Impact Wrestling on AXS TV returns tonight with the first new episode of 2021.

Impact finished the year strong with the hot inter-promotional storyline involving AEW World Champion Kenny Omega, Don Callis and the Good Brothers. Omega and Callis will be on hand tonight as the built continues for Hard to Kill later this month.

The following matches are advertised for Tuesday’s Impact:

• Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards

• Jordynne Grace & Jazz vs. Nevaeh & Havok: Winners advance to Knockouts Tag Team Tournament Finals.

• KC Navarro vs. Crazzy Steve vs. Ace Austin & Blake Christian

• Rhino & Cousin Jake vs. Joe Doering & Eric Young

• Moose vs. Matthew Palmer in a ‘Last Three Minutes’ Challenge.

Impact Wrestling: Hard To Kill

The card is taking shape for Impact Wrestling’s next pay-per-view, Hard to Kill. Here is the updated lineup for next weekend’s pay-per-view:

• AEW World Champion Kenny Omega & Impact Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers vs. Impact World Champion Rich Swann & The Motor City Machine Guns

• Knockouts Champions Deonna Purrazzo vs. Taya Valkyrie

X-Division Champion Manik vs. Chris Bey vs. Rohit Raju

Knockouts Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals: Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz vs. Jordynne Grace & Jazz OR Nevaeh & Havok

The Impact Wrestling Hard to Kill event takes place Saturday, January 16th. You can order the show now at Fite.tv for $39.99.

Matt Hardy has released a video explaining why the Hardy Boyz are the greatest tag team in pro wrestling history. Matt says he and Jeff will hold tag team gold once again. He also slams WWE Chairman Vince McMahon for attempting to “confuse the marketplace” with the Hardy Bros. tag team.

Matt calls himself the most innovative and creative trailblazer in all of pro wrestling history. He is the brains, the captain, the manager and the motivation behind the greatest tag team ever – and he’s got the evidence to back it up.

Hardy Boyz: #GTTOAT

The Hardy Boyz are the only tag team in history to hold World Tag Team Championships from WWE, WCW, Ring of Honor and Impact Wrestling.

There are several other teams that are in the conversation for Greatest Tag Team of All Time. Hardy named the Road Warriors, The Rock and Roll Express, the Young Bucks and even The New Day.

However, the Hardy Boyz are more popular than them all. Aside from being tag team legends, Matt and Jeff have both held multiple world championships as singles competitors.

Matt claims it is a ‘documented fact’ that the Hardy Boyz have sold more merchandise than any team in history. In 2000, the the team made 20x their WWE downside guarantees because they sold so much merchandise.

The Hardy Boyz are still 100% healthy and in their prime of their careers. Matt assures viewers that he and Jeff will hold championship gold together once again.

Matt Hardy Slams Vince McMahon & The Hardy Bros.

Matt then turned his attention to Vince McMahon and the new Hardy Bros. tag team. He says McMahon is so obsessed with the greatness, success and popularity of the Hardy Boyz that he’s ripped them off with the Hardy Bros.

WWE has paired Jeff Hardy with another “Matt” (Riddle) in an effort to confuse the marketplace recreate the magic of the originals.

Matt Hardy says the Hardy Bros. will not be successful. He says the Fake Razor Ramon and Fake Diesel had a better chance of getting over than the Hardy Bros.

British artist David Speed has created an amazing mural honoring the late Brodie Lee (Jon Huber). Lee recently passed away due to a lung disease unrelated to Covid-19.

Speed noted on Twitter that he does not post any wrestling content on his social media channels, but was compelled to create this work and share it with his followers because he found the Brodie Lee tribute episode of AEW Dynamite so moving.

The mural has received unanimous praise online from the wrestling community.

In the second page of the Instagram post embedded below, you can see video footage of Speed creating the work.

Bravo, Mr. Speed.

David Speed co-hosts the popular Creative Rebels business podcast.

Tonight’s WWE Raw on the USA Network takes place from the ThunderDome in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The first Raw of 2021 will be a star-studded affair. The show is billed as a Legends Night, with Hall of Famers and legends scheduled to be in attendance.

Legends confirmed for WWE Raw Legends Night include Alicia Fox, Beth Phoenix, Big Show, Boogeyman, Booker T, Candice Michelle, Carlito, Hillbilly Jim, Hulk Hogan, IRS, Ivory, Jacqueline, Jeff Jarrett, Jimmy Hart, Kurt Angle, Mark Henry, Melina, Michael “PS” Hayes, Mickie James, Ric Flair, Sgt. Slaughter, Tatanka, Torrie Wilson, Teddy Long

• Hulk Hogan: “Some of the Younger Guys Are Really Cold to Me”

WWE Championship Match

WWE is advertising that a “clash of the titans” will usher in 2021 for the red brand. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre’s first title defense of the new year will take place on Raw against Keith Lee.

Lee defeated Sheamus last week to earn the championship opportunity. After Raw, Keith Lee guaranteed victory over McIntyre.

Drew Mcintyre issued a stern warning to the challenger ahead of their face-off on Raw:

Alexa Bliss Update

Last week’s Raw ended with a cliffhanger. Alexa Bliss doused herself in gasoline and dared Randy Orton to set her on fire.

The Raw preview at WWE.com reads, “Since Orton set The Fiend ablaze at WWE TLC, Bliss has summoned The Legend Killer from ‘Alexa’s Playground’ hoping to evoke her demonic leader. How did Orton respond to Bliss’ fiery proposition last week?”

Tune in to tonight’s Raw to learn if Randy Orton set Alexa Bliss on fire!

IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley made a surprise appearance at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 15 event.

• NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 Results (Day 1)

Moxley appeared from the NJPW dojo in Los Angeles, California to declare that he is ready to defend his championship.

“Many men have vied for that US title contract,” he said. “They all thought they would get off easy. They all hoped and prayed that the United States Heavyweight Champion would never return. But I am the boogeyman and New Japan Pro Wrestling, I will get you eventually.”

Moxley finished by saying, “So, whoever walks out of the Tokyo Dome with that contract, make no mistake about it. I’m comin’ for ya.”

You can watch Moxley’s full promo in the player embedded below:

KENTA, the current holder of the IWGP US Heavyweight championship contract, tweeted this to Moxley hours after Wrestle Kingdom 15:

KENTA followed up with another message, that stated (translated), “I’ve been ready for about half a year.”

Rap sensation Bad Bunny has released the new music video for his latest hit, Booker T. The song is off the album, El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo (‘The Last Tour in the World.’)

Lyrics for the Spanish-language song can be read at Genius.com. The chorus of the song is as follows, including English translation:

Porque estoy en mi peak (ey)
Estoy en mi peak (‘toy en mi peak)
Soy un rey, campeón, Booker T (wuh, wuh, wuh) (Booker T)
Estoy en mi peak, ey (‘toy en mi peak)
Estoy en mi peak, ja (‘toy en mi peak)
Mírame en lo que me convertí (mírame, mírame)

Because I’m at my peak (hey)
I’m at my peak (‘toy at my peak)
I’m a king, champion, Booker T (wuh, wuh, wuh) (Booker T)
I’m at my peak, hey (‘toy at my peak)
I’m at my peak, ha (‘toy at my peak)
Look at me what I’ve become (look at me, look at me)

The 5-time World Champion stars in the video, which can be seen in the YouTube player embedded below:

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 is finally upon us. The two-day event from Japan’s Tokyo Dome kicks off in a matter of hours, the threat of a national State of Emergency be damned.

Wrestle Kingdom begins at 3AM (Eastern) early Monday and Tuesday morning. You can watch at NJPW World or FITE.TV.

Tetsuya Naito is in for the challenge of his life. He’ll defend both titles against Kota Ibushi at Night 1. Should he retain, Naito goes on to defend both belts against Jay White at Night 2.

Also on the cards, Kazuchika Okada takes on Will Ospreay in a special singles match. 2020 World Tag League winners, The Guerrillas of Destiny, look to reclaim the IWGP Tag Team championships against the Dangerous Tekkers (Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi). Sanada faces Evil and we’ll see the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship and NEVER Openweight Championship up for grabs.

Wrestle Kingdom 15 Card

Here are the complete lineups for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15:

Day 1: January 4, 2021

• IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championships Match: Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Kota Ibushi
• Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Great O-Khan
• Best of the Super Juniors Winner vs. Super J-Cup Winner: Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Phantasmo
• IWGP Tag Team Championship: Dangerous Tekkers (Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.) (c) vs. Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)
• KENTA vs Satoshi Kojima
• New Japan Rambo

Day 2: (January 5, 2021)

• IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championships Match: the winner of the previous day’s match between Tetsuya Naito and Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White
• SANADA vs. EVIL
• NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Jeff Cobb
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. the winner of the previous day’s match between Hiromu Takahashi and El Phantasmo
• KOPW 2021 Trophy Match

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley has tested positive for Covid-19 after holding a virtual autograph signing on December 12th.

Foley posted a message on social media to discuss his situation. Foley says there were only two people in the room with him for the signing. They both wore masks, but he took his off so he could better interact with fans. One of the two people in the room with him for the signing later tested positive for the virus.

As of January 1st, he has been isolated in a hotel room for 18 days. He has experienced various symptoms, including body aches, loss of smell and fatigue. However, the worst part for him was being away from his family for Christmas and New Year’s.

Mick Foley has been outspoken on social media about the need for people to wear masks and protect others. He understands the irony that he got Covid-19 by taking his mask off. He said, “I did my best” but quickly corrected himself by adding, “Well, I could have done better.”

Foley has cut back on his schedule dramatically this year, but is still working remotely. He thought that would keep him safe, but unfortunately one ‘exception’ was all it took to be exposed.

SEScoops wishes Mick Foley a full and speedy recovery.

You can watch Mick Foley’s message about contracting Covid-19 below:

WWE has uploaded a video of various Superstars remembering the late Jon Huber, best known to wrestling fans as Brodie Lee and Luke Harper.

The video below includes messages from Xavier Woods, Keith Lee, Mustafa Ali, John Morrison, Kofi Kingston and several others.

Amanda Huber, widow of late Brodie Lee, posted a message on Instagram reflecting on Wednesday night’s tribute show. She said her words and the photos could not do it justice, but the entire show was perfect, from top to bottom.

The little Easter eggs, the tributes, the matches, and the moments.” I’m not sure what it looked like on tv, and I’m sure sometime soon, I’ll see for myself. But I can tell you in person, the love in that building last night was real. It radiated all night long. You could feel it in the air. It was devastating and beautiful and a testament to one of the best people to walk this earth.”

Huber said that AEW is the most amazing community and called Tony Khan the kindest and most genuine person she’s ever met. “He loved my husband. He loves wrestling. He loves AEW. And he loves my family. Real, authentic love.”

She said she’s been around wrestling for a long time. She’s seen the absolute worst aspects of the business. AEW’s tribute show was heartfelt and genuine.

“Nobody was just ‘putting on a show.’ It was real and raw emotion and just fucking beautiful.”

You can read her full statement and check out the photos she posted at Instagram.

AEW World Champion Kenny Omega recently filed several new trademark applications.

On December 27th, the United States Patent & Trademark Office shows that attorney Michael Dockins filed the applications on behalf of Omega’s ‘KO 7 Productions’ LLC for:

• The names “Kenny Omega” and “The Cleaner”
• The “Omega” Greek symbol

According to the filing, Omega first began using his ring name in 2001 and the Cleaner name in 2014. All three marks include the following usages:

“Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainment personality; Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personality; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer”

The Kenny Omega name also includes a usage for dietary and nutritional supplements. Omega recently partnered with the Redcon1 nutrition company to introduce his own ‘Total War’ pre-workout supplement.

Kenny Omega is set to appear on next week’s Impact Wrestling, along with Don Callis and the Good Brothers. He will defend the AEW World Championship next week against Rey Fenix at AEW New Year’s Smash (Night 1).

Ben Carter is set to debut for WWE next week.

Earlier this month, WWE announced that Carter will soon be joining the NXT UK brand. Talk Sport reports that Ben Carter’s first WWE television appearance will take place on the January 7th episode of NXT UK’s WWE Network show. He will reportedly be Noam Dar’s guest on the Supernova Sessions talk segment.

Ben Carter is only 22-years-old and has a very bright future ahead of him. Prior to joining WWE, Ben Carter wrestled for AEW and Impact Wrestling. He trained under WWE Superstar Seth Rollins at the Black & Brave Wrestling Academy.

• More Details on Ben Carter Signing With WWE

The entire wrestling world came together Wednesday night to witness All Elite Wrestling’s tribute to a fallen brother, Brodie Lee.

It was a very emotional broadcast that many viewers will never forget. Brodie Lee was adored for the man he was to his peers and respected for the father and husband he was to his family.

Brodie Lee had a memorable 2020 with AEW, but spent the past decade working for WWE. During that time, he forged friendships with Superstars as they traveled the world and made memories that will last a lifetime.

• AEW Retires TNT Championship Design In Honor Of Brodie Lee

WWE Stars React to AEW’s Brodie Lee Tribute

Several WWE wrestlers reacted to AEW’s Brodie Lee tribute on social media, including Daniel Bryan, Sasha Banks, Big E, Bayley, Sami Zayn and more:

WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan is doing the media rounds to promote next week’s “Legends Night” edition of WWE Raw.

The Hulkster spoke with India Today about a variety of topics, including Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre impressing him this year, the death of Pat Patterson, what it takes to win the Royal Rumble and more.

When asked how he feels when people refer to him as the greatest pro wrestler of all time, Hogan was gracious and shifted that spotlight to the one and only “Nature Boy” Ric Flair. Hogan went as far as to call Flair his hero and the the man who laid the groundwork for everyone else to follow.

“Well, you know, I will gracefully accept and acknowledge that compliment because it means so much, especially coming from my peers, to say that. The guy who is my hero, and who I think is the greatest wrestler of all time, that’s Ric Flair.”

“So I do appreciate the comment but I have a different opinion about who is the best wrestler and the greatest of all time, I have to go with Flair. It’s in his blood and he laid the groundwork. He raised the bar that no one has really been able to follow as far as work ethic.”

Hulk Hogan on Pat Patterson & The Royal Rumble

Regarding the recent death of Pat Patterson, Hogan said Patterson helped so many wrestlers and has a huge legacy that evokes all kinds of emotions. When he was just getting into wrestling, Pat Patterson helped teach him how to take bumps, how to go out through the ropes and do all kind of stuff. They became close friends over time and it was a very tough day when he passed.

Hulk Hogan won the Royal Rumble twice during his WWE career. He says no matter what number you pull, the odds are against you. “You just never know who is gonna come at you, who is gonna cheap shot you, who acts like they might help you but is just there to set you up and stab you in the back,” he said. “You have to pace yourself. You have to have eyes on the back of your head. Otherwise, you don’t survive the Royal Rumble.”

Matt Riddle will be a WWE Superstar for several more years.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently reported that Matt Riddle’s WWE contract was set to expire in August 2021. WWE has been courting Riddle in hopes of locking him in longterm. Dave Meltzer, wrote, “It’s said he’s pretty much agreed to terms for a three-year deal at $400,000 per year guaranteed plus $50,000 for every show in Saudi Arabia.”

Fightful Select has provided an update on Matt Riddle’s negotiations. Riddle reportedly turned down the original offer, despite the guaranteed salary. WWE made a counter offer, which Riddle agreed to. The contract was signed last week.

Matt Riddle in WWE

Riddle joined WWE during the summer of 2018. His first on-screen appearance took place at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV. He was shown at ringside during the event in the same manner WWE has shown off other high-profile talent acquisitions. He wrestled on the NXT brand from October 2018 through May 2020.

He joined WWE’s SmackDown brand for a few months before getting moved to Raw during October’s Superstar Draft. Riddle currently teams with Jeff Hardy. WWE recently filed to trademark the name, Hardy Bros, which indicates they have plans for this team to remained paired together for the foreseeable future.

WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan recently praised Matt Riddle. During an intro with Metro UK, Hogan said of Riddle, “I’ve been watching him and he’s really got good instincts. He’s really got a good aptitude for understanding what needs to be done, you know. It’s all about instincts and timing.”

Hogan added that Matt Riddle’s timing is off a little bit, but he’s getting better and Matt Riddle is the next Superstar he would ‘put his money on.’

• Matt Riddle Talks About His “Backstage Heat” With Certain Wrestlers

WWE presents the final episode of NXT TV tonight on the USA Network.

One week out from the New Year’s Evil special event next Wednesday, January 6th, WWE has confirmed the following items for the show:

• Bronson Reed vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott

• Roderick Strong vs. Pete Dunne

• NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano vs. Leon Ruff

• Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Breezango

• Mercedes Martinez will be in action

Plus, NXT will announce the winner of the 2020 Year-End Awards.

NXT 2020 Year-End Award Nominees

The nominees for all categories are below:

Female Competitor of the Year:

• Rhea Ripley
• Dakota Kai
• Tegan Nox
• Candice LeRae
• Kay Lee Ray
• Io Shirai

Breakout Star of the Year

• Pat McAfee
• Damian Priest
• Shotzi Blackheart
• Cameron Grimes
• Dexter Lumis
• Timothy Thatcher
• Raquel Gonzalez
• Santos Escobar
• Ilja Dragunov

NXT Event of the Year:

• NXT UK Takeover Blackpool II
• NXT Takeover Portland
• NXT Takeover: In Your House
• NXT The Great American Bash
• NXT Takeover XXX
• NXT Takeover 31
• NXT Halloween Havoc
• NXT Takeover: Wargames

Rivalry of the Year

• Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee
• Candice LeRae vs. Io Shirai
• Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano
• Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes
• Shotzi Blackheart vs. Robert Stone
• Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Gonzalez
• WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov
• Kay Lee Ray vs. Piper Niven

Tag Team of the Year

• Undisputed ERA
• Oney and Danny
• Breezango
• Imperium
• Gallus
• Legado Del Fantasma

Male Competitor of the Year

• Finn Bálor
• Adam Cole
• Johnny Gargano
• Keith Lee
• WALTER
• Tommaso Ciampa

Tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite will be a special tribute show honoring the life of the late Brodie Lee (Jon Huber).

Dynamite will feature a special card of matches dedicated to the Exalted One, along with tribute messages from the AEW roster. According to AEW President Tony Khan, the night is intended to honor Jon, but also this is for Amanda, and their sons Brodie (-1) & Nolan.

AEW Dynamite Brodie Lee Tribute

AEW Dynamite will feature some of -1’s favorites teaming together for one night only:

• Cody Rhodes, Orange Cassidy & 10 vs. Team Taz

• The Young Bucks & Colt Cabana vs. Matt Hardy & Private Party

• “Hangman” Adam Page, Silver & Reynolds vs. MJF, Santana & Ortiz

• Anna Jay & Tay Conti vs. Dr. Britt Baker & Penelope Ford

• Lance Archer, Evil Uno & Stu Grayson v. Eddie Kingston, The Butcher & The Blade

New Year’s Smash, the two-week event that was scheduled to begin Wednesday night, will now be held on January 6th and January 13th.

Impact Wrestling named its “Best of 2020” Awards during this week’s Impact on AXS TV. Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo was the big winner, scoring honors for not only Knockout of the Year but also Wrestler of the Year.

July’s Slammiversary pay-per-view was “Moment of the Year” and that show’s main event was Match of the Year.

Here is the full list of winners:

• Wrestler of the Year: Deonna Purrazzo

• Tag-Team of the Year: The North

• Knockout of the Year: Deonna Purrazzo

• X-Division Wrestler of the Year: Ace Austin

• Moment of the Year: Slammiversary 2020

• Match of the Year: Eric Young vs. Rich Swann vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin vs. Trey Miguel (Slammiversary)

Deonna Purrazzo Reacts

Deonna Purrazzo commented on Impact Wrestling recognizing her greatness. She wrote,

“This year has been my most challenging. To finish 2020 as WRESTLER OF THE YEAR only validates every trial & tribulation I’ve faced to date. I’ve been true to myself & true to my craft and for that, I’m most proud. Welcome, EVERYONE, to the Age of the #Virtuosa”

Congratulations to Deonna Purrazzo.

WWE legend Kane appeared on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast this week, hosted by John Poz and Dr. Tom Prichard.

They spoke about a wide variety of topics, including Kane’s time in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, his Dr. Isaac Yankem dentist gimmick, working with Steve Austin, Pat Patterson, Brodie Lee and more.

Kane is forever linked to his greatest rival and (storyline) brother, The Undertaker. When asked his thoughts about The Undertaker’s Final Farewell at last month’s Survivor Series pay-per-view, Kane called it a “bittersweet” occasion.

“It’s bittersweet,” he began.. “I’m happy for Mark and the fact that not many folks get to retire on their own terms and leave the business the way they want to. So, I’m very happy about that. On a personal level, that’s great, but as a fan, it kind of stinks because it’s the Undertaker. He’s one of my favorites, not only because of our personal history but also just as a fan.”

The Undertaker’s Reign

The Undertaker’s 30 year reign spanned multiple eras of WWE history. It is truly amazing to look back at how things were back in 1990 and everything that transpired during The Undertaker’s career. Kane says he is easily the greatest wrestling character ever. Sometimes he was the #1 guy in the company, but he didn’t need to always be the top guy. When he wasn’t #1, he was “1A” – a special attraction that was in a class of his own.

Kane reflected, “Just carrying the company through all these cycles in wrestling, you look back and he came in and Hulkamania, then things went really down in the early 90s. When it comes back up, he’s there, and he’s been there ever since. [The Undertaker’s retirement] was just bittersweet.”

Kane on WWE ThunderDome

Kane also commented on WWE adapting to the coronavirus pandemic. He feels that the ThunderDome concept has been successful and executed very well.

“The pandemic – I think WWE has actually done the best out of the spectator sports of trying to have the feel of a live audience,” he said. “They really have done a good job with the ThunderDome concept. But nevertheless, certainly, we would’ve liked to have had 20,000 people there as opposed to 4,000 people watching on monitors. The whole thing was done very well.”

You can listen to the full podcast episode at Player.fm.

Kane and Dr. Tom Prichard run the Jacobs-Prichard Wrestling Academy in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sasha Banks had some fun this week showing off a a ‘new’ look inspired by Ruby Riott.

The WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion posted a series of photos on Instagram stating that she will be doing more photo shoots inspired by the looks of WWE Superstars.

She noted that she is trying to manifest a makeup channel and even her own makeup line that could come to fruition in 2021.

As seen in the photos below, Sasha Banks went all the way with her transformation, including makeup, wig and temporary tattoos.

Visit Sasha Banks’ Instagram to view more of the photos of her ‘Ruby Riot’ look.

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair spoke with WWE.com to promote next week’s “Legends Night” edition of WWE Raw. During the interview, Flair spoke about his close longtime friendship with Triple H.

Flair says Triple H exemplifies the world “legend” more than anybody else and deserves a proper retirement match to mark the end of his in-ring career.

“I’m actually hoping to see him have a huge retirement match, if he even elects to retire in the future,” said Flair. “He deserves every bit of it and all the recognition to go with it. … He exemplifies ‘Legend’ more than anybody because he is not only a great performer, he has studied the business, he is a historian. He probably knows more about the business than I do and I’ve been in it 30 years longer than he has.”

Triple H last wrestled at Super Showdown in Saudi Arabia back in June 2019. Earlier this year, WWE celebrated his 25th anniversary with the company.

Ric Flair on Triple H’s Dedication

Flair says that Triple H truly loves the business. After a Hall of Fame career, Triple H is taking all the knowledge he acquired to mentor the next generation of Superstars in NXT.

“He’s accomplished all this through his efforts and he has ascended himself to a place of not just being a great worker, he’s helped to impact the company with the growth of NXT,” said Flair. “He basically lives the kind of schedule we did in the old days. He wouldn’t have it any other way. He won’t miss anything, and he’s always wanting to see the company grow.”

In addition to Ric Flair, other legends announced for the first WWE Raw of 2021 include Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, Mark Henry, Torrie Wilson and more.

Tony Khan has announced that Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite will be a special tribute show honoring the late Brodie Lee.

Khan wrote on Twitter, “”This Wednesday on #AEWDynamite, we’ll celebrate the life of Jon Huber (Mr. Brodie Lee) with a show including tributes and a special card of matches dedicated to The Exalted One. This night is intended to honor Jon, but also this is for Amanda, and their sons Brodie (-1) & Nolan.”

AEW Dynamite Brodie Lee Tribute

The card will feature some of -1’s favorites teaming together for one night only:

• Cody Rhodes, Orange Cassidy & 10 vs. Team Taz

• The Young Bucks & Colt Cabana vs. Matt Hardy & Private Party

• “”Hangman”” Adam Page, Silver & Reynolds vs. MJF, Santana & Ortiz

• Anna Jay & Tay Conti vs. Dr. Britt Baker & Penelope Ford

• Lance Archer, Evil Uno & Stu Grayson v. Eddie Kingston, The Butcher & The Blade

New Year’s Smash, the two-week event that was scheduled to begin Wednesday night, will now be held on January 6th and January 13th.

All Wrestling Wrestling presents a new episode of AEW Dark this Tuesday night at 7PM (Eastern) on the AEW YouTube channel.

This week’s Dark features in-ring action from Miro, Rey Fenix, Thunder Rosa and more. Here’s the full card

• Dark Order (Colt Cabana, 5 & 10) vs. Fuego Del Sol, Aaron Solow & Ray Jaz
• Peter Avalon vs. Mike Verna
• Bear Country vs. Jurassic Express
• Rey Fenix vs. Danny Limelight
• Lee Johnson vs. Stu Grayson
• Kilynn King vs. Alex Gracia
• Miro vs. Sonny Kiss
• Madi Wrenkowski vs. Leyla Hirsch
• Thunder Rosa vs. Jazmin Allure
• Matt Sydal vs. Serpentico
• Nyla Rose vs. Tesha Price
• Terrence & Terrell Hughes vs. The Gunn Club
• Vertvixen vs. Red Velvet

Plus, Dr. Britt Baker hosts The Waiting Room with special guest, Serena Deeb.

Check out our preview for Wednesday’s special AEW Holiday Bash edition of Dynamite:

AEW Holiday Bash Preview For December 23rd

WWE Champion Drew McIntyre has joined Cameo, the service that allows people to purchase personalized video messages by celebrities. He charges $400 per video. The Undertaker sold 30 Cameo videos for $1,000 a pop last month, so why not?

Both The Undertaker and Drew McIntyre’s Cameo accounts were sanctioned by WWE and promoted by the company’s official channels, so these are separate from WWE forcing talent to shut down their personal accounts with third-party series like Twitch and Cameo.

WWE Icons is a new documentary series coming to the WWE Network next month. The first episode will focus on the life and career of the late WWE legend Yokozuna.

WWE Icons premieres Sunday, January 31st immediately following WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view. You can see a ‘first look’ of the series below:

Speaking of the WWE Network (and Yokozuna), the latest “classic content drop” includes 10 episodes of WWE Superstars. The shows originally aired from August through October of 1993 during the sumo champion’s first WWE Championship reign.

All Elite Wrestling will finish the year strong with three special holiday-themed editions of AEW Dynamite that extend into the first week of January.

The following is the AEW Dynamite holiday schedule:

• December 23rd: AEW Holiday Bash
• December 30th: AEW New Year’s Smash (Night 1)
• January 6th: AEW New Year’s Smash (Night 2)

Wednesday’s Holiday Bash edition of AEW Dynamite will have a special start time. The show will begin immediately following the NBA game, around 10pm (Eastern).

As usual, it’s a stacked lineup.

AEW Dynamite Holiday Bash Preview

Young Bucks vs. The Acclaimed

The Acclaimed has received a lot of attention since recently joining AEW. The duo has already built a 7-1 record and are already the number 5 ranked tag team in the company. Max Caster and Anthony Bowens made their AEW Dynamite debuts last week. The Young Bucks were scouting them at ringside. After picking up a win, the Acclaimed challenged Nick and Matt Jackson to a match at Holiday Bash.

The Acclaimed has looked impressive, but they will be up against their toughest challenge to date against AEW’s world tag team champions, the Young Bucks. A win would cement the Acclaimed as an AEW tag team to reckon with.

Chris Jericho & MJF vs. Top Flight

Chris Jericho and MJF appear to be back on the same page after Jericho recently presented the Inner Circle with an ultimatum. The Dinner Debonair co-stars will have to be quick on their feet at AEW Holiday Bash when they face Top Flight. Jericho and Friedman know every trick in the book to get an edge on their opponents, but they will have to stay on their toes vs. Top Flight.

PAC vs. The Butcher

PAC returns to action against one of Eddie Kingston’s henchmen, The Butcher.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Evil Uno

“The Natural” Dustin Rhodes did not take kindly to the Dark Order attempting to recruit him two weeks ago on Dynamite. The 51-year-old legend gets a chance at revenge against Evil Uno.

Jurassic Express vs. Dark Order

Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus and Marko Stunt will square off vs. Colt Cabana, 5 and 10 of the Dark Order.

We will also see:

• AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida will be in action.
• Sting will be interviewed by Tony Schiavone
• Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford will announce their wedding date.

As of this writing, AEW has not announced anything for AEW World Champion Kenny Omega, TNT Champion Darby Allin, Cody Rhodes or Team Taz.

Join us this Wednesday for our AEW Holiday Bash results and takeaways feature.

Friday’s Christmas Day edition of WWE SmackDown on Fox will feature two big championship matches and the return of the steel cage.

Big E got a pin on Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn during the 8-man tag match on the WWE TLC pay-per-view kickoff show. As a result, WWE has announced Big E earned a title shot for his efforts.

All Big E wants for Christmas is the Intercontinental championship. He may get his wish in just a matter of days.

Steel Cage Christmas

The other big match announced for SmackDown involves another championship. Specifically, Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship.

Roman Reigns was victorious over Kevin Owens at TLC. He won a brutal tables, ladders & chairs match over Kevin Owens, but employed the help of his cousin Jey Uso to get the win. Reigns will not have backup this Friday when he and KO are locked inside the cold steel cage on the final SmackDown of 2020.