Here’s the latest round of Impact Wrestling tapings reuslts. These matches will air on January 26th, an episode that’s being billed as a “Genesis” special:
– New Grand Champion Drew Galloway came out for a promo. Moose came out and wanted his rematch for the title.
– Drew Galloway defeated Moose to retain the Grand Title.
– The Hardys retained the tag team titles against the DCC (Bram and Kingston) and Decay.
– Rosemary defeated Jade to retain the knockouts title in a Monster’s Ball match. This match was said to be a really strong hardcore match. Gail Kim came out after the match to check on Jade and Rosemary sprayed mist in Kim’s face.
– Trevor Lee defeated DJZ to win the X-Division Title in a ladder match.
– Sienna defeated Brooke Tessmacher due to outside interference from Maria.
– Bobby Lashley defeated Eddie Edwards 3-2 in a 30-minute Iron Man match to regain the TNA World Title. For the finish, Edwards had a submission on but Lashley but Lashley was able to hold on until the time limit expired.
WWE’s “show of shows” is officially returning to the Big Easy in 2018. The company confirmed on Monday that next year’s WrestleMania 34 pay-per-view will take place from New Orleans, Louisiana at the Superdome.
The news was first reported by Ryan Satin at Pro Wrestling Sheet.
WrestleMania 30 was a huge success for the local economy and it looks like New Orleans’ made a bid WWE couldn’t refuse.
– In an effort to prevent WWE from poaching talent, New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that they are in the process of converting their talent contracts to multi-year deals.
Seth Rollins announced that he will be in this year’s Royal Rumble on Twitter. Rollins also acknowledged that he missed last year’s Wrestlemania and vowed to be in the main event this year.
Shaq posted a video on Instagram of himself riding a stationary bike with the caption “I’m coming for you BIG SHOW”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPCVrXch4iH/
At last year’s Wrestlemania, Shaq entered the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and had a stare down with the Big Show. There hasn’t been an official announcement that Shaq will be facing Big Show at Wrestlemania 33, but at this point it seems very likely to happen.
The UK Championship Tournament airs this weekend on the WWE Network. The WWE has posted the bracket for the tournament and you can check out the full post by clicking here. Below is the bracket that the WWE released.
Tyler Bate vs. Tucker
Jordan Devlin vs. Danny Burch
Trent Seven vs. H.C. Dyer
Wolfgang vs. Tyson T-Bone
Mark Andrews vs. Dan Moloney
James Drake vs. Joseph Conners
Pete Dunne vs. Roy Johnson
Saxon Huxley vs. Sam Gradwell
The WWE also posted a video of Roman Reigns walking into the arena for tonight’s Monday Night Raw. Roman stated that his stare down with Goldberg was one of the coolest ones he has ever been a part of. Reigns also claimed that he is feeling good heading into his United States Championship defense against Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho later tonight.
A NEW LOOK FOR MICK
It’s probably best not to take your grooming tips from the hard-core legend. After attempting a home-made self-done haircut, a WWE stylist did her very best to salvage my handiwork, and lots of locks needed to be lopped in order to foil the Foley fashion faux pas. All in all, I kind of like the haircut – probably the shortest it’s been since my commissioner run in 2000. Let me know what you think!
Ahead of tonight’s Raw, Foley got another haircut.
Finn Balor won the Universal Championship at SummerSlam in his match against Seth Rollins and then had to relinquish the title the next night due to injury. The injury occurred when Rollins hit a Powerbomb on Balor onto the barricade surrounding the ring. Balor is hoping to make his return soon and revealed at the New Orleans Wizard Comic Con that he hopes to get some revenge on Seth Rollins at this year’s Wrestlemania. Balor stated this to a young fan and the parent of that fan posted a video of the conversation on Twitter.
I'm going to be a first-time Dad in about 9 weeks. Seeing @SpeedyHot1079 son Logan w/ @FinnBalor made me so excited for Fatherhood ?? pic.twitter.com/KGNmx1vH4D
On WWE’s website, they currently have a poll up that asks which Superstar has been the better champion for their respective brand between Kevin Owens and AJ Styles. As of now, AJ Styles has 91% of the votes from the WWE Universe. Styles and Owens are both heel champions, yet Styles has won most of his matches on his own. Kevin Owens has relied on the assistance of Chris Jericho to retain his Universal Championship. Owens may wind up adding another championship around his waist tonight on Monday Night Raw. Roman Reigns will be defending the United States Championship against Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho later tonight.
Dave Meltzer stated on Wrestling Observer Radio that Kenny Omega’s contract with NJPW ends on January 31st this year. The Royal Rumble is taking place on January 29th and Meltzer also claims that there are rumors that Omega has already re-signed with NJPW. Meltzer noted that Omega re-signing with NJPW is unconfirmed at this point.
AJ Styles currently sits at the top of the list on ESPN’s WWE power rankings. Charlotte Flair comes in at number two and Kevin Owens is number three. You can check out the rest of ESPN’s power rankings by clicking here.
The WWE is hyping up Shawn Michael’s return to Monday Night Raw tonight on Twitter by posting Michaels return in 2002 in which he was announced as the newest member of the NWO.
Last night at the Golden Globes, actress Meryl Streep gave a political speech. During the speech, Streep also took a jab at MMA and the NFL. Streep stated:
Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners, if we kick them all out you’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts.
Dolph Ziggler sent out a Tweet earlier in response to that comment from Streep. The WWE’s official account has since retweeted Ziggler’s post.
John Cena continues to post photos on Instagram in an effort to get fans discussing Kenny Omega joining the WWE. Cena recently posted a picture of Omega on his Instagram and has now posted a picture of Kenny from South Park. You can view that post by clicking here.
Kevin Owens was on Off The Top Rope on ESPN recently and was a part of the “One Word” segment. Owens was asked by Jonathan Coachman to give one word about Goldberg and Owens chose “enemy”. Owens’ reasoning was that he grew up a die-hard WWE fan and that Goldberg was the biggest name in WCW at the time. Owens also attributed the word “uselss” to internet trolls. You can check out the entire segment by clicking here.
Mick Foley posted his thoughts on the match between Kenny Omega and Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 11. Foley described the match as one of the greatest he has ever seen and encouraged people to make an effort to watch it.
TNA has posted a new video of Bobby Lashley challenging Ethan Carter III to a Last Man Standing match. That match will happen on this week’s Impact and the winner will go on to face Eddie Edwards for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
The WWE uploaded a new video that listed the top 10 biggest disses to John Cena over the years. The list included Dean Ambrose, The Miz, Kevin Owens, Paul Heyman, AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, The Rock, Kurt Angle, Edge and Stephanie McMahon. The Kurt Angle one is absolutely hilarious. You can check out all the disses in the video below.
The WWE uploaded another video in which recruits discussed their goals in 2017.
John Cena posted a photo of Kenny Omega on his Instagram account. This is nothing new for Cena, as he has posted pictures of AJ Styles and CM Punk in the past. Following his loss to Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 11, Omega has stated that he is leaving Japan. This could be Cena just getting the fans riled up or Omega may be making his way to the WWE. Cena posted a picture of AJ Styles on his Instagram just four days before he made his WWE debut at last year’s Royal Rumble. This has led many to speculate that Omega might make an appearance at this year’s Royal Rumble.
In a Impact Digital Exclusive, The Wolves (Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards) challenged Matt and Jeff Hardy. The teams will meet on this week’s episode of Impact with the Tag Team Championships on the line. You can check out the video below.
Elijah Mainville was given an honorary contract by the WWE during his battle with neuroblastoma cancer. His ring name was Drax Shadow and he posed with former WWE Superstar Stardust in the ring. Unfortunately, Mainville passed away at just 9 years old. Mainville’s family has started a GoFundMe account to help with his funeral costs. You can donate to the Mainville family by clicking here.
Cody Rhodes addressed Elijah Mainville’s passing on Twitter.
WWE artist Rob Shamberger painted The Undertaker in the newest episode of Canvas 2 Canvas. The Undertaker will be making his return to Monday Night Raw later on tonight. You can check out the video below.
NXT Superstar Patrick Clark took to Twitter to call out wrestling fans. Clark seemed to be disgruntled at fans who pay to attend events and voice their opinions during the show. Clark went on to call fans entitled and classless.
The January 9th, 2017 edition of WWE RAW airs live on the USA Network tonight from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA. The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels are both scheduled to make appearances tonight, and as previously reported Roman Reigns will defend his U.S. Title against both Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho in a handicap match.
Here are the items being promoted in WWE.com‘s five-point preview for tonight’s RAW:
– What do The Deadman and The Showstopper have planned?
– Can Reigns defy the odds against Owens and Jericho in a Handicap Match?
– Who will declare for the Royal Rumble Match?
– Will Bayley dethrone Charlotte Flair?
– Is Neville our next WWE Cruiserweight Champion?
Join us tonight at 8 PM ET for live play-by-play RAW results and discussion! Comment with your thoughts and predictions on tonight’s show below.
– Nikki Bella revealed on Instagram that she’s currently battling the flu, but wrestling nonetheless. She will be on hand for tonight’s WWE live event in Lafayette, Louisiana.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPA0vdDBfI9/
– NXT wrestler Big Damo will be known as Killian Dain going forward.
This is according to his Twitter account, which has been changed to @KillianDain. He also acknowledged the name change in a tweet.
The 31-year-old wrestler from Belfast, Northern Ireland, has been wrestling at NXT house shows lately. He seemed to align himself with SAnitY during an episode of NXT last month by attacking No Way Jose and then stomping on Sawyer Fulton’s jacket on the entrance ramp.
– Lilian Garcia plans to resume her podcast, Making Their Way To The Ring, on Monday. The former WWE ring announcer says it will be an emotional show.
NXT star Tommy End is now known as Aleister Black. He defeated Elias Samson at Saturday night’s NXT live event from Ocala, Florida. Here are full results from the show, courtesy of JJ Williams:
– The show opened with wrestling legend Dory Funk Jr. coming to the ring for a promo. He was interrupted by SANITY, who were interrupted by Wesley Blake, Tucker Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic. This set up a 6-man tag match.
– Wesley Blake, Tucker Knight & Otis Dozovic defeated SANITY in a hot opener.
– Jim Ross posted a new blog on his website and discussed the development of Braun Strowman. Ross thought the WWE had done a good job of separating Strowman from the pack but thinks he may still have some areas he could improve in. Here is an excerpt from J.R.’s blog post.
Hopefully Strowman’s evolution with continue to conceal his inexperience especially his ‘selling’ skill set. WWE has done a good job in separating the big man from the pack and now we will see how he adds to the company’s faith in him by getting better each day in some area of his profession.
J.R. also discussed Dolph Ziggler’s heel turn and Jeff Jarrett’s return to TNA Wrestling. You can check out the full post by clicking here.
At this week’s Impact Wrestling tapings, Aron Rex and Rockstar Spud debuted new gimmicks. Spud appears to be playing the role as Rex’s valet. Spud was sporting a powder blue suite and cap. Rex’s new character is very flamboyant and he came down to the ring in a white fur coat.
Last night, the WWE held a live event in Georgia that saw Universal Champion Kevin Owens losing to Roman Reigns in a United States Championship match. Owens has wrestled Roman Reigns in a singles match 18 times since the brand split and has won only two of them. His two victories against Reigns were at WWE Roadblock: End of the Line and on the September 12th, 2016 episode of Monday Night Raw. A lot of these losses happened at house shows. However, when Owens was wrestling Seth Rollins at live events after the brand split, Owens was winning regularly. Owens usually only wins matches when Chris Jericho is there to help him out. Kevin Owens and Jericho will get another shot at the United States Championship this Monday on Raw.
The WWE has posted an article listing off five dream matches they would like to see for Goldberg. The names on the list were Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, AJ Styles, John Cena and The Undertaker. You can read the entire article by clicking here.
The WWE also released a new video of 6 Superstars to watch in 2016. The 6 names on the list were Bayley, Brock Lesnar, Jack Gallagher, Nikki Bella, Bray Wyatt and Tye Dillinger. You can check out the video below.
After returning to the NXT at Thursday night’s TV tapings from Full Sail University, Kassius Ohno worked Friday’s live event from Largo, FL. He defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas. Here’s a
Following Thursday’s “live” edition of Impact Wrestling, TNA taped the following matches for next week’s show, airing January 12th. Thanks to Lyne B. for the report:
– Aron Rex and Rockstar Spud have been re-branded as a “Liberace + valet” type of unit. Spud is sporting a powder blue doorman suit; Rex in a floor length white fur coat with oversized, sparkly rings on most fingers. Rex cuts a flamboyant promo claiming that Spud has been “reborn” and “it’s not about violence in 2017.” Robbie E interrupts and gets the double attack in ring. Rex will apparently be using his oversized rings as a brass-knuckle type ploy.
– Braxton Sutter defeated Mike Bennett. Allie comes out midway through match as an equalizer against Maria Kanellis. It appears the real-life couples will be continuing this storyline
– TNA Knockouts Champion Rosemary cuts a promo in the ring on how there’s no more challengers for her to take on. Jade, now sporting short hair, interrupts and requests another shot. Rosemary challenges Jade to a Monster’s Ball match (Red vs. Blue). Rosemary goes on the attack after Jade accepts.
– The Hardys defeated The Wolves to retain the TNA Tag Team Titles. Excellent match with lots of high spots, near falls, 1 on 2 submissions, and 2 on 1 spots. Dissension between The Wolves starts brewing to set up a Davey Richards heel-turn on Edwards
– Jessie Godderz defeated Bad Bones via submission in a match taped for Xplosion. Godderz is no longer wearing Bro-Mans trunks.
New year, new owners, new logo. At Friday night’s Impact Wrestling tapings, the Anthem Media Group unveiled a new logo for their flagship wrestling show. The new Impact Wrestling logo features the Anthem logo front and center with no mentions of “TNA.”
Check back later tonight for complete spoilers from the show.
The first TNA Impact on POP TV episode of 2017 drew 290,000 viewers. This is up from last week’s 224,000 viewers for the “Hardy New Year” special.
The show aired on a slight tape-delay from Orlando and featured Eddie Edwards retaining the World Heavyweight Championship over EC3 and Lashley in the main event.
Impact ranked #118 on the cable top 150 list this week, up from last week’s #122 spot.
