The Bloodline and Judgment Day are two of the strongest forces in WWE. What would happen if those forces collided?

The Bloodline is comprised of Roman Reigns, The Usos, Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman (plus Sami Zayn, the honorary Uce). Reigns and The Usos hold the top singles and tag team championships in WWE. Meanwhile, Judgement Day includes Finn Balor, Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest and Dominick Mysterio.

It’s inevitable that these two groups will cross paths. If you ask Priest about who would win, he feels pretty good about his group’s chances. The Archer of Infamy discussed this topic and more on The Five Count, a podcast hosted by Dustin Wilmes & Juston “Ton” Cline.

Judgement Day vs. The Bloodline

Priest was asked about a Judgement Day vs. Bloodline feud, he took a moment to appreciate the vast amount of talent on WWE’s roster. That depth ebbs and flows over the years, but Priest thinks it’s a golden era for wrestling fans.

“There are a crazy amount of names when you think about the WWE,” he began. “It’s the best of the best, you have the best talent in the world and all these larger than life names and characters. It’s hard to pick one over the other, but it’d be a lie if I didn’t say at some point, we need the Judgment Day and the Bloodline to get in there and mix it up.”

Priest wants his name to live forever. He wants the fame, fortune and stardom that come with being a main event player. If you want to be the top dog, you need to test yourself against the best. Right now, that’s Roman Reigns.

“I have to do that, I have to run through Roman Reigns,” Priest continued. “That has to happen. At some point, I’m sure it will, we’ll cross paths down the line.”

Priest says working with Reigns is “always a thought in my head” and the two of them need to handle some business together.

When will these showdowns happen? When will Priest feel ready to challenge Reigns, and for Judgement Day to challenge the Bloodline? Surprisingly, he doesn’t think Judgement Day is ready just yet. “I know that’ll be great when it does happen.. We need to get the Judgment Day up to that level first.”

Roman Reigns has addressed John Cena’s upcoming return. The Tribal Chief says Cena’s support will do nothing for Kevin Owens, who will pay dearly for being a thorn in The Bloodline’s side.

Cena is lacing up his boots again next Friday, December 30 for a special edition of WWE Smackdown on Fox. Cena and Owens will team up against Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn.

Reigns and Cena have clashed before, with Reigns grabbing the proverbial torch right on both occasions. In their two high-profile matches, Reigns was victorious both times (SummerSlam 2021 and No Mercy 2017).

These two generational ‘Faces of WWE’ will collide one more time in just a matter of days. Reigns is dismissive of Cena and says he won’t help Owens overcome The Bloodline.

Not Worried About Cena

Roman Reigns served up some trash talk for Cena and Owens on the December 19 edition of WWE Raw.

In a backstage segment that opened the show, Reigns told Owens he’s going to need a lot more than John Cena to stand a chance against him. He’s going to need the entire Raw locker room to have his back. Otherwise, the Bloodline will “torture” him and make his life a living hell – and there’s nothing Cena can do about it.

The final SmackDown of 2022 will mark Cena’s first match of the year. As he mentioned last week during his surprise appearance on SmackDown, this will keep his 20-year strike alive of not missing a year without wrestling.

This may be the final time Reign sand Cena trade blows inside a WWE ring, making this a can’t miss event. Cena is no longer an active member of the WWE roster, but Reigns may be underestimating the legend from West Newbury, MA.

Liv Morgan is having the most successful year of her WWE career, but she’s already planning ahead for life after pro wrestling.

At 28 years old, she could be an active competitor for many years to come. Advancements in nutrition and training allow for wrestlers to compete well into their late 30’s, even early-to-mid 40’s. That said, it’s never too early to start planning ahead.

Not everybody wants to wrestle until they are physically unable to. Many people view WWE as a chance to gain financial security, become famous and branch out into other fields. Back in October, Morgan fulfilled a lifelong dream by getting killed on screen by Chucky of the popular Child’s Play horror series.

• Watch: Liv Morgan Killed on Latest Episode of ‘Chucky’ TV Series

Liv Morgan’s Future After Wrestling

Morgan recently appeared on the Twin Talk with Haley & Hanna Cavinder podcast. The Cavinder Twins signed with WWE last year as part of the company’s NIL (Next In Line) project to recruit collegeate athletes.

During their discussion, Morgan revealed that she’s already studying to become a real estate broker. She still has a long road ahead, but she hopes to one day open her own brokerage.

She revealed that she recently had “kind of a quarter-life crisis.” Despite her accomplishments, she felt that she was not doing enough with her life. She’s a successful public figure, but highly-motivated people are rarely satisfied with their accomplishments.

Morgan says a real estate brokerage license is just one of the new interests she’s decided to pursue. She also opened up a soap business and began taking acting classes.

Between real estate, her soap business and acting, she’s most looking forward to getting into movies when her days in the ring are over. She reiterated that getting killed by Chucky was a dream. She was starstruck by the killer doll and “melted” when she saw him in person for the first time.

Morgan also has a movie in the works titled, “The Kill Room” with Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson. She acknowledged that movie roles like this are available to her due to the popularity of WWE’s platform.

She has a lot going on outside of WWE, but has no plans to retire any time soon. While discussing real estate, her soap business and acting, Morgan said, “One day, if I ever part ways, I mean I will wrestle forever…”

Wrestling fans can expect All Elite Wrestling’s flagship shows to have a new look and feel in the very near future.

In recent months, Warner Bros. Discovery and AEW President Tony Khan decided it’s time to change the overall look and presentation of Dynamite and Rampage. Those changes will be rolled out at some point in January, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

AEW’s recent hiring of Michael Mansury is a big part of this initiative. Mansury previously worked as WWE’s VP of Global Television Production and will serve as Tony Khan’s new Senior Vice President and Co-Executive Producer.

Mansury is considered a “tremendous asset” who is universally well-liked. He worked for WWE from 2009 through 2020. At one time, he was being groomed to be Kevin Dunn’s successor. Many felt he’d replace Dunn whenever Vince McMahon stepped away from WWE, but Mansury didn’t wait that long.

One WWE source told the Observer, Mansury rose ‘too quickly’ through the ranks, which led Dunn to feel threatened and ‘covertly’ make his life very difficult.

AEW’s New Look and Feel

What will this “new look and feel” entail? AEW’s television productions involve many elements, including the the set and staging, lighting, graphics and video packages, music, camera angles, audio, and more.

Dynamite has undergone subtle changes since premiering in October 2019, but it sounds like we’ll be seeing the most significant shakeup to date in just a matter of weeks.

AEW recently brought in Renee Paquette, who has enhanced the broadcast team and by extension, the presentation of the shows.

With AEW’s next round of TV deals approaching, it makes sense for the company to freshen things up now in hopes of being in a better position during negotiations.

Dax Harwood says 2022 was the greatest year of his life and it was capped off by a match he calls his masterpiece.

FTR is widely regarded as one of the greatest tag teams in the world and they’ve held the gold to prove it. Some would argue that All Elite Wrestling could have featured them more prominently this year, but Harwood and Wheeler’s excellence is undeniable. Their tag team record currently stands at 7-3-1 for the year and they’re 6-0 in trios matches.

As the year winds down, Harwood took a chance to look back at the highs and lows of the past twelve months and ponder what the future holds for pro wrestling’s Top Guys. It wasn’t an easy year, but that’s part of what made it so rewarding for him.

2022 and Looking Ahead to 2023

On Friday, December 16, Dax Harwood posted a touching message on social media reflecting on how proud he is of FTR’s work this year and their latest classic against the Briscoe Brothers last weekend at ROH Final Battle.

2022 brought a wide range of emotions, including anger, frustration, joy and pain. He doesn’t know what next year will bring, but he’s grateful for the fans who have supported FTR through it all. He gives his word that he’ll do everything in his power to make sure fans are as entertained as ever.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Uncle Dax FTR (@daxharwood)

Chris Jericho is setting the record straight on how much money he made during his high-profile run with New Japan Pro Wrestling.

When Jericho left WWE in 2017, wrestling fans didn’t think much of it at the time. He came and went from WWE several times over the years, a practice that helped keep him fresh and always left fans wanting more. Nobody expected what would happen later that year, when Jericho popped up in NJPW for a feud with Kenny Omega. They did huge business together and NJPW is still profiting off that run to this day from subscribers to their NJPW World streaming service. Jericho was paid handsomely and rightfully so.

NJPW’s gamble to bring in an expensive star from WWE paid off. The promotion will soon attempt to catch lightning in a bottle once again. Sasha Banks is expected to attend Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4 and work a series of dates for NJPW.

How Much Did Chris Jericho Make in Japan?

Earlier this week, Dave Meltzer reported that Sasha Banks will be the highest-paid performer in the history of NJPW. She’ll be earning more than she did in WWE (on a per-show basis) – allegedly more than Chris Jericho was paid. Meltzer pegged this figure at $100,000 per match. Jericho caught wind of this claim and says it’s not true.

The inaugural AEW World Champion says this notion is “completely wrong” and he didn’t make a flat rate per appearance. Instead, his pay was determined based on the success of the shows he wrestled on.

“I never had a flat per appearance deal, I was paid according to the event.”

– Chris Jericho

He added that he made more per NJPW event than he did for most of his WrestleMania matches, which is quite a statement.

Jericho is known to be a savvy businessman and proved this once again by negotiating a great deal for himself in Japan. Certain Hollywood stars negotiate a percentage of box office receipts as part of their compensation for appearing in movies. Jericho took the same route, knowing his popularity would drive fans to spend money on his NJPW matches.

Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager cruise is gearing up to set sail once again. The fourth Jericho cruise, dubbed Four Leaf Clover, will take over the Norwegian Perl once again.

It all goes down February 2-6, 2023 when the Jericho Cruise sails from Miami, FL to Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. You can visit the cruise website for booking information and more details of what to expect on board.

Four Leaf Clover will feature 4 days of wrestling matches presented by AEW and the main event has now been signed.

Chris Jericho and Danhausen, collectively known as Jericho Hausen, will face The Gunns (Austin and Colton Gunn). More matches will be announced in the weeks ahead.

More Details on the next Jericho Cruise

• Master of Ceremonies Chris Jericho
• Guest Of Honor Mark Henry
• Guest Cruise Director Mickie James
• Guest Hosts Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson
• Goodwill Ambassador Ted Irvine

There will also be live music, comedy shows, podcasts and more.

Wrestlers on board include:

• Matt Cardona
• Nick Aldis
• Moose
• “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan
• Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake
• Mike Rotunda
• Dan Lambert
• Jonathan Gresham
• Jordynne Grace
• Swoggle
• Brian Myers
• Rocky Romero
• The Boogeyman

Live music from acts including:

• Fozzy
• Quiet Riot
• Royal Bliss
• Raven
• Priss
• Kuarantine
• Guardians of the Jukebox

Live Podcasts from:

• Talk is Jericho
• The Major Wrestling Figure Podcast
• Dan Lambert’s World Title Time Machine
• Talk ‘n Shop

Mandy Rose is grateful for all the love and support she’s received following her unexpected release from WWE on December 14, 2022.

WWE has yet to publicly address the situation, but Fightful was first to report that she was let go after the company determined ‘adult content’ posted on her FanTime page violated the terms of her independent contractor agreement.

There’s been speculation that Rose may be welcomed back at some point in the future, but for now, she’s gone. Wrestling fans rallied behind Rose on social media. #JuticeForMandy and #ThankYouMandy were both trending on Twitter in the hours following the news.

• Toxic Attraction Reacts to Mandy Rose’s Release from WWE

Mandy Rose’s Statement

On Thursday, December 15, Rose broke her silence and addressed her followers on FanTime.

Rose thanked everybody for being in her corner during this difficult time and made sure to let them know the FanTime page isn’t going anywhere.

“Hey guys, thank you for all the messages. I am overwhelmed with all the love and support from you guys. And don’t worry the page is still up! ;)”

– Mandy Rose

Rose wrestled with WWE from 2015-2022. She was (ironically) portrayed as a sex symbol for the majority of her run there, but became a more well-rounded performer in recent years. Services that allow celebrities to keep in touch with their fans on a subscription basis can be incredibly lucrative, but you can be sure we haven’t seen the last of her in the ring.

Former WWE Superstar Tino Sabbatelli, Rose’s fiancé, showed his support with this post on his Instagram story:

More on Mandy Rose’s Release

Here are some videos breaking down Mandy Rose’s WWE release from our friends at F4WOnline and POST Wrestling:

Wednesday’s Winter is Coming edition of AEW Dynamite featured a surprise upset that many fans are comparing to the 1-2-3 Kid’s memorable win over Razor Ramon from May 1993.

After losing the ROH World title to Claudio Castagnoli this past weekend at Final Battle, Chris Jericho said he wanted a tune-up match against a ‘jobber’ – insider wrestling lingo for a competitor who rarely wins their matches.

Jericho got his wish in the form of Action Andretti, a competitor we’ve seen on AEW Dark, but was largely unknown to the AEW audience. It was an exciting match with several close calls, but in the end, Andretti stunned Jericho (and everyone else) by scoring a surprise victory via roll-up.

Jericho was in utter disbelief over the loss. Later in the show, he was shown backstage throwing a tantrum. No matter how he refuses to accept the outcome, a win is a win.

Update on Action Andretti’s Win

How did Action Andretti go from a relatively unknown to pinning Chris Jericho live on national television?

As it turns out, this match and the shock outcome have been planned for months – and it was all set up by Chris Jericho. On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained how it all went down.

Back in October, Andretti wrestled QT Marshall on a match that aired on AEW Dark. Jericho was watching the match backstage and was blown away by the young high-flyer. Jericho saw the potential for Andretti to be a star, but he just needed a break. Jericho had a few ongoing storylines in the works, but he decided then that he wanted to wrestle Andretti on the big stage when his schedule cleared up.

Shortly after the match concluded, AEW President Tony Khan announced on social media that Action Andretti is All Elite and earned himself a contract with the promotion.

H/T F4WOnline

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest show of the year is fast approaching.

The event will be dedicated to Japanese wrestling legend and NJPW founder Antonio Inoki, who passed away on October 1, 2022 at 79.

The star-studded lineup features IWGP World Heavyweight and Women’s Championship matches, the long-awaited showdown between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay, AEW stars FTR defending the IWGP world tag team championships, the Great Muta’s final NJPW match and much more.

There’s also a lot of buzz that WWE Superstar Sasha Banks will be attending Wrestle Kingdom to call out the winner of the IWGP Women’s Championship match.

When is Wrestle Kingdom?

New Japan Pro Wrestling presents Wrestle Kingdom 17 live from Tokyo, Japan on Wednesday, January 4, 2023 from the Tokyo Dome.

A second show branded as Wrestle Kingdom is scheduled Saturday, January 21, 2023 from the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan.

How to Watch Wrestle Kingdom 17

Wrestle Kingdom 17 will stream live on NJPW World (subscription is ¥999/$7.33 per month).

WK17 airs at 3 am (EST) / 12 am (PST) / 8 am (GMT).

Wrestle Kingdom 17 Card

Here are the 12 matches signed for January 4. You can visit the NJPW website for a more in-depth preview for each match.

IWGP World Heavyweight Title Match
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White (c)

IWGP Women’s Title Match
Tam Nakano vs. Kairi (c)

IWGP United States Heavyweight Title Match
Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay (c)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Fatal 4 Way
El Desperado vs. Master Wato vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori (c)

Tournament Finals for the Inaugural NJPW World Television Title
Ren Narita vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

NEVER Openweight Title Match
Tama Tonga vs. Karl Anderson (c)

IWGP Tag Team Titles Match
Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI vs. AAA Tag Team Champions FTR (c)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles Match
Lio Rush and YOH vs. TJP and Francesco Akira (c)

Antonio Inoki Memorial Six-Man Tag Team Match
Minoru Suzuki, Tiger Mask, and Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata, and Satoshi Kojima

Keiji Mutoh, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Shota Umino vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, and BUSHI

Opening Match: NJPW Young Lions Exhibition
Ryohei Oiwa vs. Boltin Oleg

Opening Match: New Japan Ranbo
Participants TBA
Final four will challenge for the Provisional KOPW 2023 Trophy at New Year Dash on January 5.

The wrestling world is still processing the news that Mandy Rose is no longer with WWE.

The release comes less than 24 hours after Rose dropped the NXT Women’s Championship to Roxanne Perez. The title change was a last-minute booking decision and not part of WWE’s original plans for this week’s NXT broadcast.

According to the initial report by Fightful, WWE made the call to fire Rose due to ‘adult’ content on her FanTime account that they felt violated the terms of her independent contractor agreement.

Rose was said to be blindsided by the release and did not expect WWE to take such drastic action in response to content that began circulating online over the past several days.

Wrestling fans have rallied behind Rose during this difficult time. Many have accused WWE of hypocrisy. She was fired for producing ‘adult content’ for her followers, but she’s been portrayed as a sex symbol throughout the entirety of her run.

Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jane React to Mandy Rose’s Release

Mandy Rose has yet to publicly address this situation, but some of her closest friends have.

Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne, Rose’s partners in the Toxic Attraction faction, expressed their heartache regarding the situation on social media. They each tweeted ‘broken heart’ emojis.

AEW star Saraya also provided some support to Rose:

WWE has announced a tour of the United Kingdom to be held next summer, with five shows that include stops in Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield, Dublin and Cardiff.

The Raw and SmackDown brands will entertain fans across the UK from June 28 through July 2. Superstars from Raw include Bobby Lashley, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Bianca Belair, Matt Riddle, Damage CTRL and The Street Profits.

SmackDown will feature Sami Zayn, The Usos, Liv Morgan, Drew McIntyre, Braun Strowman, The Brawling Brutes, Imperium, and The New Day.

Here are the dates and locations for WWE’s Summer 2023 UK Tour:

• Wednesday, June 28th in Liverpool, UK (Raw)
• Thursday, June 29th in Sheffield, UK (Raw)
• Thursday, June 29th in Dublin, Ireland (SmackDown)
• Friday, June 30th in Newcastle, UK (Raw)
• Sunday, July 2nd in Cardiff, Wales (SmackDown)

Top stars not currently advertised to appear include WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Ronda Rousey and Cody Rhodes. Of course, we are still more than six months out from these events and the omitted names could very well be there.

Tickets for WWE’s Summer 2023 UK tour go on sale this Friday, December 16.

Former WWE Superstar Real1 (Enzo Amore) is facing down the smallest challenge of his career.

Major League Wrestling has announced Real1 will battle Microman the upcoming MLW Blood & Thunder event, scheduled for January 7 from Philadelphia’s 2300 arena.

The match is being billed as, the “Certified G” vs. “The World’s Greatest Wonder.”

According to MLW, Microman lobbied league officials to book the match after Real1 literally punted him out of the ring at Battle RIOT IV. 

Real1 has reportedly has taken exception to Microman being heralded as “pound-for-pound the world’s greatest fighter.”

MLW Boss Court Bauer has been quoted saying, “MLW’s new season promised new matches and new rules and it doesn’t get any weirder than this one.”

For more information, visit MLW.com. If you’re in the Philadelphia area and are interested in attending MLW Blood & Thunder on 1/7, visit MLW2300.com.

WWE has filed another trademark that all-but-guarantees we’ll be seeing King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring tournaments in 2023.

WWE has owned the “King of the Ring” trademark for several years. In October, the company secured the rights to “Queen of the Ring” as well.

On December 8, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. applied to trademark, “WWE King and Queen of the Ring.”

According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database, the Goods and Services usage description for the “LIVE” trademark includes:

• Entertainment services, namely, a show about professional wrestling;
• Entertainment services, namely, the production and exhibition of professional wrestling events rendered through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media;
• Providing wrestling news and information through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media;
• Providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media;
• Providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information;

It’s been rumored that WWE would be bringing back the King of the Ring tournament and holding the first-ever Queen of the Ring tournament since last year.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE’s Chief Content Officer, has spoken about his intention to reimagine the WWE’s approach to themed premium live events. While shows like Hell in a Cell are expected to be retired, it seems increasingly likely that King and Queen of the Ring will be added to the calendar next year.

• Charlotte Flair Not Interested In WWE Queen of the Ring Tournament

Ricky Starks faces the biggest challenge of his career later this week. The former FTW Champion looks to etch his name in the history books when he challenges MJF for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship at Winter is Coming.

Sparks spoke with DAZN about a number of topics, including the opportunity to work closely with CM Punk and William Regal in AEW over the past year.

Punk name-dropped Starks during one of his first promos after returning to pro wrestling. He thinks the ‘Punk thing’ really helped the way fans perceive him, but he’s a bit annoyed they never got to work together in the ring.

“It’s not to stroke my own ego, but it’s about iron sharpening iron,” he said. “I’m definitely a type of person that would be able to benefit from that in terms of just excelling in my talent.”

Starks says he learned a lot from working with Punk and Regal behind the scenes. Punk’s AEW status remains questionable at best, but Starks is still hopeful they’ll get to wrestle at some point down the line.

“I am hopeful that down the line I do get that matchup. If not, then I get it. That’s how the business is. But it would be nice (smiles). It would be nice to be able to work with somebody of that caliber because besides Sting, I’ve yet to work with someone of such a high caliber.”  

Catch Ricky Starks vs. MJF this Wednesday on TBS when AEW presents the special ‘Winter is Coming’ edition of Dynamite.

Cathy Kelley is excited to be back in WWE and sounds like she is very happy working under WWE’s new leadership team.

Kelley first joined WWE in 2016 and worked for the company a backstage correspondent and host. After her release in 2020, she appeared on Confidence in Life Changes and spoke to Maria Menounous about what led to her to leave her dream job.

She cited exhaustion from the hectic travel schedule and “restrictions” placed on her as the two primary reasons. She also left the door open for an eventual return.

A lot has changed since then, most notably Vince McMahon retiring from WWE in July 2022. McMahon spent 40 years running the organization he purchased from his father in 1982.

WWE’s new executive team includes Stephanie McMahon serving as Chairwoman and co-CEO with Nick Khan, Paul “Triple H” Levesque as Chief Content Officer, Frank Riddick as President & Chief Financial Officer and Kevin Dunn as Executive Producer & Chief, Global Television Distribution.

What Brought Cathy Kelley Back to WWE?

Cathy Kelley recently appeared on The Big Thing and revealed a ‘happy birthday’ text to Triple H got the ball rolling on her return.

She kept in touch with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon during her time away from WWE. They knew about all the projects she was working on and made it clear that the door was always open for her to return. She sent Hunter a birthday text earlier this year, which led to her having a Zoom call with Stephanie and the rest is history.

Kelley says she always enjoyed working closely with Triple H & Stephanie. In light WWE’s management shakeup, the ‘restrictions’ that hindered her first run were no longer an issue.

“Working for them was very appealing. They’re both the epitome of what great leadership looks like. To get to work for them is great. 

She was offered the chance to come back as a writer, a commentator or as a brand ambassador for WWE’s community events. She jumped at the chance to be a backstage interviewing on Raw when that idea was presented.

Kelley is a talented performer and a valuable asset to WWE’s broadcast team. Her sentiments about Triple H and Stephanie McMahon’s leadership qualities have been echoed by countless others who have worked under them.

Follow Cathy Kelly on Twitter (@Catherinekelley) and Instagram (@CathyKelley).

Karrion Kross spoke with WWE broadcaster Peter Rosenberg on the latest Cheap Heat podcast for the Ringer Wrestling Show. He spoke in-depth about his entire pro wrestling career, how he met his wife Scarlett and much more.

Kross and Scarlett are re-establishing themselves on the SmackDown brand, but it hasn’t been an easy road to get there. Following a dominant run together in NXT that included Kross holding the NXT Championship, things got ugly fast when he was called up to the main roster in July 2021.

Everything that worked about their act was stripped away, including Scarlett. He was saddled with a comically-bad gladiator gimmick that was nothing like his NXT character that got over so well. His debut match on Monday Night Raw saw Kross get pinned in less than two minutes. He was the NXT Champion at the time and it was his first pinfall loss in WWE. They were both released in November, right before the holidays.

Processing the Debut & the Releases

Rosenberg asked Kross about how he processed all that in real time. Kross said the number one thing on his mind was providing for his family. This was during the pandemic and a lot of his family members lost their jobs. Being a WWE Superstar gave him the chance to take care of his family and the people who helped raise him. Everybody wants to be on the main roster, but his focus was providing for his family.

He said sometimes, you’re given bad ideas and it’s your job to make them work and carry out what’s been written written for you, even if you don’t agree with the direction. His NXT Character was a hit, but the lack of continuity with the gladiator character threw people off. The gimmick may have worked for other people, but was a huge departure from what fans knew from him. He was frustrated, but tried to be a professional and make it work.

Their Act Getting Split Up

When asked how Scarlett felt when she wasn’t called up with him, Kross says she was incredibly upset. “Multiple branches of management” told them she’d be with him on the main roster. They decided to accept the situation and get through it.

Their situation got worse before it got better. Just before the holiday season, they were out of work. Rosenberg said he knows what this is like from personal experience. He’s been released by WWE before and it made him sad and angry. People close to him convinced him to stay composed and realize it’s best to play the long game with your career. You’ll get back to WWE if it’s meant to be.

Kross said their phones blew up within 30 minutes after their releases were made public. By the end of the day, they were booked up for months and were fielding offers from outside of wrestling. They knew they’d be fine financially, but they were devastated. They had more to offer the business and suddenly the door just got slammed in their face. On some level, he was relieved to be done with the gladiator gimmick. He got unanimous feedback that it wasn’t working, from fans in the arenas to people coming up to him at airports and in coffee shops asking when he’d be getting back with Scarlett and

Kross was not tempted to trash WWE when he got released. He had close connections to people in the company and knew he’d make it back.

WWE Returns

Karrion Kross and Scarlett returned to WWE on August 5, 2022. He immediately began feuding with former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. Their program came to ahead at November’s Crown Jewel premium live event, which saw McIntyre prevail.

On a recent episode of SmackDown, Kross identified Rey Mysterio as his next victim.

Listen to the Cheap Heat Podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Former WWE Superstar John Morrison returns to Major League Wrestling at MLW Blood & Thunder. The event takes place Saturday, January 7 from Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena.

Keeping with his habit of altering his name based on the promotion he’s working for, he’ll be competing as Johnny Fusion.

A press release sent in by MLW reads:

“No stranger to MLW, Johnny Fusion, tore it up against the likes of Shane Strickland, Darby Allin and others in MLW during his last stint. With a reloaded MLW roster featuring the likes of Davey Richards, Alex Hammerstone, Jacob Fatu and many others, expect some dream matches on the horizon.

Perhaps a reunion could be in the mix for Johnny Fusion, who has history with the ruthless Cesar Duran.

Plus, the reigning Women’s World Featherweight Champion Taya Valkyrie happens to be Johnny Fusion’s wife. Could a new power couple be in play in 2023 in MLW?”

Tickets for MLW Blood & Thunder are now available at MLW2300.com.

MLW Blood & Thunder Matches

• MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone vs. YAMATO

• Jacob Fatu vs. Ben-K

Additional talent signed to appear includes Alex Kane, Real1, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & The Billington Bulldogs, Mance Warner, Women’s World Featherweight Champion Taya Valkyrie and more.

‘WrestleMania Goes Hollywood’ Saturday and Sunday, April 1 & 2 from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. We’re still aboutfour months out, but planning is already underway for WWE’s biggest premium live event of 2023.

Nothing is set in stone at this stage. Several factors will determine WrestleMania’s top programs, most notably Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s availability. WWE is not expected to finalize WrestleMania plans until mid-January, in the lead-up to the Royal Rumble.

That said, it’s still interesting to see what’s being considered. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there are two main ideas in play for WrestleMania.

It goes without saying that WrestleMania will be built around the promotion’s marquee attraction, Roman Reigns. WWE is so high on the Tribal Chief’s drawing power that he could be called upon to pull ‘double duty’ and headline both nights.

There’s no guarantee that things will play out this way, however:

Two World Titles

In addition to those matches, WWE has renewed discussions about splitting up Reigns’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The main benefit of a singular champion is that fans have no question about the best wrestler in WWE. When you have multiple world champions, that distinction becomes diluted.

The drawback is that it’s difficult for one man to appear on both Raw and SmackDown. The world championship is a draw, and you can be sure WWE’s television partners (Fox and USA Network) both want a world champion on their shows.

WWE will pull out all the stops to ensure WrestleMania 39 is a commercial success. Here are some of our recent articles about

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• WWE Wants A Lot of Celebrity Involvement For WrestleMania 39 (Report)

William Regal is bidding farewell to the Blackpool Combat Club once and for all. Regal appeared on this week’s AEW Dynamite in a backstage segment that will serve as his final appearance for All Elite Wrestling.

With BCC members Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta standing in the ring, Regal said it’s time for him to move on. He gave the group one final ‘lesson’ on his way out.

He urged Moxley, Castagnoli, Yuta and Bryan Danielson to “always stay one step ahead and make sure you have eyes in the back of your head.”

• Tony Khan Confirms Details on William Regal Leaving AEW

Regal’s Farewell to the Blackpool Combat Club

William Regal posted an official farewell to the BCC on Thursday morning.

He wrote on Twitter:

To the members of the BCC. My favourite song by my favourite band who somehow knew when I was a child to write the story that is my life. It’s been a pleasure fellas. We’ll meet again…..

– William Regal

He included a link to the song “Far Far Away” by the band Slade:

Ronda Rousey says she put a lot of effort into her Survivor Series match against Shotzi and feels terrible about the way things played out.

Rousey put her SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line against the #1 contender back on November 26. The match was widely criticized for looking sloppy and unprofessional, but it was an awkward DDT on the ring apron that got the most attention. Wrestling pundits and fans roasted Rousey on social media, with some of them calling for her to be fired.

The Baddest Woman on the Planet addressed the match during her latest YouTube stream. She explains there were some difficulties preparing for the bout, the match itself was abruptly cut short and doesn’t understand why she’s getting more flack than certain male performers who have injured their opponents.

Ronda Rousey & Shotzi

Rousey said she’s the one who pitched the infamous apron DDT spot, because she knows it’s something Shotzi does in a lot of her matches. She has her own wrestling ring for training, but was unable to rehearse the DDT because the ropes on her ring are too lose.

According to Rousey, there’s a double standard when it comes to critiquing female pro wrestlers. Nobody called for Ridge Holland to be fired when he accidentally broke Big E’s neck, but people are calling for her to be released after a match she admits didn’t live up to expextations.

“There weren’t calls to fire anybody when Madcap Moss and Big E were spiked on their heads,” said Rousey. “‘BURN HER ANYWAY!’ I’m so sorry that I was so concerned with keeping someone safe that I made the bump look bad.”

Rousey was especially bummed because the crowd in Boston was hostile towards her and she loves winning over a hostile crowd. Unfortunately, time constraints and the pacing of the show led WWE officials to call an audible and cut their match short before they could continue winning the crowd back.

“I was bummed though because we worked on that match for two weeks and we were really excited about it,” she said. “I felt like I really failed Shotzi. I really wanted to showcase her shit and make all of her shit look great and show everyone how great she is. That’s one of the main reasons I wanted to comeback for this run, to showcase the new talent.”

Rousey says the match fans saw is not the match they had planned out. A few spots went wrong and fans are judging them on an incomplete product.

• Spoiler on WWE Plans for Ronda Rousey at Royal Rumble

Zilla Fatu, son of Umaga, is beginning his pro wrestling training at Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling school in Houston, TX.

Fatu is the latest in a long line of warriors from pro wrestling’s wrestling’s legendary Anoa’i family. Elders such as The Wild Samoans, Yokozuna, Rikishi, Umaga and The Rock paved the way for today’s generation, which includes Roman Reigns, the Usos and Solo Sikoa.

On Tuesday evening, ROW welcomed Zilla Fatu as he embarks on a journey to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Zilla Fatu received congratulatory messages from several family members.

MLW star Jacob Fatu wrote on Twitter, “!! BLOODLINE JUST KEEPS GETTING STRONGER WELCOME MY UNCLE RIP #UMAGA YOUNGEST SON #ZILLAFATU”

Rikishi responded to the announcement on Instagram and thanked Booker T, writing in the comments section, “Thank you @BookerTfivex @realityofwrestling”

Zilla Fatu, 22, was recently released from prison. He spent six years behind bars after being convicted of aggravated robbery at the age of 15. He documented his experience on his YouTube channel.

Umaga has been in the news this week because December 4 was the 13-year anniversary of his untimely passing. Bloodline members Jey Uso and Solo Sikoa paid tribute to Umaga are among the wrestlers who paid tribute to their uncle.

• Rikishi Calls For Umaga To Be Inducted Into The WWE Hall Of Fame

There was a ‘Baddies Section’ at Monday night’s Atlanta Hawks NBA game from the State Farm Arena.

WWE Superstar Naomi was spotted at the game sitting courtside next to none other than Jade Cargill, All Elite Wrestling’s reigning TBS Champion.

Naomi posted a video of them together:

Cargill replied to the post and wrote, “We killed the scene. We MUST do this again sis”

Local radio personality John Michaels posted this photo with the ladies:

Naomi has been off WWE television since ‘walking out’ of a Raw taping back on May 16 due to creative differences with company company.

Cargill is scheduled to compete on Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite. She’ll team up Baddies Red Velvet and Leila Grey against Madison Rayne, Skye Blue and former Baddie Kiera Hogan.

• Jade Cargill Lands Role in “Huge” Animated Show

Maxwell Jacob Friedman is a humble young man, perhaps best known for his selflessness, kindness and compassion. Who are we kidding? He is a raging, egomaniacal narcissist who would probably marry himself if he could.

MJF now has the hardware to back up his grandiose feelings of self-satisfaction. As the reigning AEW World Heavyweight Champion, he’s more emboldened than ever. We’re just weeks into his MJF’s Reign of Terror and he’s already getting started reshaping the role of world champion in his own image.

Last week on Dynamite, we got a first glimpse at MJF’s custom AEW World championship belt. He also announced that he does not plan on defending the title as frequently as past champions, a stance some would call wise and others would call cowardly.

The Nickname

MJF appears will bre running with a new moniker, Mystic Max. On Tuesday, he posted a thread on Twitter showing off some of his biggest moments during his time in AEW. He included a caption containing a recent quote by who else but himself.

“Just call me Mystic Max because I have a feeling your happiness will soon turn into resentment, because you people are Fickle”

Mystic is defined as, ‘inspiring a sense of spiritual mystery, awe, and fascination.’

Sounds just like our pal Max.

MJF’s next World title challenger is Ricky Starks, who won an eliminator tournament to earn a championship opportunity at Winter is Coming. MJF name dropped Eddie Kingston during his first promo since winning the world title, so a match between these two is likely in the works for early 2023.

Becky Lynch delivered an emotional address to the live crowd after Monday’s edition of WWE Raw went off the air.

Lynch is one of the most popular pro wrestlers in the world. She’s risen to the top of WWE and that doesn’t happen without the fans. Throughout her journey, including some disappointing setbacks and injuries, the WWE Universe has kept her motivated and hopeful.

‘The Man’ competed on Raw against Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross in a triple threat match. Just as she was about to score the win, Damage CTRL interfered and cost her the win.

After USA Network’s broadcast of Raw concluded, Lynch took a moment to speak from the heart and tell the people how much they mean to her.

Based on the events that transpired on the show, it appears Lynch will continue feuding with Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky as the year closes out and we head into the Royal Rumble.

Here’s video of Becky Lynch speaking to fans after the December 5 edition of Monday Night Raw, courtesy of Twitter user @Beckyonly: