Fans shouldn’t expect to see the likes of Doudrop, Gallus, and others on WWE programming for the time being due to a series of Visa issues.
In August of last year, WWE closed their NXT UK brand ahead of the launch of NXT Europe this year, and retained only a handful of the NXT UK talent.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained why some non-American stars have been missing.
“It’s Visa (issues.) What they’re doing is they went back over visa situations. They got to get the visas taken care of. So there’s a lot of people, a lot of the Gallus boys and Tyler Bate…Piper Niven’s (Doudrop) being gone is another one.
“What’s her name? Is it Davenport? Is that her name? Blair Davenport? What’s her name? The Bea Priestly, her too. But yeah, a lot of them, that’s basically the situation with a lot of them is just getting the visa stuff worked out.”
Visa Issues
It was only a few weeks back that several wrestlers were reported as missing from TV due to problems with their visas.
In November 2022, it was noted that Gallus, JD McDonagh and Ilja Dragunov would be unable to return until these issues were sorted out.
It has been reported that plans for Tyson Fury in WWE are uncertain due to Visa issues and an alleged ban from entering the United States.
Fury is believed to be banned due to allegations of ties to Irish mafia boss Daniel Kinahan, a claim the boxing star has vehemently denied.
Jake Roberts’ return to WWE in 2014 proved to be a pivotal moment in the life of the legendary wrestler.
Roberts returned to WWE on the ‘Old School Raw’ in January 2014 in his first appearance for the promotion in nearly nine years.
For his segment, Roberts confronted the Shield, and after Deam Ambrose was laid out with CM Punk’s GTS, Jake placed a snake on the future Blackpool Combat Club member.
Before the Return
Roberts’ problem with substances has been well-documented, and by the time of his return, the legend had only recently begun working with ‘Diamond’ Dallas Page.
Speaking on his Snake Pit podcast, Roberts recalled the dark place he was in prior to his Raw appearance.
“You’ve got to remember as to where I was at. I was hating myself. I was still in the hate mode with myself because I was getting in shape and I’d look at myself and I’d think “why didn’t you f***ing take care of yourself? Why didn’t you do this Jake? No instead you had to smoke crack and f***ing drink and f***ing take pills.’”
During his WWE Hall of Fame speech that March, Roberts would mention DDP as a key influence on his life.
His Appearance
Roberts got the call a few weeks prior to Raw and spoke to now-former WWE talent liaison Mark Carrano about the plans for his return.
Speaking about the day of his return, Roberts joked that his waiting backstage was hardly that becoming of a legend.
“They brought me in, and they wanted it to be a surprise, not only for the fans but for everybody. So they snuck me into town, and snuck me into a bus. And I just sat in the bus for what must have been eight hours, by myself, twiddling my thumbs. About once every four hours, they’d send someone in to check on me. See if I needed anything. Like a gun to blow my brains out (laughs.).”
Addressing his return on TV, Roberts recalled a moment between Punk and Ambrose that he has never forgotten.
“CM Punk tells Mox ‘the snake’s s**t on your chest.’ And Mox is just f**ing bursting. He’s grinning from ear to ear. He couldn’t hold it.”
Jake Roberts.
While Ambrose was supposed to be unconscious for the placing of the snake, the Shield member can be seen grinning, as he had been a huge fan of Roberts since childhood.
The Rush
Roberts’ return to WWE had not been reported anywhere prior to his appearance, which made his comeback even more special.
After everything he had been through, Roberts was grateful that he was able to have a moment like this after years of struggle.
It was great. What a great moment for me. Walking down that damn ramp. The people were screaming so loud, it was deafening. What a rush I got. It felt like my hair was growing. It felt like my skin was on fire.
“I had come back. I had come back from the gates of hell.”
Jake Roberts.
“It took my breath away. You see me walking down there, I should have been more serious but I couldn’t. There was so much joy that was flooding me because I had come back. I had come back from the gates of hell.”
Speaking about what happened backstage after, Roberts recalled meeting Vince McMahon and the bittersweet moment.
“[Our meeting was] just a handshake. ‘I’m glad to have you back home. That’s what I got… It was kind of sad in a way because a lot of the guys had already left. That was the last match and they wanted to get out of the building before they got out with the crowd. Ted DiBiase had left, but Dallas was still there.”
Roberts would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame that year and would make sporadic appearances for the company prior to signing with AEW.
Alexa Bliss has AEW star Buddy Matthews to thank for her unique championship pose of holding a title behind her head.
Bliss, the first woman to win both the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships, is a former WWE Women’s Tag and 24/7 Champion.
The Goddess of WWE was in a relationship with Matthews and were once engaged, and were able to remain friends after they split in 2018.
Championship Pose
An avid cosplayer, Bliss has incorporated her love of pop culture into several of the attires she has used on TV.
Speaking to BT Sport, Bliss explained how it was upon her call-up in 2016 that Matthews suggested the title pose.
“Murphy [Matthews’ wwe name] came up with that. Because I wore the tutus with the belt when I was doing the Harley Quinn thing, he was like ‘you should hold it like this’, so I was holding my belts and stuff like that. And so then once I won the title, I held the title like that, because I was thinking ‘what’s going to show the title plus show my face on camera and make (them) a close as possible?’”
Alexa Bliss.
During her early days on the main roster, Bliss’ look was inspired by Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn, who held her signature baseball bat behind her head for 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad.’
The Hunt for the Raw Women’s Title
Asides from her seconds-long reign as 24/7 Champion last year, it has been over four years since Bliss held a singles Women’s Championship.
During this week’s Raw, Bliss challenged Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair but lost via disqualification.
Mind games from Bray Wyatt caused Bliss to snap and attack the referee, and after the match, the Goddess would attack Belair, teasing that their feud is far from over.
The future looks uncertain for WWE Superstar Seth Rollins who appeared to suffer an injury during this week’s Monday Night Raw.
For the first Raw of 2023, Rollins battled United States Champion Austin Theory, who dethroned the Visionary at Survivor Series: WarGames.
Theory had previously cashed in Money in the Bank on Rollins for the U.S. Title (the first non-World Championship cash-in) but failed to win the title.
The Injury
The match between Rollins and Theory was going fine until the Architect injured his leg during the match.
During the closing moments of the match, Rollins attempted the Stomp which Theory evaded, and he hit a low blow and a chop-block.
Some have suggested that this chop-block is when the injury happened, and Theory would go on to hit A-Town Down to get the win.
After the show, Rollins was seen struggling by the live crowd and collapsed to the ground when he put too much pressure on his leg.
@SeanRossSapp@WrestleTalk_TV The ref just threw up the "X" for Seth Rollins who seems to have legit hurt his knee.
Corey Graves ran over and started fussing at people to come help.
WWE has not publicly commented on Rollins’ potential injury at this time.
History Repeats Itself
Rollins may be dealing with a knee injury and if so it won’t be the first time something like this will have happened.
At a Dublin, Ireland WWE Live event in late 2015, Rollins suffered a knee injury during a match with Kane, which would result in him forfeiting the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Rollins would have to undergo surgery to repair his knee and would be out for six months, and would miss WrestleMania 32.
WWE is considering various ideas for the WrestleMania 39 card as the company is just a few months away from the event and needs to lock in its main event plans by mid-January.
It was reported last week that WWE planned to do John Cena vs. Logan Paul at this event. This is after a report suggested Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, and Drew McIntyre have been discussed as possible competitors in a singles match for the WWE Title.
If WWE went forward with that idea, then Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns would need to drop the WWE Title.
Fightful Select reports that before Vince McMahon retired this past summer, it was presumed that Rhodes would end up competing for the WWE Title at WrestleMania. Creative sources told the media outlet that this hadn’t been told outright, but simply assumed. It was noted that Mania plans that Vince came up with were scrapped.
Original Idea
Regarding Cena vs. Paul, this report stated that WWE wants to have Paul and The Rock work WrestleMania with the hope of The Rock wrestling Reigns. Fightful noted that it’s still unclear whether they will work the show.
While internal talk has had Cena vs. Paul or Cena vs. current WWE United States Champion Austin Theory at WrestleMania, other top stars have been pushing to face Cena from as far back as July.
“There were pitches within WWE to do Cena vs. Rhodes at WrestleMania, but there’s no word yet on if this is still being discussed under the new regime led by WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H.”
Before Ronda Rousey dropped the SmackDown Women’s Title to Charlotte Flair on SmackDown last week, it was reported that Rousey vs. Rhea Ripley was planned for WrestleMania 39.
Fightful notes that although additional sources have not confirmed Rousey vs. Ripley, they can confirm that Rousey vs. Becky Lynch is not the plan for WrestleMania 39.
Karen Jarrett has made several interesting tweets after Max Caster’s recent rap on AEW Dynamite leading up to The Acclaimed’s AEW Tag Team Title defense against Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal.
Karen is unhappy about the narrative that Jeff Jarrett stole her away from Kurt Angle a decade ago. She took to Twitter to note that wasn’t the case, as her marriage to Kurt was already over.
Jaren brought up how she sent out her tweets after receiving some “offline” threats, but it’s unclear what the threats were. Kurt did delete a tweet about Caster’s rap.
Karen’s Tweets
Karen wrote the following via several tweets:
“We can start here… my marriage to Kurt was over LONG before Jeff and I started seeing each other. We were legally separated at the time Kurt signed with TNA living in different homes. We got back together and I tried to get over the affairs among other things that went on in our marriage. But obviously wasn’t able. Funny and sad how all of that has been swept under the rug over all these years. Jeff didn’t steal me from anyone. #dawnmarie #kellikelli #deannesiden to name a few. Maybe Kurt will think twice before making threats, insulting/disrespecting my husband. I am done living in fear. I have 24 years of dirt I am ready to start unloading. I am done! #movingon.”
Former WWE star Kelly Kelly later shared a statement in response to what Karen said about her ex-husband.
Karen’s tweet included a hashtag that implied that Kurt and Kelly had an affair while he was married. Kelly tweeted the following:
I keep linked in this tweet I have dmed @karenjarrett to privately ask her and I’m waiting for her response, but I want to go ahead and publicly make a statement that only way I can be linked to Kurt is we were co workers sorry but thanks for the Monday morning entertainment lol https://t.co/bsCSZcpkkX
It should be noted that Kelly made her WWE debut on the June 13, 2006 episode of ECW when she was 19 years old. Kelly and Kurt were in WWE at the same time for just a couple of months before Kurt departed.
WWE is getting ready to finally move into its new corporate headquarters located at 707 Washington Blvd in Stamford, CT.
A company spokesperson tells CTinsider the move is planned to commence towards the end of the first quarter of 2023. The remainder of the office and production space in the new location will cover about 400,000 square feet and is scheduled to open in mid-2023.
The spokesperson noted that it wants to move all of its employees in Stamford into the new headquarters in 2023, with more than 800 people working there once the company’s space has opened.
WWE HQ
WWE doesn’t plan to keep employees at its current headquarters or production center. The current headquarters is not for sale, although WWE would “entertain discussions with interested parties.”
The new headquarters stood entirely empty for a couple of years after banking giant UBS in 2016 moved its local offices across the street.
This move comes at a time when WWE continues to grow, as the third quarter of 2022 saw WWE’s revenues jump 19 percent year over year to about $305 million. However, they had a decline in quarterly profits due to nearly $18 million in costs related to its investigation of alleged misconduct by Vince McMahon, who announced his retirement in July.
Austin Theory did not appear at Friday’s Raw-brand live event from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, but wrestling fans can rest assured he’s not been bit by the injury bug.
Theory was set to defend the Unites States Championship against Seth Rollins in the Steel Cage main event. Finn Balor filled in for Theory, but Rollins got the victory. Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch both got involved in the match, which made for an interesting dynamic.
Shortly before the show, the building announced he would not be present. This is somewhat unusual, since typically it’s WWE that lets fans know about late changes like this (card subject to change).
A winter storm led to travel issues for a lot of WWE (and AEW) performers last week. Multiple stars were unable to make their scheduled dates, which led to rewrites and last-minute substations at TV and live events. It’s still unclear why Theory missed the Toronto Holiday Tour event, but we can thankfully rule out an injury.
Theory Says He’ll Be at Raw
Theory’s situation was addressed on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio. According to Dave Meltzer, there’s no injury and there are no disciplinary ‘problems’ that would have prevented him from being there.
Ruling out those possibilities, Meltzer speculated there may have been a problem with Theory crossing the Canadian border, but that’s just a .. theory.
The good news is that Theory is healthy and says he’ll be at tonight’s WWE Raw from Nashville. He’s scheduled to defend the US title against Rollins and has a warning for The Architect. In a tweet sent out on Sunday, Theory says Rollins will truly know his place in the WWE when he puts him in the past.
WWE and New Japan Pro Wrestling are teaming up for Karl Anderson to compete at Wrestle Kingdom 17, but that’s not a problem for Tony Khan.
Anderson returned to WWE alongside Luke Gallows in October of last year, despite holding the NJPW Never Openweight Championship at the time.
After opting to compete at WWE Crown Jewel over NJPW Battle Autumn in November, the Machine Gun will wrestle this Wednesday at Wrestle Kingdom.
Cool
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 will be a stacked show, with talent from New Japan, WWE, AEW, and STARDOM all competing.
Speaking to Fightful Select, New Japan’s Rocky Romero said he speaks with Khan quite frequently and was the one to tell Khan about WWE and NJPW working together.
Khan “understood why” the deal had been reached, and said he was “cool” about what was happening.
Anderson will defend the NJPW Never Openweight Championship against Tama Tonga this Wednesday.
Kenny Omega
AEW will have representation at Wrestle Kingdom 17, with Kenny Omega challenging for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Will Ospreay.
Romero told Fightful that Omega was forecasting his return to NJPW, teasing a match with Ospreay, before it was even a done deal.
Speaking about Omega’s suspension from AEW following the backstage fight at All Out, Romero said it “caused a pause” as nobody knew what was going to happen.
Romero said that NJPW worked with Barry Bloom on making this happen, and that Bloom was the one that made the Chris Jericho deal when he was in NJPW years ago.
Kenny Omega says his brief time training in WWE’s developmental system made him question himself and if he was truly destined to reach the top of the industry.
Omega is gearing up to face Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4th. This feud between two of the best pro wrestlers in the world has been cultivated over the last year. He claims to be disgusted by the way New Japan has been operated since he left the promotion in 2019
Ospreay has arguably become the top Gaijin (foreigner) in NJPW since Omega’s departure. He claims that he’s carried the torch through the pandemic years. That he and the United Empire is the shot in the arm that New Japan needs.
Long before Kenny Omega established himself as one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation, the former IWGP & AEW champion was still finding his way. He wrestled for Deep South Wrestling, a former WWE developmental territory.
In October 2005, Omega was sent to Deep South Wrestling (DSW), WWE’s then-developmental territory for a tryout, after which he was offered a developmental contract and subsequently assigned to DSW full-time.
In August 2006, he requested his release from his contract. Omega later stated that his time in DSW was poor He particularly criticized promoters Bill DeMott, Jody Hamilton and trainer Bob Holly.
Questioning Everything
Omega spoke with Monthly Puroresu to hype Wrestle Kingdom. He spoke about his time in DSW, and what about it made him question if the wrestling he fell in love with still existed.
Kenny Omega: I never really did think that I had what it took. But the reason I went to the Harley Race camp in Elgin, Missouri was because it was for an opportunity to be implemented into the dojo system of Pro-Wrestling NOAH.
In the end, I was selected by Johnny Ace to go to WWE instead. And I thought, “Well, this is a different kind of opportunity, and maybe this is kind of where my destiny is guiding me towards, so I’m not going to ignore it.”
I did go into the WWE developmental system, Deep South Wrestling at the time, and it wasn’t for me. At that point I had thought maybe wrestling isn’t for me because I was thinking at the highest level, when it becomes more of a business rather than a passion. Maybe it isn’t what made me fall in love with wrestling to begin with.
Monthly Puroresu: You almost felt unsure of yourself. As we all know, even back then as a talent, you felt unsure of yourself going over there.
Kenny Omega: Right. I’ve understood myself going there. I felt unsure of my understanding of the professional wrestling business. I had thought some of the greatest talents, what made them successful was because they were so unique and special athletes in their own way and were in charge of their own character. And all of their wonderful ideas and all of these iconic moments in professional wrestling – you think that they came up with them all. And I think now looking back, I’m sure they did.
But when you go into the developmental system, at least it’s sort of drilled into you, “No, you’re not your own person. You’re our person! And we own you! And you do what we tell you to do!
Monthly Puroresu: They pigeonhole you into thinking, “This is what we think you should be and that’s what you’re going to be.”
Kenny Omega: Exactly. And my worry at that point was if this is what wrestling is, or if this is what it’s become, maybe this isn’t what I fell in love with. Maybe this isn’t my childhood dream anymore. Maybe I just need to consider doing something else. Or just give it up.
On to the Tokyo Dome
Kenny Omega has persevered through many trials and tribulations over the course of his two-decade career in professional wrestling. Over time, he learned that there are alternative options to make it big in the industry. That the WWE wasn’t the be all and end all of wrestling lore.
Be sure to tune in to Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4th. Kenny Omega will face off with Will Ospreay at the Tokyo Dome in an early match of the year candidate.
WWE Superstar Montez Ford is getting ready to release a new album of hip hop music.
Ford (Kenneth Crawford) is one half of the popular Street Profits tag team, along with Angelo Dawkins. He’s also married to Raw Women’s champion Bianca Belair.
In the music world, he goes by King Tez. Earlier this week, he announced his first album ‘SYAD’ is coming in March 2023:
John Cena made his triumphant return to WWE during this week’s episode of SmackDown on FOX, but the former World Champion was busy behind the scenes.
Cena returned to team with Kevin Owens to defeat Sami Zayn and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, in only the latter’s second defeat in 2022.
This match marked Cena’s first and only match of 2022 and continued his tradition of having at least one WWE match a year which began in 2002.
Cena Backstage
Cena had his hands full in the ring, facing Zayn and the man who defeated him at Summerslam 2021, but his more important work was happening backstage.
Cena granted “several” Make-A-Wish wishes backstage at the event in Tampa, according to Fightful.
The two met in early 2019 when Cena was filming for the movie ‘Playing with Fire’ and married in October 2020.
Make-A-Wish
Cena’s years as a WWE Superstar and role model to young fans have made him a staple of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
In June 2022, Cena granted his milestone 650th wish and is the most requested celebrity by children facing the worst of circumstances.
Speaking to People, Cena said how he granted his very first wish in 2002, mere months after his debut on SmackDown.
Despite being a substitute for the fan’s requested Superstar, Cena was moved by what he did and vowed to always be ready to help Make-A-Wish, a promise he has continued to keep two decades later.
McMahon paid millions of dollars in NDAs to female employees he is alleged to have had extramarital affairs with.
Common Sense
With McMahon gone, the role as CEO is now occupied by both Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan, with Stephanie operating solely as Chairperson of the company.
As WWE’s Head of Creative, Triple H has replaced his father-in-law and has replaced long-time McMahon aide John Laurinaitis as Head of Talent Relations.
In an interview with WrestleRant, Kevin Owens talked about how logic is back in the driver’s seat.
I’m a big fan of being logical. I’ve always tried to be logical in my time in WWE, maybe more logical than most people choose to be or try to be or wanna be.
“The changes in direction also came with a change in mentality.”
Kevin Owens on WWE’s regime change of 2022.
“I can’t say that it’s always been like that. I think the changes in direction also came with a change in mentality, and everybody’s got different ways of thinking about what we do. It used to be like ‘Oh, this is in the past, people won’t remember.’ But man, I’ve been a wrestling fan my whole life and when I’d watch it, I’d remember.”
McMahon’s Return
Things seem to be much smoother sailing in WWE these days, but a monumental storm could be brewing.
It has been reported that McMahon regrets retiring last year, and believes the allegations against him would have blown over.
McMahon is reportedly plotting a comeback to WWE, one that has been met with hostility by those within the promotion.
Despite retiring, McMahon remains WWE’s majority shareholder and has influence over 80% of the voting share.
Chyna will always go down in history as the first (and to date, only) woman to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship, but should she also have had a World title reign?
The Ninth Wonder of the World debuted in the WWF in 1997 as the bodyguard for D-Generation X before splitting from the group in 1999.
Winning the Intercontinental Championship in October 1999, a title she would also win at Summerslam 2000, Chyna would capture the WWF Women’s Title at WrestleMania 17.
World Champion
In the Summer of 1999, Triple H was the number-one contender for the WWF Championship at Summerslam, but would later lose his shot.
During a triple-threat match on the August 9, 1999, Raw is War, WWF Champion ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin would attack Triple H and aid Chyna in winning the Game’s title shot.
Speaking on Foley is Pod, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley made the case for a Chyna World title run.
“I do [think she should have been World Champion.] mean, look, Vince McMahon was World Champion. David Arquette was World Champion. Vince Russo was World Champion. Yeah, I think there’s a very real chance that she could have.”
Mick Foley.
Chyna would later lose her title shot to Mankind, who would later draw with Triple H, and a triple threat between Austin, Triple H, and Foley was set for Summerslam.
Despite plans for Triple H to win, Austin reportedly refused to put The Game over, and Foley won the title before losing it to Triple H on the post-Summerslam Raw.
WWF Champion Chyna: Could it Have Happened?
Chyna would never win the richest prize in the WWF, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t genuine talks about it.
Speaking in a 2020 interview with Wrestling Inc, Chyna’s former manager Anthony Anzaldo claimed that the ex-Superstar turned a title reign down at an undisclosed time.
“They offered her the WWE Championship belt, but Vince said, ‘But you can’t do Playboy’ because she got offered to do Playboy. She chose Playboy over the belt.”
Anthony Anzaldo.
Chyna would leave the WWF in 2001 and would pass away in 2016 at the age of 46 without ever making a return.
AJ Styles will be on the shelf for several months due to an injury he sustained at Thursday night’s Holiday Tour live event from Hershey, PA.
The Phenomenal One teamed with Karl Anderson and Mia Yim against Finn Balor, Damian Priest, and Rhea Ripley of Judgment Day. The OC picked up the win, but the big story coming out of the match was Styles’ injury. As seen below, the incident occurred during an ugly-looking over-the-top-rope spot. Styles can be seen being attended to by staff and was helped to the back by the referee and Anderson.
On Saturday, Styles confirmed he’s dealing with a broken ankle.
In a brief statement on Twitter, he assured fans he will not require surgery. The downside is that he’ll miss significant ring time.
“Just want to you guys to know that I’m ok. Broken ankle is what I’m dealing with. No surgery, this just takes some time to recover. This will be the longest I’ve ever been out of the ring. Thanks for the prayers and get well wishes.”
– AJ Styles
There’s no good time to get hurt, but right before the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania season has to be the worst time of the year for something like this to happen.
Styles’ Future
AJ Styles shocked the world by signing with WWE and debuting at the 2016 Royal Rumble event, entering the Rumble match at #3.
Earlier this year, Styles spoke about his future, and said that he doesn’t have plans to wrestle anywhere other than WWE at this point in his career.
Styles has also expressed interest in working behind the scenes in WWE once his time in the ring is over but has said he is unsure if that is going to happen.
The Phenomenal One later specified that a role as a talent scout would be ideal for him.
We here at SEScoops are wishing the two-time former WWE Champion a speedy recovery.
The final WWE SmackDown of 2022 is in the books and it was an eventful show to say the least. John Cena wrestled his first and only match of the year. He and Kevin Owens picked up a win over The Bloodline’s Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn. We also saw two surprise returns, including Drew McIntyre and Charlotte Flair, who stunned Ronda Rousey in an impromptu match to capture the SmackDown Women’s championship.
WWE looks to keep the momentum going with the first two shows of 2023. Several matches have been announced for these upcoming broadcasts, including two titles matches and a Royal Rumble qualifying match.
Starting next week, WWE’s focus shifts to the Royal Rumble and the road to WrestleMania 93.
SmackDown Preview: January 6, 2023
Two matches are set for next week’s SmackDown from Memphis, TN at the FedEx Forum:
Drew McIntyre and Sheamus challenge The Usos for the undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.
Plus, Ricochet battles Top Dolla in a Royal Rumble qualifying match.
Ronda Rousey, Liv Morgan and Karrion Kross are also advertised to appear. (Tickets)
SmackDown Preview: January 13, 2023
In two weeks, SmackDown heads to Green Bay, WI at the Resch Center.
GUNTHER defends the Intercontinental championship against Braun Strowman
Ronda Rousey, The Usos, Liv Morgan and Sami Zayn are advertised to appear. (Tickets)
SEScoops will keep you updated as additional matches and segments are announced for these shows.
John Cena was in a particularly thankful mood after this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown on FOX wrapped up.
In the main event of the show, Cena teamed with Kevin Owens to defeat Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn.
This marked Cena’s first match with WWE in 2022, and carries on the tradition of having at least one televised match for the promotion each year which began in 2002.
After the Show
Unhappy with their loss, the Bloodline attacked Cena and Owens once SmackDown went off the air.
In videos shared by fans who were in Tampa for the show, Zayn and the Usos can be seen beating down Owens and Cena, until Drew McIntyre and the Brawling Brutes make the save.
With the tides turned, Cena and Owens are able to make quick work of the remaining Bloodline members, with Zayn taking a stunner from Owens and AA from Cena.
John Cena’s 20-year record was nearly broken this year, but the 16-time WWE World Champion won’t have to worry about this in 2023.
It has been reported that the current plan for Cena at WrestleMania 39 is to face Logan Paul, who is currently recovering from his injury suffered at WWE Crown Jewel.
Paul told listeners of his ImPaulsive podcast earlier this year that he had pitched a match with Cena to WWE’s Head of Creative Triple H.
The competitors for the first-ever Pitch Black match scheduled for the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble have been revealed.
On Friday’s episode of SmackDown, Bray Wyatt opened the show to apologize to the cameraman he attacked last week before he was quickly interrupted by LA Knight, who called Wyatt a fraud. Knight challenged him to a match at the upcoming premium live event.
The Set Up
Wyatt accepted the bout before saying it was time to remind the world how cruel he could be. Before they could brawl, Uncle Howdy appeared, standing alongside Wyatt before hitting him with Sister Abigail. Knight quickly exited the ring.
WWE confirmed later in the broadcast that Wyatt vs. Knight would be a “Pitch Black Match,” though no details were given on what the match is, although they plugged the bout being sponsored by Mountain Dew with a graphic.
This match will mark Wyatt’s first television match in WWE since his bout against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 37.
WWE presents the Royal Rumble premium live event on Saturday, January 28, 2023 from San Antonio, Texas at the Alamodome that will air on Peacock. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks.
John Cena made his in-ring return to WWE television on the December 30 edition of SmackDown by teaming with Kevin Owens to take on Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn in a tag team match.
WWE set up the match on the December 16 edition of SmackDown as Owens needed to find a tag team partner for the bout, and Cena appeared on the big screen in a pre-taped promo where he confirmed he would team with “KO.” This match extended his streak of wrestling every year since his main roster debut in 2002.
The match served as the main event, although there was a commercial during it that kept the match short. There was a near fall, with Owens hitting a frog splash to Reigns. Cena mostly stayed on the apron before getting the hot tag. Owens pinned Zayn with the stunner.
After SmackDown went off the air, Cena was attacked by The Bloodline. This led to The Brawling Brutes and Drew McIntyre making the save. Cena cut a promo to thank the fans for their support over the past 20 years. When he found out that the last show of the year would be in Tampa and it is his only match of 2022 to extend the streak, he had to do it.
Charlotte Flair is back on WWE Friday Night SmackDown.
After Ronda Rousey defeated Raquel Rodriguez to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship, Flair walked out with new music and a new look.
Charlotte challenged Rousey for the title and despite the objections from Shayna Baszler, Rousey accepted. Rousey took a boot to the face before kicking out of the pin attempt. Flair hit the spear and she pinned Rousey to win the title.
Charlotte took time off from WWE after WrestleMania Backlash, where she dropped the SmackDown Women’s Title to Rousey in an I Quit Match. WWE noted that Flair had a fractured radius as a way to write her off television.
She took the time off to get married to Andrade El Idolo this past May when several wrestlers were in attendance, including Apollo Crews, Finn Balor, Rey Mysterio, and Lina Fanene (Nia Jax).
While off WWE television, Flair did appear in August on “Steve Austin: The Broken Skull Sessions” where she looked back on her WWE career.
The card for WWE WrestleMania 39 continues to come together as Ronda Rousey’s opponent at the upcoming event has been revealed, and it’s not Becky Lynch.
WrestlingNews.co reports plans for the match between Lynch and Rousey have been scrapped. Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio today that he was told the match is “not likely,” while another source told him that plans for it are “dead.”
Rousey’s Opponent
WrestlingNews.co’s report noted that Rousey is scheduled to defend the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 39. It’s unclear who Lynch will be facing at the show.
According to WrestlingNews.co, the other planned matches for WrestleMania 39 include Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes or Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship, WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defending against The Rock or Cody Rhodes, Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, and Logan Paul vs. John Cena.
Rousey and Lynch headlined WrestleMania 35 in 2019 alongside Charlotte Flair, marking the first-ever female WrestleMania main event, before Rousey went on hiatus until she returned to the company earlier this year.
WWE had reportedly been planning to do the match at WrestleMania 39 since shortly after WrestleMania 38.
It looks like Logan Paul will be getting his wish of wrestling John Cena at WWE WrestleMania 39.
Paul earned plenty of praise following his match against Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Crown Jewel a few months ago. John Cena took notice as he shared a photo of Paul on his Instagram account with no caption. Later, Paul responded with the eyes emoji on Twitter of a tweet saying Cena was looking for a WrestleMania opponent.
Paul previously stated on his ImPAULsive podcast that he wanted a match with Cena and pitched the idea to Triple H.
“After Crown Jewel, John Cena posted me on his Instagram and then I saw an article saying he’s looking for an opponent at WrestleMania. I favorited it, responded with the eyes. Truthfully, I think me vs. John Cena would break the internet. I texted Triple H right away, ‘Do you want to break the internet again?’ That’s a dream match. WrestleMania, in LA, on my birthday. Triple H, throw me a bone, give me a birthday present, let me take out John Cena. That’d be crazy.”
WrestlingNews.co reports that Paul vs. Cena is planned for WrestleMania 39.
Other Planned WrestleMania 39 Matches
WWE Championship Match: Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes or Drew McIntyre
WWE Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns vs. The Rock or Cody Rhodes
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos vs. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens
Barring any injuries, the matches listed above are very likely to happen as planned at the show that takes place in April.
Beth Phoenix has addressed whether or not she plans on stepping into the professional wrestling ring again anytime soon.
Phoenix was recently a guest on Brandi Rhodes’ ‘2 Lies And 1 Truth’ podcast and was asked about whether or not she plans on wrestling again. Phoenix joked that retirement in professional wrestling doesn’t really exist, so she’s not closing the door on the possibility.
“Who knows these days? [Beth laughed when asked if she’ll be back in a wrestling ring] You know, I say this every single time, it’s the most cliché thing but never say never or like, retirement in wrestling isn’t a thing, right? It’s embarrassing to say I’m retired because it’s never true.”
Beth Phoenix signed with WWE back in 2004 and remained with the company until 2012. During her run she established herself as one of the powerhouses of the WWE’s women’s division. Her run resulted in three WWE Women’s Title wins, a Divas Championship, and a WWE Hall Of Fame induction in 2017.
Since, Phoenix has married fellow WWE Hall Of Famer Edge, as well as having done part-time commentary work for the company. She briefly returned to in-ring action as part of a Mixed Tag Team feud alongside Edge against The Miz and Maryse.
Phoenix was also briefly involved in Edge’s storyline against The Judgement Day on Monday Night RAW.
Kevin Owens wasn’t even sure he wanted to keep wrestling before making the decision to re-sign with WWE.
“KO” recently spoke to WrestleRant and revealed that, prior to re-signing with WWE in December of 2021, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to be in the ring anymore. Ultimately, Owens re-signed with WWE before his contract expired in January of 2022.
“Uh yeah by Christmas time last year I knew I was sticking around. But before that, I really had no idea. I didn’t even know, honestly I didn’t even know at that time if I still wanted to be in the ring.
“You know, not because I didn’t enjoy being in the ring anymore but everything was kind of up in the air. Then I made the decision to stay in WWE and I’m certainly glad I made it because like I said, just the year I’ve experienced things that I couldn’t have imagined.”
via WWE.com
Owens seems to have seriously benefited from re-signing with WWE. He went on to headline Night One of WrestleMania 38 in Dallas, Texas against WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin. It was Austin’s first official professional wrestling match in nearly 20 years.
Now, Owens is involved in, arguably, the biggest feud on WWE TV against The Bloodline. Having been with WWE since 2014, Kevin Owens has accomplished a significant amount. He’s a former NXT Champion, WWE Universal Champion, two-time Intercontinental Champion, and a three-time United States Champion.
With WrestleMania season right around the corner, and given his involvement in the current Bloodline feud, it will be interesting to see what’s planned for Owens at this year’s “Show Of Shows.”
