Author: Andrew Ravens

The first-ever WarGames match for the female WWE stars on the main roster was memorable and saw Team Belair come out victorious.

WWE held the match at the Survivor Series event with the expected match seeing Team Belair (Bianca Belair, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, Mia Yim & Becky Lynch) vs. Team Bayley (Bayley, IYO SKY, Dakota Kai, Nikki Cross & Rhea Ripley)

The match opened the show and featured Kai and Belair starting things off. SKY and Asuka were the next stars in. They were followed by Cross, Bliss and Bayley. Cross did a crossbody off the top of the cage to take out everyone. Bayley was next out and brought in a ladder and table. Yim, Ripley and Lynch finished out the entrant list. Belair hit a powerbomb to Bayley, who landed rough on her neck. SKY with a moonsault off the top of the cage to take out Belair and Yim. Ripley sent Yim crashing through a ladder. Lynch went to the top of the cage and did a leg drop to Kai and SKY through a ladder for the finish. 

Lynch suffered a separated shoulder during her match against Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at SummerSlam. On the August 1st episode of Raw, she was written off television by being attacked by Bayley, IYO Sky (Io Shirai), and Dakota Kai. 

Before being written off on Raw, Lynch did turn back from being a heel to a babyface, one of Triple H’s first big moves while in charge of creative. Lynch stated in her promo that she realized who she is, and that’s The Man. Vince McMahon came up with the idea to turn Lynch into a heel at the 2021 SummerSlam event when she returned. 

WWE’s women’s division received a major boost on Friday Night SmackDown this week when Becky Lynch made her return.

In the opening segment of the show, Lynch was introduced as the fifth and final member of Bianca Belair’s WarGames team for this year’s Survivor Series WarGames premium live event.

The show on FOX had been delayed due to a Football overrun. This came months after fans last saw Lynch on their screens as she was written off television during the Monday Night Raw after SummerSlam due to an attack from Damage CTRL after she suffered a separated shoulder in her match with Bianca Belair at SummerSlam.

The Man Comes Around

Lynch shared a behind the scenes footage of her return on SmackDown, just moments before she walked out of the curtain for the first time in months in this video on Twitter. 

Lynch will team with Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, Asuka, Alexa Bliss and ‘Michin’ Mia Yim against Bayley, Dakota Kai, IYO SKY, Nikki Cross and Rhea Ripley in the Women’s WarGames match at Survivor Series. 

It appears WWE is building to an eventual clash between Lynch and Ripley based on the segment done during SmackDown. 

Fans shouldn\’t expect to see Randy Orton return and perform inside of a WWE ring anytime soon due to a back injury. 

The former WWE Champion has been out of action since late May when he and RKBro teammate Matt Riddle dropped the Raw Tag Team Championships to The Usos, who were the SmackDown Tag Team Champions and now Unified Champions. WWE later wrote him off television in an attack angle. 

At the time, Orton reportedly had a \”significant\” injury, and was expected out for a few months and then later the rest of the year. 

Injury Update

Randy Orton has undergone a fusion in his lower back that would keep him out of action for an extended period of time. Orton\’s wife recently posted a photo of him in a hospital bed, which got fans concerned about the timeframe for his return.

Back fusion surgery is very serious business and could keep him out of action for an extended period of time. At 42 years old, he\’s already in the later stages of his in-ring career.

Orton remains under contract with WWE through 2024, although the company could \’freeze\’ the contract due to his prolonged hiatus.

• Randy Orton’s Father Provides an Update on His Recovery from Back Surgery

Mandy Rose sees herself on the main roster again while in the middle of a long and successful reign as the WWE  NXT Women\’s Champion for over a year.

There are no signs of her slowing down alongside her Toxic Attraction running mates, Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne. 

Rose has retained her title over the likes of Alba Fyre, Meiko Satomura, Zoey Stark, Dakota Kai, Raquel Gonzalez, and more. 

While speaking to Chris Van Vliet on Insight, Rose was asked what\’s next for her in her career. She noted that she’s beaten everyone in NXT and while she doesn’t mind being champion for a longer time, she’s ready to have another shot on the main roster. 

One More Shot

\”I\’m at a point now where, who else can I beat in NXT? I totally don\’t mind remaining the champ for a long time, but I think it\’s time. I want Gigi and Jacy to be able to experience the main roster. Being up on Raw or SmackDown, I want to get back up there because I\’m a whole different person I feel. Whether it\’s from the outside looking in it looks like that, I just feel so much more respected now, and that has a lot to do with it. Not that I was scared to like say anything, but I feel I\’ve earned the respect over the last 386 days; whatever it\’s been, even before I won the title, I earned that respect. I know I belong. I think I have another good run on Raw or SmackDown and I want to prove to people, and I\’ve already proven, but I want to showcase myself with my girls, Toxic Attraction. That\’s going to be really cool. We\’ve shown so much over the last year, we run NXT, and it\’s time.”

Rose made her most recent title defense by beating Alba Fyre in a Last Woman Standing match on the November 15 episode of NXT.

H/T to Fightful for the transcription

The betting odds for most of the matches that will take place at the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view event have been released.

The card for the show that takes place this Saturday is still being finalized. So far, five matches have been announced for the show. 

There are no titles favored to change hands. The Bloodline is expected to win the men’s WarGames match, and Team Bayley is expected to win the women’s WarGames match. the fifth and final member of Team Belair will be revealed on Friday\’s episode of SmackDown.  

WWE Survivor Series Betting Odds

The favorites to win are listed as –, while the underdogs are listed with +. The odds call for all three titles to change. Here are the betting odds, courtesy of Bet Online: 

• Men’s WarGames Match: The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, Sami Zayn, & Solo Sikoa) -160 vs. Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Butch, and Ridge Holland & Kevin Owens +120
• Women’s WarGames Match: Bianca Belair, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, Mia Yim & TBA +225 vs. Bayley, IYO SKY, Dakota Kai, Nikki Cross & Rhea Ripley -350
• WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey -4000 vs. Shotzi +850
• AJ Styles -400 vs. Finn Balor +250
• WWE United States Champion Seth Rollins -150 vs. Bobby Lashley +150 vs. Austin Theory +150

Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows are headed back to NJPW next month. 

The OC announced in a video posted to Anderson\’s Instagram account on Tuesday they will be in Japan for the World Tag League/Super Junior Tag League finals on Wednesday, December 14. It was also stated in the video that Anderson would be defending his NEVER Openweight Championship at the show. 

Going Back to Japan

This comes after Anderson was scheduled to defend the NEVER Openweight title against Hikuleo at NJPW\’s Battle Autumn event in Osaka on November 5, but was double booked as it took place on the same day as WWE\’s Crown Jewel pay-per-view.

Anderson decided to do the six-man tag match at the WWE event in Saudi Arabia instead of defending the title. 

As a result, NJPW came up with a storyline where NJPW threatened to strip Anderson of the NEVER Openweight title if he doesn\’t show up to Battle Autumn. However, Hikuleo said he wanted to beat Anderson for the title instead.

Anderson has held the title since winning the title from Tama Tonga at NJPW Dominion this June. Despite being the champion, Gallows and Anderson returned to WWE in October as they weren’t under contract. They’ve reunited with AJ Styles and helping him even the odds against The Judgment Day.

Baron Corbin gave his take on Braun Strowman\’s social media comments about \”flippy flopper\” wrestlers following WWE Crown Jewel, where he had a match with Omos. 

Storwman’s comments drew criticism from fans and some wrestlers on social media. WWE later referenced it last week on SmackDown during a backstage segment with Ricochet.

While speaking on Corey Graves\’ \”After The Bell\” podcast, Corbin said that if someone is not willing to stand for what they say then they are just looking for attention. He also stated that calling yourself the best big man when no one else is saying that then it\’s not valid.

Corbin on Strowman

\”I think, yeah, do you but whatever it is, stand behind it. If you cower and back down after, then you didn’t really mean it, you were doing it for clout, doing it for show, doing it for social media. I don’t do anything for social media and I also don’t go out and label myself whatever it is.\”

\”If you’re gonna go out and tweet, ‘I’m the greatest big man this business has ever seen,’ if you’re saying it and you’re the one that’s having to put the title, nobody else is saying it about you, then you’re full of crap and so if you’re gonna go out there and you’re gonna bash little guys, look, I have some respect for guys like Rey Mysterio who have done unbelievable things at his size and his stature and he is iconic and there will be a lot of people that will come along in the future that will get compared to him and wanna be him but there will never be another Rey Mysterio. There is a place for those guys like we talked about. It may not be the main event but there is a place for them so if you’re gonna go out on social media and say those things and the minute people start firing back at you, you back down or you cower away or you try to say it was a joke, that’s when I get irritated. Stand behind what you say, be a man and back it up and also, for me, I’m going out there, for ten years now, I’ve irritated people and not cared how they felt.”

Corbin stated that it’s not his job is to make anyone that watches the product happy, but that is Braun’s job right now as a babyface. He stated that Strowman should take pride in being a big man and putting on a show like that, but he’s out once Strowman starts making up his own star rating. 

Corbin lost a match to Drew McIntyre on Monday Night Raw this week because of outside interference by Akira Tozawa.

H/T to Post Wrestling for the transcription

Although Montez Ford has been out of action since late September, the former WWE Raw Tag Team Champion recently provided a positive update on his recovery and noted that he should be back soon.

Ford has been on the sidelines for two months due to the injury. During his latest appearance on WWE Raw in October, Ford was seen wearing a walking boot, which was the first indication that he was dealing with an injury. 

While making an appearance on the TODAY Show with his wife, Bianca Belair, it was noted by the interviewer that Ford had recently recovered from a calf injury and asked how he was feeling.

Road to Return

“100% now. Should be back pretty soon. Just picking spots and making sure when I arrive, the mission is still at hand, which is with my right-hand man, Angelo Dawkins. That’s winning the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship,\” Ford said.

Ford’s last match happened at the WWE Saturday Night\’s Main Event show on September 24, while his last TV match happened on the September 19 episode of WWE Raw, where he and Dawkins lost to the Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland and Butch).

The married couple also discussed the upcoming reality show that will air on Hulu and is currently filming. 

H/T to Fightful for the transcription

Mia Yim has a new name just a few short weeks after making her return to WWE during an episode of Monday Night Raw where she was paired with The O.C. (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) to even the numbers against The Judgment Day and to offset Rhea Ripley. 

Since then, Yim has been referred to by the announcers and even referred to herself as ‘Michin.’

The nickname is now her ring name as she is officially being branded as ‘Michin’ on WWE’s official website. Here\’s an excerpt from her bio: 

The Name

“Michin is living proof that hard work and dogged determination pay off. Long considered one of the most talented women in the independent ranks, Michin first turned heads in WWE during the inaugural Mae Young Classic in 2017. Her true breakout moment, however, came in the following year’s Classic, when Michin’s gutsy performance in the Quarterfinals earned chants of support from the WWE Universe. Their pleas did not go unanswered, as WWE COO Triple H immediately offered Michin an NXT contract after the match.”

Yim is slated to be part of the women’s WarGames match this Saturday at Survivor Series when she teams with Asuka, Alexa Bliss, Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, and a mystery partner to face Bayley, Nikki Cross, Rhea Ripley, and WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Dakota Kai and IYO SKY.

Akira Tozawa has brought back his old gear. 

During the Main Event taping before Monday’s episode of WWE Raw, Akira Tozawa was in action against Grayson Waller. As seen below, Tozawa was back to his old gear of shorts, ditching the ninja gear that he\’s used since 2020, starting at the Backlash event. 

Tozawa was previously in action against Baron Corbin on the November 14 episode of WWE Raw. After the match, which he lost, he posted a photo of his ninja gear with the caption, \”thank you.\”

This got people talking, as it was a cryptic post. Now, fans know what he was referring to. In addition to his previous look in regards to ring attire, there was a big hair color change as well to mark the new era for him.

The Look

Tozawa is a former 15-time WWE 24/7 Champion and former WWE Cruiserweight Champion. Also at the taping, Alba Fyre made her main roster debut taking on Tamina.

Waller and Fyre are the latest NXT stars to get a look on the main roster in front of a bigger stage. 

Becky Lynch hasn’t been seen on WWE television in months, but that looks to be changing in just days. 

According to a report by Fightful Select, Lynch is slated to make her WWE return soon as she was discussed and planned as the fifth partner in the Women\’s WarGames match. 

Lynch will team with Bianca Belair, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, and Mia Yim against Bayley, IYO SKY, Dakota Kai, Nikki Cross & Rhea Ripley in the Women’s WarGames match this Saturday night in Boston. 

The Man Comes Around

The former WWE Women’s Champion has been on the sidelines since suffering a separated shoulder at Summerslam in July in a match with Bianca Belair. She was turned into a babyface the night after on Raw before being attacked by SKY, Bayley, and Kai to write her off television while she healed up. 

The report noted that WWE was happy that Lynch didn’t have to undergo surgery due to the injury and could heal independently. She couldn’t resume any training in the ring until October at the least.

Per the report, several members of the new WWE regime are excited to work with Lynch without Vince McMahon being in charge of creative. 

It looks like WWE will be bringing WrestleMania to Nashville, but on one condition. 

WWE has already confirmed that WrestleMania 39 in 2023 will take place in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium, while WrestleMania 40 will take place in Philadelphia, PA, at Lincoln Financial Field.

According to a report by Mike Organ at The Tennessean, WrestleMania happening for the first time in Nashville in the year 2027 is a possibility as long as a proposed closed stadium is built within five years.

Where Things Stand

Butch Spyridon, CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp., spoke with WWE about Nashville hosting an event in the city and talks ramped up when Mayor John Cooper and the Tennessee Titans created a draft for the proposed stadium.

Spyridon said, \”WWE had an incredible experience at Nissan Stadium this past summer, and we started talking. WrestleMania is considered the No. 6 top sports event brand in the world, and we are grateful for their confidence and belief in Nashville.\”

Spyridon said that WrestleMania is the number 1 most followed sports brand on social media platforms and described WrestleMania as \”CMA Fest on steroids: equivalent to two-to-three CMA Fests in one week in terms of impact.\”

It should be noted that the Metro Council in Nashville needs to vote to fund the proposed $2.1 billion stadium. In the article, WWE confirmed that they would take WrestleMania to Nashville if the stadium gets built.

The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Jon Moxley, aka Dean Ambrose) made their main roster debut at WWE Survivor Series 2012 and became one of the most successful factions in WWE history. 

All group members went on to become top stars and world champions. They broke up in 2014 although The Shield reunited on multiple occasionsAmbrose left WWE in 2019 after the trio had one final run together. 

While speaking with Graham \”GSM\” Matthews of Bleacher Report, Rollins reflected on the group\’s run together and acknowledged the criticism of the trio\’s split.

Rollins’ Take on The Shield

\”You can look back at the breakup and say I wish we would\’ve done that and be more prepared, but being forced to swim in the deep water as individuals was what helped us. We had to learn and grow and just figure it out. That learning process was important in its own way.”

WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle temporarily joined the group at WWE TLC 2017. Rollins noted that he wishes the multiple reunions of The Shield had been handled better but knows there wasn’t much they could do about it, including Angle\’s brief association with the group that he wasn’t a fan of. 

\”I guess one regret would\’ve been managing some of the reunions a little bit better and some of that was out of our control and there was nothing we could do,\” he said. \”It\’s not ideal to have Kurt Angle in a Shield costume, but desperate times call for desperate measures, so we made the best of it and there\’s something to be said for putting people in that role and being able to have the equity to do that,\” Rollins said.

Rollins has previously said that he thinks the next time fans see The Shield together will be at their WWE Hall of Fame induction.