Don Callis says nobody is on Kenny Omega’s level, including his “onetime close friend” and former partner, Kota Ibushi.

The former Golden Lovers partners sit atop the wrestling world with championship gold to prove their worth. Omega is the reigning AEW World Champion and the AAA Mega champion. Ibushi was the big winner coming out of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 by winning and defending the IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental titles.

“The Invisible Hand” recently spoke with Talk Sport about Omega’s success. He says Ibushi was a good friend of Kenny Omega “at one point.” He knows Ibushi is a great wrestler. But he’s not the best.

“Kenny Omega is still the best wrestler in the world and number two isn’t close,” said Callis “Whether it’s [Impact World Champion] Rich Swann or Kota Ibushi, you’re getting in the ring with Kenny Omega, a generational, once in a lifetime performer.”

Callis thinks that no matter how good of a wrestler Kota Ibushi is, he exists in a bubble. Ibushi hasn’t tested himself around the world like Kenny Omega has.

“What makes Kenny great isn’t just the athleticism, it’s his next level thinking. Kota Ibushi thinks in the IWGP bubble. It’s all he knows and all he’s ever known. In order for Kota Ibushi to truly evolve into the Kota Ibushi he can be, he needs to get on an airplane. He needs to come from Japan and defend that title around the world like Kenny Omega does.”

The Problem With Kota Ibushi…

Don Callis honed in on what he believes to be, “the problem” with Kota Ibushi. Naturally, Callis will promote his guy and is protective of how Kenny Omega is perceived.

“The problem with Kota Ibushi has never been a lack of ability, it’s been a lack of imagination,” he began. “But Kota is very much like the wrestling fans we spoke about, he has a limited world view. He has been a great friend of Kenny’s in the past, the reality is, sometimes as we move through our lives we have to shed friends like we shed dead skin cells. What once worked in a friendship or relationship no longer works for us, so we move on.”

Callis finished by teasing that he and Kenny Omega have plans that most of us are thinking ‘too small’ to comprehend. “A lot of people would love to see Kenny and Kota Ibushi reunite, but that’s very small-minded thinking and it is what it is. People get excited about their dream matches.”

Head over to Talk Sport to check out their full interview with Don Callis.

With Wrestle Kingdom 15 and New Year’s Dash!! in the books, we look ahead to New Japan Pro Wrestling’s next big events, The New Beginning.

You can visit the NPJW website for the Road to The New Beginning tour dates. The New Beginning takes place over three nights from two cities (Nagoya and Hiroshima) NJPW has announced the lineups for all three shows and there’s a lot to get excited about. All three shows will stream on NJPW World.

New Japan’s top champions will be in action, including IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion Kota Ibushi, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi, NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi. The full lineups are below.

The New Beginning in Nagoya (1/30)

• Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NEVER Openweight Championship)
• Satoshi Kojima vs. Will Ospreay
• Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Great-O-Khan
• Kota Ibushi, Tomoaki Honma, SHO, and Master Wato vs. SANADA, Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI
• Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano vs. EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi

The New Beginning in Hiroshima (Night 1: 2/10)

• Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. SHO (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship)
• Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (c) vs. Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. (IWGP Tag Team Championship)
• Kota Ibushi and Tomoaki Honma vs. SANADA and Tetsuya Naito
• Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, and YOSHI-HASHI vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo, Taiji Ishimori, and El Phantasmo
• BUSHI vs. Master Wato
• Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura, and Gabriel Kidd

NJPW The New Beginning in Hiroshima (Night Two: 2/11)

• Kota Ibushi (c) vs. SANADA (IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships)
• Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., and DOUKI vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Jado
• Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano vs. EVIL and Dick Togo
• Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI vs. Tomoaki Honma, SHO, and Master Wato
• Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori, and El Phantasmo
• Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, and YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yota Tsuji, Yuya Uemura, and Gabriel Kidd

Impact Wrestling returns to AXS TV tonight for the “go home” show before Saturday’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view.

The big angle headed into the PPV is AEW World Champion Kenny Omega aligning with Impact World Tag Team Champions, the Good Brothers. The trio will battle Impact World Champion Rich Swann and the Motor City Machine Guns. The Bullet Club alums have gotten the upper hand in recent weeks, so you can be sure Swann & the Machine Guns are looking to make a statement.

Impact has confirmed that Kenny Omega and Don Callis will appear in the Impact Zone tonight.

The following matches are advertised for Impact on AXS TV:

• Impact World Champion Rich Swann vs. “Machine Gun” Karl Anderson
• Tenille Dashwood vs. Rosemary
• Kimber Lee vs. Taya Valkyrie
• Cody Deaner vs. Tommy Dreamer

Check back Wednesday morning for our Impact on AXS TV takeaways feature.

Order Impact Wrestling: Hard To Kill now at FITE.TV.

Mexican wrestling star Mil Muertes is set to debut for Major League Wrestling this week on MLW Fusion.

The “Man of 1,000 Deaths” has been summoned to MLW by Salina De La Renta, who will serve as Executive Producer of MLW Fusion for the next few weeks.

Mil Muertes was previously known as Ricky Banderas when he wrestled in Puerto Rico. He was a 5-time IWA Heavyweight Champion. In Mexico City he was known as El Mesias, where he held the AAA Heavyweight Championship 4 times.

Mil Muertes reigned supreme in Lucha Underground. His death grip loomed over all… until his temple fell. Since then, he has wandered the earth with an unquenchable desire for revenge. The “seemingly invincible” Mil Muertes now looks to build a shrine of death with the bodies of the men he’s conquered and careers destroyed.

Mil Muertes Arrives in MLW

Wednesday’s episode of MLW Fusion will feature:

• MLW World Tag Team Champions The Von Erichs vs. Los Parks: Tornado Match with “Filthy” Tom Lawlor serving as special guest referee

• Mil Muertes will debut. There is an ‘open contract’ for whoever chooses to fight him.

MLW Fusion premieres this Wednesday, January 13 at 7PM (Eastern) on MLW’s YouTube Channel, Fubo Sports, DAZN and Roku.

Catch up on the latest MLW News and check our takeaways from last week’s Kings of Colosseum special:

• MLW Kings of the Colosseum Results: Lio Rush Wins Middleweight Title

Adam Pearce admits he’s not in the prime of his career, but he’s ready to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble.

Pearce earned the title shot on Friday’s SmackDown. He was the last man standing in a Gauntlet Match that also included Shinsuke Nakamura, Daniel Bryan, Sami Zayn, King Corbin and Rey Mysterio.

The 42-year-old WWE producer now has a date with destiny. On Sunday, Adam Pearce tweeted video of a match he believes shows off the fighting spirit he will bring to the Rumble.

He wrote, “Of course I’m not in my wrestling ‘prime’ – I haven’t had a match in 6+ years! But I didn’t ASK for this. With no choice but to fight, I’ve got to do whatever I can to make Roman feel EXACTLY like I did at the end of this match many years ago.”

The match, seen below, is Adam Pearce defending the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Brent Albright from August 2008.

Pearce continued, “And yes, I lost that match. Lost a championship that meant a lot to me. Lost a piece of myself. But in the process I learned a lot. A lot about me. A lot about the agony of defeat. A lot about how to avoid it. Again, I NEVER wanted this. But sleep on me, I beg you.”

Adam Pearce faces WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble on Sunday, January 31st. The event airs live on the WWE Network.

WWE filed a trademark application for the phrase “MSK” earlier this week.

The United States Patent & Trademark Office database shows that attorney Lauren A. Dienes-Middlen filed for the “word mark” on Monday, January 4th.

The “goods and services” usage description reads as follows:

“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; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; fan club services, namely, organizing sporting events in the field of wrestling for wrestling fan club members; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the field of sports entertainment”

WWE also recently filed trademarks the names Leon Ruff, Dabba-Kato and Sha Samuels (NXT UK).

Tony Schiavone has enjoyed a career resurgence since he joined All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The legendary broadcaster was away from pro wrestling for nearly two decades following the demise of WCW in 2001. Longtime fans have called him “the voice of their childhood.” He now reaches a new generation of wrestling fans every week on AEW Dynamite.

Schiavone co-hosts the ‘What Happened When’ podcast with Conrad Thompson and the AEW Unrestricted podcast with referee Aubrey Edwards. On this week’s Unrestricted, Schiavone was in the ‘hot seat.’ He spoke about what he knew about Sting joining AEW, Kenny Omega hijacking the AEW Championship, working through the pandemic and much more.

The most interesting part of the discussion focused on Tony Schiavone’s path to AEW. Prior to joining the company, he negotiated with not just Tony Khan but also WWE. Believe it or not, Khan encouraged him to sign with WWE if they offered him enough money.

Tony Schiavone’s Road to AEW

Schiavone says Bruce Prichard reached out to him in 2019 and informed him that Vince McMahon wanted to hire him at WWE. Schivaone was interested and asked what the position would be. Prichard said it would probably be a producer role and they’d be in touch. He told Conrad Thompson that he was in talks with WWE and got a text message from Cody Rhodes “two minutes later.”

Cody told him, “I don’t want you to work for WWE” and set up a call between Schiavone and AEW President Tony Khan.

“Tony called me, we talked for over an hour and said he was going to have me come to Jacksonville,” said Schiavone. “During this time, WWE kept talking to me and I never told WWE that Tony Khan had an interest, I was just listening. They called and said, ‘We don’t have our ducks in a row yet, we’ll be back in touch.'”

Schiavone continued speaking with Bruce Prichard, who told him that Vince McMahon wants him to end his career with WWE. He received a call from someone in WWE’s HR department, who asked how much money he was interested in. He threw out a big number and was told they would be in touch.

“Meanwhile, I met with Tony Khan. It was an all-day meeting at the stadium and I knew immediately that I wanted to work there. My wife also told me, ‘If you take a job at WWE, I’ll divorce your ass.’ I didn’t play two sides against the middle, I was just waiting to hear.”

Khan made Schiavone a “phenomenal” offer, but he still owed WWE courtesy of making an offer as well. Khan told Schiavone, “If they offer you $1 million, take it!” He replied, “Don’t worry, I will.”

Schiavone’s wife Lois urged him not to work for WWE, no matter what they offered him. WWE said they would be in touch with him after SummerSlam. He received a phone call from WWE the day after SummerSlam 2019. They informed him, “Thank you for your interest Mr. Schiavone, we have nothing for you.” He replied, “You guys contacted me!” He called Tony Khan that day and said, “I’m in.”

You can listen to this week’s AEW Unrestricted at iTunes and other podcast platforms.

Nick Jackson got banged up at Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, but is not expected to miss any ring time.

Along with his brother Matt, The Young Bucks are the reigning AEW World Tag team champions. They teamed with SCU against The Acclaimed and The Hybrid 2 in the opening contest of New Year’s Smash (Night 1).

Mid-way through the contest, Jack Evans hit a 630 splash off the top rope onto Nick Jackson. Nick countered the move by putting his legs up, which resulted in Evans landing on them hard. He was limping later in the match, which indicates a possible injury. Footage of the move in question can be seen here:

Wrestling Observer Live notes that Jackson sustained a leg contusion, but thankfully there was no fracture. As of this writing, Nick Jackson still scheduled to compete next week at New Year’s Smash (Night 2). The Elite will be in action, as the Young Bucks team with AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.

The trio, along with Gallows & Anderson, were part of the show-closing angle that saw a reunion of former Bullet Club members. For more on that story, check out:

• Bullet Club Members Reunite At AEW Dynamite New Year’s Smash

Earlier this week, the world witnessed a dark chapter in American history. Armed insurrectionists stormed the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

Parody Twitter account @KayfabeNews released a meme comparing this group of violent terrorists to WWE’s Retribution faction. Retribution also used violent means to achieve their objectives and take over WWE events.

The meme, seen below, is an altered photo of the insurrectionists inside the Capitol. A “Trump” flag held by one of the men has been replaced by a flag depicting the Retribution logo. Another Retribution logo is overlaid front and center. The caption reads, “Worst invasion angle ever.”

Several members of Retribution saw the meme and strongly denounced the comparison. T-BAR wrote, “I’m the only white American in the group, so this comparison is not only inaccurate, quite frankly it’s embarrassing. Take your dumb joke and shove it up your ass.”

Reckoning also replied to the tweet, stating, said, “Don’t compare us to terrorists. Gtfo with this trash.”

Update: KayfabeNews has since deleted the original tweet and released a statement:

Jim Ross has named his three favorite matches since the launch of AEW last year. The Hall of Fame announcer has been ringside for some of the greatest matches in pro wrestling history, so his opinion on this subject carries weight.

During a recent episode of his Grilling JR podcast, Ross named the three AEW matches that fans should go out of their way to see, if they haven’t already.

JR told co-host Conrad Thompson, “I loved Dustin and Cody.” Of course, the match he is referring two was the battle of the Rhodes brothers from the inaugural AEW pay-per-view, Double or Nothing 2019. It was an instant classic that ranks on any serious list of the best AEW matches.

Best AEW Matches

Jim Ross said the best match of 2020 was the Young Bucks vs. FTR tag team ‘dream match’ from November’s AEW Full Gear pay-per-view. He also praised the Cody Rhodes vs. Brodie Lee dog collar match for the TNT Championship. Tragically, this would be Brodie Lee’s final match before his untimely passing on December 26th.

He noted that Jon Moxley had a stellar year as AEW World Champion. “There’s a couple of Moxley matches that I thought were really good, I’m a big fan of Jon Moxley.”

Jim Ross wrapped up by going back to the Cody vs. Dustin match, stating that the personal nature of the match-up and the luxury of a live crowd put it over the top for him

“Overall, just looking back in total, the Rhodes brothers match might be my favorite match thus far that we’ve done in AEW. Live crowd, the dramatic use of blood, the story behind it. It became very personal and emotional, it wasn’t a ‘rasslin’ storyline so to speak. It was based on reality. They turned it on and it got me.”

You can listen to this “Ask JR Anything” episode of Grilling JR at Westwood One or in the player embedded below:

WWE legend “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has won the Royal Rumble match more times than anyone in history. He outlasted 29 other men on three separate occasions: in 1997, 1998 and 2001. Despite this unparalleled record, the Texas Rattlesnake says he’s isn’t overly fond of the match.

Austin recently spoke with Fox Sports to promote the new season of his celebrity interview series, “Straight Up Steve Austin” on the USA Network. During the discussion, Austin revealed what he does not like about the 30-man over-the-top rope battle royal.

With so many people involved in a Royal Rumble, many the spots are planned out in advance. Wrestlers know when they are supposed to be eliminated. The more planning there is, the greater chance for things going wrong and chaos. Austin alluded, “You know what I’m speaking of, without just spelling it out”

Austin recalls running into trouble during his first Royal Rumble experience back in 1996. This was his first WWE pay-per-view appearance and will never forget what transpired. “I was supposed to be the fourth guy left in the ring and Rikishi, or somebody, gave me a clothesline and the ropes were so baby oiled up from everybody wearing baby oil, I slipped.”

Austin continued, “There was a bunch of guys in the ring and I went out way early. I hit the ground, and I’m still pretty new in the company at this time. But they’re gonna try to keep me in the Rumble, so they’re giving me a little bit of a push and I blew it!”

Season 2 of Straight Up Steve Austin premieres Monday, January 11th on the USA Network. Guests this season include Charlotte Flair, Brett Favre, Ice-T, Steve-O, Tiffany Haddish and more. You can see the preview for season two at this link:

• Charlotte Flair Appearing on ‘Straight Up Steve Austin’ Season 2

High-flyer Ben Carter made his long awaited WWE debut on Thursday’s episode of the NXT UK show on the WWE Network.

Carter had an impressive showing in a losing effort against Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin. The match was a showcase for Carter, who received praise afterwards from wrestling fans on social media, Triple H and other NXT UK talent.

Ben Carter was interviewed backstage after the contest. Carter says the match was bitter-sweet. He’s watched Jordan Devlin since the inception of NXT UK and says it is “insane” that he’s competing for the WWE Cruiserweight Champion. Despite the loss, he likes to think he impressed some people. He feels it’s the beginning of a long and successful career in WWE.

Watch Ben Carter weigh-in on his NXT UK debut:

Reactions to Ben Carter’s NXT UK Debut

Triple H called it a star-making performance and urged all of his followers to seek out the Devin vs. Carter match. He tweeted, “A match that if you have not seen, you should go and watch on WWE Network immediately,” wrote Triple H.”NXT UK continues to deliver and this main event was no different featuring a star-making performance from Ben Carter … just the beginning.”

Shawn Michaels called Ben Carter’s NXT UK debut “awesome” and said that he looked “incredibly impressive.”

WWE’s The Bump co-host Matt Camp wrote, “What an impressive NXT UK debut for Ben Carter,” wrote Camp. “He’ll be a champion soon enough.”

The AEW Games Youtube channel has launched 2.Show, a new digital series hosted by AEW World Champion Kenny Omega. On the premiere episode, Omega and Kip Sabian spoke discussed the AEW console video game currently in development.

Sabian asked Omega the top 5 most common questions about the game that AEW has received from fans. Topics discussed include:

• Gameplay: Arcade or simulation?
• Estimated release date
• Features: Create-a-Wrestler and Online
• WWF No Mercy creator Hideyuki “Geta” Iwashita’s involvement

Gameplay: Arcade or Simulation?

When asked if the AEW console game style will be simulation or arcade, Kenny Omega replied, “Neither.” He explained that if you look at a pure simulation game, the best example is the Fire Pro Wrestling series. This is a beloved franchise with a devoted fanbase. However, there’s a high learning curve and it makes it less fun for people who want to simply pick up and play with their friends.

AEW is looking to incorporate the speed of arcade play with the movs and countering systems of a simulation game. They are looking to create a wrestling game that lets players feel like they’re actually in the ring with their opponent. Players will have the areal offense of Rey Fenix and can perform variations of the Canadian destroyer.

A clip was shown of the Young Bucks’ Meltzer Driver tag team move in development.

Release Date

Kenny Omega said they are attempting to create the greatest pro wrestling video game of all time. They want it to be fun and last for a long time. To create a game that improves upon WWF No Mercy, it takes time and effort.

Omega made some jokes at the expense of WWE 2K20. “Sometimes, when games are rushed, they encounter a lot of bugs. They become almost unplayable, and then they become a meme in themselves. We don’t want that! We want people to have fun with this thing.” They’re working with the best game developers and producers. AEW Games will release a complete, playable, unbroken package.

Unfortunately, they can’t give a release date just yet. Omega hopes the game will be out “maybe next year, maybe the year after that.” He assured viewers that they will receive regular updates on the AEW Games channel.

Omega says he was impressed when he played an early build of the AEW video game.

Features: Create a Wrestler & Online Play

The game will absolutely have a Create-a-Wrestler mode. AEW understands this is a beloved feature and it’s a high priority to them as well. They know some fans like to use the CAW suite to create themselves, fictitious characters and wrestlers from other promotions.

There will “absolutely” be online play. Wrestling fans can play with their friends or against their friends. They are exploring ways to incorporate cross-play functionality, so [example] gamers who own the AEW video game on Xbox can play against people who own the console game on Playstation. Online mode will involve all match types and specific functions will be exclusive to online play.

Geta’s Involvement

Finally, they asked about the process of getting Hideyuki “Geta” Iwashita on board with this project. Geta was the driving force behind WWF No Mercy (N64), the 2000 classic that is considered by many to be the best wrestling video game ever.

Kenny Omega says he did a lot of footwork on this game before AEW even launched. When he was still over in Japan, he visited the AKI studio, creators of WWF No Mercy. He spoke with the one remaining team member who worked on the game. Much of the original team has moved on. Many of them are developing mobile games. They all loved working on wrestling video games.

Omega received a message from someone he met at E3. This friend informed him that he was friends with Geta, who heard about the visit with AKI. Geta was eager to meet. Omega flew to Japan, where they decided to make a game together ‘when the time is right.’ They had additional meetings. AEW then linked up with Yukes and Geta was excited to join the team.

You can watch the the premiere episode of AEW Games: 2.Show below. Kenny Omega and Kip Sabian discuss the AEW game:

Tuesday’s 1/5 episode of Impact Wrestling on AXS TV averaged 148,000 viewers and a 0.04 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. The show ranked 140th on cable for the evening, according to ShowbuzDaily.

The first Impact of 2021 featured the latest from Kenny Omega, Don Callis and the Good Brothers, Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards, Havoc & Neveah advancing to the finals of the Knockouts tag title tourmanent and more. You can view our full recap here:

• Impact Wrestling Results (1/5): Super Elite Takes Over

Impact’s viewership was up from the previous week, which drew 103,000 viewers and a 0.01 rating for the ‘Best of 2020: Part 2’ recap show.

Impact faced stiff competition from cable news election coverage of the two United States senate races in the state of Georgia.

MSNBC’s Election Coverage program at 8pm topped the night in cable viewership with 4.655 million viewers and a 0.68 A18-49 rating. CNN’s Election Night In America at 10pm did 3.815 million viewers and a 0.92 A18-49 rating.

Impact Wrestling presents Genesis this Saturday night on Impact Plus. The following weekend is Hard to Kill on pay-per-view.

The conclusion of AEW New Year’s Smash (Night 1) saw the shocking reunion of the Bullet Club. It was the latest chapter in a fast-moving shake-up of the professional wrestling landscape led by Kenny Omega and Don Callis.

Omega recently crossed over to Impact Wrestling and aligned himself with former partners, The Good Brothers (Gallows & Anderson). The trio are set to main event Impact’s next pay-per-view, Hard to Kill. Their opponents will be Impact World Champion Rich Swan and the Motor City Machine Guns.

At Dynamite, the ‘reunion’ came more into focus. Following Omega’s successful title defense over Rey Fenix, Jon Moxley came out. Mox had a barbed wire baseball bat and sought revenge on the man who beat him for the AEW title. Gallows & Anderson appeared and provided backup for The Cleaner. A brawl ensued, with additional AEW talent joining the fray.

AEW World tag team champions The Young Bucks hit the ring, but they soon revealed their true intentions. Nick and Matt Jackson aligned with Omega, Gallows and Anderson. Dynamite went off the air with the former Bullet Club members embracing in the middle of the ring with their famous “2 sweet” hand gesture.

Backstage after the show, the guys posed for this photo:

Bullet Club Reunion in AEW

This reunion of Bullet Club members solidifies that this is a bold new direction for AEW. It will likely be be one of the company’s top storylines in the months ahead. It also poses several interesting questions to consider as we look ahead:

• Jon Moxley is the current target of Omega and company. He has been a longer in AEW thus far. However, there are strength in numbers. Who could Moxley against this dangerous ‘new’ faction?

• Where do former Club members Hangman Page and Cody Rhodes fit into the equation?

• The ‘club’ now has a presence in multiple promotions, including AEW, Impact Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Could this angle be the next step signaling a working relationship with NJPW?

• Perhaps the biggest question is how this new faction relates to the current incarnation of the actual Bullet Club. The organization’s members currently include NJPW stars Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Bad Luck Fale, KENTA, El Phantasmo, Dick Togo, Jado, Taiji Ishimori and more.

What do you think about the Bullet Club reunion in AEW? Let us know in the comments section.

WWE has announced the first NXT takeover event of 2021.

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

WWE has released the first promo video for the event, which you can view in the player below. WWE has not yet announced a theme for the next Takeover, but the video does play into the fact that February 14th is Valentine’s Day.

NXT has a penchant for reviving classic pay-per-view themes. In 2020, we saw NXT shows branded with In Your House, Halloween Havoc and WarGames. The ‘St. Valentine’s Day Massacre PPV’ event from 1999 would be a logical option here.

To get an idea of the title defenses we might see, here is a roll call of NXT’s reigning champions:

• NXT Champion: Finn Balor
• Women’s Champion: Io Shirai
• North American Champion: Johnny Gargano
• Tag Team Champions: Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch
• Cruiserweight Champion: Santos Escobar

Details On The Next NXT Star Getting Called Up to The Main Roster

Snoop Dogg got physical during his appearance at Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite.

The rap legend was on hand to promote Go-Big Show, the new talent competition show that premieres Thursday on TBS. Snoop and Cody Rhodes are two of the celebrity judges.

Snoop Dogg accompanied Cody Rhodes to the ring for his match against Matt Sydall. Cody was victorious, but Luther and Serpentico hit the ring after the match and attacked the babyfaces.

Cody and Sydall eventually got the upper hand and then Snoop got physically involved. Snoop climbed the top rope and delivered a big splash onto Serpentico.

They counted the three and Snoop celebrated his big ‘win.’

Snoop Dogg Flies on AEW Dynamite

You can see video of Snoop Dogg’s big moment on AEW Dynamite in the video player embedded below:

Snoop Dogg’s cousin, WWE Superstar Sasha Banks, replied to AEW’s tweet and told Snoop they’re going to have to work on the form of his top rope dive.

The AEW TNT Championship has received a facelift.

After Brodie Lee Jr. was awarded the TNT Championship at his father’s tribute show, AEW announced that version of the title was being retired.

On Wednesday’s Dynamite, Darby Allin came out with the new TNT Championship belt. The belt design is very similar, except the strap is now black instead of red.

Darby Allin defends the TNT tile next week at New Year’s Smash (Night 2) against “The Machine” Brian Cage.

Darby Allin is the 3rd man to hold the prestigious belt after Cody Rhodes and the late Brodie Lee.

Cody Rhodes Calls TNT Championship The Most Important Wrestling Belt Of 2020

WWE’s YouTube channel has uploaded the latest NXT injury report.

According to NXT General Manager William Regal, Timothy Thatcher is injured. The undisclosed injury took place while he was training for the Pit Fight against Tommaso Ciampa that was scheduled for tonight’s New Year’s Evil event.

“With proper rehab, Mr. Thatcher should be back to action soon,” said Regal. “But due to the brutal nature of tonight’s match, our team could not clear him in good conscience.”

Regal finished by saying that as soon as Timothy Thatcher heals, he and Tommasso Ciampa will sort out their differences in the fight pit.

We wish Timothy Thatcher a speedy recovery and will provide an update if details surrounding the injury are made public.

You can watch the Timothy Thatcher NXT injury report below:

NXT Champion Finn Balor has some thoughts about WWE’s decision to feature part-time legends in high-profile matches.

Balor defends his championship Wednesday night against Kyle O’Reilly at New Year’s Evil. He spoke to Metro.co.uk this week to promote the show.

Hulk Hogan recently complained that younger WWE wrestlers are cold to him backstage. He says this is partially because they are worried about him coming in to ‘steal their spot.’

Many WWE performers have been critical about legends coming in, competing in main events and taking that main event money and spotlight from the current generation. Finn Balor was asked about this dynamic and says it doesn’t bother him at all.

“I believe that everyone has a place in this business, and if you’re on the show, you’re on the show for a reason,” he began. “If you’re on the show once a year, if you’re on the show every night, that’s down to everybody’s individual circumstance.”

Finn Balor: “I welcome these legends with open arms”

Balor believes legends have earned the right to wrestle occasional matches well after the prime of their careers. “It doesn’t affect me and it shouldn’t affect anyone else.”

On Monday’s Raw, 54-year-old Goldberg returned and shoved WWE Champion Drew McIntyre to set up a match at the Royal Rumble. Even though WWE has a locker room full of young talent that could benefit from this opportunity, Balor defends that it is better to have ‘some Goldberg’ than ‘no Goldberg.”

“For me, when the tide comes in, all the ships rise,” he said. “If we can have Goldberg on the show, if we can have anyone on the show for one night, I feel it’s better one night than never. I welcome these legends with open arms.”

Visit Metro.co.uk to read the full interview with Finn Balor.

Major League Wrestling kicks off 2021 with the special event, Kings of Colosseum. The show will feature a double main event and three huge championship matches.

MLW Kings of Colosseum 2021 premieres at 7pm (Eastern) and is presented for free on the MLW YouTube Channel, Fubo Sports, Roku and DAZN.

The following matches are confirmed for the show:

• World Middleweight Champion Myron Reed vs. Lio Rush

• National Openweight Champion Alex Hammerstone vs. Mads Krügger

• Tornado World Tag Team Championship: The Von Erichs (Ross & Marshall) defend against The Dirty Blondes (managed by Aria Blake)

• Grudge Match: Simon Gotch vs. Jordan Oliver

Plus, Salina de la Renta has a bombshell announcement to deliver.

MLW has uploaded the “cold open” video package that will air at the start of Kings of Colosseum. Check back Thursday morning for our Results & Takeaways feature.

WWE presents NXT New Year’s Evil tonight on the USA Network live from the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida.

NXT’s special events are typically great and New Year’s Evil should be no exception. NXT facies stiff competition from AEW New Year’s Smash on TNT, so fans are in for another great night of wrestling from both companies.

WWE has announced the opening match (Karrion Kross vs. Damian Priest) and the main event (Finn Balor vs. Kyle O’Reilly) will air without any commercial breaks.

NXT New Year’s Evil Card

The following matches are advertised for the show:

• NXT Champion Finn Balor defends against Kyle O’Reilly of Undisputed Era.

• Karrion Kross vs. Damien Priest will open the show.

• Rhea Ripley vs. “Big Mami Cool” Raquel González in a Last Woman Standing Match

• “The King of the Ropes” Gran Metalik challenges Santos Escobar for NXT Cruiserweight Championship.

Check back later tonight for our NXT New Year’s Evil Results & Takeaways feature.

Catch up on the latest NXT News and NXT Results.

• WWE Moving Forward With Second NXT Show

AEW President Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone returned to Impact on AXS TV this week with another sponsored ad spot. Khan said they are continuing the holiday spirit of helping the less fortunate by funding Impact with the paid ad.

Schiavone ran down the card for Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. It will be the first night of a 2-week special, New Year’s Smash.

Tony Khan then denied Don Callis’ claim that he was partially responsible for the formation of AEW. Khan said that he was the man responsible for AEW’s funding, resources, television relationships, booking, hiring talent and more.

Khan told Callis, “You do nothing for the wrestling business. You’re a parasite on this business.” The Tony’s will be back on Impact next week with another ad, and he’ll pay for the air time with a $100 bill his grandmother sent him for Christmas. Tony Schiavone’s reaction to this line was priceless.

Watch Tony Khan & Tony Schiavone’s latest paid advertisement from this week’s Impact Wrestling in the player embedded below:

Bullet Club for Life

Kenny Omega, Don Callis and The Good Brothers also appeared on Impact on AXS TV. They hyped their upcoming match at Hard to Kill on January 16th.

Omega, Gallows and Anderson addressed their opponents, Impact World Champion Rich Swan and the Motor City Machine Guns. Omega said those guys are teammates for now, but they’re not family like Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers.

The gang said they are Bullet Club for life. Watch the promo below:

Jay White’s days in New Japan Pro Wrestling could be coming to an end.

“Switchblade” challenged Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom (Day 2). Unfortunately, he came up short. After the event, he was so distraught that he announced his plans to leave the promotion after New Year’s Dash.

During the post-show backstage media scrum, White said, “I feel like I am physically closest to death that I have ever been, and hopefully that I ever will be. You just all saw what I put on the line. I put myself at risk. Not directly for your entertainment. For myself.”

He questioned why nobody came to help him when he was in such bad shape, physically and emotionally.

Jay White bemoaned, “I will never be appreciated like I should be” before talking about everything he’s had to sacrifice in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He’s spent years away from his family and put everything into his career, only to fail on the biggest stage of them all. No matter how much he believed this was his moment, his time, his destiny – he was wrong.

White then yelled, “I am not going to do this anymore” and announced, “maybe my time would be better spent some place else.” New Japan Pro Wrestling can make him show up at New Year’s Dash, but after that, he’s done.

You can watch Jay White’s comments after Wrestle Kingdom 15 in the player embedded below:

The 2021 WWE Royal Rumble takes place on Sunday, January 31st from the ThunderDome at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The show airs live on the WWE Network.

On Monday’s WWE Raw, Bill Goldberg returned as part of Legends Night. Goldberg confronted WWE Champion Drew McIntyre during the final segment of the broadcast. Goldberg issued a challenge to McIntyre and shoved him down to the mat.

With that match set, the following is the current lineup for the Royal Rumble:

• WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends against Bill Goldberg

Men’s Royal Rumble Match:

• Daniel Bryan
• Bobby Lashley
• AJ Styles
• Randy Orton
• 26 to be determined

Women’s Royal Rumble Match:

• Nia Jax
• Shayna Baszler
• 28 to be determined

Royal Rumble Rules

The rules for the Royal Rumble are simple. The battle royal begins with two Superstars in the ring. At timed intervals, another Superstar joins the fray. This continues until 30 people have entered the match.

Eliminations occur when a wrestler goes over the top rope and both feet touch the floor at ringside. The final person standing is the winner. They earn an opportunity to challenge for a championship of their choosing at WrestleMania.

Last year’s winners were Drew McIntyre and Charlotte Flair. McIntyre went on to WrestleMania to defeat Brock Lesnar and win his first WWE Championship. Charlotte faced Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania and captured the NXT Women’s Championship for a second time.