Category: WWE

Paul Heyman Back With Brock Lesnar As His Advocate

Paul Heyman appeared with Brock Lesnar on Monday’s RAW and the two announced they are back working together as client and advocate.

Monday Night’s RAW confirmed that Paul Heyman is back working as Brock Lesnar’s advocate. No longer under Roman Reigns’ employ, Heyman has jumped back into the arms of the new WWE Champion and the two worked together Monday night, setting the stage for the Royal Rumble.

After WWE showed a highlight package from Saturday’s “Premium Live Event”, the lights went out and Heyman appeared in the middle of the ring to introduce his “client” Brock Lesnar. The new WWE Champion came to the ring and did confirm Heyman was, once again, his advocate. After sarcastically hoping Roman Reigns gets well soon, Lesnar turned the mic back over to Heyman who went on a long rant about every competitor in the Fatal 4-Way. He gave each props but said none would measure up.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1478173790530162690

Heyman really sold his client’s win on Saturday while Lesnar stood atop a self-made podium that was once being used as the ring steps. Lesnar didn’t talk much after going for a cheap pop with the South Carolina crowd and he let his advocate do the rest of the work.

This was as good a promo as one would expect from Heyman, but questions about where this leaves Lesnar as a heel or babyface are sure to follow. Is Heyman coming back to Lesnar a sign these two will go back to being heels? Or, is Heyman now a good guy too? Later on the show, WWE teased Friday’s SmackDown would offer more of Lesnar and Heyman, so potentially the WWE Universe will find out.

That Heyman is simply back with Lesnar could speak volumes when it comes to any future storyline that includes finishing off the Reigns/Lesnar/Heyman storyline. If a new No. 1 contender is crowned in the main event, perhaps the Lesnar vs. Reigns program will be pushed aside for quite a while and what Heyman was really doing all this time will take a back seat.

Source: TheSportster

WWE Hall Of Famer Jeff Jarrett Makes GCW Debut At Die 4 This Event

WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett made a surprise debut at last night’s Game Changer Wrestling’s Die 4 This show in Atlantic City, NJ.  The pro wrestling veteran appeared, attacking Effy and destroying him with a guitar to the head to set up a future grudge match.

It was reported in July 2021 that Jarrett was released from WWE along with other budget cuts made at the time. Jeff Jarrett, inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018, was hired to work as a producer, but in March 2019, he was promoted to the creative team.

It was also determined last night who will be the new #1 contender for Jon Moxley’s GCW World Championship upon his return to the promotion. Homicide won the Do or Die Rumble to earn his spot to challenge for Moxley’s title at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

Homicide made his intentions clear as soon as he grabbed the microphone post-match, saying he was going to “f*ck up Moxley”.

Another pro wrestling veteran is also back on the indie wrestling scene — Scotty 2 Hotty. He announced his return to competing in the squared circle this past November and suffered a loss to Joey Janela at last night’s event.

You can see the full results for last night’s show below:

GCW Tag Team Championship
The Briscoes (Mark Briscoe & Jay Briscoe) (c) def. Blake Christian & Alex Zayne

Calvin Tankman def. Yoya

Joey Janela def. Scotty 2 Hotty

GCW World Title Number One Contender Do Or Die Rumble
Homicide def. Jordan Oliver, Tony Deppen, Jack Cartwheel, Dante Leon, Ninja Mack, Atticus Cogar, Nick Wayne, Dark Sheik, Matthew Justice, AJ Gray, Cole Radrick, Shane Mercer, PCO, G-Raver, Colby Corino, Allie Katch, Billie Starkz, Grim Reefer

GCW Ultraviolent Championship:
Alex Colon (c) def. John Wayne Murdoch

WWE RAW Preview 1/3/22

The first WWE RAW of 2022 will take place tonight from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina with fallout from WWE Day 1.

No matches or segments have been announced for tonight’s show but WWE is teasing that The Miz and Maryse will respond to what happened at Day 1 with WWE Hall of Famers Edge and Beth Phoenix. A mixed tag team match has been rumored.

Finn Balor vs. Austin Theory and AJ Styles vs. Omos are possible for this week after being nixed last week due to COVID-19 precautionary measures.

The next WWE pay-per-view is the Royal Rumble on January 29, so the build for that event should begin some time soon, if not tonight.

New WWE Champion Brock Lesnar will reportedly not appear on tonight’s post-Day 1 edition of WWE RAW. PWInsider reports that Lesnar returned home on Sunday, indicating that he will not be on tonight’s RAW from Greenville, SC.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Confirms Johnny Knoxville For The Royal Rumble

Jackass star Johnny Knoxville is headed to the 2022 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Knoxville took to Instagram to announce that he wants to win the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match later this month. Knoxville said he’s not impressed with the current WWE roster, taking shots at Big E and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Knoxville captioned his Instagram video with, “Happy New Year’s Day and love to everyone. I have a big announcement that I have been dying to get off of my chest. I spent a lot of times over the holiday thinking about how i wanted to start off my 2022, and I decided I want to do it kicking ass and taking names. And the best way to do that i feel is making a run for the Rumble, that’s right @WWE’s Royal Rumble. Training starts today, not that I will need a lot of it because I have seen the WWE’s current roster and it’s laughable to think anyone can throw me over the top rope. LAUGHABLE! I will be channeling my wrestling heroes like @therock, Abdullah the Butcher and the great Gorilla Monsoon. The way I’m looking at it I am giving myself a %100 chance of winning. What chance do you think I have? Sincerely, Johnny Knoxville, World Champ #roadtowrestlemania #royalrumble #wwe #jackassforever”

WWE responded to Knoxville’s Instagram video and wrote, “Good luck @johnnyknoxville!!”

Knoxville noted on the Jackass World Twitter account that winning the Rumble Match is one of his New Year’s Resolutions for 2022.

WWE ran Knoxville’s video during the inaugural WWE Day 1 pay-per-view, and seemingly confirmed him for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view later this month.

Knoxville’s Rumble appearance appears to be another promotional crossover for the Jackass Forever movie, which will be released on Friday, February 4. WWE ran a similar promotion last month as Knoxville, Chris Pontius and other members of the Jackass crew made a special appearance on the December 10 edition of SmackDown on FOX.

Knoxville’s last WWE TV appearance came on the October 4, 2010 RAW show when he was the guest star to promote Jackass 3D.

Knoxville will not be the first celebrity to compete in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match as WWE Celebrity Wing Hall of Famer Drew Carey made an appearance in the 2001 bout.

The 2022 WWE Royal Rumble will take place on January 29 from The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1477483868651352064
https://twitter.com/jackassworld/status/1477369464970567681

Drew McIntyre Reportedly Written Off WWE TV Due To Neck Issues

Drew McIntyre is reportedly suffering from a legitimate injury.

As noted, Saturday’s WWE Day 1 pay-per-view saw McIntyre defeat Madcap Moss in singles action. WWE later ran a backstage segment where Moss and Corbin attacked McIntyre during an interview. The attack ended with Moss and Corbin wrapping a chair around McIntyre’s neck, and then smashing it with a piece of lighting rig. WWE announced after the pay-per-view that McIntyre suffered a cervical neck strain with severe contusions during the backstage attack. It was also noted that upon further evaluation by WWE medical staff, McIntyre will have a follow-up with an orthopedic cervical specialist. There was some speculation on this being a storyline injury announcement, but now we know that there is more to it.

In an update, PWInsider reports that the Day 1 beatdown angle was done because McIntyre has been dealing with some legitimate neck issues for several weeks.

McIntyre now needs to undergo medical testing on his neck, which is why WWE wrote him out of the storylines as a way to be proactive about the situation.

There is no timeframe for McIntyre’s return to the ring, but there’s hope within WWE that his absence from the ring will be short-term. His status was described as “up in the air” until he gets checked out by doctors.

There’s been a feeling within WWE about how “insanely hard” McIntyre has been working in recent weeks, despite the issues with his neck. It was also noted how he’s pulled double duty at recent WWE live events on the annual Holiday Tour. One WWE source said McIntyre “went down swinging” to injury for the company.

McIntyre was seen leaving the State Farm Arena with a neck brace on after Saturday’s Day 1 pay-per-view.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Day 1 Results (1/1/2022), Reigns Test Positive For Covid

Universal Championship match was canceled due to Roman Reigns testing positive for Covid-19. Brock Lesnar was added to the WWE Championship match, making it a fatal 5-way.

KICKOFF PRE-SHOW
Sheamus and Ridge Holland defeated Ricochet and Cesaro

Drew McIntyre defeated Madcap Moss

WWE Hall of Famer Edge defeated The Miz

Beth Phoenix appeared, she ran Maryse away form the ring. Miz was distracted by Beth and Edge hit Miz with a spear for the win.

WWE RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Randy Orton and Riddle (c) Randy Orton and Riddle (c) (w/ Migos) defeated The Street Profits

Backstage: Drew McIntyre was viciously assaulted by Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss

WWE SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The Usos (c) defeated The New Day

WWE RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Becky Lynch (c) defeated Liv Morgan

Jackass star Johnny Knoxville announced his entry into the 2022 Royal Rumble

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP FATAL 5 WAY 
Brock Lesnar defeated Bobby Lashley, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, & Big E (c) (New WWE Champion)

WWE Day 1 (1/1/2022)

DATE: January 1, 2022 8:00 pm
LOCATION: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
AVAILABLE ON: Peacock, WWE Network (outside of the U.S.)

CARD

WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP FATAL 4 WAY 
Big E (c) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens

WWE RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Liv Morgan

WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Sami Zayn

WWE SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The Usos (c) vs. The New Day

WWE RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Randy Orton and Riddle (c) vs. The Street Profits

Edge vs. The Miz

Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss

KICKOFF PRE-SHOW
Ricochet and Cesaro vs. Sheamus and Ridge Holland

WWE Reportedly Issuing Mask Fines, Backstage Update On The COVID-19 Situation In WWE

WWE is reportedly issuing fines to anyone caught without a mask backstage.

A COVID-19 memo was recently issued within the company and it was ruled that masks are mandatory backstage at all times, according to Wrestling Observer Radio. There will be fines issued to not just WWE talents, but anyone backstage.

It was also said that WWE has recommended, but not mandated, that everyone get a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot.

We noted earlier this week how WWE is no longer requiring COVID-19 testing. It’s now believed that WWE is following CDC recommendations and shortening the quarantine time from 10 to 5 days, so those who tested positive and missed shows would be available for Saturday’s WWE Day 1 pay-per-view, provided the positive COVID-19 test took place this past Saturday or earlier. A talent would need two negative tests on consecutive says, with the first test allowed on day five, which is basically six days total.

Seth Rollins is the only confirmed COVID-19 positive as of this writing. Based on changes in recent WWE TV and live events schedules, the following main roster wrestlers have missed shows in the last week – Rollins, WWE Champion Big E, RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Queen Zelina Vega and possibly her partner Carmella, Bobby Lashley, King Xavier Woods, Erik, Austin Theory, Omos, WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. In the case of The Viking Raiders, they both worked Sunday’s live event in Tampa and Monday’s show in Orlando, but Erik has been missing for the rest of the tour.

This week’s WWE NXT episode also saw changes, as Brian Kendrick, Dexter Lumis, and NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne did not appear as advertised. RAW Tag Team Champion Riddle also did not appear live as originally planned, but did appear via video with WALTER for the segment with MSK and NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium. It will be interesting to see how next Tuesday’s NXT New Year’s Evil episode is affected.

Regarding wrestlers being pulled from shows in the last week, some did not work matches as advertised as a precautionary measure. F4Wonline.com reports how WWE officials have noted that not all of the wrestlers missing shows this past week have tested positive for COVID-19. Some were pulled from the live events because the company is intent on not risking certain key people who are scheduled for Saturday’s WWE Day 1 pay-per-view, such as Reigns.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Toni Storm Parts Ways With WWE

Toni Storm has reportedly parted ways with WWE following a three-year stint with the company.

According to Fighful’s Sean Ross Sapp, sources within WWE believe that Storm was granted her release following a request. Sapp also reports that a company memo did not mention budget cuts, which adds to the likelihood that Toni’s release was granted via mutual consent.

It appears the Australian star was not released, nor did she request to be released. According to Bodyslam.net, a source close to the situation revealed Storm just “up and quit”. In fact, she boarded a plane home, which she paid for herself, right after competing in a triple threat match at a live event. “Worked a triple threat at a house show last night and then paid out of her own pocket to fly herself home.”

Although WWE hasn’t officially broken the news that Storm is gone, it’s believed the company is treating it like a release simply because that has become the norm this year. It’s also believed Storm will still have to wait 90 days before she is allowed to wrestle elsewhere. Since the alleged reason she decided to walk out of WWE is due to burnout, the former NXT UK Women’s Champion will likely welcome the opportunity to stay at home for a while.

On top of the information alleging Storm quit WWE out of the blue and jumped on a plane, an unnamed female WWE Superstar also shed some light on the situation. “t’s f*cking wild. She’s just gone. Didn’t really tell anyone,” the wrestler said. A third source said that Storm deciding to depart the company in this way took everyone by surprise, and clearly blindsided Storm’s now-former employers in the process.

 It seems as if the want to leave WWE may have come as a surprise to Storm herself as well as everyone else.

Just last week, Storm went one-on-one with Charlotte Flair for Flair’s SmackDown Women’s Championship. The previous week, Storm scored a pinfall victory over Flair in a tag match that featured Sasha Banks as Storm’s partner and Shotzi Blackheart as Flair’s.

Outside of the ring, Storm is engaged to New Japan Pro Wrestling star Juice Robinson. The couple announced their engagement back in October. Robinson and Storm’s relationship status was confirmed in the summer of 2020. The Mae Young Classic winner revealed that the two of them had been seeing each other for a while after Bea Priestley, who is now NXT UK’s Blair Davenport, posted photos of the two of them together on social media. Storm and Davenport are close friends.

Source: TheSportster

WWE NXT Preview 12/28/21, Brian Kendrick Returns

Tonight’s WWE NXT 2.0 episode on the USA Network will feature the go-home build for next week’s New Year’s Evil special.

WWE has announced that Grayson Waller will appear on tonight’s show as a follow-up to last night’s RAW segment with AJ Styles. He is also scheduled to face Dexter Lumis. Tonight’s NXT will also see Brian Kendrick return to the ring to face Harland. RAW Tag Team Champion Riddle is also scheduled to appear tonight as MSK calls out NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium.

WWE has announced the following for tonight’s NXT:

* The go-home build for New Year’s Evil

* Grayson Waller vs. Dexter Lumis, Waller goes viral following his RAW appearance

* Harland vs. Brian Kendrick

* NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne vs. Cora Jade and Raquel Gonzalez in a non-title match

* RAW Tag Team Champion Riddle joins MSK as they call out NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium

* Wade Barrett moderates New Year’s Evil contract signing for the Title vs. Title Unification Match between NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong and NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes