New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced the launch of new programming on the Roku Channel. It will be available starting next Thursday, February 11th and will be available in the United States, Canada and the UK.

“New Japan Pro-Wrestling” is a new one-hour weekly show that premieres Thursdays at 5pm (Eastern). Additional NJPW content from 2020 will also be available on-demand.

A press release at the NJPW website includes quotes from NJPW and Roku executives.

“Our fans in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom are among our most loyal, and they have been very clear that they want NJPW’s content made available to them,” said Takami Ohbari, President of NJPW. “NJPW is unlike any other pro-wrestling in the world. It is the most athletic, sports-oriented pro-wrestling on the planet, and we are excited to bring our athletes and matches to these markets in such a major way. Thank you to The Roku Channel, and we look forward to a successful partnership that brings NJPW to millions of new fans around the world.”

“Expanding the breadth and quality of our programming has fueled The Roku Channel to one of the largest and fastest growing channels on our platform,” said Ashley Hovey, Director of AVOD Growth, Roku. “Sports programming continues to be an important category for our users, and we are very excited to partner with NJPW to put the world of professional wrestling at the fingertips of millions of engaged users on The Roku Channel.”

In the fourth quarter of 2020, The Roku Channel reached United States households with an estimated 61.8 million people.

Edge is headed to the Capitol Wrestling Center for this week’s episode of NXT on USA. The Rated R Superstar won the Men’s Royal Rumble this past Sunday.

He tweeted that he is currently in Orlando with his wife, NXT announcer and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix. Since he would be in the same city that hosts NXT, why not pay them a visit Wednesday night.

Edge’s WrestleMania Opponent

Winning the Royal Rumble earned Edge a WrestleMania 37 title match against the champion of his choosing. He can face WWE Champion Drew McIntyre or Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Edge could also challenge NXT Champion Finn Balor, similar to last year’s Women’s Rumble winner Charlotte facing NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania last uyear.

• Edge Confirmed For Friday’s WWE SmackDown

Catch up on the Top 10 Moments from last week’s NXT broadcast:

Lars Sullivan is no longer with WWE, as first reported by PWInsider. The news has since been confirmed by WWE.

Sullivan was with the company since 2013. He spent several years training in developmental before debuting for NXT in 2017. Sullivan had some success in NXT and was pushed as a monster heel. He made his main roster debut in April 2019, the night after WrestleMania 36 when he attacked Kurt Angle, who had just retired. For the next several months, he attacked several top babyface acts on Raw.

He was abruptly sidelined later that year when he was at the center of a scandal. Prior to joining WWE, Sullivan was very outspoken on certain Internet message boards. A series of posts were unearthed that included some remarks that were racist and homophobic. Many fans on social media knew about this flagrant activity for years, but apparently WWE became aware of them in 2019.

WWE announced that he was fined $100,000 and required to undergo sensitivity training. A company statement read, “WWE supports a culture of inclusion regardless of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation, and we are committed to embracing all individuals as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide. Dylan Miley (aka Lars Sullivan) will be fined $100,000 and required to complete sensitivity training for offensive commentary uncovered from his past. WWE will also facilitate meetings for Dylan with community organizations to foster further discussion around the power of social media and the impact of your words.”

Sullivan issued a statement apologizing for those who were offended. Soon after this incident, he blew out his knee and was off television for over a year. He made one final appearance on WWE SmackDown back in October 2020 before disappearing once again.

Bianca Belair made history Sunday night by winning the 2021 Women’s Royal Rumble. Her monumental achievement put her in the driver’s seat on the road to WrestleMania 37.

Belair spoke with Complex Sports to discuss her Royal Rumble win, sharing an emotional moment with husband Montez Ford immediately after the match and more.

During the Rumble match, there was a memorable spot that saw Bianca Belair and Naomi at risk of elimination. They worked together in a dramatic moment that fans were buzzing about on social media. Belair was proud to ‘create magic’ with Naomi.

“That’s definitely one of my favorite moments of the match,” said Belair. “I got to be in the ring with Naomi last year for the Royal Rumble for a very short time. But having that moment with her, we both almost being eliminated and dangling off of the rope and realizing like, ‘Look, if we got to do this together, we have to work together.’ And when we finally work together, we end up saving ourselves in the process.”

Bianca Belair received a standing ovation from her peers backstage after winning the Royal Rumble. She also shared an emotional moment with husband Montez Ford of the Street Profits.

Belair told Complex, “It’s just amazing that I’m doing this alongside the person I love. And to be able to have your husband standing there as soon as you walk through the curtain, he’s the first person you can go to. I just went to him and I hugged him and we really didn’t say much at first we just embraced each other and then we prayed.”

Bianca Belair Undecided For WrestleMania

Bianca Belair’s Royal Rumble victory earned her a title shot at WWE WrestleMania 37. Her choices are Raw Women’s Champion Asuka or SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks. Belair says it’s a huge decision that she’s been giving a lot of thought to. She does not want to make an emotional decision. For now, she plans to continue celebrating winning the Rumble.

Her first thought after winning was that she outlasted 29 other women and was the last one standing. She then saw the WrestleMania sign and realized it was just the beginning of a new journey.

“Looking over and seeing the WrestleMania sign, it hit me like a couple of seconds later I was like, ‘Oh, wait, you’re going to WrestleMania!’ It hit me at two different times and it was like a wave of emotions. And so just, the fact that it just hit me at two different times, I’m just living in the moment of winning the Royal Rumble and just trying to figure out my emotions right now and trying to not cry every five seconds. So I feel like I don’t want to make an emotional decision right now. I’m just trying to like get my emotions in check and weigh my options and then go from there.”

Discussion: Who should Bianca Belair challenge at WrestleMania – Asuka or Sasha Banks?

Visit Complex Sports to read their full interview with Bianca Belair.

WWE legend Randy Orton sees dollar signs in former NXT Champion Karrion Kross.

The Viper competed against Edge on Monday’s WWE Raw (Results). The longtime rivals wrestled in the main event. 24 hours after winning the Royal Rumble, Edge defeated Orton thanks to a distraction by Alexa Bliss.

Orton stayed up late Monday night and shared some thoughts on social media. Orton came across a video posted by NXT star Karrion Kross. As seen below, Kross is depicted in Manhattan’s financial district. He narrates the video and speaks about one of his favorite subjects: time.

“Time tells all,” said Kross. “You know, I’ve always had an obsession with time. Or perhaps, time has had an obsession with me. I’ve never really known the difference.”

Randy Orton responded to the video with a message to Karrion Kross. He told Kross, “Get yo ass up here,” a reference to WWE’s main roster. Orton then laid out a challenge, sharing his opinion that the two grapplers could do big business together.

“Let’s fight, make some money and crack a beer. Wtf you waiting for??? Time? F*ck time.”

You can see the video and Orton’s reply in the tweet below:

Randy Orton Reaches Out to Stone Cold

Randy Orton also reached out to WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold Steve Austin.” Orton lamented that Austin has not invited him to be a guest on his Broken Skull Sessions. In a tweet deep into the night, Orton said it’s “f*cked up” that he’s yet to be interviewed on Austin’s WWE Network show.

He complimented Austin as the “Baddest MFer to lace a pair of boots” and praised him as one of the greatest of all time. Randy Orton wants to know, “Where you at Steven?”

Randy Orton has had an incredible 20-year career thus far. He’s certainly got plenty to talk about. Steve Austin gets some killer interviews out of his guests. This is a pairing we’d love to see in the months ahead.

Io Shirai will defend the NXT Women’s Championship in a triple threat match at the next NXT Takeover speical.

The Genius of the Sky will defend against Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez. The match announcement was reported by ComicBook.com.

WWE has done a great job building up this match, with all three women butting heads in recent weeks. Shirai has had a strong title reign since capturing the gold from Charlotte Flair back in June 2020 at NXT Takeover: In Your House.

For more on the events that led to this match being signed, visit WWE.com.

The next NXT Takeover pay-per-view takes place Sunday, February 14th, 2021. The event will air live on the WWE Network.

TV ratings are in for this week’s Wednesday Night War and NXT gained a lot of ground on AEW Dynamite. Here’s the breakdown for this week, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

• AEW: 734,000 viewers, 0.29 rating (A18-49), 6th on cable
• NXT: 720,000 viewers, 0.21 rating (A18-49), 24th on cable

Overall, this was is a very strong showing for NXT. Compared to last week, viewership jumped 9.3% and the rating spiked 40%. AEW’s viewership declined 14.1% and the rating dropped 19.4%.

NXT won the Adults 50+ demo, as it usually does. However, it also won the Women 18-49 and Women 12-34 demographics.

AEW Dynamite featured the Young Bucks and Good Brothers teaming against the Dark Order in the main event, Jungle Boy vs. Dax Harwood, Eddie Kingston vs. Lance Archer, Chris Jericho teaming with MJF and more.

NXT saw Finn Balor and Kyle O’Reilly team up against the NXT tag team champions and three Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament matches.

You can see our results and takeaways features for both shows here:

• AEW Dynamite Results (1/27): Young Bucks & Good Brothers vs. Dark Order, Cody Responds To Shaq
• WWE NXT Results (1/27): Balor & O’Reilly vs. Lorcan & Burch, Dusty Rhodes Classic Matches

AEW Beach Break takes place Wednesday, February 3rd from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL. This will be a special edition of AEW Dynamite ahead of the upcoming Revolution pay-per-view on March 7th.

The following matches are confirmed for the event:

Kenny Omega & Good Brothers vs. Jon Moxley, PAC & Rey Fenix

The main event will feature the next chapter in Jon Moxley’s heated rivalry with Kenny Omega. The AEW World Champion will have the Good Brothers on his side, while Moxley has backup from PAC and Rey Fenix.

Kenny Omega does not yet have an opponent for Revolution. It will be interesting to see if AEW uses this six-man tag as a vehicle to set up Omega’s match at Revolution. It could be a stipulation against Jon Moxley, or someone else entirely.

Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa

Thunder Rosa will finally get her hands on Dr. Britt Baker. The former NWA Women’s Champion is out for revenge after several surprise attacks by AEW’s resident dentist. Baker has done everything in her power to avoid facing Thunder Rosa, but time running out.

Tag Team Battle Royal

The winning team will be the next challengers to AEW World Tag Team Champions, the Young Bucks. The title match will take place at Revolution.

Participating teams include: FTR, Top Flight, Private Party, The Acclaimed, Jurassic Express, Evil Uno and Stu Grayson of the Dark Order, Santana & Ortiz, Chris Jericho & MJF, “Sammy Hegar” and the champions, the Young Bucks.

If Bucks win, they’ll get to hand pick their opponents at Revolution. They’ve teased their opponents could be anybody, even the Good Brothers.

Lumberjack Match

Eddie Kingston and Lance Archer squared off on the most recent episode of Dynamite. Kingston got the win, but not without controversy (outside interference). AEW President Tony Khan announced these two will ‘run it back’ and settle their score with Lumberjacks surrounding the ringside area.

Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford Wedding

Finally, wrestling fans are cordially invited to the beach wedding of Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford. The lovebirds will finally tie the knot, with Miro serving as Kip Best Man. Wrestling weddings always go off without a hitch, so what could go wrong?

Join us here Wednesday night, February 3rd for AEW Dynamite: Beach Break Results and Takeaways.

Bobby Lashley is the latest guest on Peter Rosenberg’s Cheap Heat Podcast. WWE’s reigning United States Champion spoke with Rosenberg and co-host Stat Guy Greg about a range of topics. They discussed being a muscular guy in WWE, how the Hurt Business was formed, working with Umaga and more.

Wrestling fans and pundits have long talked about a between Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar. It is an intriguing pairing that some would call a dream match. They are two of the most athletic big men in WWE history. Lashley has expressed interest in working with Lesnar, but it has never happened. Lashley was asked if Brock is ducking him, or if he’s ducking Brock.

“We can cancel that second part out, because I ain’t ducking anybody,” said Lashley. “Let’s go and cross that out.”

Lashley has heard Lesnar doesn’t want to work with him because he’s not a big enough star. He feels this is completely ridiculous, if true.

“You know, I’ve heard a couple different things, which I think is completely obnoxious, I think it’s ridiculous. I’ve heard this one time, maybe he thinks he’s too big of a star. Because if you think about it, look who he usually goes against. He’ll come back in and see who’s hot. ‘Oh, Kofi’s hot, I’ll get Kofi. Oh, Drew’s hot. Let me get him.’ It kind of takes away from the fact of what the fans want. Fans have been [wanting this match] since I began wrestling.”

Bobby Lashley Doesn’t Know Brock Lesnar

Bobby Lashley has been compared to Brock Lesnar ever since he joined WWE. People have called him the Black Brock. He corrects them and says, “No, no, no. It’s just Bobby.”

Surprisingly, Bobby Lashley says he doesn’t know Brock Lesnar. He says he’s “never” talked to Brock. In fact, he says they’ve exchanged a maybe a total of 5 words – ever.

“I’ve never talked to Brock, I don’t even know Brock really well,” said Lashley. “So, it’s usually through his advocate or someone else that you can even get any kind of dialogue. So, I’m not the one to ask that question. It’s those other guys, ’cause I’m ready.'”

Peter Rosenberg was stunned that Lashley has never had a conversation with Brock Lesnar. Rosenberg says he frankly never sees Brock at WWE shows when he’s there, but sees Lashley backstage all the time. He asked Lashley to elaborate. Lashley says he never even met Brock Lesnar until 2 years ago. He believes certain people have tried to keep them apart throughout the years.

“I’ve maybe exchanged a total of 5 words with Brock – ever,” Lashley revealed. “And, another thing is, I never met Brock until probably like 2 years ago in Saudi [Arabia]. I didn’t even know he was there, I walked passed gorilla and was like ‘hey, hey’ and that was it. We shook hands, and that was about it.’ Since then, there’s been a few other times, he’s come and it was just in passing, ‘Hey Brock, what’s going on, what’s going on.’ We shook hands, boom. We ‘know’ each other, but I think there’s people that have tried to keep us apart.”

You can check out the full interview with Bobby Lashley on Cheap Heat embedded below:

AEW star Miro has huge aspirations for himself in All Elite Wrestling.

The Bulgarian brute made a bold career move by joining AEW last year. He is aligned with Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford and will serve as “The Best Man” at their wedding next week at AEW Beach Break.

Miro is an avid streamer on Twitch and conducted a Q&A session on the platform this week. When asked when he plans on retiring, Miro declared that he will retire if he does not capture the AEW World Championship.

“When the time is right,” Miro said about retirement. “I’ve said that before. And I can guarantee you that if I don’t become AEW Champion, I’m going to probably retire. Actually not probably, I will retire.”

At 36 years old, Miro still has a lot of gas left in the tank. He is in the best physical shape of his career. He also appears to be very satisfied with his role in AEW. Following up on his stipulation to retire if he does not win AEW gold, he added, “Do you know what that means? That means I’m going to become AEW Champion.”

Miro Welcomes Criticism

Also during the Twitch Q&A, another fan told Miro he sucks and should return to WWE. Instead of getting angry, took a laid back approach with the trash-talking jabronie.

“I respect your opinion that I suck,” said Miro. “You’re right, I suck. But do I? That’s your opinion.”

He encouraged the fan to write Tony Khan a letter and tell him that Miro sucks. He receives a ton of fan mail and has not received anything negative yet.

“If you want to be the first one, please apply, please send that and I’ll make sure that it gets to me.”

WWE returns to the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, FL for tonight’s NXT broadcast on the USA Network.

The following items are confirmed for the show:

NXT Champion Finn Balor will form an unlikely tag team with Kyle O’Reilly of Undisputed Era. They will face NXT Tag Team Champions Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan in a non-title match.

NXT Dusty Classic

We will also three Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic matches.

In the women’s tournament, Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez will face Jessi Kamea and Aliyah in a First Round match-up.

On the men’s side, we’ll get two quarterfinal matches:

• Wes Lee and Nash Carter, the former Rascalz now known as MSK, battle Drake Maverick and Killian Dain.

• The “Grizzled Young Veterans” (Zack Gibson and James Drake) face. Kushida and Leon Ruff.

Join us here later tonight for our NXT Results & Takeaways feature. Catch up on the Top 10 moments from last week’s NXT in the player embedded below:

All Elite Wrestling is back tonight with an all-new episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.

Dynamite will feature a historic main event, with the AEW World Tag Team Champions, The Young Bucks, teaming with Impact Tag Champs, the Good Brothers. We’ll also see the debut of Ryan Nemeth, Chris Jericho teaming with MJF and Jungle Boy in singles action against Dax Harwood.

This week’s Dynamite was taped last week and we’ve heard very positive reviews about the show, especially the Jungle Boy vs. Harwood match.

The following items are advertised for tonight’s broadcast:

• The Young Bucks and The Good Brothers vs. Dark Order (Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, John Silver and Alex Reynolds)

• Lance Archer vs. Eddie Kingston

• The Inner Circle’s Chris Jericho and MJF vs. The Varsity Blonds

• Jungle Boy vs. Dax Harwood

• Britt Baker vs. Shanna

• Hangman Page vs. Ryan Nemeth

Plus, Sting and Darby Allin will address their upcoming tag team Street Fight against Team Taz at AEW Revolution.

AEW Beach Break is just a week away, so we can also expect to see more hype for that event and some additional match announcements.

Join us here later tonight for our AEW Dynamite Results and Takeaways feature.

AEW released a special Road To preview for tonight’s Dynamite, which you can watch below:

WWE Superstar Sasha Banks appeared on The Complex Sports Podcast this week to discuss Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, her role on Star Wars: The Mandalorian, her WWE Mount Rushmore and much more.

Sasha Banks will participate in the Women’s Royal Rumble this Sunday. Ahead of the chaotic battle royal, Banks is on the lookout for Charlotte Flair. She’s also hoping for a few surprises.

“I’m going to be watching out for that sneaky Charlotte Flair, making sure she doesn’t win again. I’m going to watch for these NXT girls, hopefully there’s going to be some surprises.”

She also reflected on being part of the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble in 2018. Sasha Banks it was surreal to have a leadership role in a match that meant so much to so many people.

“It’s more than just being a good performer and putting on a good show for you guys,” said Banks. “It’s making sure I show up for all of these women and women that haven’t been in the ring for how many-plus years and then a lot of brand-new women who haven’t been in a WWE ring. It’s a lot of pressure, and being in a crowd in Philly! It’s more than just one thing, it’s more than what you guys really understand, so that’s why I always say ‘if you guys only knew!’”

Sasha Banks, Snoop Dogg & WrestleMania

Sasha Banks’ cousin Snoop Dogg recently appeared on an episode of AEW Dynamite. Snoop got physical and did a splash off the top rope. His execution of the high-risk maneuver got mixed reviews. Banks says she told Snoop the only thing that matters is that he enjoyed himself.

“I saw him two weeks before he did that, and he was talking about how he wanted to do a splash. I wasn’t thinking that splash was going to look like that! He called me right after, just cracked up laughing, asking if I was proud. I was like ‘dude, if you had fun, that’s all that matters.’”

She then dropped a bombshell and said she wants Snoop Dogg to be her tag team partner one day at WrestleMania. She even offered to train Snoop and help him develop a “five star” splash.

“I wanna do matches with him,” she revealed. “I want him as my tag team partner for WrestleMania, so we got time. I got time to train him. That splash is going to be five stars, OK?”

When asked about her WWE ‘Mount Rushmore,’ Sasha Banks named herself, Bayley, Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle. She also commented on Roman Reigns’ Mount Rushmore list, which included John Cena, Steve Austin, The Rock, Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker. She joked that Reigns gave a political / company answer that would please WWE officials.

You can listen to Sasha Banks on The Complex Sports Podcast on Spotify.

We are just hours away from an all-new episode of Impact Wrestling on AXS TV (and Twitch).

The following items are advertised for this week’s broadcast:

• Impact World Champion Rich Swann teams up with Tommy Dreamer, Willie Mack and a Mystery Partner against TNA World Champion Moose, Chris Bey, Sami Callihan and Ken Shamrock.

• Matt Cardona makes his Impact in-ring debut. He teams with Josh Alexander against Ace Austin and Madman Fulton

• Joe Doering vs. Cousin Jake

• Eddie Edwards vs. Brian Myers

• Tenille Dashwood vs. Rosemary in Knockouts action.

Plus, AEW stars Matt Hardy and Private Party return to Impact. Private Party are the #1 contenders to The Good Brothers’ Impact World Tag Team Championships.

We’ll have our weekly Impact Wrestling Results & Takeaways feature live on the site Wednesday morning.

All Elite Wrestling has released the lineup for Tuesday’s edition of AEW Dark.

The updated card features now features 15 matches. For whatever reason, one match is no longer being advertised for the show. That 6-man tag team match involved Dustin Rhodes, QT Marshall & Nick Comoroto vs. Ryan Nemeth, Vary Morales & Shawn Dean.

1. Red Velvet vs. Madi Wrenkowski
2. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Jake St. Patrick
3. Shanna vs. KiLynn King
4. SCU vs TNT
5. Santana & Ortiz vs. Ryzin & Mike Verna
6. Miro vs. Fuego
7. The Butcher and The Blade vs. M’Badu & KC Navarro
8. Danny Limelight vs. Sean Maluta
9. Jurassic Express vs. Lee Johnson & Aaron Solow
10. 10 of the Dark Order vs. Ray Jaz
11. Rey Fenix vs. Baron Black
12. Davienne vs. Tay Conti
13. Britt Baker vs. Brooke Havok
14. Ivelisse vs. Jazmin Allure
15. Abadon vs. Vertvixen

Plus, “Pretty” Peter Avalon and Lee Johnson will have a ‘Walk Off’ judged by Brandi Rhodes, Aubrey Edwards and Jerry Lynn.

Cody Rhodes noted on Twitter that he’s especially looking forward to the match between Britt Baker and Brooke Havoc. Havoc is the first student he ever trained and he can’t believe how fast she progressed.

“This is my very first student,” Cody said of Brooke Havoc. “I never anticipated somebody would be ready this early on, but she did the work and earned this opportunity. (She was actually Britt’s “intern” when she shadowed tv). VERY tough draw for her here, but I love this! Brooke’s true first pro match.”

You can see AEW’s rundown of the card in the player embedded below:

The WWE Network presents Superstar Spectacle next Tuesday, January 26th at 9:30am (Eastern). sThe event was taped on Friday at the Thunderdome in St Petersburg, FL.

The following are complete results from the tapings:

• Jinder Mahal came out first and cut a promo talking about India Republic Day.

• The New Day and The Street Profits introduced a special Bhangra performance.

• Triple H narrated promo about the importance of India to WWE history. John Cena, Bret Hart and Daniel Bryan were featured. They ran down the various Indian wrestlers who are under contract.

• NXT Champion Finn Balor def. Guru Raaj.

• Dilsher Shanky, Giant Zanjeer, Rey Mysterio & Ricochet defeated Dolph Ziggler, King Corbin, Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro.

• AJ Styles w/ Omos defeated Jeet Rama.

• Sareena Sandhu & Charlotte Flair defeated Bayley & Natalya.

• Ric Flair cut a promo but was interrupted by Jinder Mahal and the Bollywood Boyz. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre came out to and introduce Indus Sher to set up the main event.

• WWE Champion Drew McIntyre & Indus Sher def. Jinder Mahal & Bollywood Boyz.

After the main event, McIntyre and Triple H posed in the ring with the various Indian Superstars. They all celebrated and had garlands bestowed on them as Superstar Spectacle ended.

Multi-platinum recording artist Bad Bunny will perform the song “Booker T” live this Sunday at the WWE Royal Rumble. The news was first reported by Billboard.

This will be the first live performance of Booker T off the album, El Último Tour Del Mundo.

“Performing at the Royal Rumble is a childhood dream come true,” said Bad Bunny. “I have been a lifelong fan of WWE and I am excited to take the stage and entertain fans around the world.”

Neil Lawi, WWE Music Group’s Senior Vice President and General Manager, says they are thrilled to provide Bad Bunny with this global platform.

“Bad Bunny is at the top of the music industry, and a pop culture icon with strong ties to WWE and our fans around the world,” said Lawi. “We are thrilled to provide a global platform for his first-ever live performance of ‘Booker T’ as we kick off the road to WrestleMania.”

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T stars in the music video named after him. You can check that out here:

• Booker T Stars In Bad Bunny Music Video

For more information on Bad Bunny’s Royal Rumble performance, visit WWE.com.

Triple H spoke with the Hindustan Times this week to promote WWE Superstar Spectacle. During the discussion, The Game spoke Brock Lesnar’s WWE future, a potential Roman Reigns vs. The Rock ‘dream match’ and more.

Triple H recently returned to the ring on an episode of WWE Raw. This has prompted questions about his status for April’s WrestleMania 37 pay-per-view. Triple H gave the famous “never say never in WWE” reply.

WWE Champion Drew McIntyre was recently diagnosed with Covid-19. McIntyre’s absence resulted in him being called upon to lace up his boots on short notice. He says, “you hate to pass up that opportunity” to entertain WWE fans. As for WrestleMania, “we’ll see.”

Triple H on Brock Lesnar’s Future

Brock Lesnar is no longer under contract, but WrestleMania season is upon us. WWE likes to reach out to part-time legends to fill out the top matches on their biggest show of the year. When asked about Lesnar’s status for WrestleMania 37, Triple H says it really comes down to what Brock Lesnar wants to do.

“One of the things I have learnt about him is Brock Lesnar does what Brock Lesnar wants to do,” said Triple H. “Nobody can talk him into doing things differently. So time will tell. If wants to show up at WrestleMania he will, if he doesn’t he won’t. The only way to get that answer is to call Brock Lesnar.”

• Should AEW Sign Brock Lesnar? “Everybody Has Their Damn Price”

Roman Reigns vs. The Rock

Roman Reigns vs. The Rock is a WrestleMania dream match that both men are interested in. There’s no question that Reigns vs. The Rock is the biggest marquee match WWE could assemble. However, The Rock is the biggest movie star in the world with a very busy schedule. Much like Triple H said about Brock Lesnar, The Rock’s in-ring future is entirely up to him.

“If The Rock can make it happen, he looks in shape, I am sure he would love to do it if his schedule permits. He works hard. The only person that works more than The Rock is Vince McMahon. If there is a will and a way, he will make it happen and WWE will do everything. If fans want to see it, we will make it happen. But it really comes down to does The Rock want to it and does he have the time to do it.”

Triple H added that whatever adrenaline rush The Rock gets from making movies, there’s no way it compares with the rush he’d get from competing in the ring.

Visit Hindustan Times to check out the full interview with Triple H.

Tonight’s edition of WWE Raw takes place from the ThunderDome in St. Petersberg, Florida. This is the “go home” show before Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

The following items are set for the show:

• Asuka defends the RAW Women’s Championship against Alexa Bliss

• Charlotte Flair faces Shayna Baszler

• Matt Riddle competes in a Gauntlet Match against The Hurt Business to earn a shot at Bobby Lashley’s United States Championship.

• WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and Goldberg will be on hand to promote their match at the Rumble.

Join us here later tonight for our WWE Raw Results & Takeaways.

Catch up on the Top 10 moments from last week’s Raw:

Daniel Bryan believes it’s time for WWE to consider creating a new developmental system to cultivate the next generation of Superstars.

NXT served as WWE’s ‘minor league’ for many years. The “black and gold” brand has evolved into a third brand, alongside Raw and SmackDown. NXT has a weekly television show on the USA Network. It also hosts quarterly pay-per-view specials on the WWE Network. The NXT roster and product rival those of Raw and SmackDown. This presents some advantages, but also some disadvantages.

Daniel Bryan recently spoke with Lucha Libre Online about the WWE developmental conundrum. Bryan tells Michael Morales Torres that WWE needs to address the void left by NXT.

“I definitely don’t think NXT is considered as a developmental territory anymore,” said Bryan. “Which leaves a question: Do we have a developmental territory? Those guys are awesome and I do consider NXT a third brand for our company.”

Daniel Bryan has been an influential force behind the scenes in recent months. As a member of the SmackDown brand, he’s been a vocal about the need to develop new talent.

You can listen to Daniel Bryan’s comments in the Youtube player embedded below:

WWE Developmental

Prior to the launch of NXT, WWE worked with various independent promotions to groom talent. The two most notable developmental territories were Ohio Valley Wrestling and Florida Championship Wrestling. The biggest names of the past twenty years came up through OVW and FCW.

Ohio Valley Wrestling produced talent such as Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Randy Orton, Batista, Kurt Angle, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, John Morrison, Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, Beth Phoenix, Natalya, Kelly Kelly and many more.

Florida Championship Wrestling alumni includes Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Jon Moxley, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, The Bella Twins, Paige, Big E, Kofi Kingston and AJ Lee.

The Performance Center is a world class facility, but Daniel Bryan thinks WWE needs a place for green talent to perform “under the radar” without the spotlight that NXT now brings.

Sasha Banks says her work life is a lot more manageable now that WWE is running shows from the same venue every week.

The Covid-19 pandemic has led WWE to suspend touring. The ThunderDome in St. Petersberg, Florida hosts Raw, SmackDown and pay-per-view broadcasts. Live events are on hold indefinitely.

Sasha Banks says her health and in-ring work have improved without having to deal with WWE’s grueling travel schedule. The SmackDown Women’s Champion recently appeared on the Normal Not Normal podcast.

When asked about the impact of WWE’s new schedule, The Boss said, “You have no idea how much I think that has changed my career. For real, it has changed my career so much.”

Sasha Banks on WWE Travel Schedule

WWE Superstars are typically on the road five or six days per week. The never-ending routine of airports, highways, hotels and lack of sleep are punishing in the longterm.

“I’m not just talking about in one state,” Banks says of the usual WWE travel schedule. “I’m driving five or six hours to different states every single day. But we’re not just talking about driving, I’m talking about flying as well – early in the morning – and I’m talking about wrestling too. I’m beating my body, jumping into a car, and driving five hours and getting to the hotel at maybe four in the morning. Sleep in until 12, work out, get your food, and doing the exact same thing. That will beat up your body.”

The life she described only encapsulates the travel portion. Sasha Banks explains that another slew of challenges await once talent arrives to the area.

“Now you get to TV, where it’s crazy to begin,” she continued. “You don’t know what’s gonna happen, Vince could push you out there, you have no idea. You could have a 10-minute match, five-minute match, nothing, or a 20-minute segment. Then you go home, do your laundry, and get on the road again.”

Now that she’s no longer traveling the world for work, she’s seen notable improvements with not only her in-ring work, but also her overall health.

“Now, thankfully that I live in Florida, it’s once a week. I feel like a part-timer. My body is in the best shape I’ve ever been in. I’m sleeping so good. My match quality has raised the roof up, and my body just feels awesome.”

Check out the Normal Not Normal podcast to hear their full interview with Sasha Banks.

• Sasha Banks “Absolutely” Plans To Do More TV & Movies

Stephanie McMahon sent in a letter to SEScoops addressing the blockbuster news that the WWE Network is moving to the Peacock streaming service (in the United States).

WWE executives have not addressed the financial terms of the agreement, but the Wall Street Journal and Sports Business Journal are reporting that the 5-year agreement with NBC Universal is expected to generate a more than billion dollars in revenue for WWE.

You can read Stephanie McMahons letter on the WWE Network Peacock deal below:

Good morning,

I’m excited to share that this morning WWE and NBCUniversal announced a multi-year agreement that will make Peacock the exclusive home to WWE Network in the United States.

WWE was one of the first to launch a SVOD service, WWE Network, in 2014 to super-serve our most passionate fans with WWE’s most premium content as well as an incredible library of in-ring and original programming that has grown over the last seven years. Since launching last year, Peacock has amassed an incredible catalog of iconic movies and TV shows, along with the best of live news and sports, to which WWE Network will be a perfect complement.  

WWE and NBCU have been partners for nearly 30 years, and we consider this to be a natural extension of our long-standing relationship. Peacock will enable WWE to showcase our most significant events, including WrestleMania, which was previously available on WWE Network for $9.99 per month, to Peacock’s 26 million subscribers for $4.99 per month and for free to the millions of Comcast and Cox homes across the country, helping to better serve and grow our global fanbase.  

We are thrilled to bring WWE Network to Peacock beginning March 18, and to continue to create best-in-class sports entertainment content that will not only put smiles on people’s faces, but provide our fans with an experience worthy of their passion. 

Steph

Stephanie McMahon | Chief Brand Officer
WWE | 1241 E. Main Street, Stamford, CT 06902
Office: 203.352.1103 | LinkedIn: StephMcMahon

WWE Superstar Becky Lynch is currently on hiatus from WWE after recently giving birth to her first child, daughter Roux.

Lynch posted a photo with Roux on Instagram on Saturday. You can see the touching photo below.

The former Women’s Champion wore a t-shirt by UFC fighter Conor McGregor, who returned to the Octagon Saturday night on pay-per-view. (UFC 257 Highlights)

The t-shirt is a collaboration with the Roots of Fight clothing brand, with proceeds going to benefit Ireland’s Children’s Health Foundation Crumlin:

“With this collection, we pay respect to the undeniable force of nature that is Conor McGregor who brings his entire country with him with every new challenge. This limited edition ROF X CM collab is only available for a few short weeks as we lead up to his fight on Jan. 23rd against Dustin Poirier. All profits from sales will benefit the Children’s Health Foundation Crumlin that supports Children’s Health in Ireland.”

Visit Children’s Health Foundation Crumlin to support that worthwhile cause.

The Conor McGregor t-shirt worn by Becky Lynch can be purchased at Roots of Fight.

• Becky Lynch Discusses Possible WWE Return After Pregnancy

All Elite Wrestling has announced the first match for AEW Revolution and it’s a biggie. Sting will make his debut alongside AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin. They will face Brian Cage and Ricky Starks in a Street Fight.

Darby Allin commented on the news that he will be Sting’s tag team partner at AEW Revolution. He posted the black and white match graphic on Instagram with the caption, “Legendary”

Sting & Darby Allin

Sting and Darby have been at Odds with Team Taz in recent weeks. On Wednesday’s Dynamite, Sting and Darby talked about “taking it to the streets” against Taz’s henchmen. You can see video of that exchange in the player embedded below.

Darby Allin will be Sting’s first tag team partner in AEW, but he recently commented on the possibility of wrestling against him. “I don’t know what his health’s like, I don’t know what he wants to do,” Allin told Sportskeeda. “If he wants to get in the ring with me, good luck, that’s what I would say, I’m ready. If he’s ready, I’m ready. I have no clue if he’s actually going to be ready. Everything’s up in the air.

Darby has also addressed comparisons to the WCW legend:

• Darby Allin Comments On Comparisons To Sting

AEW Revolution takes place Saturday, February 27th from Jacksonville, FL.

Order AEW Revolution at BR Live (US)

WWE Backstage is returning for one night.

The WWE Backstage Royal Rumble Special will air premiere Saturday, January 30th at 8pm (Eastern) on FS1. It will be hosted by Renee Paquette, Paige and Booker T.

The Backstage Rumble special will replay at midnight and then at 5pm the following day.

Naturally, this will be a Royal Rumble preview show. You can bet there will special guest appearances.

Renee Paquette and Paige both posted videos on Twitter reacting to the news.