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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5841
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Wednesday, February 5 2020 Issue #5841 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- Not much going on today, back tomorrow. ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at KILLER KROSS AND TIMOTHY THATCHER SIGN WITH WWE- The WWE Performance Center has welcomed two new additions that will certainly be a great addition to the NXT brand - Killer Kross and Timothy Thatcher. They have reported already to the facility in Orlando, Florida, and officially working for the company. Kross joins his real-life girlfriend Scarlett Bordeaux, who recently also signed a WWE deal. Kross wrestled for Lucha Underground, Lucha Libre AAA, and most recently Impact Wrestling. He was released from Impact Wrestling months after he refused to blade in his first blood match against Eddie Edwards at Slammiversary XVII, citing the lack of a doctor on hand and no blood testing beforehand. He was given the release he requested in December. Thatcher, who will be 37 years old next month, is a 15-year in-ring veteran who has wrestled on the independents since his 2005 debut. He had stints with wXw, Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, EVOLVE, Major League Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, RevPro, Combat Zone Wrestling, and many others. NXT PREVIEW- Tonight's NXT on USA Network will see The Queen herself, Charlotte Flair, return to the brand for the first time since she moved to the main roster to respond to Rhea Ripley's challenge at WrestleMania. Ripley showed up on Raw and offered to put the NXT Women's title on the line at WrestleMania against Flair. Flair is expected to answer and accept the challenge tonight. Also set for tonight is the new NXT Cruiserweight champion Jordan Devlin coming to Full Sail University with his title, his first NXT appearance as champion since winning it at Worlds Collide. No matches have been announced yet but WWE.COM is also pushing that The Undisputed Era will try to get revenge on Tommaso Ciampa, Ripley will also come face to face with her challenger Bianca Belair, and what's next for The BroserWeights, the winners of this year's Dusty Classic. TOTAL BELLAS RETURNS ON E! ON APRIL 9- The fifth season of Total Bellas will premiere on E! on Thursday, April 9 at 10PM ET. This will be the first time that the show will air on Thursdays, having previously aired on Wednesdays and Sundays before. The new season will see the twins act on reconnecting with their father, Nikki's boyfriend removal from Dancing with the Stars, Artem proposing to Nikki in Paris and finding out she's pregnant, Brie and Bryan finding a compromise in their relationship, the news that she's also pregnant, and more. You can see the season five trailer at . RAW RATING- With no sports competition against it, Raw bombed in the ratings, getting only an average of 2,168,000 viewers, down 234,000 viewers from last week's broadcast. This show, which faced no holidays or any other major sport broadcast, had one of the lowest audiences in over two decades. Hour one started with 2,318,000 viewers, then dropped to 2,164,000 viewers, before closing the night with just 2,022,000 viewers. News programs dominated the night. Raw was #1, #2, and #3 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographics and was #12 in overall viewership for the night on cable. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com) DYNAMITE PREVIEW- Only two matches have been announced for tonight's episode of Dynamite on TNT with the show taking place from the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. These matches are an eight-man tag team match featuring Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, and The Young Bucks taking on The Lucha Bros and The Butcher and The Blade, and Dr. Britt Baker taking on Yuka Sakazaki who will be making her AEW return. The big angle on the show will involve Cody Rhodes and MJF with Cody receiving the 10 lashes by MJF, one of the stipulations listed before Cody can get his hands on MJF. ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5840
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Tuesday, February 4 2020 Issue #5840 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- Kudos to all the WWE fans who braved the weather and actually went to Raw last night despite the warnings for driving in the snow. Close to 10,000 fans turned up. You guys were awesome. ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at RHEA RIPLEY CHALLENGES CHARLOTTE FLAIR AT WRESTLEMANIA- NXT champion Rhea Ripley showed up on Monday Night Raw last night and reminded Charlotte Flair that she's the only one that doesn't have a win over her as Flair contemplated on which title to go after at WrestleMania 36. It was Ripley who then issued the challenge to Flair for WrestleMania rather than the other way round, with the NXT title on the line. Flair, who is a former NXT Women's champion herself, did not answer the challenge and left. But it looks like it will not take long to find out what Flair will do as she will be going to NXT tomorrow night on USA Network to give her answer. Flair was rumored to be doing this last week but WWE is now confirming that the multi-time Raw and Smackdown Women's champion will appear on NXT. This will be the first time that a Royal Rumble winner will choose a title from the NXT brand for WrestleMania and the first time that any NXT title would be defended at WrestleMania. BILL GOLDBERG TO APPEAR ON SMACKDOWN- WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg will be appearing on Friday Night Smackdown on FOX later this week. This was revealed on Raw last night and no other information was given as to why the former champion will be in the house. But with Super ShowDown looming, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Goldberg’s appearance will set up his next opponent for Saudi Arabia. Last time Goldberg was in Saudi, it did not turn out well for him, getting knocked out in his match against The Undertaker. Goldberg last wrestled at SummerSlam, a very quick match against Dolph Ziggler. WWE has already announced The Miz and John Morrison vs The New Day for the Smackdown Tag Team titles and Brock Lesnar vs Ricochet for the WWE title at Super ShowDown. AJ STYLES OUT "INDEFINITELY" WITH INJURY- Former WWE champion AJ Styles is sidelined with an injury and WWE has said that he will be out indefinitely. Styles suffered the shoulder injury at the Royal Rumble after he took the spear from the returning Edge. Styles flipped mid-air to sell the impact of the spear but landed badly on his left shoulder. After a few minutes, Styles was eliminated by Edge after calling an audible as he was supposed to last longer in the Rumble match. The WWE statement said though that Styles "is recovering way ahead of doctor’s projections." A separated shoulder usually takes up to 12 weeks to recover depending on the severity of the injury. RUBY RIOTT RETURNS- Ruby Riott returned to Monday Night Raw after an absence of nine months, attacking her former tag team partner Liv Morgan. Riott has been out since undergoing bilateral shoulder surgery in May on her right shoulder and then three months later in August she underwent an identical surgery on her left shoulder. Riott was the leader of the Riott Squad before herself, Morgan, and Sarah Logan were split in the Superstar Shakeup episodes. WWE ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE FOR AXXESS PLATINUM AND PLATINUM+ CUSTOMERS- WWE has announced the schedule for the WWE Superstars who will be appearing at Axxess for Platinum and Platinum+ customers. For Thursday, Becky Lynch will be appearing at 6PM and Seth Rollins will be at the 8PM session. Both sessions are for Platinum+ customers. Friday will see The O.C. (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows) at 1PM for Platinum customers, Randy Orton at 3PM and Hulk Hogan at 6PM for Platinum+, and Charlotte Flair at 8PM for Platinum. The New Day will start the day at 8AM on Saturday for Platinum, Edge will be at 10AM and Bray Wyatt at 1PM for Platinum+, The Miz and John Morrison will team up for the 3PM Platinum session, and Sasha Banks and Roman Reigns will be at the 6PM and 8PM Platinum+ sessions. Sunday will see Rhea Ripley and Keith Lee for Platinum customers at 8AM and the nWo - Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and X-Pac - at 10AM also for Platinum customers. Two final Platinum sessions on Monday will have Drew McIntyre at 1PM and The Undisputed Era at 3PM. A ticket pre-sale stars tomorrow, Wednesday at 10AM ET and will run through Thursday, February 6 at 11:59PM ET using the code DOTCOM. MIKE AND MARIA KANELLIS WELCOME SECOND CHILD- WWE Superstars Mike and Maria Kanellis welcomed their second child yesterday, a boy named Carver Mars Bennett. Both mom and baby are doing fine. "Carver Mars Bennett arrived yesterday 2/3/2020 at 3:07pm. 8 pounds and 20 and 1/2 inches. We are so in love!," Maria wrote in a post on Instagram. Mike and Maria are already parents to Fredrica, a baby girl who was born in April 2018. Maria's pregnancy was used in an angle last year where she claimed that Mike was not the father. She also won the WWE 24/7 title while pregnant after she made her husband lay down so she could pin him. Mike regained the title the following week when he hugged/pinned her at her OB-GYN appointment. Mike recently asked for his release from WWE but was denied the request. He was later moved to the NXT brand. FREE AEW MEET AND GREET SESSION TOMORROW- AEW will be holding a free meet and greet session tomorrow for the first 100 fans who line up at the main Von Braun Center entrance adjacent to the box office. Arn Anderson, Austin Idol, and Missy Hyatt will be on hand for this meet and greet and they're being marketed as "The Stars of Continental & Southeastern Wrestling." Idol and Hyatt will also be appearing on Dynamite tomorrow from Huntsville, Alabama. The meet and greet will start at 5:30PM and there will be a separate line for this apart from the usual line to go in the arena. ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5839
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Monday, February 3 2020 Issue #5839 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- Everyone recovered from the Super Bowl? Well, I didn't watch it, but I sure as hell watched that Halftime show LOL! ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at BIG SNOWSTORM THREATENS RAW TONIGHT IN SALT LAKE CITY- Tonight's Monday Night Raw live from Salt Lake City, Utah could be in jeopardy with a snowstorm warning that remains in effect until 4AM tomorrow. City and state officials have urged drivers to refrain from driving due to one of the most severe snowstorm to hit so far this winter. "We're recommending that if people have flexibility with their travel, that they stay off the roads as much as possible," said Utah Department of Transportation spokesman John Gleason. "Our primary focus is keeping everyone safe, and just having fewer people out on the roads during this major snowstorm, that's going to allow us to accomplish that goal." Most schools are also closed today and all state offices have a delayed opening. So far, WWE or arena officials have not addressed the status of the broadcast. Raw is scheduled to take place from the Vivint Smart Home Arena. It wouldn't be the first time that Raw is canceled due to a snowstorm. In January 2015, the Raw after the Royal Rumble from Hartford, Connecticut was canceled due to a massive snowstorm. WWE did a live broadcast from their corporate headquarters instead. WALL STREET CONTINUES TO POUND ON WWE STOCKS- Investors continued to lay the smackdown on WWE stocks as the company lost a further 4.5% of its price in the first couple hours of trading today. Since late last week, WWE shed a whopping 30% of its value in a bloodbath that shows no signs of stopping. Things will most likely get even worse later on in the week as WWE presents its Q4 and 2019 full year results. They already lowered the outlook and Vince McMahon will get to face investors during the conference call and this time he won't have his once-trusted co-Presidents with him. George Barrios and Michelle Wilson, two of the most powerful people in the WWE, were fired last week by the Board of Directors. The news sent the stock down 24% by the end of the week. THE REVIVAL REQUEST THEIR RELEASE FROM WWE...AGAIN!- Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder have once again asked for their release from WWE, a year after they had already asked for, and were denied, their freedom. It was in January 2019 when the duo, along with Mike and Maria Kanellis, requested to be let go but WWE shot down the request. Mike went on to request it again later in the year and it was also denied. Last month, Dawson and Wilder applied for a trademark for the name Shatter Machine, presumably the name of their tag team should they depart WWE. Their deal runs out this year and at this moment there are no intentions for the two to renew. Addressing the reaction from the fans when news broke that they have once again requested to be let go, Dawson wrote, "If we settle, you guys say we’re lazy & complacent. If we try to be better, you guys say we’re whining & complaining. Make up your mind.” RYBACK WANTS HIS NAME BACK AND PLEADS WITH WWE TO SURRENDER TRADEMARK- In a tweet sent on Saturday, former WWE Superstar Ryback pleaded publicly to Vince McMahon and Triple H to abandon the Ryback trademark so he could move on with his career. "It wasn’t created by them and trying to make someone spend nearly 200K to keep their legal name and brand is petty and unnecessary. Please move on and erase me from your history and programming," he said. Ryback legally changed his name to his wrestling persona from his birth name Ryan and has applied for the trademark under his name of Ryback Reeves for "entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network." But the former star now doesn't want WWE to profit off of his name and if he is awarded the complete trademark, WWE would have to pay him to license it for any future projects. WWE has owned the trademark of the name Ryback since December 18, 2012 and it is a live trademark. The two parted ways in August 2016 after a few months before he decided to quit due to a contract dispute, citing lack of equal pay for talent and creative frustration as primary reasons for his departure. He used the name The Big Guy when he performed on independent shows. AEW PURCHASES FULL-PAGE AD FOR DYNAMITE IN SUPER BOWL PROGRAM- All Elite Wrestling bought a full-page ad in the Super Bowl LIV program to promote Dynamite on TNT. The ad features a collection of AEW wrestlers including Jericho, Cody, Moxley, Young Bucks, Omega, MJF, Dustin Rhodes, Awesome Kong, Nyla Rose, and a few others along with the AEW Dynamite and TNT logos. While still relatively new, AEW had their own fair share of great marketing spots with billboards in New York, Las Vegas, and other prominent cities. This is the first wrestling-related advert to be somewhat part of the Super Bowl ever since WWE purchased the very-expensive 30-second commercial in 1999. ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5838
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Saturday, February 1 2020 Issue #5838 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- Must've sucked to be Baron Corbin yesterday with all that dog food. Good God! Ugh! Now, can we move on from this feud, please? ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at SMACKDOWN RATING- Friday Night Smackdown on FOX yesterday did 2,423,000 viewers, off hours 2,529,000 and 2,318,000. That is down 46,000 viewers from last week's show. Smackdown tied #1 in the 18-49 demographic chart with CBS' Magnum P.I. and Hawaii Five-O, getting a 0.7 rating. Smackdown only beat The CW programming and ABC's Fresh Off The Boat in terms of total viewership and trailed everything else. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com) BRAUN STROWMAN WINS FIRST SINGLES TITLE IN WWE- After five years on the main roster, a couple of which where he wrestled in main events of many pay-per-views, Braun Strowman finally got his first singles title in WWE. The 36-year-old beat Shinsuke Nakamura last night on Friday Night Smackdown on FOX to win the Intercontinental title and had to overcome Cesaro and Sami Zayn as well who both interfered in the match. Prior to this win, he only won the Raw Tag Team titles twice before. Despite winning the Money In The Bank in 2018, Strowman failed to cash in and had several world title opportunities, all of them which he lost. Nakamura has spent a total of 201 days as IC champion, winning it at the Extreme Rules Kickoff show against Finn Balor back in July 2019. CENA SAYS LESNAR IS BEST IN-RING PERFORMER AND TALKS WRESTLEMANIA- Speaking to Sports Illustrated, former WWE champion John Cena said that Brock Lesnar is the best in-ring performer he's ever seen and actually believes he's the "best in-ring performer of all time." Cena, who watched the Royal Rumble from the comfort of his own home, loved the way the match was laid out and Brock's dominant performance. "I thought his performance at the Rumble was a clinic on how to establish yourself, how to establish those around you, establish the championship, establish the importance of one event," he said, adding that Brock did all that in less than 30 minutes and called his performance "a masterclass." Brock, Cena said, has a way of making people better and he's the best at when he's dominant and the best when he is in jeopardy. "He still has a mystique about him that will draw eyeballs to watch him and when he does he never disappoints." Asked about a potential appearance at WrestleMania, Cena said that performing at the biggest pay-per-view of the year "wo uld be a gift" and he knows those spots are few and far in between. "I've expressed that I'm off. But I've also expressed that I live in Tampa. I will for sure be at the event and I have great trust in the process and I have great faith in Vince McMahon not only as a boss, but as so much more than that. As a friend, as a mentor. If he were to tell me that he needs me, I would absolutely be active in whatever capacity, whether it would be like last year in New York rapping my way to the ring or the year before being a fan in the stands. There is no job too small." MIZ & MRS RATING- Miz & Mrs first episode of season two drew a low 437,000 viewers. Last year, the show followed Smackdown and benefited from the huge lead-in but now it follows NXT where the audience is significantly smaller. Miz & Mrs averaged over 1 million viewers last season so that's a massive drop for the show. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com) NXT UK TO HOLD EVENTS AT DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL IN JUNE- NXT UK will be part of the Download Festival once again this year with television tapings set to take place during the popular festival. The Download Festival is held at the Donington Park between June 12 and June 14 and just like every year, it's packed with A-list performers which this year include KISS, Iron Maiden, Deftones, Disturbed, Alter Bridge, and others. NXT UK will probably tape a few week's worth of television during the festival. Tickets are on sale now at downloadfestival.co.uk. JOHN CENA'S ROLE IN F9 MOVIE REVEALED AS LEAD VILLAIN- John Cena's role in the latest installment of the Fast & Furious franchise was revealed with the trailer release, showing the former 16-time champion acting as the lead villain of the movie. Cena will play the role of Jacob, a master thief, assassin, and high-performance driver, who also happens to be the baddie brother of Vin Diesel's character Dom. The movie features what seem to be more out-of-this-world car stunts than ever before and several battles, including a big one between Diesel's and Cena's characters. Charlize Theron also returns in her quest to kill Dom, this time using Jacob as her weapon. F9: The Fast Saga will be released in theaters nationwide on May 22 and is expected to be another massive box office success for Universal. You can see the trailer at . ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5837
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Friday, January 31 2020 Issue #5837 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- Man, bad day to be a WWE shareholder. The bloodbath! Mamma mia! ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at TWO OF WWE'S MOST POWERFUL EXECUTIVES FIRED- WWE’s Board of Directors fired the two Co-Presidents, George Barrios and Michelle Wilson, effective immediately, and in the process sent the WWE stocks plunging in a massive free fall. “I would like to thank George and Michelle for their 10+ years of service and contributions to the organization,” said WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. “I am grateful for all that was accomplished during their tenure, but the Board and I decided a change was necessary as we have different views on how best to achieve our strategic priorities moving forward. Barrios was the Chief Financial Officer for the company while Wilson, one of the most powerful women working for WWE, was the Chief Marketing Officer. Both were given the Co-Presidents titles in 2018 with added responsibilities. Barrios had been employed since 2008 and Wilson since 2009. They are also no longer part of the Board of Directors. Frank A. Riddick III, who has served as a member of WWE’s Board of Directors for more than 11 years, has been named interim Chief Financial Officer, reporting to McMahon. WWE has commenced a search for both a permanent Chief Financial Officer and Chief Revenue Officer. Their dismissal comes a week before WWE announces their Q4 and full year financial results for 2019, signaling more bad news on the horizon. WWE stocks went into a big free fall after trading hours closed, with their value losing almost $14 each share, ending the day 22% down. FOUR MATCHES ANNOUNCED FOR "SUPER" SMACKDOWN ON FOX TONIGHT- WWE Smackdown on FOX will roll into Tulsa, Oklahoma tonight at the BOK Center and four matches have so far been announced for the broadcast. The Intercontinental title will be up for grabs as Shinsuke Nakamura will be defending against Braun Strowman. A fatal four-way tag team match will also take place with the winners taking on The New Day in late February in Saudi Arabia. The participants are The Revival, Lucha House Party, Heavy Machinery, and the team of The Miz and John Morrison. A rematch from the Royal Rumble will go down with Sheamus taking on Shorty G and another rematch from last week's Smackdown will pit Roman Reigns and The Usos versus Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and Robert Roode in a six-man tag team match. Smackdown is being marketed as Super Smackdown tonight since it's happening two days before the Super Bowl on the same network. NXT RATING- NXT pulled in 712,000 viewers this week, down 57,000 viewers from last week's episode. With a 0.22 rating in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic, the show placed #37 for the night. The difference in viewership this week was of 116,000, up from the 102,000 difference it had last week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com) FIVE NEW COMPETITORS JOIN NXT UK- WWE announced that five new individuals have joined the NXT UK roster and are now training at the United Kingdom Performance Center in North London. The five are Pretty Deadly, Levi Muir, Candy Floss and Dani Luna. Pretty Deadly is a tag team comprising of Sam Stoker and Lewis Howley. They have already appeared a couple of times on NXT UK TV. Muir is a powerlifter who transitioned to professional wrestling and has mainly done indies in the UK including PROGRESS. Floss is a 20-year-old who has experience wrestling in Europe and Japan. He has previously appeared on NXT UK TV, wrestling Toni Storm, Kay Lee Ray, and Rhea Ripley. Luna is also an experienced wrestler with runs in several promotions including PROGRESS. She has previously wrestled the likes of Piper Niven, Meiko Satomura, Toni Storm, and others. Starting in February, NXT UK will air on Paramount Network in the United Kingdom every Wednesday at Midnight. It will continue to stream on the WWE Network on Thursday. DYNAMITE RATING- Dynamite had another comfortable victory in the weekly Wednesday night war with 828,000 viewers tuning in, down 43,000 viewers from last week's broadcast. The show had a 0.36 rating in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and was good enough for #3 for the night. AEW won all demo ratings except the 50+ age group. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com) BRET HART DIAGNOSED WITH SKIN CANCER, TO UNDERGO PROCEDURE SOON- Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Bret "Hit Man" Hart announced via post on Facebook that he was diagnosed with skin cancer but got it checked just in time. "Goal for 2020 and beyond: wear more sunscreen! Basal cell carcinoma removal scheduled soon. Another opportunity to remind everyone to look after your health and #getchecked," Bret wrote, along with a photo of his shoulder where the skin cancer is. Basal cell carcinoma grow slowly and most are curable and cause minimal damage when caught and treated early. Thankfully for Bret, this was the case as well. The former champion already had a bout with prostate cancer and underwent surgery in early 2016. ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5836
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Thursday, January 30 2020 Issue #5836 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- Kinda predictable that Ciampa is next in line for the NXT title, isn't it? I'm pretty sure they're gonna have an awesome match anyway. ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at TOMMASO CIAMPA GETS NXT TITLE SHOT AT TAKEOVER: PORTLAND- Tommaso Ciampa was named the number one contender for the NXT title last night on the USA Network broadcast. Before being officially announced as challenging Cole, Ciampa took out Fish, O'Reilly, and Strong backstage with a lead pipe, leaving them out cold on the floor. He then moved to the ring and set up a table and sprayed a big yellow X on it. Cole, who was attending to his team mates, walked out to confront Ciampa. William Regal then walked out and said that Adam Cole doesn't care who he faces at NXT Takeover: Portland and has already signed the contract. Cole then took the contract and moved to the ring but attacked Ciampa with the microphone instead of handing over the contract. The former champ was busted open the hard way and started bleeding. Ciampa recovered quickly though and powerbombed Cole through the table he had set up earlier. He took the contract and signed the paper as fans chanted "use your blood." Ciampa then looked at the crowd and wiped his face and smudged the blood on the contract. This will be Ciampa's first title shot since surrendering the title back in March 2019 and the former champion is determined to bring the title he never lost back home. Cole has been the champion since NXT Takeover: XXV in June when he beat Johnny Garagano. RONDA ROUSEY WANTS RHEA RIPLEY MATCH- Former Raw Women's champion Ronda Rousey was on Corey Graves' After The Bell podcast on the WWE Podcast Network yesterday. Graves asked Rousey who is currently on the Rousey radar at the moment, and Rousey went the NXT route. "Oh my gosh! Rhea Ripley. She is doing amazing. I would love to have a match with her someday," Rousey said. "She meshes up with everybody so differently and there's so many things she could really pull out of people that they can't do with anybody else so I'm really looking forward to seeing if we ever get the opportunity, but I'd love to get in the ring with her. She's fantastic." Asked about who she thinks Charlotte Flair should battle at WrestleMania, Rousey once again name-dropped Ripley, saying that we've seen Flair take on Lynch and Bayley multiple times and it's time to get some new girls in the circulation. Rousey said that both Flair and Ripley could put up a WrestleMania-level show with their athleticism if they were to wrestle each other. "It's been NXT's year and it's their time to be, hm, first time to get picked by a Royal Rumble winner," she concluded. WWE BACKSTAGE RATING- WWE Backstage, which was taped from Miami this week, drew 97,000 viewers, down 14,000 viewers from last week's broadcast. This week, The New Day and Roman Reigns were the special guests. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com) A VERY HEEL-LOOKING JOHN CENA ON THE PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL FOR NINTH F&F MOVIE- John Cena posted the first promotional material for the ninth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise where he will be one of the main characters of the movie. Titled The Fast Saga, Cena is seen posing in front of a blue Ford Mustang with smoke in the background sporting a very heel-looking facial expression. As of right now, Cena's character in the movie has been kept under wraps. Filming has already concluded for F9 and the movie is slated for a May 2020 release. The ninth movie will be the first one since Fast Five not to feature Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and his character Luke Hobbs. Johnson is now leading the spinoff Hobbs & Shaw and from the looks of it, there will be many other spinoffs coming from the franchise. You can see Cena's poster at AUTHORIZED DOCUMENTARY ON JOANIE "CHYNA" LAURER STARTS PRODUCTION- A documentary about Joanie "Chyna" Laurer, which has the blessing and authorization of her estate, has started production. Titled The Joanie Laurer Story, the feature-length documentary will explore her influence both inside and outside the ring to millions of adoring fans through interviews and images with a wide range of subjects selected, including Joanie’s mother, Jan LaQue. Additionally, the documentary will expose the manipulation her legacy has endured by those looking to profit from Laurer’s fame and personal struggles and will show her fate was the product of the #metoo era. “My daughter, Joanie Laurer, led a remarkable life. I am excited to partner with a production team who is passionate about telling her true life’s story, not just the parts that played out in the ring or the tabloids.” said Jan LaQue. “To that end I have selected a woman producer to work with who understands that the public only knows a small bit of Joanie’s story. I want to restore her legacy, a legacy that has been tarnished by others. Joanie deserves this and so do her true fans." Producer Erin Hayes said that the production team could not be more honored to help tell the story of Laurer’s life. "We are committed to approaching this project with integrity and respect. Laurer showed a generation that women can be strong and smart. Hers is a story we want to tell and to preserve. She wasn’t a wrestler, she was a champion and she inspired the lives of so many people. That’s the story we are going to tell.” The production team is currently filming interviews with those who knew Laurer personally, experts, and people who have shared amazing stories about the influence she had on her lives. ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5835
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Wednesday, January 29 2020 Issue #5835 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- Nothing to say today, back tomorrow! ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at NIKKI AND BRIE BELLA ANNOUNCE PREGNANICIES- PEOPLE.COM is reporting that both Nikki and Brie Bella are pregnant and they’re due only a week and a half apart. This will be Nikki’s first child and Brie’s second. “Wait, twins being pregnant at the same time? People are going to think that’s a joke. We both are shocked. People are going to think we planned it, but you can’t really plan pregnancy,” Brie told PEOPLE. “[It was] a total surprise,” Nikki adds. “It took even me a good week to come to terms with like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m pregnant.’ I’m not ready for it.” Nikki’s desire to have a baby is well known and it was the major reason why she and WWE Superstar John Cena split up after Cena changed his mind several times about having a kid. Meanwhile, Brie said that she and husband Daniel Bryan have been trying for seven or eight months but were unsuccessful. “I felt in my heart it was a sign from God, like, ‘You guys are good with one,’ so we stopped trying,” says Brie. “When we were in France meeting Artem’s family, I felt a little off. I was irritated and uncomfortable in my body. When we got home, I took a test two days before Thanksgiving, and when I saw the positive sign, I was like, ‘Oh, shit!’“ Nikki said she and her partner Artem weren’t really trying but had a feeling she got pregnant. “I was in yoga, and I kept getting this feeling that you need to take a pregnancy test, but I wasn’t even late yet,” says Nikki. “And so I’m like, ‘Why do I keep having this feeling? Am I getting twin vibes from her? Because she just told me she’s pregnant?’“ Congratulations to the twins! BROCK LESNAR CONFRONTS MATT RIDDLE BACKSTAGE AT THE RUMBLE- Over the past few days there have been several rumors of an altercation backstage between WWE champion Brock Lesnar and NXT's Matt Riddle, an altercation which took place on Sunday at the Royal Rumble. Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com was the first one to report the story during the show and it was then later confirmed by other sources. Riddle has been pretty much picking on Lesnar online for the past few months and once said that probably Lesnar doesn't even know who he is. But the champ did know who he is and he didn't take the online antics very lightly. According to TalkSport, which got information on the altercation from someone who was there, it was Lesnar who found Riddle and "grabbed his shoulder to get his attention," telling the former MMA fighter that he might as well stop bringing his name up in shit because the two "will never work together." Apparently, the conversation was pretty much one way and Riddle didn't get the chance to even reply or say something. There was no physicality involved and Lesnar said his stuff and walked away while Riddle was described as being "his usual, cool, and composed self." Riddle did something similar to Goldberg and the two eventually crossed paths backstage at SummerSlam last year with WWE cameras being on hand to capture the moment. Goldberg, like Lesnar, wasn't particularly thrilled either but was professional while Riddle kept saying "bro" at anything Goldberg was saying. NXT PREVIEW- The final match in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament takes place tonight on NXT on USA Network with Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne taking on Grizzled Young Veterans. The winner of the tournament will face The Undisputed Era for the NXT Tag Team titles at Takeover: Portland next month as well. Speaking of titles, Adam Cole's challenger for the NXT title will be revealed tonight by NXT General Manager William Regal. Triple H noted on Saturday during a live Facebook broadcast following Worlds Collide that Regal is working on an "epic match" for the champion at Takeover: Portland. The only other match so far announced for tonight is Tegan Nox taking on Dakota Kai, most likely their first in a couple of battles between the two. Charlotte Flair is also set to appear on the show with rumors flying around that she will challenge for the NXT title currently held by Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania. SAMOA JOE SIDELINED WITH A CONCUSSION SUFFERED AT RAW- The recently-returned Samoa Joe is sidelined again, this time with a concussion he suffered during his tag team match on Monday Night Raw. Joe performed a dive on Buddy Murphy before the show went to commercial and landed hard on the floor, knocking himself out in the process. He received medical attention at ringside and the decision was then taken to eliminate him from the match due to his condition. His removal from the match with Owens against Rollins and Murphy was not planned. The former NXT champion had a string of bad luck lately, having just returned from being on the shelf for several months due to a broken thumb. MIZ & MRS RETURNS TONIGHT WITH SEASON TWO FOLLOWING NXT- The Miz & Mrs show returns on USA Network tonight for season two. The show airs on USA Network immediately following the conclusion of NXT at 10PM ET. Episode one of season two is titled Monroe's First WrestleMania and will see Miz and Maryse celebrate Monroe's first birthday during WrestleMania weekend. Miz & Mrs is produced by WWE and Bunim/Murray Productions. Gil Goldschein, Farnaz Farjam-Chazan and Russell Jay serve as executive producers for Bunim/Murray Productions. Kevin Dunn and Chris Kaiser serve as executive producers for WWE. The Miz and Maryse are also executive producers. RAW RATING- The post-Royal Rumble Raw drew an average of 2,402,000 viewers, just an increase of 22,000 viewers from last week's broadcast. Last year's post-Rumble show drew over 2.7 million viewers. Hour one started with 2,541,000 viewers, then followed by 2,441,000 viewers in the second hour, before closing the night with 2,224,000 viewers for the third and final hour. The show was #1, #2, and #3 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and #15 in overall viewership for the night on cable. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com) MORE NAMES ANNOUNCED FOR TNA: THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME- Impact Wrestling added a few more names to the TNA: There's No Place Like Home special which will take place during WrestleCon in Ybor City at WrestleMania weekend. Chris Sabin, Chris Harris, Petey Williams, Amazing Red, and Scott Steiner are the latest names to join D'Lo Brown and Ken Anderson for this one night only show. Sabin worked for the company between 2003 and 2014 and was part of the popular Motor City Machine Guns tag team. He was also a TNA World champion during his time there. Harris had two stints with Impact, first between 2002 and 2008 and the other between 2010 and 2011. He was part of America's Most Wanted with James Storm. Petey Williams formed part of Team Canada and worked there between 2004 and 2009 and then between 2013 and 2014. He eventually returned again to Impact in 2017 where he still forms part of the roster. Amazing Red worked for TNA between 2002 and 2003 and then for another year between 2004 and 2005. He returned in 2009 and lasted two more years till 2011. He won the X-Division title three times during his different stints. Scott Steiner certainly needs no introduction and is another major name added to the show. He worked for TNA between 2006 and 2010 and then from 2011 to 2012. Over the past few years he also made several appearances for the promotion and lately wrestles for the NWA. There's No Place Like Home is on Friday, April 3 at The Ritz Ybor. DYNAMITE PREVIEW- All Elite Wrestling's Dynamite will be held at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio tonight with the arena largely sold. The show returns live after last week it was taped the day before on the Jericho cruise. Three matches have been announced so far, including Cody vs Kip Sabian, The Young Bucks vs The Butcher and The Blade, and a six-man tag team match featuring Chris Jericho, Santana, and Ortiz vs Private Party and Darby Allin. Next week, Dynamite is live from the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5834
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Tuesday, January 28 2020 Issue #5834 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- I LOVED the closing angle on Raw last night where Orton destroyed Edge. It HAD to happen. It fits Orton's character and it's a great way to build up to their match. Yeah, some might say it was too soon, but WrestleMania is around the corner (kinda) and they have two months to build this properly. Well executed from both guys. It's been a while since we've seen fans in total disbelief from an angle. It worked, in my opinion. ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at ANDRADE SUSPENDED FOR 30 DAYS FOR WELLNESS PROGRAM VIOLATION- WWE United States champion Andrade has been suspended for 30 days for his first Wellness Program violation. The news was broken by ProWrestlingSheet.com and later confirmed by other sources. Nearly 24 hours after news broke, WWE confirmed it saying that the suspension starts today, January 28. According to Ryan Satin of PW Sheet, Andrade was informed about his violation on Monday morning and was written off television during Raw when Humberto Carrillo took him out with a hammerlock DDT on the floor. Their rematch from the Rumble on Raw ended in a disqualification after Zelina Vega interfered. Andrade is the third Superstar in two months to be suspended following the violations of Robert Roode and Primo Colon back in December. DREW MCINTYRE TO FACE BROCK LESNAR AT WRESTLEMANIA- Royal Rumble winner Drew McIntyre will be facing Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 for the WWE title. McIntyre made his intentions official last night on Raw where he said he's going after Lesnar's title. This is the first official match for WrestleMania 36 and if this match ends up main eventing WrestleMania, it will be the Scotsman's first main event spot in his WWE career. Not a bad show to headline your first pay-per-view! McIntyre's night on Raw did not have a happy ending though as after he defeated Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in a handicap match, he was attacked by Brock Lesnar, who laid him out with an F5. TOM PHILLIPS TO LEAD THE MONDAY NIGHT RAW BROADCAST TEAM- Tom Phillips has replaced Vic Joseph as the lead commentator on Monday Night Raw and started his role officially yesterday along with Jerry "The King" Lawler and Byron Saxton. Saxton is not confirmed for the full-time position and could change. Phillips worked the Saturday Worlds Collide WWE Network event, replacing Mauro Ranallo who had other commitments and also did commentary for the Raw side at the Royal Rumble. He was the lead commentator of Smackdown until the show moved to FOX, losing his spot to Michael Cole. Following his removal from Smackdown, the 30-year-old then started doing commentary work for NXT UK and worked one Smackdown on FOX when all the rest of the crew were trapped in Saudi Arabia. The Philadelphia native is well liked among his peers and many were surprised that he didn't get the Raw job when he was removed from Smackdown. Vic Joseph remains employed by the company but it's unclear where his next spot will be. WRESTLEMANIA 36 AXXESS TICKET DETAILS AND OTHER INFORMATION- Tickets for this year's WrestleMania Axxess will go on sale Friday, February 7 at 10AM ET on Ticketmaster.com. A ticket pre-sale will run from Wednesday, February 5 at 10AM ET to Thursday, February 6 at 11:59PM ET using the code DOTCOM. The multi-day fan convention will take place at the Tampa Convention Center between Thursday, April 2 and Monday, April 6. On Thursday there will be one session from 6PM to 10PM. On Friday, there will be two sessions, one from 1PM to 5PM and one from 6PM to 10PM. On Saturday, three sessions will take place, one from 8AM to Noon, one from 1PM to 5PM, and one from 6PM to 10PM. Day four of Axxess will have one session on Sunday between 8AM and Noon and then the last day on Monday will have from 1PM to 5PM. Ticket prices are $55 for General Admission, $125 for Platinum, and $190 for Platinum+. Platinum tickets will include an autograph and professional photo with a Platinum-assigned WWE Superstar, different line at event entrance, and one 8x10 glossy ph oto. Platinum+ include an autograph and professional photo with a Platinum+-assigned WWE Superstar, different line at event entrance, and one 8x10 glossy photo. For the first time ever, WWE will also offer the WrestleMania Axxess Fast Pass for $350. Fast Pass includes front of the line access at all General Admission Superstar photo and autograph areas. Limited number of tickets are available per session. CHARLOTTE FLAIR ON NXT TOMORROW, RUMORED TO CHALLENGE FOR NXT TITLE AT WRESTLEMANIA- PWInsider.com is reporting that Charlotte Flair will be in Winter Park, Florida tomorrow and expected to be part of the NXT show on USA Network at Full Sail University. The word going around is that Flair will be actually challenging Rhea Ripley for the NXT title at WrestleMania 36 following her Royal Rumble win. There are rumors that the plan is for Becky Lynch to wrestle Shayna Baszler at WrestleMania and Bayley's opponent is still not decided. Winners of the Royal Rumble can challenge for any title they want and if Flair goes for the NXT title it would be the first time that a Rumble winner opts to challenge for a title on the yellow brand. Flair appeared on Raw yesterday and said that she will be challenging "for a championship" but did not say which one as she said she's still thinking about it. Flair is a one-time NXT Women's champion, winning a tournament final in May 2014 against Natalya at NXT Takeover. She lost it to Sasha Banks at Takeover: Rival in February 2015 in a fa tal four-way match which also included Bayley and Becky Lynch. RANDY ORTON SPOILS EDGE'S HOMECOMING ON RAW WITH VICIOUS ATTACK- WWE Hall of Famer Edge will be wrestling throughout the year and while he won't have a full-time schedule, the Rated R Superstar will be a part of major shows going forward, including WrestleMania. Edge, who made a surprise return at the Royal Rumble on Sunday, was viciously attacked by his former tag team partner Randy Orton last night on Raw following an emotional segment. Orton RKO'd Edge and then teased jumping from the middle rope as Edge's head was wedged between the steel chair. Orton looked like he changed his mind but then returned and hit Edge with the conchairto as the audience looked on in total shock. Prior to turning on his friend, Orton suggested that Rated RKO should team up one more time, a suggestion which got a big approval from the crowd. During the segment, Edge said that he worked his ass off so he could return and end his career on his own terms. His first one-on-one match is expected against Orton at WrestleMania 36. WWE Network cameras were following Edge a ll day at the Rumble to prepare a documentary. You can see Orton's attack on Edge, which already has over 1.2 million views on YouTube, at . REIGNS AND THE NEW DAY GUESTS ON WWE BACKSTAGE FROM MIAMI- WWE Backstage will be a little bit different tonight as rather than taping from the FOX Sports Studios in Los Angeles, the show will be "on the road" in Miami, the site of this weekend's Super Bowl. Held at Lummus Park in South Beach with tapings scheduled for a 7:30PM start time, the show will have Renee Young, Booker T, Paige, and Christian on the panel with Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods, and Roman Reigns as the special guests. If you want to go, tickets are free and can be requested at 1iota.com/Event/71031/Request. The show will air on FS1 at 11PM ET. ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5833
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Monday, January 27 2020 Issue #5833 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- I really enjoyed the Royal Rumble last night. While I don't necessarily agree with the winner of the women's Rumble match, I'm all onboard Drew McIntyre winning. That was a much-deserved win and hopefully he'll get his big moment at WrestleMania. Edge's return was fantastic and the crowd absolutely loved it. Brought me memories of being in the stadium for the Hardy Boyz return a few years ago at WrestleMania. On a different note, I was extremely saddened to hear about the death of Kobe Bryant yesterday. He's a man whose name transcends basketball and he's up there with several legends in the world of sports. What was even more heartbreaking was learning that his daughter was with him too. It was a tragic day. Condolences to his family, friends, and fans. ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at ROYAL RUMBLE 2020 PAY-PER-VIEW RESULTS- Here are the results from the Royal Rumble pay-per-view which took place from the Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. Sheamus defeated Shorty G in the Kickoff show; Andrade defeated Humberto Carrillo to retain the United States title in the Kickoff show; Roman Reigns defeated Baron Corbin in a falls count anywhere match; Charlotte Flair won the women's Royal Rumble match; Bayley defeated Lacey Evans to retain the Smackdown Women's title; Bray Wyatt defeated Daniel Bryan in a strap match to retain the Universal title; Becky Lynch defeated Asuka to retain the Raw Women's title; Drew McIntyre won the men's Royal Rumble match. Women's Royal Rumble match order of entry: 1. Alexa Bliss; 2. Bianca Belair; 3. Mighty Molly; 4. Nikki Cross; 5. Lana; 6. Mercedes Martinez; 7. Liv Morgan; 8. Mandy Rose; 9. Candice LaRae; 10. Sonya Deville; 11. Kairi Sane; 12. Mia Yim; 13. Dana Brooke; 14. Tamina; 15. Dakota Kai; 16. Chelsea Green; 17. Charlotte Flair; 18. Naomi; 19. Beth Phoenix; 20. Toni Storm; 21. Kelly Kelly; 22. Sarah Logan; 23. Natalya; 24. Xia Li; 25. Zelina Vega; 26. Shotzi Blackheart; 27. Carmella; 28. Tegan Nox; 29. Santina Marella; 30. Shayna Baszler. Men's Royal Rumble match order of entry: 1. Brock Lesnar; 2. Elias; 3. Erick Rowan; 4. Robert Roode; 5. John Morrison; 6. Kofi Kingston; 7. Rey Mysterio; 8. Big E; 9. Cesaro; 10. Shelton Benjamin; 11. Shinsuke Nakamura; 12. MVP; 13. Keith Lee; 14. Braun Strowman; 15. Ricochet; 16. Drew McIntyre; 17. The Miz; 18. AJ Styles; 19. Dolph Ziggler; 20. Karl Anderson; 21. Edge; 22. King Corbin; 23. Matt Riddle; 24. Luke Gallows; 25. Randy Orton; 26. Roman Reigns; 27. Kevin Owens; 28. Aleister Black; 29. Samoa Joe; 30. Seth Rollins. ROYAL RUMBLE 2020 BREAKS ATTENDANCE RECORD FOR MINUTE MAID PARK- An attendance of 42,715 was announced last night during the Royal Rumble at the Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. Ticketmaster was close to a legit sellout with only few hundreds of tickets available yesterday morning on the day of the show. Problems entering the stadium hindered fans from watching the beginning of the show as thousands were left stranded outside while security ironed out logistics. The 42,000+ attendance - while most likely still inflated like every WrestleMania attendance - beats all the events held at Minute Maid Park throughout the past several years, including Madonna, Beyonce and Jay Z, Ed Sheeran, and Taylor Swift, who had the record with 42,095 fans in attendance. Last year, the Rumble in Phoenix drew 48,193 fans. DREW MCINTYRE WINS THE MEN'S ROYAL RUMBLE- Drew McIntyre got the biggest win of his career so far, winning the Royal Rumble and eliminating Brock Lesnar in the process as well. McIntyre got in #16 when Lesnar was in the ring alone with Ricochet. Lesnar eliminated everyone who came after him but found his match in McIntyre. It was Ricochet who kicked Lesnar down below from behind and a Claymore Kick later from McIntyre, Lesnar found himself flying over the top rope to a massive pop from the crowd. The 34-year-old Scotsman threw out Roman Reigns to win the match and now will go on to headline WrestleMania. Randy Orton and Edge made up the final four of the men's Rumble match. It's been quite a journey for McIntyre, going from 3MB to being released from WWE, then heading to Impact Wrestling to win the TNA title, returning to NXT and winning the NXT title, to winning the Royal Rumble and main eventing WrestleMania. While he could go for either the WWE or the Universal title, judging by what happened during the match, it's safe to say that McIntyre will be going after Lesnar and his WWE title. CHARLOTTE FLAIR WINS THE WOMEN'S ROYAL RUMBLE- Charlotte Flair got herself a ticket to WrestleMania after winning the Royal Rumble match, eliminating Shayna Baszler to earn a title shot at the biggest pay-per-view of the year. Flair entered #17 in the match and had four eliminations to her name - Bianca Belair, Kelly Kelly, Sarah Logan, and Baszler. Last year, Flair was in the final two as well but was eliminated by Becky Lynch. Despite not winning the Rumble, Flair eventually won the Smackdown Women's title from Asuka and main evented WrestleMania 35 with Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey. Flair did not indicate which title she's going after as she can choose to go for the Raw or Smackdown Women's titles. In her post-match comments in the ring, she said that this is her division regardless if people wanted her to win or lose. EDGE RETURNS AT THE RUMBLE FOLLOWING NINE-YEAR RETIREMENT- After nine long years, the Rated-R Superstar made a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble for the biggest pop of the night. Coming in at #21, Edge got the full entrance with smoke and pyro and hit spears on Dolph Ziggler and Karl Anderson before he went face-to-face with AJ Styles as the crowd continued going bananas. He was eventually eliminated by Roman Reigns but made it to the final four of the Rumble. In October it was reported that Edge was seen in Pittsburgh where the WWE chief medical doctor has his office. Edge continued to deny all rumors online that he would be returning to the ring not to spoil the Rumble surprise amid reports that he signed a new WWE deal in December. Edge retired back in 2011 after he was diagnosed with cervical spinal stenosis and doctors advised him to quit to avoid risk of paralysis. On the April 15, 2011 episode of Smackdown, Edge officially relinquished the World Heavyweight title to retire from active competition. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012. HOUSTON FEELS THE GLOW AS NAOMI RETURNS AT THE RUMBLE- WWE Superstar Naomi made her return last night during the women's Royal Rumble match, her first appearance on WWE television since July 2019. Naomi came in #18 and lasted 22 minutes in the match before she was thrown out by Shayna Baszler. She got a huge ovation from the Houston crowd when her music kicked in and she made her way down the long aisle. She was taken off WWE television along with her husband Jey Uso and his brother Jimmy following a string of DUI cases by the twins. In September, Naomi wrote on Twitter that she's been off TV due to personal reasons. "I’ve faced some trying times the past few months...losing a loved one so dear to me (rocked me to my core) & handling my own health issues I wasn’t aware of forced me to slow down & reevaluate...I want my loving fans to know that I’m ok and will be back when the time is right," she wrote. The former Smackdown Women's champion is expected to join the blue brand moving forward. BIANCA BELAIR AND SHAYNA BASZLER SET NEW ELIMINATIONS RECORD- NXT women were in full force at the Royal Rumble with 11 from the roster showing up during the over-the-top rope Rumble match. Bianca Belair, Mercedes Martinez, Candice LaRae, Mia Yim, Dakota Kai, Chelsea Green, Toni Storm, Xia Li, Shotzi Blackheart, Tegan Nox, and Shayna Baszler all took part in the Rumble, but it was Bianca Belair who was the MVP of the match. Entering at #2, Belair lasted just over 33 minutes and had eight eliminations to her name. Belair took out Alexa Bliss, Mighty Molly, Nikki Cross, Mandy Rose, Candice LaRae, Sonya Deville, Dana Brooke, and Tamina. Meanwhile, former NXT champion Shayna Baszler came in at #30 and made quick work, eliminating Naomi, Beth Phoenix, Toni Storm, Xia Li, Zelina Vega, Shotzi Blackheart, Carmella, and Tegan Nox to tie Belair's record. Sasha Banks still has the record for longest time in the ring, coming in at #1 in the inaugural women's Rumble match in 2018 and lasting 54 minutes and 46 seconds. FUN FACTS AND STATISTICS FROM THE TWO ROYAL RUMBLE MATCHES- As with every Royal Rumble, there are those who last a long time, those who barely made it in, those who cleaned house, and those who, well, didn't do much at all. Here are some interesting statistics from this year's Royal Rumble matches. In the women's match, Bianca Belair and Shayna Baszler were responsible for eliminating 16 women. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss threw out four more each so the majority of the participants were eliminated by just four women. Liv Morgan, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Chelsea Green, and Beth Phoenix were the only other ones who managed to throw someone else out of the match. Bianca Belair lasted the longest this year with 33 minutes and 20 seconds on the clock. She was followed by the eventual winner, Charlotte Flair, who did 26 minutes 19 seconds. On the other end of that, Chelsea Green only lasted 12 seconds before being eliminated by Alexa Bliss and Sarah Logan followed with just 28 seconds. Santina Marella eliminated him/herself from the match after just one minute and one second. This year's match had a heavy NXT presence. Only six were from Raw, seven were from Smackdown, 11 from NXT, and one from NXT UK while three were not associated with any brand. The women's match lasted 54 minutes and 20 seconds, 18 minutes less from last year's Rumble match. The men's match was dominated by Brock Lesnar, the WWE champion who took out 13 men before he was eliminated by the winner, Drew McIntyre with a little assist from Ricochet. Lesnar entered number one and lasted 26 minutes and 24 seconds and threw out Elias, Erick Rowan, Robert Roode, John Morrison, Kofi Kingston, Rey Mysterio, Big E, Cesaro, Shelton Benjamin, Shinsuke Nakamura, MVP, Keith Lee, and Braun Strowman. Apart from Lesnar, only Drew McIntyre, Edge, King Corbin, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins eliminated other competitors with Drew managing six behind Lesnar's 13. Drew McIntyre lasted the longest with 34 minutes and 11 seconds on the clock. Lesnar was second and the returning Edge had an impressive 23 minutes and 43 seconds with three eliminations to his name. The quickest elimination went to Erick Rowan with just eight seconds only and John Morrison followed with nine seconds. Nine WWE Superstars were eliminated in a minute or less. Unlike the women's match, only two from NXT took part in this match - Keith Lee and Matt Riddle. 14 represented Raw, 12 represented Smackdown, and two were not associated with any brand. Apart from Edge, the only other surprise was MVP. Rusev, Lashley, Buddy Murphy, Otis, and Tucker, who were originally announced for the match, did not participate. Otis did show up during the women's Rumble match and helped save Mandy Rose from elimination with some, er, innovative ways. The men's match lasted one hour and 50 seconds, three minutes more than last year's match. AJ STYLES SUFFERS SHOULDER INJURY AT THE ROYAL RUMBLE- AJ Styles suffered what seems to be a separated shoulder during the Royal Rumble match after he landed badly when he took a spear from Edge. Styles sold the move by flipping in the air but landed on his left shoulder. The former champion immediately clutched the shoulder and alerted the referees at ringside. A ringside medic went over to check on him as Styles remained in the corner. At one point, King Corbin went to work on Styles and you could see Styles telling him about the injury and Corbin took care of him by punching him and letting him sit in the corner. Styles then walked towards Edge and told him about the injury and to eliminate him from the match, calling an audible as he was supposed to last longer than that. Edge then simply threw him over the top rope with Styles lasting 7 minutes and 49 seconds in total. Recovery for a separated shoulder could run up to twelve weeks depending on the severity of the injury. WWE OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCES SUPER SHOWDOWN IN SAUDI ON FEBRUARY 27- The next WWE event from Saudi Arabia was officially announced during the Royal Rumble, with Super ShowDown taking place in Riyadh on Thursday, February 27. The show will be held at the King Fahd International Stadium, the same location where Crown Jewel was held this past October. The event will be remembered for the long layover that the WWE Superstars were forced to have in Saudi after what the company said was "aircraft problems." The whole saga created a massive controversy and resulted in the whole roster being unable to attend the live Smackdown the next day. Thankfully, NXT stars and others who did not go - including the women - saved the day and Smackdown went on with a very unpredictable episode. Following the return from Saudi after Crown Jewel, WWE announced that the company would be hosting two pay-per-views per year for the remainder of their 10-year contract despite everything that went down. The last Super ShowDown was held in June 2019 in Jeddah and had the main event of Goldberg vs The Undertaker. SAMMY GUEVARA "INVADES" THE ROYAL RUMBLE WITH KID TANK!- AEW's Sammy Guevara was in Houston, Texas and decided to have some fun outside the Minute Maid Park where the Royal Rumble is being held. Channeling his inner DX, Guevara showed up in a kid tank, a plastic machine gun, and a microphone to spoof the DX invasion of WCW. With an AEW pass around his neck, Guevara roamed around the parking lot and even cut a promo. The 26-year-old has been one of the highlights of All Elite Wrestling and is now part of the Inner Circle faction with Chris Jericho. Guevara is from Katy, Texas, just 30 miles west of Houston. You can see his antics at . ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5832
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Sunday, January 26 2020 Issue #5832 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- Live tweets tonight for the Royal Rumble so join us on Twitter @wrestlingonline. ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at ROYAL RUMBLE 2020 LIVE ON PPV AND WWE NETWORK TONIGHT- Live from the Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, WWE presents the 2020 Royal Rumble on pay-per-view and WWE Network. The full card is as follows: The Fiend Bray Wyatt vs Daniel Bryan for the Universal title; Becky Lynch vs Asuka for the Raw Women's title; Bayley vs Lacey Evans for the Smackdown Women's title; Andrade vs Humberto Carrillo for the United States title; Roman Reigns vs King Corbin in a falls count anywhere match; Shorty G vs Sheamus; and the men's and women's over-the-top rope Royal Rumble matches. The Royal Rumble is free for first-time subscribers to the WWE Network. To kick start your 30-day free trial, go to now. CONFIRMED PARTICIPANTS SO FAR IN THE RUMBLE MATCHES- 26 WWE Superstars have been announced for the men's Royal Rumble match so far, leaving only a few wiggle room for any potential surprises. Those who have announced their intention to be part of the match are (in alphabetical order) AJ Styles, Aleister Black, Baron Corbin, Big E, Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman, Brock Lesnar, Buddy Murphy, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Elias, Erick Rowan, John Morrison, Kevin Owens, Kofi Kingston, Otis, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Ricochet, Roman Reigns, Rusev, Samoa Joe, Seth Rollins, Shinsuke Nakamura, Tucker, and The Miz. The women's Royal Rumble match is a completely different story though as only seven out of the 30 have been publicly announced. These are Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Charlotte Flair, Dana Brooke, Natalya, Nikki Cross, and Sarah Logan. With the women's division roster not as deep as the men's, it will take NXT women and probably other legends and former Superstars to make up the 30. Last year, six women from NXT were involved in the Rumble including Xia Li, Kairi Sane, Candice LaRae, Kacy Catanzaro, Io Shirai, and Rhea Ripley. There were no other surprises in the match. In the men's match, Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunne, and Aleister Black represented NXT while Jeff Jarrett was the only surprise entrant. WATCH ALONG GUESTS FOR THE ROYAL RUMBLE BROADCAST- Watch Along will return tonight for the Royal Rumble, a YouTube broadcast anchored by Cathy Kelley as she welcomes WWE Superstars and guests throughout the night to watch the show together. Scheduled to appear are Xavier Woods, Rhea Ripley, Johnny Gargano, Tyler Bate and Trent Seven. The Bump's crew of Kayla Braxton, McKenzie Mitchell, Evan T. Mack, Dan Vollmayer, Matt Camp and Ryan Pappolla will also be in the house at some point while other guests include Nina Wu from WWE Now China, former WWE backstage interviewer Todd Pettengill, and the crew from SMOSH GAMES. Watch Along will air on WWE's YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. WORLDS COLLIDE RESULTS- Here are the results from last night's Worlds Collide WWE Network special which took place from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Kay Lee Ray defeated Mia Yim in the pre-show; Finn Balor defeated Ilja Dragunov; Jordan Devlin defeated Angel Garza, Isiah "Swerve" Scott, and Travis Banks to become the new NXT Cruiserweight champion; Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano defeated Tyler Bate and Trent Seven; Rhea Ripley defeated Toni Storm to retain the NXT championship; Imperium defeated The Undisputed Era in an eight-man tag team match which was turned into a four-on-three match after Alexander Wolfe was legitimately injured during the match and taken out. ALEXANDER WOLFE OF IMPERIUM KNOCKED OUT DURING MAIN EVENT- Alexander Wolfe of Imperium was knocked out during the Worlds Collide main event yesterday and was removed from the match after the referee realized and put up the X hand signal to notify those in the back of a real injury. The incident that knocked him out came after Wolfe was on the receiving end of the simultaneous kicks to the chest and back from Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong. Unfortunately, one of the kicks by Fish landed right on the jaw instead of the chest. Fish then went for the pin and actually broke the pin himself after Wolfe failed to respond. The referee then realized that Wolfe was in lala land and asked for help. The German was then helped out of the ring and taken to the back for further evaluation. Addressing what happened on Twitter, Wolfe said it was his fault and added the hashtag #ChinUp. Wolfe's head was indeed down when he got hit by the knee. "I'm fine. I wish I could have finished the match but safety first," he wrote, while adding his thanks to WWE referee Drake Wuertz and the medical team for taking care of him. "You guys did an unbelievable great job today as always." CHALLENGER FOR ADAM COLE'S NXT TITLE TO BE ANNOUNCED ON WEDNESDAY- The next challenger for Adam Cole's NXT title will be announced this coming Wednesday on NXT on USA Network. The news was revealed by Triple H during the post-Worlds Collide interview on Facebook Live yesterday. The challenger will be meeting Cole at the upcoming Takeover: Portland event on February 16 and Triple H said that NXT General Manager William Regal is working on something "pretty epic" for the match. Former NXT champion Tommaso Ciampa has been eyeing a title shot since he made his return a few months ago. Ciampa vacated the title just before NXT Takeover: New York last year due to an injury which required surgery and a long time on the sidelines. It is widely believed that Ciampa will be the one taking on Cole in Portland. STING REPORTEDLY SET TO RETURN- PWInsider.com is reporting that they have heard from those within the company that Sting is being lined up to play a major part in the upcoming Saudi Arabia show next month. "Over the last 24 hours, several sources within WWE have told PWInsider.com that there’s been a lot of talk that WWE Hall of Famer Sting will be a major part of the 2/27 Saudi Arabia event next month, possibly even returning to the ring for one more match," the PWInsider report states. The headline also suggests that Sting could very well be making a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble tonight to get the ball rolling for his involvement in the show. Sting has not wrestled since his WWE title match against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions in 2015. He was injured that night after Rollins performed a turnbuckle powerbomb on him which resulted in a very bad neck injury. The match was cut short after Sting was barely able to move. He announced his retirement at the Hall of Fame ceremony in 2016. ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5831
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Saturday, January 25 2020 Issue #5831 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- The new version (3.3) of the Wrestling-Online News app for iOS devices is now available on the Apple App Store. You can download or update for free immediately. ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at WORLDS COLLIDE 2020 LIVE ON THE WWE NETWORK TONIGHT- Live from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, WWE presents Worlds Collide tonight exclusively on the WWE Network. The full card is as follows: The Undisputed Era vs Imperium in an eight-man tag team match; Rhea Ripley vs Toni Storm for the NXT title; Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa vs Tyler Bate and Trent Seven; Ilja Dragunov vs. Finn Balor; Angel Garza vs Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs Jordan Devlin vs Travis Banks in a fatal four-way match for the NXT Cruiserweight title; and Mia Yim vs Kay Lee Ray in the pre-show match. The Worlds Collide pre-show will kick off at 6:30PM ET and will stream live on the WWE Network, WWE.com, the WWE App, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Charly Caruso, Sam Roberts and Andy Shepherd will be hosting the show. SMACKDOWN RATING- The final Smackdown before the Royal Rumble drew 2,469,000 viewers yesterday, down 111,000 viewers from last week's broadcast off hours 2,548,000 in the first hour and 2,391,000 in the second hour. Smackdown beat all shows in all demographics but lagged behind in terms of viewership, losing also the figure skating on NBC. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com) FORMER BACKSTAGE INTERVIEWER TODD PETTENGILL BACK ON A WWE BROADCAST TOMORROW- Former WWE backstage interviewer Todd Pettengill will be making a return to the company tomorrow to be part of the Watch Along YouTube series during the Royal Rumble. Pettengill will be one of the many guests who will be dropping by throughout the broadcast. Up until recently, Pettengill was a DJ for New York-based WPLJ 95.5 and now runs his own web-based show at HeyTodd.com. The 53-year-old worked for WWE between 1993 and 1997, first as a backstage interviewer and then as a host of several WWE shows including Mania, Blast-Off, LiveWire, and Action Zone. When he left WWE in 1997, Pettengill was replaced by Michael Cole. In 2013, the New York native worked with WWE to host segments for the DVD release of The Best of In Your House compilation. REY MYSTERIO WILLING TO PUT MASK ON THE LINE AT WRESTLEMANIA- Rey Mysterio is up for anything for WrestleMania, including a big match which would see him put his mask on the line. Discussing his latest feud with TVInsider.com prior to the Royal Rumble, the former champion said that following his ladder match against Andrade, he is ready to put his mask on the line against Andrade's hair for a WrestleMania moment. "Whatever the case might be, whoever ends up winning, I think it would be a huge stepping stone for either of us," Mysterio said. Losing a mask is a huge deal for those who carry it and while Mysterio did wrestle without a mask for a period while in WCW, WWE has always protected his face. It was in 1999 when Mysterio was forced to remove it after losing a hair vs mask match at SuperBrawl IX where Mysterio and tag team partner Konnan lost to Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. At the time, Mysterio was strongly against the idea of unmasking. "I don't think WCW understood what the mask meant to me, to my fans and to my family. It was a very bad move on their behalf. The fans wanted Rey Mysterio with the mask and losing it hurt me a lot," Mysterio said at the time. He also lamented the fact that it was a "throwaway match" and not a meaningful one with a climax to a feud with another masked wrestler. "I think the fans understand that I was in a position where I had no option. I either had to lose my mask or lose my job," Mysterio recounted. NXT RATING- NXT on USA Network did 769,000 viewers this week, up 69,000 viewers from last week’s show. NXT was #35 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic with a 0.24 rating. The difference between the two shows was of 102,000 viewers, which is down from the 240,000 difference of last week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com) AEW'S DEBUT IN NEW JERSEY A BIG SUCCESS- Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that AEW's debut at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, is looking like it will be an epic one as the company has already sold over 10,000 tickets. Tickets for the March 25 Dynamite went on sale yesterday and were scooped up pretty quickly by AEW fans for the company's debut in the state. Ticketmaster.com doesn't have much tickets left as the near 20,000-seater arena is looking close to a sellout. Obviously, not all 20,000 seats will be used but even WWE has a hard time selling out for their television and pay-per-views in the same arena. There are still tickets available in the $30 range which are in the upper section of the arena. DYNAMITE RATING- AEW’s Dynamite, which was taped from the Chris Jericho Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager cruise, pulled in 871,000 viewers, down 69,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. Despite this, the show still beat NXT in the weekly ratings. Dynamite was #5 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and did a 0.35. This was the fourth week in a row that AEW beat NXT when it comes to viewership. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com) FIRST TWO NAMES FOR TNA ONE NIGHT ONLY SHOW ANNOUNCED- Impact Wrestling have confirmed the first two names who will be participating during the TNA one night only return at WrestleMania weekend in Florida. D'Lo Brown and Ken Anderson will be part of the TNA: There's No Place Like Home event representing the Aces & Eights stable which they were a part of during their time with the company. Brown has two stints with Impact, one between 2003 and 2004 and the other between 2009 and 2013. He served as an agent in his second stint there as well as an on-screen character, eventually revealing himself as the Vice President of Aces & Eights. Anderson worked for the company between 2010 and 2016 and joined the Aces & Eights in late 2012. Ironically enough, Anderson was the one who disbanded the group after beating Bully Ray at Turning Point in 2013 where the stipulation was if Ray loses A&E would disband but if Anderson loses, he must leave. The TNA special will be held at The Ritz Ybor City on April 3 as part of WrestleCon. It will air live on FITE TV. NWA CHAMP NICK REVEALS HE TURNED DOWN AEW CONTRACT- Speaking with Sports Illustrated ahead of the NWA Hard Times show, the promotion's champion Nick Aldis said that working with All Elite Wrestling is brought up to him daily, revealing that he was offered a deal to go join the revolution but opted to stay with the NWA instead. “If AEW wants to be involved in big, marquee matches, then they have two choices: go out and write some more big checks to some more guys, or they’re going to have to come to the table and work out some super fights with the NWA,” Aldis said. NWA has been proving itself lately with the new YouTube studio show Powerrr and Aldis has been the face of the promotion for a while. The champ did work with some of the folks at AEW for the All In pay-per-view back in September 2018 where he wrestled Cody Rhodes for the NWA title, a match which he lost. He regained the title at the NWA 70th Anniversary Show in a two-out-of-three falls match. Aldis has been champion ever since, a title reign which as of this writing is in its 459th day. “I want to keep having really meaningful moments, like All In with Cody and me, as well as some of our other milestone matches,” said Aldis. “I’ve been able to make my matches feel like the most important thing that day." ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5830
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Thursday, January 23 2020 Issue #5830 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- Good decision with Keith Lee going over last night. He has momentum and I would like him to get a good showing at the Royal Rumble, if NXT will be part of it. It was a very good match and had a great ending. ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at NXT WOMEN'S TITLE NOW REFERRED TO AS NXT CHAMPIONSHIP- It looks like WWE took one giant step towards equality, at least within NXT, as the promotion has dropped the specific gender when addressing their female champion. Just 24 hours after Becky Lynch suggested on Backstage that using "women" is somewhat still holding them back on being on par with their male counterparts, NXT is now referring to their women's champion as the NXT champion. The change was pretty evident on television when Mauro Ranallo referred to Rhea Ripley simply as the NXT champion multiple times yesterday and the WWE.COM review of the NXT show also refers to Ripley as the NXT champion. The company does not refer to the males as "men's champions" and the distinction was only done when it came to the women. Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com adds to the story that WWE issued an internal decree that moving forward, the NXT Women's title will be referred to as the NXT Championship. So far, on the WWE.COM page showcasing all the champions, the women are still listed as women 's champions. RAW RATING- The go-home episode of Monday Night Raw drew 2,380,000 viewers this week, up 350,000 viewers from last week's record low. Hour one started with 2,548,000 viewers and then went slightly down to 2,492,000 viewers for the second hour before suffering a big drop to 2,101,000 viewers for the third and final hour. Raw was #1, #2, and #4 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and was #7 in overall viewership for the night on cable. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com) DUSTY RHODES TAG TEAM CLASSIC TOURNAMENT FINALS SET FOR NEXT WEEK- The final match of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament will be held on next Wednesday's NXT on USA Network. Last night on NXT, The Grizzled Young Veterans and the team of Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne advanced to the final match after they overcame The Undisputed Era and Imperium respectively. The NXT UK tag team of Zack Gibson and James Drake got the best of The Undisputed Era after all four members of Imperium appeared to distract the NXT Tag Team champions. Unfortunately for Imperium though, Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner failed to go past Dunne and Riddle for an all-UK final. To reach the finals The Grizzled Young Veterans went through Alex Shelley and Kushida in the first round and later Fish and O'Reilly while Riddle and Dunne defeated Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster in the first round and later Imperium. With The Undisputed Era out of the tournament it means that first-time winners will be crowned next week. Samoa Joe and Finn Balor, the Authors of Pain, The U ndisputed Era, and Aleister Black and Ricochet are the previous winners. BACKSTAGE RATING- WWE Backstage on Tuesday on FS1 drew 111,000 viewers, and while up 27,000 viewers from last week's broadcast, it must be considered a disappointment considering Becky Lynch was the guest with CM Punk on the panel. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com) IMPACT'S REBELLION GETS A DATE- The upcoming Impact Wrestling pay-per-view Rebellion now has an official date: April 19. While Impact announced the pay-per-view during the Hard To Kill show earlier this month, the date was never revealed except for a mention saying it will be held in April. The show will be held at Terminal 5, a 3,000-seater music venue located 610 West 56th Street, close to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. This is the second time that Impact will hold Rebellion, a new pay-per-view which made its debut last year in Toronto at The Rebel Complex. ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5829
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Wednesday, January 22 2020 Issue #5829 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- Really enjoyed yesterday's Backstage discussions. Too bad this show is not in a better time slot as I think it would be a bigger hit if it was let's say after Smackdown or something like that. Not sure who thought an 11PM start time would be a great idea! ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at NXT PREVIEW- NXT returns live from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida tonight on USA Network with four matches so far announced. The semi-final matches of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament take place tonight with Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne taking on Imperium and Undisputed Era versus Grizzled Young Veterans. The winners of these two matches will meet in the final of the tournament, a final which still does not have a confirmed date. After winning a number one contender's match, Keith Lee will get his hands on Roderick Strong for the opportunity to win the NXT North American title while on The Bump it was announced that Io Shirai will take on Toni Storm. CM PUNK PUTS OVER THE WWE WOMEN'S DIVISION DURING WWE BACKSTAGE- During WWE Backstage last night, CM Punk put over the WWE women's division and said it's the most exciting thing in WWE at the moment while Raw Women's champion Becky Lynch sat next to him for most of the program. "I like the fact that there's a little girl in Ireland that watches TV or watches on YouTube or however they digest their WWE, and they see Becky and that can change their life," explained Punk, who said that he now watches through a different lens and when he did the straight edge gimmick, there are still fans who come up to him at autograph signings, or Twitter and say that they never did drugs when they were kids because of him. "So I look at all these different women...you (Becky), Charlotte, Sasha, Bayley, Asuka...and I just think of the groundswell of representation. For the longest time this has always been a male dominated sport. It just opens so many different doors and avenues," Punk continued. "There's a whole chunk of demographic out there that has been ignore d for a very, very long time and it's just nice and exciting to see women who aren't just used as you know - pardon my French - pieces of ass." Punk mentioned that during the past several decades there are several iconic photographs in professional wrestling, mentioning Hogan shaking hands with Savage, Austin bleeding while in Bret's Sharpshooter, and said we can add Becky with a busted up face bleeding while taunting Ronda Rousey from the stands a week before the Survivor Series. When asked who he thinks will win the women's Royal Rumble match, Punk went with Sasha Banks and thinks that she and Bayley will have their moment at WrestleMania for the Smackdown Women's title. You can see him delivering some of his comments at . WWE BACKSTAGE GOES TO MIAMI NEXT WEEK- Next week's episode of WWE Backstage on FS1 will be taped from Miami, Florida, the first time that the show has not been held at the FOX Sports studios in Los Angeles. Taking place in front of a live audience, Backstage will be held at Lummus Park in South Beach with tapings scheduled for a 7:30PM start time. It will be an outdoor show with Renee Young, Booker T, Paige, and Christian being part of the usual panel. Tickets to attend the show are available for free but you need to request them through www.1iota.com/Event/71031/Request. You can request up to two tickets only. DYNAMITE PREVIEW- Tonight's episode of AEW Dynamite has been taped already as the matches were recorded yesterday aboard the Norwegian Pearl ship during Jericho's Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager cruise to the Bahamas. Five matches will be part of Dynamite tonight including SCU vs Hangman Page and Kenny Omega for the AEW Tag Team titles, Britt Baker vs Priscilla Kelly, Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy, and Marko Stunt vs Chris Jericho, Santana, and Ortiz, MJF vs Joey Janela, and Jon Moxley vs PAC in a number one contender's match for the AEW World title. Next year's Dynamite during the third Jericho cruise will air live from the ship rather than being taped a day earlier. This announcement was made by AEW EVP Cody Rhodes after tapings concluded yesterday. ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5828
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Tuesday, January 21 2020 Issue #5828 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- Nothing to say today, back tomorrow. ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at WWE ANNOUNCES ANOTHER TV DEAL IN THE UK- WWE today announced a new partnership with ViacomCBS’s Channel 5 to broadcast highlights of its weekly programs Raw and SmackDown on free-to-air television in the UK. Beginning February 2, Channel 5 will air a one-hour version of Raw on Sundays at 10:30AM and one-hour version of Smackdown on Saturdays at 10:30AM. In addition, NXT UK will air on Paramount Network each Wednesday at midnight. “Bringing highlights of our flagship programming to free-to-air television for the first time in the UK with Channel 5 is a significant step for the WWE brand, and more great news for our passionate fanbase in the UK,” said Andy Warkman, Vice President and General Manager, WWE UK & Ireland. “WWE has strong appeal throughout the UK and across generations so we’re very excited to be bringing their high-quality entertainment to an even bigger free-to-air audience in the UK,” said James Tatam, VP Commercial, Digital and Operations, Channel 5. As part of the agreement, content will be made available on Channel 5’s streaming service My5. In addition, full seasons of Total Divas and Miz & Mrs will be offered to My5 viewers, as well as on ViacomCBS-owned Pluto TV in the UK. RUSEV PRAISES LANA AND LASHLEY FOR CURRENT ANGLE- Speaking in an interview with Reel Talker uploaded yesterday on YouTube, WWE Superstar Rusev talked about the current angle involving his wife marrying Bobby Lashley. Asked how he feels with his wife being in an angle with another man, Rusev said that it's no different than what other actors do in Hollywood with certain roles requiring you to do certain things. "You can always say no but we are not those people," Rusev said. "We're always professional." He said that having his wife Lana in that angle is not a problem for him and he knows it's not a problem for her either. "People always come and ask me, 'How are you feeling?'" Rusev explained, before he answers the question with another question. "Why are you asking me? Go ask her. She's the one who has to kiss!" he continued. Rusev put his wife over for being professional and for agreeing to go ahead with the angle and also had big praise for Lashley, who he said is very respectful and a great guy overall. "He's game for anything. It's not like he is a stubborn veteran who thinks he knows everything," he said, before saying again that he's a really good guy. BECKY LYNCH AND CM PUNK ON WWE BACKSTAGE TONIGHT- WWE Backstage is set to be an interesting one tonight with CM Punk back on the panel with special guest and Raw Women's champion Becky Lynch. Punk has not appeared on the show in a few weeks and getting him on the broadcast with Lynch booked as the guest will surely get some people talking. Lynch's fiancee, WWE Superstar Seth Rollins, challenged CM Punk when Punk was announced for his first show but Punk brushed the challenge off. Backstage last week drew a very low 84,000 viewers and has not performed well overall in the 11PM time slot. JERICHO'S THIRD CRUISE SET TO SAIL IN FEBRUARY 2021- AEW World champion Chris Jericho announced that the third annual Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager cruise will take place in 2021. Titled Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager at Sea: Triple Whammy, the cruise will sail on February 1 from Miami, Florida and travel to the Grand Bahama Island and then returning to Miami on February 5. The same ship, the Norwegian Pearl, will be used for the third cruise. More information will be given at chrisjerichocruise.com. The dates next year will also coincide with AEW Dynamite on a Wednesday so just like this year, it's likely that another show will be taking place on the ship. ROCKY JOHNSON DIED A "QUICK DEATH" DUE TO MASSIVE HEART ATTACK- In a video posted on Instagram, former WWE champion Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson discussed the passing of his father Rocky Johnson who died last week at the age of 75. Johnson said that his dad had not been feeling well and was battling a cold and infection and on Tuesday he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot in the leg. "It was a big ol' blood clot that broke free, traveled up his body, and went right to his lung, clotted his lung, and he died very quickly from a massive heart attack...just like that." The Rock added that due to his quick death he didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him. "I'd give anything right now to give him a big ol' hug and a big ol' kiss before he crossed over and just say thank you and I love you and I respect you. But I didn't get a chance to say that. But such is life, as many of you know, based on the messages that you have shared with me, that many of you understand this pain when you lose a parent," he said. The funeral of Rocky Johnson will be held today and his son will be delivering the eulogy. "I've written a lot of speeches for myself over the years, but I have no idea where to start with this one," Johnson said. "But I do have my tequila and I can hear him now, 'Good, that's the way you've got to do it.' I can also hear him now, 'Make sure you put me over in the speech, say good stuff about me.'" ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5827
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Monday, January 20 2020 Issue #5827 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- Here we go another week. Royal Rumble week! Apart from WrestleMania, this is my favorite PPV of the year. Usually they always deliver, although sometimes there are big misses. But overall, it's a fun show. ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at RAW PREVIEW- The Royal Rumble go-home episode of Monday Night Raw airs live tonight on USA Network from the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. Apart from another Brock Lesnar appearance - which makes it three weeks in a row - two matches are being advertised by WWE for tonight's broadcast. The first is a ladder match for the United States title with Andrade defending against former champion Rey Mysterio and the second match is a mixed tag team match featuring Rusev and Liv Morgan versus Bobby Lashley and Lana. More Superstars - especially from the women's match - are expected to be announced for the Royal Rumble as well. So far, only four confirmed entrants are in the women's match - Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross, and Sarah Logan. WWE UNITED KINGDOM CHAMPIONSHIP RENAMED- The WWE United Kingdom title is no more as WWE has renamed it to the NXT UK title. At last week's NXT UK tapings in York, NXT UK General Manager Johnny Saint did the presentation of the new title to champ Walter with the rest of Imperium by his side. The WWE United Kingdom title was introduced in January 2017 when there was no NXT UK established yet with Tyler Bate being the inaugural champion. When NXT UK was formed, all the other titles were referred to NXT UK rather than the WWE UK titles so it made sense to change this to refer to the UK brand. FORMER WWE TAG TAM CHAMPION SYLVAIN GRENIER HIRED AS WWE PRODUCER- In an interview with French-Canadian website TVA Sports, former WWE Tag Team title holder Sylvain Grenier revealed that he is now working for WWE again as an agent/producer. The 42-year-old Quebecer is best known for being part of the La Résistance tag team between 2003 and 2005 with René Duprée. After his release from WWE, he worked for Impact Wrestling doing French commentary between 2007 and 2009. “When WWE came to Montreal in April 2019, I went to meet Kevin Dunn to ask him for pictures of the time I won the team titles at the Bell Center," Grenier told TVA Sports. "We started talking about things and others and he told me that the company was looking for agents. I had just had a child, I was working on my show, I didn't want to end up on the road as much as before. But he told me that things had changed. The company then invited me to the premiere of SmackDown on FOX in Los Angeles and a few exchanges later, we had an agreement.” Grenier explained his role as being the guy who "fine tunes" a little bit of the ideas that others come up with and to serve as a bridge between the powers that be and the wrestlers on how their particular match should go. "For the moment I'm in training. But eventually I will be assigned to the red team or the blue team, Raw or SmackDown. I'm going to do a TV show a week, every PPV and once a month, I'm going to tour house shows,” Grenier added. JAZZY GABERT DEPARTS NXT UK- Popular German wrestler Jazzy Gabert has departed the NXT UK brand, tweeting that she is now a free agent. Gabert made a big impression during the Mae Young Classic tournament and was about to get signed before she was dropped because she failed the medical due to an injury. After she underwent surgery and recovered, WWE signed her to an NXT UK deal in January of last year. However, in a whole year, Gabert barely wrestled for NXT UK and only had a handful of appearances with only one singles match. The 37-year-old known as the Alpha Female has said that she is now hitting the "reset button," getting offline for a bit and changing her look. MIKE KANELLIS MOVED TO NXT- Mike Kanellis looks like he will be moving permanently to NXT after last weekend he started touring with the brand. Kanellis was in a tag team with Tony Nese in what is said to be a "trial run" for a new team for the yellow brand. Things for Kanellis in WWE hasn't been going great and despite signing a multi-year deal last year, he asked for his release back in October. WWE management refused his request and there's no plans to grant it still, with WWE opting to send Kanellis to NXT for a fresh start. Kanellis was last seen on WWE television in September. The angle involving his wife came to a close last year when Maria revealed she was pregnant and after a few weeks on television, even winning the 24/7 title, the former WWE Diva Search winner was taken off television as well. CHRIS JERICHO'S ROCK'N'WRESTLING RAGER CRUISE SAILS TODAY- A jam-packed Chris Jericho Rock'n'Wrestling Rager cruise kicks off today from Miami, Florida aboard the Norwegian Pearl. The sold out cruise will have tons of wrestling personalities onboard including Jericho himself, Cody, Kenny Omega, Young Bucks, Jon Moxley, MJF, Sammy Guevara, Jake Hager, Pac, Hangman Page, Britt Baker, Darby Allin, and other AEW stars who will be part of the Dynamite show which will be filmed on the ship itself. Others on the ship include Ric Flair, Vickie Guerrero, MVP, Eric Bischoff, Jake Roberts, Booker T, Scott Hall, Chavo Guerrero Jr, and more. The cruise will also be the site of many live podcasts that will be taped and several bands, including Fozzy, will be providing the entertainment throughout the next couple of days. Q&A panels and photo shoots will be held as well. The itinerary will have a stop in Nassau, Bahamas and two days at sea before returning to Miami on Friday morning. DYNAMITE COMING TO ROCHESTER IN MARCH- All Elite Wrestling today announced that they will be making their debut in Rochester, New York in March. The March 18 episode of Dynamite will be taking place at the Blue Cross Arena, an 11,000-seater multi-purpose indoor arena which is also known as the War Memorial. Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 24 at Noon ET at AEWTix.com. Prices will start from $20. The next few Dynamite shows are looking close to full although the February 12 episode in Cedar Park, Texas, is struggling big to sell tickets. AEW has locations for shows up to March 25 at time of this writing. ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5826
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Saturday, January 18 2020 Issue #5826 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- After a few months delay, the new W-O News app for iOS is in beta testing. If you want to help with testing, e-mail us your Apple ID and we'll send you an invite. Testing will go for a week. ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at SMACKDOWN RATING- Smackdown did a total of 2,580,000 viewers last night, off hours 2,616,000 in the first hour and 2,544,000 in the second hour. That was 78,000 viewers up from last week's broadcast. Smackdown beat every show in the 18-49 demo, helped by repeats airing on CBS which is usually the main competition. In viewership however, Smackdown only beat The CW and ABC's Fresh Off The Boat and trailed everything else, including repeats. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com) STIPULATIONS ADDED TO TWO RUMBLE MATCHES- Two Royal Rumble matches got a stipulation added to them while two new matches have been confirmed for next week's pay-per-view. The Universal title match between The Fiend and Daniel Bryan will now be a strap match, a match which hasn't been done in WWE for quite a long time. Meanwhile, Reigns vs Corbin is now a falls count anywhere match after Reigns picked the stipulation last night on Smackdown. The two new matches feature Sheamus vs Shorty G and Smackdown Women's champion Bayley defending against Lacey Evans. Braun Strowman and Shinsuke Nakamura were the latest two added to the 30-man over-the-top rope Rumble match. 19 entrants are so far confirmed for this match. KAIRI SANE RETURNS TO THE RING AFTER OVER A MONTH SIDELINED- One half of the WWE Women's Tag Team champions, Kairi Sane, made her return to the ring last night after she was injured at the TLC pay-per-view in early December. The Japanese former NXT champion was pretty beat up and suffered a concussion during the tables, ladders, and chairs match against Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. She got hit in the head by a flying monitor and then took a suplex on the floor, banging her head on the unprotected part of the aisle. After the match, Asuka, Flair, and Lynch praised Sane for being a true warrior. In her return match, Sane and Asuka teamed up with Sarah Logan to take on Natalya, Lynch, and Flair. Despite losing the match, Sane was happy for her return. "I'm back I love wrestling," she wrote on Twitter. NIKKI BELLA TO GUEST STAR ON NICKELODEON'S THE SUBSTITUTE PRANK SHOW- Former WWE Divas champion Nikki Bella will be a guest star on Nickelodeon's prank show The Substitute according to TheWrap.com. The show transforms celebrities into unrecognizable people to prank children, with Nikki pranking the kids at Las Palmas Middle School in Covina, California. Her sister Brie will also be part of the episode. First, Nikki will play an eccentric gym teacher, then an awkward speech teacher, and then a career counselor obsessed with clowns. A team of Hollywood special effects artists will help Nikki transform herself before she unveils her real identity. The featured school receives a donation of $25,000. The episode will air on Friday, January 31 at 8PM ET. MARTHA HART AND FAMILY FILM INTERVIEWS FOR DARK SIDE OF THE RING EPISODE ON OWEN- The Owen Hart Foundation Twitter account posted that the Vice Media crew flew to Calgary to film interviews with Dr. Martha Hart, the wife of the late Owen Hart, and other members of their family for their upcoming Dark Side Of The Ring series. Martha has been very, very strict when it comes giving such interviews to the media but the highly-acclaimed series received major thumbs up from fans and critics for the first season last year. When producers approached Hart to dedicate an episode of the show on the death of Owen Hart, the family accepted. The second season is set to air sometime this year and will feature 10 episodes. The first season had six total episodes and focused on Macho Man Randy Savage, the Montreal Screwjob, The Von Erich family, the death of Gino Hernandez, the murder of Bruiser Brody, and The Fabulous Moolah. Martha remains at odds with WWE over the death of her husband and has blocked all attempts by WWE to induct Owen into the WWE Hall of Fame. ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5825
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Friday, January 17 2020 Issue #5825 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- Happy weekend folks! Back tomorrow. ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at ROB VAN DAM'S SEX CELEBRATION VIDEO GETS IMPACT BOOTED OFF TWITCH- Rob Van Dam's "sex celebration" video from Impact Wrestling got the company banned from Twitch. The video shows Van Dam with his two very scantily clad girlfriends having way too much fun. "A lot of you guys think I was at my best way back in ECW," RVD says as his girlfriend Katie Forbes and their other friend Jennifer continued to grind on him. "What's ECW," Jennifer asks. "They weren't even born yet," Van Dam tells the camera! The video was also removed from YouTube, with the listing now set to private. The comments below the video were also a hilarious read. But Twitch did not appreciate the video and with strict rules against pornography or anything that resembles pornography, the company banned the Impact account. Accessing twitch.tv/impactwrestling, the page gives you a "Sorry. Unless you’ve got a time machine, that content is unavailable" error. Impact's weekly Behind The Lights Twitch show this week was also canceled and Impact saw the funny side of the whole ordeal, writing on Twitter, "There will be no edition of Behind the Lights this week for...fairly obvious reasons," while adding a laughing emoji. IMPACT USING TNA NAME FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY DURING MANIA WEEKEND- Impact Wrestling will be using the TNA name for one night only during WrestleMania week for a show part of WrestleCon. The TNA show will be taking place on Friday, April 3 at The Ritz Ybor City in Tampa starting at 7PM ET. Tickets for this show will be on sale on Monday, January 20 at Noon ET. For those who are unable to attend the live event, it will also be broadcast on FITE TV for a fee. The Friday night show will be going head-to-head with the live Smackdown and many other shows that will be held during that weekend. The company used the TNA: Total Nonstop Action name from its inception in 2004 till March 2017. DYNAMITE RATING- AEW enjoyed another big win in the ratings on Wednesday night as Dynamite did 940,000 viewers for the Bash at the Beach themed episode, down just 7,000 viewers from last week’s episode. Dynamite did 0.38 in the 18-49 demo and placed #5 in the top 50 cable chart. Dynamite beat NXT in every demo and came close of actually matching the over 50 rating as well, something that NXT usually wins by a good margin. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com) WWE TO REPORT Q4 AND FULL YEAR 2019 FINANCIAL RESULTS NEXT MONTH- WWE will report its fourth quarter and full year 2019 results on Thursday, February 6, 2020 before the opening of the market. Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and Co-Presidents, George A. Barrios and Michelle D. Wilson, will host a conference call beginning at 11AM ET to discuss the results. A live web cast will be hosted through the corporate web site at corporate.wwe.com/investors. Last time around, Wall Street was not impressed at all with the numbers, driving the stocks down. WWE stocks are currently trading in the low 60s at the moment, down from the high 90s from last year. NXT RATING- NXT suffered another big defeat in the ratings this week, drawing 700,000 viewers, down 21,000 viewers from last week’s show. NXT had a 0.21 rating in the 18-49 demo and placed #31 in the top 50 cable chart. The rating was almost half of what AEW achieved in that category. The difference between the two shows was of 240,000 viewers, which is up from the 226,000 viewers difference they had last week. Apart from the January 1 taped show, this was one of the least watched episodes of NXT. KANE RETURNS ON SMACKDOWN TONIGHT- Smackdown is back on FOX tonight, a show which will feature the return of Kane. The Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee will make his first WWE appearance since mid-September where he first started the night winning the 24/7 title from R-Truth but then ended the night being attacked by The Fiend Bray Wyatt. With the Royal Rumble around the corner, it wouldn't be surprising if the Big Red Machine throws his hat in the match. Three matches have been announced for the show so far. Roman Reigns will go one-on-one against Robert Roode in a tables match and the winner of this match will get to pick the stipulation for the Reigns/Corbin match at the Royal Rumble. Lacey Evans will finally get her hands on Sasha Banks and John Morrison steps back in the ring for a match against Big E. DWAYNE JOHNSON GIVES FIRST PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE PASSING OF HIS FATHER- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson gave his first public comments about the passing of his dad Rocky Johnson who died two days ago at the age of 75. In a long post on Instagram, Dwayne talked about his father breaking color barriers while he became a ring legend as he was sitting in the seats, watching and adoring his hero from afar. "The boy you raised to always be proud of our cultures and proud of who and what I am. The boy you raised with the toughest of love. The intense work. The hard hand. The adoring boy who wanted to know only your best qualities," he wrote. He continued, "Who then grew to become a man realizing you had other deep complex sides that needed to be held and understood. Son to father. Man to man. That’s when my adoration turned to respect. And my empathy turned to gratitude. Grateful that you gave me life. Grateful you gave me life’s invaluable lessons." Johnson wrote that he wished he had one more chance to tell him that he loves him before he passed away but he was gone fast without a warning. "I'm in pain. But we both know it’s just pain and it’ll pass. Now I’ll carry your mana and work ethic with me, as it’s time to move on because I have my family to feed and work to accomplish." Tell him that he loves him and will always be his proud and grateful son, Johnson finished with, "Finally, I want you to rest your trailblazing soul, Soulman. Pain free, regret free, satisfied and at ease. You lived a very full, very hard, barrier breaking life and left it all in the ring. Go rest high." ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5824
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Thursday, January 16 2020 Issue #5824 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- Sad news about the death of Rocky Johnson. Condolences to Dwayne Johnson and his whole family. Losing a parent is not easy, you never really get over it. ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at ROCKY JOHNSON PASSES AWAY AT AGE 75- Rocky Johnson, the father of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, passed away last night in Lutz, Florida at the age of 75. Johnson began his wrestling career in 1965 and wrestled mostly for the National Wrestling Alliance during his career. In 1982, he jumped to the World Wrestling Federation where he feuded with the likes of Adrian Adonis, Greg Valentine, Don Muraco, and others. He then started tag teaming with Tony Atlas, winning the Tag Team titles once from the Wild Samoans in 1983. Johnson wrestled for WWE till 1985. After his retirement in 1991, Johnson started training his son and took a trainer role with WWE at Ohio Valley Wrestling but that assignment did not last long and was removed a few months later. In 2008, WWE inducted him into its Hall of Fame with Dwayne Johnson doing the honors for his father. Last year he published his autobiography Soulman: The Rocky Johnson Story, with his son writing the foreword. Rocky was married to Una but divorced in 1978 and married his second wife Ata just a few days later. Ata is the daughter of High Chief Peter Maivia and the mother of Dwayne. He divorced from his second wife in 2003 and later married speech pathologist Sheila to who he was married to until his death. Cauliflower Alley Club’s Brian Blair noted that Johnson had been ill over the last couple of weeks but did not specify what he had. No cause of death has been released. MAJOR NEWS OUTLETS COVER THE DEATH OF ROCKY JOHNSON- The death of Rocky Johnson made headlines around the world, with major news outlets covering the story. The New York Times, CNN, Fox News, ESPN, Toronto Star, The Guardian, Sky News, The Sun, TGCom, Spiegel, CBC, The New Zealand Herald, TMZ, Yahoo! News, Daily Mirror and tons of other stations, newspapers, and online outlets all carrying the story. WWE.COM posted a story about the death of Johnson along with some photos and videos from his career. Several within the wrestling community such as Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Booker T, Mick Foley, William Regal, Triple H, Natalya, Jim Ross, Matt Hardy, Taz, Tommy Dreamer, Vince McMahon and many others tweeted their condolences to the family and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The NWA Twitter account also posted a tribute to Johnson. NXT started the night with a tribute graphic for Johnson and a wider tribute is also expected on Smackdown and Raw. The Rock has yet to publicly address the loss of his father. MSG ADVERTISING DX REUNION FOR MARCH 22 WWE EVENT- Madison Square Garden is advertising a DX reunion for WWE's return to the arena on March 22. This will be the first time that Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg, and X-Pac have appeared together at the world's most famous arena in over a decade. The show, set for a 3PM start time, has two matches announced so far including Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, and The Big Show vs Seth Rollins and The Authors of Pain, and Becky Lynch vs Asuka for the Raw Women's title. This will be a Raw branded show. VIP Experience packages including ringside seats and meet and greets are available now, with the pre-sale ending tonight at 11:59PM ET. Use code WWEMSG at Ticketmaster.com to purchase tickets. WORLDS COLLIDE CARD CONTINUES TO TAKE SHAPE- The Worlds Collide special continued to take shape with a couple of more matches added to the card. As previously reported, the NXT Cruiserweight title will be on the line in a fatal four-way match with champ Angel Garza defending against Isaiah "Swerve" Scott and two from NXT UK. Qualifying matches to determine who will be the other two entrants will take place on next week's NXT UK featuring Jordan Devlin vs Liger and Travis Banks vs Brian Kendrick. Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano will be teaming up again to reform DIY for one night as they take on Moustache Mountain, the team of Trent Seven and Tyler Bate. The other matches announced so far are Finn Balor vs Ilja Dragunov, Rhea Ripley vs Toni Storm for the NXT Women's title, and an eight-man tag team match featuring The Undisputed Era vs Emporium. Worlds Collide takes place on January 25 from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on the eve of the Royal Rumble. KACY CATANZARO AND SHAYNA BASZLER RETURN ON NXT- Kacy Catanzaro and Shayna Baszler were the two surprise entrants during last night's women's battle royal on NXT. Catanzaro has been away from NXT for quite a few months and in September it was reported that she has departed WWE. Her boyfriend, WWE Superstar Ricochet, dismissed the rumors and said that she's still with the company. The 29-year-old New Jersey native who achieved fame during the American Ninja Warrior series, was also suffering from a back injury. Her last match was against Io Shirai in mid-July during an non-televised NXT live event. Baszler also returned for the first time since losing the NXT Women's title to Rhea Ripley on the December 18 episode of NXT on USA Network. The only two-time NXT Women's champion took a few weeks off and was looking the favorite to win the battle royal but she was surprisingly eliminated by newcomer Shotzi Blackheart. The battle royal was eventually won by Bianca Belair. Io Shirai was the other person in the final two. Belair will now take on either Ripley or Storm at the NXT Takeover: Portland event in February. DUSTY RHODES TAG TEAM CLASSIC TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINAL MATCHES SET- The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament semi-final matches will take place next week on NXT with two NXT teams and two NXT UK teams remaining. Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish of The Undisputed Era will take on The Grizzled Young Veterans team of Zack Gibson and James Drake while the second match will pit Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne taking on Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner of Imperium. Yesterday, Riddle and Dunne beat Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster and Gibson and Drake beat Shelley and Kushida to advance to the tournament. No date has been revealed for the final. WWE BACKSTAGE RATING- This week's episode of WWE Backstage with The Usos as special guests did just 84,000 viewers, down 40,000 viewers from last week's show. Xavier Woods and Ember Moon were on the panel while former WWE creative writer Freddie Prinze Jr was on the promo class segment. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com) TAZ JOINS ALL ELITE WRESTLING- Former Smackdown and Impact commentator Taz has joined the AEW broadcast team, officially signing a multi-year deal. The contract was signed yesterday in Miami at the Bash at the Beach themed episode of Dynamite in the presence of Cody Rhodes and Chris Harrington, AEW's Vice President of Business Strategy. "Well, looks like I've joined a revolution...again," Taz said after signing his new deal. Taz made his first AEW appearance back in October when the company worked Philadelphia and the former ECW champion was brought in to do commentary for the AEW Dark episode. He also did commentary for the January 1 episode of Dynamite from Jacksonville. On Twitter, Taz said that he's beyond proud to be on the awesome team of driven and talented people at AEW. He also said that the Taz Show will be "on hold for quite some time" and thanked his fans for supporting him. NUMBER ONE CONTENDER FOR AEW WORLD TITLE TO BE DECIDED NEXT WEEK- A number one contender for AEW's World title will be decided next week on a cruise ship as Dynamite takes place during the Chris Jericho Rock'n'Wrestling Rager cruise. Former WWE champion Jon Moxley, who overcame Sami Guevara last night on Dynamite, will be taking on Pac, who himself had to go through Darby Allin last night, with the winner going to face Chris Jericho at the upcoming AEW pay-per-view Revolution, taking place in February. The Moxley vs Pac encounter will be a rematch from October with the two going to a time-limit draw the first time around on Dynamite. AEW DARK MOVING TO TNT THIS YEAR- Tony Maglio of TheWrap.com is reporting that AEW Dark will be moving to TNT this year. The news was confirmed by Turner President Kevin Reilly, who spoke exclusively to the website after his executive session at the Television Critics Association press tour. AEW Dark currently airs on YouTube every Tuesday night and is taped after Dynamite and airs the following week. Reilly said that the show might be rebranded and renamed but will be a weekly series on TNT, although he admitted that it might not have 52 episodes per year. “We’re going to embellish and put some additional material, kind of behind-the-scenes, kind of docu-follow stuff, if you will, about the athletes and the stories,” Reilly said. “We think that’s going to end up being a really good, robust, different kind of show.” Reilly said that some portions of Dark might still make it on YouTube to "build that bridge" but the whole show will not be ending up there as it is right now. ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5823
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Wednesday, January 15 2020 Issue #5823 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- Congratulations to AEW for their new TV deal with TNT. It's great for them, great for the wrestling business, great for the fans, and great for wrestlers too. ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at WARNERMEDIA EXTENDS AEW DEAL THROUGH 2023 AND ADDS NEW SHOW- WarnerMedia today announced that it has expanded its relationship with All Elite Wrestling, extending its deal through 2023 in addition to also green lighting another show. "When Tony Khan first shared with me his idea of starting a new wrestling league, I was impressed by his audacity to go up against a contender that has been the only game in town for twenty years, and ultimately believed that together we could bring his vision for a new, authentic, gritty product to bear,” says Kevin Reilly, chief content officer, HBO Max, president, TNT, TBS, and truTV. “The fans have spoken and after only three months, we have seen AEW shake up the wrestling world and this will only continue as we build upon this momentum.” TNT has been super happy with AEW's ratings, constantly delivering nearly 1 million viewers every week and placing in the top 10 among the 18-49 demographic. "When we launched AEW one year ago, we wanted to start a revolution that would disrupt the wrestling business, but everyone said that it would take a strong weekly television partner to make AEW real in the eyes of everyone – above all, the fans,” said Tony Khan, president and CEO of AEW. “What virtually no one realized at the time was Kevin Reilly and TNT were committed to this very same movement from day one, and their belief in us made it possible for AEW to think and act big from the start. Here we are, only three months into Wednesday Night Dynamite, and now we’ve been extended through 2023! We’re now making the ultimate statement that the team of AEW and TNT is here to stay and to bring fans more of the great wrestling that the fans demand and deserve.” No details have been announced yet for the new show. AEW DEAL WITH TNT WORTH $175 MILLION OVER FOUR YEARS- Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that WarnerMedia is paying AEW approximately $45 million per year for the new four-year television deal that will keep Dynamite on TNT through 2023. The deal is worth $175 million in total and WarnerMedia has the option to extend in 2024 for more money if they want to eventually keep the show. Meltzer said that this deal will make AEW profitable in 2020 and beyond. As part of the extended deal, AEW will get another hour on television sometime this year although no date has been announced yet. The third hour is likely to be also taped on Wednesdays, making it a long day of television considering AEW also tapes Dark for YouTube after Dynamite wraps up filming. BASH AT THE BEACH THEMED EPISODE OF DYNAMITE TONIGHT- Tonight's Dynamite on TNT is another PPV-worthy loaded card, with five solid matches for the Bash at the Beach themed episode of the show. Scheduled for the show live from Miami tonight are Kris Statlander and Hiroku Shida vs Awesome Kong and Mel, PAC vs Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara vs Jon Moxley, MJF, The Butcher, and The Blade vs Diamond Dallas Page, QT Marshall, and Dustin Rhodes, and a #1 contenders match for the AEW Tag Team titles featuring The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page, Ortiz and Santana, and Best Friends. The show will take place from the Watsco Center and will carry the name of the former WCW pay-per-view, a name which Cody Rhodes now has the rights for. TRIPLE H PUBLICLY APOLOGIZES TO PAIGE AFTER "TERRIBLE JOKE"- Triple H, WWE's Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative, has publicly apologized to Paige for a "terrible joke" he made last week while speaking to the media prior to the NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool II event. Triple H was asked about the rumors of Edge and Paige returning to the ring and he said that he would like for them to live a healthy life rather that come back and something happens again, adding that Edge has kids and Paige "probably has some she doesn't know of." The joke didn't go down well with the former NXT and Divas champion who in the past revealed she cannot have kids. Today, Triple H issued a public apology on Twitter, writing, "I’ve reached out to @RealPaigeWWE to apologize. I made a terrible joke and I’m sorry if it offended her or anyone else." Speaking to Sportskeeda, Paige said she was surprised by what Triple H said and she was confused why he would make such a joke. "Obviously I was a little bit perplexed...a little bit taken aback because he's someone that I truly look up to and he's always been very respectful, so I feel like he got caught up maybe in a joke that I just don't think was appropriate to joke about," Paige said. "I don't know...I feel like it's something that I don't need to continually keep talking about because I feel like people have done a pretty good job of that." Paige confirmed that Triple H did reach out to her and that they're going to be talking about some things moving forward. Nikki Bella also addressed the bad taste joke on her Twitter, saying that "change in a company starts from the top" and their leaders help set the example. "For us women we need all the help we can get. Help with respect from our co workers and fans. We are all one." Renee Young also jumped to Paige's defense who said that Paige has been to hell and back "but still some people wanna make jokes." Young then called for real change. NXT PREVIEW- Four matches have been announced for tonight's NXT on USA Network. Fresh off a sizable ratings defeat last week, NXT is looking to get back on track after two weeks of taped shows somewhat derailed the momentum. The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament matches tonight will feature Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne vs Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan while Kushida and Alex Shelley battle the Grizzled Young Veterans. Lio Rush, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and Tyler Breeze will be in a triple threat match with the winner advancing to Worlds Collide in the planned fatal 4-Way match for the NXT Cruiserweight title. A battle royal to determine the number one contender for the NXT Women's title will also take place while the WWE.COM preview also suggests the fallout from The Undisputed Era's attack on Imperium at NXT UK Takeover. MERCEDES MARTINEZ ADDED TO NXT WOMEN'S BATTLE ROYAL- The recently signed Mercedes Martinez is going straight into the spotlight tonight on NXT as she was announced on WWE Backstage last night as being part of the battle royal to crown the new number one contender for the NXT Women's title. Other competitors set for tonight's battle royal include Bianca Belair, Candice LeRae, Chelsea Green, Dakota Kai, Io Shirai, Kayden Carter, Mia Yim, Santana Garrett, Shotzi Blackheart, Vanessa Borne, and Xia Li. It's not known if any others will be added by the time the show goes on the air. Whoever wins the match will face Rhea Ripley at NXT Takeover: Portland next month. Martinez is joined by Anthony Francis, Emily Andzulis, Jake Atlas, Sidney Bateman, and Zechariah Smith as the latest WWE Performance Center trainees. RAW PREVIEW- As expected, Monday Night Raw got a serious beatdown in the ratings due to the college football game on ESPN, with Raw only getting 2,030,000 viewers, down 354,000 viewers from last week. This was the least-watched live Raw in modern-day history. Hour one started with 2,218,000 viewers, followed by 2,059,000 viewers in the second hour, and then 1,814,000 viewers in the third and final hour. Just as a comparison, the football on ESPN did a gigantic 25 million viewers. Raw was #9, #10, and #13 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and #15 in overall viewership for the night on cable. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com) ELIAS SIGNS NEW WWE DEAL- WWE Superstar Elias has signed a new multi-year deal with WWE. The news was reported yesterday during WWE Backstage. The 32-year-old has been working for WWE since 2014, first appearing in NXT under the name of Elias Samson. In April 2017, he was moved to the main roster where was was filmed multiple times walking through the crowd with his guitar during matches and playing the guitar in the background during different backstage segments. In July of that year, WWE dropped the Samson part from his name and he has been known as just Elias ever since. The Pittsburgh native has been wrestling professionally since 2008 and worked for various independent promotions before signing with WWE. WWE SUPERSTARS IN TRANSFORMATIONAL SERIES FIGHT LIKE A GIRL REVEALED- Quibi and WWE today announced the WWE Superstars participating in the transformational series Fight Like a Girl. Leading individual episodes of the upcoming series are WWE Superstars Sasha Banks, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Alexa Bliss, Sonya Deville, Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, Becky Lynch and Natalya. In each episode of Fight Like a Girl, Stephanie McMahon pairs a WWE Superstar with a young woman struggling with a personal issue that has been holding her back. The WWE Superstars draw from their own life experiences to help their trainees overcome obstacles and become tougher, stronger and healthier versions of their former selves inside and out. “This strong cast of Superstars are leaders and role models who each have personal stories of challenge, perseverance and triumph,” said Stephanie McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer. “We are thrilled to have them on board to help young women find both their inner and outer strength and overcome adversity in their lives.” Shot at the world-famous WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, each episode features a stunning transformation and heart-pounding reveal as the women change their lives forever. Produced by WWE Studios and Critical Content, the Executive Producers are Stephanie McMahon, Susan Levison and Ben Zierten for WWE Studios, and Tom Forman, Jenny Daly and Jon Beyer for Critical Content. ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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Wrestling-Online Newsletter #5822
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE : mailto:[email protected] ===================================================================== Watch Royal Rumble free on the WWE Network! ===================================================================== _ _____ ___ ___ _____ _ ___ _ _ ___ \ \ / / _ \ __/ __|_ _| | |_ _| \| |/ __| \ \/\/ /| / _|\__ \ | | | |__ | || .` | (_ | \_/\_/ |_|_\___|___/ |_| |____|___|_|\_|\___| ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ ___ / _ \| \| | | |_ _| \| | __| | (_) | .` | |__ | || .` | _| \___/|_|\_|____|___|_|\_|___| _ _ _____ _____ _ ___ _____ _____ ___ ___ | \| | __\ \ / / __| | | __|_ _|_ _| __| _ \ | .` | _| \ \/\/ /\__ \ |__| _| | | | | | _|| / |_|\_|___| \_/\_/ |___/____|___| |_| |_| |___|_|_\ ==================================================== Tuesday, January 14 2020 Issue #5822 ==================================================== Visit our website at ==================================================== //->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Colin Vassallo -[mailto:editor@...]- The best part of Monday Night Raw, hands down, was the Brock / R-Truth segment. I laughed my ass off and found it very entertaining. Truth is gold, and Brock was pretty funny too. I was hoping Brock wouldn't pin him for the 24/7 title though because if that happened...that's another title gone from WWE television! LOL! ======================================================== //->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE Web version at NIKKI AND BRIE BELLA GET IN AN ICE TUB WITH KEVIN HART ON A NEW COLD AS BALLS EPISODE- Nikki and Brie Bella are featured on this week's episode of Cold As Balls from Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud channel. The twins get in an ice tub with Hart to dish on everything from dealing with cattiness backstage to getting all the women in the WWE to band together and start an evolution towards making wrestling better for women. Nikki also opens up about her main event match with Ronda Rousey at Evolution. Episode highlights also include chatting about getting their start, Hart's relationship with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, their theme songs, the first ring names that were chosen for them, their grandfather who didn't want them to wrestle, and more. You can see the episode at . WWE 24 RETURNS WITH WRESTLEMANIA NEW YORK EPISODE- The next episode of the highly-rated WWE 24 will be titled WrestleMania New York and will focus on the behind-the-scenes activity leading up to last year's WrestleMania, technically held in New Jersey. This episode will air immediately following the conclusion of the 2020 Royal Rumble on the WWE Network on Sunday, January 26. WWE 24: WrestleMania New York is the the 24th episode of the series and the first one for the new year. Usually WWE produces four or five episodes of WWE 24 per year although last year they had six in total, focusing on WrestleMania 34, Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey, Batista, Kofi Kingston, and Trish Stratus. The latest episode on Trish made its debut on December 1. Ever since the show made its debut in 2015, the look back at the previous year's WrestleMania has always aired in late January. This is the sixth one focusing on WrestleMania. THE MIZ TO HOST NEW USA NETWORK COMPETITION CANNONBALL- TheWrap.com is reporting that WWE Superstar The Miz will be hosting USA Network's upcoming competition series titled Cannonball. He will be flanked by co-hosts Rosci Diaz and sideline reporter Simon Gibson. The 10-episode Cannonball will premiere on USA in the summer and will feature contestants from across America who face off in the “biggest, wettest, slippery-est water sports competition ever created.” Cannonball is produced by ITV America’s ITV Entertainment, based on the original format by ITV Studios Netherlands. The Miz and his wife Maryse have been a big hit on the cable channel with their Miz & Mrs show, pulling in decent numbers for the network. Season two will hit TV screens later this month. DAVE BAUTISTA JOINS THE APPLE TV+ SERIES SEE FOR SEASON TWO- Soon-to-be WWE Hall of Famer Dave Bautista has joined the cast of See, Apple TV+'s drama series. Bautista will start with season two of the show, which is created by Steven Knight and Francis Lawrence. The series is set in the distant future, where the human race has lost the sense of sight, and society is left to find new ways to interact, build, hunt, and survive. Meanwhile, the wife of blind warrior and chieftain Baba Voss gives birth to a set of twins. To his tribe's amazement, the twins can see. Voss is played by Jason Momoa and Bautista will be joined by Alfre Woodard, Hera Hilmar, Sylvia Hoeks, and Christian Carmago who will all be returning for season two. Bautista's involvement in See is his first major television gig as he previously only did movies. The former WWE champion will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this April during WrestleMania week in Tampa. JON MOXLEY TO FACE JOSH BARNETT AT BLOODSPORT III- While AEW has no shows planned during WrestleMania weekend, IWGP United States champion Jon Moxley will be in Tampa during the weekend, and not just accompanying his wife Renee Young. Moxley will be involved in a match against former UFC champ Josh Barnett as part of his Bloodsport III show, held at The Cuban Club on Thursday, April 2, in conjunction with Game Changer Wrestling. The former WWE champion was supposed to wrestle Barnett in September last year and main event Bloodsport II but his MRSA infection got in the way. Eventually he had to pull out just like he did for All Out. Bloodsport rules involve matches ending in either a knockout or submission, so there's no pinfalls as a means of win. The ring is also without ropes or turnbuckles, giving the feeling of a proper fight. ======================================================== ADVERTISING: (C) Copyright 1996-2020 Wrestling-Online.com ======================================================== |
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