FloSlam announced this week that German-based promotion wXw will have shows available live through the streaming service going forward.

“Based in Germany, wXw is world-renowned for the quality of their shows and now they will be easier to see than ever. Over the next several years, FloSlam will be bringing you their top events as part of our World Premiere Events series, including the annual16 Carat Gold tournament.

Best of all, you don’t have to wait long. Their 16th Anniversary Show will be coming to you at 8:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, December 21st. The card features the FloSlam premiere for Adam Cole, as he takes on Marty Scurll and Jurn Simmons in a three-way dance for the Unified World Wrestling Championship.

After the initial airing, shows will be available for unlimited rewatching via our ever-growing library. In fact, the partnership also will include selections from the wXw back catalog as we continue to seek ways to bring you more and more incredible wrestling content.

We’d like to welcome wXw to FloSlam, and can’t believe we now get to bring you two House of Hardcore shows, Shine 39, ACW: Yuletide Beatings, IPW:UK Supershow 5 and two OTT shows all before the New Year. There’s never been a better time to sign up….”

https://twitter.com/FloSlam/status/809561869740609536

Here are the results from PWG’s Mystery Vortex IV show that took place in Reseda, California.

Trent b. Candice LaRae

Trevor Lee b. ACH

Matt Sydal b. Pete Dunne

reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) b. Death By Elbow (Chris Hero & JT Dunn)

Chuck Taylor b. Adam Cole – Taylor is now the Number 1 contender to the PWG title

Matt Riddle & Jeff Cobb b. PWG Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks

PWG Champion Zack Sabre Jr b. Marty Scurll – ZSJ took the submission victory to retain his title

Look who showed up in Reseda this evening! Took on Matt Sydal at PWG #mysteryvortex pic.twitter.com/cTunTTNFne

— ‘The Bruiserweight’ Pete Dunne (@PeteDunneYxB) December 17, 2016

Here are the 5 opponents listed in the video:

Braun Strowman

AJ Styles

Kevin Owens

Finn Balor

Shinsuke Nakamura

All of these matches sound awesome. However, I’d prefer to see some more than others. Out of the five matches in the video, here are in order the matches I’d like to see the most.

#5: Finn Balor

Balor is an awesome performer and half of the excitement for this match would surround their entrances. My only issue with this match is that Balor is so much smaller than The Undertaker. I would really have to try and convince myself that Balor would have a shot in the match. It would still be great to see, but out of the 5 matches listed it comes in at number five.

#4: Kevin Owens

I would be ecstatic to see this match one year ago. Right now, Kevin Owens is being booked as someone that needs all the help in the world to win a match. Of course, this would still be an excellent match if it were to happen.

#3:  Braun Strowman

Braun Strowman has been one of the bright spots on Monday Night Raw. Sure, it is tedious to sit through Strowman squash matches every week, but he is being build up correctly. Another feather in Strowman’s cap is that he is actually decent cutting a promo. He is a rare Superstar in that he is a massive human being and is also very athletic in the ring. He is the total package when it comes to a WWE Superstar. If Strowman continues to defeat everyone in his path, I wouldn’t mind seeing him go against The Undertaker at Wrestlemania. I wouldn’t mind that one bit.

#2: Shinsuke Nakamura

I’m a huge Nakamura fan. His matches are so physical and every move he does looks like it legitimately hurts his opponent. This match is probably the least likely to happen out of those in the video but I would still love to see it. Nakamura has such an interesting style in the ring and I think it would be fascinating to see how he would work with The Undertaker.

#1: AJ Styles

In my opinion, AJ Styles is the best opponent for The Undertaker. He is currently the WWE World Champion and has been exceptional since arriving in the WWE at the Royal Rumble in January. Granted, Styles has always been phenomenal but I was skeptical if he would be given the chance to be in the WWE. Well, he was given the chance to show what he can do and he’s been the MVP for the WWE this year. Smackdown is a very entertaining show because Styles is on it. Styles is also a perfect opponent for The Undertaker because he can carry the match. AJ Styles can make The Undertaker look twenty years longer if they were to have a match together.

Discussion: Out of these five matches, which would you like to see the most and why? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Total Nonstop Deletion had it all – Maxel Hardy’s in-ring debut, Crazy Steve being thrown into an active volcano, cameos from The Rock N Roll Express, Road Warrior Animal, ODB and Hornswoggle, a “3 Count” reunion, the announcement of Reby Hardy’s pregnancy and so much more. What did you think? Did Final Deletion live up to the hype?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQt2SnFtwpI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIYrzQxtppk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSUoM4kDwgk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeDIhQ4nPUU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WpWk522X00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxTcOZmNbbk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YtLrLoakJE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_0hOrdalJs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsW096PtnRw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFSy_Nb1FWA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlWv4BN_ElM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OgtUD3SXlQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGdllbLN3k0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3to9TwcByac

– WWE has released its annual Happy Holidays video featuring the new WWE Emoji.

– Monday’s WWE RAW ranked #3 on the Series & Specials list for Nielsen’s social media TV ratings. The show had 109,000 interactions with 23,000 unique authors on Twitter and 218,000 interactions on Facebook with 151,000 unique authors.

SmackDown this week also ranked #3 for the night. The show drew 54,000 interactions on Twitter with 14,000 unique authors and 104,000 interactions with 72,000 unique authors on Facebook.

– Stephanie McMahon was present for Vice President Joe Biden’s Cancer Moonshot announcement on Wednesday in Washington, DC. The program announced earlier this year will use federal government resources to accelerate cancer research. Stephanie is seated next to Biden and WWE friend Jon Stewart in these photos she tweeted:

Thank u @VP Biden 4 including @WWE in the #cancermoonshot discussion. It was honor to be in the same room w/ you & some of America's heroes. pic.twitter.com/I6ll0I2uIo

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) December 14, 2016

Samoa Joe appeared before the main event of last night’s NXT house show in Riverside, CA and announced that he was unable to compete. Joe then watched the main event as Shinsuke Nakamura and Tye Dillinger defeated Bobby Roode and Andrade Almas.

NXT has not announced an injury to Joe but he’s worked every house show on the tour of Australia from this past week. After the steel cage match with Nakamura on 12/8 in Melbourne, Joe teamed with Roode and Elias Samson and lost to Nakamura, Murphy and Dillinger on 12/10 in Newcastle. Both Joe and Nakamura were limited in this match. Joe also appeared at the 12/12 NXT house show in Gold Coast, teaming with The Revival to face Joe and TM-61. It was noted by fans in attendance that The Revival and TM-61 worked most of that match but there was not a lot of involvement from Joe.

Joe then worked the 12/13 house show in Sydney, teaming with Roode and Samson to take on Nakamura, Dillinger and Murphy. This match was originally supposed to be Nakamura vs. Joe vs. Roode vs. Dillinger in a fatal 4 way but it was changed at the last minute, forcing boos from the crowd and a hijacking at one point.

Stay tuned for updates on Joe’s condition.

USA Network issued the following press release today touting their success in 2016, largely due to WWE programming:

USA NETWORK SET TO MAKE TV HISTORY AS #1 AD-SUPPORTED ENTERTAINMENT CABLE NETWORK IN TOTAL VIEWERS FOR 11TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

NEW YORK – December 15, 2016 – USA Network is on track to end 2016 as the most watched ad-supported cable entertainment network for an 11th consecutive year — the longest streak at #1 for a cable or broadcast network in the history of Nielsen metered measurement. Driven by hit new and returning series including COLONY, QUEEN OF THE SOUTH, SHOOTER, MR. ROBOT, SUITS and CHRISLEY KNOWS BEST and two nights per week of live action with WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW and WWE SMACKDOWN LIVE, USA delivered an average of 1.68MM total viewers P2+ for the year.

In 4th Quarter 2016, USA is also on track to be up +5% vs. last year — one of only three Top 10 networks to show year over year ratings growth among the key 18-49 demo. “We are so proud to end 2016 at #1 for the 11th straight year,” said Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “USA’s enduring success is a testament to not only our amazing team, but to a strong programming lineup that continues to deliver a devoted audience at scale year after year.”

HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2016 INCLUDE:

· USA was the #1 cable entertainment network on Monday nights with P18-49 and P2+, with the three-hour live WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW garnering an average of 3.7MM total viewers P2+.

· Since moving to Tuesday nights in July, WWE SMACKDOWN LIVE saw double-digit increases: +25% P18-49 and +12% P2+, helping USA rank as the #1 cable entertainment network in its timeslot in those demos. Versus year-ago ratings, SMACKDOWN is up +46% among P18-49 and +17% among P2+.

· Three new USA series — COLONY, SHOOTER and QUEEN OF THE SOUTH — were top 10 scripted first season dramas on ad-supported cable for P2+, with COLONY and SHOOTER also top 10 among P18-49.

· COLONY was USA’s #1 new series in 2016 among P18-49, P25-54 and P2+, delivering an average of 2.5MM P2+.

· Since its mid-November debut, SHOOTER is USA’s #1 new scripted series year to date with P18-34, and is a top five ad-supported cable first season drama among both P18-34 and M18-49.

· In addition to being a top 10 ad-supported cable first season drama with P25-54 and P2+, QUEEN OF THE SOUTH is also the most multicultural original series in the history of USA among P18-49 with over 50% of the audience either Hispanic or African American.

· Returning series CHRISLEY KNOWS BEST, SUITS and MR. ROBOT continued to deliver in 2016:

· CHRISLEY KNOWS BEST’s fourth season was its most watched ever among both P18-49 and P2+. The original unscripted series delivered 1.4MM P18-49 and 2.80MM in P2+, increases of +7% and +6% respectively over Season 3.

· SUITS was the #1 cable entertainment series on Wednesday nights during both the show’s winter and summer runs in P18-49 and P2+ and was a top 20 ad-supported cable entertainment series in P2+.

· USA’s award-winning series MR. ROBOT delivered a younger and more affluent audience in its second season, lowering its median age by four years and becoming the network’s most upscale original series ever. To date, Season 2 has had more than 16MM unduplicated viewers and received an additional 12MM views on non-linear platforms.

Note: All linear data below is YTD (12/28/15-11/20/16), L7 (000) Press Prime unless otherwise noted. 2015 is 12/29/14-12/17/15. Top ad-supported cable entertainment show rankers are based on programs (new and returning shows) and excludes repeats and specials. USA original series rankers exclude wrestling. 3+ telecasts with exception of bullets that incorporate Shooter (1+). Program rankers for the night (8-11pm) or timeslot include all airings for programs, including repeats and specials. All digital data is Omniture, 2016 year to date (1/1/2016-12/6/2016), FY2015. Mr. Robot non-linear is Omniture, Rentrak, and Xfinity Portal.

– Former Ring Of Honor World Champion Michael Elgin announced on Thursday that he’ll no longer be working for the promotion. He will continue working for New Japan Pro Wrestling (including their joint shows with ROH overseas), but will be working elsewhere in the United States. Elgin signed a 2-year deal with NJPW earlier this year. His new promotion Glory Pro launches in early 2017.

https://twitter.com/MichaelElgin25/status/809435626730909696

https://twitter.com/MichaelElgin25/status/809442947393617920

– After returning to the ring at NXT live events last weekend, WWE’s Cathy Kelley has a new video questioning if the Ravishing Russian could be preparing for an extended run in NXT.

• Photos: Lana competes at #NXTStPetersBurg
• Photos: Lana competes at #NXTWinterHaven

This week’s Total Divas episode on E! drew 556,000 viewers, down from last week’s 563,000 viewers.

The show ranked #19 on the Cable Top 150, up from last week’s #26 spot.

The current breakdown for this season looks like this:

Episode #1 – 632k viewers
Episode #2 – 461k viewers
Episode #3 – 595k viewers
Episode #4 – 563k viewers
Episode #5 – 556k viewers

Zack Ryder confirmed on Twitter that he is undergoing knee surgery today in Birmingham, Alabama. He wrote the following and is already looking forward to his return:

Getting knee surgery 2day & missing #RogueOne…but everything happens for a reason…I'll be back…WrestleMania 32 was just the beginning!

— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) December 15, 2016

Ryder suffered the knee injury in the #1 contenders Battle Royal on this week’s SmackDown. The Hype Bros won the match but WWE has not announced what will happen to the #1 contendership or who The Wyatt Family will defend SmackDown Tag Team Championships against next. We will keep you updated on their next opponents and Ryder’s status once WWE makes an announcement.

Brock Lesnar has been suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission for one year due to the two failed drug tests from before his UFC 200 win over Mark Hunt. Lesnar has also agreed to pay a $250,000 fine as part of a settlement with the Nevada attorney general’s office.

Lesnar’s win over Hunt will be overturned into a no contest as well. He received a hefty $2.5 million purse for that fight.

Lesnar tested positive for anti-estrogenic agent hydroxy-clomiphene twice in pre-fight drug tests – one on June 28th and the other on the day of the fight, July 9th.

Lesnar will be able to return to MMA in 2017.

The UK’s Daily Star caught up with Triple H at Thursday’s big press conference from London to announce the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament (Full Details).

Triple H was asked about the possibility of Ronda Rousey making another appearance from WWE and said, “I know that she’s is a massive fan. I know that she had a wonderful time when she worked with us in the past and I know we’ve talked about doing things in the future.”

Rousey made a memorable cameo at WrestleMania 31 back in 2014, participating in an angle with The Rock which saw her get physical with Stephanie McMahon. Rousey returns to UFC later this month, her first fight since suffering a shocking defeat to Holly Holm last November. Rousey has “unfinished business” inside the Octagon, but she’s stated publicly that this could very well be her final MMA Fight.

“Right now [Ronda is] focused on unfinished things in the UFC,” Triple H said. “I know she has a lot of other projects in the work. But, never say never in the WWE – we have a great relationship and we’ll see where it goes.”

Triple H’s optimistic stance echoes what Stephanie McMahon told TMZ Sports last month.

For now, Rousey’s singular focus is winning her fight against Amanda Nunez on December 30th and reclaiming her UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship. Head over to our partner site MMANews.com and check out UFC’s extended UFC 207 preview video focusing on Rousey’s big reutrn:

• Video: UFC 207: Nunes vs. Rousey Extended Preview

Former Ring of Honor matchmaker Nigel McGuinness was on hand for Thursday’s big WWE press conference from London and was revealed to be one of the co-hosts (along with Michael Cole) for the upcoming WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament.

The following is from a press release WWE sent out earlier today regarding McGuinness’ background and his involvement in the UK Championship Tournament:

“Widely considered to be one of the greatest competitors to never have a major run in WWE, McGuinness was a contemporary of Superstars like Daniel Bryan, Cesaro and Samoa Joe, and shared the same global path through the wrestling world as those men. A swaggering London native with peroxide hair and a Johnny Rotten attitude, McGuinness entered the ring to a blistering Oasis anthem and attacked his opponents with the recklessness of a soccer hooligan after a losing game. His series of bouts against Bryan in the mid-2000s were so unrelentingly physical that you watch them and wonder why the cops didn’t intervene mid-match.

Injuries brought an early end to McGuinness’ career, but his influence is present in WWE today, whether you knew it or not. Seth Rollins cites him as a key opponent in his evolution as a ring performer, and the wild rebound lariat Dean Ambrose throws with abandon on SmackDown LIVE is done in tribute to the great McGuinness.

Outside of his in-ring physicality, McGuinness also possessed great intelligence and ring acumen, which he used to his benefit in retirement as he transitioned to the announce booth. He’ll bring those skills to the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament on January 14 & 15, 2017, live on WWE Network, and the WWE Universe will finally be introduced to one of England’s — and sports-entertainment’s — greats.”

Hulk Hogan should be getting paid his $31 million settlement from Gawker Media any day now, but now he has another legal matter to deal with: A band of thieves of drove up to steal a package that has been delivered to his front door.  WFLA-TV posted the above video from Saturday afternoon, when a few people drove up to Hogan’s home in Clearwater Beach, Florida, ran up the stairs as the car drove away, took the package that was laying at the front doorstep, and fled on foot.

If you recognize the people in the video, it is suggested that you reach out to the Clearwater Police Department in one of the following ways:

• Call the CPD at 727-562-4242.
• Use their SMS-based “TIP411” system by sending a text message with the letters “CWPD” your your tip to 847411.
• Call Crime Stoppers of Pinellas County at 1-800-873-TIPS.

WFLA’s report did not say what was in the package or if the thieves had targeted any other homes in the area.

No word yet on results from Zack Ryder’s MRI that he had on Wednesday but the Wrestling Observer reports that he was using crutches to walk backstage at Tuesday’s SmackDown after suffering the knee injury in the #1 contenders battle royal.

Ryder and partner Mojo Rawley were scheduled to work the Tribute to the Troops tapings after SmackDown, but they were replaced by American Alpha in the six-man match with Dolph Ziggler against The Wyatt Family. He tweeted on Thursday that he is now in Birmingham, Alabama “and not for a vacation” – a sign that the MRI revealed he needs surgery.

Regarding The Usos returning to action, they appeared on Talking Smack this week and confirmed that Jey Uso has been dealing with an ankle injury. The Wrestling Observer reports that they are scheduled back in the ring at the 12/26 WWE house show from Madison Square Garden. The brothers talked about wanting to challenge The Wyatt Family for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships, saying they were the only team that can beat The Wyatts. They also talked about how The Hype Bros shouldn’t be the #1 contenders. It will be interesting to see what WWE does with the #1 contendership if Ryder is out of action for an extended period of time.

Both The Usos and Naomi were brought into this week’s SmackDown but not used. There’s no word yet on when Naomi will be back in action, as she’s also been dealing with an ankle injury, but The Observer reports that she is not scheduled for any of the post-holiday house shows.

– There are currently no plans to have the 2016 WWE Slammy Awards on any platform, TV or the WWE Network, according to a new report from PWInsider. It was noted that plans could change and the awards could be brought back next year but it doesn’t look like we will get the 2016 edition. Following last year’s Slammy Awards it was reported that officials had discussed the idea of bringing the awards to WrestleMania week, but that’s the last we heard of that. We will keep you updated on the return of the awards if they’re brought back.

– Wyatt Family member Erick Rowan has been out of action since September with a torn rotator cuff but on more than one occasion he’s taken to social media to tease slight changes to his character, at least a new mask. Rowan posted this video to his own YouTube account this week, titled “THE GIFT,” the video once again teases a new mask for Rowan.

– WWE has confirmed that there will be no rematch for the 30-minute Iron Man match between Charlotte and RAW Women’s Champion Sasha Banks at Roadblock: End of the Line this Sunday. Regardless of the winner, there will be no rematch for the championship.

– Despite rumors going around social media, NXT’s Oney Lorcan is not injured. Photos posted by Johnny Gargano, seen below, show Lorcan wearing a brace while traveling in Australia this week. Lorcan worked every show on the tour and returned to the US for a day of fun at Disney yesterday. The brace he is wearing in these photos is one used for traveling, not for an injury.

#NXTAustralia was amazing. A big thank you to every one who made it possible! Truly a ONEy of a kind experience.. pic.twitter.com/3JJMS649BH

— Johnny Gargano (@JohnnyGargano) December 13, 2016

Fresh off a 14 hour flight from Australia.. What's the first thing we do?

Um. Go straight to @Disneyland! Duh. #OneysFirstTime pic.twitter.com/DKiSmWHyjD

— Johnny Gargano (@JohnnyGargano) December 14, 2016

– WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair will be appearing with rapper Coolio at the 25th annual Wing Bowl on 2/3 from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. CBS Philadelphia has full details at this link.

– It appears Zack Ryder may be undergoing knee surgery in Birmingham, Alabama today. WWE has not revealed the results of Ryder’s MRI from Wednesday but he tweeted the following this morning, indicating surgery in Alabama:

Flew to Birmingham, Alabama this morning…and not for a vacation.

— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) December 15, 2016

– WWE announcer JBL wrote the following in response to a fan that asked if Donald Trump would’ve still appointed Linda McMahon as head of the Small Business Administration if it weren’t for the millions of dollars she donated to him:

do you feel she would have been appointed w/o the financial contributions made to PEOTUS?

— Brian Diaz (@BDiaz_32724) December 10, 2016

I think @Linda_McMahon was appointed because she took a small business and turned it into a global conglomerate. This is my choice also. https://t.co/Q0YDbpHb7F

— John Layfield (@JCLayfield) December 10, 2016

TNA’s Dixie Carter also chimed in on the Trump – McMahon news with this tweet to the President-elect:

Smart move @realDonaldTrump for picking @linda_mcmahon to head @SBAgov. What a smart, talented lady. #Respect #JobGrowth #USA

— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) December 9, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSjnOCtjJLc

The Broken Hardys will present Total Nonstop Deletion tonight on POP TV in the regular TNA Impact Wrestling timeslot. The much anticipated event was taped more than a month ago at the Hardy compound in Cameron, NC.

Matches announced for tonight’s show include The Hardys defending the TNA Tag Team Championships against several tag teams, including The Decay and The Helms Dynasty, in the first ever Apocalypto match plus Lashley vs. World Champion Eddie Edwards in a Dome of Deletion Match. Matt Hardy’s baby son Maxel will also wrestle tonight but there’s no word yet on how they’re going to pull that off.

TNA has also announced that Sienna will be appearing on Total Nonstop Deletion and Jeff Hardy announced that his Itchweeed character will be appearing. Surprise appearances are also expected for tonight.

Join us later tonight for the fallout from Total Nonstop Deletion.

WWE is interested in bringing back former NXT talent and current TNA star Eli Drake (Shaun Ricker), according to The Wrestling Observer. Drake was signed as a WWE Performance Center recruit in May of 2013 and later worked NXT as Slate Randall but was released in August of 2014. It was reported at the time that Drake, who also appeared on The Rock’s “Hero” reality show on TNT before signing with WWE, had upset WWE officials with some of his tweets and with an e-mail he sent. The Wrestling Observer reported at the time that Drake had the charisma WWE wanted and he was progressing in the ring but the tweets and e-mail had him “buried” with officials.

Drake appeared on The Pancakes & Powerslams Show in June of 2015 and commented on being black-listed by WWE. The former TNA King of The Mountain Champion said: “I was on the black list there for a while. One of the guys who used to work in Talent Relations – I’ll leave him nameless – he got fired around early 2012, apparently not very liked in the back anyway; I guess he was kind of a jerk to a lot of people, for whatever reason, would bury me in the office,” he said. “So I was kind of just, nobody could touch me; nobody would touch me. So for a lot of years it was frustration and wondering what I’m working toward and why isn’t these guys taking my calls. And I finally started getting some of the details of why this guy was burying me. There was talk of them picking me up in 2011, I was there for SummerSlam, and then and the follow-up Raw and SmackDown, and everything went incredibly well. But all of a sudden it was like radio silence on their end and I hadn’t quite understood why until I spoke to this person, and he was like, “Well, we’re gonna go in a different direction.” I’m like, “OK?” and he’s like, “You can check out Ring of Honor or TNA or whatever.”

Drake continued, “So I think maybe five months after I had spoken to him on the phone, he’d gotten fired, which was a great day for me. I don’t wanna see anyone lose their job, but if you’ve keeping me out of a job, here’s to ya. So, I was more than happy to see him go. And so this new guy comes in, and the beauty of it is that with the footage I had from (Championship Wrestling from Hollywood), I would take some of this great-looking television footage that was on every week and put it together with a short little paragraph just introducing myself and a resume and some photos. Emailed it to this guy and he immediately responded to me and was interested but then found out that I was on this blacklist or whatever. So for the next few months I had to just wait and keep trying to establish this rapport. Eventually, these tryouts kept getting pushed off. First he offered me a tryout until he found out that I was on the blacklist. Then, a few months later I got offered a tryout but simultaneously, I also was offered a TNA tryout. So, my TNA tryout was on a Thursday and my WWE tryout was actually that following Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I was ecstatic because I have the two biggest companies vying for me and it’s perfect. Thursday I go into Impact and that goes well, then Sunday I get an email and I’m told that I can’t come to the (WWE) tryout. They couldn’t say why, but I’m pretty certain it was because there was a lawsuit going on between TNA and WWE at the time.”

WWE held a press conference on Thursday morning to announce it will crown the first-ever WWE United Kingdom Champion live on WWE Network (Full Details).

The 16-man tournament will air during a special, two-night tournament on Saturday, January 14 and Sunday, January 15, 2017. Participants include Progress Champion Pete Dunne, ICW Champion Wolfgang, Joseph Conners, Roy Johnson, Jordan Devlin, Tyson T-Bone, Tucker, HC Dyer, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven, Chris Tyler, Dan Moloney, Jack Starz, James Drake, Sam Gradwell, Ringo Ryan, Saxon Huxley and Tiger Ali (two will serve as alternates).

Michael Cole and Nigel McGuiness will host the tournament, which will take place from Blackpool, England.

WWE uploaded these videos from the press conference:

As noted this morning, WWE has announced a new UK Championship tournament for the WWE Network this January. Wrestlers for the 16-man tournament include Joseph Conners, Roy Johnson, Jordan Devlin, Tyson T-Bone, Tucker, HC Dyer, Tyler Bate, Wolfgang, Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, Chris Tyler, Dan Moloney, Jack Starz, James Drake, Sam Gradwell, Ringo Ryan, Saxon Huxley and Tiger Ali. Two will serve as alternates.

Here’s WWE’s official announcement regarding the UK Championship Tournament competitors:

WWE® to Crown U.K. Champion

LONDON & STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE® (NYSE:WWE) announced today that it will crown the first-ever WWE United Kingdom Champion live on WWE Network during a special, two-night tournament on Saturday, January 14 and Sunday, January 15, 2017 beginning at 8:00 PM GMT. Fans can watch the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament by signing up at WWENetwork.com.

Tickets for the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament, emanating from the historic Empress Ballroom in Blackpool,go on sale today at 12:00 PM GMT and can be purchased online at livenation.co.uk.

“Our passionate U.K. fans deserve to have their own Champion,” said WWE Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative Paul “Triple H®” Levesque. “The tournament is the next step in our ongoing strategy to create localized content for our global WWE Network, develop another brand that engages our passionate fans, and add a new dimension to our on-going storylines.”

This unprecedented event will feature a single-elimination tournament and showcase competitors from all four Home Nations and Ireland including: charismatic Trent Seven, from Wolverhampton; hard-hitting Pete Dunne, from Birmingham; Tyler Bate, the bright young 19-year-old star from Dudley, West Midlands; big brawler Wolfgang, from Glasgow; tough Tyson T-Bone, from Malvern; the aggressive Northern Irish grappler Tucker; Irish high-flyer Jordan Devlin, who hails from Bray, in County Wicklow, the same home town as WWE Superstar Finn Bálor®; and Londoner Roy Johnson, a former champion powerlifter.

William Regal®, Head Scout, WWE Talent Development, and Robbie Brookside, WWE trainer, participated in the scouting process for the tournament competitors, using their unrivalled knowledge and experience of the UK scene, developed over careers of more than 20 years in the ring.

The WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament on WWE Network will be called by WWE lead announcer Michael Cole, who will be joined by color analyst Nigel McGuinness, a mainstay of the UK independent scene.

At Thursday’s WWE press conference from London, Triple H announced WWE will crown its first ever United Kingdom Champion. A 16-man tournament will air on the WWE Network in January. Here is WWE’s official announcement:

• Videos From Today’s WWE UK Press Conference

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament comes to WWE Network in January

LONDON — At an historic press conference at the O2 Arena in London, Triple H revealed that WWE’s first-ever United Kingdom Champion will be crowned this January.

The WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament is a 16-competitor, two-day throwdown at Blackpool’s Empress Ballroom, airing live and exclusively on the award-winning WWE Network, featuring some of the best talent the U.K. has to offer. The last man standing at the end of the tournament will be crowned champion and awarded a title, which was also revealed at the conference.

Joining Triple H in London were former WWE Universal Champion Finn Bálor, General Manager of NXT William Regal and British wrestling icon Nigel McGuinness, who will be calling the tournament action on WWE Network alongside the voice of Monday Night Raw, Michael Cole. The WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament competitors also took the stage.

Tickets for this historic two-day event at the Empress Ballroom will be available starting today at 12 p.m. GMT at livenation.co.uk.

Stick with WWE.com for more news on this incredible tournament as it becomes available, and don’t miss the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament, January 14 & 15, live and exclusively on WWE Network!

.@TripleH announces @WWE's United Kingdom Championship Tournament. https://t.co/aGWbtVf1Cl pic.twitter.com/Z7QtlYRa5d

— WWE (@WWE) December 15, 2016

"Ladies and gentlemen…we will have the best talent we can find for this tournament…" – @RealKingRegal @WWEUK pic.twitter.com/9zycOobj8j

— WWE (@WWE) December 15, 2016

Welcome @McGuinnessNigel to the @WWE as part of the @WWE UK Championship Tournament! @WWEUK pic.twitter.com/BjVq87vla1

— WWE (@WWE) December 15, 2016

Next Wednesday’s NXT episode will feature Bobby Roode vs. Tye Dillinger vs. Andrade Almas vs. Roderick Strong in a Fatal 4 Way Elimination Match to crown a new #1 contender to NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura.

The winner of the Fatal 4 Way will get his championship shot at TakeOver: Orlando during Royal Rumble weekend.

Tonight’s NXT show saw the four Superstars win qualifying matches to advance to next week – Roode defeated Oney Lorcan, Strong defeated Elias Samson, Dillinger defeated Eric Young by DQ and Almas defeated No Way Jose. Here are post-match reactions from Almas and Strong:

Shawn Michaels appeared on Dallas, TX radio station 105.3 The Fan today to promote his new movie The Resurrection of Gavin Stone, and during the interview he addressed a hot topic in the wrestling world. The Heart Break Kid finally spoke on rumors about a possible “dream match” between him and AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble, which takes place in Michael’s hometown of San Antonio.

Michaels said that while no one from WWE has even contacted him about the Royal Rumble yet, he would love hearing the reaction from his hometown crowd if he came out from behind the curtain at the Alamodome. He recalled meeting AJ Styles once in-person, and called him “phenomenal.”

The WWE Hall of Famer added that he believes both him and WWE have happily moved on from each other, and said he’s enjoying his retirement.

You can listen to his interview here.

What did you do today Kevin?
Oh nothin, just met @ShawnMichaels!! We discussed his new flick @GavinStoneMovie … & maybe a little wrestling pic.twitter.com/1Nb5HgD5L2

— Kevin Hageland (@OThankKevin) December 12, 2016