– During his appearance on Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast this week, which was the special 100th episode of the show, WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin revealed the fact that he expects to be at WrestleMania 32 in April. Additionally, Austin noted that there are creative plans in place for his involvement in the show, but quickly mentioned that he couldn’t discuss them yet.

– There continues to be a lot of discussion within WWE regarding the idea of introducing the Sister Abigail character to the storylines. The talk about the mysterious fictitious sister of Bray Wyatt being actualized by someone on WWE television dates back over a year ago, however the discussions have become more serious as of late and there is a legitimate possibility that she will soon be added to The Wyatt Family.

• VIDEO: Ronda Rousey Practicing WWE Moves

(Partial Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

In an update on The Rock hyping his upcoming appearance at WrestleMania 32 in April, which he confirmed in December, as things stand right now he will not be wrestling at the event despite bold claims of having plans to make “all-time WrestleMania history” at this year’s show.

According to the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, while there’s enough time between now and WrestleMania 32 that it’s certainly possible an arrangement can still be made, The Rock won’t be wrestling an actual match on the show for the same reason reported in the past regarding issues with concerns from the insurance people involved in the “Baywatch” movie he is working on.

As of this week, WWE has a full card in mind for WrestleMania 32, which takes place on Sunday, April 3, 2016 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and while whatever The Rock is doing is indeed scheduled to be a big part of the show, he is not included in any of the matches and is not expected to be added to any of them.

Currently, Triple H vs Roman Reigns is the main event WWE has in mind for the show, and with The Rock being related to Reigns and endorsing him in the storylines at last year’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, coupled with the fact that he was expected to wrestle Triple H if he did work a match on this show, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that it’s possible he will play a role in that match.

• VIDEO: Ronda Rousey Practicing WWE Moves

Tuesday night’s taped edition of TNA Impact Wrestling on POP TV averaged 288,000 viewers for what was the second ever episode of the show to air on TNA’s new weekly cable home.

This week’s show featured a main event of Kurt Angle vs. Drew Galloway, as well as Eric Young capturing the TNA King Of The Mountain Championship by defeating Bobby Roode.

The average of 288,000 viewers for last night’s show was an increase of 33,000 viewers compared to last week’s live premiere on POP TV, as the live debut show drew 255,000 viewers. It’s also worth noting that in their second week on the station, with their first taped show, TNA drew a bigger audience on POP TV than they did for their final episode on their previous cable home, Destination America.

The final edition of Impact Wrestling to air in prime time on Destination America drew 269,000 viewers. While POP TV is available in 20 percent more homes than Destination America, historically it has taken a while before the full audience settles in at the new cable station when a wrestling show changes networks. In this case, TNA not only changed the channel they were airing on, but the night of the week was changed as well.

• UFC Fans FREAK OUT On CM Punk, Punk Calls Them “Butt Hurt Dummies”

For those curious what Shane McMahon is doing these days, SeekingAlpha.com is reporting that he is now the Vice Chairman of YOU On Demand, the multi-platform entertainment company he founded and has been working with in China, which was referenced by Vince McMahon during his interview with Steve Austin on the first-ever live “Stone Cold Podcast” on the WWE Network.

Shane McMahon assumed the role of Vice Chairman of the Chinese-based Video On Demand (VOD) company after Xuesong Song stepped down from his position as Executive Chairman. Song will remain with the company on the board as a director.

In addition to appointing Shane McMahon as the new Vice Chairman, the company made a number of changes this week, including adding two members to its’ board. Bruno Wu, the founder and CEO of Sun Seven Stars Media Group — a company that invested ten million dollars in YOU On Demand — was elected as the new Chairman of the company.

YOU On Demand (NASDAQ: YOD) is up 1.9% after making the changes this week. For more information on the company Shane McMahon is trying to make his own name in, visit YOD.com.

• UFC Fans FREAK OUT On CM Punk, Punk Calls Them “Butt Hurt Dummies”

– WWE.com announced on Tuesday that a pre-sale for tickets to this year’s WWE Hall Of Fame induction ceremony is now ongoing at Ticketmaster.com with the code “DOTCOM.” The pre-sale ends at 11pm ET/10pm CT on Thursday, January 14th. The 2016 WWE Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, which will be headlined by Sting this year, takes place on Saturday, April 2nd at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Tickets for the general public will be available on Friday, January 15th at 10am ET/9am CT at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

– Independent wrestling veteran Luke Hawx worked a dark match at the WWE SmackDown television tapings on Tuesday night after briefly appearing in a backstage segment on Monday’s WWE RAW. Apparently other talent from the Louisiana-based WildKat Spots promotion worked tryout matches for WWE this week as well.

– Darren Young posted the following photo that features he and Titus O’Neil with other WWE Superstars on the WrestleMania 32 promotion WWE is doing with the Texas lottery this year.

pic.twitter.com/Uj8fiGyQDl

— nodaysoff FRED ROSSER III (@realfredrosser) January 12, 2016

• UFC Fans FREAK OUT On CM Punk, Punk Calls Them “Butt Hurt Dummies”

As we reported on Tuesday evening, WWE switched the United States Championship back to Alberto Del Rio at the SmackDown television tapings in Lafayette, Louisiana just one day after Kalisto won the title on WWE RAW on Monday.

To make matters worse, the official WWE website has spoiled the fact that the U.S. title change will take place on this Thursday’s show on the USA Network by using it as a way to promote this week’s show.

WWE.com reported the following rare spoiler-based article after Tuesday night’s SmackDown television taping:

“Just one night after losing the United States Championship to Kalisto in a dramatic loss on Raw, Alberto Del Rio regained the coveted title from the masked luchador during Tuesday night’s SmackDown taping. The two Superstars, whose rivalry is rapidly evolving into one of WWE’s fiercest, battled to another climactic finish on Thursday’s hottest show — now on USA Network — but this time the underdog fell to The Essence of Excellence. The contest was not without it’s controversy, however, as The League of Nations factored into the outcome.

Tune in to SmackDown this Thursday night at 8/7 C on USA Network to see how the United States Championship changed hands.”

For more details on the title change and the rest of the spoilers from this week’s tapings, read our complete WWE SmackDown Spoilers (Air Date: January 14, 2016).

• UFC Fans FREAK OUT On CM Punk, Punk Calls Them “Butt Hurt Dummies”

It looks like NXT rookie Levis Valenzuela Jr. will be debuting his new gimmick in the near future.

WWE recently filed to trademark the term, “No Way Jose” earlier this month and according to PWInsider.com, they did so to lock up the term for Valenzuela Jr.’s new character.

Levis Valenzuela Jr. is a Dominican wrestler based out of North Carolina who used the name Manny Garcia on the independent wrestling scene prior to signing with WWE to become one of the new NXT rookies in May of 2015. Since signing with WWE, Valenzuela Jr. has been doing a dancing gimmick.

• Ronda Rousey In BODY-PAINT ONLY! EVEN MORE New Pics & VIDEO!!

https://youtu.be/ecFoGkLJM14

As seen on tonight’s edition of TNA Impact Wrestling on POP TV, Eric Young defeated Bobby Roode to become the new TNA King Of The Mountain Champion.

While this is Young’s first reign as KOTM Champion, he did have a run with the belt when it was referred to as the TNA Global Championship.

The main reason behind moving the title from Roode to Young was to get the belt off of Roode now that he is back in the tag-team scene as one-half of Beer Money with James Storm.

• Ronda Rousey In BODY-PAINT ONLY! EVEN MORE New Pics & VIDEO!!

WWE taped this week’s edition of SmackDown, which airs this Thursday night, January 14th on the USA Network, on Tuesday night in Lafayette, Louisiana. Below are complete results from the tapings.

WWE taped this week’s edition of SmackDown, which airs this Thursday night, January 14th on the USA Network, on Tuesday night in

– Dean Ambrose kicks off this week’s SmackDown in the ring talking about wanting a Last Man Standing match against Kevin Owens at the upcoming WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Sheamus ends up coming out and right as the two are about to go at it, Owens comes out and accepts Ambrose’s challenge to him for the Rumble. Owens and Sheamus then both attack Ambrose together and beat him down until Neville comes out to make the save.

– The Dudley Boyz def. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan in the first match taped for this week’s show, which airs Thursday night on its’ new weekly home on the USA Network. After the match, Braun Strowman attacked The Dudleyz and put both Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley through tables.

– JoJo interviews the new WWE United States Champion Kalisto backstage. He says much like Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero, he is going to thrive in the “land of the giants.”

– Social Outcasts def. Jack Swagger, Zack Ryder, Goldust & Damien Sandow in eight man tag-team action when Bo Dallas hit his finisher on Zack Ryder for the win, knocking Heath Slater off the ring apron in the process.

– Alberto Del Rio def. Kalisto to regain the WWE United States Championship the same week he lost it. Wade Barrett was at ringside with Del Rio for this one and provided an assist that led to Del Rio submitting Kalisto to win the match and his title back.

– Becky Lynch def. Brie Bella in Divas singles action. The finish saw Lynch get Bella in th Disarmor for the submission victory.

– Dean Ambrose & Neville vs. Kevin Owens & Sheamus in the tag-team main event made after the opening segment where the four men brawled in the ring. The finish saw both teams brawling outside the ring. Ambrose and Neville end up hitting their finishers on Owens and Sheamus to close out the show.

• Ronda Rousey In BODY-PAINT ONLY! EVEN MORE New Pics & VIDEO!!

When Chris Jericho referred to The Usos as his “back-of-the-bus boys” during his returning Highlight Reel segment on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, several fans expressed their outrage at what they assumed was Jericho making a racist reference on live television in such a casual manner.

On Tuesday, several of Jericho’s WWE Superstar buddies came to his defense and explained what the true meaning behind the comment was.

Apparently, there are two types of traveling WWE Superstars — the back of the bus boys and the up-front boys. The back of the bus boys refers to those who sit in the back and stay awake all night to play cards, while the up-front boys are those who sit in the front and go to sleep.

As seen below, several WWE Superstars were quick to vouch for the fact that Jericho’s comments were in no way racist at all, and were in fact actually comments that subtly referenced the fact that he and The Usos were friends.

#WWE #RAW OK guys.The back of the bus bros comment by @IAmJericho means the guys that drink, play cards an stay up. Up front guys go to bed.

— TheMarkHenry (@TheMarkHenry) January 12, 2016

I'll consign to that big @TheMarkHenry @IAmJericho

— nodaysoff FRED ROSSER III (@realfredrosser) January 12, 2016

I was ALWAYS 'back of bus' crew, I thought u 'hardcore' guys knew everything-guess you are just out of touch trolls https://t.co/w7Lodr1M0T

— John Layfield (@JCLayfield) January 12, 2016

This is the "back of bus boys"…relax people. @IAmJericho .had to let em know Uce pic.twitter.com/nA9a0YoShc

— The Usos (@WWEUsos) January 12, 2016

To those who took @IAmJericho comment as racist…YOU are what is wrong with the world. Ignorant trolls!! #RAW https://t.co/xJaPsffgXE

— Bully Ray (@bullyray5150) January 12, 2016

Not a racist comment. It's between us wrestlers in the back. that's all that matters. @IAmJericho is a true friend. https://t.co/SdHjnYhv7T

— D-von Dudley HOF (@TestifyDVon) January 12, 2016

• Ronda Rousey In BODY-PAINT ONLY! EVEN MORE New Pics & VIDEO!!

It looks like we won’t be seeing T.J. Perkins (aka Manik) on POP TV anytime in the near future.

TNA has apparently parted ways with the former X-Division Champion, as they moved his profile to the Alumni section of their official website, ImpactWrestling.com, and Perkins himself noted via social media that the promotion would not be renewing his contract.

Perkins claims that it was TNA’s decision not to renew his deal, noting that he “would stay if he could.”

Perkins has worked off-and-on for TNA dating back to 2004. He wrote the following on his official Twitter page on Monday:

https://twitter.com/MaskaraManik/status/687025582878535680

https://twitter.com/MaskaraManik/status/687027727849816064

• Ronda Rousey In BODY-PAINT ONLY! EVEN MORE New Pics & VIDEO!!

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross updated his official blog at JRsBarBQ.com on Tuesday featuring his in-depth thoughts on Monday’s RAW. Below are some of the highlights.

On WWE producing a typical opening RAW segment despite facing head-to-head competition from the College Football Playoffs:

“Seemed as if WWE produced this RAW ignoring the fact that the CFB Playoffs were head to head with WWE. It was business as usual with the predictable, long, opening segment promo.”

On WWE hurting Titus O’Neil’s potential with their 50/50 booking style:

“Titus O’Neill seems to be evolving but then he gets beat up after getting his win vs Stardust which is a great example of non vertical, 50-50 booking that helps who?”

On Kalisto getting mic time and winning the United States title on RAW:

“Kalisto getting some mic time is smart of WWE. Fans are not going to easily perceive a talent as a star if they get little or no mic time. Hopeful that Kalisto keeps the US Title longer than it takes for his coffee to get cold. He’s a underrated talent and WWE needs a Hispanic ‘face.”

On the way Roman Reigns was booked on RAW this week:

“Wasn’t overly wild about the stipulation involving Roman Reigns on RAW but I can see the reasoning behind it. The execution of the physicality prior to Brock arriving on the scene was fair at best. I liked the facials of Reigns in the closing moments of the segment as he was very expressive in that area plus I enjoyed that Lesnar was made to look like the stud that he is in how the match/physicality went off the air.”

On WWE needing to book Brock Lesnar in a way that makes a big impact:

“Lesnar needed to make an impact on this RAW as I pointed out Monday in that blog here on the site. Lesnar is the biggest, healthy star left in WWE and will likely never be the red hot, traditional heel that he once was years ago. Lesnar is a ‘face who the fans both are in awe of and respect wholeheartedly. BTW….what happens if Lesnar faces Reigns for the WWE Title at Wrestlemania Texas and Reigns turns, aligns with the Authority and cheats to beat Lesnar in AT&T Stadium? Just saying…”

• Ronda Rousey In BODY-PAINT ONLY! EVEN MORE New Pics & VIDEO!!

The new voice of WWE SmackDown on the USA Network, Mauro Ranallo, recently spoke with Damon Martin of FOXSports.com about his new announcing job in WWE. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On bringing his unique style of calling fights to the world of WWE:

“I’ve had to learn some of the subtleties and the nuances of the sport, but I’m not going to change my style. That’s what they wanted and I do work in boxing, kickboxing and MMA and I think one of my abilities is that I’m very emotionally invested in these sports. What these superstars and divas and fighters put their bodies through to not only achieve but to entertain. From an announcer’s standpoint, I want to be able to convey their stories and add layers to their characters.

“We all know the difference between sports entertainment and the combat sports that I call, but at the end of the day, they are all spawned from the same source and there’s a lot of mutual respect between the two bodies. From Ronda Rousey and Floyd Mayweather’s involvement in WrestleMania and of course Brock Lesnar, who has been able to conquer both WWE and UFC. So they wanted me to be Mauro Ranallo, championship boxing commentator with a WWE tweak and working with Jerry Lawler and Byron Saxton, I’m in a perfect place.”

On reaction to last Thursday and working with Jerry Lawler:

“I think everyone saw last night what we want to do and everyone was pretty happy with the result. Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler might be the most talented man I’ve ever worked with. He comes in, he’s cool as a cucumber and then all of a sudden as soon as the camera comes on, it was a dream. It was an absolute dream come true to spar and share the same airspace with a guy I’ve respected for a long, long time.”

On the undeniable excitement in his voice:

“I do get excited because I am excited. I would not rather be doing anything else and I know what my job is. It’s not about me. I know I’m not everyone’s cup of tea and not everyone is going to approve of me being in WWE, but I guarantee every Thursday on Smackdown you’re going to get the most prepared and the most passionate broadcast that I’m capable of giving you.”

• Ronda Rousey In BODY-PAINT ONLY! EVEN MORE New Pics & VIDEO!!

WWE Divas Champion Charlotte recently appeared as a guest on her fathers podcast, “WOOOOO! Nation with Ric Flair” and spoke about a number of topics, including her desire to retire the term “Diva” and bring back the WWE Women’s Championship to replace the butterfly Divas title, her WrestleMania dream opponent and some of the main differences between the main WWE roster and NXT. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On if she’d wear a robe like Ric Flair and wanting to work with Natalya at WrestleMania:

“If I have my WrestleMania moment, I would like to have a robe made. There is so much family history there, with Bret [Hart] in her corner and my dad in mine.”

On wanting to change the perception of women’s wrestling:

“My dream and goals are to change the face of women’s wrestling, and being champion, I hope that gives me a little more leeway and opportunity to do that. I want to main event a pay-per-view. I want to wrestle at WrestleMania. I want to bring back the Women’s Championship. I want longer matches. I want those crossover segments. I want more storylines, [and] just not to be eye candy or popcorn matches. And, hopefully, being champion at the moment, I just can somewhat kick open more doors and pave the way for more opportunities.”

On wanting to retire the term “Diva,” the butterfly design title belt and bring back the WWE Women’s Championship:

“I’m not taking away anything from the Divas Championship. I just think as the division is evolving, the title can evolve too. But from what I understand, I think NXT is going to go to not using ‘diva’ anymore, so it would only be natural for that to happen on the main roster as well. But just think of how many years of branding [are] behind the butterfly Divas Championship, so it just can’t happen overnight.”

On the main difference between NXT and the main roster being the amount of time you have to prepare:

“What’s so different is NXT, you meet once a month and you tape four shows. The main roster, every single week and the show goes on, so every Monday, and then you have SmackDown tapings every Tuesday. I mean, you are go, go, go, go, go. NXT, maybe you find out a week ahead of time before what’s going to be taped at the next NXT tapings, so you’ll get to work that girl at the live event. Maybe you get to practice [and] maybe you won’t, but on the main roster, it’s changing up until the show starts. The times, maybe the finish, maybe the storyline, maybe even the person changes. The pressure and the money behind what’s happening on the main roster is completely different than NXT.”

• Ronda Rousey In BODY-PAINT ONLY! EVEN MORE New Pics & VIDEO!!

With SmackDown moving to the USA Network last week, WWE appears to be attempting to give fans more of a reason to tune in each Thursday evening.

On Monday’s RAW, WWE announced three matches as opposed to the usual one match or Superstar that they would air as a weekly commercial in the third hour of RAW for SmackDown, all of which either have a stipulation, a title on the line or a WWE title-holder involved.

The following matches were announced on Monday’s RAW for this week’s edition of SmackDown on the USA Network, which will be taped on Tuesday evening in Lafayette, Louisiana:

* The Dudley Boyz vs. The Wyatt Family (Tables Match)
* Dean Ambrose & Neville vs. Kevin Owens & Sheamus
* Kalisto (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio (WWE United States Title)

Make sure to visit SEScoops.com on Tuesday evening for a complete report from the WWE SmackDown television tapings in Lafayette, Louisiana.

• Ronda Rousey In BODY-PAINT ONLY! EVEN MORE New Pics & VIDEO!!

Monday’s edition of WWE RAW was a newsworthy show for a number of reasons, including some new WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view announcements, however it was an unexpected title change that will likely be considered the biggest surprise of the evening.

After defeating WWE United States Champion Alberto Del Rio on last week’s SmackDown in a match set up by John Cena, one-half of The Lucha Dragons tag-team — Kalisto — earned himself a shot at Del Rio’s U.S. title in a rematch set for this week’s RAW.

On Monday’s show in New Orleans, Louisiana, Kalisto managed to score the 1-2-3 on the now former United States Champion Del Rio to win his first singles title in WWE.

For our complete WWE RAW report for this week, click here.

• Ronda Rousey In BODY-PAINT ONLY! EVEN MORE New Pics & VIDEO!!

Vince & Stephanie McMahon, Roman Reigns Kick Off RAW

[Q1] A video recapped the Roman Reigns vs. Sheamus main event from last week that had Vince McMahon as special referee. It included Vince’s announcement that Roman Reigns would have to defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against 29 men in the Royal Rumble match… Michael Cole, JBL, and Byron Saxton were on commentary and noted that Raw debuted 23 years ago with Undertaker in the main event…

A large number of wrestlers stood on the stage. Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon made their entrances and headed to the ring. Vince told viewers to take a look at the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He explained that one of the men on the stage will make history. Stephanie said it all starts with throwing Roman Reigns over the top rope.

Vince and Stephanie teased that the winner could be Dolph Ziggler or Kevin Owens or New Day. They played around with New Day and said “that ain’t booty.” The Wyatt Family video flashed and when the lights came on, they were standing at ringside. Bray Wyatt stood on the broadcast table and recalled saying anyone but Roman Reigns. Vince agreed and said it could be anyone, including Brock Lesnar.

Roman Reigns’ music played and he made his entrance through the crowd and joined Vince and Stephanie in the ring. Vince acted intimidated by the thought of Reigns attacking him again. Reigns said he wasn’t going to attack him. However, he had a question. “What if I win?” Stephanie laughed, and JBL cracked on commentary at one point that Reigns’ odds were worse than the Powerball.

Stephanie said Reigns could even have to face Dean Ambrose. Vince booked Ambrose in the first match. Sheamus took a shot to the back of Ambrose’s head and knocked him down. Sheamus stepped over Ambrose and headed to the ring, then Vince announced that it would be Sheamus vs. Ambrose after the break… [C]

[Q2] [C] 1. Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose vs. Sheamus in a non-title match. The match was joined in progress. Ambrose sold early and then recovered enough to perform a suicide dive heading into the break. [C]

[Q3] Ambrose went for another suicide dive, but Sheamus caught him with a bunch through the ropes and then threw him into the barricade and ring steps. Sheamus picked up Ambrose to run him into the post, but Ambrose slipped off and shoved Sheamus’s head into the post. The referee counted them out.

Dean Ambrose fought Sheamus to a double count-out in 14:00 of television time.

After The Match:

After the match, Ambrose was roughing up Sheamus when Kevin Owens attacked him from behind. Owens threw punches at Ambrose and was setting him up for a powerbomb on the table, but the several referees intervened. Owens released Ambrose, but then ran back and kicked him while he was down…

The announcers stood at ringside and hyped the Royal Rumble and WWE Network. They also hyped The Highlight Reel with Chris Jericho interviewing New Day. They also hyped Roman Reigns in a One vs. All match that the McMahon Family set up earlier…

Backstage: Dean Ambrose, Vince & Stephanie Talk To Paul Heyman

Backstage, Dean Ambrose told Renee Young that he was still breathing and that’s bad news for Kevin Owens…

Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon spoke with Paul Heyman spoke backstage. Stephanie assumed Brock would want to be in the Royal Rumble because the title will be at stake. Heyman said his client is a prize fighter who wants to fight for the biggest prize of them all on the biggest stage of them all.

“Don’t be trying to change my plans again,” Vince said. Funny. Heyman told Vince that he’s trying to give him what he wants and sang the praises of the WWE Champion defending the title against Lesnar at WrestleMania. “I don’t like it,” Vince said. Heyman was surprised. Stephanie interjected and said they should take the conversation behind closed doors because “there are all kinds of people in this hallway. They all entered the McMahon office together…

[Q4] 2. Stardust vs. Titus O’Neil. Stardust made his entrance for a match… [C] New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was shown standing in the crowd at ringside…

Cole got excited when Titus smiled to the crowd and told viewers that Titus “loves to have fun!” JBL and Saxton humored themselves by dropping references to the late David Bowie. Titus won clean with his finisher. However, Stardust attacked him from behind and ran him into the barricade several times…

Titus O’Neil beat Stardust in 3:25.

Global Force Wrestling owner Jeff Jarrett recently spoke with Darren Paltrowitz of DownTownMagazineNYC.com about his dad being a promoter when he was a child, his new upstart Global Force Wrestling promotion and more. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On if his Dad protected him from wrestling secrets when he was younger:

“Yeah, to a certain level, the unwritten rule was that you didn’t discuss. Although you hear conversations in his office, when he’s sitting on the couch, on the phone and all that. It’s a family business, some folks are electricians, lawyers, plumbers, doctors, it’s family conversation.”

On Global Force Wrestling evolving:

“There’s no secret in whether you ran the concession stand, which I did in ’82 or ’83, or you’re talking about 2015, 2016 — your bottom line. Businesses, if they’re not profitable in the long-run, everyone understands start-ups…[These days] sports franchises are loss-leaders. They paid way too much for it, but it created that exposure, created that demand, look at where all the major networks are. You have to calculate your business, but at the end of the day, you have to have more black ink than red ink. You’ve got to be profitable. In The Masked Saint, they’re promoting to their audiences, it’s going on X amount of screens. They’re already got plans for week two, week three, week four, expanding into other screens.

“It’s no different than our business. We started last summer with that Grand Slam Tour, branding awareness was through the roof. Did we make a fortune? Absolutely not. The winter baseball meetings were in Nashville this week, all the major and minor league teams were here, so I had meetings, back to back days, talking to owners and general managers about our Grand Slam Tour next year. One guy sat back and he just said, “So tell me what your thoughts are, your feedback.” I told him, “I just had one of your cohorts tell me that in the Summer of 2015, Global Force Wrestling’s marketing department, if you have each team with about three people in the marketing department times 20 teams, that’s 60 people who worked on Global Force Wrestling over the summer.” So our brand awareness and our digital numbers show it, our social media, our views on YouTube, so the barometer’s there that show the awareness.

“Like you said, everything is so much more niche now, so it’s much harder to cut through than it was when I lost TNA. WWE and Vince McMahon are no longer the 800-pound gorilla, they really are the 8,000-pound gorilla. They’ve got a company that’s been around 50, 60, 70 years, their [WWE] Network is just doing phenomenal. When you really sit back and look at it, how success that is, it’s one of the top 10 over-the-top services in the world, and you’re talking about professional wrestling. So when we’re starting on a step by step basis, we went to Las Vegas in July, August and September and filmed a total of 16 one-hour episodes, and the shows we’re launching in January, our first two live events of 2016. It’s no secret that the northeast has always been and always will be a real, real hotbed of professional wrestling…and Poughkeepsie, both of these shows, have a personal attachment to myself. When I started for the WWF in 1993, the first time “Double J” appeared on TV it was in Poughkeepsie, New York out of the Mid-Hudson Civic Center. We’re coming back and having our first shows of Global Force Wrestling in the northeast starting at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center on January 22nd. It was a part of promotional mentality that we wanted to partner with all kinds of promotions, no matter how big and how small, because I truly believe it’s a win/win for the wrestling fan. Pro Wrestling Syndicate, based right there in New York City, we’ve got a show in Rahway, New Jersey on that Saturday night right after Poughkeepsie. We’ve partnered with them as well, with their stars and our stars. I’m excited, if you couldn’t tell, about 2016 for Global Force.”

• Ronda Rousey In BODY-PAINT ONLY! EVEN MORE New Pics & VIDEO!!

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross updated his official blog at JRsBarBBQ.com with his thoughts on Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman returning to WWE television, his predictions for the 2016 WWE Hall Of Fame class. Below are some of the highlights.

On WWE needing to heat Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman back up on television:

“WWE needs to heat up @HeymanHustle and Brock Lesnar tonight on RAW as Lesnar is WWE’s biggest star especially in light of the irregular number of significant injuries that they are attempting to withstand. Pull the trigger and engage the Beast Incarnate in NOLA. Do it early before the National Championship College football game between Clemson and Alabama kicks off.”

On his predictions for this year’s WWE Hall Of Fame induction class:

“My predictions for the WWE HOF this year include: @Sting, @MichaelPSHayes and the Freebirds @JCLayfield, @JackieMooreTx, @Goldberg, and Stan Hansen. Not bad for a first pass. I see that WWE agrees with the headliner as they tabbed Sting as the first inductee in the 2016 class earlier on Monday. Great selection and a ll deserved honor for a man that I’ve known for 30 years and have been privileged enough to broadcast some of his biggest bouts. Steve Borden is one of the nicest people that I’ve known in the business.”

On WWE confirming Sting for this year’s Hall Of Fame class:

“My guess is that Ric Flair is Sting’s presenter as they have a long history with each other , I called their classic, 45 minute draw at the first Clash of Champions in Greensboro back in the day with Ric vs Sting on TBS. I first met Sting in 1986 which is 30 years ago! Wow, where does the time go?”

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WWE Hall Of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch pleaded guilty to multiple DUI-related charges in the state of Pennsylvania.

The “Original WWE Diva” plead guilty to a DUI charge for her arrest in Mahoning Township, Pennsylvania on May 30, 2015. This was the situation where she was arrested after she was seen crashing into a curb in the parking lot of Wal-Mart.

Sytch also plead guilty to charges of DUI – General Impairment/Incapable of Driving Safely and DUI – Highest Rate of Alcohol (BAC .16+) and BAC .02 or Greater Second Offense. These charges stem from her arrest on June 1, 2015, where she was pulled over by police for a vehicle code violation, and on June 20th, where she was arrested following yet another automobile accident.

Tammy Sytch will be sentenced on January 29th at 9am EST. in Carbon County.

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– WWE will be announcing the first official inductee into the 2016 class of the WWE Hall Of Fame on Monday afternoon at 1pm EST. Make sure to visit SEScoops.com later today to find out the first confirmed member of the WWE Hall Of Fame 2016 class.

– Former WWE announcer and current ESPN host Jonathan Coachman announced via social media that WWE Divas and Total Divas stars The Bella Twins will be his guest on the WWE on ESPN “Off The Top Rope” segment on Tuesday evening. The twins will be on to promote the new season of WWE Total Divas on E!.

– Speaking The Bella Twins, Nikki Bella is receiving praise for her work on the E! post-show for the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday evening. The former WWE Divas Champion posted the following photos of herself with her co-hosts during the show last night.

Thank you @helloross @zannarassi & @NeNeLeakes for last night! So much fun! Until next time?? N #GoldenGlobes @ENews pic.twitter.com/A8DWDQw6p6

— Nikki & Brie (@NikkiAndBrie) January 11, 2016

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Mick Foley recently took to social media to write about a fantasy booking scenario he’d like to be involved with in a perfect world.

When asked by a fan if he could manage anyone currently in WWE, the WWE Hall Of Famer said he’d like to manage Becky Lynch to counter Ric Flair being with Charlotte in the current Lynch-Charlotte program, which has seen the second generation Diva turn heel on her former “Team P.C.B.” teammate.

“The Hardcore Legend” posted the following on his official Facebook page:

HEARD ANY GOOD RUMORS?

During my Q&A in Greenville, SC on Thursday, I was asked a simple question: “If you could manage one person in WWE, who would it be?”

So, I gave a simple answer: “Becky Lynch”, along with my explanation of why – and by the next morning, it had become a genuine news story. I really wasn’t trying to make news; I was just answering a question honestly. But who knows – maybe the attention will lead to something in the future – and to quote my friend DDP, “That’s not a bad thing; it’s a good thing.”

Maybe Manager isn’t quite the right term – but it’s obvious Becky needs someone to neutralize “Nature Boy” Ric Flair – and given my real life history with Ric, and my real life friendship with Becky, I think I could do a good job, if asked.

How would you feel about a possible Lynch/Foley collaboration? I think we would make a ?#?Bexcellent? duo.

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– Chris Gigard, better known as “Biff Busick” on the independent scene, made his NXT in-ring debut at the NXT live event in Citrus Springs, Florida on Saturday evening. He lost in a singles match to fellow NXT and indie standout Rich Swann.

Biff Busick v Rich Swann in a WWE NXT ring? I'm dying. Two awesome Indy Wrestlers finally making it to the big time pic.twitter.com/6XojlbnnNT

— Daniel (@AYCMegatron) January 10, 2016

– Also this weekend, Konnor of The Ascension returned to in-ring action at the WWE live event in Montgomery, Alabama on Saturday night. Konnor had previously been on the sidelines for a week or two with what was believed to be a jaw injury of some kind. The Ascension wound up losing to the team of Goldust and Fandango in what was their first match back as a team on a main roster event since Konnor took time off to heal up. Konnor’s first match back in general was a tag-team match that saw The Ascension lost to NXT Tag-Team Champions Dash and Dawson at the NXT television tapings this past Thursday night.

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– WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns replaced the injured John Cena on the WWE tour of India, which kicks off this coming weekend. Cena took to social media to thank the champ for filling in for him on short notice, and to apologize to the fans for the fact that he won’t be there as advertised. Cena tweeted the following:

I want to apologize to the @WWEUniverse in #India for my absence. I want to thank @WWERomanReigns for stepping up like the champ he is! #HLR

— John Cena (@JohnCena) January 10, 2016

– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson appeared as a presenter at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday evening. The Rock presented the award for “Best Supporting Television Actress” alongside Jennifer Lopez. The award was won by Maura Tierney for her work on “The Affair.” Below is a photo of The Rock and J-Lo presenting the award last night.

The Rock and and Jennifer Lopez are a dream pairing. Hi mom and dad! #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/pRAlUggcJp

— The Goods by Vox (@thegoods) January 11, 2016

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https://youtu.be/RtksPFMfuPU

There have been mixed reactions in WWE and NXT to Triple H making an appearance during the NXT TakeOver: London show in December only a few days after he wasn’t on RAW because he was selling the attack he suffered at the hands of Roman Reigns at the TLC pay-per-view. There was also talk about some workout footage he posted on social media that week that showed him lifting weights like a pro while he was injured in the storylines.

The majority of those in WWE felt that if anyone else was involved in a major injury angle on television and posted training footage of themselves on social media, it would get them heat with WWE management. Those same people, however, are fully aware of the fact that the regular rules generally don’t apply to top stars or anyone named McMahon.

As far as HHH’s NXT appearance goes, the consensus is that would never happen to anyone else, as they simply wouldn’t be booked on an NXT show if they were injured in the storylines.

At the same time, there were those in NXT that were upset with the wording of Roman Reigns’ promo on that week’s edition of SmackDown, as he spoke as if no one had seen or heard from Triple H since he beat him up at the TLC pay-per-view. The feeling was that Reigns’ words made it seem like he was going out of his way to act like the NXT TakeOver: London event didn’t happen, as he essentially ignored it. There were some who took it a step further and were of the opinion that Reigns’ promo made it seem like NXT is a brand that the main roster doesn’t pay attention to or watch, which could give the viewers the impression that it’s not important enough to care about.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it was acknowledged that Triple H probably shouldn’t have made the appearance at the NXT TakeOver: London show in the first place, however the feeling was that one way or the other he was going to “take his victory bow” in front of the sold out NXT crowd.

Those on the main roster felt they had a more legitimate beef, as they did the injury angle and Triple H missed RAW on Monday to sell the TLC attack, Reigns did the promo about HHH missing in action since TLC at the SmackDown tapings, which they feel everyone knows is really taped on Tuesday, so they felt he should have purposely kept himself off of the NXT TakeOver: London show, which was on Wednesday.

Regardless of which side has the bigger argument, the feeling was that Triple H should have appeared on RAW the next week, not the NXT special, and Reigns shouldn’t have made comments under circumstances that would make the NXT brand come off as a second rate brand that isn’t worth watching, especially considering it aired on the WWE Network.

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