Tonight’s WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the USA Network.
WWE Hall of Famer Lita made her return to WWE during this week’s episode of RAW and has her sights set on Damage CTRL.
In the main event of RAW, Bayley faced Becky Lynch in a Steel Cage match, the same match the pair were meant to have at RAW’s 30th-anniversary show.
During the closing moments of the match, Lita made her return and took out IYO SKY and Dakota Kai who were at ringside.
Lita’s most recent match in WWE was at last year’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event, where she lost to then-Champion Becky Lynch in a RAW Women’s Title match.
During an episode of the Broken Skull Sessions, Bayley named Lita as her dream opponent from any era.
It is WrestleMania season, and Lita’s new pattern seems to suggest she likes showing up around the Elimination Chamber. Did she just appear for a one-off last night? Or is there more involvement planned for her in the coming months?
Sources: eWrestlingNews and Wrestling Inc.
Back in December, following Final Battle, Tony Khan announced plans for a weekly TV show for Ring of Honor that would air as part of a revamped Honor Club sometime in 2023. It’s been radio silence since. However, with ROH’s Supercard of Honor pay-per-view rapidly approaching at the end of March, it appears developments may be picking up on the start of that ROH television show.
Fightful Select reports that ROH tapings are lined up for the end of February in Orlando, Florida. While a venue hasn’t been 100% confirmed, talent is presuming that tapings will occur at the soundstages of Universal Studios, where AEW has regularly taped “AEW Dark” in the past. Voices of Wrestling had previously reported ROH would hold tapings on February 25 and 26.
Things get a little murkier beyond those tapings as far as any more in the future, but it’s expected that what’s on the calendar for the end of February should take ROH all the way up to Supercard of Honor. Tony Khan has yet to specify an airdate for ROH’s first weekly show on Honor Club, but given the timetable, it is logical to believe it’d be at the start of March, with several episodes properly building in the weeks to the event during WrestleMania weekend.
Several AEW contracted talents — who had been signed as far back as last year — were noted as likely to appear, having inked deals with the intent to be used for ROH. ROH Champions Claudio Castagnoli, Athena, The Embassy, Samoa Joe, and Wheeler Yuta should be heavily featured.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
There might be a very nice, very evil, and very new tag team entering the AEW tag team picture.
Over the weekend as part of Chris Jericho’s “Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager at Sea” cruise, AEW’s resident ghoul Danhausen teamed up to become a unit for a pair of matches on the voyage. “Danhausen and Jerichohausen… the most hausen tag team of all hausen!!” one traveler tweeted, posting a photo of Danhausen and Jericho in matching facepaint and red capes. Another attendee shared a look at Danhausen and Jericho both using “The Walls of Jericho” against Austin and Colten Gunn.
Jericho’s annual cruise event typically features wrestlers — mostly from AEW’s roster at this point — in addition to a few other stars from ROH, GCW, and NJPW. Musical artists like Jericho’s rock group Fozzy, Quiet Riot, and “Platinum Max” (AEW World Tag Team Champion Max Caster) performed this year as well. Danhausen was advertised as the cruise’s “guest host” for the weekend.
Even before his AEW debut in early 2022, Danhausen had grown into a beloved figure among wrestling fans, making a name for himself on the independent scene and on social media. Known for casting “spells” on his adversaries, he has racked up an 8-5 record in his first year with AEW. Although with the recent attention he’s been garnering, it’s not out of the question to see bigger things on the horizon for him in his second year with the promotion — especially considering his association with the All-Atlantic Champion Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network and emanate from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
The latest episode of AEW’s latest weekly show, Dark: Elevation, is slated to air tonight at 7pm ET via the official AEW YouTube channel.
NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Wes Lee (c) def. Dijak
NXT WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Fallon Henley and Kiana James def. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter (c) to become new NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions
2-OUT-OF-3 FALLS MATCH:
Carmelo Hayes def. Apollo Crews with a 2-0 sweep
NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP FATAL 4-WAY MATCH:
Gallus def. The New Day, Chase University and Pretty Deadly to become new NXT Tag Team Champions
NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP TRIPLE THREAT MATCH:
Roxanne Perez (c) def. Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne
NXT CHAMPIONSHIP STEEL CAGE MATCH:
Bron Breakker (c) def. Grayson Waller
After the match Carmelo Hayes come out to suggest he is next in line for Breakker’s NXT Title.
Tonight’s AEW Rampage on TNT at 10/9C. Taped on Wednesday at Wright State University – Nutter Center in Dayton, OH
WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX, and emanate from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
Lanny Poffo, known during his time in the World Wrestling Federation as “Leaping Lanny” and “The Genius,” has died at age 68. The news was broken by “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan on his Instagram page on Thursday afternoon. The cause of his death is unknown at the time of this writing.
Poffo’s prolific wrestling career began in the 1970s during the territorial era, appearing in promotions such as the National Wrestling Alliance before jumping to International Championship Wrestling, which was owned by his father, Angelo Poffo. After stints in the Continental Wrestling Association and Mid-South Wrestling, Poffo joined the World Wrestling Federation from 1985 to 1992, where he became known for his heel work and his poetry.
After leaving WWF, he joined the company’s rival promotion, World Championship Wrestling, from 1995 to 1999. According to Cagematch, he wrestled his final match in January 2020 for Survival Championship Wrestling in Rensselaer, New York. Poffo inducted his brother “Macho Man” Randy Savage into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015. In 2020, he appeared on an episode of “AEW Dynamite” as part of a tribute to the legends of Memphis Wrestling
Outside of wrestling, Poffo was an author who published two books, including the anti-smoking book “Limericks from the Heart and Lungs!” His biographical comic, “The Genius of Lanny Poffo” was released in 2018, the same year he started his “The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo” podcast, which saw him interview a host of wrestling legends. Per IMDb, he was also an actor who starred in movies such as “Curse of the Wolf,” “Ninja: Prophecy of Death” and “Alien Danger 2! With Raven Van Slender.”
WWE issued the following statement on the passing of Lanny Poffo.
Lanny Poffo passes away
WWE is saddened to learn that Lanny Poffo, best known to sports-entertainment fans as The Genius, passed away at 68 years of age.
The son of Angelo Poffo and younger brother of WWE Hall of Famer “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Lanny Poffo had a style all his own. Arriving in WWE in 1985 alongside his brother, “Leaping” Lanny Poffo was one of the first high-flyers in WWE. While he achieved some success as a fan favorite reading his own poetry and throwing Frisbees to the crowd, he reached new heights as The Genius while managing Mr. Perfect.
WWE extends its condolences to Poffo’s family, friends and fans.
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