The first WWE Friday Night SmackDown of 2020 will take place tonight from the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee.
WWE has not released a preview for tonight’s episode.
Sasha Banks vs. Lacey Evans was recently mentioned during a NFL on FOX presentation.
Tonight’s show will also feature more build to the 2020 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, which will feature Daniel Bryan vs. WWE Universal Champion “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt.
It’s believed that a major news story on Major League Wrestling will be breaking soon.
There’s no word yet on specifics of the story, but PWInsider reports that there has been a lot of talk on a huge story involving MLW and a new partnership that will be revealed imminently.
MLW Founder, Owner & CEO Court Bauer has been in Los Angeles several times over the past few weeks to meet with potential TV and licensing partners, which appears to be related to the story dropping soon. Word is that the story has a lot of potential to transform MLW’s future in a positive way.
Wrestling Inc Managing Editor Nick Hausman reached out to Bauer, who confirmed that the forthcoming news will be, “transformative to MLW’s immediate and long-term future.”
Bauer, a former WWE creative team writer, originally launched MLW back in 2002, but they shut down in 2004 and later resumed events in the summer of 2017. They are currently based out of New Rochelle, New York. MLW has a weekly TV deal with beIN Sports, and a deal with FITE TV for streaming content. MLW’s current line-up of champions are: MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu, MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone, MLW World Tag Team Champions The Von Erichs, and MLW World Middleweight Champion Myron Reed. A women’s division was launched in November of last year.
Stay tuned for updates on the MLW story that is expected to break soon.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Impact Wrestling has a new World Title belt to kick off 2020.
Impact World Champion Sami Callihan took to Twitter this week and revealed an up-close look at the design with black, red and gold on the front.
“#HappyNewYears,” Sami wrote. “@IMPACTWRESTLING loves me so much… they got me a NEW f–king belt. Black & Red like my heart. #TheDRAW”
It looks like the red has replaced the previous blue shading to represent the new Impact TV home, AXS.
Sami began his first Impact World Title reign during the AXS TV debut episode on October 29, 2019, which was taped on October 25. He defeated Brian Cage, who had won the title from Johnny Impact back at Rebellion on April 28. Sami’s title win was named the “Best Moment” in the 2019 Impact Year-End Awards.
You can see Sami’s full tweet with photos below:
https://twitter.com/TheSamiCallihan/status/1212221114547671041
Source: Wrestling Inc.
The Anniversary Edition of AEW Dynamite next week (1/8/20) will take place in Southaven, MS (the Greater Memphis area).
During tonight’s Dynamite, it was announced that Memphis wrestling legends will be honored on next Wednesday’s episode of the show. It was noted that some legends will be appearing in person, though further details weren’t revealed.
AEW is billing next week’s Dynamite as the anniversary edition of the show, with it taking place on the one-year anniversary of the company’s Double or Nothing rally.
Cody & Dustin Rhodes vs. The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix), Riho vs. Kris Statlander for the AEW Women’s Championship, Kenny Omega & Hangman Page vs. Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy), and Sammy Guevara vs. Christopher Daniels are set for next week’s Dynamite. Jon Moxley will also reveal whether or not he’s accepting Chris Jericho’s offer to join the Inner Circle.
Tonight’s AEW Dynamite: Homecoming Edition will air live from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
* Cody vs. Darby Allin
* Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks vs. Pac and The Lucha Brothers
* Will Jon Moxley accept Chris Jericho’s offer to join his Inner Circle?
* MJF appearing
* Taz to make a guest appearance
The final WWE RAW of 2019 will take place tonight at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.
Wrestling legend/WWE Hall of Famer, Arn Anderson is joining AEW to advise Cody Rhodes as his head coach in 2020.
The announcement states:
Since AEW exploded onto the wrestling scene just one year ago, it has consistently dazzled fans with its groundbreaking shows, world-class roster, inclusive attitude and impactful announcements. To wrap AEW’s inaugural year, Cody today announced that legendary wrestler Arn Anderson will be Cody’s personal advisor and head coach for the 2020 season, starting with the New Year’s Day DYNAMITE show in Jacksonville, Florida.
According to AEW, Anderson will be ringside for Cody’s match against Darby Allin on January 1.
“2019 was the most successful year I’ve had in pro-wrestling,” Cody stated in the press release. “Beyond the superfluous financial, it’s been incredibly rewarding on a spiritual level to be able to engage so many fans with a like-minded place in their hearts for the sport.
“That said, one of my greatest fears came true as I lost the opportunity to wrestle for the World Championship again. But, on the other side of that fear is freedom to chase every other accolade
outside of that title,” Rhodes added.
“I still want to collect all the accolades I can and dominate the singles division. That’s why I’m bringing in Arn Anderson as my personal advisor and head coach. He has been in business with my family for over three decades. Having been a wrestler throughout so many different generations of talent, he understands what ingredients it takes to look beyond the horizon and produce the best content and results.”
It’s unclear at this time time whether Arn will also work behind the scenes in some capacity for AEW or if this is strictly an on-camera role.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
NJPW legend Hiroshi Tanahashi will get the opportunity to earn an AEW World title shot next weekend when he goes one-on-one with ‘Le Champion’ at Wrestle Kingdom 14.
Chris Jericho shared a video on Saturday morning reacting to recent comments made by Tanahashi in regards to their upcoming match.
“You said if you could beat me, that you will enter the forbidden portal and request a title shot for the AEW championship,” Chris says in the video. “I thought it’s a great idea, so ‘Le Champion’ asked the Chairman of the Board, the owner of AEW, Tony Khan, if it was okay to grant your request. And he said yes! So, if you can beat me in the Tokyo Dome, I will give you a championship match for the AEW title,” Jericho added.
Wrestle Kingdom 14 is a two-day event this year starting on January 4. The show can be viewed on NJPW World or FITE TV. The show will not be broadcast on AXS TV this year, as the relationship between the two companies recently came to an end.
Jericho vs. Tanahashi will take place on night two of Wrestle Kingdom on January 5.
Watch Jericho’s announcement below.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
It is believed that WWE RAW Superstar Randy Orton suffered some sort of leg or knee injury during Sunday’s live event in Hershey, PA. According to several fans on Twitter, the injury happened minutes into his match against AJ Styles. The match was stopped and Orton was helped to the back by trainers.
WWE issued an update today and acknowledged unconfirmed reports of the leg injury, and noted that Orton is undergoing a medical evaluation.
Below is the full announcement on Orton:
Randy Orton undergoes medical evaluation following WWE Live EventAmid various unconfirmed reports that Randy Orton sustained a leg injury during a match at WWE’s Live Event in Hershey, Pa., on Sunday night, WWE.com has learned that the 13-time World Champion is undergoing a medical evaluation. The extent of any potential injuries suffered by Orton is not yet known.
This week on MLW FUSION join Rich Bocchini and AJ Kirsch as they look back at the best of 2019 in Major League Wrestling!
See the wildest brawl in the history of MLW as LA Park challenges Jacob Fatu for the World Heavyweight Title from Saturday Night SuperFight!
Timothy Thatcher battles Davey Boy Smith Jr. in a spectacular clash between two catch wrestling ring generals.
Experience the biggest moments in MLW in 2019! The top 10 craziest things in MLW!
Plus MORE!
