The Undertaker made his return to RAW last night. He declared his entrance into the 2017 Royal Rumble Match. He said he has dug 29 holes for 29 souls.
Backstage News On Kenny Omega’s NJPW Contract, WWE Speculation
Following Kenny Omega’s loss to IWGP Heavyweight champion Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 11 last week, Omega posted a tweet stating that he was stepping away from Japan to reassess his future.
While many felt that Omega’s tweet was storyline-related, speculation of Omega possibly signing with WWE picked up steam after John Cena posted a pair of Instagram photos over the past couple of days relating to Omega.
Dave Meltzer noted on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that Omega’s deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling expires on January 31st, so he would not be able to appear at The Royal Rumble on January 29th. Meltzer said that there are people with NJPW who believe that Omega had already re-signed with them and will be returning in March for the New Japan Cup, and that the tweet he sent out was just him “messing with people.” Meltzer noted that it is not 100% that he has re-signed with NJPW, but it is confirmed that his old deal expires at the end of this month.
Source: WrestlingINC
John Cena Posts Kenny Omega Instagram Post?
Over the weekend, John Cena created some buzz online by posted the photo below on his Instagram of New Japan Pro Wrestling star Kenny Omega:
Cena seemingly teased Omega on his Instagram today with the following post:
Source: WrestlingINC
RAW Preview 1/9/17
Tonight RAW is in New Orleans. We will see the return of The Undertaker and “HBK” Shawn Michaels.
The main event for tonight is WWE United States Champion Roman Reigns vs Chris Jericho & WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens in a Handicap Match
What do The Deadman and The Showstopper have planned?
Can Reigns defy the odds against Owens and Jericho in a Handicap Match?
Who will declare for the Royal Rumble Match?
Will Bayley dethrone Charlotte Flair?
Is Neville our next WWE Cruiserweight Champion?
Source: WWE.com
JBL On Bret Hart Saying Seth Rollins Is Unsafe, Hart Complaining About Freedbirds WWE HOF Induction
On the first episode of WWE Network’s Bring It To The Table, JBL addressed Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart, asking why ‘The Excellence Of Execution’ is seemingly angry from his alleged negative comments about Michael Hayes’ WWE Hall Of Fame induction as part of The Fabulous Freebirds and Seth Rollins being an unsafe worker.
In calling out Hart for saying that Hayes should not be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame because The Freebirds were not known for their WWE run, JBL pointed out that Hart did not complain about Sting’s WWE Hall Of Fame induction even though ‘The Vigilante’ did not make a name for himself in WWE either.
“I’d like to tell Bret Hart, please don’t get hot. What are you mad at, Bret? Bret, you’re one of the greatest superstars of all time. You’re a multimillionaire. You’re a legend in Canada. You’re a legend around the world. I personally like you very much. You’ve been very great, great, to me your entire career, but what are you mad at? You come out and you talk about Michael Hayes, The Freebirds, and you bash Michael Hayes, [saying] he shouldn’t be in the [WWE] Hall Of Fame. But you don’t say anything about Sting, who didn’t make his name in the WWE. What in the world is Bret Hart mad at?”
On the subject of Hart claiming that Rollins is unsafe in the ring, JBL said that people get hurt all the time and that Hart of all people should understand that.
“What about Seth Rollins? He claims that Seth Rollins hurts people. I mean, people get hurt in this business. Look, Bret was one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. People get hurt all the time. I think Bret should understand that. I’m not sure what has made Bret, appearingly, so bitter.”
JBL went on to say that Hart should not be bitter over Goldberg cutting his illustrious professional wrestling career short and instead focus on the positives.
“My career ended because I got my back [broken] in a match in Earl’s Court, it was just a mistake, over in London [England]. It ended shortly thereafter. I wasn’t able to do anything after that. I’m not mad about that. Do you know what I’m happy about? I’m happy about the fact that I got to do what I wanted to do since I was a kid. The fact that I got to live the dream that I wanted to live. And I think Bret has to understand he’s an incredible superstar. Could he have had a few more years? Absolutely. But you can’t get hot about the fact that something bad happened and it was a mistake. It wasn’t like Goldberg did that on purpose.”
Source: WrestlingINC
Wrestlers Removed From WWE U.K. Title Tournament Listings, Complete Roster
WWE has finalized the 16-man roster for the first-ever United Kingdom Title tournament that takes place next Saturday and Sunday on the WWE Network. Former WWE NXT Superstar Danny Burch has been added to the tournament.
Several names originally announced are no longer on the WWE website – Jack Starz, Chris Tyler, Ringo Ryan and Tiger Ali.
Below is the full 16-man roster for the two-night tournament:
* Danny Burch
* Mark Andrews
* Roy Johnson
* Dan Moloney
* Joseph Conners
* Tyson T-Bone
* James Drake
* Tyler Bate
* Sam Gradwell
* Jordan Devlin
* Wolfgang
* Pete Dunne
* HC Dyer
* Trent Seven
* Saxon Huxley
* Tucker
WWE Honorary Superstar Drax Shadow Passes Away
Elijah Mainville, who had signed an honorary contract with the WWE as Drax Shadow passed away last night. He was nine years old.
Elijah was battling neuroblastoma cancer and WWE had signed him back in 2015.
Cody Rhodes posted the following tweet thanking Elijah:
Kassius Ohno Returns To WWE NXT
Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero) returned to WWE NXT last night and confronted NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura at the end of the tapings in what may have been a dark segment. Video is below. WWE announced the following on his return:
Kassius Ohno makes a huge return to WWE NXT
ORLANDO, Fla. — As first reported on Twitter, Kassius Ohno stepped between the yellow ropes for the first time in more than three years to confront NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura.
At the conclusion of the night’s event, Nakamura was celebrating with the NXT Universe when Ohno’s music suddenly blared through the arena. The returning Superstar — widely considered to be one of the world’s top competitors — wasted no time making his intentions clear, as he approached Nakamura, slapped the champion’s title while it rested on his shoulder and then took his leave as quickly as he had emerged.
Whatever happens as a result of Kassius Ohno’s huge return, this is certain — the landscape of NXT just changed in a big way.
Source: WrestlingINC
2 Names Revealed For 2017 WWE Hall Of Fame
Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page is set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, according to PWInsider. No word yet on the headliner for this year’s class but it does not appear to be DDP.
DDP, one of the most-liked names in the business, has had success behind-the-scenes and in the ring but became somewhat of a household name after launching DDP Yoga and going on to help troubled stars WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Page has helped numerous other wrestlers, including Mick Foley and Vader.
WWE officials are finally planning on inducting “Ravishing” Rick Rude into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, according to PWInsider.
Roode, who passed away in April 1999, made appearances for WWE, WCW and ECW, among others. He held the WWE Intercontinental Title and the WCW United States Heavyweight Title, among others. He was forced to retire after suffering a back injury during a match against Sting in 1994.
There are rumors of a current WWE employee being inducted this year but we haven’t confirmed that name yet.
The 2017 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony takes place on Saturday, April 1st from Orlando during WrestleMania 33 weekend.
Source: WrestlingINC
Luke Gallows Deactivated On Facebook For Impersonating Himself
Luke Gallows is dealing with some Facebook issues. He tweeted the following, noting that Facebook deactivated his account for “impersonating” himself:
