A fan on Twitter asked “Woken” Matt Hardy if his wife Reby Hardy would be joining him on WWE TV, and Matt responded saying that he believed that she would:
Source: 411Mania
Category: WWE
Backstage News On A Major Potential WrestleMania 34 Match
It was recently revealed that the main event for the SmackDown-branded WWE Fastlane pay-per-view in March will be AJ Styles defending the WWE Championship in a five-way match against Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. While it’s not a lock, that would suggest that Orton, Nakamura, Owens and Zayn aren’t winning The Royal Rumble match in January, since it wouldn’t make sense for them to challenge for the title at Fastlane and then again at WrestleMania.
There had been speculation that Styles would be defending his WWE Championship against John Cena at WrestleMania 34, with the storyline being that Cena would be trying to break Ric Flair’s recognized record of 16 World title reigns. According to Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter , Cena will not be facing Styles at the event as Cena “is in a much bigger match than Styles.” He added that while he doesn’t know exactly who Cena will be facing, he was told that the match will be clear within a few weeks.
Meltzer noted that the only names he could come up with to be facing Cena were The Undertaker, Batista, Goldberg or Hulk Hogan, however it would be a surprise with Hogan given his controversy with his leaked racist rant, as well as his issues with his back. It is expected that some angles for the top WrestleMania matches will be shot at the 25th anniversary of RAW on Monday, January 22, 2018. The special will emanate from both the Barclays Center and the Manhattan Center in New York City, and will feature appearances by The Undertaker, Kevin Nash and Shawn Michaels, among others.
Source: WrestlingINC
Paige Had Injury Scare At WWE Live Event
Paige suffered what appeared to be a rib, shoulder or head injury during last night’s WWE live event on Long Island. The injury came from either a missed dropkick or a hard kick to the back from Sasha Banks. Apparently, Paige wasn’t ready for the move and it stunned her. The match was immediately stopped and a stretcher was brought out but Paige did walk out on her own.
Paige is apparently alright today as she was seen at the hotel bar after the show and was feeling better, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter . The early belief is that she just suffered a mild stinger.
No word yet on if Paige will miss any ring time.
Source: WrestlingINC
Below is fan footage of Paige being attended to after the incident:
NXT Preview 12/27/17
* Fatal 4-Way to determine NXT Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas’ opponent at NXT Takeover: Philadelphia
* Can Sonya Deville seize the NXT Women’s Title from Ember Moon?
Matt Hardy Uses Old Piano Theme For ‘Woken’ Entrance At MSG (Videos)
Matt Hardy debuted his “Woken” ring entrance at tonight’s WWE live event at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Hardy came out to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata (1st movement) and defeated Bray Wyatt.
Hardy used the same theme while performing the “Broken” character in Impact Wrestling.
You can check out Hardy’s entrance from last night’s live event below:
Source: WrestlingINC
WWE Confirms Injury To Brian Kendrick On Monday Night’s RAW
Brian Kendrick was sent to local hospital to be checked for a potential injury after taking a stiff GTS from Hideo Itami during the finish to their WWE RAW match Monday night in Chicago. Kendrick suffered a orbital wall fracture and a minimally displaced nasal bridge fracture.
Below is video of Dasha Fuentes confirming that Kendrick suffered the broken nose and a broken orbital bone. She notes that there’s no word yet on when Kendrick will return to action.
UPDATE:
It was noted on last night’s episode of 205 Live that Brian Kendrick will be out of action for two months and will likely not require surgery.
The Miz and Alicia Fox Headed Overseas To Meet Troops
WWE has announced that The Miz and Alicia Fox will be joining an upcoming USO Holiday tour overseas to thank the US Troops. This pretty much confirms that The Miz has wrapped his scenes for The Marine 6, which we noted before. The full announcement on the USO tour is below:
WWE Superstars join the USO in thanking U.S. troops overseasFormer Intercontinental Champion The Miz and former Divas Champion Alicia Fox will join actor Adam Devine, comedian Iliza Shlesinger and other celebrities on the USO Holiday Tour, led by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joe Dunford, to visit and spread holiday cheer to servicemembers deployed and stationed overseas.
“It is an absolute privilege to be able to work with the USO and visit our troops overseas,” The Miz said of his first experience on the tour. “Their sacrifices allow us to do what we do, and it’s an honor to be able to thank them in person.”
Alicia Fox – embarking on her second USO tour – expressed likewise. “Being able to shake the hands of those who serve our country is an incredible experience, especially this time of year when they are away from home and working so hard to protect our freedom. We want to put smiles on their faces and let them know that they are the true Superstars.”
Source: WrestlingINC
Update On Rich Swann And His Wife After Recent Domestic Arrest
Rich Swann and his wife, Vannarah Riggs (women’s wrestler Su Yung), had apparently patched things up shortly after Swann’s domestic arrest earlier this month in Gainesville, FL. THE Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that the two were said to be doing well, which was no secret among friends they knew.
Just one week after the arrest, Riggs posted a throwback photo with Swann and noted that she couldn’t wait to see him the next day but it looks like her Facebook account has been deactivated. Her post said, “I can not wait to see my husband tomorrow! After such an awesome weekend of wrestling debuting in two different promotions across America nothing would be better than to see his face [heart emoji] throwback to our too sweets my love”
As noted, Swann was suspended indefinitely by WWE following the arrest and he may be fired if he’s found guilty of the charges – false imprisonment/kidnapping and misdemeanor battery (touching or striking). According to the police report, Swann had been critiquing his wife’s performance at an indie wrestling show during their ride home together. Riggs told police she tried leaving out of fear of the argument escalating due to Swann’s occasional temper. A witness told police that Swann placed Riggs in a headlock and forced her back into the car. Swann claimed he never physically forced Riggs to get back into the car and said she did so on her own. Riggs reportedly attempted to leave the car again while it was moving but Swann chased after her, which caused the car to crash into a telephone pole. Swann told police that he chased her only to get the GPS directions she had on her phone as they were using that to travel with.
Swann’s attorney, Ian M. Pickens of Meldon Law, issued the following statement to SportingNews.com earlier this month:
“At this point, no criminal charges have been filed officially against him so depending on how that process plays out will determine our scope of representation. We’re hopeful for a fair and quick resolution on behalf of Mr. Swann, but ultimately the state attorney will make their decision (on potential charges) when they deem it appropriate. We’re working on the case now and things we may do to assist Mr. Swann. But as far as specifics, I can’t comment on that.”
Source: WrestlingINC
What Did WWE Name As The Top Match Of 2017?,
WWE has named their top 25 matches of 2017 at this link, featuring comments from editors and some of the WWE Superstars involved. The list, which also features matches from WWE NXT, looks like this:
25. Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro — Intercontinental Championship Match (Raw, Dec. 11)
24. Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho — Triple Threat United States Championship Match (SmackDown LIVE, July 25)
23. Bobby Roode vs. Shinsuke Nakamura — NXT Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Orlando)
22. John Cena vs. AJ Styles vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz vs. Baron Corbin — WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match (Elimination Chamber)
21. Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley — Raw Women’s Championship Match (Raw, Feb. 13)
20. Gentleman Jack Gallagher vs. TJP vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Noam Dar — Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match (205 Live, Feb. 7)
19. Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns — Universal Championship Match (Royal Rumble)
18. SAnitY vs. The Undisputed ERA vs. The Authors of Pain & Roderick Strong — WarGames Match (NXT TakeOver: WarGames)
17. Finn Bálor vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt — Fatal 5-Way Match (Extreme Rules)
16. Aleister Black vs. The Velveteen Dream (NXT TakeOver: WarGames)
15. Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar — Universal Championship Match (WrestleMania)
14. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins (Raw, May 29)
13. Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro & Sheamus — Raw Tag Team Championship Match (WWE No Mercy)
12. Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles (WrestleMania 33)
11. The Usos vs. The New Day — SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match (WWE Battleground)
10. Finn Bálor vs. Seth Rollins vs. The Miz — Triple Threat Match (Raw, May 1)
9. Big Show vs. Braun Strowman (Raw, Feb. 20)
8. The Authors of Pain vs. #DIY vs. The Revival — Triple Threat NXT Tag Team Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Orlando)
7. “The Demon” Finn Bálor vs. AJ Styles (WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs)
6. Asuka vs. Ember Moon — NXT Women’s Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn)
5. Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles — Champion vs. Champion Match (Survivor Series)
4. The New Day vs. The Usos — SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match (SummerSlam Kickoff)
3. Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne — WWE United Kingdom Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Chicago)
2. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman — Fatal 4-Way Universal Championship Match (SummerSlam)
1. AJ Styles vs. John Cena — WWE Championship Match (Royal Rumble)
The current WWE Champion commented on the #1 match with Cena:
“That rivalry was something people wanted to see and thought would never happen. People knew what they were in store for: Two guys who bring out the best in each other. If you saw me before this match, you’d see a smile on my face because I knew something great was about to happen.”
Source: WrestlingINC
James Storm On If He Would Be Open To Working In WWE NXT Again
Former Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion James Storm was a guest on Cerrito Live and addressed a number of pro wrestling topics including being the only non-WWE performer to attend Ric Flair’s 30 For 30 party, what Storm has been doing since leaving Impact, and what the future holds for Storm.
Apparently, Flair invited Storm to the 30 For 30 premiere the day of the event.
“Yeah, it was really cool because I got the text and the phone calls actually the day of, ‘hey, ‘Cowboy’, I want you to come down to Atlanta [Georgia] for ESPN and I want you to walk the red carpet with me’ and all this. The day of. Right, it was 10:30 in the morning here, which is 11:30 in Atlanta. It’s a four-hour drive from here to Atlanta, plus Atlanta traffic, so I had to leave literally as soon as I got off the phone. Like, I grabbed some clothes, threw it in the trunk, and I just hauled ass to Atlanta and I got changed in my truck in the garage. That’s [pro] wrestling style, right there, for you. And then, I pulled my hair back, threw my hat on, and I got there as soon as Flair and his wife, Wendy, were getting out of the limo.”
Interestingly, Storm said nobody drank at the premiere out of respect for Flair.
“No, I mean, he was still Flair. It was super cool just to go to his party. And, like, no one was drinking in respect to Flair. And I think a lot of people walked in to see what Taker was doing also. If Taker wasn’t drinking, no one was drinking, was how it went down. But I do think it is out of respect for Flair that no one was drinking there, especially the boys. They paid their respects to him and as soon as that party, then, all the boys went to a different place for an afterparty.”
When asked how he currently occupies his time, Storm said he is trying to get in good shape in case the right opportunity comes along.
“Right now, I’m just taking it one day at a time. I’m actually at a gym right now. I’m spending most of my time in the gym, just getting into the best shape that I can. Hell, I’m down to 11% body fat right now, which, at the last TVs, I was up to 16, so I’m hitting it hard because you never know what’s around the corner or what could be next for old James Storm.”
Storm indicated that he would not be sorry about his damn luck if he went back to NXT.
“People always say, ‘main roster or bust type of guy,’ but if you look at NXT, it’s one of the hottest things going right now no matter what people say. And it’s one of those things where anybody would be proud to be signed to NXT and have a good run there. I mean, it’s plain and simple. They are doing as much as the people on the main roster is on the road and stuff like that right now. So, I mean, I’d definitely go and work with those guys and help them out as best I can.”
Also during the interview, Storm said he would like his next move to be a surprise to the wrestleverse.
“There are a lot of companies and the funny thing is that I’m now free to talk and negotiate with other companies and actually go work for other companies. But right now, I think I kind of want to keep it under wraps, make it a surprise where old James Storm pops up.”
Storm explained, “I just want to be a surprise because today, especially in our social media world, there [are] not that many surprises anymore. And because everybody wants to be cool and I always say, ‘people are wrestling for the likes and the retweets’ or GIFS, whatever they call those things these days. But to me, I always try to keep stuff kayfabe and keep stuff secret until it happens or whatever, so it’s even cooler when it’s a surprise.”
Credit to Cerrito Live
Source: WrestlingINC
