– The “Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic” tournament is expected to become a new annual NXT event. There is talk of having the finals of the tournament take place as its’ own event that would be in conjunction with WWE’s annual SummerSlam pay-per-view.

– WWE is going around mainland China looking for prospective talent to train. WWE has been looking for a way to capitalize on the market for years now, as the brand isn’t nearly as established there as it is in other international markets. John Cena has been studying the language for years in hopes that he will be able to help do his part in making WWE as big in China as it is in many other foreign countries.

• (NEW: Jan. 7): Ronda Rousey Wearing NOTHING But Body Paint!

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

NXT star Apollo Crews recently appeared as a guest on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast and spoke about a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On taking gymnastics as a kid:

“I took gymnastics as a young kid. I could always flip. I’d be on my bed or whatever, trampolines, just doing the most random stuff.” Crews continued, “[people] are harsh as kids. I wish I had my mentality now when I was a kid because, right now, I wouldn’t really care what people thought back then. But, back then, I cared what people thought, so I’d take gymnastics [and other kids would say], like, ‘ah, naw, that’s not something a guy should be doing,’ just teasing me [and] picking at me for doing that.”

On his goal to make it to WWE:

“It was always a goal [to make it to WWE]. Like, the reason I did start working on the indies and doing those things before I got here was to get here, so it was cool. At the time I was asked to come here, I didn’t even know if WWE knew about me.”

On being in no rush to make it to the main WWE roster:

“I don’t want to miss out on the moments. Like, I want to remember everything. Triple H said before, ‘no matter where we go from here, we’re going to look back on this moment and it’s probably going to be the greatest time in our life’. I don’t want to look back and be like, ‘NXT, I loved it, but it just went by so fast’. I want to enjoy every [moment].” Crews added, “I have goals that I set and I want to accomplish everything I can here possible. For me, it’s amazing because my tryout was a year ago. Like, day one, I said I was going to come in here and my goal is to be [NXT] Champion, so for me to be in this spot is an honor.”

On his preference to be a singles competitor and his interest in having a manager:

“I like being solo. Like even when I did things in high school [or] even in team sports, there’s something about just depending on yourself. Like, when you’re out there, it’s you versus this guy and you know that you are your only chance of survival. I thrive off of that.” Crews continued, “Definitely, I’d love to have [a manager]. I definitely wouldn’t mind that. It would be pretty cool. I think there could be some interesting things we could do there too, so that would be cool. Tagging, I wouldn’t mind it, but I do love singles a lot more, but a manager would be cool, actually. I could see that though.”

• Update On CM Punk’s UFC Debut, Conor McGregor’s Next Fight & Rousey/Holm 2!

WWE Diva and former Total Divas regular Cameron recently spoke with The Edmonton Sun about going back down to NXT and some changes she has made to her training routine. Below are some of the highlights.

On her decision to request to be sent to NXT:

“There’s still a lot of things that I would like to accomplish there (in WWE). I didn’t like where I was at the time. I wasn’t happy. I wanted to have a storyline. I wanted to get better and … sometimes you have to take a few steps backwards in order to move a few steps forward. So that’s what I decided to do. I’m doing that in hopes of coming back bigger and stronger than ever.”

On her training routine in NXT:

“There’s a trainer that they have (at NXT) and he has his own style of how he trains. His routine is completely different than what I’m used to doing. Then obviously being in the ring and having a three-hour practice, that’s like a workout in itself. With her, it’s circuit training. So it’s not as heavy but it’s non-stop.”

“I stopped running a little bit because my knees are not the best. And plus, I don’t want to burn my muscles. For instance, I woke up at 5:30 this morning and went to see my trainer because I knew that would be the only time I would have today to get it done. I’m like, ‘If I don’t wake up by 5:30 and get to the gym by 6:45, then I’m not going to be able to do it at all today.’ So it’s about being disciplined and dedicated. It’s definitely not easy. I mean anyone can pretty much do it, but what are you willing to do for it? Are you willing to wake up at 5 in the morning or are you willing to do it after you’ve had a long day at work? Everyone has their things in life that they push for. What are the things you want to accomplish? It’s not going to happen overnight, but it’s about being consistent and getting better each day.”

• Update On CM Punk’s UFC Debut, Conor McGregor’s Next Fight & Rousey/Holm 2!

Since the initial post yesterday, some more details have come out with regards to the huge news that various wrestlers have given notice to New Japan Pro Wrestling and appear to be WWE-bound. As noted yesterday, the story first broke publicly via a paywalled posting to former indie promoter and WWE writer Court Bauer’s podcast network, MLW Radio, where Bauer announced that Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, and two or three of Styles’ Bullet Club stablemates had given notice to the company. Being that the Bullet Club’s Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and Rocky Romero have a podcast on MLW Radio, they seemed like the obvious candidates.

The first update came from Wrestling Observer Radio behind the paywall at F4WOnline.com, with some additional details coming on last night’s traditional weekly post-Raw show. On the shows, here are some of the key details laid out by Dave Meltzer:

The wrestlers who gave notice are Nakamura, Styles, Anderson, and Gallows, and yes, they’re seemingly WWE-bound, though nobody has signed yet. All but Styles, who had no contract, were working on NJPW’s traditional one year deals, which always expire at the end of January. This is not the first exodus of this kind, as Hiroshi Hase helped engineer Keiji Mutoh, Satoshi Kojima, and Kendo Ka Shin jumping to AJPW in 2002 when their NJPW deals were up. Styles had already been removed from ROH advertising and stopped accepting new indie bookings before Wrestle Kingdom, so it was kind of known within wrestling that he was done. He was seemingly written out of storylines at New Year Dash (full spoilers here) earlier today, with Mike Johnson at PWInsider confirming it was his last NJPW booking.

Meltzer made it clear that Nakamura won’t be leaving immediately, instead sticking around for a few months. He shot an angle setting up a new program for his IWGP Intercontinental Championship today at New Year Dash (again, the full spoiler details are here) so at the very least, it looks like he’ll see that through. There’s also the chance that NJPW could make him an offer to stay.

Meltzer made a point of saying that it looks like Styles and Nakamura aren’t earmarked for NXT, in part because of the money that they have to be paying to get them. Nakamura was believed to be making somewhere from a quarter to half a million dollars U.S. each year and Styles had a full calendar of well-paying indie dates (where his road expenses were also covered by promoters, unlike in WWE) on top of his NJPW tours. Whether making that kind of financial commitment means anything as far as WWE’s main shows changing stylistically is harder to tall. Also, as pointed out by Mike Johnson at PWInsider yesterday (before Meltzer’s confirmation that WWE was the destination of the wrestlers), Nakamura also needs to have a work visa secured by WWE so he can wrestle here legally, and that will take time.

Meltzer noted that rumors of Anderson leaving had been well known for a while (he’s right) but didn’t say much more about he and Gallows. While it was speculative on his part, he did throw out the idea of Anderson and Gallows being earmarked for a “Balor Club” heel stable, though that’s not necessarily the most wild guess. As for Gallows’ WrestleMerica indie promotion out of Barnesville, Georgia, which has become increasingly successful, there’s been no word on its status yet. Being that his wife, Kimberly Davis (Amber O’Neal/Amber Gallows/The Bullet Babe) is a wrestler, one would think she could take over the promotion unless it would still be seen as a political issue with WWE.

Earlier today (tonight, Japan time), New Japan Pro Wrestling ran what has become an annual tradition, the New Year Dash show at Korakuen Hall in the Tokyo Dome City complex. If Wrestle Kingdom is their WrestleMania, New Year Dash is their Monday Night Raw the night after WrestleMania, complete wth major angles to kickstart the year, and they definitely delivered on that front.

FINAL SPOILER WARNING:

If you haven’t watched the show yet on NJPW World (and for what it’s worth, Kevin Kelly and Matt Striker did stay in Japan to do English commentary on it) and you don’t want to know what happens, don’t read beyond this point.

Last night, the big angle was that AJ Styles was kicked out of The Bullet Club after Styles and Kenny Omega defeated Shinsuke Nakamura and YOSHI-HASHI when Omega pinned Nakamura clean with the One-Winged Angel. At first, Omega was celebrating the win, which should put him in line for a shot at Nakamura’s IWGP Intercontinental Championship, but then he attacked Styles and hit the One-Winged Angel on him. Next, most of the rest of The Bullet Club ran in. Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and Cody Hall tended to Styles, while The Young Bucks were holding back Omega in the corner. They teased a split of some kind, only for the Bucks to both super kick Styles, leading to everyone else joining in on the beatdown.

https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/684393118095966208

Omega then announced that Styles was officially fired from The Bullet Club and now “had nothing” after “giving everything.” He then announced that he was tired of “pretending to b a junior heavyweight” and would be coming for Nakamura’s belt. Being that Styles was already removed from advertising for Ring of Honor dates already before giving notice to NJPW (we’ll have more on that in a bit), this appears to be NJPW’s way of writing him out of storylines. Earlier this morning, Mike Johnson reported at PWInsider that this is indeed the case, with New Year Dash being Styles’ last scheduled NJPW booking.

https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/684382382368018433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Here are the results for the whole show:

1. Shiro Koshinaka, Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Sho Tanaka defeated Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV, Cheeseburger & Yohei Komatsu
2. Ricochet & Matt Sydal defeated David Finlay Jr. & Jay White
3. Jay Lethal defeated Juice Robinson
4. King Haku, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Yujiro Takahashi & Tama Tonga defeated Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & KUSHIDA
5. Tetsuya Naito, EVIL & BUSHI defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin & Mascara Dorada (BUSHI challenged KUSHIDA for a shot at his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship after the match)
6. AJ Styles & Kenny Omega defeated Shinsuke Nakamura & YOSHI-HASHI
7. Hirooki Goto, Katsuyori Shibata, Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish defeated Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Rocky Romero & Barreta @ 13:19 via pin
8. Toru Yano, Jay Bricoe & Mark Briscoe (c) defeated Bad Luck Fale and The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) to retain the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship

AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura and multiple members of the Bullet Club have ‘given notice’ to New Japan Pro Wrestling that they’re done with the company, according to an exclusive report by former WWE writer Court Bauer over at MLW Radio.

While in theory you can give notice without leaving for sure, he made it clear that they’re done with NJPW. While he didn’t say so, one would think they’re leaving to bolster the NXT touring roster in WWE, but obviously that’s mostly conjecture.

The key here is likely what Styles and Nakamura are being paid. Nakamura was making excellent money as one of NJPW’s top natives and Styles was probably making the most money of any American freelancer the last two years. The question is what exactly the trade-off would be:  Styles needs some security in the event his back problems shelve him for an extended period of time, while there may be some allure of being an American/western star for Nakamura.

As for Styles’ friends in the Bullet Club, Bauer didn’t name any names, which is interesting because the Talk’n Shop podcast with Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and Rocky Romero is part of Bauer’s MLW Radio. That’s simultaneously an indicator to the truth of this (besides that Bauer’s had a strong track record when he’s broken big stories) and a possible hint as to who else is leaving, one would think.

NJPW has done annual contracts up in January seemingly since the beginning of time. In the past, rumors of talent leaving before January have usually been deemed false because of the timeline.

Triple H announced 6 more #NXTRoadTrip shows on Monday, with events scheduled for Memphis, Nashville and Indianapolis in early February then Philadelphia, Asbury Park and Albany later in the month. Tickets for both tours go on-sale this Thursday, January 7.

Here is an updated look at NXT’s touring schedule:

• Jan. 14: Milwaukee, WI
• Jan. 15: Green Bay, WI
• Jan. 16: Chicago, IL
• Jan. 17: Chicago, IL
• Jan. 29: Pittsburgh, PA
• Jan. 30: Detroit, MI
• Feb. 4: Memphis, TN
• Feb. 5: Nashville, TN
• Feb. 6: Indianapolis, IN
• Feb. 18: Philadelphia, PA
• Feb. 19: Asbury Park, NJ
• Feb. 20: Albany, NY

The FIRST leg of the @WWENXT #NXTRoadTrip hits:#NXTMemphis#NXTNashville#NXTIndy from Feb. 4-6, 2016. #WeAreNXT pic.twitter.com/EnQuCyz4KP

— Triple H (@TripleH) January 4, 2016

.@WWENXT then heads east to:#NXTPhilly#NXTAsburyPark#NXTAlbany from Feb. 18-20 #WeAreNXT pic.twitter.com/TJYXxJkwb7

— Triple H (@TripleH) January 4, 2016

– NXT Champion Finn Balor revealed his New Year’s resolutions for 2016 in a new post on his official Twitter account this weekend. Balor noted that he would like to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and perform at Madison Square Garden in addition to some more generic resolutions, such as “[being] a positive influence,” “[becoming] the best” and “[changing] everything.” You can check out Balor’s tweet below.

#ResolutionsFor2016
Be a positive influence
Preform at MSG
Become the best
Win the WWE world title
Change everything

— Finn Bálor (@FinnBalor) January 1, 2016

– Speaking of Balor, WWE announced the categories and nominees for the first-ever NXT Year-End Awards for 2015, and the current NXT Champion is nominated in every male singles category, including being featured in four of the eight matches nominated for NXT “Match of the Year” for 2015.

Fans still have time to cast their votes for the NXT “Year-End Awards,” as voting will remain open until Wednesday, January 6th at 10am EST. The winners will be revealed on a special edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network on Wednesday, January 13th. Cast your vote today at WWE.com.

Overall Competitor of the Year: Finn Balor, Bayley, Kevin Owens, Sasha Banks, Samoa Joe, Charlotte, Sami Zayn, Becky Lynch, Tyler Breeze, Asuka

Male Competitor of the Year: Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze

Female Competitor of the Year: Bayley, Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Asuka

Tag Team of the Year: Blake and Murphy, The Vaudevillains, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady, Dash and Dawson, The Lucha Dragons

TakeOver of the Year: Rival, Brooklyn, Respect, London

Match of the Year: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks (Takeover: Brooklyn), Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens (Brock Lesnar: The Beast in the East, Live from Tokyo), Women’s Fatal 4-Way (Takeover: Rival), Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor (Takeover: London), Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens (Takeover: Rival), Bayley vs. Sasha Banks – 30-Minute WWE Iron Man Match (Takeover: Respect), Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch (Takeover: Unstoppable), Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks (WWE NXT, July 15, 2015), Finn Balor vs. Neville – No. 1 Contender’s Tournament Final (Takeover: Rival), Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor (WWE NXT, March 25, 2015)

• Former TNA Knockout Suffers BRUTAL 1st Round KO In MMA Debut! (FULL VIDEO)

Longtime WWE Superstar Zack Ryder and WWE Diva Emma have decided to go public with the fact that the two are a real-life couple.

Ryder and Emma posted the following photos of the two spending the New Year’s Eve holiday together in Los Angeles, California this weekend, as well as pictures of their trip to Disney California Adventure Park on New Year’s day.

The popular Zack Ryder last appeared on WWE television in a Royal Rumble segment on last Monday night’s edition of RAW, while Emma has been paired with Dana Brooke in NXT as of late.

Below are the photos Ryder and Emma posted on social media, where they confirmed their relationship by writing “with my woman” and “with my man” on the posts.

#NewYearsEve with my woman! @EmmaWWE pic.twitter.com/O2BjYsXObo

— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) January 1, 2016

With my man, kicking off the #NYE festivities in LA! Cheers!! pic.twitter.com/ObFqmVgh4v

— Tenille Dashwood (@TenilleDashwood) January 1, 2016

Disney California Adventure Park! @disneyland @ZackRyder pic.twitter.com/XJfEkeSvuF

— Tenille Dashwood (@TenilleDashwood) January 2, 2016

• Former TNA Knockout Suffers BRUTAL 1st Round KO In MMA Debut! (FULL VIDEO)

WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley took to social media to share his 2015 “Match of the Year” on Thursday, and anyone who has been reading Foley’s blogs over the past few months will probably not be surprised in the slightest who “The Hardcore Legend” gave the nod to.

Foley posted the following on his official Facebook page on New Year’s Eve to reveal who he felt had the best match in WWE during the 2015 calendar year.

MY MATCH OF THE YEAR

Sasha Banks vs Bayley: August 22, 2015 – ?#?Brooklyn?, NY.

My oldest and youngest son spent several hours today compiling the top 15 matches in WWE NXT or WWE in 2015. They were deadlocked on which match should be number one with one son picking Sasha Banks vs Bayley and the other picking Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose from MITB, June 14, 2015. So I got to pick the tiebreaker. I went with Sasha and Bayley because of the emotion, because it captured a moment in time, and created a memory that many wrestling fans will hold dear for years. Grown men cried. I know; I was one of them.

• Former TNA Knockout Suffers BRUTAL 1st Round KO In MMA Debut! (FULL VIDEO)

Both NXT Champion Finn Balor and NXT Women’s Champion Bayley have made no secret about the fact that they are happy to remain in NXT, as opposed to moving up to the main WWE roster. Apparently, this has become a major discussion point within NXT.

There is starting to be a concern now that there will be an expanded NXT touring schedule in 2016 that Balor will start breaking down his body carrying NXT main events before getting to the real money on the main roster.

Additionally, there has been talk about how Bayley will work out on the main roster. Some feel she could become a female John Cena, bringing in younger female fans and doing a lot of charity and media work, while others think she could be a flop on the main roster. Apparently the feeling is there is no in between for Bayley, as she will either have great success or she will have trouble making it at all.

• MMA Legend Explains Why He Quit Fighting After UFC Loss To Brock Lesnar

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– Triple H posted the following on his official Twitter page on Monday afternoon to announce an additional 1pm NXT live event in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday, January 16th.

#NXTChicago we hear you.  You wanted it, you got it…An additional 1PM show on 1/16. Tix on sale Weds 12pm CT at https://t.co/hxH2Qjl995

— Triple H (@TripleH) December 28, 2015

– WWE posted the following on their official Twitter page to congratulate John Cena on being on the cover of the January issue of Muscle & Fitness magazine.

Congratulations to @JohnCena, featured on January's @muscle_fitness cover! https://t.co/5oljWd39mV #TapOut pic.twitter.com/I1QHhwLf9D

— WWE (@WWE) December 28, 2015

– Finally, WWE posted a 26-page year-end feature on the top 25 matches of 2015 on WWE.com on Monday. Coming in as the number one WWE match of 2015 was the triple-threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship between John Cena, Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view in January. WWE posted the following to promote the feature, which features comments from the talents or those close to the talents involved in each of the matches that made the list.

The votes have been counted. See which @WWE and @WWENXT matches made our #Top25 of 2015! https://t.co/trCpMqQ1MO pic.twitter.com/Votex7gbnX

— WWE (@WWE) December 28, 2015

• VIDEO: Top UFC Stars Explain Why They Now Doubt CM Punk’s Future In UFC

NXT star Apollo Crews recently spoke with The Mirror out of London to promote the NXT TakeOver: London special while on the recent NXT U.K. Tour. During the interview, Crews, formerly known as Uhaa Nation, spoke about working with Samoa Joe early into his WWE run in NXT, his thoughts on eventually moving to the main WWE roster, how the late WWE Hall Of Famer Dusty Rhodes helped influence his new character and more. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On working with Samoa Joe:

“It’s amazing. It’s not every day you get to be in the ring with somebody of that calibre so to be able to have that opportunity is amazing for me. It’s a chance to show not just everybody else but myself that I can hang on that level. Sometimes you get caught up in Florida, it gets stressful, and like I said you start taking it like it’s an actual job, but being here and working with guys like that… somehow in a weird way you get so relaxed and just let things happen, you know? I think it comes with him being so experienced and coaching me through certain things, the amount of things I’ve learned from him just these last few days has been really helpful. For me it’s a huge opportunity because he is somebody I used to watch before I even got into wrestling. It doesn’t even seem that way now, you see certain guys before you get here, and when you get here they become your peers and your friends, so it’s weird in that way but amazing at the same time.”

On making it to the main roster:

“I wouldn’t say NXT is a stepping stone, by no means. I think everybody has certain things they want to accomplish here and of course the goal is main roster, but when you come here, you come here with things you want to accomplish here in NXT. You get here and things start happening. It’s definitely not a stepping stone by no means. I think for me personally if you’re a wrestler, NXT is where you want to be. From being down at the Performance Center, starting getting on the road more often, travelling to Texas, Brooklyn, Louisville, Sacramento and now the UK, it’s just growing and expanding, and more and more people want to be a part of this and more people are getting onboard. The WWE Network is a major outlet for NXT and when you come to a place like this and see the support we’re getting, it just shows how big NXT really is.”

On Dusty Rhodes being a big help with his new WWE character:

“I would say Dusty Rhodes first and foremost. I got the privilege, opportunity and honour to work side by side with Dusty from the time I came into NXT until the time that he passed. It was cool, I would always go to talk to Dream in the office and end up talking to him for a couple of hours each time I went in there. I would go in and every time he would see me he would say ‘what do you want?’ ‘You know what I think, I think you’re ready, you remind me of me, now get out of my office!’ It would quickly turn into ‘just kidding, just come in and sit down baby’. He first and foremost was somebody who saw something in me. There have been some battles and Dusty has gone in to bat for me on a few things and I will always cherish that, knowing what he meant to me, and never forget anything he said to me.”

• VIDEO: Top UFC Stars Explain Why They’re Starting To Worry About CM Punk’s UFC Future

As we reported here recently, WWE Diva and former Total Divas regular Cameron has been training out of the WWE Performance Center and working NXT live events as of late.

Below is a video that the former member of The Funkadactyls posted on Christmas day earlier this weekend, showing a brief clip of her working out in the ring with independent wrestler Carlos Cannon.

Cameron promised her fans she wouldn’t give up and would not be remembered as the girl who was eliminated from WWE Tough Enough, or the WWE Diva who didn’t know how to pin her opponent.

Below is the blog that accompanied the video on Cameron’s official Instagram page.

My Early Christmas Present

The road leading to our ultimate goals and dreams is never an easy path to navigate. Pain, criticism and disappointment are just some of the potholes along the way. How you work your way through them is what separates the believers from the achievers.

Over the past few months a lot of you have asked me where I am and why I have not shared any videos of my training. I’m currently training down at NXT and performing at NXT live shows. Unfortunately, some things are out of my control so I can’t show you much but I can share this clip of my good friend @carlocannon me training before I left for NXT.

In this business you rarely have any creative control but you do have control over how much effort and work you put into yourself. These 15 seconds are just a peek into what I have been doing to perfect my craft. To some of you out there I may be that girl who got booted from Tough Enough and to others I may be that girl who didn’t know how to pin her opponent. Regardless of how you view me I refuse to allow my mistakes to define my character and legacy. I refuse to give up because others say I can’t make it. I’m too hungry, too relentless and too ambitious to simply sit quietly and accept what is given to me. I will work my ass off and do everything possible to be the performer I know I am because that is what defines who I am. The Cameron you remember is not the Cameron you will soon see. #Cameronscomeback #MyJourney #MerryChristmas

My Early Christmas Present: The road leading to our ultimate goals and dreams is never an easy path to navigate. Pain, criticism and disappointment are just some of the potholes along the way. How you work your way through them is what separates the believers from the achievers. Over the past few months a lot of you have asked me where I am and why I have not shared any videos of my training. I’m currently training down at NXT and performing at NXT live shows. Unfortunately, some things are out of my control so I can’t show you much but I can share this clip of my good friend @carlocannon me training before I left for NXT. In this business you rarely have any creative control but you do have control over how much effort and work you put into yourself. These 15 seconds are just a peek into what I have been doing to perfect my craft. To some of you out there I may be that girl who got booted from Tough Enough and to others I may be that girl who didn’t know how to pin her opponent. Regardless of how you view me I refuse to allow my mistakes to define my character and legacy. I refuse to give up because others say I can’t make it. I’m too hungry, too relentless and too ambitious to simply sit quietly and accept what is given to me. I will work my ass off and do everything possible to be the performer I know I am because that is what defines who I am. The Cameron you remember is not the Cameron you will soon see. #Cameronscomeback #MyJourney #MerryChristmas

A video posted by WWECameron (@arianeandrew) on Dec 24, 2015 at 4:44pm PST

• *NEW* Photo Gallery: Awesome Bikini Pics Of RONDA ROUSEY At The Beach!

– Former NXT Champion Sami Zayn made his NXT television return on Wednesday’s episode on the WWE Network. As seen by the above clip posted by WWE this evening, Zayn returned to the ring with a victory over Tye Dillinger in a match that was taped after last week’s NXT TakeOver: London special.

– Also on this week’s edition of NXT TV, Elias Samson re-debuted under his new character. Samson defeated Bull Dempsey in one-on-one action on the show.

– The Tuesday, December 22nd live WWE Super SmackDown show drew 2.264 million viewers, which was actually down from the 2.332 million viewers for last Thursday’s taped edition of the show.

• *NEW* Photo Gallery: Awesome Bikini Pics Of RONDA ROUSEY At The Beach!

– In the above Super SmackDown Fallout video, Santino Marella mourns his ruined Christmas party and vows revenge on those responsible for ruining it.

– The following matches were recently taped for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network:

* The Vaudevillains vs. Mojo Rawley & Zack Ryder vs. Blake & Murphy vs. Chad Gable & Jason Jordan
* Elias Samson vs. Bull Dempsey
* Sami Zayn vs. Tye Dillinger

– WWE tweeted the following link to a clip of Big Show’s appearance on ESPN SportsCenter on Tuesday night.

.@WWETheBigShow talks @TributeToTroops with @TheCoachESPN on @SportsCenter. WATCH: https://t.co/RoepCAlNZR pic.twitter.com/0KGw9T5XaA

— WWE (@WWE) December 23, 2015

• *NEW* Photo Gallery: Awesome Bikini Pics Of RONDA ROUSEY At The Beach!

Ring of Honor & New Japan Pro Wrestling star AJ Styles’ recently spoke with Donald Wood from Ring Rust Radio to promote NJPW’s upcoming WrestleKingdom 10 PPV on Monday, January 4th from the Tokyo Dome. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

His Back Injury:

“I’m not going to let it have an impact. I’m going to be wrestling at Final Battle and Wrestle Kingdom and I will find a way. I’m not missing these amazing events for anything. I am going to be there, I have been hurt before, and I just work through it. Everyone has at some point; it’s just what you do as a wrestler. You ignore the pain and when that adrenaline starts running it doesn’t matter what’s bothering you, you will put on the best show you can.”

If He Plans On Slowing Down His Schedule: 

“Maybe less dates because I have been going hard ever since I left TNA. I have been rocking it. Maybe less dates is something that I should look to, but as far as slowing down in the ring; no way. I have one gear and it’s all or nothing with me. That’s the reason why I came home early from the tag tournament over in New Japan. If I got back in the ring, I would have hurt myself worse because I just can’t slow down. It doesn’t matter how many people are in attendance, you are always going to get everything I have.”

TNA Making Him The Face Of The Company When He Joined in 2002: 

“It’s funny cause when it first started I thought it was just another indie. I didn’t worry about what they would do with me; I just knew I was there to put on killer matches. As it grew, I had to ignore rumors that they were going out of business and that I might be done there after I felt like I was part of the company. I don’t know that I was shocked that they were giving me a title. Jerry Lynn, Low Ki, and myself were always having the best matches on PPV. So it wasn’t a surprise they wanted to put us in the main event. As many bad things that did happen at TNA, there were plenty of good things as well. As I walk down to my man cave, I have old posters of TNA. Sometimes I think I should take them down, but then again I’m not ashamed of what I accomplished there. It is what it is and despite where TNA is now, when I look back it was a very positive thing for me and I learned a lot there.”

What Went Wrong With TNA & What Led To His Departure:

“I think around 2009-10 they were headed in the wrong direction. They were trying to be WWE-lite and you can’t do that, you have to be different. I think that’s where the biggest mistakes were made and they didn’t trust the guys that got them to the ball game in the first place. They had all the talent they needed and didn’t need to bring in other talent. I think people were misinformed about what they could get out of it. The dial never changed when they brought in this higher talent as they thought it would. I will say Christian Cage when he came over was such an asset; he was the start of it. Then they brought in Kurt Angle, which was unbelievable, and they could have stopped there and we would have been fine. They have got to be different and turn it up. If WWE can’t do something because they are publicly traded, then there is your advantage. That just doesn’t apply to TNA, that applies to ROH as well. Everybody can do something different than WWE. I will say ROH wrestling is out of this world and nothing can compete with that. TNA they just have to change it and be different.

If He’s Interested In NXT:

“I’m going to be honest with you guys: The thing that makes wrestling most interesting to me is going to be the business that occurs after the match is over. A lot of people frown on that and say money isn’t everything. Well I say it depends on how much you have saved. My goal when I retire is to not be in a wheel chair or walk with a limp. Wherever I go, I will do my best, work harder than anybody there, and that’s just what I do. I only have one gear and if someone is looking for that and I can support my family while doing it, then that is what I will do.”

Is Wrestling In WWE A Goal? 

“It’s not, it really isn’t. I get to work in the Tokyo Dome on January 4th in front of thousands and thousands of people. That’s pretty awesome. I don’t know about you guys, but the first time I watched New Japan and saw them walk down that long ramp to the ring it was unbelievable. The fact that I get to do that, that is my wrestling moment. I wouldn’t say I would never go to WWE, but if it didn’t happen I wouldn’t go, “Oh man, I missed out. I’m the one guy that missed out.”

If He Would Work For Lucha Underground: 

“Again, where ever the business takes me that is where I will go. Lucha Underground does great and crazy stuff over there, and it’s a little bit of what we talked about with doing something different. Where ever the business takes me, that’s where I am going to go.”

His Ultimate Dream Match:

“I think I am going to get the opportunity to have one of my dream matches. I have never wrestled Rey Mysterio one on one. We are going to be in England at Five Star and we are finally going to get the chance to lock up. I’m looking forward to that match, I think it’s going to be fun, and it’s going to be entertaining. It’s Rey Mysterio, this guy is amazing. To be able to step in the ring with him, it’s kind of a dream come true for me. Not because I have watched him for so many years, but he is such a great guy and I never had the opportunity to have that match with him. I would have loved to wrestle Eddie Guerrero, but obviously that can’t happen. I think Rey Mysterio is definitely a big one for me.

Big E recently spoke with Mlive.com to promote the December 26th WWE live event in Detroit at the Joe Louis Arena. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On keeping an eye on NXT:

“I think the three of us tend to look at NXT. I think it’s always important to look at the future of the company. We are excited about giving a younger team an opportunity. There’s a lot of great teams in NXT, but if I had to pick one, I’d say Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady might be the best. I think they’d provide a different rivalry for us.”

On who he would choose to wrestle that he hasn’t faced yet:

“I’ve been around long enough for the most part that I’ve wrestled mostly everyone. I haven’t wrestled Big Show yet. I think Brock Lesnar stands out as a big name. If I had to choose one person to wrestle who I haven’t wrestled yet, it would be Brock.”

On his “Five Count” gimmick in NXT and working with The New Day:

“I had a lot of fun doing the five count thing in NXT. It was a crowd favorite baby face role. But, what we’re doing now has been the best time of my career as far as visibility and progression and just enjoying it. I feel like we are uninhibited and having a lot of fun.”

• Rousey-Holm II CANCELED?, McGregor’s UFC 194 Pay + CM Punk’s UFC Opponent!

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog at JRsBarBQ.com with his thoughts on some of the problems with WWE’s weekly television presentation, as well as a “strange” chant he noticed during the NXT TakeOver: London special on the WWE Network. Below are some of the highlights.

On the trend of wrestling matches stretching through commercial breaks on WWE TV:

“I see the reason that some wrestling TV shows need to stretch some bouts through one or more commercial breaks but I’m sensing that most matches that carry through a break, or two, disconnect from many fans thanks to the three minute commercial break or even a two minute break. I’d like to see more matches start and end in the same segment which should help maintain the focus of the fans and consequently help get talents over more, or so I feel. If that means that if a promotion has to format a shorter, reset segment to get back on their timeline then so be it.”

On the problem with heavy advertising on commentary during WWE TV shows:

“Broadcasters who are forced to speak on loosely connected topics such as what’s trending on Twitter even though it’s graphically displayed on the TV screen and don’t stay true to the talent are on course to not get the talents over. If I’m watching TV and am visually seeing physicality and athleticism but I’m hearing yet another train of thought what of it am I supposed to process? Exactly.”

On “strange” crowd chant during Bayley’s match at NXT TakeOver: London:

“I went back and looked and the live audience at the NXT Takeover London event and the live crowd did actually sing a pop tune while Bayley was ‘selling’ and it did feel strange. Is this type of crowd reaction good for the business? I’m leaning toward the negative side of that answer. But as everyone knows, I’m an old school, bitter dude who’s angry at the world and I yearn for the days of wool tights and mullets.”

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– The Thursday, December 17th edition of WWE SmackDown scored a final cable rating of 1.68, up from last week’s 1.55 final draw. Thursday’s SmackDown averaged 2.332 million viewers, also up from last week’s show, which averaged 2.133 million viewers.

– The latest edition of “The Taz Show: Bodyslams & Beyond,” which is available for download right now at Play.it, features ROH’s Adam Cole and former head WWE writer Vince Russo as guests. The official description for the show reads as follows:

“The Taz Show has Adam Cole on to discuss Ring of Honor! Taz also welcomes Vince Russo as an impromptu guest and gets into a disagreement about Kevin Owens. Lastly, Taz chats about Smackdown from Newark, NJ.”

– John Cena checked in on social media on Saturday, praising the efforts of both the WWE and NXT brands during his absence to film various television and movie projects. Cena wrote the following on his official Twitter page on Saturday afternoon:

It is always heartbreaking to be away from the @WWE but gives me great pride to see the success of many new faces as well as @WWENXT #evolve

— John Cena (@JohnCena) December 19, 2015

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– Although he noted on social media that he checked out fine and suffered no fractures, WWE kept Stardust out of the ring again this week. As noted last week, Stardust appeared to suffer an injury during his match against Jack Swagger on the December 7th edition of RAW, and was taken to a local hospital immediately after the show to be evaluated.

– A fan hit the ring at the NXT live event in Sheffield, England as part of the NXT U.K. Tour this past Sunday, December 13th. One of the NXT crew members, possibly Ryan Katz, stopped the fan before anything serious happened. The fan run-in spot took place during a tag-team match that featured The Mechanics vs. Jason Jordan and Chad Gable.

• Rousey-Holm II CANCELED?, McGregor’s Pay For UFC 194 + CM Punk’s UFC Opponent!

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Sami Zayn makes his NXT television return next week in a match that was taped after Takeover: London. The former NXT Champion returned to action over the weekend against Finn Balor during the ongoing UK tour. He had been out of action for approximately 7 months after undoing shoulder surgery before the Summer.

NXT Takeover: London is in the books and once again, NXT delivered a very strong 2-hour live special, once again in front of over 10,000 fans. NXT Takeovers were among the best events of 2015 and they’re showing no sign of slowing down.

NXT TakeOver: London took place from the SSE Arena, Wembley in England on Wednesday afternoon and aired live on the WWE Network. 

The @WWENXT chants rain down in the @ssearena as @TripleH opens #NXTTakeOver: London! pic.twitter.com/hSsKrzK6C0

— WWE (@WWE) December 16, 2015

– Asuka def. Emma via Submission (Asuka Lock) to pick up the win in the opening match, which ran nearly 15 minutes, despite a distraction attempt from Dana Brooke.

UK wrestling legend Johnny Saint is in the house for #NXTTakeover: London! @ssearena pic.twitter.com/9lnzEKx62g

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) December 16, 2015

– Dash & Dawson def. Enzo & Cass in another 15-minute match to retain the NXT World Tag-Team Championships. Dash & Dawson hit Enzo, who was caught on the top rope, with a super Shatter Machine for the 1-2-3.

AND STILL your @WWENXT Tag Team Champions, @ScottDawsonWWE & @DashWilderWWE! #NXTTakeover #ShatterMachine pic.twitter.com/v6NuDLXnCH

— WWE (@WWE) December 16, 2015

– Baron Corbin def. Apollo Crews in the first male singles match of the evening. This one went a bit over ten minutes and had a lot of good crowd heat and some very cool crowd-pleasing spots.

– A vignette played to hype the NXT TV return of next week. It was noted at the end of the video that Sami Zayn would be back in action at next week’s NXT show.

– Bayley def. Nia Jax in a grueling 13-minute match to retain the NXT Women’s Championship via submission.

The champion is WRENCHING that guillotine in! #NXTTakeover @ItsBayleyWWE pic.twitter.com/hU5vbCGcz4

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) December 16, 2015

– A vignette aired hyping Blake & Murphy vs. Jason Jordan & Chad Gable for next week’s NXT TV.

– Finn Balor def. Samoa Joe to retain the NXT World Championship in the main event of the NXT TakeOver: London special. The finish saw Balor pick up the win via pinfall after hitting him with the Coup de Grace for the 1-2-3.

What a way to go out from @ssearena in London! AND STILL @WWENXT Champion…@wwebalor! #NXTTakeover pic.twitter.com/15wucaTrXH

— WWE (@WWE) December 16, 2015

• Video: Drunk Conor McGregor Raps DMX Song At UFC 194 Afterparty!

There have been rumors online regarding Sami Zayn possibly wrestling top international independent wrestler Zack Sabre Jr. during the NXT TakeOver: London event this afternoon at the SSE Arena in England.

Apparently the rumors originated from a Wikipedia entry that was edited earlier, and until further notice, should be taken as strictly an unfounded rumor.

We can report, however, that there have been rumblings within WWE about the possibility of Sabre Jr. coming to the company, just not at today’s NXT TakeOver: London special.

As noted last week via Triple H, Zayn is scheduled to work a match at the TakeOver event itself later today, although his match is scheduled to be taped for the next edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network.

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– WWE posted the above video preview of the next “Stone Cold Podcast” with special guest Ric Flair. The show premieres on the WWE Network on Monday, January 11th immediately following RAW.

– Triple H posted the following on Twitter

Just arrived @ssearena…only hours until @WWENXT #NXTTakeOver: London. #GameTime pic.twitter.com/QneAnvXe7l

— Triple H (@TripleH) December 16, 2015

– Speaking of tonight’s NXT TakeOver: London special, the official WWE Twitter page tweeted the following to promote the show, as well as the NXT TakeOver: London “Kickoff Show” hosted by Renee Young on the WWE Network immediately before the live special begins.

Don't miss @wwebalor vs. @SamoaJoe at #NXTTakeOver: London in just 12 HOURS LIVE at 3e/12p only on @WWENetwork! pic.twitter.com/qQFJTapjeD

— WWE (@WWE) December 16, 2015

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