Eric Bischoff is not happy with the recent Jeff Hardy injury scare.
The Charismatic Enigma faced Sammy Guevara in a No Disqualification match on last Friday\’s edition of Rampage. A clip from this match went viral on social media which saw Guevara botching a top rope dive and hitting Hardy on the face with his knee.
The former WCW president talked about this spot during the most recent 83 Weeks Episode. Bischoff was asked if such repeated botches are a result of talent wrestling a lot less frequently in AEW, and the wrestling veteran explained that AEW\’s culture to promote high risk moves is also to blame:
\”Very concerned for Jeff. He took that knee right to the side of the face. I don\’t know where it actually hit him, but it looked to me like it planted right on his cheekbone, his temple. That\’s a lot of power coming down off, that\’s a lot of weight coming down off that top turnbuckle and there\’s nowhere for Jeff\’s head to go. So, fearful clearly, I didn\’t really ask myself why.
But I think your observation\’s probably mostly correct. Part of it is too because of the nature of what AEW finds appealing is so much of the high risk, justified \’this is awesome\’ chants, which usually are a result of something really, really high-risk and stupid. That\’s what they\’re going for. I think the talent probably feels like they\’ve got to go to an extreme to get over.
Particularly cos you\’re wrestling in front of 2000 people on a television show. The audience isn\’t into your shit at all from the opening match on. It\’s like wrestling in front of a high school cafeteria crowd. That makes it harder for talent and they push even further and they do things that are even riskier to try to overcome that issue.\”
this is NOT the first time Sammy Guevara has injured Jeff Hardy with his amateur hour bullshit
\”But I think mostly it\’s the reps. Guys are just not as tight and sharp as they would be if they\’re on the road three or four or five days a week. It is an issue. I think Dave Meltzer reported finish went according to plan and it\’s not that big of an injury. I have heard substantially the opposite. It\’s a mess. It\’s a mess, and it\’s a mistake.
Somebody\’s gonna get hurt. Seriously hurt. People get hurt all the time. You start taking knees to the head from the top rope. What\’s it gonna take? Somebody\’s gonna need to die? Somebody\’s gonna have to get brain injuries before somebody finally wakes up and goes \’ok we need to get a little better control over what we do and how we do it.\’ I don\’t know. Hopefully not.\”
Tonight\’s Elimination Chamber go-home episode of Raw was filled with many notable moments and this trend continued even after the show from Honda Center in Anaheim, California went off air.
The show opened with a PPV quality match between Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes. The two competed in a hard-fought bout for nearly 20 minutes.
McIntyre interestingly came out with a victory in this match after Solo Sikoa interfered. This was Rhodes\’ first Televised singles loss since May 2023, when Brock Lesnar beat Cody at Night of Champions.
Apart from this the show also featured Chad Gable picking up an impressive submission victory over Ivar and a returning Raquel Rodriguez earning her spot in the Women\’s Chamber match for the upcoming show.
What Happened After Raw
The main event of this week\’s Raw saw Gunther defending his IC Title against Jey Uso, as the Ring General overtook Pedro Morales to become the longest-reigning IC Champion for combined days.
Just like the opening match, this bout also ended with an interference from a Bloodline member. This time, Jimmy Uso helped Gunther pick up the victory over his twin brother.
Jimmy attacked his brother after this match and the show went off air with The Bloodline member standing tall. Though he didn\’t leave the ring even after the broadcast ended and Uso only retreated when Cody Rhodes made the save.
After coming out to help Jey, Rhodes introduced another big name. He asked CM Punk who had been backstage for the show to come out. The Straight Edge star finally cut a short promo for the crowd before ending the night.
Cody Rhodes got emotional acknowledging the outpouring fan support he\’s been receiving since last Friday after this week\’s episode of Raw went off air.
The American Nightmare defeated Shinsuke Nakamura in a bull rope match in the main event of the Red Branded Show. After the win, however, he was attacked by Drew McIntyre and the broadcast ended with the Scottish Psychopath standing tall.
Drew stayed in the ring after the show ended until Sami Zayn made the save for Cody. After McIntyre retreated, Zayn spoke to Cody and put over the fan support for the son of Dusty Rhodes:
\”You told me you hadn\’t been looking on your phone so you might not be aware of this but a lot of people have been talking about you this week. Look man, a lot of people have a lot of opinions and a lot of guys back there probably have a lot they\’re gonna say to you, but the truth is it doesn\’t matter what they have to say to you.
It doesn\’t even matter what I think I have to say to you. What matters is what they have to say to you. And I\’m pretty sure they\’ve got three words for you that I\’ve been hearing all week online. Three words that I\’ve heard when you guys were walking into the building. Three words that you kept screaming before the show even started. Cody, I think these people have three words for you… [crowd chanting We Want Cody].\”
Cody Rhodes Gets Emotional
The former AEW star then addressed the crowd himself. Cody Rhodes mentioned how the unprecedented support of fans has made him an emotional mess and said that it\’s all he has wanted since he was a little boy:
\”They\’re freaking out right now cause I\’m bleeding. So I gotta definitely go get it looked at but those three words…well all I can say is this – since I was a little boy who grew up loving everything. For you to want me is special because I have always wanted you. I love you guys so much. I\’m sorry I\’m an emotional mess.
Please, let\’s hear it for the man who came in and just saved my ass, Sami Zayn. It\’s been a wonderful night, a long night. I hope all of you come back the next time WWE is here in St. Louis. This crew has done an incredible job. Samatha has done an incredible job. I love you guys all very much. Have a great night, drive safe, be safe. We love you. Good Night.\”
WWE heavily leaned into the fan reaction to the SmackDown segment featuring the Rock on Raw this week. However, they used it to sell the upcoming WrestleMania press conference and fans will have to tune in on Thursday to hopefully get some answers about Cody\’s future.
WrestleMania. The Showcase of the Immortals. The Superbowl of Wrestling. The Show of Shows. The Grandest Stage of Them All. The Biggest Sports Entertainment Show of The Year.
If there is one thing that WWE has been consistent about the last 4 decades, it\’s selling the story of WrestleMania. With the constant hammering of the importance of the show, they have made it a legend in and of itself.
This legend has reached a point where attending the event is a bucket list item for any wrestling fan and competing on the show is a dream that every aspiring wrestler holds in his heart while entering the squared circle for the first time.
It\’s hardly a surprise that Main Eventing WrestleMania is the highest honor in all of Sports Entertainment. The fact that names such as Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Eddie Guerrero, Goldberg, and CM Punk have never been in one only shows that it takes the combination of all four – skill, popularity, timing, and luck for a superstar to reach this pinnacle.
Considering all these factors, it\’s hardly a surprise that The Rock, someone who has experienced the phenomenon 5 times in his career before, can\’t resist the urge to do it one last time before he calls it a career. The big question, however, is if it\’s the right time for it?
The Rock vs. Roman Reigns – A Match Made In Heaven?
The Rock vs. Roman Reigns is a WrestleMania Main Event. The Rock vs. Roman Reigns is THE WrestleMania Main Event. There is no arguing this point.
With almost 400 million followers on Instagram, The Great One is far ahead in terms of popularity and global recognition than the next 9 WWE superstars combined. As John Cena likes to say, The Rock is in a whole other universe of his own.
This is not to say that Roman Reigns is any less. \’The Big Dog\’ already possessed all the tools that he needed to become one of the greatest performers when WWE strapped the rocket to his back in the aftermath of The Shield\’s breakup.
Since the start of The Tribal Chief era, however, Reigns has shown that he is also proficient in using all these tools together. The work that Roman has put into his character is something that aspiring wrestlers will be studying for a long time to come, to learn what it truly means to achieve a larger-than-life status.
With everything these two individuals have achieved in their respective careers, the impact of a collision between them will be impossible to replicate. It\’s almost impossible to argue why this match shouldn\’t Main Event a WrestleMania, but that’s the keyword -almost.
Cody Rhodes – An X Factor
Cody Rhodes has proven he\’s ready to be the face of WWE and take on all the responsibilities that entails
If there is one thing fans have made clear in the aftermath of the events of Friday, it\’s that they will not be giving in to this booking decision so easily, if at all.
But why?
There are many who are confused about the reaction of the fans. After all, The Rock vs Roman Reigns IS the bigger match.
It\’s the match that will make the most buzz. It\’s the match that will make the most headlines. It\’s the match that will make the most money.
Cody Rhodes\’ story is not about beating Roman Reigns and even then, he can face Roman anytime down the line, but a match like The Rock vs Roman Reigns only happens…. once in a lifetime.
So why fans are insisting that it should happen this year? Well, it\’s because WWE told us so.
If you look at the same time last year, people had many different ideas about who should end Roman Reigns\’ undefeated streak. From Seth Rollins to Drew McIntyre and from Sami Zayn to Jey Uso, every contender had a group of fans rooting for them and giving good reasons why their chosen name should be the one that gets the glory.
All this changed however on April 3, 2023.
It was the night after Cody Rhodes\’ disheartening defeat at the hands of The Head of The Table the day prior. All the scenarios, all the possibilities that fans had envisioned for the end of Roman\’s streak had been used up and for the first time in many months, they had no idea what to expect from this unprecedented run next.
This changed when Cody Rhodes showed up on RAW. While he had worked the whole year to get to Mania 39 and then failed, Rhodes proclaimed that he was not giving up the chase. And WWE let him do so.
While the two stars went on a different path from there, the American Nightmare never lost sight of his bigger goal. From that moment on, the stories of these superstars intertwined in a way that finishing the story became the synonym to ending Roman\’s streak.
Match after match, promo after promo, and show after show, Cody worked hard to rebuild the momentum he had lost. And every time he poured his heart into this effort, one more fan bought into his story.
From that moment on, to Royal Rumble this past week, there had been nobody else who fans had in sight to end Roman\’s undefeated streak and they had been patiently waiting for the time to come, until plans changed.
The Big Mistake
WWE\’s big mistake isn\’t booking The Rock vs Roman Reigns, it\’s shunning Cody Rhodes on the way to it.
For a whole year and even longer than that, people have bought into the story that Cody is the one. That all the complaints about Roman\’s reign have been null, that we are being prepared for a story with as epic of an ending as has been its run.
And now they have gone ahead and changed it.
Hello darkness, my old friend…
It\’s important to understand here that people are NOT against a match between Roman Reigns and The Rock. If anything, I\’d love to see this showdown and all that it will bring, just not at the expense of the only full-time talent in this mix.
This moment, THIS MATCH, is the one that belongs to Cody.
It\’s not so much about making the biggest WrestleMania headline. It\’s much more about the people who bought tickets to a house show in a lesser-known city 5 months ago. Who went there not expecting Roman Reigns, or The Rock. They were there to see Cody Rhodes. Now once again, they want to see Cody Rhodes.
What\’s next?
Will Cody Rhodes regret his decision?
It\’s not like WWE doesn\’t know what happens when you test people\’s patience beyond the limit. From the Yes Moment! to KofiMania, fans have shown that once the line is crossed, they are willing to go to great lengths to make the company realize their mistake.
Yes, The Rock vs Roman Reigns is still the bigger money match, but the new WWE management now has to decide whether they are willing to trade in the trust of their fans for it.
It wasn\’t long ago that pictures of half-empty WWE arenas were a common occurrence, and they were willing to try the most ridiculous of ideas to stop the ratings from falling even further next week – all because they had lost the trust of the fans.
Yes, The Rock is the biggest star on the planet, but if the last few years have shown anything it\’s that even the Great One is not invisible.
The failure of the relaunched XFL and the debacle that was the attempted takeover of the DC Universe is still fresh in people\’s mind, and now the People\’s Champion has to decide if he\’s willing to trade in his equity with the only fans that will always welcome him back with open arms otherwise.
Conclusion
WWE can still go ahead with their plans, and as fans, we can\’t really stop them. But they won\’t be able to stop the fans from reacting to it either.
It\’s the one situation where they can\’t have their cake and eat it too.
If there is one show The Rock should really be thinking about saving, it\’s Elimination Chamber and not WrestleMania.
Over 45,000 fans have bought tickets for the event at Optus Stadium and they\’re expecting a grand show. With the absence of notable names such as Seth Rollins and CM Punk, WWE desperately needs to come up with a plan to make the event a success and a half-baked conclusion to the Rhodes vs Roman saga ain\’t it. An appearance from TKO\’s latest board member, however, could be just the thing it needs.
The Rock needs to realize that a WrestleMania Main Event is not just a match, it\’s the personification of the passion that fans hold in their heart. It\’s not just about winning and losing, it\’s about the dedication that people show by tuning in to episodes of Raw and SmackDown week after week.
For everything he has done for the business, The Rock deserves one last adventure, one final send-off and he deserves it without any controversies. It should be an occasion that fans can cherish for a long time, not something that fans remember as an unjust calamity that came at the cost of hard-working talents.
It\’s time that talents coming in for a headline realize that they have to respect the people who have held the fort down in their absence. If not they should be ready to face the consequences. I doubt The Rock wants that for his return match after more than a decade. I doubt Ari Emanuel wants that for the first WrestleMania Main Event under his management.
That\’s why I say, The Rock can have his WrestleMania main event, justnot this year.
The Rock made his presence felt in a big way during his appearance at tonight\’s SmackDown from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Great One had teased a potential match with Roman Reigns during the Day 1 special of Raw. He all but confirmed this showdown for WrestleMania 40 tonight when he showed up to confront the Tribal Chief at the end of the Blue Branded show.
Though while the broadcast ended only minutes after The Great One showed up to the arena, he stayed in the ring far longer. WWE posted an extended clip of The Rock\’s confrontation with Roman Reigns as well as his promo after SmackDown went off air as seen below:
What The Rock\’s Decision Means For Cody Rhodes
The ripples from this appearance of the Hollywood star are being felt around not only the main event but the whole card for WrestleMania 40 event from the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
It was indicated during the show itself that Cody Rhodes will not be challenging Roman Reigns at Mania despite winning the Royal Rumble. Instead, we will see this match much sooner, potentially at the Elimination Chamber from Perth later this month.
If The American Nightmare ends up winning the Undisputed Championship at the International PLE then we may see a separate match for the title at the Show of Shows. If the former AEW star doesn\’t win the title, however, things could also pivot in the direction of a potential Seth Rollins vs Cody Rhodes match.
Seeing the reaction of fans and numerous wrestling personalities over the decision, it\’s also possible that the officials may be forced to reconsider their choice and a different card may emerge altogether. Whatever the case maybe, tonight\’s events only make things more interesting and we\’ll have to wait and see how things unfold from here.
There was a lot of buzz among fans heading into the 2024 Royal Rumble and the event didn\’t disappointing. From surprising debuts to big returns, it gave people a lot to talk about. Even the talent from different companies took on their social to react to the events of last night.
Jade Cargill, who made her official WWE in ring debut by entering the women\’s Rumble thanked the fans for their support. She noted that it\’s only the beginning of her journey and there is a lot more to come:
Thank you for so much love @WWE Universe ???. Get ready, it’s only the beginning ??
The TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace was very active overnight after making a surprise appearance in the Rumble. She made multiple tweets about her experience at the show while also indicating that we haven\’t seen the last of her on WWE programming:
Words couldn’t do my feelings justice about any of this. Overwhelmed by the love.
Cody Rhodes\’ historic back-to-back Rumble wins elicited a response from many of his wrestling peers. Both his wife Brandi Rhodes and fellow AEW alumni Shawn Spears commented on his big moment:
There were multiple WWE stars who took on social media to react to their own performance on the show. This included people such as Zelina Vega, Pat McAfee, and Bronson Reed among others. These stars didn\’t manage to win their respective matches but gave fans some memorable moments:
I've been recovering this past week from a terrible flu. Being a part of the #royalrumble??? brought me back to life. Bucket list. Oh and and I heard you chanting "MEAT!" Keep that energy going into #WWERaw??? #yeetvsmeat
Bron Breakker made his presence felt at the Royal Rumble event last night and it appears that he has no intention of going back to NXT after this.
The former NXT Champion was interviewed backstage after his impressive performance in the Men\’s Rumble. When asked how he\’s feeling, Breakker mentioned that he feels very grateful for the opportunity to make a statement:
\”I feel very grateful right now. I feel what an opportunity tonight was for me to make a statement, and I thought I did that tonight 100%. Things didn\’t go my way but I\’m not done with the Judgement Day by any means.\”
Bron Breakker Belongs To The Main Roster
Talking about his future in the company, Bron Breakker made his claim on a main roster spot saying that this is his home now:
\”I think tonight I proved that I belong in the main roster, this is my home now. I\’m ready for the work, I\’m ready to prove to my peers and to the people, everyone out there who believes in me that this is where I belong and this is what I was born to do. I\’m here. I\’m ready to go.\”
The NXT star ended up eliminating a number of talents including names such as Finn Balor, Ivar and even Omos. Breakker himself was eliminated by Dominik Mysterio and Bron\’s remarks suggest that Dirty Dom has not seen the last of the heavyweight star.
Andrade has returned to WWE after almost 3 years. He claims that he needed to step away to remember who he was and now he is ready to show the world the same.
The former AEW star entered the Royal Rumble at #4 tonight and traded blows with names such as Carmelo Hayes, Finn Balor, Bobby Lashley and Santos Escobar.
Andrade unfortunately was eliminated from the bout by Bronson Reed. He was interviewed backstage after the show and the former champion claimed that now, nobody\’s stopping him:
Andrade\’s Time Away From WWE
Andrade El Idolo left WWE back in March 2021 after requesting his release from the promotion. He joined AEW not long after and the Mexican star made his debut for the promotion in June that year.
The former NXT champion, however, failed to carve a permanent spot for himself in the AEW roster and he was on and off AEW programming throughout his stint there.
He made his final appearance for Tony Khan\’s promotion at the World Ends PPV at the end of December 2023 where he put over Miro in a match.
Bayley has been one of the top heels of WWE roster since 2019 and consequently has been booed by fans. The last few months have seen a change in this emotion however. In the ongoing storyline with her Damage CTRL teammates, the former Women\’s Champion has gained the sympathy of people and she has actually been getting cheered by fans more and more.
This change of attitude was in full display at the Royal Rumble. Bayley got a huge applause from the audience as she won the Women\’s Battle Royal to earn a title shot at WrestleMania 40.
The Damage CTRL star was asked about this change during the post-show press conference. The WWE star explained that her character has always reflected her feelings in real life and fans are welcome to celebrate her success together:
\”I mean, I don\’t tell you guys what to do. You guys just cheer when you want to cheer. So, to me honestly, this is the truth. I have been myself throughout this whole time. I said it in an interview my whole career and my whole character change and everything has been real.
When I first started, I was excited to be here. I was [like] \’This is the coolest thing ever. It\’s my dream.\’ And as things weren\’t going my way throughout the years and no one was latching on, I had to do something to save my career. So everything I\’ve been doing has been real and genuine and natural.
This is who I am now so if you guys are liking it, and you guys want to see me win then hell yeah. I\’ve been telling you guys that I\’m supposed to be winning these matches. Let\’s celebrate together. So to me it\’s all been part of what I\’ve been knowing all along.\”
Bayley Is Thankful To Dusty Rhodes
Bayley also talked about the Men\’s Rumble winner Cody Rhodes and his father Dusty Rhodes. She mentioned how she wanted to quit the company only a month after joining it and it was the American Dream that saved her:
\”I\’ve said it for years, but Dusty he just had his projects in everybody. He just saw the one thing in everybody that we couldn\’t see in ourselves. Byron\’s done this. He helped me in promo classes all the time.
The fact that I had my own TV show, Ding Dong Hello just blows my mind. I wish Dusty can see that because they had to pull me in for extra promo classes and make me do interviews and all this stuff. Because I was so shy but Dusty, just seeing something in me.
Whatever I was shy to share he wanted me to embrace, because he knew that was what was going to connect me with people. That\’s what saved me. I would have given up in my first month, I wanted to be done.\”
The booking of tonight\’s Royal Rumble event was poetic in many ways. One such moment was when Cody Rhodes and CM Punk battled as the final two contestants of the Men\’s Rumble. Both the stars once left the company over creative frustrations and they were both looking to win the match so they can finish their own stories.
One aspect of this showdown that wasn\’t highlighted as much however was their respective stints in AEW. It\’s ironic that both the stars were part of the AEW roster at one point but never got to lock horns in the company.
The winner of this contest Cody Rhodes was asked about this during the post Royal Rumble media scrum. He admitted that he was surprised at never getting to face Punk in AEW:
\”It\’s funny that we meet back here. When we were at AEW, I thought we would encounter one another there and it didn\’t happen. For whatever reason it didn\’t happen. but I think both him and I had different personal experiences.
Don\’t believe anything that Wade Keller put out about why I left or anything like that. The truth is, nobody knows. [It was a] personal thing. And probably a personal thing for Punk and that happens. People come, people go. It\’s not a huge thing.\”
Cody Rhodes Wanted To Earn CM Punk\’s Respect
The American Nightmare then dived into his encounter with CM Punk tonight and the history between the two. Cody Rhodes claimed that he is looking forward to seeing what\’s next for the Straight Edge Star in WWE:
\”But to see him tonight, and to see Miz, and to see Kofi – Those were my guys. The first OVW show I walked into; Brent Albright vs. CM Punk was the main event. Punk was also like running the whole show. He made me set up the ring.
To see that, sometimes you want another person who you admire and respect to stop looking at you as the kid and look at you and see who you are now. I think tonight he got to see who I am now. And that means a lot to me. He\’s amazing. [It] could have gone either way. I look forward to what he does in WWE.\”
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
The American Nightmare became the first man in 26 years to win back-to-back Royal Rumbles after Stone Cold Steve Austin at tonight\’s show from the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida by eliminating CM Punk.
The show ended with Rhodes pointing towards Roman Reigns in the stands with the WrestleMania 40 logo in the background, leaving no doubt as to Cody\’s intention.
The former AEW star celebrated some more and then addressed the crowd after the show went off air. He apologized to the fans for not finishing the job at WrestleMania 39, but mentioned that he\’s heading to the Lincoln Financial Field to finish the story:
Cody Rhodes Is Ready After Royal Rumble
\”Tampa, St. Pete, Did you have a great time tonight? Guys I owe you an apology. I am sorry about what happened at WrestleMania 39. But we\’re going to WrestleMania 40. It\’s been a long night I won\’t keep you here, an amazing show, an amazing crew, an amazing production.
Sometimes when I come to Tampa, when I come to St Pete, sometimes I try and stay and keep to myself, the reason is – this is Dusty territory. So I thank you very much, for making it a Cody territory. I love you guys all so much. Have a great night and I\’ll see you next time.\”.
There is no doubt after tonight that Cody Rhodes will be seeing Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania once again
The Question of The Rock\’s involvement in the whole affair after his Day 1 promo remains unanswered however and it\’s possible we\’ll get some answers at the upcoming SmackDown.
Kairi Sane did a wild move to save herself from elimination from the Women\’s Royal Rumble match and reminded everyone of a classic Spider-Man moment in the process.
The female pirate entered the battle royal at #11 and she started wreaking havoc with the help of her other Damage CTRL teammates immediately.
This momentum was halted however after Kayden Carter entered the match at #13. She and Katana Chance immediately started working as a tag team. At one point Carter almost eliminated Sane but she avoided elimination by a miracle.
The Damage CTRL member tucked her legs against the LED Board and hung on for a while, reminding people of the Spider-Man 2 scene with Tobey Maguire where the Friendly Neighbourhood hero stops a train using his webs:
Though Kairi Sane didn\’t last for much longer after this and she was eliminated. Her Kabuki Warrior partner Asuka followed Sane and was eliminated by Chance right after.
At the end, the match was won by one of their teammates as Bayley last eliminated a returning Liv Morgan to win the 2024 Women\’s Royal Rumble match.
This wasn\’t the only newsworthy moment from the Women\’s Rumble as a big debut during the bout got people talking. You can check out all about it here.
The Royal Rumble is a match that can make a star out of any performer even if they don\’t win the match. It can, however, also land you in trouble for making others look bad if you\’re not careful. According to Maven, Paul London found this out during the 2005 Royal Rumble.
The former WWE star discussed the upcoming PLE in the newest video on his YouTube channel. He explained the process of booking the battle royal and what wrestlers are told about their spots.
Answering a question about people getting in trouble over a Royal Rumble spot, Maven recalled Paul London getting some heat from the locker room for his elimination from the 2005 Rumble:
\”Can you get in trouble during a Rumble? Actually you can. I will give you an example of that. Take the Paul London incident from 2005. I don\’t remember what the run sheet looked like. I guarantee you it said something like \’Paul London eliminated by Gene Snitsky.\’
Paul, obviously wanting to have his Royal Rumble moment, made it the best elimination of the entire night. If you remember that spot you remember that crazy flip he took. Paul actually got some heat. He got in trouble once he got backstage.\”
Maven went on to explain that Paul London took the spotlight away from others and people in the back did not like this:
\”Now why did he get in trouble? Because people thought he was showing up others in the match. When all he was doing was showing his athleticism and showing exactly how good of a bump he could take. Making Gene look pretty damn powerful in the process of it. That\’s how you can get in trouble for even being eliminated during the Rumble.
So the takeaway from all of that is unless it says, and it might be something like this \’Paul eliminated by Snitsky with big clothesline\’ and they might go out of their way to highlight the word big to the point where they might even underline it, they want you to know that this is one of the biggest bumps, this is one of the biggest spots of the night. Paul\’s mistake that night wasn\’t taking the bump, Paul\’s mistake wasn\’t reading the run sheet wrong. Paul\’s mistake was taking it upon himself to actually show how athletic he was.\”
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
WWE presented the Royal Rumble go-home edition of SmackDown from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida tonight with the final build for the PLE tomorrow.
The show opened with a confrontation between Randy Orton, AJ Styles and LA Knight before they all challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed title in a Fatal Four-way match on Saturday. This segment ended with Knight retreating while AJ caught Orton with a Pele Kick.
The show also included a face-off between The Pride and The Final Testament and a Women\’s Tag Team Championship match where The Kabuki Warriors defeated Kayden Carter and Katana Chance to capture the gold.
What Happened After SmackDown
The main event of SmackDown saw LA Knight taking on Solo Sikoa in a singles match. Though the bout ended in a double disqualification after AJ Styles came out of nowhere and delivered a Phenomenal Forearm to Knight.
The whole thing quickly turned into a brawl with Jimmy Uso and Randy Orton also joining in on the fight. Randy Orton hit an RKO to Styles after taking out both Bloodline members. LA Knight then delivered a BFT to The Viper and the Megastar stood tall in the ring to end the broadcast.
Though Orton remained in the arena for quite a while after the show went off air and greeted the fans for as long as he could.
That wasn\’t all as fans also got to see Drew McIntyre in action after SmackDown. McIntyre faced The Miz in a singles match. The stars delivered an entertaining match for the crowd before the Scottish Warrior picked up the victory with the Claymore Kick.
Seth Rollins was in good spirit and cheering the fans on, but clearly hurt from his match after this week\’s episode of Monday Night Raw on USA Network.
This week\’s episode of the red branded show was centered around the Architect defending his title against Jinder Mahal. This match had been the center of attention for wrestling fans all week after Tony Khan\’s latest Twitter tirade.
There were a lot of moving parts in this bout that was also the main event of the show. Jinder was accompanied by Indus Sher for this opportunity while Damian Priest also came out with his Money In The Bank Briefcase.
Seth Rollins managed to overcome the defying odds in the end, however. After Drew McIntyre attacked Priest and Indus Sher were sent back by the referee, the Visionary defeated Mahal to retain his title.
The show went off air soon after the bell rang but Seth remained in the ring for a while. He cut a promo referencing the cold weather that forced WWE to change the set for tonight\’s Raw. Rollins finally thanked the fans for coming to the show.
While the WWE World Heavyweight Champion was in good spirits after the show, reports have confirmed that he did hurt his knee during the match with The Maharaja. You can check out more about it here.
It appears that the Undisputed Kingdom has found their match in Adam Copeland and his friends.
AEW presented the ninth Battle of The Belts special from Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia after this week\’s episode of Collision.
The show was headlined by the AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy defending his title against Preston Vance. The Undisputed Kingdom all came out for this match and sat on the ramp during the bout.
Towards the ending of the fight, Cassidy took out the faction and Vance also flipped them off. Orange Cassidy then successfully retained his title using the Orange Punch and Stundog Millionaire.
The Undisputed Kingdom finally came down the ring after the bout ended. While they didn\’t attack the International Champion, the broadcast ended with Roderick Strong telling Cassidy that his time was over.
This wasn\’t the end of the show however. The feed continued even after this and the team of Danial Garcia and FTR, led by Adam Copeland came out and attacked the Kingdom. This newly formed alliance took out the faction with Orange Cassidy getting the final shot at Roderick Strong before he retreated from the ring.
After BOTB IX went off the air, the feed kept going as Adam Copeland, Daniel Garcia & FTR ran down to make the save for Orange Cassidy!
Elsewhere in the show, Julia Hart successfully defended her TBS title against Anna Jay and the duo of Ricky Starks & Big Bill managed to outlast Sammy Guevara & Chris Jericho in a crazy street fight to retain their tag titles.
Though Battle of The Belts wasn\’t the only place AEW stars were making headlines. An interesting name that hadn\’t been seen on any wrestling programming since last year made his return during NJPW\’s Battle In The Valley. You can check that out here.
Jack Perry has returned to wrestling, but not for AEW.
The former FTW Champion has been absent from wrestling since August last year with little to no update about his status with Tony Khan\’s promotion.
He finally made his return to the wrestling scene tonight. In a surprising turn of events, Perry made an appearance during NJPW\’s Battle In The Valley event.
The former champion attacked Shota Umino during the show. Interestingly, after taking out Umino, Jack Perry tore up an AEW contract and then put on an armband that read \’scapegoat\’
All this is in reference to his backstage confrontation with the former AEW Champion CM Punk at the All In event last year that led to Punk\’s release from the company.
Perry who had been advised by Punk to not use real glass during an episode of Collision made a reference to it during his match with Hook at the Wembly show.
This led to Punk confronting the young star at gorilla after his bout. This confrontation turned into a physical brawl soon enough with Punk even exchanging words with Tony Khan himself.
The Straight Edge Star had subsequently been fired by the company due to his actions. Jack Perry on the other hand had been put on an indefinite suspension and had not been seen since the PPV before tonight\’s NJPW show.
Cody Rhodes continued his new tradition after this week\’s episode of Raw.
The Red Branded Show this week featured a number of strong segments that got people talking. The show opened with a heated confrontation between Drew McIntyre and CM Punk.
The episode also featured a segment between Seth Rollins and Jinder Mahal leading to the announcement of a World Title Match between the two next week.
The matches on the show included bouts such as The Miz taking on JD McDonagh, Kayden Carter and Katana Chance defending the Women\’s Tag Team Titles and more.
What Happened After Raw
The main event of this week\’s Raw saw Cody Rhodes facing off against Shinsuke Nakamura. Both these stars have been involved in a personal rivalry the last few weeks and due to it, this match had been turned into a street fight.
Neither Nakamura nor Rhodes shied away from using various weapons in this match and they introduced objects such as Kendo Sticks, Tables, and even Nunchucks.
At one point, Nakamura accidentally spit his red mist into the timekeeper\’s eyes, originally meant for Cody. This took Cody\’s mind out of the match for a minute as the timekeeper was Berkley Ottman, the son of former WWE star Typhoon and a cousin of Rhodes.
At the end of the night however, Cody managed to pick up the victory. He sent Nakamura crashing through a table and then pinned him with a Cross-Rhodes.
The cameras went off air with Cody Rhodes celebrating in the ring. After the show, he continued the tradition he has built recently and the American Nightmare gave away another table to one of the fans in attendance.
New details have come to light regarding Kota Ibushi\’s health issues.
The Japanese star aggravated what\’s believed to be a previous injury while working a match against Naomichi Marufuji at NOAH\’s New Year special on January 2.
The high-flying star was said to be in a lot of pain after this match and was taken to hospital immediately afterward. The wrestling promotion shared an update on his diagnosis with us, revealing additional injuries to his right ankle:
\”Kota Ibushi, who sustained an injury at Pro Wrestling NOAH\’s Ariake Arena event on January 2nd, has been diagnosed with a right tibiofibular ligament tear and a right ankle lateral ligament complex injury as a result of a more thorough examination than his initial diagnosis.\”
Ibushi is expected to undergo another detailed examination to determine further course of treatment. We will keep you updated on the matter.
Kota Ibushi\’s Future In Wrestling
The 41-year-old has been dealing with persisting health issues going back to his time with NJPW. He has only wrestled a total of 8 matches since parting ways with the promotion in November 2021, and most of them have been tag team bouts.
After the latest injury setback, Kota Ibushi shared a number of heartfelt messages with his fans on Twitter. In one such tweet yesterday, he hinted at potentially retiring from the sport after fulfilling his current obligations:
\”I came here with the goal of being able to do it for 20 years, and I think it\’s about time. There are still a lot of things left on my contract, but I want to complete them!
\”I try not to talk too darkly or think about the future, but I have to take care of my mother and other things, so I\’ll talk about it when the time comes! Don\’t miss a match.\”
We should expect a firm update on Ibushi\’s future in wrestling once a more detailed timetable for his recovery is revealed.
WWE Raw star Drew McIntyre made a surprise appearance on this week\’s episode of SmackDown and picked up an impressive victory after the show went off the air.
The first SmackDown of 2024 was an eventful show with a number of big developments. This included Kevin Owens defeating Santos Escobar to become the #1 contender for Logan Paul\’s US title.
The main event of the show was a triple threat match among AJ Styles, Randy Orton and LA Knight to determine the #1 contender for Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble.
All three of these men were committed to earning a shot at the glory of defeating The Tribal Chief. The very physical match between them even led to Knight getting busted open the hard way during a spot.
What Happened After SmackDown
The match however ended without a winner when The Bloodline attacked all three participants. Nick Aldis then revealed that Reigns will now have to face all three of these competitors in a fatal four way at the upcoming PLE.
The broadcast ended with The Bloodline standing tall in the ring but the night was far from over. Fans got to see not one but three dark matches after this bout.
The first two dark matches after the show ended saw Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley picking respective victories over Chelsea Green and Ivy Nile.
The third and final dark match was between Drew McIntyre and Ricochet. The One and Only showed some impressive moves but McIntyre ended up picking the victory after delivering Claymore.
WWE Superstar Raquel Rodriguez has revealed a medical diagnosis that has kept her away from in ring action for the last few weeks.
The former NXT star posted a video on Instagram earlier today providing an update on her recent absence. She revealed that she has been diagnosed with a disease called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome [MCAS], which has stopped her from doing the things that she loves:
\”What\’s up guys. Happy New Year. So long story short. Last year I posted a video about being a WWE superstar with eczema. And in the month of December, it got progressively worse and I have been diagnosed with something called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Basically, I was red, swollen, there was a lot happening in this area physically. It kept me from doing the things that I love, like travelling, going to the gym and wrestling.\”
Rodriguez\’s last match was at a live event back on December 3. She was defeated by Nia Jax in a singles bout during the house show in Portland. The female star revealed that she has since moved back to Texas to be with her family:
\”I also didn\’t want to be on camera. I didn\’t want to look in the mirror. And I understand that all of those things can mess with someone both emotionally and mentally but thank God I moved back to Texas when I did because I had the best support system in the world during this time, which is my family. I\’m so grateful to them and for everything they have done for me and you guys as well who have sent me kind messages and reminded me that I didn\’t have to go through this alone.
So to anyone who has been struggling or had to celebrate the holiday season a little bit differently this year. I just wanted to say remember to give yourself a little bit of compassion and grace, for the things that you don\’t understand and the things that you can\’t control. Life can be really hard sometimes, and it can throw us these crazy curveballs and I know they feel like they\’re gonna last forever, but I promise they\’re not. This is going to pass. So let\’s go into 2024 remembering to give kindness to others and give kindness to ourselves. I can\’t wait to see what\’s going to happen this year.\”
A patient suffering from MCAS can experience repeated episodes of the symptoms of anaphylaxis. This can include allergic symptoms such as hives, swelling, low blood pressure and difficulty in breathing.
There is no timetable for Raquel Rodriguez\’s recovery or return to action at this point. The WWE star did note in her Instagram post that she will share more on her healing journey as she develops a better understanding of her condition.
SEScoops sends our best regards to the wrestling star as she navigates her treatment.
Everybody has an opinion on the internet and Julia Hart cares about none of them.
The 22-year-old has been one of the break-out stars of AEW in 2023. She picked up a number of impressive victories in the last few months. The female star is ending the year as a champion after defeating Kris Statlander and Skye Blue for the TBS title in a triple-threat match at Full Gear and becoming the youngest champion in AEW history.
She picked up another victory while successfully defending her title against Abadon at the Worlds End PPV. In the post-show press conference, Hart was asked about handling criticism online. The young star claimed that the only opinions that matter are hers and her boss Tony Khan\’s:
\”When it comes to the internet, it\’s different because at the end of the day, the only person\’s opinion that matters is Tony and myself. So whatever, the internet\’s always going to have an opinion on you. It\’s going to be negative, it\’s going to be positive.\” said Julia Hart,
She continued: \”They can think whatever they want because I also remember being a fan and I thought I knew everything as well. A fan doesn\’t know everything. What I do know, Tony is my boss and if he says I do good job, I believe him. If I tell myself I do a good job, that\’s all that matters. The fans, they can say whatever they want.\”
Worlds End was only the third title defence for Julia Hart in her title reign and 2024 will bring even more challenges for her. You can check out the full media scrum featuring the AEW star below:
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
The Rock is teasing a big NFL announcement on the last day of 2023.
The Fox Sports NFL Twitter account recently teased a big news coming our way. Interestingly they tagged XFL in the photo they posted, followed by The Rock promoting the announcement:
A consortium led by Dwayne \”The Rock\” Johnson purchased the XFL brand from Vince McMahon back in August 2020, with intentions to once again relaunch the football league.
This came after a relaunch attempt by Mr McMahon himself failed due to the COVID-19 pandemic halting the 2020 season after only five weeks of play.
The league under The Rock\’s ownership returned to play in February 2023. They announced a merger with USFL earlier this year, aiming to play a combined season next year.
Now the latest tease suggests that things may be changing once again and we may see XFL and NFL joining hands in some form before the 2024 season.
The Great One is also rumored to make his return to WWE for the WrestleMania 40 build-up. He made a lone appearance back in September taking out Austin Theory in a segment.
His return may take place as soon as this Monday\’s Day 1 special of Raw for which Triple H has been teasing the return of a former WWE champion.
Swerve Strickland is not waiting for anybody going into 2024 and if Keith Lee wants to have a match with him, then he\’s gonna have to work hard for it.
The two former tag team partners were supposed to finally face each other in a singles match at the Worlds End PPV. Hours before the show, however, it was revealed that Lee was not cleared by doctors. This resulted in a last-minute change in the match card, and Dustin Rhodes stepped up to face Strickland in a match instead.
The Limitless One\’s injury was addressed at the Worlds End press conference. In response to a question, company president Tony Khan confirmed that Lee wanted to wrestle at the show and detailed why he wasn\’t allowed to do so:
\”Keith absolutely did want to wrestle. There is a process there and it involves a doctor examining the wrestler every time before they go out and wrestle but also keeping in touch with him during the week. Keith mentioned he got injured in his match at Final Battle. He had a great match with Shane Taylor hard hitting match in Dallas at Final Battle. Then after that, Keith had gotten back in the ring and had a great match with Brian Cage. Did a great number on Collision.
Keith, today when he went in to see the doctor, his injury had gotten worse during the week and really it was worse than it was after the Shane Taylor match and it was worse than it was after the Brian cage match. The swelling had gone up and with the swelling being what it was the doctor didn\’t feel comfortable clearing Keith. So it\’s a tough call. But the doctor did what he thought was right and I respect the medical team\’s decision.\”
On the question of this long-anticipated match taking place sometimes later, Swerve Strickland said that he is done waiting. He explained that if Keith really wants to get a shot at him now, he\’ll have to do something to earn it:
\”It\’s quite unfortunate. I\’m done waiting though. I don\’t wait on anybody. For me. I\’ve been waiting for a while now. Now I have my sights set on something else, and that\’s championship gold. So either Keith\’s gonna have to work harder than ever in 2024 to reach me at that point or reach to the championship or do something, but I\’m not waiting on anybody. If the match happens, he\’s gonna have to work hard to get to me at this point.\”
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
Tony Khan has confirmed that Andrade El Idolo\’s AEW contract is expiring at the end of the year and he will not be renewing his deal with the company.
The AEW President took part in the media scrum after the World\’s End PPV. Among other things, he talked about this being the 5 year anniversary of AEW and how it means that some contracts are bound to expire. Khan gave a shout-out to QT Marshall who is one of the day one talents leaving the promotion at the end of the year. He then confirmed that Andrade\’s AEW deal is coming to an end as well:
\”Somebody who has not been with us the entire five years, but they\’ve been with us about half the time. They\’ve been outstanding and somebody I really respect and I don\’t expect to see necessarily, as it stands right now renewing the contract but somebody that I have a great amount of respect for and would be parting on good terms and was tremendous, was here and did wrestle tonight is Andrade El Idolo.
Andrade El Idolo\’s contract is up at the end of the year. We\’ve had great talks. I have a tonne of respect for Andrade El Idolo. He\’s been a huge performer in the Continental Classic week after week I talked about this great run Collision\’s been on, Andrade El Idolo has been a huge part of it. Also has wrestled on the other shows and the Blue League of the Continental Classic.
Tony Khan claimed that they would have given a prominent position to Andrade if he had decided to stay with the company. He then praised him for the World\’s End match with Miro, saying that he will be leaving on a high note:
\”He\’s outstanding. I wanted to keep him involved at the top. If we had been able to reach an agreement, certainly he would be somebody we would slot in, in a prominent position. I think we did everything we could to show Andrade El Idolo we really do value him.
I think this last run he\’s had in recent months has been tremendous. If this is going to be the way he\’s gonna leave AEW, talk about leaving on a high note because he had a great match with Miro tonight.\”
Andrade has long been rumored to be on his way back to WWE. A contract expiration means he will be free to make an appearance for any company he likes at the start of the year. With Triple H\’s latest tease, many believe that we may see him back in the Endeavor owned promotion sooner rather than later.
You can check out the full Worlds End media scrum below:
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
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