Scheduled for tonight’s Impact on AXS TV:
* Tessa Blanchard picks Ken Shamrock to face Sami Callihan
* Sami Callihan picks Madman Fulton to fave Tessa Blanchard
* Old School Rules: Rhino vs. RVD – (Special Referee Tommy Dreamer)
* Tag Team Open (Winners to face the Tag Team champions The North at Hard To Kill): Rich Swann & Willie Mack, oVe, The Rascalz, Reno Scum
WWE has suspended two Superstars for Wellness Policy violations, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet.
Robert Roode and Primo Colon have both been hit with 30-day suspensions after violating the Wellness Policy this week. There’s no word yet on what substance they tested positive for.
Roode wrestled Roman Reigns on a recent SmackDown TV episode and was stretchered out of the arena after a beatdown angle. The Colons have been off WWE TV for many months, but there have been rumors on a return. Primo and Epico have both been working for the WWC promotion in Puerto Rico, owned by Primo’s father.
UPDATE:
WWE has confirmed the suspensions with the following announcement on the WWE Corporate website:
WWE® SUSPENDS EDDIE COLÓN AND ROBERT ROODESTAMFORD, CONN., December 10, 2019 – WWE has suspended Eddie Colón (Primo) and Robert Roode each for 30 days effective immediately, for a first violation of the company’s talent wellness policy.
The following matches were taped for tonight’s AEW Dark episode on YouTube:
* Scorpio Sky vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Peter Avalon
* Jurassic Express (Luchasaurus and Marko Stunt) vs. John Silver and Alex Reynolds
* Kenny Omega vs. Kip Sabian w/ Penelope Ford
Matt Hardy was back on WWE television tonight for only the second time since April. After losing a fairly quick match to Buddy Murphy on RAW on November 25th, Hardy was defeated in another one-sided match by Drew McIntyre on tonight’s RAW.
Hardy’s WWE contract is reportedly up in late February of 2020. PWInsider recently reported that the biggest point of contention in contract negotiations is how will be used creatively going forward. The two sides are reportedly not that far apart on the final aspects of a new deal.
Following his loss to McIntyre, Hardy took to Twitter and noted that his “countdown to Arcadia has begun.”
“Still in my #RAW slump, I’m sorry. MORE ATONEMENT APPARENTLY,” Hardy tweeted earlier, followed by another post where he wrote, “I know the slump & losses won’t last forever, my countdown to Arcadia has begun. I will show up & do my job. We’ll get past this together.
“I’ve received so much love, support & sympathy tonight from the most vocal audience. Without you, there’s no me. THANK YOU ALL.”
You can check out the tweets below:
Hardy also “liked” several tweets disapproving of the way he’s been used lately, which you can see below:
https://twitter.com/HTRWpodcast/status/1204213886012022784
Source: Wrestling Inc.
NJPW of America is kicking off 2020 with a bang by traveling to five U.S. cities in nine days.
New Japan released details on their upcoming “New Beginning USA” tour via Twitter Monday night.
The cities/dates are as follows:
NJPW ran thirteen shows in the States in 2019. When they announced their new American subsidiary, the promotion shared plans to double that record for next year.
See the announcement below.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina as the road to TLC continues.
WWE has again not posted a RAW preview this week.
WWE has announced Rey Mysterio will defend the United States Championship against AJ Styles.
It was also announced that the Lana and Rusev divorce will happen live on tonight’s show.
The first members of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020 have been confirmed.
WWE announced on Monday that Batista, Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman aka X-Pac will be inducted on April 2 at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay.
This will be the first induction for Batista and the second inductions for all members of the NWO – Hogan, Hall and Nash went in solo, while X-Pac went in with DX.
“Batista was one of the fastest rising stars ever in WWE with an incredible list of accolades, and the success of the nWo changed the course of sports entertainment history,” Triple H was quoted as saying in the press release. “It is only fitting that they all take their rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.”
Tickets for the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are available this Friday, December 13 at 12 Noon ET. As a reminder, this year’s show takes place on the Thursday before WrestleMania 36.
Below is the full press release from WWE:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEBATISTA® AND THE NWO® TO BE INDUCTED INTO WWE® HALL OF FAME
STAMFORD, Conn., December 9, 2019 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that Batista and nWo members “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall™, Kevin Nash™ and Sean Waltman™ will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Thursday, April 2 at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, FL as part of WrestleMania® Week.
Batista is a six-time World Champion and a pop culture phenomenon. Throughout his illustrious career, “The Animal™” had memorable rivalries with some of the biggest names in WWE history including John Cena®, Triple H® and The Undertaker®. Batista is also a founding member of the revolutionary faction Evolution® alongside Ric Flair®, Triple H® and Randy Orton®. At WrestleMania this past April, Batista competed for the final time against Triple H. Outside the ring, Batista has successfully conquered Hollywood, appearing in Spectre, Stuber and Marvel’s blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers films.
One of the most innovative and controversial factions in sports entertainment history, the New World Order® (nWo) was led by “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman. The group captivated fans around the world and was crucial to the success of WCW® during the historic Monday Night Wars®. With an innovative style and attitude, the nWo participated in memorable rivalries against some of the biggest names in WCW history, including Sting, Diamond Dallas Page and Lex Luger.
“Batista was one of the fastest rising stars ever in WWE with an incredible list of accolades, and the success of the nWo changed the course of sports entertainment history,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “It is only fitting that they all take their rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.”
Tickets for the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are available this Friday, December 13 at 12 Noon ET through all Ticketmaster outlets, http://www.ticketmaster.com or at ReliaQuest Ticket Office at Amalie Arena. All tickets are subject to service charges and facility fees.
WrestleMania 36 takes place Sunday, April 5 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, FL and will stream live on WWE Network.
WWE has announced they’ve parted ways with Sin Cara.
The company posted a statement on WWE.com that says:
WWE has come to terms on the release of Sin Cara. WWE wishes him all the best in his future endeavors.
As we previously reported, the wrestler formerly known as Hunico requested his release from the company last month.
Sin Cara said at the time that he was asking for his release because he didn’t feel like he was being valued as a talent in WWE.
The 42-year-old wrestler attended last night’s Combate Americas event in support of Alberto El Patron and told reporters beforehand that he hasn’t ruled out the idea of stepping into the octagon for an MMA fight.
“Thank you WWE Universe it has been an amazing adventure,” Sin Cara tweeted once the news was made public.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1203753774139002881
Former WWE Tag Team and Intercontinental Champion Luke Harper has been released from WWE.
The announcement was made on Sunday via WWE.com, where the company wished him well in his future endeavors.
Luke Harper went public with the fact that he was requesting his release from the company back in April. He briefly returned to TV, however, during Erick Rowan’s feud with Roman Reigns over the summer … then stopped being used again.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1203767972352987137
WWE has announced the releases of Konnor and Viktor aka The Ascension.
The company wished the tag team the best in their future endeavors in the announcement made on Sunday via WWE.com.
Konnor signed with WWE in 2010. Viktor signed with the company in 2011. After a successful run in NXT, the duo made their main roster debut in 2014. The Ascension failed to take off, however, and were used sparingly throughout their run.
“Filthy” Tom Lawlor will speak about his shocking actions last week during the closing moments of the World Heavyweight Championship title bout… and his candid feelings on Ross and Marshall Von Erich.
The road to the Opera Cup heats up as the Hart Foundation take on CONTRA Unit in the main event. Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Brian Pillman promise retribution but will the global dealers in violence continue their path of destruction in MLW? Tune in to beIN SPORTS Saturday night at 9pm ET to find out!
A big invitational battle royal will see some of MLW’s heavy hitters rumble for supremacy. Featuring Timothy Thatcher, entrants from American Top Team, super heavyweight Barrington Hughes, the debut of the giant known as Grogan, Savio Vega, Injustice and countless others!
The Bruja is back as Salina de la Renta speaks in an exclusive interview with Alicia Atout. What does the Puerto Rican powerbroker have to say?
Mance Warner and Jimmy Havoc clash!
Tis the season for… a SWAMP FIGHT?!!! In the first-ever Swamp Fight, Savio Vega rumbles with “Outlaw” Leo Brien!
Matches:
•Hart Foundation vs. CONTRA Unit
•Battle Royal
•Swamp Fight: Savio Vega vs. “Outlaw” Leo Brien
Major League Wrestling has announced that they have come to terms on the release of Teddy Hart.
https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1202935846283939840
The former MLW World Middleweight and Tag Team Champion started with the company in 2004 and was a part of the relaunch in 2017. His last bout with the promotion was on November 9 when he lost the Middleweight Title.
While he hasn’t been wrestling for MLW for a while, Hart has been releasing YouTube videos with His girlfriend Maria Manic, documenting their lives on the road.
Hart recently attended an NXT event, where he sat with his cat in the crowd.
