Game Changer Wrestling has announced that New Japan Pro Wrestling star Kota Ibushi will return to the ring and debut for GCW next month. It all goes down over \’WrestleMania Goes Hollywood\’ weekend from Los Angeles as part of GCW\’s The Collective 2023.
Ibushi last competed on October 10, 2021 when he faced (and lost to) Kazuchika Okada in the G1 Climax 2021 Final. He\’s been out of action with a shoulder injury and also had a public falling-out with NJPW during that time.
Ibushi will be appearing for GCW on two shows:
Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 9 Thursday March 30, 4pm
Joey Janela’s Spring Break 7 Friday, March 31, 8pm
Both events will stream live on FITE+ from the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California. If you\’ll be in town WrestleMania weekend, visit Eventbrite to buy tickets for the GCW events.
Click here for more information on additional talent announced for GCW The Collective 2023.
*BREAKING*
KOTA IBUSHI returns to the ring and makes his GCW Debut at @collective2023 in Los Angeles!
Austin Theory will defend his United States Championship inside the Elimination Chamber at WWE\’s next premium live event. Byron Saxton announced the news late Monday afternoon.
The first Elimination Chamber qualifying matches will begin tonight on Raw. Seth Rollins faces Chad Gable and Baron Corbin battles Johnny Gargano to determine who will fill the second and third spots in match.
Aside from the men\’s Elimination Chamber match, the event is also expected to see a women\’s Chamber match, as well as Roman Reigns defending the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Based on what transpired at the Royal Rumble, Sami Zayn is almost certainly Reigns\’ next challenger.
WWE Elimination Chamber takes place Saturday, February 18 from Montreal, Quebec, Canada at the Bell Centre (formerly known as Molson Centre).
Bobby Lashley couldn\’t help but \’dunk\’ on Brock Lesnar after eliminating him from Saturday night\’s men\’s Royal Rumble match.
Lashley cut a promo on SmackDown and warned the entire WWE Universe that he plans on being the last man standing in San Antonio. As he was speaking, Lesnar emerged from the crowd and viciously attacked the Almighty with an F5. The Beast declared his entry into the Rumble, setting the stage for another clash between these two heavyweights.
Having won Rumble in 2003 and 2022, Lesnar was considered one of the favorites the moment he was announced as a participant. In the hours leading up to the Rumble, Lashley warned WWE Superstars to stay out of his way.
He wrote, \”I’m getting rid of Brock tonight, and THEN I’ll take care of the rest of you!\”
Lashley Eliminates Lesnar
Brock Lesnar entered the Royal Rumble at #12 and went on a rampage. He flung Chad Gable, Santos Escobar and Angelo Dawkins out of the ring with ease. The next entrant into the Rumble was Bobby Lashley at #13. Two combustable forces like this do not co-exist for long. It all came to ahead when Lashley stunned the Alamodome by eliminating Lesnar.
As you can see below, Lesnar did not handle it well.
On Sunday morning, Lashley took a moment to mock Lesnar on Twitter. He told the former UFC Heavyweight champion to kiss his ass. It\’s one thing to talk trash to Brock Lesnar. It\’s another thing to antagonize him when he\’s already riled up.
Natalya made a surprise return to WWE at in the 2023 Women\’s Royal Rumble match. The second-generation Superstar had not publicly declared for the match. She\’s been out of action since November after undergoing nasal surgery to move her dislocated nose \”back to the center\” of her face.
As the daughter of WWE legend Jim \”The Anvil\” Neidhart, Natalya regularly wears pink and black as an homage to the Hart Foundation, his classic tag team with Bret \”Hit Man\” Hart.
It wasn\’t a big surprise to see her rocking the \’Hart colors\’ at the Royal Rumble. On Sunday, the 2-time Women\’s Champion revealed her Rumble ring attire was extra special, with deep ties to her father\’s legendary tag team.
Natalya\’s Royal Rumble Ring Gear
In a post on Twitter, Natalia revealed that her Rumble gear was designed by the same person who (along with her sister) is responsible for the Hart Foundation wearing pink and black in the first place.
\”The costume designer who made this outfit for me, Julie, also designed the very first ever Hart Foundation gear with her sister, Terry,\” she wrote. They were the ones who came up with the concept of The Hart Foundation wearing pink and black.\”
She also wore a skull cap, a look coined by her father during the Hart Foundation\’s tag team title reign in 1990. As seen below, you can see the inspiration behind this latest look.
The costume designer who made this outfit for me, Julie, also designed the very first ever Hart Foundation gear with her sister, Terry. They were the ones who came up with the concept of The Hart Foundation wearing pink and black. ?? pic.twitter.com/fyxKs535M8
Natalya has been a member of WWE\’s main roster since April 2008. As a senior member of the women\’s locker room, she has a ton of experience to offer some of Raw and SmackDown\’s more recent additions.
Mentoring aside, Natalya is not over the hill by any means. Just last year, she challenged then-SmackDown Women\’s Champion Ronda Rousey at WWE\’s Money in the Bank premium live event. Rousey got the win, but Natalya showed she can still compete at the highest level.
Ripley now has a one-way ticket to a main event match at WrestleMania Goes Hollywood. She\’ll get to choose whether she challenges Bianca Belair for the Raw Women\’s Championship or SmackDown women\’s champion, Charlotte Flair. She\’s already held the Raw Women\’s title, a factor that could play into her decision.
WWE held a press conference after the Royal Rumble. Several Superstars including Cody Rhodes, Bray Wyatt fielded questions from members of the wrestling media. Ripley was all smiles when she spoke, telling the room that she\’s planning to celebrate in a big way.
\”The Judgment Day, we get pretty wild when we party,\” she said. \”There\’s a lot of things that go down, I might get in trouble if I say anything. There\’s definitely gonna be a good old Judgment Day party. Dom Dom\’s gonna get rowdy, Priest is definitely gonna get rowdy and Finn Balor is gonna get rowdy, and I\’m gonna celebrate, I don\’t care.\”
Update on Rhea Ripley After Winning the Royal Rumble
On Sunday, Ripley posted a photo on Twitter showing off the scrapes and cuts she sustained on the way to her big win. This is nothing compared to what happened to Sonya Deville, but you can see she didn\’t make it out unscathed.
Rey Mysterio did not appear in the men\’s Royal Rumble match, despite WWE having creative plans for him in the match.
Mysterio was scheduled to enter the Royal Rumble at #17. His music hit, but the lucha libre legend was nowhere to be found. The following entrant was his son, Dominik, who came out wearing his father\’s signature mask. He removed the mask and tore it up as he made his way to the ring to officially enter the match.
What unfolded on television was not what WWE had planned for the Mysterios at the Rumble, but the company was forced to call a last-minute audible due to Rey sustaining an injury the previous night.
Rey Mysterio Update After the Royal Rumble
Rey Mysterio was injured during his match against Karrion Kross on Friday\’s SmackDown, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. Mysterio defeated Kross on SmackDown, which was taped from the Sames Auto Arena in Laredo, Texas.
“[Rey Mysterio] was going to be in the Rumble, that spot was changed,\” said Meltzer. \”I think they were actually supposed to do some teases with him to set up a WrestleMania match [against Dominik].”
Rey Mysterio won the 2006 WWE Royal Rumble, so he would have been a formidable contender, even at this late stage in his career.
With Rey unable to compete, WWE\’s creative team instead came up with what we saw on television, and the idea that the Judgment Day attacked Rey Mysterio and prevented him from participating.
We\’ll be looking into the nature of Rey Mysterio\’s latest injury and will provide an update when we get more information. The extent of his condition may dictate whether or not he\’s healthy enough to face his son Dominik at WrestleMania Goes Hollywood.
WWE Superstar Sonya Deville suffered a nasty gash above her left eye in Saturday night\’s Women\’s \’Royal Rumble\’ match.
Deville entered the Rumble at #27, an advantageous spot that most entrants would be happy to receive. She eliminated a few people, including Indi Hartwell and Zoey Stark, before getting kicked in the head and tossed out by Asuka.
Early Sunday morning, Deville checked in on social media to let her fans know she\’s alright, and to show off the full extent of her injury.
Sonya Deville\’s Royal Rumble Injury (Graphic)
As seen below, she suffered a huge cut on her eyebrow that likely required several stitches to close up. She\’s taking the setback in stride and says, \”I\’m a beast!\”
The 2023 Women\’s Royal Rumble match was ultimately won by Rhea Ripley of Judgment Day. Ripley now who heads to WrestleMania Goes Hollywood, where she\’ll face either Raw Women\’s Champion Bianca Belair or SmackDown Women\’s Champion Charlotte Flair.
Saturday\’s WWE Royal Rumble premium live event concluded with the latest chapter of the ongoing saga of Sami Zayn and the Bloodline (Results).
After months of tension, the storyline that many have likened to Scorsese-level cinema culminated with Zayn interrupting a Bloodline beatdown on Kevin Owens, hitting Roman Reigns with a steel chair and being left for dead by Reigns, Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso. As for Jey Uso, well, he\’s a bit conflicted.
To see what happened after the Royal Rumble went off the air, watch the footage above, courtesy of the What a Vlog Youtube channel.
Former MLW star EJ Nduka made his debut for All Elite Wrestling at Saturday\’s AEW Dark tapings from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. He faced Konosuke Takeshita in a match that will soon air on the AEW Youtube channel.
Nduka had two tryouts for WWE before signing with the company in August 2019. He trained at the Performance Center but was released less than two years later.
He signed with Major League Wrestling shortly thereafter as part of that year\’s MLW Open Draft. Known as The Judge, Nduka held the MLW World tag team championships with Calvin Tankman. His MLW contract expired earlier this month and he decided to test himself on the free agency market.
Here are some photos of Nduka\’s AEW debut, courtesy of Jacob Cohen:
Nduka is friends with AEW TBS Champion, Jade Cargill. They attended Jacksonville University together and broke into the business on the very same day.
During a November 2021 interview with SEScoops correspondent Samira, “So, Jade and I, we both went to college together. Ironically, we knew of each other, but we didn’t know each other. In college, she played basketball and I played football. We actually got close when we got in the industry the same day.”
“We had our tryout at the WWE at the PC (Performance Center). She was literally right behind me in line. We started chopping it up and ever since then we’ve just been really good friends and we train whenever we get a chance. They were in Orlando for the AEW Dynamite, so we got an opportunity to train.”
Got in a killer workout with this monster – @EjTheJudge . We went to the same college, also came into this game the SAME DAY. Some people just have “IT”. We are beyond blessed. Get ready!!
Everybody loves The Acclaimed, AEW\’s reigning world tag team champions – even the guy who was in charge of the music playing at WWE\’s Royal Rumble Super Store
The Royal Rumble Super Store has been open since January 26 at the Alamodome and is presented by Credit One Bank. Fans who are in town for the Rumble can purchase merchandise, check out iconic WWE memorabilia and participate in autograph signings presented by Fiterman Sports A correspondent on the ground in San Antonio wrote in to tell us that it\’s an attraction that\’s definitely worth checking out if you attend a big WWE PPV weekend.
On Friday night, a few customers who were in attendance mentioned on social media that the Acclaimed\’s entrance theme music was playing at the store while \’members of the WWE Universe\’ were shopping.
According to Twitter user @BosniazFinest28, \”the guy who came to turn it off said he got screwed by his Spotify playlist.\”
The Acclaimed was represented at another WWE event just miles away from the Royal Rumble Super Store. On Friday\’s SmackDown, a fan of Max Caster and Anthony Bowens who had great seats proudly held a sign that reads, \”Scissor Me Daddy Ass!\”
Seth Rollins doesn\’t sound too interested in having CM Punk back in the WWE locker room.
Rollins is currently in San Antonio, Texas for the Royal Rumble. WWE has been hosting a series of media events over the past few days, including one on Saturday to promote the upcoming launch of the WWE 2K23 video game.
Nick Hausman of WrestlingInc caught up with Rollins, who was dressed up as a \”Dripping Cowboy\” to honor the local heritage. The 2019 Rumble winner scoffed at the idea of Cody Rhodes being the odds-on favorite to win this year\’s match.
Hausman asked Rollins about a few potential free agents, and whether or not he\’d like to see them [back] in WWE.
Regarding FTR, Rollins was all about it. \”Yeah, great talents, hell of a tag team,\” he said. \”[They\’re] good guys, always had a hell of a relationship with them, I\’d love to see them come back if they\’d like to come back with us.\”
As for CM Punk, not so much.
\”Aww, Philly Phil, stay away! Stay away, you cancer. Get away from me forever.\”
– Seth Rollins on CM Punk returning to WWE
Hausman was surprised by the answer, which led Rollins to double down. \”I don\’t like Phil, he\’s a jerk. Oh, did we just figure that out? Everybody in the room is like, \’Oh no, did he say that?\’ Yeah, he\’s a jerk, we figured that out over there [AEW], we knew it over here [WWE]. I don\’t want him back. Go do something else. Bye-bye! See ya later!\”
Rollins says the new WWE 2k23 game looks sick. The next-gen systems have the graphics looking unreal, the gameplay is incredible and he\’s eager to try out the new WarGames match. Most importantly, he and his wife (Becky Lynch) look great, so \”it\’s all a win.\”
WWE 2K23 is due out Tuesday, March 14. You can pre-order the game now at Amazon.
We\’re just hours away for the 2023 WWE \’Royal Rumble\’. Keep it locked to SEScoops tonight for our Royal Rumble Results & Live Discussion. Chat with other readers in the comments section while watching one of WWE\’s biggest events of the year.
Ahead of tonight\’s show, here are some last minute news and notes:
Royal Rumble Attendance
The Royal Rumble takes place from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. This is the third time the Alamodome has hosted the event, following 1997 and 2017.
On Friday\’s WWE \’SmackDown,\’ commentator Michael Cole mentioned they\’re expecting over 50,000 fans in attendance. According to Wrestletix, the venue is configured to accommodate 44,868. As of Saturday morning, 44,417 tickets had been distributed, with 451 still available and 1,411 seats on the secondary market (StubHub, etc.)
This show has generated a lot of excitement, so this will likely be a legitimate sell-out when all the walk-up sales are accounted for.
WWE has released a \”cold open\” preview for Saturday\’s Royal Rumble premium live event. This video, hosted by country music singer Hardy, will air at the start of the Royal Rumble broadcast on Peacock.
\”I know what it\’s like to want to make a name for yourself,\” says Hardy. \”To be on the road, grinding. Success don\’t come easy. You gotta fight for it.\”
Hardy, who will perform his song \”Sold Out\” live at the Rumble, narrates over footage hyping the Owens vs. Reigns and Bliss vs. Belair title matches, as well as the men\’s and women\’s Rumbles.
Comcast Corp, parent company of NBCUniversal, is among the many organizations discussed as potential buyers of World Wrestling Entertainment.
On Thursday\’s Comcast earnings call, NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell was asked about the possibility of purchasing WWE.
Shell did not specifically mention WWE in his response, but stated that the company is always in acquisition mode if the right opportunity comes along.
\”We are always looking for bolt-on acquisitions that bolster our businesses. Two examples: we bought DreamWorks [Animation]… and it has been paying off steadily since our acquisition. Just now, with Puss In Boots [The Last Wish], which is a big hit at the box office and really our entrance back into the Shrek universe, continues to make that acquisition look really favorable, And our Blumhouse investment over time, where we’re partners with Jason Blum, and we have a big hit, M3GAN, this month, which is coming out of that investment.\”
You can listen to audio of this topic here, courtesy of Brandon Thurston:
NBCU executives Mike Cavanaugh and Jeff Shell in analyst Q&A responding broadly to a question this morning in their earnings call about acquisitions. They don't mention WWE though the question did. pic.twitter.com/pRqyvKSVdb
It\’s Thursday, January 26 and we are just two days out from the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble from San Antonio, Texas. SEScoops will have live results of the Rumble on Saturday night. We\’ll also be hosting a live discussion in the comments section of our Results post – we hope to see you there. Here\’s a rundown of some odds-and-ends news items:
Bray Wyatt\’s Role on SmackDown
Bray Wyatt is having a big week. On Monday\’s Raw is XXX anniversary special, the Eater of Worlds shared a memorable encounter with The Undertaker. Each of them commented on the moment, with Wyatt stating, \”This moment justified a lifetime of sacrifices for me.\”
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE officials have Wyatt slotted as the #1 babyface on SmackDown brand. He\’ll face LA Knight in a Lights Out match (stipulation details TBA) at the Rumble.
As the top babyface on SmackDown, it\’s probably only a matter of time before he\’s in the title picture for either Roman Reigns\’ Undisputed Universal Championship, or the Intercontinental title held by Gunther.
Royal Rumble Favorites & Participants
The Royal Rumble premium live event will be headlined by two 30-person Rumble matches (men\’s and women\’s), with the winners going on to challenge a champion of their choosing at WrestleMania Goes Hollywood. The current favorites, based on leading online sports betting sites, are Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley.
As of this writing, 15 people are confirmed for the Men\’s Rumble match and only seven confirmed for the Women\’s Rumble. WWE.com has a running tally of all the participants.
Rhea Training with Dominik:
WWE has published several videos to get fans hyped for the Royal Rumble. As seen below, Rhea Ripley has been training with Dominik Mysterio.
NXT star Nikkita Lyons announced that she\’s dealing with a serious knee injury (a torn ACL and meniscus). Rival Zoey Stark has little sympathy for Lyons, who will be out of the ring for several months.
Finally, two female Superstars are sporting new looks. Naomi (Trinity Fatu) continues to branch out into modeling with a new photo shoot for L\’Officiel Baltic Sports.
Natalya has been out of action since November, when she underwent nasal surgery to move her dislocated nose \”back to the center of my face where it belongs.\” During her time away, she\’s decided to tryout a new hairstyle.
When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves. pic.twitter.com/VNgVos3uPS
WWE has announced the signing of 15 athletes to the company\’s \’Next In Line\’ program, which aims to recruit elite collegiate athletes from around the Untied States.
As the Next in Line program enters its second year, WWE has finalized the third class of prospective future Superstars. The program now encompasses 46 athletes (26 male, 20 female) from 13 sports.
This round of signees includes two-time NCAA All American wrestler Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State University), four-time NCAA National Champion thrower Turner Washington (Arizona State University) and NCAA Champion hurdler Alia Armstrong (Louisiana State University).
One of the top up and comers in WWE\’s developmental system is taking a positive outlook on an injury that will keep her out of the ring for several months.
On Wednesday, Nikkita Lyons announced specific details regarding her knee injury. Unfortunately, her she\’s torn her ACL and meniscus.
Despite the setback, she remains full of love, light and positivity. Many athletes would see this as a serious career setback, but Lyons is taking a different outlook. Instead of focusing on the injury, she sees this as a life lesson and is laser focused on making a comeback.
Lyons\’ most recent match for WWE took place on the January 20 edition of NXT Level up. In her Level Up debut, the 23-year-old from Las Vegas defeated Jakarta Jackson.
SEScoops wishes Nikkita Lyons a speedy recovery from this injury.
Impact Wrestling has announced a special \’season pass\’ of tickets for three upcoming double-header events in the Chicago area.
All six shows will take place from Cicero Stadium. The venue hosted Impact Emergence last summer, as well as several Major League Wrestling and mixed martial arts events.
For the first time ever, secure your ticket for all 6 nights! It all starts with Spring Slugfest this April and continues through July with Chicago Heat and it all leads to an unforgettable Bound For Glory. The Season Pass secures your ticket for all events!
The Season Pass Ticket Option is valid for 1 Ticket to all 6 Events. Spring Slugfest, Chicago Heat and Bound For Glory.
Here\’s the official schedule for the shows:
April 28-29: Spring Slugfest
July 28-29: Chicago Heat
October 21-22: Bound for Glory and BFG Fallout
Tickets are available at Eventbrite.com starting this Friday. The Season Pass Ticket option is valid for 1 Ticket to all 6 Events (Spring Slugfest, Chicago Heat and Bound For Glory).
Tony Khan is on board with the idea of a \’World Cup\’ of pro wrestling. He knows it wouldn\’t be easy to get WWE on board working with the likes of All Elite Wrestling New Japan Pro Wrestling, but he\’s open to working with \”anybody\” for the greater good.
\”You never know.\”
– Tony Khan
Last year\’s AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view was successful, despite injuries nixing plans for several inter-promotional dream matches. An event of this magnitude involving competing promotions can present a lot of hurdles that need to be cleared. Khan worked hard to establish a level of trust with NJPW executives. Having been down that road once before, the AEW President is optimistic this could be done on an even larger scale.
Tony Khan Open to a \’World Cup\’ of Wrestling
(AEW)
Earlier this week, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada expressed interest in organizing a wrestling World Cup. He said he\’d be willing to meet with Khan and Paul \”Triple H\” Levesque to broker a deal to make such an event a reality.
Tony Khan appeared on the Battleground podcast and was asked about the wrestling World Cup concept. During his conversation with Tim Battle, TK said he loved last year\’s Forbidden Door show and would be willing to work with \”anybody\” on an even bigger inter-promotional super-event.
\”There are challenges to putting on an event like that, and getting the matches set, but it\’s certainly something I would be open to,\” he said. \”I\’m open to working with anybody in pro wrestling. You never know.\”
Khan has already co-promoted a pay-per-view with NJPW. He\’s featured talent (and championships) from Impact and AAA on AEW television. Without saying who \”anybody\” is, it\’s clear who the big holdout would be. It\’s unlikely that WWE would sign off on working with AEW in any capacity, but 2022 and (already) 2023 have shown us that even the most outlandish scenarios may come to pass.
Mark Briscoe will make his AEW Dynamite debut one week after his brother Jay Briscoe (Jamin Pugh) was tragically killed in an automobile accident.
The wrestling world has been rallying around the Pugh family during this incredibly difficult time. There\’s been an outpouring of support from Jay\’s friends and fans and a fundraiser has been set up to ease the family\’s financial burden. Unfortunately, AEW has not been able to do much to honor Jay Briscoe due to a longstanding policy by Warner Bros. Discovery.
Up until this week, the Briscoes have been effectively blackballed from TBS & TNT due to insensitive (homophobic) comments made by Jay many years ago that he\’d since atoned for. Thankfully, it appears that policy has been changed.
Tony Khan announced on Tuesday that Mark Briscoe will be in action on Dynamite, thus ending their controversial ban. He\’ll wrestle Jay\’s longtime friend and rival, Jay Lethal.
According to TK, the match was requested by both men to honor Jay Briscoe on what would have been his 39th birthday.
Monday\’s 30th anniversary edition of WWE Raw was an eventful show. Perhaps the most buzz-worthy moment of the 3-hour marathon broadcast was the face-to-face confrontation between The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt.
The Dead Man whispered something into Wyatt\’s ear that had a profound impact on the Eater of Words. Wyatt took a moment on Tuesday morning to share his feelings about the interaction with his legion of fans on social media.
Wyatt says that one moment with The Undertaker at Raw 30 \”justified a lifetime of sacrifices\” for him. Whatever you want to say about Wyatt\’s WWE character, you have to agree: he\’s unique. This uniqueness has brought adversity, including people encouraging him to change and confirm. He\’s resisted these calls, and now feels reassured that he hasn\’t compromised himself to fit someone else\’s narrative.
This moment justified a lifetime of sacrifices for me. A lifetime of people treating my uniqueness like it was a disease. Through all the bad times I never changed myself to fit anyone’s narrative. I’m proud of that. Thank you Taker. #SuckItLAKnightpic.twitter.com/nQHYWNq7CL
The interaction with Bray Wyatt on Raw was also meaningful for The Undertaker. He echoed the sentiment that pro wrestling is all about moments. He\’s created countless moments throughout his legendary career, but his brief encounter with Wyatt on Raw was a special one he\’ll remember for a long time.
Many are looking at The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt\’s interaction as a passing of the torch, of sorts. Taker has been WWE\’s resident supernatural character since he arrived on the scene in November 1990. Many others have come and gone, but nobody has pulled it off quite like The Undertaker.
They\’ve worked together before, most notably a feud that culminated at WrestleMania 31. The Undertaker has publicly expressed his respect for Wyatt, his creativity and his persona. He\’s called Wyatt a \”phenomenal talent\” who has a lot to offer the industry.
WWE presents a new episode of NXT tonight on the USA Network live from Orlando, Florida.
We\’re less than two weeks out from NXT Vengeance Day, which takes place next weekend on Saturday, February 4. The event will stream live on Peacock at 8pm (Eastern).
Tonight\’s broadcast will see an NXT Vengeance Day Women\’s Championship Summit. What will happen when Gigi Dolin, Jacy Jayne and NXT Women\’s Champion Roxanne Perez go face-to-face (to-face) ahead of their clash on 2/4?
We\’ve also got several matches advertised, including:
Alba Fyre will battle NXT Women\’s Tag Team Champions Kayden Carter and Katana Chance in a 1-on-2 handicap match with the titles on the line.
Tiffany Stratton vs. Indi Hartwell
Elektra Lopez vs. Wendy Choo.
Fallon Henley and Kiana James be in action
Check back later tonight for our weekly NXT Results feature. Catch up on all the happenings from last week\’s show right here:
WWE attempted to present a feel-good show for Monday\’s Raw 30th anniversary special. Despite the company\’s best efforts, but many fans were left disgruntled and dejected over the way women were booked on the show.
Raw 30 (Results) saw some memorable moments, including The Undertaker\’s interaction with Bray Wyatt, Ric Flair proudly introducing his daughter Charlotte, DX interacting with Imperium and Brock Lesnar\’s show-closing return.
Despite these high points, there\’s been a lot of negative feedback over the lack of emphasis on female Superstars. The top women\’s match advertised for the show, a steel cage match between Becky Lynch and Bayley, never took place.
Due to earlier segments in the show running long, the decision was made to cut the women\’s cage match and simply run a quick \’attack\’ angle instead. We did get Bianca Belair vs. Sonya Deville, as well as a backstage promo from Alexa Bliss and a special appearance by Charlotte Flair. Rhea Ripley even got involved during the Usos vs. Judgment Day tag title match. However, there was enough backlash to get #WWEWomenDeserveBetter trending on Twitter.
WWE advertised the Bella Twins for RAW 30, but they were nowhere to be found. They posted a video on social media venting about WWE\’s poor treatment its female talent. Nikki mocked WWE for getting upset that Sasha Banks was \”too over\” and Brie added, \”there\’s a bunch of us they doin\’t want to show.\”
It\’s not a great look for WWE. They\’re quick to pat themselves on the back for empowering women, but they\’re falling short in the eyes of fans and even their female talent. Women have been part of some of the biggest moments in Raw history. Some of those moments were featured during the \’flashback\’ segments that aired throughout the broadcast.
At the end of the day, feedback from fans (and talent) matters. Even if you think you\’re doing a great job, substantial backlash like this needs to be considered.
This was all a LIE, the Women were totally overlooked last night and it was embarrassing, that photo was the only recognition they got, @WWE showed they don't give a d*mn about their Women's and history through all these years, they DESERVE better #WWEWomenDeserveBetterpic.twitter.com/2P7qlgN47A
A new Jay Briscoe t-shirt is now available, with 100% of the proceeds going to the late star\’s family. Briscoe (Jamil Pugh) passed away last week (January 17, 2023) in a tragic automobile accident. He was just 38.
The shirt is officially on sale by Ring of Honor at the Pro Wrestling Tees and ShopAEW stores. The description for the shirt reads:
\”On January 17th, the wrestling world lost one of its most beloved family members when Jamin Pugh, known professionally as Jay Briscoe, tragically lost his life in an automobile accident. A member of the Ring of Honor family from the very beginning, Jay became a multi-time ROH World Champion, a 13-time ROH World Tag Team Champion, and a first-ballot ROH Hall of Famer with his brother Mark.
Together, The Briscoe Brothers were a part of ROH\’s foundation, the heart and soul, and were essential in building that company into the most influential wrestling promotion of the last twenty years But more than that, the Pugh family lost a husband, a father, a brother, a son, and in an effort to both honor Jay\’s memory as well as support those left behind, we are offering this “Reach For The Sky” t-shirt with 100% of the proceeds going to benefit the Pugh family as they cope with this tragic loss.\”
If you\’re interested in donating to the Pugh family, a fundraiser has been arranged to help ease any financial burdens that will arise from his passing. Visit Givesendgo.com to donate.
It\’s going to be a celebration tonight as WWE recognizes the 30-year anniversary of Monday Night Raw. The very first episode of Raw took place January 11, 1993 from the Manhattan Center in New York City. 1,547 episodes later, and the longest-running-episodic-program on television is still going strong.
WWE is bringing back some of the biggest names in Raw history to mark this special occasion. Legends who will be on hand include \’The Immortal\’ Hulk Hogan, \’Nature Boy\’ Ric Flair, The Undertaker, \’Heartbreak Kid\’ Shawn Michaels, Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle, the Bella Twins and more.
We\’ve also got some exciting matches to look forward to, including multiple title matches, a steel cage match and Sami Zayn going on \’trial\’ before the Bloodline.
SEScoops will have live coverage of tonight\’s WWE Raw. Our live results post will be up at 7:45pm (EST) so you can chat in the comments section.
Raw is XXX Preview
WWE is advertising the following matches for tonight\’s Raw is XXX special:
Bayley challenges Becky Lynch for the Raw Women\’s Championship in a Steel Cage Match.
Bobby Lashley challenges Austin Theory for the United States Championship.
The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio) challenge The Usos for the Raw tag team championships.
Plus, The Bloodline will hold a Tribal Court for the Trial of Sami Zayn.
Ahead of tonight\’s Raw, check out our special feature running down 30 \’Must See\’ matches from the first 30 years of Monday Night Raw:
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