While making the media rounds to promote his new animated film “Ferdinand,” John Cena spoke with The Straits Times about his decision to learn Mandarin as part of WWE’s efforts to expand in China. WWE returned to China back in September with a special live event from the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Arena.

“I started wanting to learn Mandarin to get our global company to be a true global company,” Cena said. “[I’m] fascinated with the language and have become obsessed with trying to learn it.”

Cena continued, explaining how his busy schedules with WWE and acting projects leaves him little time to learn the language.

“I don’t have a lot of free time, but when I do, for an hour or two of my day, a tutor comes over and we just talk,” said Cena. “[I have] a Ziploc bag with two huge stacks of flashcards – and each stack used to take me about an hour and a half to go through and now it takes me 30 minutes. So, on the days when I want to just cruise through Instagram, I have to tell myself that would be fun, but do it after half an hour’s worth of cards.”

New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) announced today that WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett will be returning for the fourth season of NJPW On AXS TV in 2018.

The fourth season of NJPW On AXS TV kicks off with the Wrestle Kingdom 12 special featuring Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega on January 6th.

Featured below is the complete press release:

ACCLAIMED NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING COMMENTARY TEAM JIM ROSS AND JOSH BARNETT RETURN TO AXS TV IN 2018

AXS TV Announces Fourth Season of NJPW Weekly Series Scheduled for Friday Nights in 2018

Featured Events Include Wrestle Kingdom 12, New Beginning Sapporo, New Beginning Osaka and More

Los Angeles (Dec. 20, 2017) – Wrestling Hall of Fame broadcaster Jim Ross and champion fighter Josh Barnett will return as AXS TV’s New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) broadcast team in 2018, announced AXS TV FIGHTS CEO Andrew Simon. The acclaimed commentary duo kick off the New Year with AXS TV’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 special on Saturday, Jan. 6 at 8pE/5pP.

AXS TV’s award-winning weekly NJPW series returns to Friday nights on Jan. 12 at 8pE/5pP, with additional coverage from Wrestle Kingdom 12. Rounding out the network’s first quarter schedule will be matches from New Beginning Sapporo, New Beginning Osaka and more.

One of the most recognizable figures in pro wrestling, Ross has called thousands of televised events over the course of his 30-plus-year career and has lent his iconic voice to NJPW on AXS TV since 2016. Along with his beloved catchphrases, Ross is widely regarded for his influence on the wrestling industry, as evidenced by his induction into the WWE, NWA and National Wrestling Halls of Fame. Ross continues to share his love of wrestling in his popular podcast “The Ross Report” and his new memoir “Slobberknocker: My Life in Wrestling.”

A former UFC Heavyweight Champion and veteran wrestler, Barnett has provided expert analysis for NJPW on AXS TV since the series debuted in 2015. Barnett’s storied combat sports career is highlighted by multiple headlining and title fights in the UFC, Strikeforce, PRIDE and Pancrase. His wrestling background includes competing for heavyweight belts in NJPW, Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) and TNA. He has also trained extensively with some of NJPW’s biggest stars and currently coaches his own team of pro wrestlers and MMA fighters in Los Angeles.

“Together, Jim Ross and Josh Barnett form one of the strongest and most unique commentary teams in pro wrestling,” said Simon. “J.R.’s experience is second to none and his iconic voice provides a captivating soundtrack for NJPW, while Josh’s career in both pro wrestling and combat sports allows him to add compelling depth and combatant’s perspective to the action.”

“I’m excited to be returning to AXS TV,” said Ross, “and with my partner Josh Barnett we look forward to another exciting year with AXS TV and their NJPW programming. NJPW has some of the finest athletes in the world performing for them and it’s an honor to be able to add a narrative to their bouts.”

“I love being a part of the growing New Japan Pro Wrestling expansion into the U.S.,” said Barnett,” and with more shows to come, I am ready to roll up my sleeves, bust out a few hundred squats, and get to calling the best wrestling action in the world.”

AXS TV produces the English language version of “New Japan Pro Wrestling” in association with TV ASAHI CORPORATION, the distributor of NJPW.

WWE RAW General Manager Kurt Angle recently spoke with Muscle and Fitness to promote next month’s RAW 25th Anniversary special. Angle spoke about a variety of topics, including what inspired him to want to join WWE over 20 years ago.

In speaking about his role as RAW GM, Angle said the position is a big challenge for him because he’s never had to promote for anyone else but himself. “I actually enjoy it,” he said. “You know Vince McMahon saw me as one of the best actors on the roster…that’s a huge compliment coming from [him]. It’s just about trying to make things look real.”

When asked about Roman Reigns, Angle said he’s impressed by Roman but does not think he has reached his peak yet in terms of what he’s capable of.

Finally, Angle had high praise for Braun Strowman and said he sees shades of himself in the Monster Among Men. Angle has seen a lot of guys come and go during his illustrious career, but says Strowman is well on his way to becoming one of the greatest big men in the history of pro wrestling.

“I don’t like to compare myself to anybody, but he’s picking up quicker than anybody I know. He’s on his way, if he stays healthy, to be one of the best big men in the great history of the big men. That’s how much ability he’s displayed.”

Major League Wrestling just announced a huge match signed for the January 11th MLW: Zero Hour event taking place in Orlando, Florida at GILT Nightclub.

Lucha Libre are in for a treat, as two of the world’s top luchadores will collide when Penta el Zero M battles Rey Fenix.

“We often ask fans on Twitter who they want to see and Penta and Fenix are two of the most requested names we get,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer. “We’ve been working on this one and finally got it done early this morning.  We definitely burned the midnight oil to lock this one up (laughs).”

Penta el Zero M will be doing a special pre-show meet & greet ticket. Tickets are on sale now at MLWZeroHour.eventbrite.com.

Other matches signed for MLW Zero Hour include:

https://twitter.com/mlw/status/943230804284416000

https://twitter.com/mlw/status/942774063268814849

https://twitter.com/mlw/status/941673421678800896

Former Impact Wrestling star Rockstar Spud is backstage for tonight’s WWE SmackDown show from Newark, New Jersey. Spud was also backstage at last night’s RAW from Providence, Rhode Island.

Spud is rumored to be joining 205 Live and WWE’s cruiserweight division soon. With the announcement that 205 Live is holding several special live events in January, WWE is looking to enhance the division to give those events a good chance at being successful.

Monday’s RAW saw the main roster debut of former NXT star Hideo Itami, who will also be joining the division.

WWE also this week that “Woken” Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt will be taking place on the 205 Live house shows.

Here’s a photo of Spud arriving at the Prudential Center in Newark this afternoon:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc5KUrYDwam/?tagged=rockstarspud

On Monday’s RAW, Stephanie McMahon announced that next month’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view will feature the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match.

One of the most exciting aspects of Royal Rumble matches is seeing which legends will make surprise appearances. WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus heard about Stephanie’s big announcement and said it might be time for her to lace up the boots once again.

There's NOTHING @WWE women cannot do. It's been a long-time coming – can't wait for the FIRST EVER WOMENS #RoyalRumble! Now…where dem boots?

— Trish Stratus (@trishstratuscom) December 19, 2017

Trish wrestled her last match back in September 2006. On the 10 year anniversary of her final match, Trish posted a message on Instagram reflecting on her career. She concluded with, “I’ve still got some Stratusfaction to deliver if ya want it!”

In an interview with Sports Illustrated last year, Trish made it clear that the door is open for her to get back in the ring once again and show today’s WWE women that she can still hang.

“I’d only go back if it was worth it and if it was a challenge for me,” Trish told Sports Illustrated. “Something that’s different and unique, like playing a heel again, which would be super cool. I’ve gone back as a babyface, so it would have to be something challenging and something that would elevate either the division or a talent. Not just me for my own sh–s and giggles to raise my brand.”

Competing in the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match would certainly qualify as “something that’s different and unique.” Stay tuned!

– WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash will be donating his brain and spinal card to the CTE Center at Boston University and the Concussion Legacy Foundation after his death. Nash spoke with Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com this week about the decision.

“Chris Nowinski started the program, and I’ve had several concussions throughout my life and had scans done and stuff and knew that somewhere down the line, I’ve already had short-term memory problems,” Nash said. “I decided to go ahead. The only way you can diagnose this is after you’re dead.”

Former WWE Superstar Chris Nowinski said, “It’s so powerful when icons like Kevin Nash are willing to pledge their brain for research and talk about it publicly. Brain donation is really driving our growing knowledge of CTE and the long-term effects of brain trauma. And so I’m hoping that we solve this problem before Kevin’s time comes, but Kevin announcing this means that other families are aware that this research is important and that if they lose somebody, they may think of the concussion legacy foundation.”

– Cruiserweight Superstar Noam Dar underwent successful knee surgery in Orlando on Thursday, according to WWE.com. Darr recently suffered a “bucket handle tear” of his left meniscus and underwent an MRI prior to Monday’s RAW. According to Darr, he will most likely be out of action for around 5 months.

– NJPW high flyer Will Ospreay released this list of wrestlers he hopes to work with for the first time in 2018.

2018. These matches have never happened. Please let’s make them happen. pic.twitter.com/SSMJVHCfqw

— Will Ospreay • ????????? (@WillOspreay) December 13, 2017

Actor Macaulay Culkin got physically involved at a pro wrestling event in Los Angeles on Thursday and utilized some “Home Alone” tactics during a 6-person mixed tag team match.

It all went down at Bar Wrestling’s Christmas special show. Culkin was ringside for a match involving Joey Ryan, Candace Larae and Dick Justice vs. Peter Avalon, Ray Rosas and Swoggle. Culkin, rocking a Roddy Piper t-shirt (and bunny ears), channeled his inner Kevin McAllister and rolled marbles into the ring, sending the villains flying.

A "Home Alone" ending to the @BarWrestling Christmas Special! pic.twitter.com/LsSUrAHmjc

— Cynthia Vance • ???? (@cynthiavance) December 15, 2017

The crowd went nuts chanting “Home Alone!” as Culkin squared off against Hornswoggle and hit a top rope splash Jimmy Snukka would have been proud of.

Check out this footage courtesy of Marc Raimondi of MMAFighting:

Santa Claus throws Macaulay Culkin on top of Hornswoggle for the pin! "Home Alone!" chants break out! Merry Christmas, y'all. @BarWrestling pic.twitter.com/C16DBaKZC8

— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) December 15, 2017

– Wednesday night’s NXT special on the USA Network averaged 841,000 viewers, around one third of what RAW typically draws. USA’s “WWE Week” continues tonight with Tribute To The Troops.

– Vice Sports has published a new profile looking at Chris Jericho and his uncanny ability to constantly reinvent himself and keep his character fresh. The article looks at Jericho’s most recent WWE run, his ongoing feud with New Japan Pro Wrestling star Kenny Omega and his work outside of pro wrestling.

– WWE Superstar John Cena is doing the media rounds to promote his new animated movie Ferdinand and did a video for Wired answering “the web’s most-searched questions” about him.

Did John Cena write his own WWE theme song? What does his diet consist of? Has he played Minecraft? Cena answers all these questions and more:

SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte recently spoke with Brian Fritz of Sporting News to promote Tribute To The Troops and WWE’s support of the US military.

“We forget that people are away at war,” said Charlotte. “The monotony of our lives that we get caught up in work and friends and family and I think we forget that there are people fighting for our freedom and I think we take that for granted. Having that opportunity and experience last year and to be able to have the show this year, knowing what it means to them, to have a little change-up in their day, I was extremely honored to be a part of Tribute this year. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that we didn’t do it at an arena, that we went to them.”

Charlotte also spoke about former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion possibly joining WWE. With Rousey currently training for her first professional wrestling match, Charlotte thinks Rousey would bring a lot of star power to WWE and says, “she knows where to find me.”

“What’s exciting about Ronda being a part of WWE is all the different eyes that she attracts towards the women’s division as a whole,” said Flair. “I think that’s what cool. Ronda is an attraction. Any buzz that puts the women on a different or a higher level, I’m all for.

She’s a star that would be a crossover star into our world and that’s exciting. That goes to show how far the women have come, that someone like Ronda Rousey wants to be a part of something that all the women have collectively built. My message to Ronda would be she knows where to find me. I’m on ‘SmackDown Live’ every Tuesday.”

WWE’s Tribute To The Troops special airs tonight on the USA Network as part of “WWE Week.”

Billionaire businessman and TV personality Mark Cuban spoke with Justin Barrasso of  Sports Illustrated this week about his AXS TV channel’s commitment to New Japan Pro Wrestling.

The “Shark Tank” judge says AXS is looking to invest a lot more money in NJPW programming.  “We’re looking to expand it on Friday nights,” Cuban said “We want to do more live, as opposed to the delay, and we’re talking to them about special events.”

AXS TV recently announced the network will air the top three title matches from NJPW’s upcoming Wrestle Kingdom 12 PPV on January 6th, just two days after the event takes place from the Tokyo Dome:

• IWGP heavyweight champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito
• IWGP Intercontinental champ Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White
• IWGP US champion Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho

Cuban is a strong believer that NJPW is the best wrestling project in the world and did not think twice about purchasing the rights to air these matches on US television.

“We’re getting to know [the NJPW team] better,” said Cuban. “We went from a delay to a short delay to live, so we’re going to get smarter about it. The numbers keep on going up. Other TVs are declining, and ours are going up. That’s a good sign. There are some nights when it beats MMA, it’s doing that well.”

As NJPW continues to grow, does Mark Cuban think Vince McMahon sees them as serious competition?

“No, he thinks we’re just little sh—,” said Cuban. “We’re not a threat because of the language. That’s the biggest challenge, the language. But if you’re a purist for wrestling, and you like the action, it’s the best promotion by far. People here aren’t going to connect as directly, but if you really love wrestling, then it’s a no-brainer.”

To read the full exclusive interview with Mark Cuban, visit Sports Illustrated.

Major League Wrestling has uploaded last week’s MLW: Never Say Never event to Youtube. That’s right, the entire 2 1/2 hour show is available to be streamed for free. The full card for MLW: Never Say Never includes:

• Shane Strickland & John Morrison vs. Jimmy Havoc & Darby Allin – No DQ!
• Matt Riddle vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor
• Sammy Guevara vs. Jason Cade
• MVP vs. Brody King
• Joey Ryan vs. MJF
• Santana Garrett vs. Leva Bates
• Seth Petruzelli & Rhett Giddins vs. Dirty Blondes
• Jimmy Yuta vs. Vandal Ortagun
• Parrow vs. Saieve Al Sabah

Plus: Barrington Hughes!

Check it out here, with Matt Riddle vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor in the opening contest:

Major League Wrestling (MLW) is gearing up for 2018 in a big way. The Orlando Sentinel broke the news on Wednesday that MLW has scheduled seven shows for 2018, all taking place from Orlando, FL.

After a 13 year hiatus, Major League Wrestling returned back in October with MLW: One-Shot. Following the success of One-Shot, MLW held Never Say Never last week and has Zero Hour scheduled for January 11th.

In addition to Zero Hour on 1/11, MLW will be running shows on the following dates:

• February 8
• March 8
• May 10
• July 12
• September 6
• November 8

MLW’s momentum is building and the company has been working with a very talented crop of “home team” athletes. Returning stars already announced for Zero Hour include Matt Riddle, Jeff Cobb, Jimmy Havoc. Darby Allin, ”Filthy“ Tom Lawlor, Shane “Swerve” Strickland and MVP.

The main event of MLW: Zero Hour (1/11) will see Matt Riddle and Jeff Cobb vs. Tom Lawlor and a partner to be announced soon. Tickets are now on sale at Eventbrite.com.

Visit OrlandoSentinel.com to read more about MLW CEO Court Bauer’s vision for the promotion headed into 2018.

Former Impact Wrestling star Rockstar Spud is WWE bound and will be joining the cruiserweight division and 205 Live.

According to PWInsider, Spud is expected to make his WWE television debut next week. With the cruiserweight division part of the RAW brand, expect to see Spud on Monday’s RAW, where his debut will be seen by WWE’s biggest audience of the week.

Spud left Impact Wrestling in October TNA after working with the promotion since late 2012 when he appeared on the “British Boot Camp” series.

WWE’s Cruiserweight division lost Austin Aries and Neville this year and Rich Swann is now suspended indefinitely after his weekend arrest. With former NXT star Hideo Itami joining the division and the addition of Rockstar Spud, don’t be surprised to see WWE add even more talent to 205 Live when WWE sends the cruiserweights on tour for the first time in January.

announced that 205 Live will be holding its first-With  Star Hideo Itami is now part of

• 3 Superstars Who Could Make An Impact on 205 Live

Tonight’s edition of WWE RAW takes place from Cleveland, Ohio at the Quicken Loans Arena.  The following matches have been announced for the show:

• Braun Strowman vs. Kane
• Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro
• Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus
• Dean Ambrose vs. Samoa Joe

The previously announced #1 Contender’s match between Drew Gulak and Rich Swann won’t be happening due to Swann’s weekend arrest and indefinite suspension.

Join us here tonight for our weekly WWE RAW Live Coverage!

Chris Jericho made a surprise appearance at Monday’s NJPW Tag League Final event on Monday from Fukaoka, Japan. Jericho ambushed IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega, delivering two codebreakers ahead of their January 4th showdown at Wrestle Kingdom 12. (Video)

Omega’s fellow Bullet Club members the Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes reacted on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/mattjackson13/status/940209089597939714

From Edinburgh to London to Dublin to a Japanese hospital w/@KennyOmegamanX

Wild night

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) December 11, 2017

Jericho posted the following video on Instagram following the attack. Jericho mocks Omega, telling him it was a thrill to leave him laying in a pool of his own blood.

On January 4th from the Tokyo Dome, it will be Alpha vs. Omega – Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega – and he plans to show everyone once again why he’s the Best in the World at what he does. And yes, that’s Omega’s blood on Jericho’s face.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BckBTMllkoW/

Major League Wrestling returns to Orlando, Florida on Thursday, January 11th for MLW: Zero Hour. Tickets are now on sale for the event at Eventbrite.com.

Talent confirmed for MLW: Zero Hour include Matt Riddle, Jeff Cobb, Jimmy Havoc. Darby Allin, MVP, ”Filthy“ Tom Lawlor, Shane “Swerve” Strickland and MVP.

MLW: Never Say Never took place last week and the show was a huge hit with fans in attendance. Never Say Never will be available later today for on-demand streaming over at MLW.TV.

Finally, if you’re headed to New Orleans for WrestleMania 34 weekend, you’ve gotta start the weekend off right with WaleMania IV. Tickets are now on sale for WaleMania IV, which takes place Thursday night, April 5th from New Orleans. Visit WaleMania.com for event information.

Ryback took a dig at Rusev on social media and it did not go well for “The Big Guy.”

As seen below, Jey Uso posted a video on Instagram of Rusev working out with The Usos.

Ryback apparently was not impressed commented on the video:

@thebigguyryback22: I would have expected more weight from “The Bulgarian Brute” ????

@thebigguyryback22: #f***RusevDay

Rusev shut him down, telling Ryback, “all natural workouts here.”

Lesson to Ryback: Don’t talk sh*t on Rusev Day.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BciCrKPhRnu/?taken-by=uceyjucey

Chris Jericho made a surprise appearance at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Tag League Final and delivered a brutal attack on IWGP US Champion Kenny Omega.

In 6-man tag team action, The Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) defeated CHAOS (SHO, YOH & Rocky Romero) in 6-man tag team action. After the match, another Chris Jericho video was shown on the big screen while Omega was in the ring. The lights went out and Jericho appeared in the ring behind Omega. Jericho attacked Omega drawing blood and hitting two codebreakers. (Video)

Commentator Don Callis entered the ring to get Jericho to back off. He received a codebreaker of his own. The Young Bucks hit the ring to tend to Kenny Omega, with Callis being is carried out on a stretcher.

We have to admit, it’s pretty surreal to see Chris Jericho in a NJPW ring. Jericho and Omega will square off next month at Wrestle Kingdom 12 on January 4, 2018 from the Tokyo Dome.

You can watch NJPW’s Tag League Final now at NJPWWorld.com.

https://twitter.com/MrLARIATO/status/940181540264448001

Have we seen the last of Hulk Hogan in WWE? Legendary wrestling announcer Jim Ross is absolutely convinced we haven’t. Good ‘ol JR spoke with Business Insider this past week to promote his best selling book, Slobberknocker: My Life In Wrestling and says he will be “shocked” if Hulk Hogan is not back in WWE next year.

Hogan has been persona non grata since 2015 when audio leaked of him making racist comments about African Americans. The Hulkster has been keeping a relatively low profile since then. Whatever business opportunities exist in his future, a return to the WWE Universe and plugging back in to global WWE marketing machine has to be the best case scenario for him.

JR says, “The world has an interesting way of forgiving others. The guy paid his price. He had a trial. He lost jobs. He had a court case. I don’t know what more he needs to do. And why are we his judge and jury? It seems right for, arguably the greatest alumnus of WWE ever with the most global name identity, will make his presence felt in WWE in some way.”

As the former head of WWE’s talent relations division, Jim Ross says, “If I were there, I would encourage that development.” If fans aren’t ready to welcome Hogan back into the fold after a 2 year exile, Ross says those fans don’t have to watch. He believes Hulk Hogan belongs in WWE and expects it to happen some time next year.

“I don’t know what Terry – Hulk Hogan is able to do physically,” Ross said. “I know he’s still training. He’s about my age — 64, but he’s in really good shape. He looks awesome. So, I would say that Hulk is – there’s a ticket for Hulk to punch somewhere to get back in WWE, at least on a reoccurring role-type basis, in my opinion.”

You can watch JR’s comments about Hulk Hogan returning to WWE here:

WWE has suspended 205 Live star Rich Swann following his Sunday morning arrest for battery and kidnapping/false imprisonment. via WWE.com:

“WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, and per our policy, Rich Swann has been suspended indefinitely following his arrest.”

Swan’s future with the company depends on whether or not he is convicted of the crimes he was arrested for. As per WWE’s talent wellness policy,

“WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault. Upon arrest for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately suspended. Upon conviction for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately terminated.

WWE’s ability to fine, suspend or terminate a WWE talent will not be, however, limited or compromised in any manner in the event incontrovertible evidence of such illegal misconduct is presented to WWE. Section 9.13(a) of the WWE booking contract, commonly known as the ‘morals clause’, provides WWE with broad discretion and authority to act under such circumstances.”

The former Cruiserweight champion was scheduled to face Drew Gulak in a #1 Contender’s match on Monday’s RAW. We’ll see how WWE handles that situation tomorrow night.

Major League Wrestling presented their latest show, MLW: Never Say Never, on Thursday night from Orlando, Florida at GILT Nightclub. The VOD of the event will be available to be purchased for $4.99 this weekend at MLW.tv. Here are the results:

– Backstage before the event, an unknown female assailant injured Chelsea Green. Green required medical attention and was subsequently placed on the disabled list for the event.

– Serpentico pinned Snoop Strikes.

– Matt Riddle submitted Tom Lawlor via rear naked choke.

– Saieve Al Sabbah pinned Mike Parrow via brass knuckles.

– Rhett Giddins & Seth Petruzelli defeated Dirty Blondes via pinfall.

– Jimmy Yuta defeated Vandal Ortagun via top rope flying elbow drop.

– Santana Garrett pinned Leva Bates with the Shining Star Press.  After the match, an unknown assailant attacked Santana Garrett.

– Maxwell Jacob Friedman submitted Joey Ryan via Fujiwara Armbar.

– MVP pinned Brody King via pinfall.

– Sammy Guevara (managed by Salina de la Renta) pinned Jason Cade.

– Darby Allin & Jimmy Havoc defeated John Hennigan & Shane Strickland via pinfall in a no disqualification match after Havoc used a chain on Strickland. During the match, the unknown female assailant who attacked Santana Garrett and Chelsea Green earlier reappeared to help Darby Allin and Jimmy Havoc.

Stream and download the show on demand this weekend at MLW.tv.

The official Twitter account of NXT posted a .GIF on Wednesday evening teasing that a new Superstar is coming soon.

SOON.#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/gViUarYPar

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) December 7, 2017

As seen above, the word “soon” is shown with two spades replacing the O’s in “soon.” For what it’s worth, Mae Young Classic competitor Shayna Baszler was known as “The Queen of Spades” during her time wrestling on the independent scene.

Baszler is under contract with WWE and began training full-time at the Performance Center in Orlando back in late September. During an interview with WWE.com, Baszler said,  “I’m looking forward to getting out there and twisting limbs off and breaking bodies. I can’t wait.”

A member of the ‘MMA Four Horsewomen’ and former training partner of Ronda Rousey, Baszler described WWE as the next step in her progression as a combat athlete.

“It’s very serious to me and, in some ways, a lot more important [than MMA] based on where I come from,” Baszler said. “Waving the banner of my coaches is a heavy flag to wield, so it’s something I take very serious.”

“Because of that, I wanted to start at the beginning and show that I’m willing to start at the bottom and prove myself and work my way up, so there’s no excuse when I get here and I’m breaking these girls in half. I didn’t get any ‘gimmes.’”

We now have five matches confirmed for next week’s episode of WWE RAW from Cleveland, Ohio at the Quicken Loans Arena.

WWE had previously announced Braun Strowman vs. Kane andDrew Gulak vs. Rich Swann in a #1 Contender’s match to determine Enzo Amore’s next challenger.

On Thursday, WWE announced three singles matches pitting the members of The Shield against Samoa Joe and The Bar:

• Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro
• Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus
• Dean Ambrose vs. Samoa Joe

Join us here this coming Monday for our weekly WWE RAW Live Coverage.

RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks made history on Thursday when they became the first female WWE Superstars to wrestle in the Middle East.

#WWEAbuDhabi just got legit. The boss @SashaBanksWWE is here. pic.twitter.com/5wvxVWBvYh

— OSN Sports (@OSNSports) December 7, 2017

During previous WWE tours of the Middle East, women have not competed. Both Alexa and Sasha “covered up” their usual skimpy ring gear and wore body suits to comply with local societal requirements.

That moment when you make history on a worldwide level… #WWEAbuDhabi
@SashaBanksWWE @AlexaBliss_WWE pic.twitter.com/Tvn7TRHjww

— Triple H (@TripleH) December 7, 2017

Congrats to @SashaBanksWWE and @AlexaBliss_WWE for breaking barriers. Be very proud, ladies! We are! #WWEAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/pT28Isd8O4

— Adam Pearce (@ScrapDaddyAP) December 7, 2017

Alexa Bliss retained the RAW Women’s Championship in a hard fought match. Afterwards, Sasha Banks got emotional talking about the experience. She said she got emotional several times throughout the match and is beyond proud to be part of the historic occasion.

An emotional @SashaBanksWWE talks about making history tonight at #WWEAbuDhabi. pic.twitter.com/xFxmD2jbrf

— WWE (@WWE) December 7, 2017