Former WWE Champion AJ Styles had a great year with feuds with several WWE stars including Samoa Joe. In this storyline, WWE went in a different direction as they used his wife and daughter in this program that started at the SummerSlam pay-per-view event.
Styles was recently interviewed by Wrestlezone’s Kevin Kellam to talk about several topics including his feud with Joe over the summer with the WWE Title on the line.
He brought up how this is all his family has ever known that he does when it comes to his job and quite used to it, and used to what goes on. He continued by stating this is entertainment so it’s not a big deal to them and they couldn’t care less about their Dad being a pro wrestler.
“The challenges aren’t the storylines, the challenges are not being there when they need you the most.” He brought up how they get older, their bodies are changing, there’s school stuff and having those sit-downs with them. Thus, Styles wants to make sure that he’s kind of Dad to take the time to make sure that they know that he loves them, and they can come to him with anything.
It looks like John Cena might miss this year’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV). The 16-time World Champion has been keeping busy outside of the WWE ring as of late. He was recently living in China for several months to work on his “Project X” film alongside Jackie Chan. Now, Cena is making the media rounds to promote his new “Bumblebee” film.
According to a report from Cageside Seats’ “Rumor Roundup,” it’s being rumored that “The Leader Of The Cenation” could miss this year’s Royal Rumble PPV due to his busy film schedule. The 2019 Royal Rumble goes down from Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on January 27, 2019.
Cena has won the Royal Rumble match twice before, first in 2008 and later in 2013, which also took place in Phoenix.
Earlier this week, WWE announced that Cena would be appearing on SmackDown Live’s New Years Day edition of the program next week. It will be interesting to see what WWE has in store for him when he returns to the ring for WWE’s annual Holiday live events tour.
John Cena’s Upcoming WWE Schedule
12/26: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
12/27: Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, NY
12/28: Royals Farms Arena, Baltimore, MD
12/29: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
12/30: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
1/4: Columbus Civic Center, Columbus, GA
1/5: Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, Tallahassee, FL
1/6: Hertz Arena, Ft. Myers, FL
1/7: Amway Center, Orlando, FL (WWE RAW)
1/11: Charleston Civic Center, Charleston, WV
1/12: Knoxville Civic Coliseum, Knoxville, TN
1/13: Von Braun Civic Center, Huntsville, AL
1/14: FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN
What do you think about Cena missing this year’s Royal Rumble PPV?
Tetsuya Naito Vows To Retire Chris Jericho (Video)
The rivalry between Chris Jericho and Tetsuya Naito has been brewing for quite some time now. It all stemmed from last year at Wrestle Kingdom 12 when Jericho claimed his match with Kenny Omega was the real main event of the show. However, Naito faced Kazuchika Okada in the main event for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
Jericho went on to defeat Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship at Dominion back in June. “Y2J” then successfully defended his title against EVIL at Power Struggle 2018. Now, he’ll rematch Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 13 in January with his title on the line. Last week, Jericho said he was going to end Naito’s career when they step into the ring again.
In a recent video from Naito on New Japan Pro Wrestling’s (NJPW) YouTube channel, Naito has promised the same in return:
A lot of WWE stars have been getting married recently. The Riott Squad’s Sarah Logan tied the knot with NXT star Raymond Rowe in a Viking-themed wedding. Then, RAW star Lio Rush married his longtime girlfriend Sarah Green last week as well. Now, 205 Live star Akira Tozawa has also gotten married. The ceremony took place this past Saturday on December 22nd:
Speculation remains rampant regarding the relationship between John Cena and Nikki Bella. The couple broke up earlier this year and the incident was filmed for the latest season of “Total Bellas.” However, many fans assume the breakup is staged to help promote the show’s latest season. But both Cena and Bella have remained adamant that their breakup is legitimate.
Since their split, both Cena and Bella have been spotted together on several occasions, making fans speculate even more. With that being said, it looks like Cena is done talking about the matter for the time being. Cena is currently making the media rounds to promote his new “Bumblebee” film.
“The Leader Of The Cenation” was in New York City this past Thursday and was part of the Empire State Building’s lighting ceremony. Cena was also at the event doing promotional work for Make-A-Wish as well. However, The New York Post’s “Page Six” is reporting that interviewers were told beforehand that they were not allowed to bring up Cena’s past engagement to Bella.
The couple got engaged at WrestleMania 33 in 2017 after their feud with The Miz and Maryse. Cena proposed to Bella in front of thousands of fans and millions watching around the world. However, they decided to split up from each other back in April.
What do you think about Cena dodging questions about Bella?
WWE stars certainly enjoyed their holiday breaks this week. As we’ve mentioned, this week’s episodes of Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live were pre-taped last week. This was in order for WWE stars to get the opportunity to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with their families.
However, some Superstars’ holiday breaks went better than others. NXT star EC3 recently took to Twitter to wish his fans a Merry Christmas this week. EC3 also included in the Tweet that he was battling the flu and was spending his Christmas Eve “violently throwing up”:
“Merry Christmas to you all. I spent last night violently throwing up with the flu. I hope you have a blessed and charmed day with those you love the most.”
Merry Christmas to you all. I spent last night violently throwing up with the flu. I hope you have a blessed and charmed day with those you love the most. pic.twitter.com/ezT3oBOQEe
EC3 seems to be a part of WWE’s plans to shake things up in the coming months. The McMahon Family recently announced on RAW that they will be giving WWE fans more of what they’re asking for. This includes new Superstars in the form of NXT call-ups. Several names have already been confirmed for the main roster.
In addition to EC3, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross, Heavy Machinery, and Lars Sullivan have all been announced to be making their main roster debuts. We wish EC3 a speedy recovery, and can’t wait to see him step into the squared circle on WWE’s main roster soon!
What do you think about EC3 getting the call up to WWE’s main roster?
Posted December 26th, 2018 in News, WWE. Tagged: EC3.
This past October it was revealed that former Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Punishment Martinez signed with WWE. Martinez dropped the ROH World TV Championship before departing to be a part of WWE’s NXT developmental brand. However, the man he dropped the title to has become one of ROH’s most promising stars.
Jeff Cobb picked up the ROH TV Title from Martinez in his first match with the promotion. It was quite the performance for the former amateur wrestling Olympic hopeful. Recently, Cobb joined the WINCLY podcast to talk about his journey through ROH. He mentioned how helpful Martinez was to him before he eventually departed for NXT:
“He was the previous champion so he definitely helped me out with how to represent the company,” said Cobb. “‘This is how you carry yourself.
“This is how you represent the company, represent the belt, represent your peers.’ My interactions with him weren’t as much as I would have liked… but he definitely helped out in the short time that we had.”
Just As Surprised As Anybody
As aforementioned, Cobb’s ROH World TV Title victory was his first match with ROH. Not only did the move shock a lot of professional wrestling fans, but Cobb was just as surprised by the decision as well:
“I was more shocked at how quick the belt was coming to me on my first official ROH match. I definitely was very shocked that day showing up to the venue,” Cobb said.
“Well the day before. There was rumblings but I never believe anything until I show up and it’s on the call sheet.”
Cobb has since defended his title several times, including a recent successful defense against Adam Page at Final Battle. The Hawaiian’s future with ROH looks extremely bright, and he has the potential to be a big star for the promotion.
To listen to Cobb’s full interview on the WINCLY podcast, click this link here.
What do you think of Martinez assisting Cobb before he departed to NXT?
We’ve recently noted that this week’s episodes of Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live were pre-taped. The episodes were filmed last week in order for WWE stars to enjoy this week’s holidays with their families at home. Yesterday’s episode of SmackDown Live ended with a title change. Rusev defeated Shinsuke Nakamura for the United States Championship in the main event of the night.
With the victory, “The Bulgarian Brute” is now a three-time WWE United States Champion. Recently, WWE posted a YouTube video showing some extra footage from Rusev’s victory celebration after SDL went off-air. Rusev celebrated with fans at ringside before looking into the WWE’s camera. He then said he dedicated the victory to his mother, who gave birth to him 33 years ago on Christmas Day.
Rusev then said “Thank you momma” before gesturing a kiss towards the camera. Check out the video here:
Shortly after the episode aired, Rusev took to Twitter and issued out a message to WWE fans regarding his title victory. Not only is Rusev celebrating both his birthday and Christmas, but a US Title win. He called it the “best day ever”:
“Merry Christmas Happy RusevDay and thank you for the birthday wishes. Best day ever.”
Merry Christmas Happy RusevDay and thank you for the birthday wishes. Best day ever. #AndNew
Former WWE writer Jimmy Jacobs was recently a guest on the Art Of Wrestling podcast. This is where he talked about a wide range of topics including the fact that over the years, there has been one interesting rumor making the rounds. It involves WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and his hatred for people sneezing. In fact, he doesn’t even like to sneeze.
This is a story that has been told by many people who have worked with the boss of the company while in creative meetings. This is just one of many quirks that Vince is rumored to have.
During this interview, Jacobs shed some light on this rumor when he was quoted by stating that this is just a rumor as to when you’re on the WWE creative team, you hear things about McMahon but not sure if they are true or not.
He recalled being with the company for a few months and nobody had sneezed in front of him until one day, Triple H sneezes in front of him. This is when McMahon stated, ‘Oh God’ and then he, like puts up his invisible shield.”
Jacobs continued by stating that there would be times where he was in a small room with McMahon and he would stuff a sneeze. He recalled being in a production meeting a year and a half later where he’s sitting next to Adam Pearce and Vince is up at the front table. This is when he sneezed and McMahon reacted by stating, ‘Oh God, Adam, you should put up your shield’.”
After months of talk of the possibility, WWE has made it official as there will be an introduction of tag team titles in the women’s division. During this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW in Sacramento, CA at the Golden 1 Center, WWE aired a video of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon announcing the news while being dressed up like Santa Claus.
WWE touted the announcement as “it was one gift, in particular, that’s set to send shockwaves throughout the WWE Universe: The imminent creation of Tag Team Championships for the Women’s division.”
The interesting part of the news is the unknown of how WWE will handle this. The speculation is that WWE could have separate titles on each brand just like they did with the men’s tag team titles. However, it’s always possible that they have one set of titles that are defended on each brand – Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live – considering the fact that all pay-per-view events are co-promoted with both brands. The company has also yet to announce when the titles will be introduced.
Several WWE stars have taken to social media to react to the news by posting the following:
It turns out that former WWE Champion John Cena will be appearing on WWE television after all during his limited return.
The original belief was that Cena would only be working live events and although he was advertised for episodes of Monday Night RAW, he would only compete in the dark matches for these TV events.
Those TV events including RAW shows on January 7th & 14th in Orlando, FL at the Amway Center and in Memphis. WWE aired a video package on the Christmas Eve edition of RAW with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon revealing that Cena would be returning on their red and blue branded shows.
Then on Christmas night, WWE announced that the former WWE Champion would appear on next Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live, which will be the New Year’s Day edition. WWE is slated to tape this show this coming Saturday night from Pittsburgh, PA at the PPG Paints Arena.
In WWE’s announcement, the company hyped the impact of his return as they wrote, “As Team Blue gets ready to kick off 2019, how will the presence of one of the greatest Superstars in WWE history effect things?”
John Cena’s Upcoming WWE Schedule
12/26: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
12/27: Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, NY
12/28: Royals Farms Arena, Baltimore, MD
12/29: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
12/30: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
1/4: Columbus Civic Center, Columbus, GA
1/5: Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, Tallahassee, FL
AJ Styles recently had an interview with WrestleZone, and during the talk, the former WWE Champion talked about a number of things including his recent feuds and more.
While talking about his recent rivalry with Samoa Joe and how Joe brought up his family during contest, Styles revealed that his family is quite used to it.
AJ said that they know it’s a form of entertainment and according to him while others think his kids might be going to school and bragging about him being a pro wrestler, they actually don’t care much about it.
When the hosts started talking about everything Styles has achieved in WWE so far, the former Champion said that he feels like there’s one more level to reach before he can consider himself a WWE Superstar:
“I feel like there’s one more level that I need to reach before I really feel like this ‘WWE Superstar’ and that’s really made a difference in this business. I’m not sure how I’m going to get there, but I’m going to continue to work hard and see what happens next.”
Apart from this AJ Styles also talked about how the real challenge is not being with his family during important moments and more. You can check out his full interview here.
It’s no secret that Ronda Rousey has been protected by WWE and since she has been considered too green to perform on her own; most of Rousey’s matches since her debut have been planned and practiced in advance.
However, this reportedly was not the case for last night’s episode of Raw. Dave Meltzer revealed on Wrestling Observer Live that the match between Ronda and Natalya was actually called in the ring by both the stars.
If anything, the fact that Ronda was able to call the shots in the ring and produce such a good match on the fly while she has only been training for a year shows that she has natural talent for the sport.
This week’s episode of SmackDown Live saw the Club Gallows and Anderson returning to televised in-ring action for the brand, and they teamed up with the Usos.
These four faced Sanity and The SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bar in an eight men tag team match and the faces were able to win this bout during the Christmas special of The Blue Branded Show.
After their victory, the good brothers were interviewed backstage. In the interview as seen below, they talked about how the upcoming year will be different for them:
WWE surprised everyone by putting the United States Championship on Rusev during the taped Christmas special of SmackDown Live yesterday night.
Rusev won the title in a very competitive bout and he was able to defeat the former Champion Shinsuke Nakamura after hitting him with a Machka kick.
However, as we noted before, the cameras didn’t stay on Rusev for long after his victory and the broadcast cut to the backstage segment between AJ Styles and Vince McMahon, while the Bulgarian Brute was still in the ring celebrating his victory.
Though the company did post a video of the former NXT Star making his way back to the locker room and as seen in the clip below, he dedicated this win to his mother:
“This is for my mother, as she gave birth to me 34 years ago on Christmas day. I’ve been three days in the hospital of labor. Thank you, Mama.”
This wasn’t the only place where Rusev reacted to his victory. The new champion also thanked everyone and wished them Merry Christmas via the following tweet:
Merry Christmas Happy RusevDay and thank you for the birthday wishes. Best day ever. #AndNew
No word yet on what are the future plans for Rusev or the United States Championship, but we’ll keep you posted if more details regarding the same come to light.
Posted December 26th, 2018 in News, WWE. Tagged: Rusev.
Just when everybody thought AJ Styles might be moving down the card for a while after losing the WWE Championship, he might have become part of the biggest storyline heading into the WrestleMania season.
We noted before how the main event of this week’s episode of SmackDown Live saw Rusev defeating Shinsuke Nakamura to become the new United States Champion.
However, this wasn’t the end of the show. The closing moments of the Christmas special episode of SmackDown Live saw AJ Styles meeting with Vince McMahon backstage.
Mr. McMahon asked Styles who he is and the former TNA Star explained that he is a 2 Time WWE Champion and SmackDown Live is the ‘House that AJ Styles built’.
The Boss then questioned Styles’ position asking if The Blue Branded Show is his house then why is Daniel Bryan holding the WWE Championship and competing at the show and not him.
McMahon then encouraged AJ to channel his inner animal and the final moments of the segment saw Vince McMahon slapping the former Champion. Styles replied to this with a punch of his own.
You can check out the full segment that took place on the pre-taped special of SmackDown Live in the video below:
We noted before how WWE announced that Shinsuke Nakamura will be defending his United States Championship against Rusev during the final SmackDown Live episode of 2018. The match took place in the main event of the pre-taped Christmas special of the show, and it actually turned out to be a pretty competitive bout.
Nakamura dominated the early parts of the match but the Bulgarian Brute was able to gain momentum later on and the two then showed some good back and forth action.
We saw a number of pinning and submission attempts from both the competitors during the latter half of the bout and fans even broke out a ‘This is Awesome’ chant during the match.
The fight was finally won by Rusev after he delivered a massive clothesline to Shinsuke and was able to pin the Champion following a machka kick:
While this title change came as a surprise for many, this is a pleasant surprise for the WWE universe as many believe that Rusev hasn’t been given the opportunity to prove himself and the company haven’t used him properly in recent years.
Now it’d be interesting to see if this title reign turns out to be the start of Rusev’s redemption or if he ends up losing the championship anytime soon and return to his usual position in the card.
The December 25th episode of SmackDown last week at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Here are 5 takeaways from the show:
Daniel Bryan Isn’t A Fan Of Santa Claus
WWE Champion Daniel Bryan interrupted Carmella and R-Truth to kick off this week’s show. R-Truth was dressed up as Santa and Daniel said he was not the real Santa Claus. Bryan shouted “fickle!” and stated that Santa was the epidemy of everyone’s cheap material desires.
Bryan went on a rant about global warming and how in twenty years there will be no North Pole or Santa Claus. R-Truth called Bryan an angry little elf and Daniel responded by saying that Truth’s career is nothing but a tired joke.
R-Truth vowed to win the Royal Rumble and pointed out that he is #30 after winning the Mixed Match Challenge. Bryan asked R-Truth how he expects to win the Royal Rumble if he can’t even count to thirty.
R-Truth started counting but stopped for a 7-second dance break. Bryan then beat the hell out of R-Truth and applied the Heel Hook as Carmella pleaded for Daniel to let go. Bryan stomped on R-Truth’s head several times before finally leaving the ring.
Mustafa Ali Won Again
Last week on SmackDown, Mustafi Ali pinned WWE Champion Daniel Bryan in the main event. This week, Ali had another tough test in Andrade “Cien” Almas. Andrade controlled the match early and capitalized on a distraction from Zelina Vega.
Ali battled back and planted Almas with an awesome Tornado DDT. Mustafa followed it up with the 054 for the pinfall victory. Later on the show, Daniel Bryan attacked Ali from behind backstage. Bryan shouted that Ali didn’t deserve to be here as other Superstars dragged him away.
Andrade “Cien” Almas hasn’t really done anything of note since making his way to SmackDown. He was incredible in NXT but for some reason, he hasn’t been given a chance on the main roster. Mustafa Ali is a great talent as well and WWE clearly is building him up on SmackDown over the last couple of weeks.
Shane McMahon was a guest on Miz TV on this week’s episode of SmackDown. The Miz had the World Cup trophy in the middle of the ring throughout the segment. Shane said that the McMahon family is listening to the fans. Shane claimed that the WWE Universe will now shape the narrative and that they are listening to them.
The Miz once again asked Shane McMahon to join him in becoming the best tag team in the world. The Miz said he wanted to be Shane’s partner because he has never heard his dad say that he was proud of him. Miz claimed that his dad told him that Shane fights for what he believes in and suggested that he teamed with Shane.
Miz stated that he thought for the first time in his life he thought he broke through with his father. The Miz added that the new WWE is about putting opportunities in the hands of the WWE Universe.
Miz asked the crowd if they wanted to see Shane McMahon and The Miz become the best tag team in the world and the crowd responded with a “yes!” chant. Shane said that everything Miz said resonated him and accepted his offer to form a tag team.
It seems pretty obvious that this wind up leading to a match between The Miz and Shane McMahon. I hope that they don’t actually become SmackDown Tag Team Champions, because that would just be further proof that WWE really doesn’t care about their tag team divisions. In the meantime, I’m still waiting for this storyline to be interesting or entertaining.
Rusev Won The United States Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura defended his United States Championship against Rusev on this week’s episode of SmackDown. Shinsuke controlled the beginning of the match and trapped Rusev in a Headlock in the middle of the ring.
Rusev escaped and planted Nakamura with a Suplex as Lana cheered him on from ringside. Rusev followed it up with a Belly to Back Suplex for a two count. Nakamura sent Rusev to the apron and then booted him to the floor.
Back in the ring, Rusev took control of the match as the crowd chanted “Rusev Day!”. Shinsuke battled back with a knee to Rusev’s face off the second rope. Nakamura geared up for the Kinshasha but Rusev countered into the Machka Kick for a near fall.
Rusev planted Nakamura with a Powerbomb and then charged at Shinsuke in the corner of the ring. Nakamura got out of the way and then connected with a knee to the back of Rusev’s head. Nakamura once again geared up for the Kinshasa but Rusev countered with a Clothesline. Rusev followed it up with the Machka Kick for the pinfall victory.
Rusev and Nakamura put on a decent match tonight. It is bizarre to have a title change on an episode of SmackDown that the majority of WWE fans are not going to watch. At this point, it has become pretty difficult to care about the US Title. Nakamura didn’t elevate the belt at all and Rusev feels like he is in the same exact spot he has always been.
AJ Styles had a conversation with Vince McMahon backstage at the end of this week’s episode of SmackDown. Vince said that he wanted to know AJ’s name and Styles said that this is the house that he built.
Vince blasted Styles for not competing tonight and allowing Daniel Bryan to do whatever he wants tonight. Vince added that he has seen Superstars in the past that collect their money and titles, and then go home.
McMahon claimed that he knows AJ is not like that because he has a tormented soul. Vince challenged AJ Styles to let out the animal inside of him because it is eating him alive. McMahon slapped AJ in the face and Styles responded by punching Vince in the face. SmackDown went off the air with Vince McMahon down on the floor with a smile on his face.
The way this ended, it seems like there will be no repercussions for Styles after striking Vince in the face. Vince McMahon wanted this reaction from AJ and had a smile on his face at the conclusion of the show. This was a good cliffhanger at the end of what was mostly a throwaway episode of SmackDown.
The December 24th episode of WWE RAW was taped last week at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Here are 6 takeaways from the show:
Elias Won The Miracle On 34th Street Fight
Elias kicked off this week’s episode of RAW by singing an original Christmas song. The song poked fun at Lio Rush and that his Christmas wish was that Bobby Lashley went missing. Lashley interrupted and battled Elias in a Miracle on 34th Street Fight.
Elias knocked Lashley to the floor and bashed him with a Christmas tree several times. Lio Rush interfered and went for a Frog Splash but Elias got his knees up. Lashley battled back and sent Elias flying across the ring with a Belly to Belly Throw.
Lio slid a box full of legos into the ring and Lashley poured it onto the canvas. The crowd broke out in a “legos!” chant as Elias and Lashley battled on the top rope. Elias shoved Lashley off the turnbuckle and Bobby fell on top of the legos.
Elias sprayed a fire extinguisher in Lashley’s face and then pushed Rush off the ring apron and through a table at ringside. Elias brought a bowling ball into the ring and rolled it right into Lashley’s groin. Elias then blasted Lashley with a cello for the pinfall victory. After the match, Elias poured a bowl of eggnog over Rush’s head.
For a goofy gimmick match, this was actually entertaining. Elias has been one of the only consistently entertaining parts of RAW but has stuck in a feud with Lashley for what feels like an eternity. Hopefully, this was the end of that and Elias can be placed in a relevant storyline heading into the New Year.
Roode & Gable Retained In A Solid Match Against The Revival
Bobby Roode & Chad Gable defended their RAW Tag Team Championships against The Revival on tonight’s show. Gable came down to the ring in a robe like Roode and did the glorious pose alongside him.
The Revival dominated the match early and isolated Gable in the ring. Wilder perched Gable up on the top turnbuckle but Gable locked in an Arm Bar over the rope. Dawson tagged in and Gable planted him with a Suplex.
Roode tagged in and cleaned house. Gable got back in and hit Wilder with an awesome German Suplex and went for the cover but Dawson broke it up. The Revival delivered an uppercut and followed it up with a German Suplex for another near fall. Roode knocked Wilder out of the ring as Gable rolled up Dawson to retain the titles. The announcers pointed out that Gable didn’t pin the legal man at the conclusion of the match.
This was an entertaining match and I’m looking forward to seeing it again in the future. The Revival has spent the last year doing essentially nothing on RAW, so I’m not going to complain about a competitive loss. They are too good of a team not to be on the show more going forward.
Dolph Ziggler Got The Better Of Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre cut a promo tonight on RAW and vowed to win the Royal Rumble match and main event WrestleMania. McIntyre then squared off against Finn Balor and Dolph Ziggler in a Triple Threat match.
Finn Balor won the match after hitting the Coup de Grace on Ziggler. Drew McIntyre got pissed off and started taunting Dolph in the ring. McIntyre claimed that Ziggler has ruined everything and Dolph responded with a Zig Zag. Ziggler then rolled out of the ring and walked up the entrance ramp.
I figured that once he broke away from Ziggler, he would become dominant. That has not been the case at all on RAW as of late. It was announced that Ziggler will face Drew McIntyre in a Steel Cage match on next week’s episode of RAW. I’d like to think that McIntyre wins that match but I haven’t understood what WWE has been doing with him for weeks now.
Women’s Tag Team Titles Are Coming Next Year
Vince McMahon dressed up as Santa Claus and made a few announcements on tonight’s episode of RAW. McMahon announced that John Cena is back on RAW and SmackDown. He added that Ziggler and McIntyre will battle in a Steel Cage next week on RAW.
The biggest announcement was that women’s tag team titles will be introduced in 2019. Everyone has expected this for some time but it was officially announced tonight on RAW.
The men’s tag team divisions on RAW and SmackDown were treated terribly in 2018. On SmackDown, it was essentially the same three teams fighting over and over again. RAW’s division has been an absolute disaster. The female Superstars absolutely should have tag titles to fight for. I’ve just been watching WWE fail at building up teams on RAW and SmackDown for years now, so it is hard to get excited about more tag divisions in WWE.
Ronda Rousey Retained The RAW Women’s Championship
Ronda Rousey defended her RAW Women’s Championship against Natalya tonight on RAW. Rousey was hesitant throughout the match because she didn’t want to hurt her best friend. Natalya took advantage of that and almost won the match several times.
Ronda didn’t want to put Natalya away and Natalya capitalized on Rousey’s hesitation with a Clothesline for a near fall. Rousey planted Natalya with Piper’s Pit and followed once again hesitated.
Natalya locked in the Sharpshooter but Rousey countered into the Arm Bar for the submission victory. After the match, the two Superstars shared a hug and then Natalya raised Rousey’s hand.
I thought Rousey did a good job of expressing that she didn’t want to fight Natalya during the match. It did look like she let go of the Arm Bar before Natalya tapped out, which was pretty silly looking. Given that this episode of RAW was taped last week, I’m surprised they didn’t cut to a different angle or something to make the finish look better.
Braun Strowman Embarrassed Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman came down to the ring and sang a beautiful rendition of Silent Night. Heyman referred to Brock Lesnar as Strowman’s Christmas Grinch. Heyman then cut a promo and claimed that Braun prayed as a child that Santa Claus would bring him a replica title for Christmas.
Heyman said that there is no way that Santa is going to deliver the Universal Championship to Strowman at the expense of Brock Lesnar. Braun Strowman interrupted and marched down to the ring.
Strowman placed a red nose and reindeer antlers on Heyman. Braun referred to Heyman as the “red-nosed advocate” and told him to give a message to Lesnar. Strowman vowed to be healed up by the Royal Rumble and shouted that Lesnar was going to “get these hands!”.
Heyman’s performance tonight was outstanding and was easily my favorite part of the show. As of now, I’m not all that interested in another Lesnar and Strowman match at the Royal Rumble but hopefully, WWE can manufacture a storyline over the next few weeks that is interesting. Tonight’s promo was entertaining but didn’t get me excited for the Universal Championship match next month.
A new trailer for the film, “Fighting with My Family,” has been released. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions has produced a feature film based on the life of the Knight family including Saraya Knight aka Paige. You can see the trailer here:
The film was produced in conjunction with WWE Studios and Film 4, and the title is “Fighting with My Family.” Paige will not be playing herself but rather will be portrayed by actress Florence Pugh. Lena Headey and Nick Frost will play Paige’s parents in the film. Vince Vaughn as Jake Roberts and Zelina Vega as AJ Lee. The Rock will also make a cameo.
The film is slated to be released on Thursday, February 21st. Here is the synopsis:
Based on a true story, FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY follows reformed gangster Ricky, wife Julia, daughter Paige and son Zak as they make a living wrestling together in tiny venues. When Paige and Zak get the opportunity to try out for WWE, the family grabs a once-in-a-lifetime chance to turn their wildest dreams into a dazzling future. However, brother and sister quickly discover that to become superstars, both their talent and their relationship will be put to the test.
Posted December 24th, 2018 in News, WWE. Tagged: Paige.
WWE returns to the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, for a live event in New York City on Wednesday, December 26th, 2018. Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship inside of a steel cage is expected to serve as the main event as it’s being advertised as the top match for this show.
The official website of the arena has updated its lineup and appears to be the finalized card. RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax and WWE RAW Tag Team Champions Bobby Roode & Chad Gable vs. The AOP are the title matches set to take place.
John Cena, Jinder Mahal, Alexa Bliss, and Bayley are also advertised for this show. The lineup features the following matches:
Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose – Steel Cage match for the Intercontinental Championship
RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax
Elias vs. Bobby Lashley
Matt Riddle, Pete Dunne, Ricochet, Aleister Black & Velveteen Dream vs. The Undisputed Era & Tommaso Ciampa
WWE RAW Tag Team Champions Bobby Roode & Chad Gable vs. The AOP
Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Finn Balor
The Riott Squad & Mickie James vs. Bayley & Ember Moon & Sasha Banks & Natalya
What are your thoughts on this card for the show? Sound off in the comment section.
RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey is slated to make her next title defense against Natalya in a match that will air on tonight’s Christmas Eve edition of WWE RAW, which was taped last week in Sacramento, CA at the Golden 1 Center. Rousey took to her official Instagram account where she wrote the following to hype this contest:
‘Tis the season to get Rowdy #Raw raw raw raw raw raw raw raw raw!!! See what happens when two friends have to fight for one title on Christmas Eve! Can we keep the holiday spirit alive in the face of competition?? Find out yourself on the Christmas edition of Monday night #Raw!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrxqfUHHrni/
Matt Riddle On MSG Debut
WWE NXT Superstar Matt Riddle is excited to make his in-ring debut at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, as he’ll be working Wednesday’s live event. He’s set to team with Aleister Black, The Velveteen Dream, WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne and NXT North American Champion Ricochet to face NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa and The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, NXT Tag Team Champions Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly. He tweeted the following:
“Wow I just can’t stop! If you haven’t heard my year isn’t over and I get to wrestle in the Legendary MSG in NYC on the RAW brand, which makes this my biggest DeButt of 2018 and it’s gonna be the DeButts of all DeButts!”
Wow I just can’t stop ?! If you haven’t heard my year isn’t over and I get to wrestle in the Legendary MSG in NYC on the RAW brand, which makes this my biggest DeButt of 2018 and it’s gonna be the DeButts of all DeButts! #bro#stallion#wwe#raw#wwenxt#wwenetwork#debuttspic.twitter.com/mBVtHdolDQ
John Cena has been called out by an interesting name for a match. That star is EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory, who made the challenge during a recent video that was released by Austin Theory when he was talking about his future with the company. “Until the day I walk into TakeOver. John Cena, I heard you’re trying to pass the torch. Well, you know how to get in contact with me.”
EVOLVE
The company is set to hold two of their events next month. EVOLVE 119 on Friday, January 18th in Brooklyn, N.Y. and then EVOLVE 120 on Saturday, January 19th in Woodside, N.Y.
It’s already been announced that Theory would take on WWE NXT star Johnny Gargano at EVOLVE 119. As of this writing, his opponent at EVOLVE 120 has yet to be revealed.
Other stars that are slated to work these shows include Fabian Aichner, EVOLVE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits. Additionally, WWN Champion JD Drake, Anthony Henry, Darby Allin, AR Fox with Ayla & The Skulk, Eddie Kingston, Josh Briggs, Joe Gacy, BSHP KNG, Curt Stallion and Priscilla Kelly.
Theory became champion once he beat Aichner at EVOLVE 117 during a Triple Threat Match that also featured Roderick Strong.
Darren Young was recently interviewed on the Roman Show hosted by Rodolfo Roman. On the show, Young teased a possible return to WWE next year.
“Recently, I was just at WWE in LA,” Young said. “They invited me back with open arms. So who knows? 2019 you could see me as an ambassador with the company. It’s just amazing, wrestling right now.”
Roman continued to ask if it’s possible we see Young back in a WWE ring next year as opposed to just being in an ambassador’s role.
“Just because moves aren’t being announced doesn’t mean moves aren’t being made,” Young teased. He continued to say he has interest in competing for both Ring of Honor and in Japan as well.
Young also commented on current Smackdown Superstar, Sonya Deville, who came out as gay while being interviewed by Triple H on Tough Enough.
“That’s my girl (Deville),” Young said. “We need more representation, that’s what it’s all about. It’s not just about me, it’s not just about Sonya, it’s about everyone living their truth, living their honest life.”
He also commented on Finn Balor wearing the Pride colors on his merchandise.
“My dude, Finn is an amazing guy,” Young continued.
Ring of Honor’s heavyweight division is going to be interesting to watch in 2019. The recent signings of Jeff Cobb, Brody King, and PCO will add a big boost to the promotion’s roster next year.
Shane Taylor, who wrestled his first match for ROH in late 2014, recently announced he has agreed to terms on a new exclusive contract with the promotion as well, bringing him back for another year with ROH.
“Incredibly excited to announce that I’ve officially agreed to terms on an EXCLUSIVE contract with @ringofhonor for 2019!! Trust and believe I’m going to continue to #ShatterTheGlassCeiling & show why I’m #TheREALBreakoutStar in ROH!!”
Taylor wrestled 28 times for ROH in 2018. His last televised match was a loss to Jeff Cobb.
Shane Taylor Featured In Orlando Sentinal Article
Taylor was featured earlier this year in an article by the Orlando Sentinal. He spoke in the article about how he knew wrestling was the profession for him shortly after debuting.
“I heard the crowd and felt that rush. It’s hard to explain, but I knew I was where I needed to be,” Taylor said. “Anytime you can love what you’re doing and get as much energy out of it as you’re putting into it, whether that’s music, painting or whatever, you know that’s truly what makes you happy.”
Tama Tonga has released a video on his YouTube channel where he addresses criticism some have of Jay White being named the new leader of Bullet Club. Tonga named White as the new leader of the faction in a series of Tweets last week.
“Yes, I said all that (that Bullet Club has no leader),” Tonga says in the video. “Right after I kicked out the Elite and right before we brought in Jay White. Now, think about this. With Jay White in, we got one man covering the direct route to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, right? You’ve got my brother and I; tag team duo, holding it down for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. We got Fale the monster. We got Ishimori chasing the Junior Heavyweight. Now, if it needs to be a junior heavyweight tag-team, we also got Robbie Eagles. We’re covering all angles, that’s smart, don’t y’all think?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLEcaePQqbE
Bullet Club at Wrestle Kingdom 13
The next show for NJPW will be Wrestle Kingdom 13 inside the Tokyo Dome. Tama Tonga and his brother, Tanga Loa, will defend the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships against both the Young Bucks and Evil & Sanada in a triple threat match. Jay White will also take on Kazuchika Okada in a one-on-one grudge match.
In a recent WWE Day Of video released online, Mustafa Ali talks about his recent win over Daniel Bryan in a tag team match where he pinned him on SmackDown on 18 December.
Ali took on the team of Andrade “Cien” Almas and Daniel Bryan while teaming up with AJ Styles. His team won the match when he pinned the WWE Champion after delivering the 054. The win was talked about by the WWE Universe and was a well received move.
“I’m teaming with AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan and ‘Cien’ Almas, I’m just waiting to wake up. One week you’re facing Daniel Bryan and next week you’re teaming with AJ Styles. You’re in the ring with the best in the world. Part of me wants to tell myself they don’t just put anybody in the ring with them.”
“I obviously want to be as good as them and I feel like I can be and I can hang with them. Trying not to make it bigger than it is. This is still a very cool moment for me. I’ve watched those guys, in particular Bryan and AJ. I’ve watched them my entire life, my entire career. Even on the independent scene, they were stars. Here they are stars and now my name is next to theirs.”
As it was known recently that Ali has moved to SmackDown Live, however, he also said that he will always rep 205 Live and it will be in his heart because that’s where he started out in the WWE.
“I will always rep 205 Live. I will always support 205 Live. I will always be the heart of 205 Live. I will always be watching because you will never know when the heart of 205 Live will beat again.”
