Author: Mike Reichlin

  • WWE Elimination Chamber Betting Odds For Top Matches

    The road to WrestleMania continues this Sunday when WWE presents Elimination Chamber live from St. Petersburg, Florida at the Thunderdome.

    Online betting website BetOnline has released betting odds for the top matches on the card. Below are the favorites:

    Raw Elimination Chamber Winner

    Drew McIntyre is favored to retain the WWE Championship in the Raw Men\’s Elimination Chamber match. Odds

    • Drew McIntyre: 1/2
    • Sheamus: 5/2
    • AJ Styles: 6/1
    • Randy Orton: 7/1
    • Kofi Kingston: 40/1
    • Jeff Hardy: 50/1

    Smackdown Men’s Elimination Chamber Winner

    Kevin Owens is favored in the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match. The winner goes on to face Universal Champion Roman Reigns later in the evening.

    • Kevin Owens: 4/5
    • Cesaro: 3/2
    • Daniel Bryan: 9/2
    • Jey Uso: 10/1
    • Baron Corbin: 50/1
    • Sami Zayn: 50/1

    Bobby Lashley (c) vs Keith Lee vs Riddle

    Bobby Lashley is favored to retain the United States Championship over Keith Lee and Riddle.

    • Bobby Lashley: 4/7
    • Keith Lee: 7/4
    • Riddle: 4/1
  • MLW Filthy Island Preview: Aztek Jungle Fight, No Holds Barred

    Major League Wrestling presents a special edition of MLW Fusion tonight, Filthy Island.

    The following matches are announced for this broadcast:

    • Aztec Jungle Fight: Mil Muertes vs. Savio Vega
    • No Holds Barred: Low Ki vs. King Mo
    • Dominic Garrini vs. Mauna Loa
    • Rocky Romero vs. Gringo Loco

    MLW Fusion premieres Wednesday nights on Fubo Sports, Pluto TV and the MLW YouTube Channel at 7pm (Eastern). The show is replayed Saturdays on beIN Sports at 10pm (Eastern).

    https://youtu.be/4HJyrBJJDEo
  • Tony Khan To WWE: \”Come to Jacksonville, I’m Begging You\”

    Tony Khan is open to the possibility of AEW working with WWE.

    Khan appeared on the WrestleFetish podcast this week and discussed AEW\’s \”open borders\” policy. All Elite Wrestling currently has partnerships with Impact Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. We are just scratching the surface of what these alliance will yield, but fans are wondering what other companies could get involved.

    The elephant in the room is WWE, the world\’s largest and most profitable wrestling promotion. Tony Khan was asked if AEW would be receptive to working with WWE or NXT. He was very receptive.

    \”They are more than welcome,\” Khan said about working with WWE. \”As I have said, the forbidden door is open anytime. Just come and knock. If they were to knock on the door, then I would certainly be willing to let them in.\”

    Tony Khan Open To Working With WWE

    The hosts were surprised by Khan\’s answer. They referenced WWE\’s \’invasion\’ of WCW Monday Nitro at the height of the Monday Night Wars. Eric Bischoff did not permit WWE Superstars to appear on Nitro that fateful night, but things would be different if WWE or NXT talent showed up at an AEW event.

    \”Come in, please!\” Khan continued. \”I would love that. I would love that. Come to Jacksonville, I\’m begging you. I would love it.\”

    WWE\’s Position

    WWE knows AEW is making waves by partnering with Impact and New Japan. Triple H recently stated that people have \’misperceptions\’ about WWE\’s willingness to work with other promotions.

    \”Are we open to the right business opportunities? Yeah, at any given time we\’re open to things,\” he said during the NXT Takeover: WarGames post-show media event. \”It just depends on what they are and if they\’re beneficial to us in the long-term.\”

    Triple H referenced the \”best for business\” attitude, stating that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is \”open to anything\” if it makes business sense.

    \”Open for business, I think Vince says that a lot and I\’ve been around him long enough that if it\’s the right thing and meaningful to business, he\’s open to anything.\”

  • CM Punk Names 5 AEW Stars That Stand Out & Have Potential

    Former WWE Superstar CM Punk has his eye on a few of All Elite Wrestling\’s top young stars.

    On Friday afternoon, Punk held an #AskPunk Q&A session on Twitter. Unsurprisingly, he was asked about AEW. User @HEELPags wrote, \”What current wrestler in AEW would he most like to work with IF he ever came back?\”

    CM Punk named five AEW wrestlers that he sees having potential. Whether this means \’potential\’ to work with, or \’potential\’ to have successful careers, is open to interpretation. He named:

    • Powerhouse Hobbs of Team Taz
    • AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin
    • Brian Pillman, Jr. of the Varsity Blonds
    • Ricky Starks of Team Taz
    • Jungle Boy

    These are great picks, as all 5 men are extraordinarily talented with bright futures.

    CM Punk recently celebrated 7-Years since leaving WWE. He will soon appear in the pro wrestling series Heels, starring Stephen Amell, on the Starz premium cable network.

    Related News:

  • Trailer For John Cena\’s \’Wipeout\’ Coming To TBS April 1st (Video)

    John Cena and Nicole Byer are hosts for Wipeout, an obstacle course game show premiering on TBS Thursday, April 1st.

    TBS has posted released an updated synopsis for the show, along with the official trailer.

    “Hosted by multifaceted megastar John Cena and Nicole Byer, with Camille Kostek serving as field host, the all-new 20-hour series takes viewers on a white-knuckle ride, featuring new course elements that will push contestants’ athleticism, endurance and determination to even greater extremes as they fight to win the grand cash prize.

    The new season of Wipeout will feature new format twists and elements that will push the athleticism and willpower of each contestant pairing to even greater extremes, all while delivering more than a few epic fails. Each game has been designed into three rounds and now features a jaw-dropping, three-stage, obstacle course consisting of multiple strategy and decision points designed to test the stamina of the competitors. The series’ iconic big balls also make a return, bringing many laughs and surprises along the way for fans.”

    John Cena has two inspirational books coming out in April. You can pre-order them both on Amazon:

    Watch the Wipeout official trailer:

  • Finn Balor\’s Broken Jaw Still Causing Him Pain & Complications

    NXT Champion Finn Balor spoke to the New York Post to promote NXT Takeover: Vengeance Day, which airs live this Sunday on the WWE Network. Balor spoke about defending the NXT Championship against Pete Dunne, recovering from a broken jaw and more.

    Balor feels like he\’s working on \’a little different frequency\’ lately, when talking about his ring work. He says NXT matches feel like real fights, which is the way he was trained to wrestle in the UK.

    \”It’s something that kind of suits my style more,\” Balor said. \”I feel like maybe I was guilty of trying to please too many people at once and not really please myself in the past with some of my performances and I’ve gone back to what I really like in the ring, which is kind of like scrappy, gritty, mat wrestling, not too much high flying, not too much outside the ring and really get back to basics. That’s really what I’ve been focusing on is going back to.\”

    WWE presents a very specific type of wrestling on Raw and SmackDown. The wrestlers have to be hyper-aware of the fact that they are on television, play to the camera and strive for that \”fight forever\” moment. NXT is more of a \”back to basics\” style. Finn Balor says he made a conscious effort to get back to his technical roots and he feels more comfortable.

    \"Finn
    NXT Champion Finn Balor

    Finn Balor on His Perfect Opponent

    Balor defends the NXT Championship against Pete Dunne this Sunday at NXT Takeover: Vengeance Day. Balor says Pete Dunne is a great matchup for him, but he considers everyone his perfect opponent.

    \”I’ll find a way or I’ll work around regardless of their style, whether it’s Damian Priest who has a very distinct style, Gargano has a distinct style, Matt Riddle, Timothy Thatcher who has a completely different style and we tore it up. I feel like for me the real challenge has been being able to adapt and kind of swim in the current of these guys’ different styles.\”

    Pete’s style is kind of very similar to where I’m at right now in the ring. So I think it’s either gonna be a clash or it’s gonna complement each other (laughs). So I don’t how the match is gonna look. It could either be great or it could be terrible. But Pete is someone who I’ve respected in the ring for a long time.”

    Lasting Effects of his Broken Jaw

    Finn Balor says he\’s still dealing with the lasting effects of breaking his jaw last year. He is still in pain, grinds his teeth a lot and is very reluctant to take any strikes to the face.

    \”One thing that still hasn’t come back is the feeling in my bottom lip,\” said Balor \”It’s still numb. It’s like I’ve been to the dentist and you get that shot. Pretty much my bottom lip down to my chin I’ve still got no feeling, but the doctors are a little hopeful that might come back in a couple of months. They say nerves take a little longer to heal. Sometimes you’ll see me out there now if I’m doing a promo licking my bottom lip more or I’ll be rubbing it a little bit. It still feels like there’s Novocain in there and it’s numb.\”

    \"Finn
    Finn Balor fractured his jaw in October 2020

    Finally, Finn Balor discussed the possibility of defending the NXT Championship at WrestleMania. It sounds like a cool idea, but NXT typically holds Takeover events during WrestleMania. If it means that the NXT Championship match would have to take place at WrestleMania instead of Takeover, he\’d rather not do that.

    \”Once we’re protecting the NXT brand without having it diluted by the big show at WrestleMania it’s something I’d be willing to do. If there’s the possibility of defending the title back to back nights, TakeOver and WrestleMania, then I’m all for it.\”

  • Keith Lee & Mia Yim Engaged To Be Married

    WWE Superstars Keith Lee and Mia Yim are engaged to be married.

    Yim announced the news on social media Thursday afternoon. She posted a photo of them together, including a look at the engagement ring. She included the caption, \”I said yes. Mr. & Mrs. Lee\”

    Mia Yim has been out of action since recently testing positive for Covid-19. She announced her diagnosis prior to the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

    Keith Lee was off television for about three weeks and missed the Rumble out of precaution. He returned to WWE this week on Raw. He will be compete at Elimination Chamber later this month.

    SEScoops extends our congratulations to Keith Lee and Mia Yim!

  • AEW Dynamite & NXT Both Down Against Impeachment Coverage

    TV ratings are in for for the February 10th editions of AEW Dynamite and NXT. Both shows were \”in the mud\” this week due to extensive news coverage of former US President Donald Trump\’s second impeachment trial. 19 of the top 20 shows on cable were cable news on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.

    Here\’s the Wednesday Night War breakdown for February 10th, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

    • AEW: 741,000 viewers, 0.29 rating, 21st in demo
    • NXT: 558,000 viewers, 0.12 rating, 62nd in demo

    AEW was down 12.2% in viewership and 9.4% in the A18-49 demo. NXT was down 8.52% in viewership and 20% in the demo.

    If there is a silver lining to be found, AEW Dynamite was the #2 non-news program on cable, behind only Challenge on MTV. They outdrew the NBA\’s Lakers vs. Thunder game, which was competitive and went into overtime (Lakers won 114-113).

    You can check out our Results and Takeaways from both shows here:

  • Braun Strowman Announces He\’s Dealing With Bloodstream Infection

    WWE Superstar Braun Strowman reveals he\’s been dealing with a scary medical episode over the past week.

    The 6-foot-8 montser posted some videos on his Instagram story detailing the situation.

    Strowman says he got \”really sick\” over the weekend. He developed some sort of infection that entered his blood stream, which can be very dangerous. He\’s been taking antibiotics, but admits, \”it\’s been awful.\”

    He has dropped about 15 pounds this week, but feels like he\’s gained 50 pounds of water weight. He complained about his joints being swollen and is itching to get back to training.

    Thankfully, doctors have told him the antibiotics are working and he is feeling a little better.

    Strowman just returned to WWE television in late January after being out since November due to a leg injury.

    SEScoops wishes Braun Strowman a speedy recovery.

  • Impact Launching \’Before The Impact\’ Kickoff Show On AXS TV


    A new one-hour weekly TV show from IMPACT Wrestling – BEFORE THE IMPACT – will debut next Tuesday, February 16, on AXS TV, it was announced last night.

    ‘BTI’ will air at 7pm ET/4pm PT every Tuesday night on AXS TV® as a lead-in to the action-packed flagship IMPACT! show which airs at 8pm ET/5pm PT.

    Nashville-based sportscaster Jon Burton will be BTI’s host. The NewsChannel5 anchor will be joined by reporters Gia Miller and Josh Mathews.

    Mathews, who also serves as BTI’s senior producer, said: “BTI will feature in-depth previews of the biggest matches, exclusive interviews with IMPACT Wrestling stars, behind-the-scenes access you won’t see anywhere else and an exclusive match each week.”

    BTI will feature exclusive news on the pro-wrestling industry from insider George Iceman – the “Iceman’s Intel” segment is expected to be a highlight of BTI.  

    “BEFORE THE IMPACT will be IMPACT Wrestling’s version of a pregame show,” said IMPACT Executive Vice-President Scott D’Amore. “Fans have been asking for more IMPACT action on AXS TV and we’re excited to debut a new show and format with BTI.”

    The premiere installment of BEFORE THE IMPACT will feature a collision between Team XXXL and the recently reformed, new-look Decay.

  • Impact Wrestling No Surrender: Final Card For Saturday (2/13)

    Impact Wrestling presents No Surrender this Saturday night on the Impact Plus streaming service.

    The following is an updated match lineup coming out of this week\’s Imapct on AXS broadcast:

    • Impact World Champion Rich Swann defends against Tommy Dreamer
    • World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers vs. Private Party vs. James Storm & Chris Sabin
    • Texas Tornado No Disqualification: Knockouts Tag Team Champions Fire N’ Flava vs. Havok & Neveah
    • X-Division Champion TJP defends against. Rohit Raju
    • Decay (Rosemary, Crazzy Steve & Black Taurus) vs. XXXL (Acey Romero & Larry D) & Tenille Dashwood
    • Matt Cardona & Eddie Edwards vs. Brian Myers & Hernandez
    • X-Division #1 Contender Triple Threat Revolver Match: Daivari vs. Suicide vs. Willie Mack vs. Ace Austin vs. Trey Miguel vs. Chris Bey vs. Josh Alexander vs. Blake Christian
    • Jordynne Grace, Jazz & ODB vs. Deonna Purrazzo, Kimber Lee & Susan
    • Cody Deaner vs. Jake Something

    Ahead of No Surrender, check out our recap from Tuesday night\’s \”go home\” edition of Impact on AXS:

    \"\"/
  • AEW Dynamite Preview: Omega & Kenta vs. Moxley & Archer

    All Elite Wrestling returns to Jacksonville, FL tonight with an all-new episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.

    This week\’s show will feature the in-ring debut of NJPW star KENTA, the first match in the Women\’s World Title Eliminator tournament, a TNT Championship defense by Darby Allin, Chris Jericho teaming with MJF and much more.

    The following items are advertised for AEW Dynamite:

    • AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and KENTA vs. IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley and Lance Archer
    • TNT Champion Darby Allin vs. Joey Janela
    • Chris Jericho & MJF vs. The Acclaimed
    • Thunder Rosa vs. Leyla Hirsch (Women\’s World Title Eliminator Tournament)
    • Cody Rhodes & Lee Johnson vs. Cezar Benoni and \”Pretty\” Peter Avalon
    • PAC vs. \”Hollywood Hunk\” Ryan Nemeth

    Plus, we\’ll also hear from Sting and \”Hangman\” Adam Page.

    Check back here later tonight for our AEW Dynamite Results and Takeaways feature.

  • AEW Releasing Two Music Albums Next Month: 8-Bit & Women\’s Themes

    All Elite Wrestling is set to release two new music albums next month.

    Producer Mikey Rukus announced that a \”Double AEW Album Release\” is scheduled for Friday, March 5th.

    One of the albums will feature theme music from AEW\’s top women\’s competitors. These are the songs we\’ve heard on AEW programming.

    The other album will be comprised of \”8-bit\” remixes of popular AEW theme songs. What exactly does an 8-bit theme song sound like? Unrelated to these official AEW releases, producer J.D. Spears has composed a bunch of 8-bit entrance themes on his YouTube channel. Listen here to get an idea of what the official Cody Rhodes 8-bit theme might sound like:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7tGTJuFG6A

    Below you can find the announced tracks for each album. Mikey Rukus noted on Twitter that these track lists are incomplete, so expect a few more songs to be added to each album by release day.

    AEW Women\’s Themes: \”We Got This\” Album

    • AEW Heels
    • Tay Conte
    • Diamante
    • Red Velvet
    • Reba Giggle
    • Leva
    • Allysin Kay
    • KiLynn King
    • Leyla Hirsch
    • Metal Vickie

    AEW: \”8-Bit Mayhem\” Album

    • Cody Rhodes
    • Ricky Starks
    • Kip Sabian
    • Kenny Omega
    • Dark Order
    • Nyla Rose
    • Penelope Ford
    • Best Friends
    • PAC
    • Joey Janela
    • Miro
    • Thunder Rosa
    • Britt Baker
    • TH2
    • Brodie Lee
  • Updated Card For WWE Elimination Chamber (2/21)


    The road to WrestleMania continues with WWE\’s next pay-per-view event, Elimination Chamber.

    The big news coming out of Monday\’s Raw was Shane McMahon returning to announce the show\’s main event. We now have three matches confirmed. The following matches are set for the PPV:

    WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match:
    Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus vs. AJ Styles

    United States Championship Match:
    Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Riddle vs. Keith Lee

    RAW Women’s Championship Match:
    Asuka vs. (c) Lacey Evans (w/Ric Flair)

    With less than two weeks until the event, expect to see more match announcements on Friday\’s SmackDown.

    WWE Elimination Chamber takes place Sunday, February 21st from the ThunderDome in St. Petersburg, Florida. The event will air live on the WWE Network.

  • Jon Moxley Says Kenta Has To Answer For All Of His Trash Talk

    AEW star Jon Moxley and KENTA of New Japan Pro Wrestling will share a ring at least twice this month. According to Moxley, it\’s almost time for KENTA to pay for all the trash talking he\’s done.

    This Wednesday on AEW Dynamite, Moxley and Lance Archer team up against AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and KENTA. The match is historic for multiple reasons. Most notably, it\’s the first time a talent contracted with NJPW will wrestle for AEW.

    The match will serve as an \’appetizer\’ to the main course – when Jon Moxley defends the IWGP United States Championship against KENTA at NJPW New Beginning USA on February 26th.

    Jon Moxley Ready for KENTA

    Jon Moxley recently spoke with New Japan Pro Wrestling about the upcoming title defense. The master of the Paradigm Shift / Death Rider says it\’s almost time for KENTA to pay for all his trash talking.

    “People like to talk a lot of trash, and people are running around with briefcases, and contracts, and they’re fighting over the right to be the United Stated champion and hold that belt or whatever,\” said Moxley. \”I still hold that belt, so that’s my belt. You’re going to have to beat me in the ring for it.\”

    Moxley continued by saying that running your mouth can make you a lot of money in this business. It can also bring upon you a world of pain you might not be able to handle.

    \”When I get into the ring with KENTA, sh*t\’s going to go down, and he’s going to have to answer for all this stuff that he said with his mouth,\” he said. \”And you know, your mouth can make you a lot of money in this business, but your mouth can really cause you a lot of pain and torture and pain, blues, and agony in this business you know when you overstep your boundaries with the words that come out of your mouth.”

    You can watch Jon Moxley\’s comments about KENTA in the player embedded below:

    Omega & Kenta vs. Moxley & Archer Set For Next Week’s AEW Dynamite

  • WWE Raw Preview (2/8): Orton vs. McIntyre, Charlotte & Lacey Evans

    WWE returns to the ThunderDome tonight for a new live episode of Monday Night Raw.

    The following items are advertised for the broadcast:

    • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre will face Randy Orton in a non-title match.
    • How will McIntyre respond to Sheamus giving him a Brogue Kick last week? WWE.com asks, \”With an inevitable title clash on the horizon, what will Drew McIntyre have to say to his former best friend?\”
    • Charlotte Flair and Lacey Evans will come face-to-face. For more on the Charlotte Flair / Lacey Evans segment, check out the WWE website preview below:

    Join us here later tonight for our WWE Raw Results & Takeaways.

    Catch up on the Top 10 moments from last week\’s WWE Raw:

  • John Cena & Batista\’s Super Bowl Ads, AEW Stars At The Big Game

    WWE legends John Cena and Batista appeared in commercials that aired during Sunday\’s NFL Super Bowl game.

    John Cena appeared in an ad for the Mountain Dew Major Lemon soft drink. As seen below, fans are encouraged to count the number of Major Lemon bottles that appear in the ad for a chance to win $1 million.

    Batista appeared in an ad for Rocket Mortgage along with comedy great Tracey Morgan. \”Watch Tracy Morgan, Dave Bautista and Liza Koshy in our Super Bowl LV commercial prove that from murder hornets to buying a home, certain is better – way better.\”

    https://youtu.be/EMgA-y2nRWE

    AEW Stars at Super Bowl LV

    Several people from All Elite Wrestling (AEW) were in attendance for the big game. AEW President Tony Khan, Le Champion Chris Jericho, Cody and Brandi Rhodes were all on site for the festivities.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CLBHkaxDnqw/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CLAio5mDSVp/?utm_source=ig_embed

    More From the Super Bowl

    WWE is sending the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a replica WWE Championship Belt for winning Super Bowl LV:

    Finally, WWE congratulated Rob Gronkowski for his latest Super Bowl victory. Gronk is a former WWE 24/7 Champion.

  • Matt Riddle Wants To Work With WWE Signee Parker Boudreaux

    Matt Riddle has taken notice of Parker Boudreaux reportedly signing with WWE.

    The Raw Superstar has been campaigning for a match against Brock Lesnar for the past several years. He\’s called out Lesnar in countless interviews and vowed to retire the former WWE Champion. The two even had a backstage altercation last year at the Royal Rumble. Brock Lesnar no longer under contract with WWE, which makes the match even less likely.

    Riddle is now turning his attention to Parker Boudreaux, whom some have dubbed \”Baby Brock\” due to his uncanny resemblance to the Beast Incarnate. Boudreaux was a standout college football player at the Universal of Central Florida prior to signing with WWE.

    Riddle expressed interest in working with Parker Boudreaux on Friday. In tweet sent out to his 200,00+ followers, Riddle couldn\’t help taking a dig at Brock Lesnar in the process. He wrote, “He looks just like Brock Lesnar but younger and doesn’t hate me enough to refuse a match with me yet, Awesome!”

    Boudreaux responded with a playful emoji, an indication that he might be open to sharing a ring with the former UFC fighter.

  • Archive of ROH news article covering Ring of Honor.

  • AEW-NXT Ratings: Beach Break Delivers, Dynamite Doubles In Key Demo

    AEW Dynamite scored a decisive win over NXT this week in the Wednesday Night War. Both shows were unusually close last week, but Beach Break helped propel Dynamite back to a comfortable margin of 200,000+ viewers over NXT.

    Here is this week\’s breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

    • AEW: 844,000 viewers, 0.32 rating (A18-49), 3rd in the demo on cable for the night
    • NXT: 610,000 viewers, 0.15 rating (A18-49), 51st in the demo on cable for the night

    Beach Break featured several high-profile matches that were promoted weeks in advance. Chris Jericho and MJF won the tag team battle royal to earn a title shot against the Young Bucks at Revolution, Penelope Ford and Kip Sabian\’s wedding [predictably] ended in chaos and the 6-man tag main event delivered in a big way. The show closed with the surprise debut of NJPW star Kenta, who will be in action next week.

    NXT featured an appearance by WWE legend and Royal Rumble winner Edge, so the viewership drop is disappointing. The show also saw Dusty Rhodes tag team classic tournament matches and more.

    Check out our results and takeaways articles from both shows:

  • NJPW Launching On Roku Channel 2/11: New Weekly Show, On-Demand Content

    New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced the launch of new programming on the Roku Channel. It will be available starting next Thursday, February 11th and will be available in the United States, Canada and the UK.

    \”New Japan Pro-Wrestling\” is a new one-hour weekly show that premieres Thursdays at 5pm (Eastern). Additional NJPW content from 2020 will also be available on-demand.

    A press release at the NJPW website includes quotes from NJPW and Roku executives.

    “Our fans in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom are among our most loyal, and they have been very clear that they want NJPW’s content made available to them,” said Takami Ohbari, President of NJPW. “NJPW is unlike any other pro-wrestling in the world. It is the most athletic, sports-oriented pro-wrestling on the planet, and we are excited to bring our athletes and matches to these markets in such a major way. Thank you to The Roku Channel, and we look forward to a successful partnership that brings NJPW to millions of new fans around the world.”

    “Expanding the breadth and quality of our programming has fueled The Roku Channel to one of the largest and fastest growing channels on our platform,” said Ashley Hovey, Director of AVOD Growth, Roku. “Sports programming continues to be an important category for our users, and we are very excited to partner with NJPW to put the world of professional wrestling at the fingertips of millions of engaged users on The Roku Channel.”

    In the fourth quarter of 2020, The Roku Channel reached United States households with an estimated 61.8 million people.

  • Edge Appearing On Tonight\’s WWE NXT

    Edge is headed to the Capitol Wrestling Center for this week\’s episode of NXT on USA. The Rated R Superstar won the Men\’s Royal Rumble this past Sunday.

    He tweeted that he is currently in Orlando with his wife, NXT announcer and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix. Since he would be in the same city that hosts NXT, why not pay them a visit Wednesday night.

    Edge\’s WrestleMania Opponent

    Winning the Royal Rumble earned Edge a WrestleMania 37 title match against the champion of his choosing. He can face WWE Champion Drew McIntyre or Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

    Edge could also challenge NXT Champion Finn Balor, similar to last year\’s Women\’s Rumble winner Charlotte facing NXT Women\’s Champion Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania last uyear.

    Catch up on the Top 10 Moments from last week\’s NXT broadcast:

  • Lars Sullivan Released by WWE

    Lars Sullivan is no longer with WWE, as first reported by PWInsider. The news has since been confirmed by WWE.

    Sullivan was with the company since 2013. He spent several years training in developmental before debuting for NXT in 2017. Sullivan had some success in NXT and was pushed as a monster heel. He made his main roster debut in April 2019, the night after WrestleMania 36 when he attacked Kurt Angle, who had just retired. For the next several months, he attacked several top babyface acts on Raw.

    He was abruptly sidelined later that year when he was at the center of a scandal. Prior to joining WWE, Sullivan was very outspoken on certain Internet message boards. A series of posts were unearthed that included some remarks that were racist and homophobic. Many fans on social media knew about this flagrant activity for years, but apparently WWE became aware of them in 2019.

    WWE announced that he was fined $100,000 and required to undergo sensitivity training. A company statement read, \”WWE supports a culture of inclusion regardless of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation, and we are committed to embracing all individuals as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide. Dylan Miley (aka Lars Sullivan) will be fined $100,000 and required to complete sensitivity training for offensive commentary uncovered from his past. WWE will also facilitate meetings for Dylan with community organizations to foster further discussion around the power of social media and the impact of your words.\”

    Sullivan issued a statement apologizing for those who were offended. Soon after this incident, he blew out his knee and was off television for over a year. He made one final appearance on WWE SmackDown back in October 2020 before disappearing once again.

  • Bianca Belair Talks About Her Plan For WrestleMania, Royal Rumble Win

    Bianca Belair made history Sunday night by winning the 2021 Women\’s Royal Rumble. Her monumental achievement put her in the driver\’s seat on the road to WrestleMania 37.

    Belair spoke with Complex Sports to discuss her Royal Rumble win, sharing an emotional moment with husband Montez Ford immediately after the match and more.

    During the Rumble match, there was a memorable spot that saw Bianca Belair and Naomi at risk of elimination. They worked together in a dramatic moment that fans were buzzing about on social media. Belair was proud to \’create magic\’ with Naomi.

    \”That\’s definitely one of my favorite moments of the match,\” said Belair. \”I got to be in the ring with Naomi last year for the Royal Rumble for a very short time. But having that moment with her, we both almost being eliminated and dangling off of the rope and realizing like, \’Look, if we got to do this together, we have to work together.\’ And when we finally work together, we end up saving ourselves in the process.\”

    https://twitter.com/reg6late/status/1356054610163728388

    Bianca Belair received a standing ovation from her peers backstage after winning the Royal Rumble. She also shared an emotional moment with husband Montez Ford of the Street Profits.

    Belair told Complex, \”It\’s just amazing that I\’m doing this alongside the person I love. And to be able to have your husband standing there as soon as you walk through the curtain, he\’s the first person you can go to. I just went to him and I hugged him and we really didn\’t say much at first we just embraced each other and then we prayed.\”

    Bianca Belair Undecided For WrestleMania

    Bianca Belair\’s Royal Rumble victory earned her a title shot at WWE WrestleMania 37. Her choices are Raw Women\’s Champion Asuka or SmackDown Women\’s Champion Sasha Banks. Belair says it\’s a huge decision that she\’s been giving a lot of thought to. She does not want to make an emotional decision. For now, she plans to continue celebrating winning the Rumble.

    Her first thought after winning was that she outlasted 29 other women and was the last one standing. She then saw the WrestleMania sign and realized it was just the beginning of a new journey.

    \”Looking over and seeing the WrestleMania sign, it hit me like a couple of seconds later I was like, \’Oh, wait, you\’re going to WrestleMania!\’ It hit me at two different times and it was like a wave of emotions. And so just, the fact that it just hit me at two different times, I\’m just living in the moment of winning the Royal Rumble and just trying to figure out my emotions right now and trying to not cry every five seconds. So I feel like I don\’t want to make an emotional decision right now. I\’m just trying to like get my emotions in check and weigh my options and then go from there.\”

    Discussion: Who should Bianca Belair challenge at WrestleMania – Asuka or Sasha Banks?

    Visit Complex Sports to read their full interview with Bianca Belair.

  • Randy Orton Calls Out Karrion Kross: Let\’s Fight & Make Some Money

    WWE legend Randy Orton sees dollar signs in former NXT Champion Karrion Kross.

    The Viper competed against Edge on Monday\’s WWE Raw (Results). The longtime rivals wrestled in the main event. 24 hours after winning the Royal Rumble, Edge defeated Orton thanks to a distraction by Alexa Bliss.

    Orton stayed up late Monday night and shared some thoughts on social media. Orton came across a video posted by NXT star Karrion Kross. As seen below, Kross is depicted in Manhattan\’s financial district. He narrates the video and speaks about one of his favorite subjects: time.

    \”Time tells all,\” said Kross. \”You know, I\’ve always had an obsession with time. Or perhaps, time has had an obsession with me. I\’ve never really known the difference.\”

    Randy Orton responded to the video with a message to Karrion Kross. He told Kross, \”Get yo ass up here,\” a reference to WWE\’s main roster. Orton then laid out a challenge, sharing his opinion that the two grapplers could do big business together.

    \”Let\’s fight, make some money and crack a beer. Wtf you waiting for??? Time? F*ck time.\”

    You can see the video and Orton\’s reply in the tweet below:

    Randy Orton Reaches Out to Stone Cold

    Randy Orton also reached out to WWE Hall of Famer \”Stone Cold Steve Austin.\” Orton lamented that Austin has not invited him to be a guest on his Broken Skull Sessions. In a tweet deep into the night, Orton said it\’s \”f*cked up\” that he\’s yet to be interviewed on Austin\’s WWE Network show.

    He complimented Austin as the \”Baddest MFer to lace a pair of boots\” and praised him as one of the greatest of all time. Randy Orton wants to know, \”Where you at Steven?\”

    Randy Orton has had an incredible 20-year career thus far. He\’s certainly got plenty to talk about. Steve Austin gets some killer interviews out of his guests. This is a pairing we\’d love to see in the months ahead.