Recording superstar OllieJayy appeared on this week’s NXT 2.0 to perform the show’s official new theme song, Make Em Fall.
OllieJayy (real name: Olivia Johnson) is a popular singer and fashion blogger.
Some of her best known songs include Spooky SZN, Posin, Just a Perk and Slow Ride. Her music can be heard on Spotify, Apple Music and other major streaming platforms.
You can also watch her latest music videos on YouTube.
Watch OllieJayy perform “Make Em Fall” on NXT 2.0:
Reactions to OllieJayy’s NXT Performance
OllieJay’s first appearance on WWE television generated a lot of buzz. She was the top-trending topic coming out of the show.
Fans on social media also seemed to love the performance.
Watching NXT on replay, I had Never heard of @olliejayy_ until today but y’all need to gone ahead and bring her back ASAP…???#WWENXT
The Bella Twins interviewed Trish Stratus days before the Royal Rumble, so of course they asked if fans could be in for some Stratusfaction this weekend.
Unfortunately, Trish told the Bellas that she is currently busy filming the semifinals for Canada’s Got Talent, where she serves as a judge.
Trish Stratus (Photo: Canada’s Got Talent)
“They do wrap up at a certain time,” she said. “I’ll be in that headspace, so that’s sort of my focus at the moment. That’s what I have to do. You know how intense it is, I have to be in it.”
Of course, this is exactly what someone would say if they were hoping to keep their Royal Rumble plans under wraps…
Elsewhere in the interview, Trish gave the Bellas advice about parenthood, recalled some amazing adventures from her WWE career and shared some of the wisdom that guided her to seven WWE Women’s Championships.
WWE Superstar Paige and AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker continue to express mutual admiration for one another.
Paige vs. Britt Baker is not happening any time soon, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Their latest Twitter interaction saw Paige professing her love for Baker. Pro wrestling’s most dangerous dentist replied that she loves Paige too and is a huge fan of hers.
Some fans told Paige that she should be careful tweeting about an AEW-contracted wrestler. She jokingly replied, “Oh no. Not me commenting on another wrestlers talent. Someone alert the church elders! Don’t tell Vince McMahon!”
Paige and Britt Baker
Britt Baker has expressed interest in working with Paige if she ever leaves WWE and gets medically cleared to wrestle again.
Going back to October 2020, Baker floated the idea of working with the former Divas Champion.
Paige last competed in December 2017, when she was forced into retirement due to neck injuries. She has expressed interest in wrestling again, whether it be for WWE or elsewhere.
During a Twitch stream last summer, Paige clarified that her WWE contract expires in June 2022.
“Who knows if they would want to give me a new contract? Who’s to say they would want to? If they did, I’d love to have Twitch as a part of the contract.”
As seen in the tweet embedded above, she wrote:
“My neck feels wonderful. Can you let me in yet coach?”
NXT star Odyssey Jones will be out of action for the next several months.
The big man from Coram, New York sustained a knee knee injury earlier this month. On January 11th, he wrestled in a match taped for 205 live.
During his match against Grayson Waller’s new bodyguard Sanga, Jones appeared to blow out his knee. He was helped to the back by WWE officials and the match never aired.
Jones appeared on NXT last week getting checked out in the trainer’s room. He was attacked by Harland, further aggravating the injury per WWE storylines.
On Tuesday’s NXT, broadcaster Vic Joseph announced that Odyssey Jones recently underwent surgery to correct a ruptured patella tendon.
The surgery is considered a success, but he will miss significant ring time. Odyssey Jones is expected to be out of action until late 2022.
This is a tough break for Jones, who is considered to be one of the most talented prospects in WWE’s developmental brand.
Prior to joining WWE, Jones played football for Syracuse University, where he served as an offensive guard. His college football career was cut short during his senior year, when he suffering a lower leg injury.
Odyssey Jones made headlines earlier for comments on social media that some considered to be transphobic. You can read about that story here:
Keith Lee has taken steps to secure the rights to his “Limitless” moniker.
Last week, Lee (via attorney Michael E. Dockins) applied to trademark the name for professional wrestling and entertainment purposes.
The complete ‘goods and services’ usage description at the US Patent & Trademark Office reads:
Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainment personality; Entertainment services, namely, televised appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personality; Providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; Providing online interviews featuring a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personality in the field of professional wrestling and sports for entertainment purposes.
He also applied to trademark the following Limitless logo, for merchandising purposes:
Keith Lee was released from WWE on November 4, 2021.
She is also Steve Austin’s guest on the next installment of Broken Skull Sessions. The episode drops this Friday.
WWE has released a teaser clip for the episode. Steve Austin invites Becky Lynch to play The Game of GOATs, which involves the contestant naming the ‘greatest of all time’ for various categories. Some of the questions are wrestling-related, but not all of them.
Becky Lynch plays The Game of GOATs
Here are Becky Lynch’s picks for the greatest of all time:
WWE Champion: Herself
Workout Song: Bulls on Parade (Rage Against the Machine)
Finishing Move (other than her own): Shooting Star Press
Movie: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
TV Show: Saved by the Bell
WrestleMania Entrance: Any of Triple H’s
Athlete Outside of WWE: Conor McGregor
Advice Giver: Seth Rollins
Breakfast: Oatmeal or Toast
Watch Becky Lynch play The Game of GOATs with Stone Cold Steve Austin:
Catch Becky Lynch on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions this Friday on Peacock in the U.S. and WWE Network everywhere else.
Jackass star Johnny Knoxville is a longshot to win the Royal Rumble this weekend. However, stranger things have happened.
Knoxville will enter the 2022 Men’s Royal Rumble in hopes of earning a championship opportunity at WrestleMania 38.
The Royal Rumble marks beginning of the Road to WrestleMania. The Rumble is often used as a platform to jumpstart feuds that that culminate at WWE’s biggest event of the year.
According to WrestleVotes, a source claims that Johnny Knoxville’s involvement with WWE will be done after the Royal Rumble.
“Source states Johnny Knoxville’s Royal Rumble involvement is slated to be Rumble only & done on Saturday.”
– WrestleVotes
More ‘Jackass’ Stars at the Royal Rumble
Jonny Knoxville’s participation at the WWE Royal Rumble is to promote his new movie, Jackass Forever (in theaters February 4th).
Knoxville is now teasing that he will have ‘backup’ when he shows up to The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
During a Q&A with Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports, Knoxville teased that other Jackass members will be in his corner at the Royal Rumble.
Earlier this week, WWE asked Johnny Knoxville to comment on the other participants he might encounter at the Royal Rumble. Knoxville called them all “pretenders” and had this to say about the following WWE Superstars:
Sheamus: “He’s a chump”
Omos: “What a mama’s boy”
Austin Theory: “Who does his eyebrows? Very cute!”
Big E: “Big Siss-E”
The Viking Raiders: “They are not spending any time in the gym”
Otis: “Oh man, it looks like something from Deliverance”
These words may come back to bite him this Saturday.
Lita says she had “some potential opportunities floating around” prior to her recent WWE return.
The Attitude Era legend returned to WWE programming earlier this month, when she confronted Charlotte Flair on SmackDown. She’ll lace up her boots once again this Saturday in the Women’s Royal Rumble, where she hopes to securing herself a title shot at WrestleMania 38.
Lita recalls the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many of us overindulged in junk food thinking it would be a short-term ‘vacation’ from healthy living. As the pandemic raged on, reality set in and she eventually got back to training.
Earlier this month, Fightful reported that Lita was in talks with AEW. It never came to fruition, but Tony Khan wanted Lita to wrestle AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker at last year’s All Out pay-per-view from Chicago, IL.
During her discussion with Renee Paquette and Miesha Tate, Lita strongly considered accepting a ‘potential opportunity’ that came her way.
“There were some potential opportunities floating around that I was like, ‘Maybe, maybe, maybe.’
– Lita
WWE recently approached her about the chance to participate in the Women’s Royal Rumble. “It was this thing that was, ‘Yes or no. Do you want to do the Rumble on this date, are you in?’ I put my feet to the fire and was like, ‘Yes, I’m in.’ Now that I’m in, it’s time to make the most of it,” she said.
Lita has been out of action since 2018. She wrestled a few matches for WWE that year, including the 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble and the WWE Evolution all-women’s PPV.
Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James was the latest guest on Sam Roberts’ Notsam Wrestling Podcast.
James will make history this weekend when she competes in the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble match. It will be the first time that a reigning Impact Wrestling champion appears on WWE programming.
Mickie James returns to WWE at the 2022 Royal RUmble
Mickie James and Sam Roberts spoke about the significance of her competing in the Royal Rumble, what it means for her to return to WWE, the NWA Empowerrr all-women’s pay-per-view and much more.
WWE released over 80 wrestlers in 2021. All of these departures were unfortunate. Some of the performers had just uprooted their lives and moved to Orlando, FL to work for WWE. However, the way WWE handled Mickie James’ release was perhaps the most callous of them all. After losing her job, her personal belongings were sent to her in a garbage bag.
Mickie James says she wasn’t worried about what to do after WWE released her. She loves the business and feels that she’ll always be able to carve out a niche for herself.
She had been released from the company before and knows there is life after WWE.
“I know it doesn’t seem that way, but there are so many different ways, especially now more than ever, to create your own value and be your own boss and to kind of make your own rules,” she said.
“And for me, I’m like, this is great, especially where I’m sitting, you know, for the length of time I’ve been in the business and what I see or how I want to continue to contribute. It’s a really powerful place for me to be sitting in too, it’s cool, it’s cool.”
Life After WWE
James hoped to end her WWE career in a “badass way.” As a veteran, she hoped to use her expertise and eventually be a backstage producer, where she’d work closely with the current generation of performers.
“I think it was definitely a conversation of like, ‘That is the next step,’ is to go to work behind the scenes. Because is just a whole new avenue to contribute to the future in a different way and to help the future and all the things. But I think that I was still like ‘Yeah but I still want to go out, bow out in like a badass way,’ you know?’ And yeah. I just didn’t think I was going to have a chance to do that [in WWE].”
Since her WWE release 9 months ago, she went on to executive produce the all-women’s NWA Empowerrr pay-per-view. She also captured the Impact Knockouts Championship for a fourth time.
Mickie James still has a lot more to contribute to wrestling. She writes the next chapter of her story this Saturday at the Royal Rumble.
Listen to Mickie James on the Notsam Wrestling Podcast:
WWE is planning for Ronda Rousey to be a big part of WrestleMania 38.
This Saturday, WWE presents the 2022 Royal Rumble premium live event. The Rumble marks the beginning of the Road to WrestleMania.
We know WWE has some big Royal Rumble surprises in store. As big as the Rumble is, WWE often uses it as a platform to set up the biggest show of the year.
By now, the top matches for WrestleMania are starting to take shape. On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer addressed speculation that Ronda Rousey will be returning to face Becky Lynch at WrestleMania in April.
“That could be the match, and the impression I got is that it’s certainly ‘more than considered’ to be the match. I don’t know that it’s official, but I know somebody there who pretty much told me its in the books.”
– Dave Meltzer on Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 38
Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania
Ronda Rousey has had some big moments at WrestleMania. Her first appearance for WWE took place at WrestleMania 31 back in 2015. Little did we know at the time, Rousey would eventually go on to become a full-time WWE Superstar and main event WrestleMania just a few years later.
The last time we saw Ronda Rousey in a WWE, it was at WrestleMania 35 in 2019. Rousey, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch made history that night. It was the first time a women’s secured the main event of the biggest night in pro wrestling.
Becky Lynch was victorious that night. She walked away with Rousey’s Raw Women’s Championship and Charlotte’s SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch
Since WrestleMania 35, Becky Lynch’s star has continued to rise. “Becky 2 Belts” evolved into The Man and more recently into Big Time Becks. Her star power and is on a different level than any other woman in WWE. If WWE wants to deliver a WrestleMania opponent worthy of Big Time Becks, Ronda Rousey fits the bill. Plans change, but Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania is one hell of a plan.
Becky Lynch hasn’t forgotten about her former foe. During an interview with TMZ Sports back in October, she was asked if she had any advice for Ronda Rousey about returning to WWE after having a baby.
“Don’t, cause I’m still on top, Ronda, you won’t like it. That’s my advice.”
– Becky Lynch’s advice to Ronda Rousey about returning to WWE
If the match does come to fruition, Becky Lynch thinks she knows how it will play out.
“The fact that I’ve had a baby and came back so great that she’ll probably want to one-up me,” Lynch said of Rousey on the Out of Character podcast.
“She’ll try to come back in three months, then I’ll be right there to punch her right in the face, give her a Rock Bottom, out of here in 20 seconds, Ronda. So long, good night.”
The Royal Rumble is all about surprise returns. According to Bryan Alvarez of F4Wonline.com, Ronda Rousey is slated to be a surprise entrant in the Women’s Royal Rumble this Saturday night.
Ronda Rousey
WWE generated a lot of buzz by announcing several legends would be returning for the Women’s Royal Rumble, including Mickie James, The Bella Twins, Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool and more. As it turns out, they are keeping a few tricks up their sleeve.
“I was told that Ronda Rousey will be in the Royal Rumble”
– Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live
As of this writing, 21 women are confirmed entrants for the women’s Rumble match.
Ronda Rousey in WWE
Ronda Rousey made her WWE debut at the 2018 Royal Rumble pay-per-view. After Asuka had won the inaugural Women’s Royal Rumble match, Rousey stunned the live crowd by making a surprise appearance. Moments later, ESPN dropped the bombshell news that Rousey had signed a full-time contract with WWE.
Rousey would go on to compete at WrestleMania later that year. She teamed with Kurt Angle against Stephanie McMahon and Triple H in match that exceeded expectations.
She went on to capture the Raw Women’s Championship and wrestled the top competitors of that era including Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch.
The last time we saw Ronda Rousey in a WWE ring was at WrestleMania 35. It was another historic appearance, as she, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair became the first women to main event a WrestleMania.
In September 2021, Ronda Rousey and husband Travis Browne announced the birth of their daughter, La’akea Makalapuaokalanip.
Wrestlers’ Court is a bygone practice where backstage issues amongst talent are settled by an appointed ‘judge’ before things escalated beyond the point of no return.
When someone was ‘acting up’ in a way that offended the rest of the locker room, they would ‘stand trial’ and have the opportunity defend themselves. If they were found guilty, a punishment was handed down by the judge as a way of resolving the matter.
The appointed judge was often a locker room leader, with The Undertaker presiding over many trials during his day.
Today’s wrestling business is far from perfect, but things have evolved and cleaned up dramatically from past eras. The antics that would have landed someone in Wrestlers’ Court are more taboo today than they were in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Many find Wrestlers’ Court itself to be completely antiquated.
On Monday, CM Punk mentioned on social media that he’d like to one day dress up like a cowboy for one of his matches, including leather chaps and vest. A few of his followers pointed out that Adam “Hangman” Page already has this gimmick.
One fan told Punk that he might land himself in Wrestlers’ Court if he started dressing up like a cowboy and ‘infringing’ on Hangman Page’s gimmick. Punk took the opportunity to share his thoughts on Wrestlers’ Court.
According to CM Punk, Wrestlers’ Court was “the most insecure small dick energy average white man embarrassment to the wrestling business shit of all time.”
Wrestler court was the most insecure small dick energy average white man embarrassment to the wrestling business shit of all time.
Former WWE Superstar Eva Marie has landed a starring role in the upcoming action thriller, Phoenix.
The film will co-star UFC legends Randy Couture and Rashad Evans, as well as former WWE tag team champion Vladamir Kozlov (Oleg Prudius).
According to Deadline, Eva Marie will play Fiona “Phoenix” Grant, a US Army veteran who teaches hand-to-hand combat skills in Afghanistan.
Things go sideways when her father, security specialist Everett Grant (Randy Couture), is found dead. A police report lists his cause of death as a suicide, but she doesn’t believe it.
When Fiona returns home to the United States, she learns that the prime suspect in her father’s death is drug kingpin Maxim Vasiliiev (Vladamir Kozlov).
“Armed to the teeth, she plans to take out Vasiliiev with her bare hands, and nothing is going to stop her.”
Back in November, she posted this photo from the set of a new ‘big screen’ project in the works:
Action packed day on set ! I can’t wait for you all to see these scenes come to life on the big screen ! I’m honored to star in this franchise! ???? pic.twitter.com/PjpINUJ06F
Eva Marie was released from WWE back in November 2021. This wrapped up her second run with the company.
Outside of wrestling, she’s been working to launch her acting career. Last year, she appeared as a series regular on Paradise City, a musical drama that streams on Amazon Prime Video.
“Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service;”
Alexa Bliss’ Supernatural character
Alexa Bliss used The Goddess moniker back in 2020, before she was possessed by The Fiend Bray Wyatt.
Alexa Bliss took several months off from WWE television, but recently made her return. As part of her journey back to Raw, her supernatural character is undergoing therapy sessions.
Admit reports of WWE trademarking the name of her old Goddess character, Alexa Bliss tweeted that she likes to “evolve” and always move forward without taking steps backwards.
I like to evolve & always move forwards… never taking steps back?
WWE has announced an updated lineup for WrestleMania 38 weekend from Dallas, Texas. The news was first provided to DallasNews.com.
When WrestleMania to town, it’s typically a week-long event. In addition to SmackDown, two nights of WrestleMania and Raw, WWE will also present the Hall of Fame Class of 2022 induction ceremony, the next NXT premium live event and the Axxess fan fest.
Here’s the updated schedule for WrestleMania 38 weekend:
April 1st: Friday Night SmackDown
April 2nd: WrestleMania 38 (Night 1)
April 3rd: WrestleMania 38 (Night 2)
April 4th: Monday Night Raw
TBA: WWE Hall of Fame
TBA: NXT: Stand & Deliver
WWE Axxess Fan Fest
The dates, times and locations of the Hall of Fame and Stand & Deliver have yet to be determined and will be announced at a later date.
Major League Wrestling held its latest live event from Dallas, Texas on Saturday night, MLW Blood & Thunder.
Matches from Blood & Thunder were taped for upcoming episodes of MLW Fusion.
This event featured the MLW debuts of Rok-C, Buddy Matthews and Bandido.
Here are the results, courtesy of PWInsider:
King Muertes def. Richard Holliday
National Openweight Champion Alex Kane retained against Calvin Tankman
Ikuro Kwon answered EJ Nduka’s open challenge, but lost. After the match, he denied losing and called out Jacob Fatu.
Jacob Fatu def. Ikuro Kwon
Davey Richards def. ACH.
Amaris, El Dragon & Micro Man def. Arez, Gino Medina & Mino Abismo Negro
Hammerstone def. El Pagano in a Falls Count Anywhere match. After the match, Alicia Atout gave Hammerstone a low blow and presented the MLW World Championship to Richard Holliday.
The Saito Brothers defeated Bud Heavy & Gnarls Garvin
TJP def. Buddy Matthews
KC Navarro def. Ho Ho Lun
Myron Reed def. Bandido, Matt Cross & Tajiri (c) to win the MLW Middleweight Championship.
Bianca Belair has a huge fan in MVP. The former leader of the Hurt Business says the EST is the fastest, strongest and best women’s wrestler in WWE. He’s so high on her that he’s actually tried recruiting her to his faction.
MVP sat down with Corey Graves this week for the latest episode of WWE’s After the Bell podcast.
It’s late January, so of course the main topic at hand was the Royal Rumble. However, MVP just couldn’t help gushing over Bianca Belair.
MVP says Belair vs. Sasha Banks at WrestleMania 37 was one of the greatest matches he’s ever seen. It was the moment that Bianca Belair stepped into the spotlight and showed the world that she’s the new face of WWE’s women’s division.
He couldn’t believe WWE’s decision to book Belair in a 20-second loss to Becky Lynch at SummerSlam. MVP said he could rant about that incident for a half hour, but spared us of that.
Next weekend at the Royal Rumble, Doudrop challenges Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship. It’s a match that Doudrop says is 15 years in the making.
MVP could see Doudrop winning the title, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. He wants Bianca Belair as champion and everything else is just fodder.
“I don’t want to talk about any other women in the WWE,” said MVP. “Bianca Belair isn’t in the conversation, because she truly is The EST. She’s the fastest, she’s the strongest, she’s the best. I can’t see a conversation about the WWE Women’s Championship without Bianca Belair in it.”
MVP Wanted Bianca Belair in the Hurt Business
The Hurt Business has been one the most dominant factions in WWE over the past several years. Back when they were in full swing, MVP says people would tell him they need to add a woman to the group.
Hearing MVP profess his admiration for Bianca Belair, it should come as no surprise that MVP tried recruiting her.
“There were some discussions with Bianca Belair, but things went a different way,” said MVP. “So I say all that to say that I’m a fan of Bianca Belair and I believe that when you talk about the WWE Women’s Championship, if Bianca Belair isn’t in that conversation, I don’t want to have it.”
Listen to MVP’s appearance on the After the Bell podcast here:
Vince McMahon is still going strong at 76 years old. The Chairman and CEO of WWE is working as hard as ever, according to one of his closest allies.
WWE Senior Vice President Bruce Prichard has worked with McMahon on and off since the 1980’s. He’s seen McMahon operate during the glory days of Hulkamania, the dark days of the steroid trial in the mid-90’s, WWE’s peak Attitude Era and is one of the most influential people in WWE to this day.
During a recent episode of his Something to Wrestle podcast, Prichard said he could see Vince McMahon running WWE for decades to come. The latest installment focused on the 2005 Royal Rumble pay-per-view. That show featured the infamous ending of Vince McMahon charging to ringside and tearing both of his quads as he entered the ring.
Wrestlers, promotions and eras have come and gone over the past 40 years. One constant in this industry has been Vince McMahon.
“He’s a freak of nature…”
– Bruce Prichard describing Vince McMahon
During times when business is soft or fans are unhappy with WWE’s creative direction, some people question if McMahon still has “it.”
Bruce Prichard says McMahon still has the energy and vision to lead WWE into the future. When asked about Vince McMahon’s longterm future running WWE, Prichard gave a glowing review of pro wrestling’s Walt Disney.
Vince McMahon (2022)
“Yeah, I can’t imagine him not doing it and I am sure that he will continue to do it probably for the next 25-to-30 years,” said Prichard. “His mom’s 101 and still going so, you know, he shows no signs of slowing down at all.”
Prichard added that it’s hard to imagine WWE without Vince McMahon at the helm. Thankfully, he doesn’t think we’ll have to worry about that scenario any time soon.
“He’s a freak of nature and it’s hard to imagine it without him and I don’t think that we’ll have to imagine it without him for a long, long time.”
Listen to Something to Wrestle: Royal Rumble 2005 with Bruce Prichard and Conrad Thompson below or at AdFreeShows.com.
Doudrop will battle Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship next weekend at the Royal Rumble. This is the biggest match of her career to date.
Doudrop spoke with Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT this past week about why this match is so significant for her.
Let’s go back 15 years when she was training to be a pro wrestler. She was (literally) ‘learning the ropes’ in a small warehouse in Linwood, Scotland.
“Way back when I first started training in a little warehouse in Linwood, Scotland, there really wasn’t many experienced girls in the UK wrestling scene at all.”
Doudrop and Becky Lynch (Photo: WWE)
At the time, the UK was a hotbed for future women’s wrestling talent. She trained in Scotland with Nikki Storm, best known to WWE fans as Nikki ASH. Mischief and Erin Angel were down in England. They all knew about this up and comer in Ireland named Rebecca Knox.
“We were very aware of Becky at the time, she said.”Even back then she was at the top of her game, she recalls. “She was the girl our trainers were trying to get in and have matches with us so we could learn from her, get some kind of experience.”
She never did get a chance to work with Becky Lynch back then. Rebecca Knox was doing everything she could to make it over to the United States, which she ultimately did.
Doudrop made a name for herself as Piper Niven in the UK and Japan. She had impressive runs in ICW, EVE and Stardom.
15 years later, Piper Niven will finally cross paths with Becky Lynch on the big stage.
Doudrop vs. Becky Lynch goes down next weekend at the WWE Royal Rumble.
WWE may have some surprises in store for next weekend’s Royal Rumble premium live event.
The Rumble is the official kickoff to the road to WrestleMania and surprise entrants are part of what makes the show exciting each year.
WWE already spilled the beans on several major returns scheduled for the Women’s Royal Rumble. Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James, The Bella Twins, Lita, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly and Summer Rae are among the familiar faces we’ll see back in action.
Two wrestlers from WWE’s developmental brand are scheduled to be in town for the Royal Rumble. According to PWInsider, NXT Champion Bron Breakker and are both slated to be in St. Louis.
This in itself is not a guarantee that Bron & Gunther will be part of the 30-man over-the-top-rope battle royal. However, we have seen NXT stars appear in the Royal Rumble before. It’s a great way to showcase this talent on the big stage.
Royal Rumble Entrants
As of this writing, the following 15 people (14 Superstars and Jackass star Johnny Knoxville) have ‘declared’ for the 2022 Men’s Royal Rumble match:
AJ Styles
Angelo Dawkins
Austin Theory
Big E
Damian Priest
Dominik Mysterio
Happy Corbin
Johnny Knoxville
Kevin Owens
Kofi Kingston
Madcap Moss
Montez Ford
Rey Mysterio
Sami Zayn
Sheamus
The 2022 WWE Royal Rumble takes place Sunday, January 29th from The Dome at America’s Center in St Louis, Missouri.
AEW is adding a couple “really strong female members” to its roster in the near future.
Serena Deeb appeared on the Reese Waters Show earlier this week. During the appearance, she hinted that some new faces are headed to AEW TV.
”I don’t know if I can say names yet, it we’ve just picked up a couple of really strong female members to the roster.”
– Serena Deeb
Especially with the introduction of the new TBS Championship held by Jade Cargill, it’s a great time to add some depth to the women’s division.
As for who will is joining AEW, there are a number of extremely talent women who are not ‘All Elite’ just yet. Possible additions to AEW in the weeks and months ahead include:
Athena (Ember Moon)
Mia Yim
Nixon Newell (Tegan Nox)
Toni Storm
Taya Valkyrie
Marina Shafir
Visit Audacy.com to check out the Reese Waters Show.
Mustafa Ali has requested his release from WWE. In a message posted to social media on January 16th, he wrote:
“I have a message that is much bigger than my dreams in pro wrestling. Despite my best efforts, I will not be able to deliver this message while working with WWE.
Mustafa Ali can request his release, but that doesn’t mean WWE will give it to him. To update this situation, WWE does not plan to grant Mustafa Ali’s request for release, according to Fightful. Ali said to have years left on his current deal.
Following the reports that WWE is refusing to grant Mustafa Ali’s release request, he tweeted:
Mustafa Ali debuted for WWE 2016 in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament. He was a mainstay on 205 Live and led the Retribution faction on the main roster. Recently, he tagged with Mansoor.
Ali is one of the most talented performers on the entire roster and is well-liked behind the scenes. Despite his potential, he never won a championship during the 5 years with WWE. Journalist Phil Strum sums it up well:
Imagine if you will not being able to figure out interesting creative for a Muslim ex-police officer from a major city, who seems to be a great family guy, is in amazing shape, has a cool look and is a wonderful worker. Or better yet, giving him Retribution, one of the worst ever
“Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service.”
Unfortunately, Günther Stark was the name of a German U-boat Commander during World War II. This ignited a firestorm of controversy, with WWE getting global headlines for the gaffe.
At the conclusion of Tuesday’s NXT 2.0 broadcast, NXT star WALTER announced his new name as Gunther. WWE stopped short of using the Stark name and is now cutting bait entirely.
WALTER is now Gunther
WWE has reportedly abandoned the trademark application for Gunther Stark. The USPTO database now lists the application as “DEAD/APPLICATION/Withdrawn/Abandoned.”
Posted January 20th, 2022 in WWE, News. Tagged: Gunther.
The Von Erics have tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, they will be unable to compete at Friday’s MLW Blood and Thunder event from Dallas, TX.
Ross and Marshall Von Erich were scheduled to challenge 5150 for the MLW World Tag Team Championships in a Texas Tornado match.
They both addressed their health on social media. Marshall says he’s devastated and has never been so prepared for a match in his entire life. Ross says he’s sincerely sorry to all the fans who bought tickets to see them.
Completely devastated. Found out I won’t be able to wrestle tomorrow night because we tested positive for Covid. Never been so prepared for a match in my life. This one hurts, I feel gutted. I was so excited to see everybody it’s been to long but I can’t now. I love you Texas
Announcement? My brother and I are covid positive and unfortunately won’t be able to make the Dallas show Jan 22. Ruled medically unable to perform by @MLW medical staff. I’m sincerely sorry to all the fans who bought a ticket to see us. Please enjoy the show, see y’all in March
MLW Blood and Thunder takes place Friday, January 21st from Gilley’s in Downtown Dallas, Texas. With the Von Erichs out, the following is the updated card:
Falls Count Anywhere MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone vs. Pagano
Jacob Fatu vs. Mads Krugger
Triple Threat Match MLW World Middleweight Champion Tajiri vs. Myron Reed vs. TBA
Davey Richards vs. ACH
‘A Violent Opportunity’ for King Muertes
National Openweight Champion Alex Kane vs. Calvin Tankman
Shane “Swerve” Strickland will be at the next Terminus live event on February 24th from Atlanta, GA.
Terminus is the upstart wrestling promotion founded by ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham. They held their first show this past weekend in Atlanta, GA.
Terminus, which bills itself as Modern Age Grappling, has a detailed list of match rules (‘directives’) including time limit, overtime periods and technical fouls.
In addition to Shane Strickland’s first match since leaving WWE, ‘Terminus 2’ will feature Jonathan Gresham defending the ROH title against AEW star Santana in the main event.
Shane Strickland is wasting no time getting himself back out there. Earlier this week, Strickland announced to appear at The Wrestling Revolver’s “Once Upon a Time” show on April 16th from Iowa.
If you’re in the Atlanta area, tickets for the next Terminus show are now on sale at Terminustickets.com
