REVIEW: Royal Rumble 2017: All The People

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over ten years now and have reviewed over 5,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be? Royal Rumble 2017 Date: January 29, 2017 Location: Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 52,020 Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Mauro Ranallo, John Bradshaw Layfield, David Otunga, Tom Phillips It’s kind of amazing how much this show has been forgotten in just about a year. Other than AJ Styles vs. John Cena, I can barely remember a single thing about this show. I know who won the Rumble and who were some of the bigger stars in the match but the rest is kind of a blur, which isn’t a good s..

That Might Slow It Down: Lawsuit Filed Against Vince McMahon Over WWE Return

They have something to say about it. WWE is in the biggest state of upheaval in its history and it all centers around Vince McMahon returning to the company for the expressed intent of selling it off. That is the kind of thing that would completely rock the industry and it is going to change a lot of lives. Now some people involved with those lives have something to say about what is going on. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: In Better Taste: Jay Briscoe’s Death Caused NXT To Change A Planned Segment According to Sportico, the Detroit Police and Fire Retirement System have fired a lawsuit against Vince McMahon, attempting to prevent McMahon from taking over the Board Of Directors. The lawsuit claims that McMahon breached his fiduciary duties by trying to “impose his personal will on WWE and it’s ‘board’”. It also refers to McMahon’s return to the company as a “corrupt and unlawful dealing” following the Board Of Directors’ previous decision to not reinstate McMahon. There is no word on when th..

In Better Taste: Jay Briscoe’s Death Caused NXT To Change A Planned Segment

That wouldn’t have worked. The wrestling world was rocked this week by the shocking death of Jay Briscoe at age 38 in a car accident. The news broke on Tuesday and since then, all kinds of tributes and memories have been posted online by wrestlers and wrestling fans. Thankfully something like this does not happen often, but it turns out that it caused a big change to a wrestling show as well. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Switch: Two AEW Stars Turn Heel On Dynamite According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com, Briscoe’s death caused a planned segment on this week’s NXT to be changed. The original plans called for Pretty Deadly to hold a funeral for New Day, but the news of Briscoe’s passing caused New Day and WWE executive Shawn Michaels to scrap the idea. In addition, Michaels made the call for commentator Vic Joseph to mention Briscoe during the broadcast. There was a planned NXT segment tonight where New Day would hold a "funeral" for Pretty Deadly's title shot. When word of Jay Bri..

Switch: Two AEW Stars Turn Heel On Dynamite

They’re on the other team. There are all kinds of wrestlers on the AEW roster and sometimes it can be difficult to keep track of everyone. Occasionally a wrestler needs to do something to mix it up a little bit, some of which involves changing from one side to another. That was the case this week, but in this case it was a pair of wrestlers instead of just one. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Well Deserved: The Wrestling World Pays Tribute To Jay Briscoe This week on AEW Dynamite, Toni Storm defeated Willow Nightingale, partially due to a distraction by Saraya. After the match, Storm and Saraya attacked Nightingale, turning heel in the process. Nightingale’s occasional partner Ruby Soho ran in for the save. The turn marks the first time that either Saraya or Storm have been a villain during their time in AEW. There are some interesting stars in this. Check out some of the people involved: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post cont..

Nick Khan: “I’ve Never Met the kid Tony Khan, Seems Like a Nice Kid to Me”

WWE CEO Nick Khan was recently interviewed on the Bill Simmons Podcast, where he discussed a number of topics. Among them were the idea that AEW is competition, his relationship to Tony and Shad Khan and more. Below are some highlights from the interview: On if he sees AEW as competition: “Well how do you think they’re doing now? Simmons responded, “Not as well although I think they are having a better 2023 than 2022.” On his relationship with Tony Khan: “I think a couple of things. I’ve never met the kid Tony Khan, seems like a nice kid to me. I don’t know him. I have met his dad who randomly I sat next to at some sports business luncheon that Stephanie and I went to a year and a half or so.” On Shad Khan: “I could not be more impressed with the dad. He made his money in the auto parts business, I believe. So he knows that inside out. I don’t believe he’s involved on the wrestling side of the business, outside of financing it. He has the pockets and that’s awesome and I’m sure ..

AEW Dynamite Results – January 18, 2023

Dynamite Date: January 18, 2023 Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz We’re about six weeks away from Revolution and that means Bryan Danielson is still on the road to getting his Iron Man match with MJF for the World Title. Other than that, Orange Cassidy is defending the All-Atlantic Title against Jay Lethal and Ricky Starks continues his issues with the Jericho Appreciation Society. Let’s get to it. In Memory Of Jay Briscoe. All-Atlantic Title: Jay Lethal vs. Orange Cassidy Cassidy is defending and there are no seconds, though here are Jeff Jarrett, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt through the crowd to take fans’ seats. They start fast with Cassidy grabbing a small package and backslide for two each before Lethal knocks him outside. Cue Danhausen, who is now an usher, demanding to see Jarrett and company’s tickets. Because reasons, they hand them over, and Danhausen waves over the Best Friends (with concessions) to sit behind them..

Well Deserved: The Wrestling World Pays Tribute To Jay Briscoe

He deserved it. The most tragic wrestling story of the year so far is the sudden death of Jay Briscoe, who was killed earlier this week in a car accident. The accident has caused people to look back at everything Briscoe did in his career, which included a variety of championships and accomplishments. Now the tributes have begun pouring in, as the wrestling world remembers an incredible talent. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Delaware State Police Issue Full Statement And Details On Jay Briscoe Accident Following Briscoe’s death, various members of the wrestling world have paid tribute to him, including wrestling promotions and stars from around the industry. Briscoe was a thirteen time Ring Of Honor Tag Team Champion (including current) with his brother Mark and a two time Ring Of Honor World Champion. The Briscoes also held the IWGP World Tag Team and Impact Wrestling Tag Team Titles. RIP Jay Briscoe. I didn’t know him well but he was always super cool and friendly to me whenever we saw ea..

Delaware State Police Issue Full Statement And Details On Jay Briscoe Accident

The more we know. Tuesday night, Ring Of Honor Hall Of Famer and reigning Tag Team Champion Jay Briscoe was killed in a car crash in his home state of Delaware. The crash rocked the wrestling world and now all that can be done is grieve and hope that everyone else involved pulls through. Now we know a little bit more about what happened and it is not good. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: NXT Superstar Amari Miller Reveals She Attempted To End Her Life Last Week The Delaware State Police have issued a statement on the incident, including several new details. Briscoe’s death was caused by a car crash when a truck went into the wrong land and hit Briscoe’s truck head on. The other driver, Lillyanne Ternahan, 27, was killed as well. Briscoe was not wearing a seat belt while Ternahan was. Briscoe’s daughters were in the truck with him and were wearing seat belts. There is no word on any possible alcohol involvement in the crash. You can see the full statement below: State Police Investigating Two..

Blast From The Past: Possibility Of WWE Returning To Monthly Pay Per Views Under New Owners

That would be a step. We are in the middle of a series of changes in WWE as it is not clear where things are going. The biggest change seems to be focused around the idea of the company being sold to new owners, which opens a whole new world for the company. There are going to be a variety of changes should that take place, and now we have an idea of a possible huge change. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: A Long Run: WWE Name Departs Company After 25 Years When speaking about the possible sale on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer speculated that WWE premium live events could return to being pay per views. Meltzer pointed to Endeavor (UFC’s parent company) having a series of regular events and then charging for major events. However, this would entirely depend on the Peacock contract, as Peacock pays WWE more than they would be able to make via pay per view. While Meltzer does not think such a change would happen, it would be something that Endeavor, or perhaps another new owner, would co..

NXT Superstar Amari Miller Reveals She Attempted To End Her Life Last Week

Wrestling is an over the top industry that is built around the idea of people doing things that you would never see anyone do otherwise. It might not make sense in the real world but it makes sense here, and that is the kind of thing that has an appeal to fans. At the same time, the wrestlers go through all kinds of things that others go through every day, and now one is talking about a very serious incident. NXT star Amari Miller posted a video to TikTok seemingly revealing that she attempted to end her life one week ago. Miller also posted a message to her TikTok, talking about the struggles of mental health and sharing her story because she wanted people to know they are not alone. Miller debuted in NXT in June 2021 and has been a semi-regular on NXT LVL Up. WWE has not commented on the situation. Here is Miller’s full message, courtesy of SportSKeeda.com: “Everything isn’t what it seems, mental health is hard, we should all speak out even though I know it’s hard, you are loved, f..

NXT Results – January 17, 2023

NXT Date: January 17, 2023 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph We’re done with New Year’s Evil and now all roads lead to Vengeance Day in about two and a half weeks. The show will feature Bron Breakker defending the NXT Title against Grayson Waller in a cage match but we’re going to need more than that. There is a lot of potential for the rest of the show though and we should hear more this week. Let’s get to it. Opening recap, featuring all of the returns and surprises. Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes vs. Axiom/Apollo Crews Williams works on Axiom’s arm to start and then runs him over for a bonus. A pop up right hand puts Axiom down again and it’s off to Hayes. An enziguri gets Axiom out of trouble though and it’s Crews coming in to clean house. Hayes gets knocked to the floor so Crews tosses Axiom onto both villains as we take a break. Back with Axiom and Hayes clotheslining each other but it’ snot enough to get back over to Crews..

A Long Run: WWE Name Departs Company After 25 Years

That’s a long, long time. We are in a time of change in WWE and there are all kinds of pieces moving at once. That can make it difficult to keep track of what is going on, but it is clear that this is not the same WWE that we have known for a long time. This includes names leaving, and now another not so familiar name is leaving the company after a quarter century. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Now, Now: Here Is What John Cena May Be Doing At WrestleMania 39 According to Fightful Select, Adam Hopkins, Vice President of Communications, has left WWE. Hopkins started with the company back in 1997 and has held a variety of jobs, including Manager of Media Relations, Director of Communications, Public Relations Coordinator and several others. There is no word on why Hopkins left. According to PWInsider, Hopkins’ departure has shocked those in the company, with the general response being described as “WTF”. One source said it would be like Howard Finkel leaving WWE. There have been some others t..

Now, Now: Here Is What John Cena May Be Doing At WrestleMania 39

They have a plan for him. We are almost to the Road To WrestleMania and that means it is time to start setting up the show’s major matches. WrestleMania matches and stories need more time to develop than your regular shows and with about two and a half months before the show, the clock is starting to tick. Now it seems that WWE knows where they are going with one of its biggest names ever. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Subtraction By Subtraction: Changes Coming To WWE Network/Peacock, Shows Leaving According to Wrestling Observer Radio, “it looks like” John Cena will face Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39. This is said to have been the plan “way, way back”. Cena and Theory interacted when Cena appeared on Monday Night Raw in June 2022 and have also reportedly filmed an additional segment to air at some point in the future. Cena has also been rumored for a match against Logan Paul. There is no word on when Cena will return to WWE TV. This has potential. Check out the two of them together, pl..

Subtraction By Subtraction: Changes Coming To WWE Network/Peacock, Shows Leaving

It’s less wrestling. The WWE Network was an absolute game changer for wrestling fans. For the first time ever, fans were able to see almost every major WWE event in history for a relatively cheap price. It meant there was more content available to fans and more was added at a regular basis. However, that might not be the case anymore, at least for certain wrestling programming. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: You’re Up: Royal Rumble Described As “All Hands On Deck”, What That Means According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, a WWE source says that independent wrestling content will be discontinued on Peacock. This comes after various shows events are listed as leaving in a few days. Shows that seem to be leaving include ICW, Progress and Evolve, though it is not clear if all of them will be leaving permanently. A wXw event is set to premiere this coming Sunday. A WWE source indicated to Fightful that they'll be discontinuing indie content on the WWE Network. https://t.co/DwMvG4msM2 — Sean..

You’re Up: Royal Rumble Described As “All Hands On Deck”, What That Means

It’s that big of a deal. WWE runs several annual events, but some of them are among their most important of the year. These shows are known among fans as some of the most prominent names on the wrestling calendar and it means a lot to appear on one of them. Another one is coming up and this year it sounds like it is going to be even bigger than usual. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Two Times: Injured WWE Star Forced To Undergo Second Surgery During Recovery On January 28, WWE will be presenting the 2023 Royal Rumble. According to PWInsider.com, the show is being described as “all hands on deck”. This means all wrestlers and talents will be brought in, even if they are not working at the Royal Rumble. They could be taking part in media appearances or working on something for Peacock. This could include NIL talents who have not made televised appearances as of yet. The Royal Rumble has some surprising moments. Check out some shocks from the show: [This post contains video, click to play] [..

BREAKING: Jay Briscoe Passes Away At Age 38

We have some incredibly tragic news to report tonight as ROH superstar and one half of the current tag team champions, Jay Briscoe, as has passed away at the age of 38. According to a report from the Delaware State Police Department, Briscoe, whose real name is Jamin Pugh, was involved in a fatal car accident around 5:30 PM local time in Laurel, Delaware. The news was later confirmed by the local ABC affiliate, WMDT. ROH owner Tony Khan commented on the situation via Twitter: Sadly, Jamin Pugh has passed away. Known to fans as Jay Briscoe, he was a star in ROH for over 20 years, from the first show until today. Jay and his brother Mark dominated ROH, reigning as champions to this day. We’ll do whatever we can to support his family. Rest In Peace Jamin Sadly, Jamin Pugh has passed away. Known to fans as Jay Briscoe, he was a star in ROH for over 20 years, from the first show until today. Jay and his brother Mark dominated ROH, reigning as champions to this day. We'll do whateve..

Two Times: Injured WWE Star Forced To Undergo Second Surgery During Recovery

Yes again. Injuries are one of the most complicated things in wrestling as you never know when someone is going to be put on the shelf for any amount of time. The injuries can result in a long recovery time and some of them often have complications on top of that. Unfortunately that is the case again as a WWE star who was already on the shelf had to deal with another issue. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He Has To Pass: WWE Legend Announces He Will Not Be At Raw XXX Despite Being Rumored Back in November, R-Truth injured his knee during a match in NXT. R-Truth recently participated in a live stream, revealing that he had to undergo a second surgery due to an infection. While R-Truth said that the second surgery set him back, he expects to be back in the ring sooner than expected. There is no word on when R-Truth, who turns 51 on January 19, will be back in the ring. R-Truth is a different kind of star. Check out what he can do in WWE: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post ..

He Has To Pass: WWE Legend Announces He Will Not Be At Raw XXX Despite Being Rumored

He’ll catch you next time. Next week, WWE is presenting its Raw XXX special, honoring thirty years of Monday Night Raw being on the air. This is quite the occasion and WWE is going to bring in a variety of stars and legends who have played a part in the show’s legacy. However, one name who was scheduled for the show is not going to make it, though he does have a good reason. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: It’s Complicated: Speculation Over Bray Wyatt’s WrestleMania Plans, Why He Could Be A Problem WWE legend Tatanka has announced that he will not be appearing at Raw XXX despite being scheduled for the show. Tatanka said that while WWE contacted him five weeks ago, his son’s wrestling team qualified for the state tournament and he will be attending the competition instead of coming to the show. Tatanka wrestled for WWE in two stints, from 1991-1996 and 2005-2007, while making various one off appearances since. Even though @WWE contacted me 5 weeks ago, I will not be attending the 30th Annive..

It’s Complicated: Speculation Over Bray Wyatt’s WrestleMania Plans, Why He Could Be A Problem

That’s an idea. We are rapidly approaching WrestleMania 39 and that means it is time fpr WWE to start getting ready for their biggest event of the year. They need to figure out what all of their top names are going to be doing, which is easier said than done in some cases. Now WWE is having a bit of an issue figuring out what to do with one of its stars, as there might be a bit of a problem. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: Injured WWE Star Starts “MASSIVE COMEBACK” After Nine Month Absence During a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that he believes Bray Wyatt will face Uncle Howdy at WrestleMania 39. Meltzer said that while Wyatt is popular and sells merchandise, top stars “probably want to avoid him” because of “his history with top guys”. Last week Wyatt said that he was Howdy, though Howdy appeared this week on Monday Night Raw. There is no word from WWE on what Wyatt will be doing at the show. Note that this is Meltzer’s opinion and not to be taken as a ..

Monday Night Raw Results – January 16, 2023

Monday Night Raw Date: January 16, 2023 Location: Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati, Ohio Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick We’re less than two weeks away from the Royal Rumble and also quite possibly on the second straight week of doing very little because the show is up against a huge football game. The Royal Rumble is in less than two weeks and odds are that we’ll be seeing some more names announced for the namesake matches. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Here are the Usos and Solo Sikoa for a chat. They’re here in our city but need to address what happened on Smackdown. Kevin Owens needs to learn that you can’t be a problem for Roman Reigns. Speaking of Reigns, there is something big planned for next week’s Raw XXX. Every generation of the Bloodline will be joining together for an acknowledgment ceremony, plus they’ll beat Judgment Day. Cue Judgment Day, with Rhea Ripley saying they run Raw and Finn Balor saying they ran through the tag division and are now the #1 co..