Mick Foley recently conducted an interview with NBC Sports. The WWE Hall-of-Famer spoke on advice he gave to Braun Strowman and his thoughts on the 1st ever women’s Royal Rumble match.

Mick Foley Interview Highlights

On what challenges faced by performers in the 1st ever women’s Royal Rumble:

“Just trying to live up to the lure of rumbles in the past will be a challenge. It is almost always the highlight of the show. The match really gains due to the anticipation during it.

I’ll be rooting for the women. I’ll be glued to my TV set and just hoping that it goes as well as possible for everybody. I hope they have a couple of surprise entrees. Both from the past and a couple of new names.

The women are so determined. Through sheer force of will, they’re going to have a very good match, but the one thing you can’t ever … you can’t book magic. I hope there’s that element of magic in the air when they take to the ring.”

Foley on advice he’s given to Braun Strowman:

“I had a major talk with him about the importance of throwing things backstage. [laughs] I told him about a legendary basketball game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977, when Darryl Dawkins was ejected. I never saw the dressing room after he was done with it, but I heard about it and it was legendary in my mind and I said to him that he had a chance to be Darryl Dawkins after that game.

He had the physical presence to do it. He was the one guy who had the strength to throw things around in a way that would be meaningful and I think he really took that lesson to heart. Anytime I see Braun Strowman throwing items backstage, I smile.”

The full interview can be read here.

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual Tokyo Dome concluded early this morning. The 6-hour super-show featured 9 matches, 7 of which were for championships.

Wrestle Kingdom 12 Results

1. Masahito Kakihara won the New Japan Rumble
   • Kakihara won the Rumble by eliminating Cheeseburger last. The 45-year-old former Best of the Super Juniors winner has been battling cancer and encouraged people to donate to Takayama’s fund.
2. The Young Bucks defeated Roppongi 3K (c) to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
3. Beretta, Tomohiro Ishii, and Toru Yano won the 6-Man Tag Team Championship Gauntlet
   • Former champions, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, and Tanga Loa were the last team eliminated.
4. Kota Ibushi defeated Cody
5. Hirooki Goto defeated Minoru Suzuki to win the NEVER Openweight Championship
   • Suzuki was forced to shave the back of his hair off in the ring after the match.
6. Will Ospreay defeated Marty Scurll, Hiromu Takahashi, and KUSHIDA to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Jay White to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship
8. Kenny Omega defeated Chris Jericho to retain the IWGP United States Championship
9. Kazuchika Okada defeated Tetsuya Naito to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship

The first two teams for WWE’s new Mixed Match Challenge show have been announced:

• Braun Strowman & Alexa Bliss
• Bobby Roode & Charlotte

We’ll update this thread as more teams are announced by RAW and SmackDown General Managers Kurt Angle and Daniel Bryan.

WWE Mixed Match Challenge is a series that will premiere on the Facebook Live digital platform on Tuesday, January 16th. Inter-gender teams will square off in a tournament with the winning team earning $100,000 which they will donate to a charity they select.

• WWE Superstars Pick Their “Dream” MMC Partners

Kurt Angle announced on Tuesday night that Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore will be unable to compete in the MMC tournament due to illness (flu). He is currently working on securing a suitable replacement.

Rusev and the popular fast-food chain, Wendys, have been having a bit of a back and forth on social media recently.

The Rusev/Wendys interaction started not long after the restaurant announced plans for January 4th to be “National Roast Day”.

One year ago we roasted someone so badly they deleted their account.

Join us here Thursday, January 4th as we celebrate #NationalRoastDay

— Wendy’s (@Wendys) January 2, 2018

A fan responded to the post by simply wishing them a “Happy Rusev Day”.

We scheduled it just in time for Rusev Day, and then we'll be ready for Rusev Day, followed by Rusev Day.

— Wendy’s (@Wendys) January 2, 2018

Upon finding out about this, Rusev made a special request of Wendys:

As a former employee at @Wendys instead of drawing W on the burgers you should do RD for #RusevDay !!

— Miro (@ToBeMiro) January 3, 2018

Apparently, Rusev is a former Wendys employee.

Rusev Day

The belief is Rusev Day t-shirts are selling well as WWEShop initially ran out of stock not long after announcing the shirt’s release.

Having debuted at the Royal Rumble in 2014, Rusev has been on the main roster for 4 years now and could be in-line for a considerable push given his recent popularity.

Happy Rusev Day!

Susan Cashdollar is set to receive a WWE tryout in the coming weeks. She had previously played with the Cleveland Crush of the since-renamed, Lingerie Football League.

Here is a promotional video for the league Cashdollar shot:

Susan Cashdollar

According to a report from Squared Circle Sirens, this will actually be Cashdollar’s 2nd WWE tryout, having received one back in 2014. Liv Morgan, Aliyah, and Zahra Schreiber were all signed from the set of tryouts she attended. Cashdollar has been working as a stunt person in recent years.

If successful, Cashdollar would join Summer Rae as former Lingerie Football Players to sign with WWE. Summer previously played on the Chicago Bliss for 3 seasons.

New Japan Pro Wrestling is teaming up with the creators of the Fire Pro Wrestling video game series for the release of Fire Pro Wrestling World this summer on Playstation 4 and PC (via Steam). The announcement was made at the NJPW fan fest event ahead of Thursday’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 pay-per-view.

Real wrestlers, real moves, real drama: NJPW enters the ring when Fire Pro Wrestling World hits PS4 this summer! pic.twitter.com/k2R7FUMxA0

— FirePro??????? (@sc_prowrestling) January 3, 2018

Fire Pro Wrestling is the popular 2D wrestling franchise that dates back to the late 1980’s. Up until the NJPW partnership, the Fire Pro games never featured officially licensed wrestlers. Instead, the developers focused on addictive gameplay mechanics while the robust creation suite allowed players to recreate famous wrestlers.

Fire Pro Wrestling World for PS4 will feature licensed NJPW wrestlers, their actual move sets and for the first time, a Young Lion story mode.

More Details About Fire Pro

• PLAY ONLINE
  Organize exhibition matches, tournaments, leagues, championship bouts and battle royals with players from around the world.
• MIX UP THE RULES
  Modes include Deathmatch (steel cage, barbed wire or landmines), MMA rules and no-holds barred Gruesome Fighting.
• UNLIMITED CUSTOMIZATION
  Create your dream wrestler from over a thousand devastating moves and even more body parts to battle for custom championship belts. Personalize the ring, mat logos and even the referee!
• REALISTIC SIMULATION
  Give your creations personalities with a robust CPU logic system that defines their every action. Does your wrestler play to the crowd, or play dirty? You provide actors for the ringside drama.

Daniel Bryan recently spoke to media while attending a Springfield Thunderbird game on Friday night. In addition to performing the ceremonial puck drop before the game, Bryan commented on potentially returning to in-ring competition.

“I assume that if I don’t wrestle by WrestleMania, I probably won’t be wrestling with WWE at all,” said Bryan. “That’s my assumption.

“It’s not a black and white answer,” Bryan continued. “There are a lot of issues with me getting cleared by WWE. They have a very strict protocol, which is a good thing, but the timeline of all that happening was not the best for me. It’s an interesting situation that will develop.”

Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 34

With WrestleMania less than 3 months away, there are signs Bryan’s character could be changing course somewhat. Recently on Smackdown, Bryan announced AJ Styles will face both Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens in a handicap match at the Royal Rumble, fuelling speculation Bryan has joined the “Yep Movement”.

More of Bryan’s comments at the event can be read here.

WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash was the latest guest on Jim Ross’ Ross Report podcast and commented on a few topics related to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

Nash, a former WWE Champion who was Vince McMahon’s top star in the mid-1990’s when he wrestled as Diesel, has a unique perspective of Vince and how his mind works. During the discussion with Jim Ross, Nash commented on rumors of an XFL reboot and what Vince McMahon told him about the downside of today’s generation of Superstars.

Rumors of an XFL Reboot:

With Vince McMahon recently selling over $100 million of WWE stock and a new McMahon-backed entity Alpha Entertainment filing for several XFL-related trademarks, there’s been a lot of speculation that Vince is looking to get back into the football business in some capacity. Knowing how fiercely competitive Vince can be and the embarrassment surrounding the XFL’s initial run, Kevin Nash wouldn’t be surprised if there was some validity to the rumors.

“Vince doesn’t like to have a black mark anywhere on his dossier,” Nash said. “At the beginning [of the XFL], the numbers were great, and it wasn’t the right place at the right time.”

Vince McMahon’s Opinion of the Current Roster:

“I remember one time I was talking to Vince – it wasn’t the last WrestleMania, I think it was the one before – and I just asked him how things were,” Nash said.

“And he goes, ‘The thing that’s changed more than anything, [is] back when you broke in here in the fed, it was a shark tank. Like, everybody went after that top prize, and it was a battle. Now, [wrestlers] wait for him to come around with a sword and anoint them.’ It’s just not the same anymore.”

Considering Vince McMahon’s penchant for ruthless aggression, – it sounds like Vince might prefer the good old days of talent “grabbing the brass ring” and not waiting for it to be given to them.

The full interview can be heard over at PodcastOne.com.

While Brock Lesnar’s current WWE deal is believed to run until after WrestleMania 34 in April, talks are underway to extend their arrangement by several months. While WWE would surely love to lock down Lesnar for another multi-year deal, the company is hoping to at least get him signed on through SummerSlam in August.

Brock Lesnar Contract Update

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Lesnar’s current deal contains clauses which allow for it to be extended until August. Should Lesnar decide to leave WWE for a UFC return after, he would have to un-retire from MMA and re-enter the USADA testing pool beforehand.

Lesnar would also have to sit out the remainder of his USADA suspension stemming from his 1-year suspension from his failed drug test at UFC 200.

It’s worth mentioning that the chances of Lesnar fighting again for UFC drastically decreased as a result of former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones’ latest suspension. Jones and Lesnar had been rumored for a blockbuster ‘dream fight’ before Jones tested positive for banned substances once again.

Daniel Bryan recently appeared as a guest on Peter Rosenburg’s “Rosenburg Radio” and spoke about his relationship with John Cena, Vince McMahon, and more.

Daniel Bryan Interview Highlights

On speaking with John Cena regarding political and/or environmental topics:

“John Cena, you wouldn’t think that I love talking about this kind of stuff with John.” Bryan added, “but he’s very into the same kinds of topics, but he believes that technology will save the day. Yeah, and I’m not even sure if he’s at the point where he thinks technology will save the day. He [has] had that discussion with me. He’s very good at, like… I love talking to John because he will really make you question your assumptions about stuff, like, ‘won’t this happen? Won’t that?’ and so, yeah, his brain works so fast.”

On going to the gym with John Cena:

“When we’ve been in San Diego [California] together, like, we’ll go to the gym [together]. Like, he’ll take me to the gym. Gosh, he had me in whatever car he was driving, like a Maserati and stuff. I felt so awkward traveling to the gym with him because, like, his gym clothes are pristine, right? Like, he has his workout shoes. Yeah, yeah. And my workout stuff is not pristine because it’s like I also do stuff, like, I run, and I’ll do this, and, sometimes, okay, I just so happen to have my gym shoes on and I’ll go garden and now they’re muddy. So I’m getting into whatever car this is, a Maserati or something like that, and I’m like, ‘oh no, this is not good!’ But it’s like, so yeah, we’ll go to the gym.”

On Attending “Promo Class” with Vince McMahon:

“It’s not easy, and there’s a real art form to it, but [Cena is] the master of it. If you watch Vince McMahon, I did this promo class with him, Vince McMahon, and he’s really enlightening because he actually had me teach the class. It’s this really weird thing, but it was very interesting to spend that time with Vince McMahon. It was a classroom full of people, but you’re learning interviews from Vince McMahon and watching the way he thinks about it and the way he talks about it, it’s like, ‘whoa, this guy’s on a different level.’ And you could see it in his performance, the way he talks, the way he emotes through his face, the way he uses silence, right? It’s like a masters class in that. I’ve come to appreciate it, but it’s still not my thing.”

You can listen to the full interview here.

Impact Wrestling this week will feature a Global Championship match that has been building for weeks. Current Impact Global Champion, Eli Drake, will face Alberto El Patron for the title.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gpWdZ6C4Ew

Eli Drake (c) vs. Alberto El Patron – Global Championship

The company sent out the following press release yesterday:

“When Alberto El Patron made his debut on IMPACT in mid 2017, behind the scenes, Eli Drake showed his emotions and let everyone know exactly how he felt. In the mind of Eli Drake, another person was coming into IMPACT and they were going to be given opportunities that Eli felt other people deserved. Eli felt the athletes that had been here, had been working towards a goal were being overlooked by anyone with a larger twitter following. Eli had enough.

It wasn’t long before Alberto El Patron would win the Global Title and then unify it with our World Title. All was right for El Patron and IMPACT had their guy. Then it all came crashing down, Alberto El Patron would be suspended and stripped of the title. With the Championship in a state of abeyance, IMPACT would have one match to determine a new Champion, a chance to move past El Patron and crown a new Champion as fair and as quickly as possible.

Eli Drake would enter at number 2 and somehow outlasted 19 others and in the end Eli Drake got what he wanted (with a detour) and Drake was standing tall as Global Champion. One major weight off his shoulders and another placed directly on them. It was up to Eli now to prove he could be Champion, to prove he had what it takes to Main Event every week, to travel the world and defend his title. If you had to give Eli a letter grade now that we have seen him as Champion for 130 consecutive days, you would be forced to give Eli an A+ for his efforts and skills.

Alberto El Patron has called Eli a “Paper Champion” or someone simply holding onto the title until Patron returned to take what he feels is rightfully his. Now we will see these men go one on one for the Global Championship on Thursday night. Can Drake shut up Alberto El Patron once and for all? Will El Patron prove his point and drive home his claim that he should be Champion? That Alberto El Patron will take IMPACT to all new heights and places we have never been before?

The Championship isn’t the only thing on the line Thursday night. It is the first IMPACT of 2018 and the future is on the line. Where are we going? The outcome of this match will be like looking into a crystal ball and seeing what direction IMPACT is heading. We can’t wait to find out on Thursday night!”

The WWE Network is believed to be adding another territory from the 1980s to their classic content early next year.

Almost 100 episodes of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling is set to premiere on the streaming service January 8th, 2018.

From WWE.com

“New Classic Content: January 2018
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling makes its WWE Network debut with this month’s new on-demand offering. Featuring nearly 100 episodes and over 70 hours of throwback action, travel as far back as 1981 and see the very early careers of WWE Hall of Famers such as “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Sgt. Slaughter, Ric Flair, and more. Enjoy a small taste of the latest offering with this New Classic Content collection, featuring 10 memorable episodes from 1981-1983.”

Former WWE Divas champion, Kaitlyn, is returning to wrestling. Rumors of the fitness guru’s potential return to the ring began this fall, as she was spotted training inside a ring for the first time in years.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdSX8CZg9cB/

Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn also appeared on the Ross Report earlier this year and did not rule out a return to the ring. She will be taking on Rachel Ellering on February 10th, 2018 for Coastal Championship Wrestling.

Mae Young Classic competitor, Jazzy Gabert, revealed her WWE status on the Edge and Christian podcast recently. The German wrestler was eliminated in the 1st round of the MYC by Abbey Laith but made a sizeable impression with fans.

Jazzy Gabert

The Alpha Female announced on the show she was offered a WWE contract following the Mae Young Classic appearance but failed a medical. WWE doctors found 3 herniated discs in her neck which resulted in WWE rescinding their initial offer.

Gabert plans on having surgery to correct the issue in the spring. Should she be medically cleared, WWE would be in a position to offer her another contract.

Right now on @EandCPod we have @alphafemale1 It’s an emotional roller coaster. From her tumultuous beginnings to being taken in by Masahiro Chono’s family, Japan, MMA, and finally her road to WWE. Then the bombshells come. This show needs to be heard. https://t.co/Zrx4nTAdbO

— Adam Copeland (@RatedRCope) December 29, 2017

WWE announced yesterday that Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar, will appear on the New Year’s Day edition of Monday Night Raw. The event will emanate from the American Airlines Center in Miami, Florida.

The only announced match for the show thus far is a Cruiserweight Championship bout between Cedric Alexander and Enzo Amore.

WWE.com statement on Brock Lesnar:

“Universal Champion Brock Lesnar will ring in the New Year by returning to Raw, four weeks before he defends his title against both Braun Strowman and Kane in a Triple Threat Match at the Royal Rumble event. How will The Beast Incarnate address his monstrous opponents? Also on Raw, Cedric Alexander challenges Enzo Amore for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship!”

Several English-subtitled Wrestle Kingdom promo videos have been released by New Japan Pro Wrestling. The promotion unveiled their English language YouTube channel earlier this year.

Wrestle Kingdom Previews

The new Jr. Heavyweight Champions, Roppongi 3K, will defend their belts against the Young Bucks:

Cody will face Kenny Omega’s former tag-team partner, Kota Ibushi:

Marty Scurll defends the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship against KUSHIDA, Will Ospreay, and Hiromu Takahashi:

Hiroshi Tanahashi defends the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Jay White:

Kazuchika Okada defends the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against the winner of the 2017 G1 Tournament, Tetsuya Naito.

Another video previewing the main event title match between Tetsuya Naito and Kazuchika Okada:

Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore promotion will be crowning their first TV champion in early 2018. Although the promotion has been running for 5 years, they have yet to feature a championship of their own, though other titles have been defended on their shows.

House of Hardcore has aired 2 live shows on Twitch with their next being scheduled for January 26th from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

1st round brackets are out
1/26 @HouseofHardcore 37
Tix & infohttps://t.co/3hQxwCl5kU pic.twitter.com/f4LiAQ9CSH

— Tommy Dreamer (@THETOMMYDREAMER) December 28, 2017

House of Hardcore Championship Tournament 

The tournament was announced by Dreamer on the latest HOH episode on Twitch. Dreamer announced the 1st round matches but mentioned the tournament’s format won’t be fully revealed until a later time.

1. Woggle vs. Mikey (from the Squad)
2. Lisa Marie Varon vs. Kenny (from the Squad)
3. Super Crazy vs. Alex Reynolds
4. Bull James vs. Eddie Kingston
5. Little Guido vs. Kevin Cross
6. Ace Romero vs. Dan Moff
7. Matt Riddle vs. Austin Aries
8. ??? (Mystery Opponent) vs. Brian Cage
9. Crazy Steve vs. MJF
10. Luchasaurus vs. Willie Mack vs. Matt Cross

Former WWE broadcaster and ESPN host, Jonathan Coachman, believes it is likely Vince McMahon is looking at buying an NFL team. According to Coachman, he thinks it’s possible the 72-year-old Chairman of WWE might be looking at purchasing the Carolina Panthers.

Jonathan Coachman

On reasons to believe Vince isn’t bringing back the XFL:

“He’s not going to come out and blow 50 or 100 million on something he’s already tried…”

On Calling Games for the XFL:

“If he calls me, cause I’m the only person in the history of the world to be the voice of Monday Night Raw and to be on Sports Center for 10 years so if Vince calls for somebody who knows both sides of the fence you’re damn right I’m going to pick up the phone.”

On Vince possibly buying the Carolina Panthers

“He’s got a restaurant in North Carolina, hell Triple H’s bachelor party was in Raleigh, North Carolina…

“I’m not saying that he would but I think it’s a second possibility that people aren’t tossing out there because they want to believe that he’ll start his own entity.”

Just weeks after returning to action following a year-plus layoff, Paige appeared to be injured at Wednesday night’s WWE live event from the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Thankfully, the latest updates indicate Paige’s injury is not as bad as initially feared.

Paige was teaming with her Absolution stablemates, Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose, against Sasha Banks, Mickie James, and Bayley. During a spot that involved Sasha Banks kicking Paige in the back (seen below), Paige went down and the referee threw up the “X” sign to indicate a possible injury. Absolution was originally scheduled to go over in the match, which was ended abruptly due Paige’s injury.

According to PWInsider, Paige suffered a stinger during the spot, but was not hospitalized. Dave Meltzer tweeted that Paige is “ok.”

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley also commented on Paige’s condition:

https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/946235502411370496

Paige is reportedly being evaluated today and she’s been taken off the road for precautionary measures.

NJPW co-booker, Jado, recently took part in an interview with NJPW1972.com. Jado and Jericho teamed together on occasion early in Jericho’s career.

Jado Interview Highlights

— So, Chris Jericho has made a huge impact in New Japan. You and he go way back..

Jado: Right. We first met in Mexico so.. it must be about 26 years now.

— Would Jericho have been in Mexico with Ultimo Dragon at that time?

Jado: No, no. I was over in Mexico as a freelancer and had a match with Jericho. Then I went to W*ING but he stayed in Mexico. Then it was around 1994 and WAR that Dragon brought Jericho to Japan.

— After all that time, on November 5, Jericho appeared on the big screen in Osaka. How did seeing that video message make you feel?

Jado: It was a huge shock, and not just to Japanese wrestling, but the whole world. I mean, here’s this guy that unified the WCW and WWE heavyweight belts… do you know what the most important thing in wrestling is?

–What?

Jado: It’s timing. Just the combination of absolute best time and absolute best place to do something nobody would think possible. Jericho, with the influence he has on the wrestling world, and Omega. This year it couldn’t happen; Omega was with Okada. 2019 maybe they couldn’t do it. Jericho just has a great sense of timing, of knowing ‘2018 is the time to do this’.

— You mentioned timing. Do you think Jericho’s wild, unpredictable side is another special talent of his?

Jado: Right. Jericho’s always been a hungry guy. And he really feels right now that he needs to face Omega. He said it himself, it’s Alpha versus Omega. He’s put together such a huge match for the worldwide audience.

— You and Jericho seem to get along well on Twitter, too..

Jado: (laughs) Well, he’s absolutely an old friend.

— Do you and he ever talk on a personal level?

Jado: Well, I think if we want to we can.

“— Did he get in touch with you when he showed up in Osaka?

Jado: No, not really. If he came to me it would be ‘shall we go out for dinner’? That kind of thing. He’s the same way. But when he was touring Japan with WWE, we’d definitely meet up. Once a year or so.

— When he was in Japan for WWE, you’d always tweet out a photo with you and he going for dinner. Did you ever talk much about what was happening in New Japan over those dinners?

Jado: Not in much detail; he didn’t have a clear vision of coming to wrestle here at the time. But he was pretty clued in. He’d know Okada was champion, ask about Tanahashi and if he was hurt or not. These days you can find out about all sorts of things online pretty easily, so he’s definitely keeping up I think.

— His antenna is always working, so to speak.

Jado: That’s Jericho. I think his radar picked up that Kenny’s doing big things and that they’re from the same hometown of Winnipeg, so he decided something had to happen.

— The ‘big superstar’ Jericho being a challenger is an interesting situation.

Jado: Again, I thought that it’s really like him, to have the intuition to choose Kenny who’s on such a rise. And he did it on NJPW World so the whole world could see. He wanted to send that message, ‘I’m number one in Canada, and I’m number one in the world’.”

The full interview can be read here.

Bobby Roode recently appeared as a guest on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast and spoke candidly about TNA and WWE.

The 40-year-old was signed to WWE in 2016 and was called up to the main roster earlier this year.

Bobby Roode Interview Highlights

On WWE:

“For me, the WWE was always the ultimate. In sports entertainment this is the place to be if you want to make a name for yourself you have to get to this company and be put on this stage. It’s everything I thought it would be, to be honest with you.”

“Being around not only the guys in the lockerrom but the guys behind the scenes, the office, the production people, everything is so top notch and outweighs everything I’d ever experienced in my career before I got here.”

On His TNA/Impact Career:

“I have zero regrets in my career, i really have zero regrets. I was treated very well. I just came to a point in my career where I was at a company for over 12 years, I felt i did everything i could possibly do there…

I was doing well, I was supporting my family, I had zero complaints but it came to a point where it was like… I’m going to go to work for 6 days and then I’m going to sit home for 2 months… ”

“That’s not what I got in the business for, I got into the buinsess to be on the road.”

“I was starting to lose a passion for the buisness I’ve always loved” “It got to the pint in my career at the other company where i was like ‘I don’t love it anymore’.

“Fortunately for me, I got an opportunity and it’s been great”

the full show can be listened to here.

Sami Zayn recently announced his “Sami 4 Syria” charitable efforts reached a milestone on December 25th.

You guys did it! You raised 5k over the course of Christmas Day for #SamiForSyria, which I will match, dollar for dollar.

That is 10k in ONE DAY to help provide medical aid to those stuck in Syria!

We are not powerless.
When we come together, so much is possible.
Thank you all!

— Sami Zayn (@SamiZayn) December 26, 2017

Zayn had previously Tweeted he would be matching all donations made on Christmas Day, with $5K being raised by fans and another $5K being matched by him.

Sami 4 Syria

His fundraising efforts are to supply mobile medical clinics in parts of Syria.

[vimeo 225255732 w=640 h=360]

“Woken” Matt Hardy debuted new ring entrance music at WWE’s house show in Madison Square Garden last night.

Several fans tweeted or otherwise posted his entrance:

They actually gave matt the piano sick!! #WWEMSG @MATTHARDYBRAND pic.twitter.com/rYhMjY09qi

— Miles (@miles_struble) December 27, 2017

Hardy had recently teased using an all-piano theme for his character as he had done in TNA Wrestling.

https://twitter.com/MATTHARDYBRAND/status/945891352155447296

WWE Madison Square Garden House Show Results

• WWE Cruiserweight Title
  Enzo Amore (c) defeated Kalisto
• Apollo Crews, Goldust, Heath Slater, Rhyno & Titus O’Neil defeated Curt Hawkins, Miztourage (Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel) & The Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson)
• Asuka & Dana Brooke defeated Alexa Bliss & Nia Jax
• Braun Strowman defeated Kane by DQ
• Matt Hardy defeated Bray Wyatt
• Absolution (Mandy Rose, Paige & Sonya Deville) defeated Bayley, Mickie James & Sasha Banks
• WWE RAW Tag Team Title Steel Cage 
  Jason Jordan & Seth Rollins (c) defeated Cesaro & Sheamus
• Samoa Joe defeated Finn Balor
• WWE Intercontinental Title 
  Roman Reigns (c) defeats John Cena

Sasha Banks was recently interviewed by NBC Sports. The interview covered her feelings on the upcoming Royal Rumble, the women’s revolution/evolution, and what may come next for the women’s divisions in WWE.

Sasha Banks Interview Highlights

On what number she wants to enter at:

“I don’t know if I would want to start off first. I would have to do extra cardio to prepare and with the holiday season I’ve been eating a lot, so I don’t know if I would be ready for that … just kidding (laughs).

Honestly, I would rather get that lucky number 30 and throw everyone out that’s left. I don’t want to sweat my makeup off. I want to look good! But no, I haven’t seriously thought about it or had a chance to because I’m still kind of in that shock moment and I’ve been more thinking about what legend could be in the match or if we’ll have girls from NXT be in the match because with [the] SmackDown and Raw [rosters] we don’t have enough to get to that 30 number yet.

On potential legends in the match:

The potential of what legend can I work has me more excited than which number I’ll be in the Royal Rumble match, but I think when I get closer to the actual Royal Rumble, that’s when I’ll get more of my nerves. I don’t want to say I’m in shock because I guessed that this would happen, but it’s still so crazy to kick off 2018 knowing that the women are going to have a Royal Rumble match at the Royal Rumble. It’s really cool.”

“I would love to hear Trish Stratus’ music. Of course Lita, Molly Holly, Jazz, Jacqueline, man even Victoria. It would be an honor to be in the ring with any of those girls.

On what comes next for her and the women’s divisions:

“Exactly and that’s the number one thing is. I don’t just want something to be given to us just to put that little stamp like ‘Oh look the women are doing it now it’s cool.’ No.

My goal is to main event WrestleMania and if we’re going to main event it, I need it to be the greatest storyline ever. I need the fans to be invested. I just don’t want to get handed something because they’re putting a first time ever [match] for women. I want it to be a good storyline and I want the crowd to care because those are the moments that …

I feel like the reason people talk about the Brooklyn match [I had] with Bayley so much is because of the history between me and Bayley. You know that she fought from the very beginning to get the women’s championship and for me, I fought to keep that and to show people that I’m the best.

People are invested in the storylines more than just putting a name on something and bam! First time ever, you know what I mean?

You can read the full interview here.

It appears Rusev & Lana are interested in entering the Mixed “Machka” Challenge as a team. Whether or not this leads to them teaming in the Mixed Match Challenge on Facebook remains to be seen, however.

This just in! #MMC MIX MACHKA CHALLENGE @LanaWWE pic.twitter.com/coIQg6nD1c

— Miro (@ToBeMiro) December 22, 2017

Rusev & Lana Reuniting

With a babyface run looking likely for Rusev, a Rusev and Lana team in the MMC could be a way to fully turn both characters. On the other hand, the above video might not have been a serious announcement of their intentions to enter the Mixed Match Challenge. Rusev & Lana do have a history of announcing things on social media that WWE would rather they didn’t. The couple announced their engagement through social media in 2015 while in

Rusev & Lana do have a history of announcing things on social media that WWE would rather they didn’t. The couple announced their engagement through social media in 2015 while in storyline they were separated at the time.