AEW rankings for January 29th, 2020 have been released. The promotion releases new rankings every Wednesday morning now though its official social media channels.
AEW Men’s Single’s Division
There was no change at all this week in the single’s division rankings. Moxley defeated PAC this week, Omega won the tag titles with Page and neither Cody or Guevara competed.
Le Champion: Chris Jericho
Jon Moxley (3-0)
PAC (1-1)
Cody (1-0)
Kenny Omega (0-0)
Sammy Guevara (2-1)
AEW Women’s Single’s Division
Britt Baker and Awesome Kong swapped places this week with Baker taking the #4 spot and Kong dropping to #5. Baker picked up a win on Dynamite last week over Priscilla Kelly before blasting Tony Schiavone in a post-match promo.
Nyla Rose defeated Shanna in a tables match which aired on Dark this week though was taped on 1/21/20.
Champion: Riho
Nyla Rose (1-1)
Hikaru Shida (0-1)
Kris Statlander (0-1)
Britt Baker (1-1) (+1)
Awesome Kong (1-0) (-1)
AEW Tag Team Division
The only change to the tag team rankings this week is the former champions SCU dropping to the #1 spot after Omega and Page took the titles away from them.
The Dark Order won a match on Dark this week though as with the match between Shanna and Rose, it was actually taped on 1/21/20.
Impact Wrestling was back in Frontenac, Mexico this week for another edition of its weekly television program. They were also back on Twitch this week as the ban caused by Rob Van Dam’s celebrations with his girlfriend and girlfriend’s girlfriend has been lifted.
Impact Wrestling 1/28/20 Quick Results:
Vikingo defeated Josh Alexander w/Ethan Page
Dez & Wentz (the Rascalz) defeated Pagano & Murder Clown
Moose defeated Taurus
#1 Contender for Knockouts Championship: Jordynne Grace defeated Madison Rayne vs Kiera Hogan
Daga & Dr. Wagner Jr. defeated Reno Scum
Best of 5 Series (Match 1): Michael Elgin defeated Eddie Edwards (Elgin leads 1-0)
Here are 9 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 1/28/20:
Michael Elgin Takes Early Lead In Series Against Eddie Edwards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIPLAvNEZUg
Michael Elgin really feels cheated by the referee’s decision at Hard to Kill. Elgin feels Edwards tapped to his crossface during their single’s match but he was really just reaching for the ropes when his hand hit the mat. Regardless, Elgin feels he should have been awarded Edwards’ Call Your Shot trophy. They met in this week’s main event in the first of their best-of-5-series.
Elgin would score the first victory in the series, choking out his rival after delivering a Death Valley Driver from the top rope.
Jordynne Grace Earns A Title Shot Against Taya Valkyrie
Jordynne Grace picked up the win in a triple threat match against Kiera Hogan and Madison Rayne this week that has earned her a shot at Taya Valkyrie’s Knockouts Championship. Hogan and Rayne had made a deal with Valkyrie that one of them would get the next title shot but Grace inserted herself into the picture as well.
Rayne and Hogan attempted to work together during the match but their combined efforts simply were not enough to stop the streaking Grace. She has come up short when challenging Taya before but Grace seems as though she’s really hit her stride lately and could provide more of a challenge than before.
Joey Ryan was interviewed backstage this week. He commented on Rob Van Dam’s criticism of him from last week. RVD said that Ryan’s match against Maximo last week made him feel embarrassed to be a wrestler.
Ryan then said this week that he doesn’t think it was his match against Maximo that got RVD all upset, he thinks Katie Forbes wants to touch “it” and that is why Rob said what he said. It seems as though these two could face-off against one another soon.
Last week, Suzie wandered off away from James Mitchell during a match between Rosemary and Havok. Rosemary approached Suzie in the back this week and told her she thinks she can turn her into a real warrior. Suzie seemed to like this idea so Rosemary challenged her to an exhibition match next week and then handed her some wrestling gear before Suzie just sort of wandered off again.
Moose Gets Revenge On Taurus, Rhino Gets Revenge On Him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnZyooPrHEw
Last week on Impact Wrestling, Taurus won a triple threat match against Moose and Rhino. This week Moose and Taurus went one-on-one. After Taurus missed a running strike into the post, Moose landed the No Jackhammer Needed spear and picked up the win.
After the match, Rhino ran out from the back and delivered a Gore to Moose. It looks as though this rivalry between these two heavyweight contenders will continue.
OVE Assaults Daga & Dr. Wagner Jr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KSG6Tbkt-0
Daga teamed up with Dr. Wagner Jr this week in victorious fashion over Reno Scum. After the match, however, the members of OVE minus Sami Callihan attacked. They would even beat up Wagner Jr. in front of his own son who was at ringside and was forced to witness the events by Reno Scum.
Vikingo Defeats Josh Alexander In Fast-Paced Opener
Vikingo certainly opted to make the most of his opening match on Impact Wrestling this week against Josh Alexander from the North. This was a really interesting style mash-up as Vikingo has a high-flying Lucha style and Alexander’s offense is heavy on suplexes and amateur wrestling moves.
After several exciting exchanges between the two, Vikingo pulled off the mild upset with a head-scissors into a pinning combination.
It was later announced that Vikingo will face TJP next week.
The Rascalz Defeat Their Peyote-Induced Clown Hallucinations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddEtwLzTsSc
Last week on Impact, the Rascalz were shown in the back taking peyote. Things were going fine until Pagano and Murder Clown sat down. This week, the Rascalz were forced to face their fears when they met the two stars from AAA in tag-team action.
As frightened as they were, Dez and Wentz managed to pull off the victory with some unique double-team offense. The next set of tapings for Impact is in Nevada, where the Rascalz will likely go back to what they are accustomed to.
Gail Kim recently spoke to PW Insider regarding the recent controversy surrounding Impact World Champion Tessa Blanchard. The weekend of Impact’s Hard to Kill PPV, several female wrestlers accused Blanchard of using a racial slur and bullying wrestlers backstage.
“It was pretty stressful in the sense I didn’t like the angst of all these women fighting, or I don’t know what the term is, but it weighed heavily on my heart in a way. When that happened, we went to a pay-per-view and it wasn’t even 24 hours,” Kim said to PW Insider. “I went to speak to Tessa. Those details are private between her and I and are no one’s business. I based my decision of support at the pay-per-view and showing that support based on her time in the company. In the three years that she started with Impact wrestling, I’ve never seen any signs of any of that, of the undertones of bullying or racism. That’s where I made my decision of what I did and what I showed.”
Gail Kim Says Tessa Blanchard Has The Support Of The Impact Lockerroom
Kim would continue to say that she hasn’t seen any attitude problems from Blanchard in the entire time she has been with the company. Blanchard signed with Impact in April of 2018 as a 22-year-old and became the promotion’s youngest ever world champion when she won the title at 24.
“Any wrestler would tell you this, if someone was so crappy and such a terrible attitude and terrible person, do you think we would support that person? We would probably let that person bury themselves. She has the support of the locker room for a reason,” Kim continued.
“I didn’t see any attitude problems, that’s the thing. I don’t know what that reasoning is. I’ve never even heard anybody say in the locker room in the last three years that she had an attitude problem,” Kim would later add.
Tommy Dreamer Comments On Tessa Blanchard Controversy
On Busted Open Radio, Tommy Dreamer also commented on the situation and his relationship with Tessa Blanchard.
“I would state that I have a great relationship with (Tessa), I also have a great relationship with a lot of the other women that were talking about her. I was not there, I do know that there was a very very physical confrontation between her and this other wrestler and that led to I mean a physical brawl. Sometimes in the heat of battle you say things that you regret. I know that Tessa used to date a famous wrestler who’s in WWE that is African American. I know Tessa is currently engaged to Daga who is Mexican, I do not feel that Tessa Blanchard is racist.”
Edge returned to WWE at the Royal Rumble this weekend after having been gone since 2011. His early retirement was announced shortly after WrestleMania in 2011. According to a report from Talk Sport, Edge’s new deal with WWE is for 3 years and $3 million per year.
The report from Talk Sport would continue to state that the deal requires Edge to compete in 3 matches a year and make 25 appearances a year. Edge and Beth Phoenix were said to be quite happy with the deal.
There is some mystery over when Edge received his medical clearance to resume his wrestling career. Edge delivered a spear to Elias on the SummerSlam Kickoff show in August which led many to speculate he may have been given the green light from doctors. He would continue to deny reports that he had been cleared in the months and weeks leading up to his return at the Rumble, however.
“It’s kind of funny to be honest,” Edge said to Live on 4 Legs. “All of these rumors that I’ve been to Pittsburgh and I’ve been cleared to wrestle and I’ve signed a new contract. I have no idea where any of it came from. The last time I was in Pittsburgh I had my wrist fused in 2013. I don’t know.”
The Bella Twins are both pregnant and their due dates are less than 2 weeks apart. News of the twins’ dual pregnancies was first reported on by People Magazine. The Bellas posed for several exclusive pregnancy announcement photos as well.
Brie and Nikki Bella Are Both Pregnant — and Due Less Than 2 Weeks Apart: 'It's Crazy!' https://t.co/JOlhQzC5p6
“Wait, twins being pregnant at the same time?” Brie told People. “People are going to think that’s a joke. We both are shocked. People are going to think we planned it, but you can’t really plan pregnancy!”
“[It was] a total surprise,” Nikki added. “It took even me a good week to come to terms with like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m pregnant.’ I’m not ready for it.”
Brie & Nikki Bella Both Pregnant
For Brie Bella, this is her second-child with Daniel Bryan. Their first child, Birdie Joe, was born in May of 2017. She spoke to People about how her and Bryan were hoping to have another child but had resigned to thinking they might only have one.
“My husband and I were trying for seven or eight months, but then I felt in my heart it was a sign from God, like, ‘You guys are good with one,’ so we stopped trying,” said Brie. “When we were in France meeting Artem’s family, I felt a little off. I was irritated and uncomfortable in my body. When we got home, I took a test two days before Thanksgiving, and when I saw the positive sign, I was like, ‘Oh, s—!’ “
This will be Nikki Bella’s first child along with her fiance ArtemChigvintsev, whom she met on Dancing With The Stars. She spoke to People about finding out she was pregnant. At the time, Brie had already told Nikki that she was pregnant.
“I was in yoga, and I kept getting this feeling that you need to take a pregnancy test, but I wasn’t even late yet,” says Nikki, who got engaged during a romantic trip to France in November. “And so I’m like, ‘Why do I keep having this feeling? Am I getting twin vibes from her? Because she just told me she’s pregnant?’ “
Nikki would continue to say that she waited until after the pregnancy test confirmed her suspicions before telling Artem.
WWE NXT is back for another episode with an interesting lineup, so let’s take a look at the preview for the show.
The company will present the fallout from Saturday’s Worlds Collide show that only featured one title change, which was Angel Garza dropping the NXT Cruiserweight Championship to Jordan Devlin. It’s likely that Devlin will appear on the show and perhaps make his next title defense.
The company is building up this show around the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic that will see The Grizzled Young Veterans take on Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle.
The winners of this contest will then challenge The Undisputed Era for the NXT Tag Team Titles at NXT TakeOver: Portland.
WWE NXT Preview
WWE holds this show in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Adam Cole’s TakeOver: Portland challenger to be named
The Grizzled Young Veterans taking on Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle in Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai to battle
What’s next for new NXT North American Champion Keith Lee?
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 Results and our post-show NXT Takeaways feature.
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 2.402 million viewers in San Antonio, TX at the AT&T Center on the USA Network, which is up from the 2.380 million viewers the previous week.
RAW Viewership
Here is the hourly viewership breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
Hour 1: 2.541 million – Last Week: 2.548
Hour 2: 2.441 million – Last Week: 2.492
Hour 3: 2.224 million – Last Week: 2.101
The episode was expected to increase in its viewership from last week. The reason for that is due to the lack of competition it faced as well as it serving as the post-show for RAW coming out of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event this past Sunday.
Here is the hourly 18-49 demos breakdown:
Hour 1: 0.81 – Last Week: 0.90
Hour 2: 0.76 – Last Week: 0.87
Hour 3: 0.72 – Last Week: 0.73
Some of the matches that took place include Drew McIntyre vs. The OC (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows), Rey Mysterio vs. MVP, RAW Tag Team Champions Buddy Murphy & Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens & Samoa Joe, Humberto Carrillo vs. United States Champion Andrade, Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka, and Liv Morgan vs. Lana.
There was also a segment with WWE Hall of Famer Edge talking about his return to WWE that led to an angle with Randy Orton. Also, Drew McIntyre declared which title he will challenge for at WrestleMania 36 in Tampa, Florida this April.
After earning the right to do so by winning the Men’s Royal Rumble Match, McIntyre will challenge Brock Lesnar, who made an appearance on this show, for the WWE Title at the biggest event of the year for the company.
WWE will attempt to increase its viewership for Monday Night RAW next week due to no sports competition and the road to WrestleMania on its way.
In case you missed the show, you can check out the eight takeaways here.
Roman Reigns recently spoke to the LA Times about finding out Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash the day of the Royal Rumble. Reigns is a Lakers fan and found out about the tragedy from Triple H backstage at Minute Maid Park on Sunday. He then flew home immediately after the show.
“At Minute Maid Park right before the Rumble, Triple H received a text message and he showed it to me. I just didn’t believe it to be honest. I’m a Lakers fan, I watched religiously throughout his career and I’ve always been a huge fan, massive respect. I never really thought losing someone like that, essentially a stranger, obviously a public figure and I’ve seen him and watched him but he didn’t know me and I didn’t truly know him but I didn’t realize it would affect me so much.”
Roman continued to talk about how much Kobe Bryant’s death impacted him.
“I legitimately cried. I got home last night, I flew home right after the Rumble. The first thing I did when I got in my house was I went right to my daughter’s room and I hugged her. She was asleep, she has no clue that I hugged her for probably 3, 4, 5 minutes and was teared up the whole time.”
Reigns’ comments to the LA Times can be viewed in the Tweet below:
WWE superstar @WWERomanReigns is a big Lakers fan and he found out about Kobe Bryant’s death before Sunday’s Royal Rumble from @TripleH. He flew home immediately after the event and when he got home he went to his daughter’s room. She was sleeping but he just held her and cried. pic.twitter.com/2RKNT5tmzR
Triple H cracked a joke about Paige during a recent interview. Hunter was talking about retired wrestlers returning and how having families might impact that when he made the joke about Paige.
“Paige – maybe. She probably has some (children) that she doesn’t know of,” Triple H said of Paige when asked about her potential return.
Paige recently appeared on Chasing Glory with Lillian Garcia and spoke about how the joke impacted her and her boyfriend, Ronnie Radke. Paige said that Triple H’s joke opened the door for people online to send hateful messages to her and Radke.
“After [Triple H] made that joke, which, I respect Hunter – he [has] always been respectful to me and he has always just been a gentleman, so when he made that joke, it kind of just ignited this thing where it opened the door for all these fans to attack me and take pictures, and screenshots, and videos. And then, all-of-a-sudden, it’s being sent to Ronnie and to my family and stuff like that all over again and it took me a couple of years to really get over it.”
Paige continued to talk about how the joke brought up many issues that had taken her a long time to feel better in regards to.
Paige On Triple H’s Joke
“Like I said earlier, I had to talk to four different therapists. Like, I was thinking about suicide back then. I was in a really dark place. And then, knowing that I couldn’t have kids too, so that whole joke was just bad! I was like, ‘I can’t have kids!’ And then, all-of-a-sudden, these videos are being brought up, so it was just all of this stuff, kind of like an influx of hatred just thrown at me by all these fans. And I’m just like, ‘damn, I was just getting over this, and now it all just came back again, and now I have poor Ronnie who has to be involved in all of this, and my family, again, has to be involved in this.'”
Paige continued to say that she doesn’t mind making jokes but what hurts is when it opens the door for people to bully her online.
“I don’t mind jokes. Honestly, I really don’t. Like, backstage, I’ll joke all the time. I was like, ‘you can throw these jokes at me.’ I would joke about myself. I don’t care, but if it’s in the media, then it just opens doors to strangers to do it and that’s not okay because then I feel like these people on the internet are bullying me again.”
The full interview with Paige from Lillian Garcia’s podcast can be viewed below:
The National Wrestling Alliance presented Hard Times last Friday night. NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis faced ROH’s Flip Gordon on the show. Aldis recently sat down with Chris Van Vliet and spoke about how he first got involved with the NWA.
“Dave (Lagana) called me and just kind of said ‘what’s going on with you? What are you doing?’ Cause I mean I had just fallen off the face of the Earth in wrestling,” Aldis said. “Everyone just assumed that I would go to WWE after I finished up with TNA, that didn’t happen.”
Aldis said he was just bouncing around the indies when his wife Mickie James was brought back to WWE.
“I just very candidly told (Lagana) that for whatever reason there seems to be some sort of problem with WWE and I don’t really fit in anywhere else. This new style had taken such a hold on everything. Celebrating this high-impact, fast-paced, high-spot style, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
He would continue to say he felt as though he didn’t fit in with where wrestling was going.
“You have hot and cold periods and I was cold,” Aldis continued.
Nick Aldis Joins The NWA
Then Billy Corgan bought the NWA and Dave Lagana phoned Alids, who had worked with Corgan briefly in TNA.
“Then Dave started explaining what their philosophy was and their vision for what they want to achieve, and explain Billy’s vision for the things he missed in wrestling,” Aldis said. “I have to explain. When Billy came to Impact, literally his first day on the job was my last day.”
“He helped produce this one thing I was in and then it was like ‘alright, bye.'”
Aldis went on to tell Lagana some of what he missed in wrestling as well.
“I think there is a bunch of people that miss the classic like irresistible force versus immovable object, here’s the showdown, who is going to win and who’s going to be the world champion? The world champion?”
“Billy called me 2 minutes later and was just gushing about Dick the Bruiser and the Crusher,” Aldis continued.
The full interview can be viewed in the player below:
WWE has signed Gurvinder Singh of Jagadhri and Sukhwinder Grewal, two students trained by the Great Khali. Both Singh and Grewal have reported to the WWE Performance Center. As was the case with their trainer, these two wrestlers stand above 7-feet tall.
“A pair of towering seven-footers are among a trio of recruits from India that have reported to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla,” a WWE press release for the signings reads.
WWE also signed Laxmi Kant Rajpoot, another Great Khali student. While Rajpoot doesn’t stand over 7-feet tall as the other recruits do, he has an athletic background that includes javelin and taekwondo.
Gurvinder Singh is listed at 7-feet tall and 310lbs. His background before being trained by Khali is in cricket and acting.
Sukhwinder Grewal is listed at 7-feet 2-inches and 340lbs. Before beginning his training with the Great Khali, Grewal played basketball.
Great Khali’s Wrestling School
Khali opened Continental Wrestling Entertainment in Punjab, India in late 2015. It is both a wrestling academy and a promotion. Khali himself is a former 2x Heavyweight Champion in the promotion.
In an interview with the New Indian Times from 2018, Khali said WWE failed in India.
“The WWE has failed in India. They thought they would use the Great Khali fully and then leave him. I [had] been trying hard for [a long time] to leave WWE, but they kept on offering me [a] contract. Finally in 2014, I decided I [would] leave once my contract [ended] and [would] not work with them ever again. Then I came back and opened CWE [Continental Wrestling Entertainment] in Punjab, which is doing well.”
Shayna Baszler entered into the Royal Rumble on Sunday as the 30th entrant. She tossed out 8 other competitors before being the final elimination by Charlotte Flair. Baszler’s longtime training partner and 4 Horsewomen of MMA stablemate Ronda Rousey posted her reaction to Baszler’s performance on her official YouTube channel.
Ronda gets quite into the match. Video of her reaction can be viewed in the player below:
Ronda Rousey Responds To Royal Rumble Return Speculation
Rousey posted the following to her Twitter account after it was clear she would not be returning at the Rumble:
Rousey has said she’s pitched ideas to WWE about her return, however. In an interview with People, Rousey said she’s hoping to find a way to balance family and a WWE career.
“I think I need to figure out a different way of doing it. To be able to not have to choose career over family or family over career and kind of find that happy medium,” Rousey said.
“Right now, I think my family needs my undivided attention,” she continued. “I’m happy to give them that. But I’m trying to figure out a way or a system or somehow that I could give both my family and WWE the best of me and not be half-ass in both.”
Zack Sabre Jr. has addressed his challenger, Will Ospreay, ahead of their clash this Sunday. The two compete for Sabre’s British Heavyweight Championship on night two of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s New Beginning In Sapporo weekender.
Speaking with njpw1972.com, Sabre Jr. talked about the importance of the British Heavyweight Championship. He also addressed his national pride as a British wrestler and shared how he considers Ospreay a “blithering idiot.”
“It’s definitely important,” Sabre Jr. replied when asked if national pride is important to him. “I’ve been coming to Japan for ten years now. A lot of my influences were from Japanese wrestling. Japan is a very important place to me, but at my core, I’m a British wrestler.”
He continued, “In that sense, being with Ospreay and being that little history note is important, but like I said, I’m not going to be fulfilled with these little accomplishments. I’m thinking about where the British heavyweight Championship will be ten years into the future, and where I’m going to be along with that.”
Zack Sabre’s Low Opinion Of Will Ospreay
When it comes to his opponent, it’s clear the Sabre Jr. doesn’t hold Ospreay as a person in high regard. Sabre Jr. believes that Ospreay is “one of the stupidest people I’ve ever had a conversation with.”
Despite this low opinion of the Aerial Assassin, Zack Sabre Jr. also acknowledged Ospreay’s in-ring ability:
“[…] he’s also one of the most incredibly talented wrestlers in the world. In his own way he’s representing classic British wrestling with a modern vision as well. We’ve come from two separate points, but they interlink. He’s a very underappreciated technical wrestler- he’s a freak, he can do anything he wants- but I think this match will be a very modern representation of what British wrestling was, in a New Japan ring and it’s very important that it is in an NJPW ring. You’re very naive if you don’t think Will Ospreay is an incredibly talented wrestler.”
The New Beginning in Sapporo takes place on February 1st and 2nd, 2020. The shows emanate from Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center in Hokkaido, Japan.
Villain Enterprises’ leader Marty Scurll made a surprise appearance at New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s New Beginning USA event. The Ring of Honor (ROH) star made his return during their show in Durham, North Carolina.
“The Villain” hasn’t been in a NJPW ring since he competed in their Best of Super Juniors tour seven months ago. Despite this absence, Scurll appeared, grabbed a mic and laid out a huge challenge to Bullet Club leader, “Switchblade” Jay White. He challenged White to a matchup at ROH’s upcoming Supercard of Honor event, which takes place on April 4th:
“Consider this a challenge; an international dream match: “Switchblade” Jay White versus “The Villain” Marty Scurll.”
Scurll also promised fans that this appearance wouldn’t be the last time “The Villain” would grace a NJPW ring in 2020.
It was recently reported that Marty Scurll had re-signed with ROH. His contract is said to be a lucrative one—one that has seen him join Delirious as co-booker for the promotion. Despite this, Scurll has been making frequent appearances in the National Wrestling Alliance as of late.
The “Switchblade” wasn’t in attendance for the show in North Carolina. With this challenge, however, it would appear as though ROH and NJPW are interested in continuing to cultivate their working relationship.
Drew McIntyre recently won the 2020 Men’s Royal Rumble matchup. In an interview with Bleacher Report, the Scottish Superstar opened up about what it would be like to face off against Brock Lesnar. He also shared when he found out he would be winning the Rumble matchup.
When asked if he was ready for the challenge of ‘The Beast Incarnate,’ McIntyre responded “Damn right I am. This is when you’ve got to turn up to a 100. I generally work around a 100, so this is probably where I turn up to 110.”
He continued, “I know I’ve got a beast breathing down my neck. There’s nobody in the world like Brock at any sport. And I know he’s coming for me. Some people get upset like, ‘Oh, Brock Lesnar, he doesn’t show up to work and blah blah blah blah.’ I mean, to be fair, he signed a contract where he doesn’t have to. We can’t hold that against him. What I hold against him is the fact he’s got our title. We need that title on TV. We need it in the live events. That’s a very important part of RAW, and I want it back.”
McIntyre shared how there’s no other WWE Superstar that wants to get into the ring with Lesnar. Except him. He compares how they are matched in size, speed and experience. He noted how he’s not “sitting at home all the time, chilling out.”
Although he conceded that Lesnar is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete, he stressed how he has a few tricks up his sleeve that should help him defeat the champion. “And as soon as he makes a mistake, which he does, just not very often, I will exploit it, and I’ll win that title if I get that opportunity.”
When Drew McIntyre Found Out He’d Win The Royal Rumble
Despite winning the Rumble match, Drew McIntyre divulged that he wasn’t aware he would until shortly before the event itself.
“I didn’t know anything yesterday,” he confessed. “I’m talking about today late. I’ve learned through my experience just to go with the flow. And when you get information, you take it and you perform it to the best of your ability.”
“That’s why I always say sports entertainers, wrestlers, don’t get the credit we deserve. You got to be thinking on your feet, you’ve got to be ready to improve, and you’re doing your own stunts. You’ve got to pull the emotions of the crowd in the direction you want them to go. And there is no business like this. We literally think on our feet.”
Drew McIntyre faces Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36. The event takes place on April 5th at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
With Royal Rumble in the rearview mirror, WWE is officially on the road to WrestleMania.
During Monday’s episode of WWE RAW, Drew McIntyre chose to face Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. Despite teasing she would share her decision, previously indicating she would choose Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair did not announce her choice. Her refusal to answer has fans wondering what could be in store for the RAW Women’s Champion, Becky Lynch.
According to Dave Meltzer, WWE reportedly plans for Becky Lynch to face former NXT Champion Shayna Baszler at WrestleMania.
Baszler was allegedly initially slated to win the 30-Women Royal Rumble match this past Sunday. Instead, Flair would join Asuka and Becky Lynch as a Royal Rumble winner. Despite this report, Meltzer noted that WWE does not have any plans that would lead Flair to challenge SmackDown Women’s Champion, Bayley.
Baszler And Lynch’s History
During last year’s Survivor Series pay-per-view, Baszler would encounter both Bayley and Lynch. They competed in a Championship triple threat match. Baszler would emerge victorious from this match, helping NXT come out on top in their brand competition against RAW and SmackDown.
If WWE commits to Baszler and Lynch, they will probably begin building a feud between the two of them soon. However, if they don’t intend to have Flair challenge Bayley, it does leave the question as to who Flair will ultimately face on the “Grandest Stage of Them All.”
WrestleMania 36 takes place on April 5th at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Beth Phoenix made an impressive return during this Sunday’s Women’s Royal Rumble matchup. Unfortunately, “The Glamazon” would suffer an injury early into her Rumble appearance. This injury caused the back of her head to become bloody. As the match continued, the blood continued to flow, matting her hair and dying it red.
According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com, Phoenix suffered the injury after hitting the back of her head against a ring post. Thankfully, although the damage looked bad, especially as the match drew on, it’s reportedly not a severe injury.
Phoenix appears to have cut her head while selling a punch from NXT’s Bianca Belair in the corner. She threw her head back at the moment, connecting with the ring post behind her.
“The Glamazon” entered the Women’s Rumble match at number 19. She eliminated only one person: Natalya. The two had been partnering successfully until that point. She was eliminated from the match by NXT’s Shayna Baszler. During the matchup, she would be confronted by a surprise return from her past, Santina Marella.
Phoenix’s husband, Edge, made a triumphant WWE return during the Men’s Royal Rumble matchup. Returning after retiring in 2011, Edge would manage to be one of the last remaining men in the match. He was eliminated by Roman Reigns.
WWE SmackDown Superstar Dolph Ziggler has called out WWE’s production team for missing a crucial Royal Rumble moment. Ziggler would be the first Superstar to receive a spear from Edge, who made his return during the event. Unfortunately, this moment was missed on screen as the production team cut to shots of the crowd.
Dolph Ziggler’s Disappointment
Taking to Twitter, Ziggler initially criticized the team. He asked, “who cuts away from an official in-ring return, while two opponents are running towards each other?”
He followed up with a more understanding take, acknowledging how people make mistakes. Regardless, he noted how a “very special moment was inexplicably missed” because of it.
people make mistakes, we all do & I have made tons. That being said; a very special moment was inexplicably missed. anyone got cell phone footage?
WWE has since uploaded a video titled “Unseen footage of Edge’s Royal Rumble return on WWE Network” to their YouTube channel.
Unsurprisingly, this footage showcases a different angle to Edge’s return. The video captures not only Edge’s emotional return, but also the full impact of Dolph Ziggler receiving the spear. This spear was the first the Rated-R Superstar delivered as an active in-ring competitor in 9 years.
Last night on Monday Night RAW, Edge’s former Rated-RKO tag team partner Randy Orton would brutally assault him. The attack came after Orton proposed a team reunion, before striking with an RKO. He proceeded to attack a defenseless Edge with a steel chair.
WWE United States Champion Andrade (Manuel Oropeza) has been suspended from WWE for wellness policy violation. The company announced the news Tuesday afternoon.
He was reportedly told about the suspension this Monday morning, though at the moment it’s unknown what substance the champion was tested positive for.
Andrade defended his US Championship against Humberto Carrillo in a singles match at the pre-show of last night’s Royal Rumble PPV where he retained his title.
The former NXT Champion then faced Carrillo once again in a Royal Rumble rematch on Monday’s WWE Raw. This time Andrade was disqualified from the bout due to interference from his business manager Zelina Vega.
Vega’s interference angered Humberto, who attacked Andrade after the match was over and then delivered a Hammerlock DDT on the concrete outside of the ring.
It’s believed that the angle was done to write the US Champion off of the WWE television and the company is already teasing the same on their website.
Since this is the first violation of the wellness policy for Andrade, he is expected to be suspended for a period of 30 days, before returning to WWE TV.
Posted January 28th, 2020 in News, WWE. Tagged: Andrade.
WWE RAW aired live from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas tonight. It was the first episode of RAW following the Royal Rumble PPV.
WWE RAW Results (1/27)
Drew McIntyre def. Gallows & Anderson
Rey Mysterio def. MVP
Aleister Black def. a jobber
Seth Rollins & Buddy Murphy def. Samoa Joe & Kevin Owens to retain the RAW Tag Team Championships
Humberto Carrillo def. Andrade via DQ
Charlotte def. Asuka via DQ
Liv Morgan def. Lana
Erick Rowan def. a jobber
Here are 8 takeaways from this week’s show:
Drew McIntyre Will Face Brock Lesnar At WrestleMania
Drew McIntyre told the crowd that it feels so good to be the winner of the 2020 Royal Rumble. McIntyre announced that he is going to WrestleMania and that he wants to challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship.
The crowd chanted “yes!” as McIntyre said that he was not afraid Brock. McIntyre boasted about eliminating him last night and vowed to defeat Lesnar at WrestleMania. Drew added that he wanted a fight and asked for a fight. The OC came down to the ring and Karl Anderson accepted. Luke Gallows accepted as well and it became a Handicap Match.
Match Recap: McIntyre planted Anderson with a Suplex and Gallows quickly tagged in. McIntyre leveled them both with Claymore Kicks for the quick victory. After the match, Brock Lesnar came down to the ring and hit McIntyre with an F5.
MVP returned last night at the Royal Rumble and battled Rey Mysterio tonight on RAW.
Match Recap: MVP dominated early but Rey battled back and knocked MVP to the outside. Rey connected with a Hurricanrana that sent MVP into the barricade as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Rey connected with a Senton and followed it up with a Moonsault for a two count. Mysterio went for a Crossbody but MVP caught him with a Powerslam. MVP hit an Elbow Drop as the crowd chanted “ballin!” for a near fall. Mysterio then hit the 619 and followed it up with a Splash for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: The ending sequence was very bizarre. Myserio went for the 619 but MVP got up and turned around. Mysterio hit him in the back and then MVP fell to the mat. I doubt that was planned and MVP just messed up the spot. The new RAW commentary team (Lawler, Saxton, and Phillips) covered up for it nicely by jokingly referring to it as the “6-1-Spine”.
Aleister Black Isn’t Waiting For Someone To Pick A Fight With Him Anymore
Aleister Black defeated a jobber once again tonight on RAW. After the match, Aleister Black brought up being eliminated last night in the Royal Rumble.
Black didn’t want to blame Rollins, AOP, and Buddy Murphy for the loss and wanted to own it. Aleister added that it was a mistake for asking people to come knock on his door for a fight. Aleister vowed to bring the fight to the RAW locker room from now on.
Before the match, Rollins said he was this close to winning the Royal Rumble for the second year in a row. Seth pointed out that he was eliminated by the eventual winner and claimed that the crowd will eventually stab Drew McIntyre in the back as well. Rollins boasted about eliminating Owens and Samoa Joe last night and took joy in the fact that neither of them are going on to WrestleMania. Rollins vowed to kick their asses tonight and told them to come to the ring.
Owens and Joe came to the entrance ramp with microphones in hand. Kevin told Seth that he talks too much and called him delusional. Owens called Rollins a jackass and added that he sucks. Seth told Owens to shut up and come down to the ring for a fight. Samoa Joe wondered why Rollins is all the sudden ready to fight and Owens asked if AOP is hiding under the ring. Rollins claimed that they didn’t need AOP to beat them and a camera showed Akam and Rezar standing in the locker room.
Joe called Rollins a liar and suggested that footage was recorded earlier. Rollins told Akam to say something to Owens to prove that they are actually backstage. Viking Raiders then jumped AOP backstage and a brawl broke out before WWE officials showed up. Owens and Joe then marched to the ring as RAW went to a break.
Match Recap: Owens and Joe dominated early and isolated Buddy Murphy in the corner. Buddy went for a Crossbody but Joe got out of the way and Clothesline Buddy to the outside. Owens hit Rollins with a Cannonball as Joe leveled Murphy with a Suicide Dive. Samoa Joe was forced to leave the match by the WWE medical staff following the move. Owens hit Rollins with a Frog Splash but Seth kicked out at two. Owens hit Buddy Murphy with a Swanton Bomb and went for the cover but Seth broke it up at the last moment. Kevin hit Rollins with the Stunner but Murphy capitalized on the distraction and rolled Owens up for the victory.
Andrade defended his US Title against Humberto Carrillo once again tonight on RAW. Andrade defeated Humberto last night on the Royal Rumble Kickoff Show. Zelina Vega was ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Humberto went right after Andrade to start things off. Andrade quickly battled back and stomped Humberto down in the corner of the ring. Andrade went for Double Knees but Humberto got out of the way and Andrade crashed into the turnbuckle. Carrillo connected with a Moonsault and went for the cover but Andrade kicked out at two. Humberto climbed to the top rope and hit another Moonsault but Zelina broke up the cover and the match ended in DQ.
After the match, Humberto attacked Andrade and sent him into the steel steps. Humberto ripped up the padding and exposed the concrete floor. Carrillo then hit a DDT on the concrete.
The bell ringing seems to have… shocked @Zelina_VegaWWE?
Opinion: Andrade hit Carrillo with the Hammerlock DDT on the concrete on a recent episode of RAW, so it was good to see Humberto get his revenge. However, I’m pretty tired of seeing this match and don’t really have much interest in this feud continuing. The crowd was pretty much silent until Carrillo hit Andrade with the DDT after the match. I also don’t understand why WWE would have Humberto lose last night and then have Andrade resort to a DQ to retain the following night. It doesn’t make sense to me.
RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch was interviewed backstage and bragged about her victory over Asuka last night at Royal Rumble. Lynch claimed that she was better than the rest of the women’s division and added that she would whoop Charlotte’s arse at WrestleMania if Flair challenged her.
Charlotte won the women’s Royal Rumble match last night at the PPV. She came down to the ring tonight to announce which title she will fight for at WrestleMania. Flair rolled highlights of her victory last night before the announcement. Charlotte said that she was still thinking about it and didn’t pick an opponent tonight.
Women’s Tag Team Champions Kabuki Warriors interrupted and Asuka claimed that she would have won if she was in the women’s Royal Rumble. Sane and Asuka then attacked Charlotte. Asuka then squared off against Charlotee as Kairi Sane was ringside.
Match Recap: Asuka controlled the action early and locked in a submission hold in the middle of the ring. Charlotte escaped and leveled Asuka with a Dropkick. Flair followed that up with some chops and perched Asuka up on the top turnbuckle. Sane hopped up on the ring apron and Asuka capitalized by shoving Flair to the floor. Back in the ring, Flair went for a Moonsault but Asuka got out of the way. Asuka locked in a Triangle submission but Flair countered into a Powerbomb for a near fall. Flair locked in the Figure and bridged into the Figure Eight. Kairi climbed to the top rope and hit the Insane Elbow and another match ended in a DQ. Charlotte hit her with a big boot and then the Kabuki Warriors retreated.
Liv Morgan eliminated Lana last night during the women’s Royal Rumble match. Lana then dragged Liv over the top rope to eliminate her. Lana and Liv battled tonight and Rusev & Lashley were banned from ringside.
Match Recap: Lana connected with a kick to the face and went for the cover but Liv Morgan kicked out at two. Lana applied a Headlock while shouting that she is the best wrestler in the world. Morgan escaped and hit Lana with an Enziguri to the face. Liv followed that up with a Flatliner for the pinfall victory.
Edge made his return to WWE during last night’s men’s Royal Rumble match. Edge came down to the ring at the close of this week’s RAW to address his future.
The crowd gave Edge a great reaction and chanted his name as he stood in the ring. Edge stated that the reaction he got last night and the reaction tonight means a lot to him. The crowd chanted “you still got it!” and Edge smiled and said “you are damn right I do”.
Edge brought up having to retire nine years ago and that over the years he started to feel good and asked himself if he could come back home to WWE. He added that he got in the best shape of his life at 46-years-old so he could come back and end his career on his terms.
He admitted that he has no idea how long his return is going to last but hopes the WWE Universe will join him on this ride. The crowd responded with a loud “yes!” chant. Edge stated that he knows that he is older and a little greyer, but he has grit.
Randy Orton interrupted and made his way to the ring. Orton gave Edge a hug and grabbed a microphone. Randy said that Edge was always around to help him back in the day. Orton told Edge that he was like family and welcomed him home. Orton suggested that Rated RKO got back together one more time and the crowd chanted “yes!”. Orton then hit Edge with an RKO out of nowhere and brought a steel chair into the ring. Randy bashed Edge with the chair and placed it around his neck. Orton hopped up to the second rope but opted to remove Edge’s head from the chair. Randy then got two chairs and placed Edge’s head on one of them. Orton hit Edge in the head with the chair as the crowd booed.
Opinion: The segment between Randy Orton and Edge to end the night completely saved this show. Orton’s going to get booed out of every building leading up until WrestleMania and that is awesome. Edge versus Orton will be must-see at WrestleMania because of how good this segment was. I found the rest of tonight’s show to be incredibly boring. The only other moment I had any reaction to was when Brock lesnar attacked McIntyre in the first segment of the night.
As expected, Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre has been confirmed for WrestleMania 36.
This comes after McIntyre won the 2020 Men’s Royal Rumble Match at the pay-per-view event on Sunday night in Houston, Texas. In fact, with the help of Ricochet, McIntyre eliminated “The Beast” from the contest.
Now, he’ll be facing off with Lesnar for the WWE Title at the biggest event of the year for WWE.
As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw in San Antonio, TX at the AT&T Center on the USA Network, McIntyre opened the show where he revealed which title he would be going after at Mania.
This led to him beating Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in a Handicap Match. After the contest, he was attacked by Lesnar with an F5.
This contest was expected to be confirmed and also marks the first match announced thus far for WrestleMania 36.
WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 5, 2020 in Tampa, Florida at the Raymond James Stadium that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks.
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
Yesterday, Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and 7 other people lost their lives in a tragic helicopter crash. Many from the pro-wrestling world have been paying tribute to the basketball legend online.
“Today is a sad reminder that none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. Live every single day to its fullest, each day we’re given is a blessing,” a follow-up Tweet from Hardy read.
“It’s heartbreaking. A horrific tragedy that occurred today with Kobe & his daughter. I feel horrible for his wife & other children,” another Tweet from Hardy read.
“The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.” -Kobe Bryant #KobeandGianna Praying for Kobe’s wife and family and all the loved ones of the victims’ lost.
“Sending strength and my prayers to Vanessa, the Bryant family and all of the families affected by this tragedy. Life is so precious. Hold your loved ones close to your heart always,” wrote Natalya.
“WWE is saddened by the passing of basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna. We extend our condolences to their family, fans and loved ones,” a WWE statement reads.
“RIP Kobe & Gianna Bryant. Whether or not you were a fan of Kobe or @Lakers, please consider donating to a cause that was important to Kobe and Gianna: development of women’s basketball programs, at any level, youth to professional. It would be a nice way to honor their memories,” wrote AEW’s Tony Khan.
Mustafa wrote:
Take a moment to realize everything could change in a moment.
Families and friends gone in a moment.
So in this moment, find the ones you love. Call them. Hug them. Forgive them. Be with them. You have this moment.
We always think we have so much time. The news about #KobeBryant is a sad reminder of how precious yet small our time here is. Condolences to his fans, friends and family.
Tell everyone in your life that you care for that you love them.
The World of Sports and Entertainment Lost A Legendary Man, Father, Husband, Son, Businessman and Philanthropist. Words cannot Undo this tragedy?? To the Family, Friends and Fans of Kobe Bryant Please know that He will ALWAYS BE WITH US!!
The viewership numbers are in for Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown on FOX from Dallas, TX at the American Airlines Center.
SmackDown averaged 2.448 million viewers, according to ShowbuzzDaily. This is down from the 2.562 viewers that the show did for last week’s episode of SmackDown on FOX.
The show averaged 2.470 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was down from the 2.580 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
WWE SmackDown Viewership
The first hour drew 2.548 million viewers while the second hour did 2.391million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.616 million viewers while the second hour did 2.544 million viewers.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.70 rating in the 18-49 demos, this is down from last week’s show that did 0.80. This episode was expected to see its viewership stay steady and it did so.
Matches
Matches that took place on this show included Roman Reigns & The Usos (Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso) defeat Dolph Ziggler, King Corbin & Robert Roode in a six-man tag team match, Braun Strowman & Elias defeat Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura in a tag team match, and John Morrison (w/The Miz) defeats Kofi Kingston in the main event. There was also a contract signing between WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan.
WWE is expecting to see an increase in viewership for the following episode this coming Friday night as the show will be the post-show of Smackdown for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event from this past weekend.
The next episode will also feature the fallout from the Royal Rumble pay-per-view show.
Watch: Top 10 Moments from Friday Night SmackDown (1.24.20)
Royal Rumble 2020 is being praised by the fans as one of the best PPVs the company has put on in recent times and it officially marks the beginning of WrestleMania season.
Dave Meltzer talked about the event on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio and he also revealed some of the matches the company has planned for the Show Of Shows.
The main event of Royal Rumble saw Drew McIntyre winning the
men’s Battle Royal to earn the opportunity to challenge the champion of his
choice at the Grandest Stage of Them All.
Not very surprisingly, the report states that the Scottish
Superstar will be picking the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar as his opponent for
WrestleMania.
On the other hand, Roman Reigns will challenge ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt for the Universal title after Wyatt defeated Daniel Bryan in a strap match at the Royal Rumble last night.
The event on Sunday night also saw the return of Edge who entered the Royal Rumble at #21 and lasted till the final 3 before being eliminated by Reigns.
Edge also formed a temporary alliance with his former tag
team partner Randy Orton during the bout but he ended up eliminating Orton from
the match.
After this, it’s being reported that Edge will be facing the Viper at the upcoming PPV which will likely be his first singles match after his comeback.
Though while these are the current planned bouts for WrestleMania, reports reveal that the original winners for Royal Rumble were different. You can check out the names who were originally supposed to win on Sunday night here.
The National Wrestling Alliance held a tournament on Friday night to declare a new NWA TV Champion. Ricky Starks won the tournament and is now the first person to hold the title in decades. (NWA Hard Times PPV Results)
Arn Anderson is statistically-speaking the greatest TV Champion in NWA history. He is a former 4x NWA/WCW TV Champion and held the title for a record 877 combined days.
On the latest episode of his Arn Show podcast, The Enforcer commented on the NWA reviving the beloved championship.
“I’m happy for those guys,” Double-A said of the NWA. “They are doing well. It’s all a byproduct of ‘hey, a new era has begun.’ Times are changing and places are popping up with old concepts as well as new talent, new style, old thought processes as far as the old things that really worked and I think one of the old things that really worked is the television title. The whole premise I think is a good idea for featuring what we do and that’s wrestle.”
