Although it was originally believed that AEW reached out to The Young Bucks about negotiating a new contract, the two sides have yet to officially begin the process of doing so.
Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed the situation on Wednesday\’s Wrestling Observer Radio.
According to Meltzer, the deals for both Nick & Matt Jackson are up at the end of 2023. AEW President Tony Khan is looking to \”lock them in\” to a new deal for multiple years.
Where Things Stand
\”AEW contacted them and wants to start the negotiations, but there have been no negotiations as of today, and they are certainly not close to a deal,\” Meltzer said on the show.
Alvarez noted that it\’d been acknowledged by both sides that they should be negotiating, but that acknowledgment is all that has been done right now.
Meltzer stated it\’s similar to when AEW re-signed Chris Jericho to a new deal despite him still having time on his existing deal.
On next week’s episode of Dynamite, The Young Bucks will team with Kenny Omega in the seventh and final match in their series with Death Triangle for the AEW Trios Titles.
William Regal has returned to WWE in an official capacity.
His previous title with the company had been WWE Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting. He was released from WWE on January 5, 2022, due to budget cuts, along with several others who were part of Triple H’s team in NXT.
According to a report from PWInsider, Regal is back with WWE as of this morning and is set to be a vice president, although his actual job title has not yet been revealed.
How We Got Here
Regal joined AEW at the Revolution pay-per-view on March 6, 2022, before he officially announced his departure on December 30, 2022.
AEW President Tony Khan previously revealed the details behind Regal\’s AEW release during an ROH Final Battle press conference on December 12, 2022. According to Khan, Regal wanted to return to WWE to be with his friends and work with his son, who wrestles in NXT as Charlie Dempsey.
Regal had the following to say about his time in AEW.
“Yesterday was my last official day with @AEW. I’d like to thank @TonyKhan, Megha and all the hard working crew. Contrary to people who’ve never spoken to me or have their information from people who don’t know me or are trying to make themselves noticed, I had a lovely time working there and had a great time. Lots of talented Wrestlers, and lovely people to work for. To my fellow BCC members, it was a special, albeit brief few months but it cemented our already strong friendship. To everyone there, thank you for welcoming me. Best wishes.”
Regal and Triple H have been friends for years. In his previous stint, Regal was Triple H’s, right-hand man.
The January 3, 2023 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
Carmelo Hayes (with Trick Williams) def. Apollo Crews
Axiom def. Trick Williams (with Carmelo Hayes)
Dijak def. Channing Lorenzo (with Tony D’Angelo)
Alba Fyre def. Isla Dawn in an Extreme Resolutions Match
Oro Mensah def. Javier Bernal
Drew Gulak (with Hank Walker) def. Andre Chase (with Thea Hail and Duke Hudson)
Kofi Kingston def. Joe Gacy
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Extreme Resolution Match
Alba Fyre vs. Isla Dawn in an Extreme Resolution Match took place.
Following Deadline, where Dawn defeated Fyre, they have continued their conflict. Prior to a match against Sol Rouca two weeks ago, Dawn attacked Fyre twice, once backstage and once as she entered the ring. They traded words last week.
They brawled backstage. Fyre tried to drop several ladders onto her. Fyre put her into a chair and hit her with a trash can lid. Fyre dumped a bunch of chairs onto her.
They made it back into the ring. They used various weapons. Dawn smashed her hand with the steel steps. Fyre hit a front senton off the top rope to the outside, but the table didn’t break. Fyre sent her through the table for the win.
Grayson Waller and NXT Champion Bron Breakker had a contract signing for their title match New Year’s Evil next week.
Bron Breakker saw a video of Grayson Waller explaining on last week\’s show that he wasn\’t at NXT since he was back in Australia. After the video ended, Breakker smashed the TV because he was still upset about being knocked out two weeks earlier while attempting to spear Waller.
Ths was the main event segment. Waller talked some trash. Bron was trying no sell Waller’s shots at him and be extra nice. This was getting underneath the skin of Waller. Bron said Waller can talk all he wants because come next week, he will get his. Waller said that Bron is overrated and stole his dad’s gimmick. Bron punched Waller then laid him out with his finisher then hit an outside dive.
After losing to Bron Breakker at Deadline last month, Apollo Crews made a comeback two weeks ago on an episode of NXT. Hayes cut off his promo, and the two exchanged words. Williams competed against Axiom after Axiom disqualified him for losing to Hayes.
The match opened the show with Hayes going over with his finisher. It was a really good match. Post-match, Axiom took out Williams.
Andre Chase vs. Drew Gulak in a singles match was booked.
During last week\’s episode, Dempsey interrupted a training session led by Drew Gulak in pursuit of a match for this week. Walker accepted the match by stating that it would be an exhibition match. Walker had joined Gulak for the training session.
Drew with a dragon sleeper and body scissors for the win.
Mercedes Varnado, formerly known as Sasha Banks, has given her thanks hours before she is reportedly expected to appear at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17
The former WWE star sent out multiple thank you messages on social media to WWE, Vince McMahon, Triple H, William Regal, the WWE Universe, The Krew (her fans), and her former persona.
Banks hasn\’t appeared on WWE television since last May when she and Naomi, who were the reigning WWE Women\’s Tag Team Champions at the time, walked out on the company due to a creative dispute with Vince McMahon.
Banks negotiated her WWE release months ago before becoming a free agent on January 1.
AEW talent told Fightful Select they\’ve been \”no sold\” when asking about Sasha Banks being Saraya\’s partner on January 11, but they\’re still of the belief it\’s her.
“The fact that it wasn\’t shot down either on screen or internally, promoting it a month out, it being a week after her Wrestle Kingdom appearance, and the cast of characters involved in the tag match were all points brought up to us by talent in the company when assuming it was her.”
One talent said they didn\’t believe a deal was done or \”could have been completed\” as of last week because she had to wait out her WWE non-compete clause.
Bianca Belair had to get stitches following her match on Monday’s WWE Raw.
On the January 2 edition of the weekly show, Belair defeated Alexa Bliss via disqualification to retain the Raw Women’s Championship after Bliss snapped and attacked Belair after more mind games by Bray Wyatt.
After the match, Bliss continued to attack Belair by throwing her into the steel steps and then hitting a pair of DDTs on the steps. Belair came out bleeding from the match after the attack.
Stitches
Belair took to Twitter to post photos showing several stitches to her face after the attack with Bliss. The E.S.T. of WWE wrote the following caption:
“I am not okay…But @AlexaBliss_WWE won’t be either…Payback is a…3 Stitch Belair.”
WWE had Bliss explain later in the broadcast why she attacked Belair, which was her taking control back and wanting the Raw Women’s Title back as she felt it was hers, not Bianca’s.
This is leading to a rematch between Bliss and Belair, but the question remains when it will occur. While it\’s possible they run it back on an upcoming episode of Raw, perhaps even the 30 Anniversary show, WWE may save it for the Royal Rumble.
Hours before her former WWE tag team partner prepares to make an expected return to the wrestling stage on Wednesday in Japan, Naomi’s wrestling future has some clarity after several months of uncertainty as she is slated to make a return to WWE.
Bryan Alvarez reported on Tuesday\’s Wrestling Observer Live that his impression is that Naomi would be returning to the company, meaning she will not be joining NJPW along with Sasha Banks.
Naomi is Staying
“My belief is she will be returning to WWE because she will almost certainly be returning to WWE,\” he said on the broadcast, although he did not give any return date or timeline.
Banks is expected to appear at tonight\’s NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, marking her promotional debut. As previously reported, Naomi is reportedly in the country, as is Bayley, in a show of support for their good friends.
Banks and Naomi, then WWE Women\’s Tag Team Champions, walked out before an episode of WWE Raw in May 2022 due to issues with their creative direction. They were later stripped of the titles and suspended.
Throughout 2022, fans speculated about them potentially returning to WWE, especially after Vince McMahon resigned and Triple H took over as head of creative as part of the new regime this summer.
Last month it was first reported that Banks was headed to NJPW with her expected to make an appearance at this event. She is currently a free agent after she negotiated her WWE release several months ago.
After the Triple H regime took over in the middle of 2022, the broadcast teams for Raw, NXT, and SmackDown were switched up.
Wade Barrett was moved from NXT to SmackDown as Pat McAfee focused on his duties with ESPN’s College Gameday. WWE brought in Booker T for the NXT role and has been calling the action alongside Vic Joseph. The belief was that after McAfee would return after the college football season wrapped up, Barrett would return to NXT.
While speaking on the newest episode of Booker’s ‘Hall of Fame’ podcast, the WWE Hall Of Famer shared that his NXT commentary stint was supposed to wrap up in December, but he’s now full-time on the brand and joked about taking Wade Barrett’s spot.
Booker T is Staying
“I gotta get back to work. NXT duties start tomorrow. My thing is, that job was only supposed to be until the end of December. But like I say, what’s that kid’s name that used to work there?… Yeah, Wade Barrett. He’s gone and forgotten as you can see. That’s my job now. That’s my job, full-time… I’m full-time now. I’m full-time on NXT, all right? I’m gonna be up in your ear, all up in your ear, every Tuesday (Booker laughed)… Wade Barrett, I don’t know if they’re gonna keep him on, find a spot for him over on Raw or SmackDown or something but his ass ain’t coming back to NXT.
This week’s episode of NXT is the first live show for the brand in several weeks and will be the go-home episode before the New Year’s Evil special on January 10th.
Alexa Bliss is just one of many WWE stars who have to deal with negativity on social media. While there is negativity on social media platforms, there is also positivity, and they receive praise from fans.
Bliss is looking to stay off social media to improve herself heading into the new year.
Despite her success and fame, some fans don’t like her. In a post on Twitter, Bliss stated that she is focusing on improving her physical and mental health by going off Twitter. This appears to be a new year’s resolution. She wrote the following:
The Change
“This year I’m focusing on my mental & physical health & I think majority of that is gonna boil down to staying off twitter lol.”
The WWE star has found a lot of success in WWE across all three brands Raw, NXT, and SmackDown. Throughout her time in WWE, she has won a total of 8 championships.
Bliss was in action on Monday’s episode of Raw when she challenged Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair. The match saw Bliss snap at a WWE official and give Belair a beatdown. It appears that WWE will build to a rematch at the upcoming Royal Rumble event, but that has yet to be confirmed.
There has been speculation about Jeff Hardy’s future in AEW following his DUI arrest last year, and now his brother, Matt, has cast doubt on whether he will return to wrestling.
Matt also revealed that Hardys were set to become AEW Tag Team Champions if Jeff had not been suspended by AEW and entered rehab after his legal issues.
Jeff Gone for Good?
“It’s just very unfortunate, the things that happened with Jeff. Hopefully it’s something that he is going to make into a positive and he’s going to turn everything around in his life, and he can come back and be better. We’ll see, I don’t know, I don’t know.
Maybe he comes back, maybe he doesn’t, but we were scheduled to do all kinds of things during the summer and it really sent me down a big path of detour following that, but it is what it is. It’s pro wrestling where you have to adapt and change on the fly, and I’ve made the most of it and tried to do what I can.”
The former WWE Champion was arrested on June 13. Hardy has been charged with Driving While License Canceled/Suspended/Revoked, Violation of Restrictions Placed on Drivers License, and DUI Alcohol/Drugs Third Offense within 10 Years. Hardy has entered a “not guilty” plea to the charge.
WWE is considering various ideas for the WrestleMania 39 card as the company is just a few months away from the event and needs to lock in its main event plans by mid-January.
It was reported last week that WWE planned to do John Cena vs. Logan Paul at this event. This is after a report suggested Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, and Drew McIntyre have been discussed as possible competitors in a singles match for the WWE Title.
If WWE went forward with that idea, then Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns would need to drop the WWE Title.
Fightful Select reports that before Vince McMahon retired this past summer, it was presumed that Rhodes would end up competing for the WWE Title at WrestleMania. Creative sources told the media outlet that this hadn’t been told outright, but simply assumed. It was noted that Mania plans that Vince came up with were scrapped.
Original Idea
Regarding Cena vs. Paul, this report stated that WWE wants to have Paul and The Rock work WrestleMania with the hope of The Rock wrestling Reigns. Fightful noted that it’s still unclear whether they will work the show.
While internal talk has had Cena vs. Paul or Cena vs. current WWE United States Champion Austin Theory at WrestleMania, other top stars have been pushing to face Cena from as far back as July.
“There were pitches within WWE to do Cena vs. Rhodes at WrestleMania, but there’s no word yet on if this is still being discussed under the new regime led by WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H.”
Before Ronda Rousey dropped the SmackDown Women’s Title to Charlotte Flair on SmackDown last week, it was reported that Rousey vs. Rhea Ripley was planned for WrestleMania 39.
Fightful notes that although additional sources have not confirmed Rousey vs. Ripley, they can confirm that Rousey vs. Becky Lynch is not the plan for WrestleMania 39.
Karen Jarrett has made several interesting tweets after Max Caster’s recent rap on AEW Dynamite leading up to The Acclaimed’s AEW Tag Team Title defense against Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal.
Karen is unhappy about the narrative that Jeff Jarrett stole her away from Kurt Angle a decade ago. She took to Twitter to note that wasn’t the case, as her marriage to Kurt was already over.
Jaren brought up how she sent out her tweets after receiving some “offline” threats, but it’s unclear what the threats were. Kurt did delete a tweet about Caster’s rap.
Karen’s Tweets
Karen wrote the following via several tweets:
“We can start here… my marriage to Kurt was over LONG before Jeff and I started seeing each other. We were legally separated at the time Kurt signed with TNA living in different homes. We got back together and I tried to get over the affairs among other things that went on in our marriage. But obviously wasn’t able. Funny and sad how all of that has been swept under the rug over all these years. Jeff didn’t steal me from anyone. #dawnmarie #kellikelli #deannesiden to name a few. Maybe Kurt will think twice before making threats, insulting/disrespecting my husband. I am done living in fear. I have 24 years of dirt I am ready to start unloading. I am done! #movingon.”
Former WWE star Kelly Kelly later shared a statement in response to what Karen said about her ex-husband.
Karen\’s tweet included a hashtag that implied that Kurt and Kelly had an affair while he was married. Kelly tweeted the following:
I keep linked in this tweet I have dmed @karenjarrett to privately ask her and I’m waiting for her response, but I want to go ahead and publicly make a statement that only way I can be linked to Kurt is we were co workers sorry but thanks for the Monday morning entertainment lol https://t.co/bsCSZcpkkX
It should be noted that Kelly made her WWE debut on the June 13, 2006 episode of ECW when she was 19 years old. Kelly and Kurt were in WWE at the same time for just a couple of months before Kurt departed.
WWE is getting ready to finally move into its new corporate headquarters located at 707 Washington Blvd in Stamford, CT.
A company spokesperson tells CTinsider the move is planned to commence towards the end of the first quarter of 2023. The remainder of the office and production space in the new location will cover about 400,000 square feet and is scheduled to open in mid-2023.
The spokesperson noted that it wants to move all of its employees in Stamford into the new headquarters in 2023, with more than 800 people working there once the company’s space has opened.
WWE HQ
WWE doesn’t plan to keep employees at its current headquarters or production center. The current headquarters is not for sale, although WWE would “entertain discussions with interested parties.”
The new headquarters stood entirely empty for a couple of years after banking giant UBS in 2016 moved its local offices across the street.
This move comes at a time when WWE continues to grow, as the third quarter of 2022 saw WWE’s revenues jump 19 percent year over year to about $305 million. However, they had a decline in quarterly profits due to nearly $18 million in costs related to its investigation of alleged misconduct by Vince McMahon, who announced his retirement in July.
The competitors for the first-ever Pitch Black match scheduled for the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble have been revealed.
On Friday’s episode of SmackDown, Bray Wyatt opened the show to apologize to the cameraman he attacked last week before he was quickly interrupted by LA Knight, who called Wyatt a fraud. Knight challenged him to a match at the upcoming premium live event.
The Set Up
Wyatt accepted the bout before saying it was time to remind the world how cruel he could be. Before they could brawl, Uncle Howdy appeared, standing alongside Wyatt before hitting him with Sister Abigail. Knight quickly exited the ring.
WWE confirmed later in the broadcast that Wyatt vs. Knight would be a \”Pitch Black Match,\” though no details were given on what the match is, although they plugged the bout being sponsored by Mountain Dew with a graphic.
This match will mark Wyatt\’s first television match in WWE since his bout against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 37.
WWE presents the Royal Rumble premium live event on Saturday, January 28, 2023 from San Antonio, Texas at the Alamodome that will air on Peacock. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks.
John Cena made his in-ring return to WWE television on the December 30 edition of SmackDown by teaming with Kevin Owens to take on Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn in a tag team match.
WWE set up the match on the December 16 edition of SmackDown as Owens needed to find a tag team partner for the bout, and Cena appeared on the big screen in a pre-taped promo where he confirmed he would team with “KO.” This match extended his streak of wrestling every year since his main roster debut in 2002.
The match served as the main event, although there was a commercial during it that kept the match short. There was a near fall, with Owens hitting a frog splash to Reigns. Cena mostly stayed on the apron before getting the hot tag. Owens pinned Zayn with the stunner.
After SmackDown went off the air, Cena was attacked by The Bloodline. This led to The Brawling Brutes and Drew McIntyre making the save. Cena cut a promo to thank the fans for their support over the past 20 years. When he found out that the last show of the year would be in Tampa and it is his only match of 2022 to extend the streak, he had to do it.
Charlotte Flair is back on WWE Friday Night SmackDown.
After Ronda Rousey defeated Raquel Rodriguez to retain the SmackDown Women\’s Championship, Flair walked out with new music and a new look.
Charlotte challenged Rousey for the title and despite the objections from Shayna Baszler, Rousey accepted. Rousey took a boot to the face before kicking out of the pin attempt. Flair hit the spear and she pinned Rousey to win the title.
Charlotte took time off from WWE after WrestleMania Backlash, where she dropped the SmackDown Women’s Title to Rousey in an I Quit Match. WWE noted that Flair had a fractured radius as a way to write her off television.
She took the time off to get married to Andrade El Idolo this past May when several wrestlers were in attendance, including Apollo Crews, Finn Balor, Rey Mysterio, and Lina Fanene (Nia Jax).
While off WWE television, Flair did appear in August on “Steve Austin: The Broken Skull Sessions” where she looked back on her WWE career.
The card for WWE WrestleMania 39 continues to come together as Ronda Rousey’s opponent at the upcoming event has been revealed, and it’s not Becky Lynch.
WrestlingNews.co reports plans for the match between Lynch and Rousey have been scrapped. Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio today that he was told the match is “not likely,” while another source told him that plans for it are “dead.”
Rousey’s Opponent
WrestlingNews.co’s report noted that Rousey is scheduled to defend the SmackDown Women\’s Championship against Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 39. It’s unclear who Lynch will be facing at the show.
According to WrestlingNews.co, the other planned matches for WrestleMania 39 include Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes or Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship, WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defending against The Rock or Cody Rhodes, Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, and Logan Paul vs. John Cena.
Rousey and Lynch headlined WrestleMania 35 in 2019 alongside Charlotte Flair, marking the first-ever female WrestleMania main event, before Rousey went on hiatus until she returned to the company earlier this year.
WWE had reportedly been planning to do the match at WrestleMania 39 since shortly after WrestleMania 38.
It looks like Logan Paul will be getting his wish of wrestling John Cena at WWE WrestleMania 39.
Paul earned plenty of praise following his match against Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Crown Jewel a few months ago. John Cena took notice as he shared a photo of Paul on his Instagram account with no caption. Later, Paul responded with the eyes emoji on Twitter of a tweet saying Cena was looking for a WrestleMania opponent.
Paul previously stated on his ImPAULsive podcast that he wanted a match with Cena and pitched the idea to Triple H.
“After Crown Jewel, John Cena posted me on his Instagram and then I saw an article saying he’s looking for an opponent at WrestleMania. I favorited it, responded with the eyes. Truthfully, I think me vs. John Cena would break the internet. I texted Triple H right away, ‘Do you want to break the internet again?’ That’s a dream match. WrestleMania, in LA, on my birthday. Triple H, throw me a bone, give me a birthday present, let me take out John Cena. That’d be crazy.”
WrestlingNews.co reports that Paul vs. Cena is planned for WrestleMania 39.
Other Planned WrestleMania 39 Matches
WWE Championship Match: Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes or Drew McIntyre
WWE Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns vs. The Rock or Cody Rhodes
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos vs. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens
Barring any injuries, the matches listed above are very likely to happen as planned at the show that takes place in April.
Mike Tenay informed fans today that Don West passed away after battling lymphoma. He was 59 years old.
West worked for TNA/Impact Wrestling from 2002 to 2012 as the color commentator alongside Tenay. He was also a great salesman and known for his hot deals on the TNA website. He returned to the company in 2017 for the Slammiversary XV pay-per-view event.
West also worked for the Shop at Home Network and had a radio show in Nashville, Tennessee. Tenay tweeted the following:
The Announcement
“Just heard from wife Terri that our brother @DonWestDeals will be spending New Years in heaven. Terri said D-Dub finally had to tap out from his match with lymphoma. We bonded as soon as we met, both as broadcast partners and friends. Years of great moments both on and off camera.”
West first revealed in June 2021 that he had been diagnosed with brain lymphoma. West announced that after eight weeks of chemotherapy and 13 treatments of radiation, his cancer was in remission in September. Unfortunately, in December 2021, it was revealed that he was battling cancer for a second time.
A GoFundMe was previously set up to help West and his family with the medical bills. The wrestling world has already started to react to the news, as seen below:
The NWA is saddened to hear of the passing of legendary wrestling broadcaster Don West. Our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family and the wrestling community. pic.twitter.com/MZsrxCD3yr
RIP Don West. Truly devastating news. A great friend and someone who had one of the most infectious personalities I’ve ever known. A true joy to be around all of the time. I cherish the laughs, conversations and fun times we had together. Godspeed my friend. ?
Sting has had another run in his legendary pro wrestling career in AEW by being paired with Darby Allin. This was after he wasn\’t medically cleared to wrestle following a 2015 match in WWE with Seth Rollins due to him having spinal stenosis.
Allin and Sting most recently teamed together to score a win over Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett at AEW Full Gear. Now that he’s in his 60s, Sting does have an idea in mind for how he wants to end his wrestling career
He shared that information with The Ringer’s Cameron Hawkins and noted that Darby is going to be involved in that match whenever it comes.
The Vision
“I’ve plotted out my endgame. I know Darby’s going to be a part of it, for sure.\”
– Sting
Sting has wrestled mostly tag matches throughout his AEW run. It doesn\’t sound like that will be changing any time soon.
\”I won’t have a singles match at this point,\” said Sting. \”Darby will be along with me and I’ll be along with him. But I have a few people [in mind] and I really don’t want to say now.\”
Sting believes that if the former TNT Champion stays in the wrestling business with AEW, he’ll eventually land a role in creative control and/or leadership. They are heading to Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan to team with The Great Muta (Keiji Muto) in January.
Sting revealed earlier this month that he underwent surgery and had his knees cleaned out. It’s unclear when his next AEW match will take place.
Sting\’s AEW run and the things he\’s been able to do at this stage of his career are nothing short of incredible. He\’s done it all in this business and is very lucky to write his final chapter on his terms – whatever he has planned.
Head over to The Ringer to read their full interview with Sting.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin stepped back into the ring once more with Kevin Owens as the former Universal Champion’s guest on his KO Show at WWE WrestleMania 38 earlier this year.
After Owens cut a short promo about the pathetic state of Texas, Austin came out to exchange words with Owens, leading to an actual match.
Austin, one of the biggest stars in the history of the wrestling business, had not wrestled in 19 years as he decided to retire due to neck problems following a match with The Rock at WrestleMania 19 in 2003. It was first reported in February that WWE had made a significant overture towards the Hall Of Famer for an in-ring return.
The Moment
While speaking with The New York Post, Owens noted that he still doesn’t know how the match came to be.
“I still don’t have a full grasp on how that happened,” Owens said. “All I know is I was told by several people, from Steve to Vince McMahon to Bruce Prichard, it couldn’t have been anybody other than you — meaning me — with Steve. I’m not sure who suggested it, who asked for it or how it came about. One day I’ll find out. But the point is that it’s extremely flattering to me that those three all thought I was the best choice. There’s really no higher compliment than that for me. It doesn’t get any better than that,” Owens said. “I said it the day after the match: It’s all downhill from here.”
Owens will team with John Cena to take on Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn in a tag team match on this Friday’s SmackDown. WWE is reportedly hoping to have Austin work another match at WrestleMania 39.
This past July, Ric Flair wrestled in his advertised last match by teaming with Andrade El Idolo to defeat Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett, but that wasn’t the original plan.
Fellow WWE Hall Of Famer Ricky Steamboat was originally planned to be part of the match, but didn\’t end up not doing it. Steamboat is considered one of Flair\’s greatest rivals dating back to their matches in the 80s and 90s.
While speaking to Bill Apter of Sportskeeda, Steamboat explained why he decided against being part of Flair\’s last match.
The Real Reason
\”Initially, when Conrad, who is the promoter, when we talked, I drove to Nashville and we had a sitdown. I was still training pretty good and feeling pretty good, and I said \’okay.\’ We hadn\’t signed or sealed the deal on the money part of it, but what put the nail in the coffin is, about a week after that, I found out that Flair was wearing a pacemaker. All these years and I never knew. I immediately said, \’I don\’t think I want to do this.\’ I don\’t want my legacy to be that I was in the ring if he happened to pass away or something went wrong. I didn\’t want that.”
Steamboat noted that he initially publicly stated that he turned down the match due to not having any interest in wrestling again, but it was due to him not wanting to throw Conrad Thompson or Flair under the bus.
Steamboat had his own last match when he teamed with FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) to defeat Brock Anderson, Jay Lethal and Nick Aldis on November 27, 2022 at Big Time Wrestling.
The December 27, 2022 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
Julius Creed defeated JD McDonagh
Wendy Choo defeated Cora Jade
Scrypts defeated Ikemen Jiro
Lyra Valkyria defeated Lash Legend
Scisim defeated Odyssey Jones, Edris Enofe, and Malik Blade
Fallon Henley defeated Kiana James
Wes Lee defeated Tony D’Angelo.
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Julius Creed vs. JD McDonagh
Julius Creed defeated JD McDonagh. JD missed a moonsault off the top rope and Creed hit a sliding lariat. The match opened the show and was as good as expected.
Post-match, Indus Sher confronted The Creed Brothers and set up a match at New Year’s Evil. They vowed to take them out.
There was a backstage segment with Bron Breakker where he was asked about spearing Grayson Waller last week and Waller having a steel plate on.
Bron said that he fell into his trap and he’s all recovered. He said that he plans to call him out tonight. Bron was informed that he wasn’t at the show. A video with Waller was shown and he praised Bron before noting that he’s smarter than Bron. Waller said that he went home to prepare for the match. Waller vowed to bring the NXT Title back home.
Via issues may derail WWE’s plans for Tyson Fury at the Royal Rumble next month and WrestleMania 39 in April.
The US Sun reports that WWE was planning to have Fury make a Royal Rumble appearance and work a match at WrestleMania, but that Fury’s issues entering the country are in the way. Those hopes are looking \”slim and complicated.\”
The boxing superstar cannot enter the US because of links to alleged Irish mob boss Daniel Kinahan, who co-founded MTK Global, which represented Fury. It was shut down in April when Kinahan was hit with sanctions regarding his alleged crimes.
Fury is among over 600 people with connections to Kinahan who are believed to be banned from entering the country.
Originally, Fury was set to face Jake Paul in a fight in New York City, but that had to be pushed back because Fury could not get into the country for the match, having appeared in a picture with Kinahan in February. Fury has said he has nothing to do with Kinahan.
“Because I had my picture taken with a man, it doesn’t make me a criminal. I’m just a boxer. There could be a criminal in this building.”
Fury-WWE Connection
An insider told the outlet, “Tyson is well loved at the WWE, and him popping up in any match, and a run to Wrestlemania would generate huge headlines and fan interest. However, his immigration status is proving tricky to deal with. Tyson and the legal team or getting this whole grey and tricky area resolved. But non-entry, quite simply put, means non-payment.”
The source continued, “And people may not believe this but turning up for a match or being part of the shows, not even fighting, earns him several million dollars. So this issue with his working visa in the States is costing him a large amount of cash. The WWE works with foreign athletes all the time in aiding their visa processing for appearances. The legal team are on the sidelines offering support in this matter, but ultimately getting approval is on Tyson’s head and how US immigration assesses his case.”
This source noted that Fury working matches in Saudi Arabia is always possible. Fury faced Braun Strowman at WWE Crown Jewel in 2019, which marked his pro wrestling in-ring debut and his only match to date in addition to appearing at Clash of the Castle in September.
WWE is putting in extra effort to try and avoid more travel woes for talent and crew that could impact Friday’s SmackDown on FOX episode, which is one of the biggest shows in recent SmackDown history.
As previously reported, those working Monday’s house show in Columbus, OH, dealt with significant travel-related issues that caused changes to the lineup. Talent working the SmackDown event at MSG that same night dealt with their flights being delayed.
Some people working the house show in Columbus couldn’t even appear, including Alexa Bliss, Bobby Lashley, Seth Rollins, and Becky Lynch.
The Warning
On today’s Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez noted that some WWE talents and crew members were told to leave Tuesday to make it to Tampa, FL, for Friday’s SmackDown because of travel issues.
It’s believed that there should be limited issues as many of the wrestlers are already in Florida as they live there. WWE’s post-Christmas tour runs through Thursday in Miami. Top wrestlers booked for the final SmackDown of 2022 will likely go to Tampa in advance.
The show will have a stacked lineup that includes Raquel Rodriguez vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey, Sheamus vs. Solo Sikoa, Kevin Owen & John Cena vs. Sami Zayn & Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
More details regarding the contract negotiation process of WWE deals have come out as part of the overall changes that have happened in WWE following the resignation of Vince McMahon and the influx of new management.
It was reported last year that no-cut clauses had not been a part of any of the negotiations. In an update, Fightful Select reports Vince “specifically was not in favor of adding a no cut-clause, but that others in the front office were.”
Against The Idea
Many in the front office of WWE have heard that WWE President and Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan had sounded open to the idea, but Vince had the final say and was “vehemently against the idea of a no-cut clause.”
The edict didn’t prevent top free agents from signing with the company, but some people had inquired about it. One person thought it was Vince McMahon being stuck in his ways. This person added that it put in perspective how much talent had been released said \”Vince McMahon liked me but…\” when he ultimately had the say-so over who was cut.
Most of the talent that spoke with the media outlet had positive things to say about Khan and his method of management, “specifically thinking outside of the box as compared to WWE traditions.”
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