Bayley has discussed her need to constantly evolve in the business, which ultimately led to her recent heel turn on WWE television. 

The WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion did so while speaking with The New York Post for a new interview. 

“I need to be able to do everything and test the waters everywhere and ride the waves and challenge myself,” she said. “I can’t get stale and bored and do the same thing over and over. In order to excel in this business, you have to constantly evolve.”

Bayley also brought up how projecting her character’s disgust and anger makes her feel as exhausting as being a happy babyface on television. She also brought up how she had real frustration after being in WWE for almost a decade. 

Bayley Discusses Her Feelings

“I think honestly it’s real frustration. I’ve been wrestling for over 10 years. I’ve been with WWE for seven years, so not all of it has been colorful and castle-like and wacky wavy inflatable tube man and happy and fun.”

Bayley added that it’s been a struggle for her and it’s really difficult to kind of stay on top for a period of time. Thus, she thinks it’s pretty easy to find frustration. 

WWE’s next plans for Bayley on television is still up in the air after the company decided to nix her most recent feud. 

Original plans called for Bayley to defend the SmackDown Women’s Title against Lacey Evans at the TLC pay-per-view event. That match didn’t happen. It was reported at the time that there are no plans for the match to happen at the Royal Rumble either. 

• Bayley Shares Her Dream Match, Reflects On Heel Turn

Johnny Gargano is back as he made his return to WWE NXT. 

He did so in the opening match on Wednesday’s episode of NXT on the USA Network in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. 

Adam Cole retained the NXT Title over Finn Balor in the first contest of the night. 

At the end of the match, Gargano walked out to distract Balor and led to Cole getting the win. After the match, Gargano went after Balor.

Welcome back, #JohnnyWrestling.#NXTChampionship #WWENXT @JohnnyGargano @FinnBalor pic.twitter.com/W4Tt6H9hbA

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) December 19, 2019

His past is back.

This time… in the form of a FURIOUS @JohnnyGargano!!!#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/gwgoySpLqr

— WWE (@WWE) December 19, 2019

Johnny Gargano Has History With Finn Balor

Johnny Gargano was last seen on NXT television last month by being attacked by Balor, who hit a brainbuster on the rampway. He had been dealing with a neck injury, which is why he had been on the sidelines. 

Originally, Balor was expected to wrestle Gargano at the WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames III event. Once Gargano went down with the injury then plans had to be changed. 

Riddle was slated to be part of the Men’s WarGames Match at TakeOver. Riddle was replaced by Donovan Dijak in the contest. Balor beat Riddle in his first match back under the NXT banner in over three years at the show. 

Future

NXT TakeOver: Portland will take place on February 16, 2020 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. It’s possible that WWE books a match between these two at the show. 

• WWE NXT Results & Live Coverage (12/18)

Adam Cole was not dethroned as WWE NXT Champion by Finn Balor as he was able to retain his title.

WWE opened Wednesday’s episode of NXT on the USA Network in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University with Cole making his latest title defense against Balor. 

This match aired commercial-free and saw Cole successfully retain the NXT champion. 

WWE set up this contest last week on NXT when they held a match that would determine who was next in line for a title shot. 

• WWE NXT Results & Live Coverage (12/18)

A Triple Threat Match between Finn Balor, Keith Lee, and Tommaso Ciampa took place with the winner becoming the next challenger to Cole’s title. Balor was victorious, earning the right to challenge Cole for the NXT Championship. 

Adam Cole Previous Defense

Cole’s previous title defense came against Pete Dunne last month at the Survivor Series pay-per-view event in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena. 

This was an important episode of NXT as it will serve as the final show of 2019 due to WWE taking the night off on December 25th for Christmas.

What are your thoughts on Adam Cole retaining the WWE NXT Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1207470111864438784

We are @AdamColePro. @AdamColePro is us. #NXTChampionship #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/ElAuocLgvy

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) December 19, 2019

The Prinxe is good. ? #WWENXT #NXTChampionship @FinnBalor @AdamColePro pic.twitter.com/mrjeyhA01x

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) December 19, 2019

Will this be the last time we BOOM with @AdamColePro as #NXTChampion? #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/PuZYk6wWWQ

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) December 19, 2019

Stephanie McMahon has commented on the hot story thus far this week involving Kairi Sane. 

The WWE Chief Brand Officer did so while doing a recent interview with Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT. This is where McMahon confirmed that Sane did get hurt but made it known that she wasn’t backstage at the show. 

Stephanie McMahon Comments

“So I can’t really speak to the mood at that stage or what the communication was. I loved that it was the main event and I’m so sorry Kairi got hurt. The match was absolutely over-delivering up until the point that happened.”

It’s been well documented that Sane suffered an injury, which is believed to be a concussion, at the WWE TLC pay-per-view event. This is where The Kabuki Warriors retained WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. 

They went over RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair to retain the titles. 

On Tuesday, it was revealed that the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion has been pulled from the post-Christmas WWE live event tour. 

Thus, this means that since next Monday’s episode of RAW is taped, she won’t work another WWE show for the rest of 2019. 

WWE has yet to publicly comment on her injury or when she’ll be back to in-ring action. 

• Stephanie McMahon Says She Wants CM Punk & AJ Lee Back In WWE

The December 18th, 2019 edition of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL.

– Mauro Ranallo welcomes us to the show and he hypes up tonight’s two Title matches with limited commercial interruption. Finn Balor comes out first for his Title shot against Adam Cole, which will be kicking off the show.

– Adam Cole (c) vs. Finn Balor: Cole’s NXT Championship is on the line in this one. Balor starts off taking Cole down to the mat, and they trade holds and takedowns in the middle of the ring now. Balor controls the opening moments of this one, and he hits a dropkick for a two count before stomping on Cole on the mat. Balor knocks the Champion out to ringside, but then Cole kicks Balor off the apron, and Balor is down.Balor appears to be selling a knee injury now. Back in the ring, Cole hits a hangman’s neckbreaker, then lays into Balor with right hands while he’s down. Cole drives a knee into the grounded Balor, then applies a side headlock. Balor breaks free with a jawbreaker, but then Cole drops him again and applies a head-scissors. Balor breaks free and starts firing up now. Balor connects with a series of strikes on the Champion now. Cole fights back with a backstabber for a two count. Balor and Cole scramble, then Cole hits a kick, but Balor answers with the Sling Blade. Balor charges, but Cole intercepts him with a superkick for a two count. Balor and Cole both connect with kicks at the same time and both go down. They both get up and have a stare down. After a series of reversals, Cole escapes the 1916 and hits a brainbuster for a two count. Cole picks up Balor, but Balor breaks free and drops Cole, then hits a double stomp. Balor climbs the turnbuckle, but Cole kicks him down out to the ringside floor. Both men are down recovering. Cole dives off the apron towards Balor, but Balor turns it into a back body drop on Cole on the ringside floor. Balor dropkicks Cole into the fan barricade, and it takes out the front row of planted fans. Back in the ring, Cole turns it around and hits the Last Shot for a two count. Cole can’t believe it, and Balor gets up and dropkicks him into the corner. Cole fights back and he looks for the Last Shot again, but Balor gets up and gives him a lariat. Johnny Gargano appears on the stage and distracts Balor. It looks like Cole hits a low blow, and then he runs the ropes and hits the Last Shot for the three count.

Winner & still NXT Champion: Adam Cole

– After the match, Cole celebrates with his NXT Title, and Gargano grabs a steel chair from the crowd. Cole leaves, and Gargano gets in the ring, where Balor is still down. Balor sees Gargano and tries to retreat, but Gargano starts nailing him with the steel chair. Gargano beats down Balor all over ringside now with the steel chair. Gargano knocks Balor into the planted fans from earlier who are still on the ground. Balor retreats to the back now.

– Killian Dain vs. Damian Priest: Dain starts off with a spear into the corner, then Priest fires back with a series of strikes. This one is an all-out brawl in the opening moments. Priest looks for a suplex, but he sells that a rib injury prevented him from executing it. Dain capitalizes with a running cross body, then he starts working over Priest’s bad ribs. Dain continues to punish Priest’s ribs, and he knocks Priest out to ringside with a baseball slide dropkick to the midsection. Dain rolls outside and continues beating on Priest on the floor. Back in the ring, Dain hits a back suplex as Priest continues selling the ribs. Dain continues working over Priest’s ribs for several minutes. Priest finally fights back with a facebuster, then he connects with several kicks. Priest hits a back elbow in the corner, then he slowly hits a vertical suplex, still selling his own rib injury. Dain rolls outside for a breather, but Priest goes flying with a suicide swanton bomb. Back in ther ing, Priest hits a supelex for a two count. Dain dodges a shot in the corner, then lays into Priest’s ribs with kicks. Dain hits a jackknife powerbomb then drops an elbow for a two count. Priest fights back with a kick, then he looks for a powerbomb but can’t execute it. Dain drops Priest and looks for the Vader Bomb, but Priest blocks it with his knees. Priest follows up with The Reckoning for the three count.

Winner: Damian Priest

– Mauro, Nigel McGuinness and Beth Phoenix talk about the NXT Year End Awards 2019. Voting ends on 12/29 on WWE.com, and the winners will be revealed on the New Year’s Day edition of NXT on USA.

– Kushida and Cameron Grimes are shown backstage (seperately) warming up.

– Cameron Grimes vs. Kushida: The opening bell sounds, and Kushida starts off strong with some take downs and arm holds. He taunts Grimes and takes him down again with an arm drag. Grimes rolls out to ringside, then Kushida nails him with a baseball slide dropkick. Back in the ring, Kushida hits a flying chop off the top rope, then he puts Grimes in an abdominal stretch. Back in the ring, Grimes fights back with a suplex and a superkick. Grimes starts working over Kushida’s back now. Kushida fights back with a series of strikes and a tornado DDT. Grimes ducks a shot and fires back with a wheelbarrow slam. Both men are down now. Kushida knocks Grimes out to ringside, then he climbss to the top rope. Kushida hits a swanton bomb off the top rope down onto Grimes at ringside, and both men are down at ringside now. Back in the ring, Kushida hits a modified sunset flip powerbomb off the turnbuckle for a two count. Both men are slow to get up, then Kushida misses a shot off the ropes. Grimes answers with the big double stomp out of nowhere for the three count.

Winner: Cameron Grimes

– We see a video package looking at Io Shirai.

– Mauro shows us a preview and tale of the tape for the Shayna Baszler vs. Rhea Ripley match up later tonight.

– Io Shirai vs. Santana Garrett The opening bell sounds and there are lots of takedowns, flips and reversals in the opening moments. Shirai takes control with a kick, then follows up with more strikes. Shirai misses a running knee strike in the corner, then Santana hits a boot to the face. Garrett hits a Russian leg sweep for a two count. Garrett hits a handstand back elbow, then puts Shirai in a submission attempt. Santana misses a shot and Io drops her into the ropes neck-first. Io hits the running knee strike in the corner, then climbs to the top rope. Shirai hits a moonsault for the three count.

Winner: Io Shirai

– The broadcast team previews the Worlds Collide event on January 25th.

– Pete Dunne vs. Travis Banks: Dunne starts off strong and tries to keep Banks grounded. Banks with several takedowns now and a two count. Banks and Dunne collide in mid-air after the running the ropes, and it looks like Banks got the upper hand. Banks hits a series of strikes, then Dunne turns it around and hits a series of loud chops to the chest. More strikes from Dunne. The fight spills out to ringside and Dunne hits a suplex on the corner of the apron. Back in the ring, Dunne misses a big shot in the corner and Banks fires back with kicks. Banks hits a cannonball splash on Dunne in the corner, and Dunne rolls outside for a breather. Banks hits a dive on Dunn at ringside, but Banks is now selling a knee injury. Banks hits a missile dropkick on Dunne off the top, then a springboard double stomp for a two count. Banks misses a shot off the turnbuckle, and Dunne comes back with the X-Plex for a two count. Banks misses a shot, and Dunne hits an enziguri. Dunne picks up Banks, but Banks drops him with a tornado DDT. Banks misses another shot off the corner, and Dunne slams him down then stomps on his head. Dunne looks for a pumphandle, but Banks counters and hits the Kiwi Crusher for a two count. Banks looks for a running knee in the corner but he misses. Dunne and Banks fight up the turnbuckle now. Dunne turns it into an avalanche X-Plex. Dunne follows up with a kick, then the Bitter End for the three count.

Winner: Pete Dunne

– We go backstage for an interview with Dakota Kai. She talks about going through tables and getting staples in her head, but still getting her hand raised against Mia.

– Shayna Baszler is shown backstage warming up for her Title defense tonight.

– Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Rhea Ripley: Shayna’s NXT Women’s Title is on the line in this one. Rhea and Shayna lock up off the opening bell and start trading holds. Rhea makes Shayna flinch, then they lock up again. Shayna talks some trash and Rhea drops her with a big boot. Rhea looks strong in the next several moments, and she slams Shayna face-first into the turnbuckle. Rhea lays into Shayna with a series of strikes now. Rhea runs the ropes, but Shayna takes her out with a rolling kick. Shayna misses a shot and Rhea levels her with a dropkick. More strikes from Rhea in the corner now, then they go up top and Rhea hits a superplex for a two count. More offense from Ripley now, including big German suplex. The MMA Horsewomen come out to the ring, but Rhea knocks them off the apron. The distraction leads to Shayna knocking Rhea outside. Shayna goes outside now too but Rhea drops her. Rhea hits a cannonball splash off the apron into Jessamyn and Marina at ringside, then Shayna takes out Rhea with a knee strike. Shayna starts working over Rhea’s arm now and Rhea sells an injury. During the commercial break, a doctor declares that Rhea is fit to continue the match. Back in the ring, Shayn continues working over Rhea’s arm. Shayna delivers some kicks, until Rhea catches one and hits a big suplex on Shayna, but the ref gets bumped in the process. Rhea pins but the ref is still down. Shayna rolls outside and Rhea looks for a dive on her, but Shayna dodges it and Rhea crashes into the floor back-first. Shayna beats down Rhea at ringside now. Shayna brings Rhea and a steel chair back in the ring. Rhea starts to fight back, but Shayna drops her with a DDT into the steel chair. Shayna slides the chair out of the ring, then the ref comes to and starts counting, but Rhea gets her shoulder up at two. Rhea tries to fight back again, but Shayna catches her in the Kirifuda Clutch. Rhea fights out and starts stomping on Shayna. They fight up the turnbuckle, and Rhea hits an avalanche Rip Tide for the three count on Shayna.

Winner & new NXT Women’s Champion: Rhea Ripley

– Rhea celebrates with her new NXT Women’s Title as we go to replays. Fans enter the ring for a big celebration with the new Women’s Champion as NXT goes off the air.

Impact Wrestling has announced Killer Kross is no longer with the company. A brief statement at the company website reads, “IMPACT Wrestling has come to terms on the release of Kevin Kesar (Killer Kross).”

Kross posted the following video on YouTube shortly after becoming a free agent. The video features footage of the promotions Kross might show up in next, including WWE/NXT, AEW, NJPW and MLW, NWA and ROH.

Killer Kross & Impact Wrestling

Kross made his debut for Impact Wrestling in June 2018. He asked to be released in May 2019 and wrestled his last match at Slammiversary in July. The two sides had a falling out over his creative direction, finances and other issues.

• Killer Kross Discusses Why He Asked Impact For His Release

Impact Wrestling President Ed Nordholm commented on the situation in late September. He told PWInsider, “Well, nothing has changed. Kevin decided that he would rather sort of tweet his position rather than deal with [inaudible]. We prefer talents discuss amendments as appropriate. We say the same for Kevin. He is a talented wrestler that we would prefer you to see in the ring than on the sidelines.”

When asked if Kross would return to Impact, Nordholm said, “That would require him to come speak to the company and deal with his company, rather than Tweet. I mean there’s always the possibility. We are open to all conversations.”

WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Sirius XM’s Busted Open Radio show Bully Ray recently made some interesting comments regarding Matt Hardy and his current positioning on the WWE roster.

Ray and Dave LeGreca discussed the former ‘Broken’ character’s popularity. Playing the huge pop that he received from Monday Night RAW. Hardy entered the gauntlet match to take on Ricochet.

“Hopefully Matt Hardy and Jeff won’t be angry with me when I say this…”

Bully compared how Matt and his brother Jeff have been treated in the pro wrestling industry throughout their illustrious careers. “Hopefully Matt and Jeff won’t be angry with me when I say this,” Bully began. “But it is what it is. Have Matt and Jeff individually made mistakes on their journey over the past twenty to twenty five years personally outside of the ring? Yes, one hundred percent. You know what everybody makes mistakes and it’s going to happen.”

“They start pushing the hell out of Jeff”

Ray then asked his co-host to describe what happens to Jeff Hardy whenever Matt has made a ‘mistake’ in the past? “They make him a singles star,” Bully stated. “We’ve seen it before, we saw it in the WWE we seen it today he becomes a champion. He becomes a star. They start pushing the hell out of Jeff.”

“it could happen to anybody and hopefully he learned from the mistakes…”

Bully also conversely asked what happens to Matt Hardy when Jeff makes a similar life choice? “Matt just falls down the ladder completely” Bully claimed. “It almost seems like they take out their frustrations on Matt for whatever Jeff may have done wrong. Any mistake that Jeff Hardy has made anybody could make it one time or another. And that’s why he would people gang up on people like that Jeff for a mistake they made whatever mistake it is. Drunken driving or that. This stuff happens. It could happen to you, it could happen to a family member, it could happen to anybody and hopefully he learned from the mistakes. These guys are my brothers.

“[Matt Hardy] gets put back on the back burner, it’s ridiculous…”

Bully then finished by restating how Matt Hardy gets ‘pushed down’ instead of being pushed as a major singles star. “It just always winds up on the back burner, and he keeps reinventing himself and that is the kick in the balls. He takes it on the chin he reinvents himself V1, Big Money Matt, ‘Broken,’ it’s mad [that he] gets this all this stuff over. I think [he] gets put back on the back burner, it’s ridiculous.”

Stephanie McMahon recently took part in an interview with Metro and expressed that she would love to see CM Punk and AJ Lee back in WWE someday. McMahon did note that Punk has been adamantly against an in-ring return but she hasn’t lost hope that we could see him back in a WWE ring someday.

“I personally enjoy watching both of them perform,” Stephanie said to Metro. “I think Punk’s been pretty vocal that he’s not interested in an in-ring return right now, but for sure, that would be interesting.”

“And I would love to see AJ Lee back in the women’s division,” she continued.

Stephanie McMahon on AJ Lee

McMahon continued to talk about AJ Lee during the interview.

“I think AJ Lee was an incredibly compelling character,” McMahon said. “Some of our most interesting and intriguing storylines were with AJ, and I think she deserves as much credit as every other woman on our roster.”

“Nobody should be overlooked, and that’s not the goal to overlook anybody’s name. Every single person is a huge reason for why this happened.”

“You know, I’m a big fan of AJ Lee’s, I really am,” Stephanie continued.

Here’s a Twitter interaction between the two from 2015:

@StephMcMahon Your female wrestlers have record selling merchandise & have starred in the highest rated segment of the show several times,

— AJ Mendez (@TheAJMendez) February 25, 2015

Thank you @WWEAJLee, I appreciate your opinion. #UseYourVoice

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) February 25, 2015

The full interview with Stephanie McMahon can be read here.

Vince Russo was recently a guest on Talk is Jericho with AEW World Champion Chris Jericho. During the conversation, Jericho asked Russo why he doesn’t feel he’s been brought back to WWE when others, such as Eric Bischoff and Bruce Pritchard, have been.

“Bro, here’s the bottom line. Think about this for a second Chris, if Vince Russo went back to the WWE and all of a sudden the ratings went up again, well ok, now what?” Russo said. “I swear to God I think that’s what he’s afraid of because Vince is like, he’s Oz, he wants you to believe it was all him. Bro, it wasn’t all you. I mean, if it was all you, you’d have that same success today that you had back then. So, if all of a sudden if Vince Russo comes back and all of a sudden we start gaining momentum and getting viewership back well then bro, all of a sudden, wait a minute maybe it wasn’t Vince after all. Bro, that’s the only thing I can think of. I can’t think of any other reason.”

Russo would continue to talk about contact he has had in recent years with Vince McMahon and the WWE.

“I said (to Vince McMahon) ‘bro, if you want somebody to watch your show and let you know what’s wrong with it, let me know.’ Bro, I’ve never asked Vince for a job since I left. Never once but what happens is because I’m a wrestling fan and I see it get so bad, I’m like ‘bro, you can make this better, this can be great again.'”

He continued to say Vince often returns his texts with a simple “thx.”

Vince Russo’s appearance on Talk is Jericho can be heard in the link below:

Please give credit to SEScoops if using any of the above transcriptions.

AEW fans from the United Kingdom will be happy to learn that company Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes says they will for sure be bringing live events to the UK in 2020. Rhodes recently spoke to Talk Sport in the UK about AEW’s plans to run events there.

“100 percent, you can hold us to it,” Cody said about bringing AEW to the UK next year. “We are coming to the UK in 2020 and we’ve got some tentative dates circled, but it’s a matter of where you’re going to hit as well. Are you going to hit as many markets as you can possibly hit or are you just going to do London and Manchester, what’s it going to be? But, for sure, in 2020 we’ll be live over there with AEW.”

AEW Royal Flush?

During the conversation, Cody even mentioned that the name “Royal Flush” has been talked about as a possible name for a UK-based event.

“So, Royal Flush was a real thing and we all actually thought it was a really good name until we said it multiple times and we realised it was a terrible name. Tony [Khan] was one of the first to spot that.”

Earlier this year, AEW announced a UK TV deal with ITV.

• AEW UK TV Deal Announced, Tony Khan Comments

Cody continued to talk about AEW’s representation in the UK with its FITE and ITV deals.

“But, with the UK and our representation with ITV and FITE, and the fact that the fanbase is really thriving and hungry. I mean, the UK independent scene got hot before the American independent scene and so many of us imports were going over there to do shows like I did with What Culture Pro Wrestling.

He also continued to say if AEW does not come to the UK in 2020, he would pay the writer from Talk Sport $500.

“I can’t be sure if we’re coming for Dynamite, a pay-per-view or a rare live event tour, but everyone is on-board with us coming in 2020 and if I’m incorrect with that statement, I will give you $500.”

The full interview with Cody can be read here.

This week’s episode of Impact Wrestling featured matches from the recent tapings from New York City’s Melrose Ballroom. The headline segment for the show featured Sami Callihan cutting a promo on his Hard To Kill opponent Tessa Blanchard. The main event match saw the X-division title on the line.

Here are 9 takeaways from the December 17, 2019 edition of Impact Wrestling:

Sami Callihan and Tessa Blanchard Brawl Backstage

Sami Callihan cut a promo on Tessa Blanchard this week, saying she has been handed her opportunities due to her father being Tully Blanchard and her step-father being Magnum T.A.

Blanchard came out to confront Callihan but was attacked from behind by Madman Fulton. Ken Shamrock then came out to attack Fulton, leaving Blanchard and Callihan to engage in a wild brawl backstage, in the parking lot, and pretty much all over the area.

BREAKING: The World's Most Dangerous Man @ShamrockKen faces @FultonWorld at #HardToKill on January 12th in Dallas!

TICKETS: https://t.co/ixb7CLdmIO pic.twitter.com/BDFNcQbu6A

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) December 18, 2019

It was then announced that Madman Fulton vs Ken Shamrock has been added to the Impact Wrestling Hard to Kill pay-per-view.

Rob Van Dam Softens Up Brian Cage

Rob Van Dam doesn’t seem too worried about his dream match with Brian Cage at Impact Wrestling’s Hard to Kill PPV. RVD said of facing Cage that he “can counter his own moves” in reference to his ongoing accusations that Cage steals moves from him.

RVD cut a promo with Katie Forbes this week that was interrupted by Cage. A low-blow by Forbes would give RVD the advantage in the scuffle, however. He then looked to go for the Coast 2 Coast on Cage but wouldn’t give the fans the satisfaction and merely dropkicked a chair into Cage’s face instead.

Ace Austin Dedicates Match To Trey’s Mother

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr9Fu6O9b-0

• Impact Wrestling X-Division Championship
  Ace Austin (c) defeated Petey Williams

Ace Austin beat former X-Division champion, Petey Williams, this week. After the match, Austin got on the mic and dedicated the match to Mrs. Miguel, aka Trey’s mother.

Later in the night, Trey confronted Austin in the back over his frequent mentions of his mother. Trey has a future X-Division title match owed to him but he might care more about revenge than championships when these two finally square off.

Joey Ryan Faces His Wrestlers Court Sentence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhrZRAk3Pxk

• Joey Ryan defeated Acey Romero

Last week, Tommy Dreamer sentenced Joey Ryan to this match after finding him guilty of killing the business during Wrestlers Court.

Johnny Swinger was on commentary and continued to complain about Ryan’s antics “killing the business” and “chasing the rizats away.”

After a ref bump, Swinger attempted to get involved by giving Romero a “Fanny pack suplex” akin to Ryan’s penis suplex. It didn’t work. Ryan then delivered his flip suplex and a lollypop assisted superkick for the win.

The North Gear Up To Face Willie Mack & Rich Swann at Hard to Kill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW-Ub-xHJLg

• Ethan Page defeated Rich Swann via DQ

The North will defend their tag titles against Rich Swann and Willie Mack at Hard to Kill. After a backstage confrontation this week, a single’s match between Page and Swann was scheduled.

While Page was on the outside, he slapped Mack in the face. Mack took the bait and chased Page into the ring and delivered a blow which caused the DQ. Page found the whole thing pretty funny while Swann seemed quite upset.

Moose and Rhino Brawl Backstage

BREAKING: It'll be the Gore vs. the No Jackhammer Needed at #HardToKill on January 12th in Dallas! @TheMooseNation @Rhyno313

TICKETS: https://t.co/ixb7CLdmIO pic.twitter.com/VrShNrqPZ7

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) December 18, 2019

Rhino and Moose ran into each other backstage this week. Moose noted to Rhino that while RVD beat him last week, Moose defeated RVD earlier this year. Rhino gave Moose a gore in response.

It was then announced the two will face each other at Hard to Kill.

Jordynne Grace Builds Momentum Leading to PPV, Taya Valkyrie Enlists Help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA3ydPMOEuU

• Jordynne Grace defeated Tenille Dashwood

Jordynne Grace countered a pinning combination into her own pinning combination to get the win on Dashwood this week. After the match, Taya Valkyrie attempted to attack Grace but was fended off by both Grace and Tenille Dashwood.

Later in the show, Taya would recruit help from Kiera Hogan and Madison Rayne.

I didn’t realize being this popular was going to be so unpopular ????? https://t.co/h7NsBnZr78

— TAYA VALKYRIE (@thetayavalkyrie) December 18, 2019

TJP Jumped By Desi Hit Squad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaubO4-Y32M

• TJP defeated Daga

TJP and Daga had a close match this week but ultimately TJP would come out the winner via submission. After the match, TJP and his partner Fallah Bah were attacked by the Desi Hit Squad including Mahabali Shera who hasn’t been seen in weeks.

Shera delivered a big chokeslam to TJP to end the segment.

Next Week

PROGRAMMING UPDATE: Here's our holiday schedule!

Saturday December 28th and January 4th you can catch our Best Of 2019 shows featuring the reveals of the end of year awards!

We'll be back on Tuesday, January 7th with the final IMPACT before #HardToKill! pic.twitter.com/RBa4agm6ky

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) December 18, 2019

The next new episode of Impact Wrestling takes place on January 7th, 2020 and will be the go-home show for Hard to Kill. Best of 2019 and the 2019 awards show will take place the next two weeks.

Quick Results 12/17:

1. Jordynne Grace defeated Tenille Dashwood
2. TJP defeated Daga
3. Ethan Page defeated Rich Swann via DQ
4. Joey Ryan defeated Acey Romero
5. X-Division Championship
   Ace Austin (c) defeated Petey Williams

WWE NXT is closing out the year with a bang. Thus, it’s time to look ahead starting with tonight’s episode of NXT. 

WWE is stacking this show as usual due to them being in a war with AEW (All Elite Wrestling) as NXT will be going head-to-head in the same time slot as AEW Dynamite on the TNT network. 

The company is building up this show around two title matches including NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Finn Balor, which will open the show and it will be commercial-free. 

NXT Reportedly Set To Be Involved At WrestleMania 36

In the likely main event, NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Bazler vs. Rhea Ripley will take place. 

WWE holds this show in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:

• NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Finn Balor
• NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Bazler vs. Rhea Ripley
• What’s next for NXT Cruiserweight Champion Angel Garza?
• Will NXT UK continue to impress ahead of Worlds Collide?

WWE will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds. 

As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for NXT. 

Join us here later tonight for WWE NXT Live Results and our post-show NXT Takeaways feature.

2019 has been an incredible year for both Cody Rhodes and All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The company announced this week it sold over 100,000 live event tickets. This is a huge milestone for a company that had its first show in late May.

During a recent interview with TV Insider, the Rhodes opened up about the company’s performance and his goals for the year ahead.

When asked what goals they have for the promotion heading into year two, the former WWE star claimed that they will be expanding upon their mission statement of becoming an alternative to WWE.

Cody Rhodes on AEW’s Mission for 2020

“Looking at 2020, we have to expand upon the missions statement. That’s always my goal when I’m out there. The mission statement that we have to be the alternative.

We can get in the weeds on counter-programming on Wednesday nights and talk about ratings and use the word war and all that stuff, but we have to stick to our mission statement of being an alternative. Be sports-centric.”

One of the ways AEW has used to differentiate themselves from WWE is the inclusion of many different styles of wrestling in their programming, in an attempt to give everyone something to watch.

However this approach has also led to some criticism from fans and addressing this response, the AEW official said that they just want to make sure they key in their mission statement:

“That’s something people have been critical of here and there. The show is a buffet and sometimes the foods are vastly different. That can be a little offensive, but I just want to make sure we key in on our mission statement. And we key in on our outreach to fans.”

Apart from this, Cody Rhodes also talked about his ongoing rivalry with MJF and revealed that the young star has been removed from the media list by Brandi Rhodes.

Cody Rhodes thinks former WWE Superstar Luke Harper would be a great fit in All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

The AEW Executive VP recently spoke with Talk Sport. Alex McCarthy released a teaser quote of his chat with Cody, who feels Luke Harper is a “vey special” talent.

Cody Rhodes on Luke Harper

“He would be great as part of AEW. He’s a name that when you hear they’ve asked for their release, you definitely think about that and the next steps, for sure. I think he’s going to flourish with what he does next, he’s very special.”

AEW executives have been open about their efforts to avoid the stumbles of other promotions. For example, TNA Wrestling became notorious for signing any former WWE Superstar that became available.

AEW does have several former WWE Superstars on its roster. Cody Rhodes is one of them. However, men like Cody, Jon Moxley and even Chris Jericho are doing the best work of their careers.

• Cody Rhodes on AEW Fans Being ‘Overly Protective’ of the Product

Luke Harper’s Future

Luke Harper requested his release from WWE back in April. He remained under contract until December, when WWE finally granted the request. It is believed that Harper has a 90-day no-compete clause with WWE. This would prevent him from appearing on AEW television until late March 2020.

It’s worth noting that Harper recently trademarked the name Brodie Lee, the ring name he used prior to joining WWE in 2012.

Nikki Bella recently did an interview with Health Magazine to talk about her reality show, Total Bellas on the E! Network. 

During the interview, she discussed chronicling her breakup with John Cena on the show. This is where she revealed her one regret about what she didn’t do on the show regarding the split with the former WWE Champion. 

“The one thing I really regret about showcasing the breakup is that no one got to hear [John’s] voice, and it just seemed so one-sided. I felt like that wasn’t fair to him because he was on this journey with us from the beginning.”

Nikki Bella also revealed that Cena never took one paycheck from Total Bellas. She thought it was beautiful that he was fully there to support her and she will never forget his support and his love. 

“That’s what made me sad—I don’t want to say it became the Nikki show, but in a way it did because you didn’t get to see John anymore.”

The couple announced their separation last year after dating since 2012 and being engaged for a year. Prior to their split, John Cena and Nikki were scheduled to get married in May 2018.

• Nikki Bella Says She Still Has “Unconditional Love” For John Cena

CM Punk and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin are both retired from active competition. That does not stop wrestling fans from hypothesizing a dream match between the two legends.

Whoever runs the WWE on Fox Twitter account is also interested in seeing this match. The account tweeted out an image of the two stars with a caption asking fans who would win if they ever laced up the boots one last time.

CM Punk replied to the post with a .GIF from his infamous pipe bomb promo. Unfortunately, the likelihood of this match ever happening is slim to none.

pic.twitter.com/lyhWNr5urY

— player/coach (@CMPunk) December 17, 2019

pic.twitter.com/gAtPG37QOH

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) December 17, 2019

CM Punk is working an analyst on the Fox Sports 1 series, WWE Backstage. It should be noted that while he is only under contract with Fox, but he has not ruled out an in-ring return.

As for Steve Austin, he retired in 2003 after losing to The Rock at WrestleMania 19. He has since stated that he has no interest in wrestling again. He currently hosts the Broken Skull Sessions interview show on the WWE Network.

• Lana Accuses CM Punk Of Making Misogynistic Comments About Her

The latest on Kairi Sane has surfaced online. 

The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion has been pulled from the post-Christmas WWE live event tour. WWE has yet to publicly comment on her injury or when she’ll be back to in-ring action. 

It should be noted that she made a brief appearance during Asuka’s match on Monday Night RAW this week. She will also appear on television next week on RAW but is not slated to wrestle. 

This comes after may have suffered a potential concussion during the first-ever Women’s TLC Tag Team Title Match at the WWE TLC pay-per-view event. 

In the contest, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors went over RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair to retain the titles. 

Kairi Sane Injury Update, How WWE Officials Felt About The Situation

WWE will hold a live event as part of the post-Christmas tour at Madison Square Garden on December 26th. Originally, Sane and Asuka were scheduled to defend their titles in a Steel Cage match against Flair and Lynch. 

However, due to Sane no longer being medically cleared to compete, it will be a Triple Threat Cage Match with Asuka vs. Lynch vs. Flair, at this scheduled show. 

Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 2.053 million viewers, which is down from 2.150 million viewers the previous week. 

Here is the hourly viewership breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

• Hour 1: 2.204 million – Last Week: 2.255 
• Hour 2: 2.099 million – Last Week: 2.201
• Hour 3: 1.858 million – Last Week: 1.995

The episode was expected to maintain its viewership from last week. In the 18-49 demos, the first hour did 0.67 while the second hour had 0.62 and 0.52 in the final hour. 

The biggest competition that WWE RAW faced came in the way of an NFL regular-season game between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts that aired on ESPN did 11.057 million viewers.

Some of the matches that took place include The OC (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) vs. The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) in a non-title match, Erick Rowan vs. a jobber, WWE United States Title #1 Contendership Six-Man Gauntlet Match, Asuka vs. Deonna Purrazzo, and Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles in the main event. 

The show also featured a segment where Lana had Bobby Lashley propose to her. 

WWE will attempt to increase its viewership for RAW next week. In case you missed the show, you can check out the five takeaways here.

Watch: Top 10 Moments from Monday’s RAW (12.16.19)

AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes has commented on Marty Scurll’s future.

Rhodes recently spoke with Alex McCarthy for the Talk Sport website. When asked about the future of free agent Marty Scurll, Rhodes was coy with his response.

“Marty is going to do what Marty is going to do,” he said. “We all love Marty. Anything he does in the next few weeks or months, I wouldn’t look at as permanent for him. He’s very much testing the waters here and there and that’s pretty much all I can say on Marty.”

Marty Scurll’s Future

Marty Scurll’s future is currently up in the air. He is wrapping up with Ring of Honor and made a surprise appearance at last weekend’s NWA Into the Fire pay-per-view. Scurll had a staredown with NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis at the end of the show, setting up a possible match between the two.

Scurll’s contract with Ring of Honor recently expired, but he wrestled at their Final Battle PPV event. He also worked the ROH TV tapings on Sunday.

Many fans expect Marty Scurll to wind up in All Elite Wrestling after a short run with the NWA.

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

WWE Hall of Famer and AEW commentator Jim Ross has made some interesting comments with regards to the use of steroids in professional wrestling.

During the most recent episode of the ‘Grilling JR’ podcast, co-host Conrad Thompson asked Good Old JR if he felt steroids should be banned from wrestling altogether. “Hell no, absolutely not” Jim Ross replied.

Jim Ross on Steroids in Wrestling

“I believe that talents, all talents, should get ongoing medical exams, in other words the things that are important to know. [such as] More regular blood work the normal perhaps. But certainly you know every week our guys [AEW] should be checked. I think they are checked every week our guys in AEW. [They] should be checked every Wednesday.”

“Negative Baggage”

Jim Ross elaborated further, saying “Any vacillation or change [in blood pressure or heart monitoring] should be noted, it should be noted. Look, it’s [pro wrestling] a performance art, it’s not the NFL. It has the same negative baggage that marijuana has, or had. It [steroids] has not been accepted widely enough. To get that ‘ok it’s alright.'”

Billy Graham

Superstar Billy Graham made comments aimed at former WWE Champion Kofi Kingston earlier this year stating “I urge you to start doing some steroids and add about 50 pounds of solid muscle to your championship body.”

This gained some negative reaction from several big names in the wrestling industry, including fellow Hall of Famer Booker T.

“These old guys need to wake up and realize that their era is over,” said Booker T.  “To bring steroids into a conversation as far as what a man need to do to get to the top in the wrestling business, man there’s more to life than the wrestling business. What about your health?”

You can listen to the latest episode of the Jim Ross Grilling JR podcast in the player embedded below. If the embedded player does not appear, listen at Westwood One Podcasts.

NWA executives Billy Corgan and Dave Lagana were guests on Sam Roberts’ NotSam Wrestling podcast earlier this week. Topics discussed include their Into the Fire pay-per-view, producing ‘television’ without a TV deal, their business model and hopes for eventual profitability.

Billy Corgan says it will be ‘interesting’ to see if they can continue operating without a television deal. Currently, the weekly NWA Powerrr series is distributed via YouTube.

“If you remember when TNA first started with Jarrett they were running the PPV model, which I was interested in just from a consumer point of view. It was like whatever, $3 to watch an episode or whatever,” said Corgan.

He continued, “I would watch a lot of them because I wanted to support the idea that they were trying to do something different as far as the market place. So I think we are in the same position, where we might be in a situation where we can continue to grow the NWA, be able to do live shows, and not actually have to serve any particular master as far as a network would go.”

NWA’s Road to Profitability

Of course, not having to ‘serve a particular master’ also comes with the downside of not receiving lucrative TV rights fees. Dave Lagana touched upon that situation indirectly when talking about the NWA’s business model. Lagana believes the company is “maybe six months away” from being profitable.

“As we scale this product, we’re so much closer than people think to being a very scalable product.” Lagana said. “I ran the numbers on Powerrr, I was like, ‘We’re maybe six months away from really being profitable on this show, on our own, without having to take an investment from anybody,’ and it may even be faster than that.”

The NWA will present another pay-per-view event in January. They held the latest round of NWA Powerrr TV tapings on Monday night:

• Spoilers: NWA Powerrr TV Tapings Results from Atlanta, GA (12/16)

The full interview with Corgan and Lagana can be viewed in the player below:

Transcriptions via 411Mania

The wrestler formerly known as Sin Cara and Hunico in WWE has announced he has changed his name. The 42-year-old Jorge Arias will now be wrestling under the name Cinta de Oro. The name had previously been used by one of his wrestling idols growing up who would later become a coach of his.

According to a report from Pro Wrestling Sheet, Arias received permission to use the name from the sons of the original Cinta de Oro, who also gave him their father’s mask to wear.

Arias and the sons of the original Cinta de Oro posed for a picture on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6J-ponFa0C/?utm_source=ig_embed

Sin Cara Asks For His WWE Release

Last month, Sin Cara took to social media to ask WWE for his release.

“Last night, after much consideration and prayer, thinking about my kids and their future, I made one of the toughest decisions but most sensible that I could have made in my professional wrestling career; I have asked WWE for my release,” Sin Cara began his statement with. 

• Sin Cara Asks For His Release From WWE

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity I was given, however, I’ve noticed that I’m trapped in a place where I’m not valued as an athlete or talent. I’ve worked hard and honestly, throughout many years pulling my weight, I’ve been loyal, respectful, a team player, a supporter and I’ve waited patiently for an opportunity to show the world all that I can do. Unfortunately, after all these years, that opportunity never came and I feel like that will never come so long as I stay in the spot that I am.”

Impact Wrestling is back tonight with a show taped from New York’s Melrose Ballroom. Several matches and one big segment have been announced for tonight as the promotion continues the build to Hard to Kill.

Sami Callihan to Expose The Truth About Tessa Blanchard

Impact Wrestling world champion Sami Callihan has promised to expose the truth about Tessa Blanchard tonight on Impact Wrestling. What this means is anyone’s guess as the champion’s actions are rarely predictable.

As we get closer to Hard to Kill, however, expect Callihan to look for every opportunity he can get to gain an advantage over his upcoming challenger.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

TODAY IS #IMPACTonAXSTV DAY! pic.twitter.com/lFwZiIpAAT

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) December 17, 2019

X-Division Title Match
Ace Austin (c) vs Petey Williams

The X-division championship will be on the line tonight as Ace Austin takes on Petey Williams in singles competition. Waiting in the wings, however, is Trey from The Rascals as he has earned a shot at the X-division title in the future. Trey might be more concerned with what Ace Austin has in store for his mother, as Austin seems to have taken a liking to her. Trey will be watching this match closely, that’s for sure. 

Jordynn Grace vs Tenille Dashwood

Jordynne Grace has a title match with Taya Valkyrie coming up at Hard to Kill in the new year but she will have a tune-up match this week against Tenille Dashwood.

It’s likely that Valkyrie and Johnn E. Bravo will be watching this match closely and might even decide to get involved.

Joey Ryan vs Ace Romero

Last week’s epic Wrestlers Court segment ended with Tommy Dreamer sentencing Joey Ryan to face Ace Romero this week on Impact. It’s not clear if Johnny Swinger also received the 2 pay envelopes and handfull of pizills he was asking for. Ryan will be looking to show off all of his power to defeat the big heavyweight tonight.

.@JoeyRyanOnline was sentenced to a match against @THEACEYROMERO in Wrestler's Court and that will take place TOMORROW on IMPACT. #IMPACTonAXSTV pic.twitter.com/6FOe5GXNy3

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) December 16, 2019

Rich Swann vs Ethan Page

Rich Swann will take on Ethan Page in singles action this week. Swann and his partner Willie Mack will go up against Page and Josh Alexander for the tag titles on the next pay-per-view and each side will be looking to soften up the other in this bout here. 

Daga vs TJP

Also tonight is a match between Daga and TJP which is getting good reviews from those who saw it live and could possibly be the show-stealer on tonight’s episode.

TJP rescued his friend Fallah Bah from a beatdown by the Desi Hit Squad last week, he might be hoping that the Great Gama Singh’s faction doesn’t play a role in his match with Daga tonight.

• 10 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 12/10

.@MegaTJP returns to action on IMPACT for the first time since October to take on @Daga_wrestler TOMORROW at 8/7c on @AXSTV! #IMPACTonAXSTV pic.twitter.com/2GYkHa19Er

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) December 16, 2019

On Sunday and Monday night, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) held two sets of tapings for the NWA Powerrr studio show from Atlanta, Georgia.

NWA Powerrr airs every Tuesday night at 6:05pm ET on the NWA’s Facebook and YouTube channels. Here are the NWA Powerrr results: 

NWA Powerrr Tapings Results (12/16)

• Aron Stevens announces in a promo that he’s now “Shooter Stevens.”

• Melina, Rosa, Vox, Kay, and ODB brawl to set up a later match. 

• Zicky Dice beat Sal Rinauro & C.W. Anderson.

• Rock N Roll Express retained the NWA Tag Team Titles over two jobbers.

• The Wild Cards beat The Dawsons.

• Nick Aldis cuts a promo about how he wants to hold the TV and World Titles at the same time. He says Kamilla is no longer his insurance policy.

• Eli Drake beat Ken Anderson in a no DQ match.

• PJ & Luke Hawx beat Tyson Dean & Jeff Lewis Neal.

• Ricky Starks beat Eddie Kingston.

• James Storm beat Royce Isaacs.

• Melina, Thunder Rosa & Marti Belle beat ODB, Ashley Vox & Allysin Kay.

• Question Mark beat Colt Cabana to advance in the TV title tournament.

• Colby Corino beat George South.

• Trevor Murdoch beat Aron Stevens in a non-title bout.

• Tasha Steelz beat Marti Belle.

• Tim Storm beat Royce Isaacs to advance in the TV title tournament.

• Zicky Dice beat Caleb Konley to advance in the TV title tournament.

• Thunder Rosa beat ODB.

• Ricky Starks vs. Nick Aldis ended in a draw. 

• Eli Drake & James Storm beat Colt Cabana & Ken Anderson via DQ.

• Zane Dawson beat Dave Dawson to advance in the TV title tournament.

• Aron Stevens & Question Mark beat Outlaw Inc.

• Melina beat Ashley Vox.

• Eli Drake, Tim Storm & Robert Gibson beat The Wild Cards & Scott Steiner. With this win, Ricky Morton earns future NWA World Championship shot.

• Freya The Slaya beat Dani Jordyn.

• Thunder Rosa beat Tasha Steelz.

• Trevor Murdoch beat Tom Latimer to advance in the TV title tournament.

• Allysin Kay beat Marti Belle in a No DQ Match. Post-match, Thunder Rosa announced that she will challenge Kay for the belt at the pay-per-view next month. 

• Ken Anderson wins a gauntlet match. Caleb Konley, C.W. Anderson, Jocephus, Colt Cabana, Dave Dawson, Aron Stevens, and Sal Rinauro also worked the match. 

• NWA World Champion Nick Aldis beat Ricky Morton.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni6Ry18sQtM

WWE taped the December 23rd edition of RAW on Monday evening from Des Moines, IA at the Wells Fargo Arena. The following are the spoilers for the show:

• Kevin Owens defeated Mojo Rawley in a Christmas Street Fight. After the match, Owens cut a promo where he called out Seth Rollins and AOP, who walked out and beat him down. 

• Bobby Lashley defeated Cedric Alexander. During the match, Lana announced that their wedding would take place next week. 

• Drew McIntyre defeated Zack Ryder. After the match, McIntyre announced that his year will be 2020

• RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch came out to the ring to cut a promo by issuing a challenge to WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Asuka for a singles match. As a result, Asuka came out and agreed to the match but noted it would take place at a later date. Lynch told Asuka to name the place and time.

• Ricochet defeated Tony Nese

• Aleister Black defeated a local enhancement talent. After the match, Buddy Murphy came out and also defeated a local enhancement talent as Black watched. Black dropped Murphy after the match. They will square off next week.

• Charlotte Flair defeated WWE NXT Superstar Chelsea Green.

• The OC (AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson) defeated Randy Orton and RAW Tag Team Champions The Viking Raiders. 

• Erick Rowan squashed a local enhancement talent

• Rusev defeated No Way Jose. After the match, Rusev cut a promo on Lana and Bobby Lashley getting married and how they deserve each other. 

• WWE United States Champion Rey Mysterio retained over Seth Rollins by DQ due to interference by AOP. After the match, they went to put Mysterio through announce table but Samoa Joe wouldn’t move. As a result, they not only furthered the beatdown on Mysterio but attacked Joe as well.