Vickie Guerrero addressed her involvement in the 2005 SummerSlam Ladder Match between Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio.
Around this time, the two stars had a rivalry that was very memorable. It came to an end at this show and both Eddie’s and Rey’s families were utilized in the story. This started the beginning of Vickie’s time as a character on WWE television.
Near the end of the match, there was a spot where Eddie crashed down to the mat and he could be heard yelling where is Vickie. She would eventually help Rey win the ladder match.
Vickie told a fan on Twitter that she did not miss her cue for the spot. Instead, she was told not to go out yet because it was not safe for her to push over the ladder as Rey was under it at the time.
“Hey genius…I didn’t miss my cue….Rey was under the ladder and it was not safe for me to run and push the ladder…I was told to wait until Rey was out of the way. #stayinyourlane.”
Vickie would later become a heel on WWE TV through various roles such as a GM and manager. She is currently managing Nyla Rose in AEW.
Ronda Rousey will indeed challenge Charlotte Flair for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Title at WrestleMania 38 after she made her return at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in St Louis, Missouri by being a surprise entrant in the Women’s Royal Rumble match.
She won the match and earned this title shot. After teasing going after Becky Lynch’s Raw Women’s Title on this past Monday’s Raw, she said she would make her announcement on Friday Night SmackDown this week and that’s exactly what happened.
However, WWE did try to swerve fans by having Sonya Deville announce Rousey had chosen Lynch and Flair stated that she would face Sasha Banks at WrestleMania. However, Rousey came out to the ring and said that the last time she checked, she got to pick her opponent. She said she plans to teach her daughter the family business of kicking ass and Flair is just one of many who she owes an ass kicking.
Rousey said Flair isn’t lucky, but just first and she would see her at WrestleMania. She tossed the microphone at Flair, who said that her title is her baby and it’s prettier than Rousey’s child. Rousey attacked like she was about to throw down with Flair. Sonya tried to tell her to back off, but Rousey picked her up and hit a samoan drop before locking in the armbar while staring at Flair.
Goldberg made an appearance on WWE Friday Night Smackdown this week to interrupt Roman Reigns in the opening segment. He challenged Reigns to a Universal Title match at the Elimination Chamber event after he cut a short and very direct pointed promo to set up the match.
This was expected as Fightful reported that the WWE Hall of Famer was slated to make his return and was scheduled to travel to Oklahoma City, the site of WWE SmackDown.
There was some concern due to weather as Oklahoma got hit with a snowstorm on Wednesday and Thursday. Goldberg has been booked to lose 3 consecutive World Title matches over the last two years.
The legendary wrestler lost the Universal Title to Braun Strowman at WrestleMania 36. Goldberg challenged for the WWE Championship at the 2021 Royal Rumble pay-per-view but lost to Drew McIntyre. He lost to then WWE-Champion Bobby Lashley at the SummerSlam. He last competed at Crown Jewel where he beat Lashley.
WWE presents the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event on Saturday, February 19, 2022. Other matches confirmed for the show includes WWE Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins vs. Austin Theory vs. AJ Styles vs. Riddle in an Elimination Chamber Match, WWE Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Lita, WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. The Viking Raiders
The February 1, 2022 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
Imperium (GUNTHER, Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) def. Diamond Mine (Roderick Strong, Brutus Creed & Julius Creed).
Raquel Gonzalez def. Cora Jade.
Sarray def. Kayla Inlay.
Joe Gacy def. LA Knight.
Wendy Choo def. Amari Miller.
Andre Chase def. Draco Anthony.
Bron Breakker & Tommaso Ciampa def. Legado del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza) (w/Santos Escobar & Elektra Lopez).
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Joe Gacy vs. LA Knight
Joe Gacy wrestled LA Knight in a singles bout, which was set up in a video that WWE released on social media this afternoon. In the clip, Knight was cutting a promo about his issues with Grayson Waller backstage only for him to be interrupted by acy and Harland showed up. Gacy stated that he could help Knight, who didn’t want his help and said after tonight, he would have more restraining orders and told Gacy he would see him in the ring.
The match was back and forth until Waller came out to hit a cutter to Knight on the floor, which resulted in Knight getting back into the ring so Gacy hit a clothesline for the win. Post-match, Waller said if Knight can beat Sanga next week then maybe he would consider lifting the restraining order.
Cora Jade vs. Raquel Gonzalez in a singles match took place.
These two had a segment last week in the gym as Jade wanted to team with Gonzalez in the Dusty Classic, but Gonzalez doubted Jade\’s ability to win. Raquel brought up how Dakota Kai used to do anything to win and did just that when they teamed together. The two ended up getting into a fight that had to be stopped.
The match was pretty much one-sided with Raquel dominating until she hit her finisher for the win. Post-match, Raquel agreed to team with her in the tournament.
Imperium (Gunther, NXT Tag Team Champions Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner) went up against The Diamond Mine (Roderick Strong, The Creed Brothers).
Last week, Malcolm Bivens said in a promo that Gunther was a dumb name and challenged Imperium to a six-man tag match. Julius Creed called Imperium “European pretty boys”, while Strong told Gunther to enjoy the win from the previous week as it will never happen again.
The match opened the show and was very good. WALTER pinned one of the Creed Brothers with a powerbomb after Strong was tossed into the steel steps.
Tommaso Ciampa and Bron Breakker vs. Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde in a tag match was booked as the headliner.
The match was set up last week when Escobar called out Bron to tell him he despised him for finding success fast in NXT. Breakker said he earned everything and Escobar was insecure and that if he wanted to face him then make the challenge. Escobar said he would do it on his own time, which is Vengancy Day.
At the end of the show, the rest of Legado Del Fantasma made the match for next week. Ciampa showed up when Legado Del Fantasma tried to jump Breakker outside of the venue.
The match was saved for the main event. After the babyfaces got the early advantage, the heels took over. Raul did hit a spring board dive off the top rope. After a few minutes of Bron selling, Bron fought back. Wilde went for a dive, but was pushed off the top rope and crashed through a table. Bron with his finisher to Raul for the win.
Finally, Kay Lee Ray hunted down Mandy Rose and demanded that Rose put her Women’s Title on the line next week. Rose agreed and Ray laid her out with her finisher to close the show. Earlier in the night, Ray had kidnapped the rest of Toxic Extraction.
We have ourselves an NXT Women's Championship Match NEXT WEEK on #WWENXT!
Former WWE Cruiserweight champion Brian Kendrick will debut for All Elite Wrestling on Wednesday\’s edition of AEW Dynamite.
Kendrick requested his release from WWE in December, as first reported by PWInsider. Over a month later, AEW\’s latest match announcement shows that Kendrick is in fact gone from WWE.
Brian Kendrick is jumping right into the deep end of AEW. He\’ll battle former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley when AEW returns to Chicago, IL.
Kendrick was last seen in action for WWE on the 205 Live brand in 2020. Aside from those bouts, he did work a few Saudi Arabia battle royal matches. He hasn\’t wrestled on WWE Raw or Smackdown since December 2017, but did briefly appear on NXT 2.0 for a storyline with Harland that was supposed to lead to a match, but never happened.
Behind the scenes, Kendrick had been serving as a producer with the company. He has yet to publicly comment on his departure from WWE.
Killer Kross, formerly known as Karrion Kriss, is plotting his return to pro wrestling. He will become a free agent this week, when his WWE non-compete clause expires.
The former NXT Champion star took to Instagram to reflect on the last two years of his career. Kross says wrestling fans have motivated him over the past few years, but they might be disturbed by what comes next.
I will not return in peace
– Killer Kross
“Much on my mind as of late as I come to a close on this final period,” Kross said. \”In short; man, this was an incredible chapter of my life. Nothing but gratitude for every second. Thank you to everyone who came for the ride, and thank you for letting me take you on one as well. 2020 to now has been a challenging period in human history. I hope I was able to cast some relief for people during these times. You all brought me to life everyday and motivated me to find the best version of myself for YOU. As for the future…what you see next may disturb you, as I will not return in peace.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZa8D9luAtz/
After making a name for himself by working for various promotions such as Impact Wrestling, Lucha Libre AAA, and Lucha Underground, Killer Kross joined WWE in late 2020.
As Karrion Kross, he rose up the ranks quickly in NXT. He won the NXT Championship twice. He was called up to the main roster last year only to be later released.
It’s been reported that AAA is interested in bringing in Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux.
As expected, WWE will have Brock Lesnar challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Title at WrestleMania 38 in April. It’s unclear which night the match will take place on – April 2nd or 3rd.
Lesnar ended up winning the 2022 Men’s Royal Rumble match to earn the right to this bout. Earlier in the night of the Royal Rumble event, Lesnar dropped the WWE Title to Bobby Lashley after Paul Heyman turned on his former client and helped Reigns’ attack on Lesnar when the referee was down as “The Tribal Chief” grabbed the title from Heyman to hit Lesnar with it.
During the opening segment of Monday Night Raw, Lesnar interrupted the newly crowned WWE Champion. He announced the match with Reigns since it was his choice. However, since he was dressed to fight, he wanted a rematch with Lashley. He said the match with Reigns should be title vs. title.
After MVP declined the challenge, Lesnar called Lashley a “chicken sh*t.” As a result, WWE on-screen authority figure Adam Pearce announced that Lesnar would be one of those 5 Superstars to be in the Elimination Chamber match where Lashley will defend his title on February 19th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
There will be qualifying matches including Rey Mysterio vs. AJ Styles and Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory taking place on Raw to fill out the remaining spots in the match.
Following The Velveteen Dream (Patrick Clark) getting released from WWENXTin May 2021, there were several reports regarding the decision to let him go ranging from allegations to behavioral issues to problems with fellow wrestlers.
Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Dream’s firing had nothing to do with the accusations or anything that was made public about him. Instead, it was due to an incident that one of the top stars reported to management.
Dream previously stated in his statement that the accusations against him from April 2020 were the reason why he was fired. He backed up that belief while speaking on Dishing Drama with Dana Wilkey. Regarding the allegations, he called them “100% bullshit.”
This is when he opened up on the firing and cited Josh Fuller as the person who started the #FireVelveteenDream:
\”I\’d like to throw this in there as well, Josh Fuller was the one that when he decided to show up on social media with his bullshit allegations, he started the hashtag Fire Velveteen Dream. That\’s what it cost me. An investigation was done by WWE, our COO Paul Levesque, better known as Triple H, went on record and said there was nothing that WWE found that would incriminate me or cause any concern for the company, a company who sells to children, and I\’m being accused of soliciting sex for minors. Come on. WWE found nothing. They even tried to put me back in a program with one of their top stars and then after the Fire Velveteen Dream hashtag blew up, they were doing the digital audience and someone showed up, in their place instead of a person it hashtag Fire Velveteen Dream.”
Dream continued by recalling how WWE tried to give him time and distance himself from it, but the hashtag was continuing to trend every time that he would appear on TV.
“WWE, in the middle of cancel culture, found itself at a loss. Money talks and they have shareholders. Even if they found me to be innocent, now, I\’m affecting the bottom line, at least the bottom line they have with me, the money they can make with me, the way they can utilize me on TV. That\’s what it cost me. It cost me my career. It cost me a chance to not only continue a dream, but almost have guaranteed support for my family. It was horrible. As soon as I got fired, the air cleared. Everyone deleted their messages, everyone deleted their vlogs. No one had nasty, rude hateful messages to send. It all stopped. It was as if the job got done and now we can all live our lives, except for the guy playing Velveteen Dream, me.\”
He hasn’t worked a match since December 23, 2020. Last July, he did have his first post-WWE booking lined up until it got canceled.
Brock Lesnar ended up winning the 2022 Men’s Royal Rumble match and he will announce which title he will challenge for at WrestleMania 38 on Monday’s Raw while Ronda Rousey made her return to win the Women’s Royal Rumble match.
The morale behind the scenes in WWE was down following the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, according to PWinsider.com. It comes down to frustration among talent because of the constant changes made over the past week to both Rumble matches.
The feeling among talent is the changes made were the reason why the quality of the Rumble matches was down from previous years and 20 changes were made to the men’s bout including spots that were nixed or changed in addition to the eliminations and order of entrances.
WWE made changes to the Women’s Rumble match as well and people felt frustrated throughout the day because there were so many move parts to keep up with. The overall description given was a “confusing hodgepodge of things”
Vince McMahon was deeply involved in every aspect of the show. One talent said, “We were all in a whirlwind. Just as you had your role and spots down, everything started over and over and now most of us were back to square one. It changed again and again and again. It wasn’t an easy night even before we hit the ring.”
The winner of this year’s Men’s Royal Rumble match is Brock Lesnar. He outlasted the likes of Riddle, Shane McMahon, and Drew McIntyre in the Final Four at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event. Lesnar hit the F5 to McIntyre for the win.
AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura started off the match. Johnny Knoxville was entrant #9 and attacked Sami Zayn. Styles was eliminated by Madcap Moss. Owens pushed Kofi off a springboard attempt and onto the barricade, but Kofi’s feet touched the floor so they called it like a shoot. Bad Bunny hit a Canadian destroyer to Riddle then eliminated Sheamus. Shane McMahon returned and eliminated Kevin Owens. Brock Lesnar hit an F5 to Bad Bunny.
Lesnar has earned the right to be in one of the main events of WrestleMania 38 and will have his choice to go after one of the top titles in the company, as a result of beating out 29 other stars.
In storyline, he will have to decide whether he’ll challenge for the Universal Title, which is held by Roman Reigns, who successfully retained the title over Seth Rollins at this show or a rematch with WWE Champion Bobby Lashley. Of course, WWE has planned for months to book Lesnar vs. Reigns at Mania and with Reigns costing Lesnar the WWE Title earlier in the night, it\’s pretty much set.
Royal Rumble List of Entrants
Here’s a list of the entry of superstars who competed in this fan-favorite match:
After years of speculation of what the match would be like, Brock Lesnar stepped into the ring with Bobby Lashley with the WWE Title on the line at the Royal Rumble event.
The match saw Lashley hit a german suplex Lesnar on his head after some clinch work. Lesnar did it to Lashley. Lashley hit two straight spears before missing the third one and going through the barricade.
Lashley locked in the hurt lock, but Lesnar got out of it. Lesnar hit the F5, but took out the referee. This led to Roman Reigns coming out to hit a spear to Lesnar then connected with a title shot after Paul Heyman gave him the championship. Lashley pinned Lesnar to win the WWE Title.
Lashley got the title match when he defeated Big E, Seth Rollins, and Kevin Owens in a fatal four-way number one contender\’s match in the main event of the January 3rd edition of Monday Night Raw. Lashley pinned Owens to win the bout.
Lashley was the only wrestler in the match that Lesnar didn\’t hit the F-5 on while Lashley gave Lesnar a spear through the barricade at one point in the match and hit a spear on Lesnar for a second time in the ring for a near fall.
“The Beast Incarnate” became the WWE Champion by defeating Big E, Rollins, Owens, and Lashley in a fatal five-way match at Day 1 after he was added to the match at the last minute due to Roman Reigns testing positive for COVID-19. Reigns had been scheduled to defend his Universal Championship against Lesnar.
The winner of this year’s women’s Royal Rumble match has been revealed and it’s Ronda Rousey. Now, her journey to WrestleMania 38 begins.
Sasha Banks and Melina started it off. Zelina Vega eliminated Banks. Rhea Ripley eliminated Vega and Carmella at the same time. When Brie Bella made her entrance, she did the yes chant in the ring. Mickie James came out with the Impact Knockouts Title and to Hardcore Country. Lita came out and eliminated James with DDT. Charlotte Flair eliminated Lita with a big boot.
Rousey outlasted the likes of Bianca Belair, Shayna Bazler, and Flair in the Final Four at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event. Rousey and Flair were the final two.
With her beating out 29 other stars, she has earned the right to be in one of the main events of Mania and will have her choice to go after one of the top titles in the company. The decision for her comes down to the Raw Women’s Title, which is held by Becky Lynch. The other option is challenging SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair, who was in this same match.
Rousey’s return was expected as it was reported earlier in the week that WWE had pushed for the former Raw Women’s Champion to make a return at this show and the decision was her call. Regarding Paige, she was medically cleared to return to in-ring action after being forced into retirement due to a history of spinal stenosis.
Royal Rumble List of Entrants
Here’s a list of the entry of superstars who competed in this fan-favorite match:
Sasha Banks
Melina
Tamina
Kelly Kelly
Aliyah
Liv Morgan
Zelina Vega
Bianca Belair
Dana Brooke
Michelle McCool
Sonya Deville
Natalya
Cameron
Naomi
Carmella
Rhea Ripley
Charlotte Flair
Ivory
Brie Bella
Mickie James
Alicia Fox
Nikki A.S.H
Summer Rae
Nikki Bella
Sarah Logan
Lita
Molly Holly
Ronda Rousey
Shotzi Blackheart
Shayna Baszler
2??0?? MICKIE JAMES WITH THE KNOCKOUTS CHAMPIONSHIP AROUND HER WAIST!!!!
Seth Rollins was the first challenger of the new year to step up to take on Roman Reigns for his WWE Universal Title just weeks after Reigns set the record of the longest-reigning champion in the history of the title at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.
Rollins trolled Reigns before the bout even started by coming out to The Shield entrance music and even through the crowd while wearing his old gear. The match started off with Seth in control including him hitting a powerbomb through a table. Seth hit the buckle bomb then the stomp for a near fall. Reigns went for a spear, but Rollins reversed it into a pedigree for a near fall.
Reigns put him in the guillotine choke and Seth grabbed the rope, but Reigns didn’t break the hold so Reigns was DQ’d, but retained. Post-match, Reigns grabbed a chair and attacked Rollins with it.
The match was made official on the January 7th edition of SmackDown as Rollins was revealed as the next challenger. There was a storyline where Adam Pearce said WWE management informed him that he needed to choose Reigns\’ Royal Rumble opponent before the end of the night and the show ended with Rollins going into Reigns\’ locker room where he was just laughing.
Rollins is still a member of the Raw roster and was involved in the fatal five-way match at Day 1 where Brock Lesnar pinned Big E to win the WWE Championship. WWE is still moving forward with its plans for Lesnar and Reigns to face off again at WrestleMania 38.
The card for tonight\’s (Saturday, January 29, 2022) WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event has been finalized.
The company hasn’t officially announced the main event of this show that takes place in St Louis, Missouri but it will most likely be the men\’s Royal Rumble match.
As a reminder, we will be providing live play-by-play coverage of this special on Saturday evening starting at 8 PM EST. Here is the final card for the show:
Final WWE Royal Rumble Card
Men’s Royal Rumble Match: competitors announced thus far – Johnny Knoxville, Austin Theory, Rey Mysterio, Dominik Mysterio, Montez Ford, Angelo Dawkins, Sheamus, Damian Priest, AJ Styles, Big E, Kofi Kingston, Sami Zayn, Madcap Moss, Happy Baron Corbin, Kevin Owens, Omos, Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, Randy Orton, Riddle, Otis, Chad Gable, Ricochet, Rick Boogs, Shinsuke Nakamura
Women’s Royal Rumble Match: competitors announced thus far – Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley, Nikki A.S.H., Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, Shotzi, Natalya, Michelle McCool, Dana Brooke, Carmella, Zelina Vega, Mickie James, Tamina Snuka, Kelly Kelly, Aliyah, Summer Rae, Naomi, Shayna Baszler, Lita, Liv Morgan, Bianca Belair, Sasha Banks
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley
Edge and Beth Phoenix vs. The Miz and Maryse – Mixed Tag Team Match
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins – The Usos are banned from ringside
Lita has not only paid attention to WWE’s women’s division but also their rival in All Elite Wrestling.
The WWE Hall of Famer gave her take about the roster the promotion has put together during an appearance on the latest episode of Booker T’s Hall Of Fame podcast.
Lita stated that she thought for a while it was just all about AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker. However, she sees them starting to add strength.
“I think they’re finally starting to add and strengthen that roster,” Lita said. “Because for a while, and this tends to happen a lot, something catches fire and then you go with it, and it ends up being a one-person show. So it was like the Britt Baker show for quite a bit there, and then they were like, ‘oh, wait we can’t just throw Nyla to the wayside after we’ve used her, we can’t throw Ruby.’ You’ve got to build everybody up and kind of keep it going.”
Lita continued by noting that the women were lacking, but now that the promotion has put some emphasis on that. She recalled seeing the lights out match between Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker thinking that really put the women’s division on the map for them.
As previously reported, Lita did have talks with AEW President Tony Khan regarding joining the company, but she returned to WWE and will be part of the Women’s Royal Rumble Match this Saturday night.
Lio Rush is continuing to find success in the music world as he announced on Twitter that he has signed with Universal Music Group, Thump Records, and Virgin Music.
Rush released his debut single, “Scenic Lullaby,” in 2019, and his second single, “I Wonder”, was released soon thereafter. This past September, his second EP, “Not Found” was released.
Rush was released by WWE in 2020 along with several other wrestlers due to budget cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic. He continued his career by working for MLW and NJPW before making his promotional debut for AEW by being the mystery entrant in the Casino Battle Royale at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view event in 2021.
Rush previously announced his retirement from wrestling last August but continued wrestling. He later returned to AEW and last wrestled on AEW programming during the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal on the December 8th, 2021 episode of Dynamite.
WWE is bringing in several former stars and legends for this Saturday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.
WWE decided to go against what they typically do regarding surprise entrants for the event as they have already announced Mickie James, Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly, Summer Rae, and Lita in advance for the women’s Royal Rumble match in advance. However, WWE will still have surprises in store for fans.
Those expected to be in the women’s bout include Aksana, Melina, and Asuka. Kairi Sane’s name has been tossed around as a possible entrant, despite her contract slated to expire next month.
WWE has pushed for Ronda Rousey to make an in-ring return at the Royal Rumble and be in the bout and belief is she will wrestle in the Women\’s Royal Rumble.
Wrestlers who have been spotted in town already include Kaitlyn, Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, JBL, Jerry Lawler and Shane McMahon.
NXT 2.0 stars Bron Breakker and Gunther (formerly known as WALTER) are being flown into St. Louis.
WrestlingNews.co reports that a source in WWE stated Paige is medically cleared and she will be one of the surprise entrants in the Women’s Royal Rumble match. The former WWE Divas Champion had to retire from in-ring action due to a neck injury she suffered at a house show in late 2017. It’s unclear whether this is a one-off or if she will be back full-time wrestling. Her contract is slated to expire in June. The report added that there’s another person who was spotted in St. Louis and is being kept hidden from everyone.
We will update this post throughout the day as there are more \’sightings\’ and additional news comes in.
Sasha Banks made her WWE TV return earlier than expected during the opening segment of this week’s Friday Night SmackDown.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair was in the ring for a promo segment when she was interrupted by Natalya, Shotzi, Shayna Baszler, and Aliyah where they all talked about winning the Women’s Royal Rumble Match. Banks came out and declared, “The Boss is back, baby, and I’m ready to Rumble.” A brawl broke out with Banks standing tall to end the segment.
Banks had been on the sidelines since earlier this month when she suffered an injury at a house show during a match against Charlotte Flair in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The injury occurred when she took an over-the-knee backbreaker as her leg was planted awkwardly.
WWE later announced that Banks would be out of action for 6-8 weeks due to an injury.
Before the show, Fightful had reported that WWE had plans to bring Banks back ahead of the publicly announced schedule and the company informed after the injury creative that she wouldn\’t be factored into the Royal Rumble plans because they expected her to be out past the show.
The betting odds for the matches featured on the WWE Royal Rumble card have been released ahead of the show taking place in St Louis, Missouri from The Dome at America’s Center this Saturday.
There are no titles expected to change hands. Brock Lesnar and Big E are the favorites to win the men’s Royal Rumble match while Bianca Belair is the leading favorite to win the women’s match.
The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Odds call for all three titles to change. Here are the betting odds, courtesy of Bet Online:
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar -230 vs. Bobby Lashley +160
Edge and Beth Phoenix -500 vs. The Miz and Maryse +300 – Mixed Tag Team Match
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns -240 vs. Seth Rollins +165 – The Usos are banned from ringside
WWE Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch -1200 vs. Doudrop +750
Royal Rumble Betting Odds (Men’s)
Brock Lesnar +350
Big E +350
Roman Reigns +800
Drew McIntyre +900
AJ Styles +1000
The Rock +1200
Omos +1400
Bobby Lashley +1600
Seth Rollins +1800
Kevin Owens +2000
Finn Balor +2000
Damian Priest +2200
+2500 (Edge, Randy Orton, Austin Theory, John Cena, Riddle)
Braun Strowman +3300
+4000 (Samoa Joe, Sheamus, GUNTHER, King Woods, Sami Zayn, Bray Wyatt)
+5000 (Tommaso Ciampa, Gable Steveson, Bron Breakker)
+6600 (Shinsuke Nakamura, Happy Corbin, Pete Dunne, Rey Mysterio, Ricochet, Apollo Crews)
+10000 (Dominik Mysterio, Angelo Dawkins, Montez Ford, Johnny Knoxville, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Mick Foley, Shane McMahon, Mr. McMahon)
Royal Rumble Betting Odds (Women’s)
Bianca Belair +300
Bayley +550
Alexa Bliss +600
Rhea Ripley +800
Sasha Banks +1200
Raquel Gonzalez +1200
Charlotte Flair +1200
Paige +1400
Ronda Rousey +1400
Liv Morgan +1600
Asuka +1800
Shayna Baszler +2200
Io Shirai +2500
* Lita +2500
Mandy Rose +3300
Sonya Deville +4000
Shotzi +4000
Carmella +5000
Trish Stratus +5000
+6600 (Lacey Evans, Dakota Kai, Kay Lee Ray, Natalya, Beth Phoenix, Nikki ASH, Queen Zelina, Mickie James)
+8000 (Maryse, Aliyah, Nikki Bella, Brie Bella)
+10000 (Candice LeRae, Kacy Catanzaro, Tamina, Dana Brooke, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly)
Oklahoma State wrestler AJ Ferrari and track athlete Isai Rodriguez were involved in a car crash on Monday night while in a 2019 Dodge Durango on Highway 33 near Perkins, Oklahoma around 8 p.m.
Ferrari was driving when he attempted to pass 3 vehicles while cresting a hill and hit an oncoming vehicle before flipping the car several times until it came to a halt in a ditch. The other driver wasn’t injured and all drivers were wearing seat belts.
Ferrari was transported via helicopter to a hospital in Oklahoma City and is listed in fair condition. Rodriguez was taken to a hospital in Stillwater. The police report stated the multiple-time NCAA All-American in cross country was listed in fair condition with internal, arm, leg, and head injuries.
Oklahoma State said in a statement that neither of the two athletes suffered life-threatening injuries.
OSU football offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn, who was at the scene, was able to pull Ferrari to safety after the SUV caught on fire, according to ESPN. He had to get the NCAA champion in the 197-pound weight class out through a window.
Ferrari\’s father said in a Facebook post that his son had no broken bones, but he has fluid in his lungs that is affecting his oxygen levels and bad bruising with some internal bleeding so he will remain in the hospital.
Ferrari signed a NIL deal with the WWE\’s \”Next in Line\” program in December.
?I am extremely excited to announce that I OFFICIALLY have signed an agreement with @WWE ?? and I AM going to be a @WWE SUPERSTAR.? You can bet all your ?money? on ??Mr. Fast Twitch?? I am coming? for the?WWE Championship Title? and belt! ?????????????? pic.twitter.com/Ssk7UShhxx
Santos Escobar came out for a promo about wanting the NXT Title and wanting to be the next in line to challenge Bron Breakker for it. He took shots at Bron by saying he despises how fast Bron got here and all the opportunities he got. He doesn’t like how Bron won the title before him and how that makes him sick.
Bron came out and said that he was taught to handle his challenges head on. Bron said if Santos wants it then make the challenge. Santos said that things are done his time and when he’s ready, Bron will know.
Bron attacked Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde to end the segment. At the end of the show, The heels tried to attack Bron in the parking lot, but Tommaso Ciampa walked up and it looks like we’re getting a 3-on-2 handicap match next week.
MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) vs. Jacket Time (Kushida & Ikemen Jiro) in a Dusty Rhodes Classic tournament first-round match took place with the winners of this bout taking on Malik Blade and Edris Enofe, who beat Legado Del Fantasma last week.
The match opened the show and was a fun match with MSK hitting some impressive moves. MSK won with their finisher. Post-match, the four stars shook hands.
The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) vs. Andre Chase & Bodhi Hayward in a Dusty Rhodes Classic tournament first-round match took place with the winners of this bout taking on The Creed Brothers, who defeated Briggs and Jensen.
The Grizzled Young Veterans went over with their finisher. Post-match, Von Wagner attacked Hayward and Chase before putting on a suit jacket. Robert Stone said that Wagner has been reinstated and is under new management.
Toxic Attraction (Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne) vs. Kay Lee Ray, Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta went down.
These two teams have been feuding for the last few weeks as Ray has been making it clear that she wants the NXT Women’s Title, currently held by Rose.
This was a solid match that included Kay hitting a dive from the top rope to the floor. At the end of the match, Ray chased Rose to the backstage area with a bat. Persia hit her finisher for the win.
Solo Sikoa vs. Boa in a falls count anywhere match took place.
The match started after Boa hit Solo with a kendo stick several times. Chairs and trash cans were also used. They brawled to the backstage area. Solo locked the garage door to the outside, but Boa opened it and Solo spread a fire estigher in his face before going back to the ring.
Solo hit a dive off the top rope to the outside to send Boa through a table.
Cameron Grimes vs. Tony D\’Angelo in a North American Title number one contender\’s match was booked.
This match was set up last week after D\’Angelo held a memorial service for Pete Dunne following their match two weeks ago. D\’Angelo said he was now setting his sights on the North American Championship, held by Hayes.
Following a back and forth promo segment, the match was proposed by Hayes after Grimes and D\’Angelo each wanted a shot at his title. Hayes defeated Roderick Strong in a match to unify the NXT North American and Cruiserweight Titles.
The match was saved for the main event and it was a sold bout. Dune came out and hit Tony in the hand with a cricket bat and Grimes hit his finisher for the win. The match will happen at Vengence Day
WWE is bringing back the NXT Vengeance Day special once again.
The company announced during week’s NXT 2.0 that the special will take place Tuesday, February 15 on the USA Network. Also, it was revealed the special will feature the finals of the 2022 Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
During NXT 2.0, MSK defeated Jacket Time in a first-round match of the Dusty Classic Tournament to advance where they will now face Edris Enofe and Malik Blade in the semi-finals. Also on the show, Grizzled Young Veterans beat Andre Chase and Bhodi Hayward to advance to face The Creed Brothers in the next round.
WWE held the inaugural NXT Vengeance Day special on Sunday, February 14, 2021, and a lot of things have changed for the brand since that time. That show featured matches such as Finn Balor retaining the NXT Title over Pete Dunne, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez winning the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic finals, and MSK winning the Men’s Dusty Classic finals.
Also, Johnny Gargano retained the NXT North American Title over Kushida while Io Shirai retained the NXT Women’s Title over Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez in a Triple Threat Match.
Nick Khan was featured in a piece by the Sports Business Journal where he talked about his role as president and chief revenue officer in WWE.
Over the past two years, there have been mass talent releases and WWE cited budget cuts as the reason for them despite the company making more money than ever. Many have blamed Khan for the cuts and speculation has been that he is setting the company to be sold in the coming years. By cutting talent and employees, it makes the company even more profitable.
The article cited Khan stating “the company has taken some inbound calls from companies looking to buy. But he stressed that WWE is not in active conversations trying to sell the company and is not actively looking to sell.”
The article mentioned WWE’s big media deals in recent years including WWE’s $1 billion streaming deal with Peacock and the multipart documentary on the life of Vince McMahon, which is being produced by Bill Simmons.
One strategy done by the company is shifting PPV events from Sundays to Saturdays, which was first done with SummerSlam and later Day 1. Royal Rumble will also be one of those events to be held on a different night of the week from its traditional Sunday night slot.
Khan noted that this move is “a huge opportunity to grow revenue in the live events business” and ticket sales for this month’s Royal Rumble are tracking at an all-time high.
The Undertaker will be in St. Louis for next weekend’s WWE Royal Rumble premium live event.
Anything is possible, it looks like he will most likely be there to attend the show to see his wife, Michelle McCool, compete in the Women’s Royal Rumble match.
It’s also possible that Taker will film some content for the WWE Network/Peacock as WWE typically films things during big pay-per-view weekends when legends are in town.
Taker was featured in the WWE 2K22 announcement trailer ahead of its release in March. It will be interesting to see whether this is the year “The Deadman” gets inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame as WrestleMania will take place in Dallas, Texas this year, Taker’s home state.
It would make sense to announce him as the first inductee and tickets do go on sale in a few weeks. Nothing has been confirmed, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
The Undertaker had his “Final Farewell” at the Survivor Series pay-per-view event in November 2020. His last bout was the Boneyard Match against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36.
LA Knight and Roderick Strong got a look on the main roster before Friday Night Smackdown went live on FOX. The two NXT stars worked a dark match from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN with Knight going over.
Over the last two weeks, Tommaso Ciampa and Pete Dunne have faced each other in dark matches at SmackDown in addition to WWE\’s tapings for Main Event before Raw both this week and last week.
This week’s main event of NXT 2.0 featured Strong in action as he lost to WALTER, who announced after the match that his new name is Gunther.
The Diamond Mine stable is currently feuding with WALTER\’s Imperium faction, which is why the match was booked. A brawl between the two groups closed this week\’s NXT as The Creed Brothers made the save for Strong when Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner attacked him with WALTER adding in some strikes.
Earlier this month on the New Year’s Evil edition of NXT, Strong lost a title unification match against NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes as he was NXT Cruiserweight Champion going into that match. WWE decided to retire the title and Hayes is recognized as the North American Champion.
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