WWE Announces Elimination Chamber For Saudi Arabia

WWE has officially announced the Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

WWE announced today that they will return to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, February 19 for the next Elimination Chamber event.

Elimination Chamber 2022 will be held at a new venue built in 2021, the Jeddah Super Dome, billed as the world’s largest pillarless superdome. A media report from last year noted that the dome can hold 5200 vehicles, but did not include the number of seats. WWE previously ran the King Abdullah International Stadium when in Jeddah.

WWE’s announcement today noted, “The Elimination Chamber show complements the commitment of the General Entertainment Authority to provide the most famous international events and entertainment shows. This show was preceded by several previous partnerships with WWE to present international shows in the kingdom, which achieved remarkable local and international success, including the recent WWE Crown Jewel show in Riyadh Season 2021 and WWE Super ShowDown in the previous Riyadh Season in early 2020.”

It was reported last week that WWE may be re-branding Elimination Chamber to WrestleMania Chamber, but nothing has been confirmed as of this writing and today’s announcement did not include a name change.

There’s still no word on if WWE will hold a men’s and women’s Chamber match in Saudi Arabia, but we will keep you updated.

WWE and the Saudi General Sports Authority announced in 2018 that they were entering into a 10-year strategic multi-platform partnership to support the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative, which is the Kingdom’s social and economic reform program. The deal called for two events to be held per year, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced delays in 2020 and 2021. WWE visited Saudi Arabia for Greatest Royal Rumble and Crown Jewel in 2018, Super ShowDown and Crown Jewel in 2019, and Super ShowDown in 2020, then Crown Jewel this past October.

WWE said they will announce more Elimination Chamber details in the coming weeks.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Rampage Preview 1/14/22

Tonight’s AEW Rampage on TNT was taped earlier this week from the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.

* An appearance by Jay Lethal

* A special look at Thunder Rosa and Mercedes Martinez

* Adam Cole vs. Trent Beretta

* Shawn Spears vs. Andrew Everett

* Penelope Ford, The Bunny and Nyla Rose vs. Red Velvet, Kris Statlander and Leyla Hirsch

* AEW World Tag Team Champions Jurassic Express defend against John Silver and Alex Reynolds

WWE SmackDown Preview 1/14/22

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will take place from the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska with more build for the Royal Rumble.

WWE has not announced any matches as of yet for tonight’s SmackDown, but they have confirmed that RAW Superstar Seth Rollins will be appearing to build to the Royal Rumble match with WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Regarding Reigns, it’s expected that he will celebrate 500 days as champion tonight. He passed the milestone earlier this week.

SmackDown will likely see more blue brand Superstars announce their spots for the Royal Rumble after Sheamus confirmed his participation last week.

Tammy Sytch Arrested For Weapons Possession And Terroristic Threats

Tammy Sytch, formerly WWE’s Sunny, is currently being held in Monmouth County jail.

Wrestlers winding up on the wrong side of the law is certainly nothing new. However, it seems to happen to Tammy Sytch, better known to wrestling fans as WWE’s Sunny, more often than most. Sytch has been arrested multiple times and spent numerous spells in jail from 2012 up until last year. Now the Hall Of Famer has been arrested again and is currently being held in Monmouth County jail.

According to TMZ, Sytch faces two charges of illegally possessing a weapon, and one charge of making terroristic threats. The only additional information known at this time is that the weapon, or weapons, Sytch had were not firearms. New Jersey classes the weapon possession charges as third-degree, and the terroristic threats as a fourth-degree crime.

Third-degree crimes carry a maximum of five years each in New Jersey, and one year for a fourth-degree crime. That means if Sytch is convicted of all three, she could be facing up to 11 years in prison. As mentioned above, Sytch has spent a few spells in jails, prisons, and correctional facilities. However, she has never come close to spending that long a spell behind bars.

https://mobile.twitter.com/WWEHOFerSunny/status/1480724124100091908

The ins and outs of what happened exactly are unclear at present. However, she did update fans on Twitter earlier this week by revealing she was “going through some shit”. It’s possible whatever Sytch was referring to on social media a few days ago is connected to or has led to what got her arrested on Thursday. Here’s hoping the whole situation sounds much worse than it appears on the surface.

Despite the many returns of female Superstars from the past in WWE over the past few years thanks to the women’s revolution, there has been no indication Sunny will ever appear in WWE again. The last time she was ever openly connected to the company was when she was inducted into the Hall of Fame over a decade ago. It’s unlikely she will ever return to WWE TV in the future, especially if the latest charges brought against her result in convictions.

Source: TheSportster

Former ROH Champion PCO Reportedly Signs Impact Wrestling Deal

According to a recent report, former Ring Of Honor World Champion PCO (Pierre Carl Ouellet) has signed a contract with Impact Wrestling.

Impact Wrestling has reportedly expanded its roster with the addition of veteran wrestler and former Ring Of Honor World Champion PCO (Pierre Carl Ouellet).

According to Pat Laprade of TVASports, PCO has signed a contract with Impact that will also allow him to work indie dates. However, PCO will have to prioritize Impact commitments over indie bookings whenever necessary. At the time of writing, there’s been no official announcement from either party and no word on the contract’s length.

The 54-year-old Québécois recently parted ways with Ring Of Honor following a three-year stint during which he won the promotion’s top prize on one occasion, the ROH Six-Man Tag Titles on one occasion (with former Villain Enterprises teammates Marty Scurll & Brody King), and the ROH Tag Titles on one occasion (with Brody King).

PCO had a brief stint with Impact back in the mid-2000s when the company was still known as TNA. He made his Impact Wrestling re-debut at the company’s Hard To Kill pay-per-view on January 8, 2022, alongside several of his now-former ROH colleagues (Matt Taven, Vincent, Maria Kanellis Bennett, and Mike Bennett) in what appeared to be the beginning of an invasion storyline.

The invasion story line continued on last night’s Impact.

As we previously reported, Ring Of Honor recently released its entire roster and is now on an indefinite hiatus. The plan is for ROH to relaunch later this year, although whether that comes to fruition remains to be seen. The company’s final pre-hiatus pay-per-view, Final Battle, took place on Saturday, December 11, 2021, at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

Under the name Quebecer Pierre, PCO worked for WWE between 1993 – 1995 as one-half of The Quebecers alongside Quebecer Jacques (Jacques Rougeau). PCO and Rougeau won the WWF Tag Team Championship on three occasions.

Source: TheSportster

MLW AZTECA Preview 1/13/22

Major League Wrestling returns tonight at 8pm ET with the MLW AZTECA mini-series, featuring two world title matches and a hardcore brawl, and streaming worldwide for free on MLW’s YouTube channel, Fite.TV and Saturday on beIN Sports. 

  • Hardcore Match: Pagano vs. Savio Vega
  • National Openweight Championship: Alex Kane (C) vs. Aerostar
  • World Tag Team Championship: 5150 (C) vs. Destiny and Skalibur

Witness the violence and unpredictability of Cesar Duran’s underground fight club on this edition of the limited mini-series MLW AZTECA.

Pagano goes to war with Puerto Rico’s legendary brawling boricua Savio Vega in a violent hardcore match at the Espada underground fight club!

Furious at Savio’s recent public rebuke of El Jefe following the disappearance of Alex Hammerstone, Cesar Duran has dispatched the man who blindsided Hammer last week to spill blood with The Pride of Puerto Rico!

In an effort to add intrigue to chaos, Cesar has also stipulated that if Savio wins, he’ll regain control of IWA Puerto Rico!

Can Savio Vega pick up a monumental moral victory in the name of the missing World Heavyweight Champion and finally regain control of his company in the process, or will he be AZTECA’s latest sacrifice courtesy of The Juarez Hellraiser? Tune in and find out!

It’s the question on everyone’s mind: Where is Alex Hammerstone?? Emilio Sparks is on the scene as Richard Holliday and the members of the MLW roster search for answers on the whereabouts of the World Heavyweight Champion following last week’s alleged kidnapping at the hands of Cesar Duran!

The Leader of The Bomaye Fight Club rumbles with lucha libre’s finest as Alex Kane goes one on one with Aerostar for the National Openweight Championship!

5150 put the World Tag Team Championship on the line against Cesar Duran’s handpicked team of Destiny and Skalibur!

Plus MLW takes an all access inside look at “The Judge” EJ Nduka.

nZo breaks his silence following his unprovoked attack on KC Navarro last month.

Mads Krugger accepts an offer he can’t refuse?

PLUS: 2021 Opera Cup winner Davey Richards is in the house! What does the future hold for The American Wolf? Tune in and find out!

Join Rich Bocchini, Joe Debrowski, and broadcast journalist Alicia Atout as MLW presents AZTECA!

Impact Wrestling Preview 1/13/22

Following an unforgettable Hard To Kill pay-per-view that sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling world, the fallout begins on an all-new IMPACT!, this Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders.

* Fallout from Hard To Kill

* Title vs. Title: AAA Reina de Reinas Champion Deonna Purrazzo vs. ROH Women’s World Champion Rok-C 

* “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs. Jake Something

* Chris Bey vs. Laredo Kidd

* The action begins Before the IMPACT this Thursday at 7/6c on AXS TV and 7:30pm ET on YouTube, featuring an exclusive singles match between Decay’s Black Taurus and the “Drama King”, Matthew Rehwoldt!

Jeff Jarrett Comments On Potential Launch Of Another Major Promotion

WWE Hall Of Famer Jeff Jarrett recently spoke with The Business of the Business podcast. During the interview, he discussed Game Changer Wrestling. He revealed that GCW has been on his radar long before 2021.

“I was well aware of GCW through the lens of FITE, long before I’ll say diplomatically, 2021. They have been on my radar for quite some time,” Jarrett claimed. “A lot of folks know them as, ‘oh, the deathmatch,’ and in a lot of ways I think, maybe positively and negatively, they’ve been branded that way.”

Jeff Jarrett then went on to praise the content that GCW has been putting out as of late. Jarrett also spoke about how the promotion has built up a loyal audience that continues to grow.

“But Brett and the team have put out consistent episodic content,” he stated. “All of their programming, they have a very loyal audience, and it continues to grow and grow.”

Jeff Jarrett then looked ahead to the future of professional wrestling. He believes that there is room for another major promotion alongside what already exists. However, for him, it could be about having a home-based promotion that exists around the world, such as in South America.

“Now language is an issue, a barrier,” he admitted. “That goes without saying. But there is room for a — I’ll call it a home-based promotion around the world. It could be South America, Mexico City. Look at the amount of Hispanics in the United States. They absolutely could thrive. So I think there could be a Hispanic promotion, there could be a European promotion.

“The days of it being just looked at from a US lens, in my opinion, they’re long gone. It is a global promotion. It’s just where is the home base going to be. Because I think there’s room for, and I don’t want to get too far down the road, but three, four, five, six, seven of those.”

Source: Wresting Inc. with credit to The Business of the Business podcast

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express To Begin Farewell Retirement Tour Against Top AEW Tag Team

WWE Hall of Famers The Rock & Roll Express are retiring from tag team competition.

Ricky Morton took to Twitter this week to announce that he and Robert Gibson will begin their farewell tour on Saturday, January 22 when they wrestle AAA World Tag Team Champions FTR at a Big Time Wrestling event in Spartanburg, SC.

Morton noted that he and Gibson will continue to make appearances together, but they are retiring from wrestling as a tag team. Morton wants to spend more time teaming with his son, Kerry Morton, and work with other up & coming talent.

“Rock & Roll Express Farewell tour begins January 22nd, 2022. I want to focus more with Kerry and behind the scenes in the wrestling business. #onelastride,” he wrote. “Specify, Robert and I are retiring from tag team wrestling together. Not appearances/signings. I would like to continue to tag team with my son and work with the younger generation in this glorious business.”

After the match against FTR, Morton will then wrestle Matt Cardona at GCW’s The Wrld On GCW the next night from Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Morton is also scheduled to team with 2 Cold Scorpio to wrestle Effy and Allie Katch at this Friday’s GCW Notorious event in Detroit. Morton is then scheduled to compete in the 26th annual ECWA Super 8 Tournament on Saturday, March 26 in Morganville, NJ.

Morton and Gibson began teaming together in the early 1980s. The legendary tag team has held gold in more than a dozen promotions. They were inducted into the NWA Hall of Fame in 2006, the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017, and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2021.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Corey Graves Cleared For An In-Ring Return

Corey Graves was reportedly cleared to return to in-ring action at some point in 2020.

A new report from Fightful Select notes that sources close to Graves claim he was actually cleared by WWE doctors at some point in the last year or so. WWE would not confirm the report, so it’s largely based on behind-the-scenes discussions.

Graves briefly won the WWE 24/7 Title on the November 8, 2021 RAW, despite previously being on a strict internal “no contact” list. It’s now been confirmed that Graves was no longer on that list when he won the 24/7 Title.

There have been several internal pitches made for Graves, but it remains to be seen if those were from WWE creative or just Graves himself. It was noted that none of the pitches for Graves have made it through creative. One source close to the WWE creative team said they were not aware of Graves being cleared, and confirmed that he is off the “no contact” list.

After a run on the indies, Graves signed a WWE developmental deal in August 2011. He suffered two concussions between late 2013 and early 2014, and then announced his in-ring retirement in December 2014. Graves has been a member of the WWE NXT and main roster announce teams since then.

Graves spoke about wanting to come out of retirement during an April 2020 podcast, after being inspired by the WWE 24 documentary on WWE Hall of Famer Edge. In May 2020 he then stepped in the ring to train for the first time since retiring, with his brother Sam Adonis, which you can see in a tweet below. Graves fueled the rumor mill again back in July 2021 when he tweeted, “I was put on this earth to do something. What I’m doing is not it.” He then tweeted about wanting to wrestle again in late November 2021.

Graves stated earlier this month that he wants to declare his spot for the 2022 Men’s Royal Rumble Match.

There’s no word yet on if WWE will allow Graves to return to the ring.

Source: Wrestling Inc.