Last night on RAW during “A Moment Of Bliss” – Alexa Bliss unveiled the long-awaited Women’s Tag Team Championship belts.
Alexa also announced that the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions will be decided next month at the Elimination Chamber with a match inside the Chamber. There will be 3 teams from RAW and 3 Teams from SmackDown Live.
Finn Balor facing WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar at The Royal Rumble in under two weeks has reportedly been the plan for awhile now, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.
As noted, Braun Strowman was removed from his scheduled title match against Lesnar at The Rumble on Monday’s RAW after an angle with Vince McMahon. The segment saw Strowman searching for Baron Corbin, who was hiding in a limousine. Not realizing it was McMahon’s limo, Strowman pulled a door off of the vehicle. Vince appeared and fined Strowman $100,000. McMahon proceeded to remove him from the Lesnar match after Strowman argued with him. Strowman then dumped the limo over onto its side.
McMahon had been planning on Lesnar vs. Strowman at the Rumble since Crown Jewel, where Lesnar defeated Strowman in a five minute squash match after Strowman took a belt shot from Baron Corbin before the match started. However, after that event, McMahon saw that Strowman was cooling off and he didn’t want to beat him again. Strowman also got injured, which hurt him and the build to the Lesnar rematch. The plan was for Lesnar to go over Strowman at The Rumble. Instead of going with a bad finish, McMahon decided to change the match and get a new opponent for Lesnar.
According the Meltzer, WWE continued to advertise Lesnar vs. Strowman to move tickets, because this year’s Rumble is taking place at a baseball stadium. It’s similar to WWE advertising Alexa Bliss vs. Trish Stratus for last October’s Evolution pay-per-view, when that was never actually the plan. The match ended up being changed to Trish Stratus & Lita vs. Mickie James & Alicia Fox, although Bliss was scheduled to be in Fox’s spot, but had to withdraw due to a legitimate injury.
There weren’t a lot of choices to work with Lesnar, so McMahon went with Balor. Lesnar’s matches with talent like AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan have drawn praise, and Lesnar reportedly likes working with opponents like that. Balor, the first-ever Universal Champion, was actually scheduled to face Lesnar at last year’s Royal Rumble, however that plan was nixed due to McMahon feeling that Balor was not over enough. Meltzer noted that Lesnar wants to work with Balor, and wanted to do the match with him at last year’s event.
As for Strowman, he has not been cleared yet and it’s not known if he will be cleared by the Rumble.
Balor has been wanting to face Lesnar for awhile, and has often named Lesnar and The Undertaker as his two dream opponents. During an interview with Metro Sport in October of 2017, Balor discussed why he felt a match between himself and Lesnar would be the most interesting for fans.
“For me as a fan growing up I loved David vs Goliath style matches,” Balor said. “Right now, there’s a lot of interesting matches that could happen in WWE right now, but for me personally I think that Finn Balor vs. Brock Lesnar is the most interesting match from a fan’s perspective that can happen right now. It’s something that has never happened before, with completely different styles inside and out of the ring. This could be a really big spectacle.”
Source: WrestlingINC
Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee as the road to Royal Rumble continues.
* Rivalries converge in Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat Match – (C) Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley
* The Boss and The Rowdy One face common enemies – Sasha Banks & Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax & Tamina
* Is Braun Strowman truly ready for Brock Lesnar?
* The Revival “conspiracy” continues
* Royal Rumble Matches take shape
It’s official! Former Impact Wrestling star Trevor Lee has announced he signed a WWE contract.
Lee announced the news Friday night in North Carolina following the main event of a CWF Mid-Atlantic show while addressing rumors about his future.
“This week I was no longer a free agent,” Trevor explained. “Because I signed a contract to the WWE.”
As you may recall, Lee parted with Impact Wrestling in November after a 4-year run with the company. It was heavily rumored that he left to pursue a job with WWE.
The new signee told the CWF Mid-Atlantic audience that he’d stay with the company until losing their top title, and would next defend the belt in a six-pack scramble on February 2.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
The full show can be FOUND HERE.
Watch Trevor’s announcement below.
NXT UK Tag Team Championship (Vacant): Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) vs. James Drake & Zack Gibson – Winners and first-ever NXT UK Tag Team Champions: James Drake & Zack Gibson
Travis Banks vs. Jordan Devlin –
Devlin comes out, Banks tries to attack Devlin with a suicide dive through the ropes, but Devlin retaliates and attacks Banks’ knee even more, stomping away at it on the steel steps. Johnny Saint comes out and explains how there is no way for Banks to compete, therefore, Saint has back-up plan… another opponent for Jordan Devlin to face. Finn Balor’s music plays!
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1084173700562223105
Jordan Devlin vs. Finn Balor – Winner: Finn Balor
No DQ Match: Eddie Dennis vs. Bomber Dave Mastiff – Winner: Bomber Dave Mastiff
NXT UK Women’s Championship: (C) Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm – Winner and new NXT UK Women’s Champion: Toni Storm
WWE UK Championship: (C) Pete Dunne vs. Joe Coffey –Winner: Pete Dunne
After the match as Dunne celebrated in the ring, Walter came out. Walter entered the ring and as he starred down Dunne, Coffey came back in the ring and Walter hit him with a big boot knocking him out of the ring. Fans chanted Walter, Walter, Walter as he and Dunne starred each other down as they got face-to-face, the Walter left the ring and Dunne continued to celebrate.
Historic first-ever NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool, this Saturday at 2 p.m ET/ 11 a.m. PT on the award-winning WWE Network, with a special NXT UK: Blackpool Pre-Show airing at 1:30 p.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. PT.
WWE UK Championship: (C) Pete Dunne vs. Joe Coffey
NXT UK Women’s Championship: (C) Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm
NXT UK Tag Team Championship (Vacant): Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) vs. James Drake & Zack Gibson
No DQ Match: Eddie Dennis vs. Dave Mastiff
Travis Banks vs. Jordan Devlin
Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks and Hangman Page turned down WWE offers in order to be a part of the new All Elite Wrestling promotion, headed by Jacksonville Jaguars co-owner Tony Khan.
Triple H reportedly had worked hard and offered unique deals in hopes of signing all four, according to Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. According to Meltzer, Page’s deal was to work NXT for main roster money. Page was to have been pushed as one the top stars on the brand.
WWE also had a unique three-year deal for the Bucks, which would have been for the same amount of money as A.J. Styles. The WWE deal included having their Being The Elite show airing weekly on the WWE Network. It also had a unique six-month window that would have allowed them out of their contracts if they weren’t happy.
It was noted that The Elite had roughly 12 hours of discussions with Triple H, and they praised him for how things were handled. Apparently Triple H also saw the humor in the Being the Elite episode where the Bucks superkicked Kazarian, who was dressed like Triple H, repeatedly as their way of publicly turning down the WWE offer.
As noted, Kenny Omega’s contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling expires at the end of the this month and he is expected to sign with AEW after February 1st, when he is a free agent. It was reported in The Observer that the word is that Omega has already turned down WWE’s offer.
Source: WrestlingINC
The new WWE UK Performance Center was officially launched today in London by Triple H, Charlotte Flair, Finn Balor, WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, WWE NXT UK Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley, WWE PC Head Coach Matt Bloom, Coach Robbie Brookside, NXT UK General Manager Johnny Saint and many others.
The 17,000 square feet facility features two training rings, world-class equipment and more. This is the first of what will be many WWE Performance Centers outside of the United States.
Below is the full WWE announcement along with video from the press conference and photos from the launch:
WWE ushers in the opening of the state-of-the-art UK Performance Center WWE announced the opening of the groundbreaking UK Performance Center, its first world-class training facility outside of the United States and a significant step in WWE’s efforts to localize its content around the world, at a press conference today in London.
With 17,000 square feet, two training rings, world-class strength and conditioning equipment, and versatile content creation infrastructure, the UK Performance Center will enable WWE to train athletes utilizing a comprehensive program, including in-ring training, physical preparedness and character development.
The facility is the first of what will be many Performance Centers outside of the United States, WWE EVP of Talent, Live Events & Creative Paul “Triple H” Levesque said.
“It’s about going the world over and finding the greatest athletes and the greatest performers in any market we can,” he said. “It’s an incredible undertaking, looking for the greatest athletes from around the world, bringing them to places like this that will be set up around the world to train that next generation of Superstars.”
Superstars Charlotte Flair, Finn Bálor and WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne all spoke of the overall importance of the facility and the resources it will offer to athletes who train there.
“Embrace every opportunity with everything you have, because I promise you there is everything in this facility to become a WWE Superstar,” Flair imparted to the NXT UK roster members in attendance.
“This Performance Center creates a clear path in the United Kingdom to becoming a WWE Superstar,” Bálor advised. “To the young hopefuls that are going to be knocking on the door … take full advantage of this incredible facility and I’m sure I’ll be seeing you guys in a WWE ring very soon.”
“Every time we step in this ring, we are proud to represent this brand,” Dunne said. “With this amazing facility, we have a chance to train together and develop together, and that only increases the feeling of being part of a winning team.”
More than 30 of the best European talent signed to the NXT UK brand will train at the UK Performance Center and can be seen weekly on the NXT UK program that streams every Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. GMT on the award-winning WWE Network.
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WWE today officially announced the WWE Worlds Collide Tournament during Royal Rumble weekend as part of Axxess. The tournament will feature talent from the NXT, NXT UK and 205 Live brands. The tournament will start as a 15 man battle royal on Saturday, which will determine the first round matches for the tournament beginning later that day. The winner of the battle royal will receive a bye in the first round.
The tournament will conclude on Sunday at the final Axxess session. The winner of the tournament will be awarded a future title shot.
You can check out the full announcement below:
The Superstars of NXT, NXT UK and 205 Live are set to battle in the first-ever WWE Worlds Collide Tournament, one of the most unique tournaments in sports-entertainment history, and it all goes down at Royal Rumble Axxess in Phoenix.
Brand-versus-brand dream matches will become a reality as 15 Superstars in total — five from NXT, five from NXT UK and five from 205 Live — will compete over the course of two days, with the tournament winner receiving a future NXT, NXT UK or 205 Live Championship Match of their choosing. That means anyone can become a champion on any brand!
The WWE Worlds Collide Tournament, which will be taped for a WWE Network special, kicks off with a 15-Superstar Battle Royal on Saturday, Jan. 26, at the 8 a.m. session of Axxess. The order of elimination in the Battle Royal will then determine the First-Round Matches for a 15-Superstar, single-elimination tournament beginning later that session. The Battle Royal winner will receive a first-round bye.
The tournament will continue at Saturday’s second session of Axxess, taking place from 1-5 p.m., before concluding at the final Axxess session on Sunday, Jan. 27, from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Featuring a veritable who’s who from all three brands, the tournament will include the following Superstars:
From NXT
From NXT UK
From 205 Live
- Cedric Alexander
- Humberto Carrillo
- Tony Nese
- Drew Gulak
- TJP
Given the format of the tournament, there’s no telling who will fight whom when the brands collide. Which Superstar will rise to the occasion, beat out the best of his brand (and others), and claim a future title opportunity — and what championship will he choose to go after?
Royal Rumble Axxess, which takes over the Phoenix Convention Center Friday, Jan. 25, to Sunday, Jan. 27, will also feature NXT UK tapings on Friday and Sunday, as well as Superstar meet-and-greets, the WWE Superstore, photo opportunities, other live matches and much more throughout the entire weekend. Tickets are available now at Phoenix.Ticketforce.com.
Chris Jericho’s new contract with All Elite Wrestling is reportedly for 3 years, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. Meltzer said Jericho revealed that this is the best contract of his career.
As noted before, Jericho talked with WWE and AEW up until the last minute, signing his AEW contract just recently. It came down to AEW offering Jericho a better deal. Jericho will be allowed to work New Japan Pro Wrestling and his cruise, which are stipulated in the contract.
It’s no secret that AEW and WWE are getting aggressive when it comes to signing top talents to contracts. AEW is expected to pursue WWE talents when their contracts expire. Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks have friendly relationships with many of the WWE talents, which will help with potential negotiations. One top WWE Superstar who has a contract coming up that they are familiar with is AJ Styles. Meltzer speculated on WOR that Styles has a lot of leverage right now because he’s a top WWE talent and AEW would offer him a significant deal with an easier schedule. Styles is making a lot of money with WWE right now but AEW potentially could beat that. AJ turns 42 this year and if he really wants an easier schedule with good money, he could get that from AEW.
Meltzer noted that no one is in a better position between WWE and AEW right now other than Styles, except for maybe Kenny Omega. Omega’s future has not been confirmed but it’s still believed that he will end up with AEW after his New Japan Pro Wrestling contract expires on January 31.
It was also noted that AEW is offering good money to wrestlers right now. During the recent Double Or Nothing rally, Cody talked about how AEW wanted to change the wrestling economy and how they wanted to pay wrestlers good money because happy, paid wrestlers translates to happy fans. Some of the AEW contracts are totally exclusive but others are being allowed to work elsewhere. AEW officials are wanting to make everything beneficial for all talents. There’s no word yet on what talents like “Hangman” Adam Page are earning from AEW but WWE made a strong offer to Page and he turned them down.
Source: WrestlingINC
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