Tonight’s WWE SmackDown will take place from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City with fallout from WWE TLC.
WWE officials are reportedly interested in bringing in former Impact Wrestling star Killer Kross.
WWE’s interest level in Kross is said to be significantly high, according to a new report from @Wrestlevotes. It was noted that Kross should receive a similar offer to what WWE offered current AEW star “Hangman” Adam Page last year. Word then was that Triple H offered “main roster money” for Page to work WWE NXT as one of the top stars of the brand.
There’s no word yet on if Kross is interested in signing with WWE, but the company is reportedly pursuing him heavily, more than they usually do with other free agents.
As noted earlier this week, Impact announced that Kross has been released from his contract. There was talk in September 2018 of WWE having interest in Kross, but that was the last we heard of it. His girlfriend, Scarlett Bordeaux, recently signed with WWE.
It was announced yesterday that Kross will make his debut for MLW on February 1, 2020.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
It appears that Edge won’t be making a return to the ring after all.
The WWE Hall of Famer has been in the news lately following a recent report that he could be making his in-ring return soon. It was speculated by PWInsider that we could see Edge return to the ring for WrestleMania 36, and maybe as soon as the Royal Rumble.
Edge has since denied those rumors, tweeting out, “Still not and still not. Period.”
This is not the first time Edge has denied rumors of a ring return. Back in October, there were talks of Edge returning to the ring after he signed a new contract. Edge himself stated he was in Pittsburgh for WWE business, which is where WWE’s Dr. Joseph Maroon happens to be based. Edge reportedly had talks with both WWE and AEW before signing a new WWE deal.
Following his retirement in 2011, Edge got physical for the first time in a WWE ring, performed a Spear on Elias at SummerSlam this past August.
You can check out Edge’s tweet.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
After last week’s tie, Week 12 of the Wednesday Night Wars saw WWE NXT top AEW Dynamite in viewership and the key demographic.
Wednesday’s NXT drew 795,000 viewers on the USA Network, beating the 683,000 viewers garnered by Dynamite on TNT by 16%, according to Showbuzz Daily.
This is the second-lowest AEW viewership since the show began airing back in October. The November 27 episode drew 663,000 viewers.
NXT opened with a strong commercial-free opener this week, which saw NXT Champion Adam Cole retain over Finn Balor, and closed just as strong as Rhea Ripley defeated Shayna Baszler in the main event to become the new NXT Women’s Champion.
NXT beat AEW in the prime 18-49 demo for the first time ever by 8%. AEW drew a 0.25 rating in the 18-49 demographic while NXT drew a 0.27 in the same demo this week. It was the lowest rating for Dynamite in the demo yet. Last week’s AEW episode drew a 0.28 in that demographic while NXT drew a 0.24.
AEW ranked #30 in the Cable Top 150 for the prime 18-49 demo, while NXT ranked slightly above it at #27. AEW ranked #43 in overall viewership, while NXT ranked #37 in viewership.
Last week’s Dynamite episode drew 778,000 viewers and ranked #11 in the Cable Top 150, and #34 in viewership. Last week’s NXT episode drew 778,000 viewers and ranked #21 in the Cable Top 150, and #34 in viewership.
CNN’s impeachment coverage at 9pm topped the night in the 18-49 demographic on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.77 rating, drawing 3.340 million viewers. Tucker Carlson Tonight on FOX News topped the night on cable in viewership with 5.032 million viewers, ranking at #5 on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.57 rating in the key demo. The cable news channels dominated the night due to the impeachment coverage.
The Masked Singer on FOX topped the night on network TV in the 18-49 demographic with a 2.2 rating, and in viewership with 8.359 million viewers.
Below is 2019 NXT Viewership Tracker:
September 18 Episode: 1.179 million viewers (one hour on the USA Network)
September 25 Episode: 1.006 million viewers (one hour on the USA Network)
October 2 Episode: 891,000 viewers (season premiere, both hours on the USA Network)
October 9 Episode: 790,000 viewers
October 16 Episode: 712,000 viewers
October 23 Episode: 698,000 viewers
October 30 Episode: 580,000 viewers with a 0.18 demographic in the 18-49 demographic
November 6 Episode: 813,000 viewers with a 0.30 demographic in the 18-49 demographic
November 13 Episode: 750,000 viewers with a 0.25 demographic in the 18-49 demographic
November 20 Episode: 916,000 viewers with a 0.30 demographic in the 18-49 demographic
November 27 Episode: 810,000 viewers with a 0.24 demographic in the 18-49 demographic (post-Survivor Series episode)
December 4 Episode: 845,000 viewers with a 0.29 demographic in the 18-49 demographic
December 11 Episode: 778,000 viewers with a 0.24 demographic in the 18-49 demographic
December 18 Episode: 795,000 viewers with a 0.27 demographic in the 18-49 demographi
Below is 2019 AEW Dynamite Viewership Tracker:
October 2 Episode: 1.409 million viewers (premiere episode)
October 9 Episode: 1.018 million viewers (on TNT, 122k on truTV)
October 16 Episode: 1.014 million viewers
October 23 Episode: 963,000 viewers
October 30 Episode: 789,000 viewers with a 0.33 rating in the 18-49 demographic
November 6 Episode: 822,000 viewers with a 0.35 rating in the 18-49 demographic
November 13 Episode: 957,000 viewers with a 0.43 rating in the 18-49 demographic (post-Full Gear episode)
November 20 Episode: 893,000 viewers with a 0.39 demographic in the 18-49 demographic
November 27 Episode: 663,000 viewers with a 0.26 demographic in the 18-49 demographic
December 4 Episode: 851,000 viewers with a 0.32 demographic in the 18-49 demographic
December 11 Episode: 778,000 viewers with a 0.28 demographic in the 18-49 demographic
December 18 Episode: 683,000 viewers with a 0.25 demographic in the 18-49 demographic
Source: Wrestling Inc.
John Cena reportedly wants to have a big role at WrestleMania 36.
It was reported today, via @Wrestlevotes, that Cena wants to do “something substantial” at WrestleMania in April. Cena appeared at WrestleMania 35 earlier this year for a segment with Elias, but word now is that he wants to do more than just an appearance like that this year.
WrestleMania 36 takes place on April 5, 2020 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. It was noted that Cena lives within the Tampa area and it seems like this WrestleMania is important to him.
Cena has spent most of the year focusing on his acting career. He worked two multi-man matches back on RAW in January, but hasn’t wrestled since then.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
There continues to be internal talk about WWE Hall of Famer Edge wrestling for the company again.
We noted back in October how there was a lot of talk about Edge returning to the ring for WWE after he signed a new contract. Edge denied these reports after it was reported that he was in Pittsburgh for WWE business, which is where WWE’s Dr. Joseph Maroon is based. It was also reported that Edge talked with both WWE and AEW before signing a new WWE deal. PWInsider reports that Edge’s recent WWE contract has a “pretty nice upside” but there’s no word yet on how much the contract is for.
It was speculated by PWInsider that we will see Edge return to the ring soon for WrestleMania 36 season, perhaps beginning with a surprise appearance at the 2020 Royal Rumble. This has not been confirmed but it was also speculated that we will see The Rated R Superstar work a few matches on major events.
While Edge recently denied a ring return is in the works, PWInsider notes that the talk has persisted within WWE and that there continues to be chatter on how he is headed back to the ring.
Stay tuned for updates on Edge’s WWE future.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE Hall of Famer Sting still has interest in a match with The Undertaker.
The 60 year old Stinger spoke with Sports Illustrated this week and said he’s still open to the idea of stepping in the ring one last time to go out on his terms. Sting announced his retirement in 2016 after a neck injury, but said he would accept one last booking if he had the chance to face the 54 year old Taker at WrestleMania 36 in April.
“If there was a Taker situation at WrestleMania, I would listen to that phone call,” Sting said. “I could get in condition and I could pull it off.”
Despite the interest in one more match on his terms, it was noted that Sting is aware that the match is unlikely to ever happen. Sting said he still thinks about the situation every year.
“I think my career is done,” Sting said. “I still think about the Taker situation every year, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
Sting also commented on the success that RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch has had over the last year or so.
“Becky’s taken the women beyond where they’ve ever been,” Sting said. “To see her headlining WrestleMania, and the reactions that she and some of the other women are getting, it’s incredible.”
After decades in pro wrestling, Sting finally made his WWE debut at the 2014 Survivor Series pay-per-view. He said he still feels the goosebumps from that night. Sting commented on the support he’s received in the final part of his career.
“I’m more and more humbled by the people and their support as the years go by,” he said. “That’s always been the case, but it’s probably even more so now.”
The final live WWE NXT episode of 2019 will take place tonight from the NXT Arena at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Kairi Sane is currently not cleared to wrestle, according to an update from Pro Wrestling Sheet.
We’ve noted how there was concern over Sane possibly suffering a concussion in the main event of Sunday’s WWE TLC pay-per-view, which saw The Kabuki Warriors retain their titles over Charlotte Flair and RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch in a TLC match. The latest report notes that Sane was apparently knocked out during the first few minutes of the match. There’s no solid word yet on when she was put out, but that’s why she appeared to be out on her feet at various points in the match. WWE has not confirmed the concussion to Sane or any other injury as of this writing.
There’s no word yet on how long Sane will be out of the ring, but she was evaluated by WWE doctor after TLC and it was decided that she would be pulled from the ring for now.
Sane gave a minor update of her own on Monday, tweeting a thumbs up to indicate she’s doing okay.
Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa with fallout from the WWE TLC pay-per-view.
This will be the final live RAW of 2019 and the decade. WWE will also tape another episode of RAW tonight at the arena. The local start time is 5:45pm or 6:45pm ET. Matches advertised locally by the arena are Seth Rollins with AOP vs. Kevin Owens, plus Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles.
Styles vs. Orton is the only match WWE has announced for tonight’s show. WWE once again has not announced a RAW preview for the night except for what they posted below.
Seth Rollins broke bad in a major way on Monday when he allied himself with AOP. In essence, he became the villain the WWE Universe had been treating him as for some time. Whatever his reasons, however, The Architect is once again at the helm of a three-man group, and historically speaking, that makes him a difficult man to stop. We already saw what happened to Kevin Owens when he stood against Rollins & AOP on their first night. With a week under their belts, it’s already time to ask the question we’ll likely be asking for a long time: Can anybody stop them?
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