Author: Steve Russell

WWE SmackDown Superstar Dolph Ziggler has called out WWE’s production team for missing a crucial Royal Rumble moment. Ziggler would be the first Superstar to receive a spear from Edge, who made his return during the event. Unfortunately, this moment was missed on screen as the production team cut to shots of the crowd.

Dolph Ziggler’s Disappointment

Taking to Twitter, Ziggler initially criticized the team. He asked, “who cuts away from an official in-ring return, while two opponents are running towards each other?”

He followed up with a more understanding take, acknowledging how people make mistakes. Regardless, he noted how a “very special moment was inexplicably missed” because of it.

Unseen Footage

WWE has since uploaded a video titled “Unseen footage of Edge’s Royal Rumble return on WWE Network” to their YouTube channel.

Unsurprisingly, this footage showcases a different angle to Edge’s return. The video captures not only Edge’s emotional return, but also the full impact of Dolph Ziggler receiving the spear. This spear was the first the Rated-R Superstar delivered as an active in-ring competitor in 9 years.

Last night on Monday Night RAW, Edge’s former Rated-RKO tag team partner Randy Orton would brutally assault him. The attack came after Orton proposed a team reunion, before striking with an RKO. He proceeded to attack a defenseless Edge with a steel chair.

All Elite Wrestling’s Cody Rhodes was a recent guest on Inside the Ropes. During the interview, he reflected on seizing an opportunity to share some time with WWE Legend The Undertaker during the 2008 Royal Rumble matchup. 

Cody Rhodes’ Chance

Cody recalled how, upon entering the Rumble matchup, The Undertaker was isolated in the corner with no other Superstars around him. Grabbing his chance to have some time with “The Dead Man,” Rhodes decided he was going to go after him. He proceeded to hit him as hard as he could to the back of his head, causing The Undertaker to turn and level a glare on him. 

This led to a back-and-forth between the two. ‘Taker would grab Cody by the neck before being told what to do next. 

“I kick him in the knee and he goes ‘dropkick me’! I get so excited, I jump up, I dropkick him and he takes a bump!” Cody said. “You can see I didn’t know what to do, the goal is to get the guy out of the match but I’m not going to pick him up, so I just stood there and then went into the corner and started fake punching someone else.”

Cody had high praise for The Undertaker, sharing how he loves everything the Legend does for the business. He noted how “Everything about this guy is about giving back. He really did not need to do that.”

H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcription. 

WWE NXT UK United Kingdom Champion WALTER has opened up about his goals in pro wrestling. He also shared who he considers his current dream opponents.

Speaking with ESPN, WALTER revealed how his main drive is to represent professional wrestling “in the right way.” For him, this translates to spreading its message in the most “effective” way possible. He asserted that to do this, he needs to be in the top spot.

Looking back at establishing himself in that top spot, WALTER points to his recent domination in NXT UK:

“My debut for WWE in Blackpool last January at NXT UK Takeover, I think that was a good moment, because it felt like all of the things I did before paid off. From there on, things just took off.”

WALTER’s Dream Opponents

When it comes to dream matches for the big Austrian, there are plenty of Superstars fans might pair him with. For WALTER, however, two names top the list: Daniel Bryan and Cesaro.

“[…] they’ve always put on very athletic and competitive matches, they’re proper, wrestling-based opponents,” he explained. “I’ve always appreciated that and have been excited about watching them.

Although WALTER was not a part of last night’s Royal Rumble matchup, he was asked about how he would have felt if WWE offered him a spot. He felt that he couldn’t answer the question, but noted that if WWE had asked him, he would “definitely” have accepted the opportunity.

WALTER and his Imperium teammates recently defeated NXT’s Undisputed Era during Saturday’s Worlds Collide event. Unfortunately, Alexander Wolfe was knocked out during their clash. Wolfe took to Twitter after the incident to let the WWE Universe that he’s alright, thanking the officials for taking care of him.

Last night, RAW Superstar Drew McIntyre emerged victorious from the 2020 Royal Rumble matchup. The opportunity to compete at WrestleMania came down to McIntyre and Roman Reigns. After his win, he caught up with Charly Caruso backstage for a WWE.com exclusive interview.

Drew McIntyre Dedicates His Win

When asked how he felt having won the Royal Rumble for the first time, and earning his championship opportunity, an emotional McIntyre replied:

“I can’t find the words, there’s literally no words. The past 18 years, the past 12 years in America, every up, every down, every single second was worth it after that moment when I threw Roman out and I heard 40,000 people react the way they reacted, and I’m going to WrestleMania.”

He continued, “The first person that came to mind was my wife. You don’t really think about it when you’re on the road—the fans don’t—but we’re away from our family all the time. You know, they endure as much as we endure on the road, and we give so much of ourselves to the fans, and we give it willingly, this is our dream. You know, and they’re the ones holding the fort at home. So, this one’s for her, and I’m going to WrestleMania.”

McIntyre’s Choice

Drew McIntyre now has a choice as to which championship he wishes to contend for. He recently expressed his interest in facing WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. It’s worth noting that McIntyre eliminated a dominant Lesnar from last night’s Rumble after entering the fray.

“If I won the Rumble, it’s the same guy I’ve had in mind for years. I’d fight Brock Lesnar in a second,” McIntyre declared. “A lot of people on the roster genuinely wouldn’t want to get in the ring with him. They are terrified of the idea. I want to get in the ring with him. I know we could put on a heck of a spectacle and a fight.”

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After having defeated Roderick Strong for the NXT North American Championship on this week’s episode of NXT, Keith Lee took part in an exclusive interview with WWE.com.

“Let me educate you on something about Keith Lee. If you saw the battle that happened out there: four men trying to take down one Limitless specimen—a deity if you will—then you see the result,” Lee said, looking towards his championship.

“All it takes is an opportunity. Cap off? No, sir, I’m just getting started. You see, now there was a great end to 2019. A fantastic beginning to the year 2020, but we don’t stop here,” Lee said. “Every day is a grind. Every day we become better than the day before. This is the beginning of what could possibly become the most prestigious champion in all of WWE because now the NXT North American Championship is also like me…limitless.”

Is Keith Lee Royal Rumble Bound?

With the Royal Rumble taking place this Sunday, some are wondering whether Keith Lee could make an impact in the Rumble match. On this week’s episode of WWE Backstage, CM Punk shared his explanation as to why he thinks Keith Lee “should” be the Superstar to win it.

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Former WWE Superstar Alex Riley has opened up about the issues between himself and John Cena. Speaking candidly with Chris Van Vliet, Riley reflected on how the problems between himself and Cena stemmed from “two men just not liking each other.”

“As sad as that is, it had an impact on my career because he is who he is,” Riley explained. “I just happened to be in a situation where, right from the start, it was just … he didn’t like me. I just don’t think he did. I tried to change that the best I could. I worked very hard and tried to do the best I could to grow and learn and fit in in the way a wrestler fits in and he wanted me to fit in. It just kinda got to the point where, a little bit, even some of the other guys would kinda be like, ‘what’s up with that?’ ‘I don’t know.’ So it was a tough situation.”

Alex Riley & John Cena’s Argument

Riley shared an occasion between them where a mistake was made. He couldn’t remember who had made the mistake itself but confessed that they subsequently got into a “little bit of an argument.” Trying to make amends, Riley explained how he went straight to Cena the next day to try and apologize.

He believed that Cena was offended by what had transpired. Riley reiterated that their working relationship boiled down to “two grown men that just didn’t see eye-to-eye at the time.” He added that he isn’t holding on to any grudges as he isn’t interested in having things like that hang over him.

Riley was a part of NXT in 2010 before his main roster association with The Miz. He was with WWE until he was released from his contract in 2016.

H/T to ProWrestlingSheet for the transcription.

WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair recently spoke with Digital Spy. During the interview, she was asked about whether WWE needed to host a follow up to 2018’s Evolution. For her, it’s not necessarily about standing out because it’s an all-female event. Although she is a fan of the concept, she would rather put on the most memorable match, regardless of whether the show features men and women or just women.

“I’m a huge fan of Evolution,” Charlotte said. “But I also think there’s something to whether we have an all-female Pay-Per-View or not. I’m a firm believer that I want to be on the card with men going, ‘I’m going to have the best match.’ So do I want Evolution? Yes, but if it’s something that doesn’t happen again I’m not opposed to it because I want to go, ‘Okay, I had the best match out of any male or female on the roster.’”

Charlotte Flair On Her TakeOver Turning Point

Charlotte also divulged her and her father, Ric Flair, hardly spoke about wrestling when she first began pursuing it as a career. According to Charlotte, Ric never talked about the business with her. That all changed, however, after her matchup against Natalya at NXT TakeOver in 2014.

“When I first started (wrestling) there was really no communication,” she said. “He didn’t talk about the business with me. I just don’t think he ever saw the women in that light. Then when he came to my Takeover match with Natalya he was like, ‘Oh wow.’

She continued,” After that, he knew I was all on board because I had never said, ‘Hey dad, I want to be a WWE Superstar.’ It was something my brothers aspired to be. So I think when he was like, ‘Oh, wow, she’s serious about this and is good.’ That’s when our relationship and bond about the business took off.”

Charlotte Flair is one of the 30 participants in this Sunday’s women’s Royal Rumble event. The show takes place from Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.

WWE SmackDown commentator Corey Graves has addressed Matt Hardy’s recent tweets. Hardy has been hinting that his time in WWE may be coming to an end. Speaking on his podcast, After The Bell, Graves shared how he would love Hardy to stay in WWE. He pitched how he would be a “great addition” to WWE’s creative team.  

Corey Graves Wants Matt Hardy To Stay In WWE

Graves praised Hardy as a “master of being creative and creating doubt and raising questions amongst the Internet wrestling community.” He added how he hopes that Hardy doesn’t leave WWE as, on a personal level, he considered him a friend and great person.

“I also want to know why someone as creatively gifted as Matt Hardy isn’t asked or invited to contribute in a creative role,” Graves stated. “I don’t know that he’s been vocal about that anywhere but in the television locker room where we sit and complain about life, but I think Matt Hardy would be a great addition to the creative end of things here in WWE.”

He continued, “We’ve seen what he is capable of on his own outside of WWE and within and I mean, the guy’s resume speaks for itself. It’s not like you’re hiring some guy off the street who went to theater school, this is Matt freakin’ Hardy – one half of one of the greatest tag teams of all time. The guy is awesome. He is of great value and importance in my opinion.”

“Do Right By Matt”

Corey Graves noted how he hasn’t spoken with Hardy recently and isn’t even sure what he might want for himself.

Regardless, he wants to make sure they “do right by Matt.” For him, that would include Hardy finding his place in WWE and embracing it. Graves then stressed that WWE needs to “find a better role for Matt Hardy because we want him.”

H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcription.

WWE SmackDown Superstar Carmella has opened up about what helped influence her Staten Island accent. Speaking with The Wrap, Carmella revealed how she wanted her character to originally come from Boston. However, after discovering that Sasha Banks was from there, she made the decision that her character should come from Staten Island instead. Turns out that Carmella drew inspiration from several TV shows to help her hone her accent.

“I was religiously watching ‘Mob Wives’ and ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey,’” she said. “Man, I just did so much character research — ‘The Sopranos,’ everything.”

Carmella continued, “It’s funny, the Impractical Jokers, Sal and [Brian ‘Q’ Quinn] and them, they’re from Staten Island, obviously. And they’re like ‘Oh my gosh, you do that so good!’ And that makes me feel good. I’m like cool, I can convince people from Staten Island that I’m from Staten Island.”

She would go on to debut her character as the “Staten Island Princess” in NXT, aligning herself with then-fellow NXT Superstars Enzo Amore and Big Cass. Carmella recently had a run with R-Truth as a comedic double act, mostly centered around the WWE 24/7 Championship. That partnership came to an end following last year’s WWE Draft after Carmella was drafted to SmackDown.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) has unfortunately revealed that Kota Ibushi will not be joining them for their New Beginning USA Tour. The promotion provided an update to fans, explaining that Ibushi has contracted Type-A Influenza, hence his absence.

They shared the updated cards alongside their official statement:

“As a result of contracting Type-A Influenza, Kota Ibushi will not be participating in the New Beginning USA tour, which starts January 24 in Tampa. Changes have been made to the five cards Ibushi was set to wrestle on. Details are displayed below. Kota Ibushi and New Japan Pro-Wrestling would like to sincerely apologize to fans who were looking forward to seeing him compete. We appreciate your understanding.”

NJPW New Beginning USA Tour Changes

1/24 TAMPA

6th Match- Elimination match

Kota Ibushi, Rocky Romero, Hiroshi Tanahashi, David Finlay & Juice Robinson vs Jado, Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga

Elimination match

Rocky Romero, Hiroshi Tanahashi, David Finlay & Juice Robinson vs Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga

1/26 NASHVILLE

7th Match

Kota Ibushi, Rocky Romero, David Finlay & Juice Robinson vs Jado, Chase Owens, Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga

Rocky Romero, David Finlay & Juice Robinson vs Chase Owens, Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga

1/27 RALEIGH

6th Match

Kota Ibushi, YOSHI-HASHI, Hiroshi Tanahashi, David Finlay & Juice Robinson vs Jado, Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga

YOSHI-HASHI, Hiroshi Tanahashi, David Finlay & Juice Robinson vs Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga

1/30 MIAMI

6th Match

Rocky Romero, David Finlay & Juice Robinson vs Jado, Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi

David Finlay & Juice Robinson vs Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi

7th Match

Kota Ibushi & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa

Rocky Romero & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa

2/1 ATLANTA

2nd Match

Rocky Romero & YOSHI-HASHI vs Misterioso & Alex Coughlin

YOSHI-HASHI vs Misterioso

6th Match->4th Match

Kota Ibushi vs Chase Owens

Rocky Romero vs Chase Owens

WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray has high praise for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) stars Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley. During a recent episode of Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray stated how the two are delivering “main event level storytelling” to AEW.

“They have me interested in their storyline. I mean, it’s impossible not [to be] if you have Moxley and Jericho. They’re good—they’re not good storytellers, they’re great storytellers, they’re great wrestlers, they’re great performers, they’re great entertainers” Bully Ray said. “You don’t work in the WWE at main event levels if you’re not and they’re bringing that main event level storytelling and performing to AEW.”

His co-host, David LaGreca, then juxtaposed their feud with how the Heenan family’s rivalry with Hulk Hogan. He speculated that Jericho will throw all of his Inner Circle members at Jon Moxley in the hope that Moxley won’t make it to their pay-per-view matchup in February. 

“He [Moxley] could always run through everybody, and then they beat him down, they re-injure the eye. Just layer up the story until they get to the eventual match. Does Moxley win his first attempt? Who knows. I think AEW has done a good enough job with their storytelling to keep us on our toes where we’re not quite sure who’s going to win.”

Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley face off for the AEW World Championship at AEW Revolution. Moxley won the opportunity after defeating PAC during this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. The pay-per-view takes place on February 29th at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. 

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WWE Superstar Sheamus has discussed why his tag team with Cesaro, The Bar, was split up. Speaking with Cultaholic while promoting WWE’s move to BT Sport in the United Kingdom, Sheamus shared how the team had achieved all they could do as a team, leaving them without much new territory to explore.

“Well, me and Cesaro have achieved everything there is to do. We’re five-time tag champs; I think The Bar is something, it’s like, we have cemented our legacies as The Bar. We can always go back to that. I think when we do, it will be massive. But we’re both on a bit of a singles journey at the moment, and there’s still a lot I want to achieve as a singles guy. Obviously, the Intercontinental title is the one I still haven’t won, so that’s all I really care about right now.”

Sheamus’ Hiatus

Sheamus recently returned to in-ring action following a lengthy hiatus. During that time away from the ring, he considered retiring from wrestling, admitting how “It’s something that’s always in the back of your mind. It’s no secret that I had a couple of issues physically, a few injuries because it is physical what we do,” Sheamus said. “And then my style as well, it trebles that, you know? There were a couple of times when I thought, ‘Will I make it back in there?’”

He will be competing against Shorty G this Sunday at Royal Rumble. The event takes place from the Minute Mark Park in Houston, Texas.

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