return: [Thi..
He’ll be back? The rise of AEW has changed the way the wrestling landscape as there is now a new major promotion where top stars can go. After decades of WWE dominance, AEW offers a brand new place for wrestlers to try their hand on a big stage. Several WWE stars have already made the jump, but now another one may be considering a return somewhere down the road. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Nope. Wrestling Legend Confirms His In-Ring Career Is Over Former WWE star CJ Perry, better known as Lana, appeared on the Mike Wennmacher Show and talked about her husband, AEW star Miro, who wrestled in WWE as Rusev. Perry said she believed Miro would return to WWE one day, saying that “Rusev Day will never die.” She went on to say that no matter what name or gimmick or character Miro is given, it would wind up being iconic. Perry wrapped it up by saying everyone returned to WWE at some point. Miro definitely had some good times in WWE. Check out some of his better moments with the company: [This po..
They’re the big ones. WWE is the largest and most powerful wrestling company in the world, meaning they are where several wrestlers want to wind up. Some wrestlers are talented and valuable enough to keep around after their in-ring careers are over and get to stick with the company in a backstage role. One such star was unable to attend a special show as a result. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: It Would Be A Record: WWE Hall Of Famer Wants To Return After 21 Years For Royal Rumble Over the weekend, Battleground Championship Wrestling presented its “Tribute To The Extreme” event at the 2300 Arena (formerly the ECW Arena) in Philadelphia. According to PWInsider.com, ECW legend and current NXT coach D-Von Dudley was pulled from his scheduled appearance at the show. Dudley was scheduled to appear at the convention before the event as well as in Bully Ray’s corner for Ray’s match later that night. The promotion received a letter from WWE, which took issue with an ECW tribute show airing, but the ..
That’s bad. Wrestlers have to deal with a lot of health and injury issues when they are in the ring and those things can catch up to them in a hurry. Over time they are going to build up no matter what, but those are not even counting other health concerns they might have outside of the ring. Now a legend is having a very serious problem, years after he last set foot in the ring. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Room For One More? Former WWE Star Hints At Returning With Old Partner Former NWA World Champion Barry Windham suffered a heart attack on Friday evening and has undergone emergency surgery to save his life, leaving him in ICU. However, Windham does not have health insurance, resulting in a GoFundMe being set up (which you can donate to right here). Windham, 62, is a former member of the Four Horsemen and won multiple titles in WCW/Jim Crockett Promotions, plus the WWF World Tag Team Titles with Mike Rotunda as the US Express. Windham is an all timer. Check out some of his best moments..
That’s a big one. Wrestlers have a weird relationship with acting, as they are seen as actors in the ring, but are rarely able to land traditional acting roles as anything beyond a wrestler or some kind of a fighter. You do see someone break through occasionally though and that can make for some interesting moments. Now another WWE star seems to have landed a big acting role, but it isn’t something we can see. According to Fightful Select, WWE’s Becky Lynch filmed a post credits scene for the Marvel movie “The Eternals”, but her scene did not make it into the finished film. There is no word on what the scene would have been, but it was described as being “too depressing”. There is still a chance that Lynch could wind up in another film down the line, though there is no word on what it could be. Lynch is very talented in the ring too. Check out what she can do in her more natural job: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post c..
It’s time for Survivor Series and for the first time in years, there is a feeling of interest about the show. Instead of the completely dead in the water Raw vs. Smackdown Battle For Brand Supremacy, WWE has thrown their old ideas out the window and brought in a pair of WarGames matches. That alone should be enough to carry the show and….well there are only three more matches so WarGames is kind of carrying things. Let’s get to it. AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor I would have bet on this being the elimination match but instead we’ll just have Judgment Day and the OC at ringside to make things more crowded. Then again, I think I can go with the idea of Balor vs. Styles on a major show and likely getting a lot of time. That being said, Styles hasn’t won a singles match on pay per view in something like three years, so there might not be so much drama. Judgment Day has dominated the feud so far and it makes sense for them to do it again here, so I’ll go with Balor. At the end of the day, the O..
They would help. While wrestling has pre-determined finishes to its matches, the work and effort that the wrestlers put in is very real. Wrestles work hard and put in all kinds of effort whenever they get in the ring. This can result in quite a few injuries and damage to their bodies, which can take a long time to heal up. Now a legend is saying he is going to need some work done to make things right. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Oh No: AEW Star Seemingly Injured During Rampage Taping (Contains Mild SPOILER) During an appearance on Talk Is Jericho, AEW’s Dustin Rhodes revealed that he needs both of his knees replaced, saying he wants to be able to walk once he gets out of the business. Rhodes, 53, said that he saw Ric Flair’s last match and does not want to wind up looking the same. He also did not want to be one of the veterans he remembers seeing on a walker or in a wheelchair due to their knee problems. There is no word on if he is able to wrestle without the surgeries, though his most ..
It’s something different. Wrestlers have a bad tendency to not have a way out of the ring once their careers are winding down. In too many cases, wrestlers do not have a way out of the industry and nothing to fall back on. It can be quite the problem, but there are instances where a wrestler has something else planned for when their in-ring career is over. Now a top WWE star is dabbling in a completely different industry. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WRESTLING RUMORS: Here’s Why Aliyah Has Been Off WWE TV, When She Could Return WWE star Bobby Lashley recently spoke with Sidewalks Entertainment and revealed that he is filming a reality show involving him flipping houses. Lashley said it is something that he loves to do, in addition to working in real estate. The show deals with Lashley working with his team as they flip houses and explains a bit of how to get into real estate. There is no word on where or when the show will air. Lashley can do a lot of things in the ring as well. Check out..