WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.
- Bayley vs Bianca Belair
- LWO’s Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro vs Humberto and Garza
- Cameron Grimes vs Grayson Waller
Tag: WWE
Update On Gable Steveson’s WWE Future
Gable Steveson, the Olympic gold medalist, beat Cedric Alexander in an untelevised match prior to the January 5th, 2024 episode of WWE Smackdown.
According to PWInsider.com, Steveson is set to work more dark matches at future Smackdown events, although he is currently not part of the creative plans for the 2024 men’s Royal Rumble match.
In a video shared on the University of Minnesota Gophers’ Twitter/X account, Coach Brandon Eggum provided an update on Steveson, stating that he will not be competing for the university this year as his primary focus is on his pro wrestling career.
Source: eWn
AEW CEO Tony Khan Blasts WWE Raw Angle In Heated Social Media Posts, Talent Respond
AEW President Tony Khan has often said that he is a wrestling fan first and foremost, and that he approaches wrestling from a fan’s perspective. Khan’s focus on win-loss records apparently isn’t limited to All Elite Wrestling, as Khan has been keeping tabs on the wins and losses of WWE stars as well — including that of former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, who will wrestle Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship on next week’s “WWE Raw.”
“A double standard,” an impassioned Khan wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “[Hook] 28-1 career record, on winning streak calls out the champ, a logical challenge sparks online outrage. Jinder has literally lost every single match he’s in for the past year, immediately gets title shot, where is the rage?”
Not satisfied with just one outburst, Khan then took his war against Mahal to USA Network directly.
“A moral victory for USA is one win more than their World Title challenger Jinder Mahal has in the past 364 days… because it’s been literally a full year since he won a match,” Khan wrote, quote-tweeting a post from the night before in which the USA Network’s official account made a joke about Cagematch, Khan’s oft-cited source for the quality of his programming. “You really put AEW in our place getting Jinder Mahal in a big match on your tv show. Do it more often.”
Khan’s tweets didn’t go unnoticed. WWE broadcaster Corey Graves was quick to tweet in support of Jinder, much to the delight of WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray. Former AEW World Tag Team Champion Dax Harwood seemingly fired back to Graves’s tweet by sending a similar message, but in support of Hook. Meanwhile, Mahal himself took to Twitter to ask simply, “Who tf is Hook?”
Source: Wrestling Inc.
UPDATE:
AEW President adding Eric Bischoff to the list of his victims.
The Khan/Bischoff feud started when “Eazy E” took to his Twitter account to call Tony Khan a “clown” for his tweet comparing HOOK and Mahal’s recent attempts to get their respective companies’ World Title shots. Khan wound up posting a GIF that reads, “Get out of my sight, you miserable has-been!”
WWE NXT Preview 1/9/2024
Tonight on WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida at the Performance Center on the USA Network:
- Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: Nathan Frazer & Axiom vs. Hank Walker & Tank Ledger
- Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin vs. Gallus
- NXT Tag Team Championsship: Tony D’Angelo & Stacks Lorenzo (c) vs. OTM’s Bronco Nima & Lucien Price
- Cora Jade vs. Gigi Dolin
- Nikkita Lyons vs. Blair Davenport
Andrade El Idolo Pulled From Indie Event As Rumors Of WWE Return Continue
Rumors continue to swirl regarding Andrade El Idolo potentially returning to WWE, and they will intensify with the news he has now been pulled from this Friday’s GCW event. GCW released a statement on X to confirm it, stating, “Due to circumstances out of control, ANDRADE and MAKI ITOH will be unable to compete on Friday’s event in Chicago.” GCW revealed they have replacements for both wrestlers, with Masha Slamovich and Lio Rush set to step in, however, the news will certainly get people talking about the future of the former AEW star. El Idolo’s final match for AEW took place at Worlds End 2023, which saw him lose to Miro, and both he and Tony Khan confirmed that they would be parting ways after that point.
Ever since, there has been speculation that the former “WWE NXT” Champion is going to be returning to his former company, WWE — where his wife, Charlotte Flair also works. Of course, nothing is official regarding El Idolo and WWE, but people within the company are expecting him back at some stage. Wrestlers being pulled from independent dates has been a sign in the past that a wrestler is heading to WWE because, unlike AEW, the company doesn’t tend to allow its roster members to work for other promotions.
El Idolo is not under a non-compete clause, which means he is technically free to appear on WWE television at any point, should he sign with the company. He last worked for WWE in 2021 after spending seven years with them, and he does have a positive history working under the creative leadership of Triple H, who of course is now in charge of that department for WWE’s main roster.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE RAW Preview 1/8/2024
WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
- We will hear from CM Punk
- Cody Rhodes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Katana Chance and Kayden Carter (c) vs. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven
- Sit-down interview with R-Truth
- Cody Rhodes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
- JD McDonagh vs. The Miz
Kofi Kingston vs. Ludwig Kaiser
WWE’s Becky Lynch Explains Why Her Book Might Be Detrimental
Becky Lynch’s autobiography, ‘The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl,” will be released on March 24, and the former “WWE Raw” Women’s Champion has admitted that she has written a truthful account of her story. However, while that’s a positive for the reader, Lynch admitted it might be a negative for her.
“I’ve written very truthfully, maybe sometimes at my own detriment… I think people will appreciate the candidness of it, and I think it’s pretty funny,” she told “The Casual Podcast.” “I think it’s a pretty funny, hilarious read –- this is just me thinking I am hilarious, but I hope people enjoy it.”
Lynch has been open and honest within the book, to the point where she’s admitted to realizing she was the a**hole at times when recounting past stories. However, even though it has been an eye-opening experience at points, Lynch has also found the writing process to be one of the most rewarding periods of her entire life. She has become the latest professional wrestler to jump into the autobiographical world, taking after one of her idols, Mick Foley. Like him, she didn’t use a ghostwriter to tell her story, opting to do it herself, but she let Foley see an early manuscript.
“Actually, I had him to bounce things off; he was one of the first people to read it and give me feedback,” she revealed about Foley. “Then I implemented that and kind of almost changed it completely since he probably read it. Not completely, but really improved it to the point where now I am so proud of what I have.”
Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to “The Casual Podcast”
Cody Rhodes Accepts Fan Request To Be His Best Man
Cody Rhodes was victorious in a singles match against Shinsuke Nakamura during Saturday’s WWE house show at the Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington.
Rhodes noticed after the match that a fan held up a sign, asking him to be the best man at his upcoming wedding. Rhodes accepted the fan’s request.
Source: eWn
AEW Boss Tony Khan Addresses WWE/WBD Rumors
Rumors have circulated about the possibility of WWE moving “WWE Raw” from The USA Network to a Warner Bros Discovery channel, possibly TBS or TNT, which would put them in conflict with WBD’s current wrestling product, All Elite Wrestling. As a major year for media rights negotiations, in wrestling and beyond, AEW President Tony Khan is seemingly unfazed by the rumors.
“It’s part of sports. Everybody discusses contracts and free agency and things of that nature,” Khan told “Going Ringside” on News4JAX. “I think everybody’s aware that everybody’s gonna be talking to everybody in the media this coming year. So they’ll certainly be a lot of opportunities. We have a great history with Warner Bros. Discovery and continue to produce great ratings so we should be in a very good position next year.”
WBD’s negotiations with both WWE and AEW are likely hamstrung by the media conglomerate’s current negotiations with the National Basketball Association, as NBA programming has been the central pillar of the Turner Networks programming and the amount of money offered to either promotion would likely be affected by whether or not WBD retains the Basketball league. AEW has been with WBD since the beginning of the wrestling promotion, which premiered “AEW Dynamite” on WBD networks in 2019, soon adding “AEW Collision,” “AEW Rampage,” and quarterly “Battle of the Belts” specials.
WWE has already signed a deal with The CW to bring “WWE NXT” there in 2025 when its current deal with USA is up, and USA has already landed the rights to “WWE SmackDown,” which is set to move from Fox.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
The Authors Of Pain (& Paul Ellering) Return On WWE SmackDown Alongside Karrion Kross & Scarlett
WWE’s tag team division can expect a bit more pain in the locker room.
Akam and Rezar, collectively known as the Authors of Pain (AOP), returned to WWE on Friday’s episode of “WWE SmackDown.” They, along with Karrion Kross and Scarlett, crashed Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits’ “All Mighty New Year” segment. After Lashley declared himself for the Royal Rumble, Kross and Scarlett appeared on the ramp, and stared devilishly on as AOP attacked Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins from behind. Their beatdown ended with a Super Collider from AOP, which cleared the path for Kross to deliver a gruesome slam to Lashley. The Authors of Pain, along with their manager WWE Hall of Famer Paul Ellering, accompanied Kross and Scarlet to the ramp following their destruction.
AOP’s WWE return had been speculated multiple times in 2023, with the most recent reports stating that Akam and Rezar were expected to return sooner rather than later. Their association with Kross was also teased on the December 22 episode of “SmackDown”, where three figures were referred to Kross as “authors”. The pair quietly resigned with WWE in August 2022, and there is no confirmed explanation for the year and a half-long gap between their signing and their reappearance.
The two are one-time “NXT” Tag Team Champions, one-time winners of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, and one-time WWE Raw Tag Team Champions. Before Friday’s installment of “SmackDown”, AOP was last seen on the March 9, 2020 episode of “WWE Raw,” where they aided Buddy Matthews and Seth Rollins in a winning effort against The Viking Raiders and, interestingly enough, the Street Profits.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
