In some unfortunate news, popular independent wrestler and rising ROH star, Flip Gordon, suffered an injury during Sunday night’s Honor Reigns Supreme show. The event went down in Concord, North Carolina.

It appears as though Flip Gordon injured his knee after a heavy landing following a running dropkick onto his opponent, Tracy Williams. As soon as he rose from the mat, Gordon began to immediately limp and favor his knee before collapsing to the canvas.

He attempted to gut out the rest of the matchup, despite the seriousness of his limping, but ROH referee, Todd Sinclair, would eventually intercede and officially end the match after Gordon rolled to ringside in clear pain.

Once Tracy Williams was declared the winner, Gordon would then be helped to the back.

You can see the dropkick occur in the video below:

https://twitter.com/GIFSkull/status/1084621209608699904

This past July, Gordon signed a two-year deal with Ring of Honor that will see him as a part of the company through to 2020.

All of us here at SEScoops hope the injury isn’t serious, and that Flip Gordon can get back to doing what he does best in-ring as soon as possible.

We’ll keep you updated as more news on the injury develops.

Damien Sandow made a name for himself during his tenure in WWE as a solid in-ring performer and as a consummate team player. Whether it was portraying the character of Sandow as the “Intellectual Savior of the Unwashed Masses,” teaming with then-Cody Rhodes as part of the Rhodes Scholars or acting as The Miz’s shadow as Mizdow, Sandow was willing to commit himself to every role he was given.

Speaking recently on the ‘Why It Ended with Robbie E’ podcast, Sandow discussed a range of topics including his time impersonating The Miz. He also recalled WWE Chairman Vince McMahon’s reaction to the character.

“All I Could do Was The Best I Could Do”

“Vince called me over and he was like, ‘Did you fall down?’ ‘Yep.’ He goes, ‘Alright, I’ll be the only one that will pull you back. You have a green light.’ That was it.”

“It was positive,” Sandow asserted. “Again, WWE is not my sandbox. If I wanted to have creative control, I’d start my own wrestling company. All I could do was the best I could do. There’s no ill feelings toward anybody. There’s no complaining, no ‘woe is me, woe is me.’”

He continued, saying, “Frankly, the reason why Mizdow was over so much is because, again, I was given something consistent to do. They knew what they got with me. Whatever would be given to me, I don’t think was a question as to whether it would succeed or not; however, they chose to go with different people post-Mizdow, too. There’s nothing I can do. I had no known enemies. No one gave me a reason and you know what? I really don’t care what the reason is because life goes on and that’s what you have to do in order to not lose sleep at night.”

Mizdow was a popular act during its time in WWE, with Sandow getting cheered and entertaining people worldwide as he assisted The Miz, whether it was as a tag team partner or just to ringside.

Did you enjoy Mizdow during its time, or were you a bigger fan of his time as the “Savior of the Unwashed Masses”?

Triple H was present last night for WWE’s NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool event. It was only a few days ago that WWE opened their new state-of-the-art NXT UK Performance Center. This was done during a London press conference.

In a recent interview with Inside The Ropes, Triple H revealed a unique insight into how he views WWE’s “perceived” hierarchy and what that could mean for NXT talent.

“There are some talent here, that you might see come from the UK, that might move straight to Raw or SmackDown,” Triple H said.

“I think, right now, there’s sort of this perceived system of where it’s kinda – [1] Raw, [2] SmackDown, [3] NXT, [4] NXT UK. I don’t believe that, I believe that talent are talent and I believe they will sit where they sit. I believe you’ll see talent over the next few years start coming up to Raw and SmackDown, and I think you’ll see them move back over into NXT, or come back into the NXT UK system. I think talent will begin to evolve and rotate through territories, so to speak.”

NXT Globetrotters

Triple H thinks that “there will be some talent that will be incredibly successful, will be global names, will be global household names, that will probably never leave the NXT system because that’s their home base and that’s where they fit, and they’ll have incredibly successful, meaningful careers. And probably, over those careers, they’ll gravitate through different locations within the globe, maybe without never being on Raw or SmackDown, but that not being any lesser to their careers.”

This is an interesting take on the WWE’s plans towards a global NXT developmental system. Trying to eliminate the hierarchy and create a level playing field for Superstars to freely jump between brands could lead to some interesting feuds and brand allegiances in the future.

What do you think? Is this level playing field approach realistic, or will Raw and SmackDown always rank higher than their NXT counterparts?

Stephanie McMahon was present as a guest speaker at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. The event is an annual trade show that takes place in Las Vegas. Stephanie was there to deliver a talk regarding “WWE’s Women’s Evolution.”

Whilst there, she was interviewed by Variety. It was during this interview that she shared what her personal WrestleMania 35 dream match would be.

“My dream matchup is the main event at WrestleMania, regardless of who’s in it,” said Stephanie. “I think it’s gonna happen, but I also think it’s not easy.”

When asked whether her response was related to current market or expectation, she rebuffed the suggestion, stating that “What’s great about [WWE’s current product] is that our women and men are truly competing for the spotlight right now. It’s a great conversation and it’s about who belongs there, not because of their gender but about who’s the bigger star.

Who’s delivering? It’s this great atmosphere right now. It’s always a family but, of course, there’s competition. It’s exciting. It’s fun and that’s the way it should be.”

“It Was Never Believed That They Could Be The Main Event”

Stephanie then spoke about the rise of women’s wrestling within WWE. She admitted that “The way we portrayed our women was in a secondary-type role. It was never believed that they could be the main event or the draw.”

She went on to explain that “What happened was, in our developmental system, [Triple H] started recruiting athletes vs. models – both men and women. He started training the women the same way the men were being trained and giving them the same match time, the same reps, the same opportunities on television.

As a result, our women started to truly rise and they started to steal the show to the point that our fan base started chanting, “This is wrestling” and “Women’s wrestling.”

Chris Jericho made an immediate impact when he signed with All Elite Wrestling. This revelation occurred during AEW’s recent Double Or Nothing event rally on January 8th.

Since then, pro wrestling fans worldwide have been buzzing with anticipation over what a wrestling renaissance man like Jericho will bring to the startup promotion.

Recently, Jericho spoke with WSVN-TV Entertainment reporter, Chris Van Vliet. They discussed a number of topics ranging from All Elite Wrestling to speculation over other big names that could become involved with the company, and even provided an update on Roman Reigns’ current health. They also addressed how Jericho approached Vince McMahon regarding signing his AEW contract.

When asked when he had decided to sign with AEW, Jericho responded, “As the past year progressed, going from New Japan to All In to The Cruise, and kind of seeing how life was on the other side, I realized, like The Young Bucks, like Kenny Omega and these guys, you can make a good living outside the WWE. Then when you have a billionaire getting involved, suddenly you have the biggest offer of my career — by far — I couldn’t say no. For the next three years, it’s AEW. That’s where I’m signed, and that’s the contract that I have.”

Future AEW Talent?

With the excitement surrounding AEW, names have already been bandied about as to who else could end up with the company. Two that Jericho was asked about included CM Punk and Kenny Omega.

Jericho stated that Punk’s “not so much a free agent as he is a retired wrestler,” though he would love to have Punk involved.

Regarding Omega, Chris said “Once I signed, the last remaining huge free agent is Kenny Omega. Jericho and Omega were the two. Where’s he gonna end up? I hope it’s with AEW, I really do. I guess we’ll find out because his contract ends very quickly.”

Vince McMahon

When it came to telling his former boss, Vince McMahon, over his ultimate decision, Jericho recalled that he “[…] spoke to Vince before I signed, and he knew it. The words we exchanged were very amicable, and it wasn’t like it was a surprise. Business is business. Vince McMahon is my friend; I respect him, I love the guy — no ill will whatsoever, just the business road took me this way. I would’ve been crazy not to do it because I might insult somebody. I think the first guy who would agree with that is Vince.”

The Big Dog

Jericho then provided a health update on WWE Superstar, Roman Reigns, saying:

“He’s doing his treatment, and I think things are going really well. I don’t really know much about leukemia,” he admitted. “I don’t know what the endgame is as far as when you’re ‘cured’ — when it goes into remission, when you can do physical matches or travel or whatever it is. But we talk to him quite a bit. I’ve got a group text with him in it, and I text him on the side quite a bit. He always seems to be doing pretty well and in good spirits.

We love him, and I think it’s just a matter of time before he comes back. But more importantly that he stays healthy for his family, for sure.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZh8yGNUd_4

Up and coming NXT Superstar, Bianca Belair, has been impressing a lot of people with her development and performance during her time on the yellow-and-black brand — not only WWE executives and fans but legends and peers.

Speaking with Jim Varsallone of the Miami Herald, Belair shared some stories regarding her in-ring name and ring gear as she discussed her upcoming matchup against Shayna Baszler. The two are scheduled to compete for the NXT Women’s Championship at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix on January 26th.

All Herald The NXT EST

“My actual real name is Bianca Blair,” she explains. “Growing up, people always told me my name had a ring to it. People always remembered my name and so I wanted to think of something that was very similar to it. I just stuck an ‘E’ between the ‘B’ and the ‘L,’ made it from Bianca Blair to Bianca Belair. That’s where that name came from.”

When it comes to ring gear, Belair says that she favors “pretty much anything that stands out. Anything that is shiny.” She extrapolated, saying, “Anything that glitters, that’s why I’m into rhinestones. Superstars wear sequins, so I wear sequins and rhinestones. That’s where my whole gear comes from. The lip print that just highlights my femininity. I pride myself on being an athlete and I have muscles, but at the same time I am a woman and my muscles make me empowered as a woman. My lip print is just my step on everything, every time I step in the ring.”

The conversation then turned to January 26th and her match against current NXT Women’s champion, Baszler.

She claimed to be “100% ready” for the match, adding that “As an athlete my whole life I have been taught to always stay prepared, so I never have to get ready. I’ve been ready for this. I’ve been begging for this match. Basically begging for the title opportunity and now I have it.
Going in I know that Shayna, she comes from a great background. She’s coming in with a whole other skill set that I know absolutely nothing about it.
At the same time, I think about it, I walked in the Performance Center two and a half years ago knowing absolutely nothing about what I was getting myself into and look how quickly I’ve caught on. I’m going into this match 100% confident that I’m coming out with the NXT Women’s Championship.”

Do you think Belair can do it? Will she be walking out of Phoenix victorious?

The Monday night after this year’s Royal Rumble, Raw broadcasts from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. WWE also had a SmackDown Live show scheduled that night in Tucson, Arizona.

Unfortunately, that SmackDown Live event has been canceled.

The Tucson Convention Center and WWE issued an official announcement, quoting “production issues” as the reason behind the decision.

Given the McMahon/Triple H promise to shake things up, a post-Rumble Raw featuring Superstars from both brands might be an intriguing way to kickstart this new initiative. Previous WWE Drafts/Superstar Shake-Ups have often led to re-energised storyline opportunities for the WWE Universe to enjoy.

Failing that, it would provide the SmackDown Live roster a night off.

Official Statement

“WWE® LIVE JANUARY 28 IN TUCSON CANCELLED

STAMFORD, Conn., January 11, 2019 – The WWE (NYSE: WWE) live event scheduled for January 28 at the Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, AZ has been cancelled due to production issues.

All tickets purchased will be refunded at point of purchase.

Monday Night Raw® on January 28 and SmackDown® Live on January 29 at Talking Stick Resort Arena will take place as scheduled; tickets are available at www.Ticketmaster.com.”

What do you think? Could this be an indication for a 2019 Draft? Is a Shake-Up the way to go?

WWE’s new state-of-the-art Performance Center in the United Kingdom is officially open for business.  According to WWE.com WWE.com, the NXT UK Performance Center consists of “17,000 square feet, two training rings, and world-class strength and condition equipment,” as well as boasting “versatile content creation infrastructure.”

The UK Performance Center promises to train future WWE Superstars under a comprehensive program, in-ring training, and character development. More than 30 wrestlers signed to the NXT UK brand will soon begin training at the UK Performance Center.

A press event was held on Friday to celebrate the grand opening. Triple H, WWE’s EVP of Talent, Live Events & Creative, revealed this will be the first of many new Performance Centers outside the United States.

“It’s about going the world over and finding the greatest athletes and the greatest performers in any market we can,” he said. “It’s an incredible undertaking, looking for the greatest athletes from around the world, bringing them to places like this that will be set up around the world to train that next generation of Superstars.”

Among those in attendance for Friday’s UK PC unveiling were Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Charlotte Flair, Finn Balor, and Performance Center Head Coach, Matt Bloom.

At this point, it’s no real secret that WWE wants to debut NXT Superstar Lars Sullivan in a major way. The company have been playing hype videos on both Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live for months in anticipation of his debut.

If, however, you feel that it’s taking a while for Lars to debut, that can be attributed to WWE showing his videos earlier than initially planned.

According to Wrestling Observer Live, these vignettes were scheduled for December. Vince McMahon decided to broadcast them in November instead.

“The big video package for Lars was going to be at the December pay-per-view [TLC] and Vince just decided ‘we’ll do it a month early, let’s do it at Survivor Series.’

So the whole time, they were going to do the whole deal where Raw wants him and SmackDown wants him, and then eventually he would make his decision. That was always scheduled to be in January so when they announced it in November, there were no imminent plans to call him up immediately.”

“He Was Supposed To Be There”

EC3, Lacey Evans, and the team of Heavy Machinery all wrestled in dark matches this past week.

It now turns out this week was also meant to see Lars Sullivan potentially make his televised main roster debut.

Bryan Alvarez clarified, saying: “Lars Sullivan was supposed to appear on Raw on Monday and he wasn’t there. Then he was supposed to appear on SmackDown on Tuesday and he wasn’t there. I have no idea what that means. I have no idea what his future is. I just know he was supposed to be on both of those shows and he wasn’t there.”

“He was earmarked for a very big match at WrestleMania,” Alvarez said. “[…] maybe we’ll know more on Monday, maybe we’ll know more on Tuesday, maybe at the Rumble. […] He was supposed to be there at both shows and he was not there.”

What do you think? Could Lars be debuting at the Rumble in order to make an impact? Who do you think his Wrestlemania match could be with?

We recently provided an update regarding WWE’s main event plans heading into Wrestlemania 35, which takes place April 7th from the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Original plans would have seen Becky Lynch face off against “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey on The “grandest stage of them all,” most likely for the Raw Women’s championship. Important to note is that this would have been a one-on-one contest.

Since that time, WWE has reportedly chosen to go ahead with a triple-threat matchup instead. This will now see Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey, and Charlotte Flair compete against each other, come April.

But if you’ve been hoping for that singles match between “The Man” and Rousey, you may be in luck.

According to Bryan Alvarez from Wrestling Observer Live, WWE apparently has plans in place to deliver this match, sooner rather than later.

“As of today, plans subject to change, the WrestleMania match is Ronda vs. Charlotte vs. Becky in a three-way,” Alvarez confirmed. “But for those of you that want your Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch match, it is still penciled in to take place between now and WrestleMania.”

Besides the Royal Rumble, WWE still has two other events on the ‘Road To Wrestlemania.’ WWE Elimination Chamber takes place on February 17th in Houston, Texas. They also have their Fastlane event, which is scheduled for March 10th in Cleveland, Ohio.

What do you think? Would you prefer this match happened at Wrestlemania instead, or are you excited for the triple-threat?

In a recent interview with Sky Sports, one-half of the current Raw tag team champions, Bobby Roode, disclosed what his Wrestlemania 35 dream match would be.

For the “Glorious” One, he would love to face off against the team of The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson).

“I would love to have that opportunity to walk down that aisle at WrestleMania in a match for the Raw tag team championships,” he admitted.

“In recent weeks we’ve had some really good matches against The Revival. I’d hate to give them another reason to make them think they’re better than they are, but they are a tremendous tag team. With the chemistry that we have together, with the right circumstances at WrestleMania I think we could blow the doors off that place.”

But it doesn’t stop there. If Roode got his way, he and his partner, Chad Gable, would be able to wrestle this match under a specific stipulation — though he’s undecided as to which he would prefer.

“A two-out-of-three falls match or a tag team, iron man match,” he said. “That would be amazing.”

With Wrestlemania 35 taking place on April 7th, WWE still has time to be able to build a feud between the two teams that could see them settle things in a final confrontation on “grandest stage of them all.”

Is this a feud you’d like to see? Out of the two Roode mentioned, what would you prefer to see — two out of three falls, or an iron man tag team match?

We reported yesterday on WWE’s announcement over their new Worlds Collide event — a two-day tournament that will take place at the Royal Rumble Axxess shows this year. The tournament will feature top talent from across WWE’s numerous shows including NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live.

One of the superstars initially listed as a 205 Live competitor was Humberto Carrillo.

In that time WWE has updated their initial post, removing Carrillo’s name from the list of hopeful contenders. In place of a scheduled superstar, it now only reads “A Superstar to be named.”

The Worlds Collide tournament will begin with a 15 man battle royal on Saturday, January 26th. This matchup will help to determine the first round matches based on order of eliminations. These 1st round matches will be subsequently contested later that same day. The winner of the battle royal will be granted a bye for the first round, so you know all 15 men will be wrestling hard for that secured opportunity.

205 Live Debut

A possible reason as to why Carrillo was removed from the list of Superstars could be down to his 205 Live status.

At this point in time, he has yet to officially debut for the brand. That, however, could change as soon as next Wednesday’s episode of 205.

With current WWE Cruiserweight champion, Buddy Murphy, issuing a non-title open challenge to anybody on the roster, it would be a perfect chance for Humberto to debut and make an impact. This would then provide ample reason and justification for Carrillo to then be inserted into the Worlds Collide tournament at the end of the month.

If you're under 205 lbs and want a chance to "stop the unstoppable"… boy, has @WWE_Murphy got an open challenge for you! #205Live pic.twitter.com/u33jBDm4zt

— WWE (@WWE) January 10, 2019

Carrillo was one of last October’s class of NXT Performance Center rookies. He has even had a match on NXT TV, losing a tag team match with Raul Mendoza against the team of Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch.

Worlds Collide Tournament Participants

NXT:

• Adam Cole
• Velveteen Dream
• Dominik Dijakovic
• Keith Lee
• Otis Dozovic

NXT UK:

• Mark Andrews
• Tyler Bate
• Travis Banks
• Jordan Devlin
• Zack Gibson

205 Live

• Cedric Alexander
• Tony Nese
• Drew Gulak
• TJP
• A Superstar to be named

Are you excited for the Worlds Collide tournament? With such a selection of top talent, who do you think will win the tournament?

With their ultimate intent being to create developmental systems worldwide that can then feed into their main roster programming, WWE have continued their global expansion efforts, launching new iterations of their NXT brand globally. The first of these was WWE NXT UK.

One thing these international versions lacked compared to Florida, however, was an equivalent to their beautiful state-of-the-art Performance Center.

This morning on British morning television, the WWE NXT UK team of British Strong Style (NXT UK Champion, Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven) appeared on the show, Good Morning Britain, and officially announced that the UK now has one to call their own.

The trio was there in order to speak about this Saturday’s upcoming NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool event.
When speaking on the upcoming show, one of GMB’s hosts likened WWE’s UK effort as a set-up “training camp” for the UK. Seven then divulged that NXT UK now has their own PC, stating, “[…] we’re going to be able to go straight from here to our secret location, our new NXT UK Performance Center just after this.”

“The fact that we get to go back, the fact that we’ve had this investment, […] it’s pretty exciting,” Seven said.

You can watch the video in the tweet below, which has already been re-tweeted by Triple H.

British wrestling superstars from @NXTUK have exclusively announced the launch of a WWE performance centre right here in the UK! @TripleH pic.twitter.com/Fvr2ItBZZF

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) January 11, 2019

NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool

WWE UK Title Match
Pete Dunne (c) vs Joe Coffey

NXT UK Women’s Title Match
Rhea Ripley (c) vs Toni Storm

NXT UK Tag Team Title Tournament Finals
Trent Seven and Tyler Bate vs. James Drake and Zack Gibson

No DQ Match
Eddie Dennis vs. Dave Mastiff

Travis Banks vs. Jordan Devlin

Can Coffey disrupt Dunne’s record-setting reign? Will you be at NXT UK: Blackpool? Who do you think will come out on top?

On this week’s episode of WWE NXT, both Nikki Cross and EC3 wrestled their final matches for the black and yellow brand prior to their imminent main roster debuts.

The two were named in a hype video that WWE released, highlighting a number of NXT superstars that had been called up to appear on either Monday Night Raw or SmackDown Live.

Taking to her Twitter account, Nikki Cross reminisced on her time with the company, saying, “See you down the road @WWENXT This isn’t goodbye…we caused far too much mischief and had too much fun doing it for this to be it…”

https://twitter.com/NikkiCrossWWE/status/1083182120145694720

Nikki Cross would compete in a losing effort against rising NXT superstar, Bianca Belair. EC3 would wrestle later that night against Undisputed Era member, Adam Cole. He would also come up short during their match, thanks to outside interference from the rest of UE.

There is still no official word as to which brand Cross and EC3 will end up on. It is rumored that EC3 may end up on Raw, with Nikki Cross joining her Sanity cohorts on SmackDown Live.

Other NXT wrestlers that have been called up include Lars Sullivan, Lacey Evans, and Heavy Machinery.

Which brand do you think suits each superstar? Do you think they’ll debut soon? Who would you want to see them feud with?

A documentary on NXT commentator, Nigel McGuinness, will premiere after this Saturday’s WWE NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool event. The documentary will stream via the WWE Network at the shows conclusion at 4:30 PM ET.

Entitled “Chasing The Magic: The Nigel McGuinness Story,” the hour-long documentary will tell the story of McGuinness’ ambitions of becoming a pro wrestler, his dreams of wrestling for WWE, and the sad reasons as to why that never came to be.

The official synopsis for Chasing The Magic can be read below:

“The story of Nigel McGuinness, a man with lifelong aspirations of becoming a WWE Superstar, whose career was unceremoniously cut short.”

This Saturday immediately following #NXTUKTakeOver: Blackpool, learn the story of @McGuinnessNigel in a special @WWENetwork presentation. #ChasingTheMagic pic.twitter.com/bFdoSspKWD

— WWE (@WWE) January 9, 2019

Nigel McGuinness had a storied career on the independent circuit prior to signing with WWE in 2016. Wrestling for companies such as Ring Of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), he feuded with many top names in the industry including Chris Hero, Bryan Danielson (WWE’s Daniel Bryan), Samoa Joe, and Kurt Angle, to name just a few.

WWE NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool

WWE UK Title Match
Pete Dunne (c) vs Joe Coffey

NXT UK Women’s Title Match
Rhea Ripley (c) vs Toni Storm

NXT UK Tag Team Title Tournament Finals
Trent Seven and Tyler Bate vs. James Drake and Zack Gibson

No DQ Match
Eddie Dennis vs. Dave Mastiff

Travis Banks vs. Jordan Devlin

Will you be watching the documentary? Were you a fan of Nigel’s during his time wrestling for these promotions?

Together, Carmella and R-Truth were victorious in WWE’s Mixed Match Challenge tournament finals, which took place in December. They defeated the team of Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox during WWE’s Tables, Ladders and Chairs event.

This victory granted them two things: guaranteed #30 spots in their respective Rumble matches, and an all expenses paid vacation to anywhere in the world.

It was at this point that R-Truth divulged that he had taken care of it for the team. He revealed that he had signed them up for a trip to — of all places — WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. To say Carmella was disappointed at R-Truth’s revelation would be an understatement.

This week, the team have been in Stamford, filming various segments following their experience around WWE HQ’s.

R-Truth and Carmella have filmed with Cathy Kelley, and have also recorded segments with Corey Graves and others in and around the headquarters. Each segment will undoubtedly be intended to continue the comedic stylings that the duo have become known for on WWE television.

welcome to stamford ? @RonKillings @CarmellaWWE @WWE pic.twitter.com/mNu0BiTNHn

— Cathy Kelley (@catherinekelley) January 9, 2019

Are you looking forward to viewing these when they view on SmackDown Live? Do you think R-Truth or Carmella could win the Rumble, thanks to their #30 slots?

All Elite Wrestling became official at the start of 2019. Since then, the company has wasted no time in capitalizing on people’s excitement, holding a fan event rally on January 8th. This was done to not only further promote All Elite Wrestling as a new promotion but also to hype their next event, Double Or Nothing.

The event rally also happened to take place mere miles away from that Tuesday’s SmackDown Live show, emanating from Jacksonville’s Veteran Memorial Arena.

The fact AEW’s rally occurred in the same area, so close to a WWE event, doesn’t suggest mere coincidence.

Speaking with members of the press once the rally concluded, Elite member, Hangman Page, was asked whether he views All Elite as competition for WWE.

“That’s not really something we’re focused on,” Page admitted. “We just want to be the absolute best as we can be. That’s all we’re really worried about.”

When asked about the AEW rally taking place in such close proximity to SmackDown, and what the companies intentions were for doing so, Page responded that “[sending a message has] never been our intention.”

“Our intention is to give the fans the best wrestling in the world, the best roster in the world and to have a company that listens to the fans and responds to the feedback,” he clarified. “I think all of our minds are set on that goal and that’s what we’re really looking forward to doing.”

It’s an exciting time in the world of pro wrestling, as new companies are born and others muster their rosters to try and provide engaging, entertaining alternatives to fans worldwide. Could AEW be the promotion that finally provides WWE with competition?

Former WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champion, and one half of the Bludgeon Brothers, Erick Rowan, has been spotted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

According to PWInsider.com, Rowan was there to utilize the training facilities available at the PC.

The Bludgeon Brother has been out of commission since August 2018 due to a torn bicep. That injury required surgery, and since then Rowan has been healing and rehabbing in order to rejoin Luke Harper and get back to in-ring competition.

Rowan suffered the torn bicep during a matchup for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at last year’s SummerSlam event. The Bludgeon Brothers would go on to lose to The New Day via DQ. It was only afterwards that the extent of the injury was discovered.

This revelation would see the Bludgeon Brothers drop the championships to The New Day on SmackDown Live, two days after SummerSlam.

Coinciding with his time at the Performance Center, Rowan sent out the following Tweet, confirming he was in Florida:

“When One is journeying to a place which is called @UniversalORL in the land of Orlando. Which is Best?”

When One is journeying to a place which is called @UniversalORL in the land of Orlando. Which is Best?

— Joseph Ruud (@ErickRedBeard) January 8, 2019

Are you looking forward to Rowan’s return? Do you think the Bludgeon Brothers can make an impact when he does, or do you think it would be better to disband the team?

Months ago, it appeared as though Matt Hardy had retired from in-ring competition. The “Woken Warrior” hinted at this via his social media and through backstage comments, at one point thanking fans for allowing him to live his dream before stating that it was “time to go home and be a father.”

Since then, Hardy has been working for the WWE as a backstage agent and spokesperson.

However, it appears that the Hardy brother may have an itch to get back in the ring, despite his long-standing injuries.

Taking to his Twitter account, Matt Hardy wrote the following whilst promoting the first Raw of 2019:

“Excited to check out the 1st #RAW of 2019 tonight, especially with all the interesting things that are advertised. Most importantly, I need to see where all the pieces are positioned & moving to on the @WWE chess board.

ALMOST TIME TO GET BACK INTO THE GREAT GAME…. AGEEN!”

Excited to check out the 1st #RAW of 2019 tonight, especially with all the interesting things that are advertised. Most importantly, I need to see where all the pieces are positioned & moving to on the @WWE chess board.

ALMOST TIME TO GET BACK INTO THE GREAT GAME…. AGEEN! pic.twitter.com/WFXeCiHb1h

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) January 8, 2019

The last time Matt Hardy competed in-ring was during a WWE Live Event in September 2018. That show saw him complete his “final advertised live event commitment,” teaming with Bray Wyatt against the team of Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre.

What do you think? Would you like to see the “Woken Warrior” rise again, or do you think Hardy should stay as a backstage presence?

This past Monday on Raw, “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey discovered who her next challenger will be, come the Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) on January 27th.

Competing in a hard-fought affair, Sasha Banks would come out victorious in her number one contender matchup against former Raw Women’s champion, Nia Jax.

After the match, Sasha shared her thoughts backstage regarding facing Ronda Rousey at the Rumble.

Taking to her Instagram account, Rousey has since responded, sending a message aimed directly at Sasha Banks:

“@sashabankswwe Congrats on your win against @niajaxwwe last night, it’ll be my honor to defend my #rawwomenschampionship from you. But it’ll be my absolute pleasure dispelling the #fantasy of the #fauxhorsewomen when I beat you at the #RoyalRumble – this is the #reality era, and the real #4horsewomen are here to define it. #TheBossVsTheBaddest #RondaVsSasha #Jan27 #4horsewomenVSfauxhorsewomen check link in bio for context if you missed the action last night.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsYXa2dn-RQ/?utm_source=ig_embed

It’s interesting that Ronda has brought up the Four Horsewomen. Given the other members of the MMA Four Horsewomen are still in NXT, and WWE’s previous plans for a major Horsewomen feud, could this be a hint towards a future rivalry?

Royal Rumble 2019

The Royal Rumble event will take place on January 27th at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.

Women’s Royal Rumble match

Men’s Royal Rumble match

Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (c) vs Braun Strowman

WWE Championship
Daniel Bryan (c) vs AJ Styles

SmackDown Women’s Championship
Asuka (c) vs Becky Lynch

RAW Women’s Championship
Ronda Rousey (c) vs Sasha Banks

WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Fatal 4-Way
Buddy Murphy (c) vs Kalisto vs Akira Tozawa vs TBD

With WWE’s Royal Rumble show taking place at the end of January, the promotion is gearing up for their annual event by announcing new entrants for both the male and female over-the-top-rope Rumbles.

Last night, two new competitors officially entered the men’s Rumble match: Mustafa Ali, and the legend Rey Mysterio.

The official WWE Twitter account wrote the following, regarding Mysterio’s involvement:

“It’s official! @reymysterio will compete in the 2019 #RoyalRumble! #SDLive”

It’s official! @reymysterio will compete in the 2019 #RoyalRumble! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/0KiqzyjOCd

— WWE (@WWE) January 9, 2019

Mustafa Ali took to his personal Twitter account to make the announcement:

“To say that the last month has been life changing is an understatement but don’t think I haven’t been ready. I’m entering the #RoyalRumble. I’m going to change the world. I’m going to win. #SDLive”

To say that the last month has been life changing is an understatement but don't think I haven't been ready. I'm entering the #RoyalRumble. I'm going to change the world. I'm going to win. #SDLive

— Mustafa Ali (@MustafaAli_X) January 9, 2019

Royal Rumble 2019

The Royal Rumble event will take place on January 27th at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.

Women’s Royal Rumble match

Men’s Royal Rumble match

Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (c) vs Braun Strowman

WWE Championship
Daniel Bryan (c) vs AJ Styles

SmackDown Women’s Championship
Asuka (c) vs Becky Lynch

RAW Women’s Championship
Ronda Rousey (c) vs Sasha Banks

WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Fatal 4-Way
Buddy Murphy (c) vs Kalisto vs Akira Tozawa vs TBD

Who do you think is liable to win the Rumble this year? Which Royal Rumble contest are you more excited for?

During Monday’s edition of WWE Raw from Orlando, Florida, Sasha Banks earned the right to challenge Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey at the Royal Rumble. According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, this was not the original plan for the match. Before WWE settled on Sasha Banks as Rousey’s Rumble opponent, the original plan was for Rousey to defend against Charlotte Flair.

Had Rousey faced Flair at Royal Rumble, the belief is that her next major feud would have been against Becky Lynch at Wrestlemania 35. There is still the possibility that we see Ronda vs Flair at Elimination Chamber in February.

Since this switch, Meltzer has speculated that WWE could be building towards a triple-threat matchup. The match would see Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey compete for the championship.

“It’s not official that it’s gonna be a three-way at Wrestlemania,” Meltzer said. “It sure seems that way, yes. I was told it’s not official, it’s under consideration and because it’s under consideration the decision was made to pull the match from the Royal Rumble, which means they’re leaning toward it.”

Ronda’s actions at the end of December’s TLC event, costing both Lynch and Flair during their triple-threat match against Asuka, definitely sets up a natural series of matches. But with Rousey already holding a victory over Charlotte at Survivor Series last year, it will be interesting to see how WWE bring the three women together as we approach Wrestlemania.

What do you think? Are you happy with a triple-threat at Wrestlemania 35 or would you have preferred Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey?

A lot has happened within the New Japan landscape since the end of Wrestle Kingdom 13, which took place January 4th.

The former IWGP Heavyweight champion, Kenny Omega, has candidly stated that he needs time away from NJPW. New IWGP US Heavyweight champion, Juice Robinson, has signed a multi-year deal with the company. Rocky Romero has also re-signed.

Now, “The Crown Jewel” Chase Owens has also officially re-signed with New Japan.

Taking to his Twitter account, Owens shared the news, stating:

“Happy to announce I have signed contract with njpw. #packagedrivereveryone2019″

Happy to announce I have signed contract with njpw. #packagedrivereveryone2019

— chase owens (@realchaseowens) January 7, 2019

“Family Means You Forgive”

There had been a lot of confusion regarding the status of Takahashi and Owens in regards to Bullet Club. Despite wearing BC logos and consistently adorning black and white, the two were adrift from the core group ever since last July’s G1 Special event in San Francisco.

That show would see the then-Firing Squad (comprised of Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Haku) assault the Bullet Club, including Takahashi and Owens, over internal frustration with Elite member’s Kenny Omega, Cody, and The Young Bucks. Their issue stemmed from Bullet Club having an uneven heirarchy due to the Elite’s very existence.

During the company’s New Year Dash event on 5/1, Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens were officially welcomed back into Bullet Club.

Family means you forgive. The boys are back together ? #BulletClub
2019=#GoodGuyTamaTonga @realchaseowens @yujiroTakahashi pic.twitter.com/R3OqXGyP2m

— Tama Tonga (@Tama_Tonga) January 5, 2019

Chase Owens has been apart of NJPW since 2014, joining the Bullet Club in October of 2015.

Where do they go from here? Should they have been accepted back into the Club?

Post-Wrestle Kingdom 13, we reported on a meeting that was held between All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Ring Of Honor (ROH), and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The gathering took place to assess the options available in developing an active working relationship between all 3 promotions.

At the time, Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com reported that the companies wanted to work together and that brokering a deal was “not impossible by any means.”

Since that initial meeting, further news has broken regarding their potential business relationship.

According to Meltzer, NJPW and ROH will continue their long-standing relationship. It appears All Elite will not be involved in any capacity.

“New Japan has made the decision that they are going to work with Ring Of Honor and, right now, at least for now, they’re not working with All Elite,” Meltzer said.

Although this may be the case at the time of writing, that doesn’t eliminate further discussions or future negotiations.

No further word was available at this time regarding a relationship between AEW and ROH.

Their next event is Double Or Nothing. An event rally is currently scheduled to take place on 1/8. Details on how to watch the event if you are unable to attend live are available here.

The Royal Rumble matchup is a great opportunity for WWE to shake up the landscape of their product — just look at the immediate impact and reaction that greeted AJ Styles upon arriving during the 2016 Rumble event.

With 30 spots available, every year speculation runs wild as to who could be making a return or, potentially, a debut.

Speaking with Planeta Wrestling, current Raw tag team champion, Bobby Roode, named the one person he would love to debut as a surprise entrant this year: Kenny Omega.

“Right now it seems like the stars in the business — the people I’m familiar with — are definitely in the WWE or quite possibly one of the 30 guys that are already in the match,” Roode said. “But if you’re looking for an outside guy, I don’t know, it’s gotta be Kenny Omega then. He’s a fellow Canadian and a guy that, I think, has a lot of talent and would be a huge addition to this company. But who knows? We’ll see what happens.”

“I Need Time Away, And Not Just From New Japan”

It was only recently announced that Omega intends to take time off from New Japan Pro Wrestling. This came after Kenny lost his IWGP Heavyweight championship in an epic encounter against Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 13.

During the post-Wrestle Kingdom press conference, Kenny Omega stated:

“There is no real place for me to fit, so it’s best for me not to be in (NJPW). I can’t be there working under Tanahashi. I don’t think he’s surpassed me, don’t think he’s better. If we can, I want to face him again. But I need time away, and not just from New Japan.”

Do you agree with Bobby? Would you love to see Omega debut for WWE during the Rumble event?