REVIEW: Royal Rumble 2008: The Big Surprise

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over twelve years now and have reviewed over 6,000 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 2008
Date: January 27, 2008
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City New York
Attendance: 20,798
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole Jonathan Coachman, Joey Styles, Tazz
This was the other request so let’s throw up a triple shot this year. The big story here is Jeff Hardy challenging Randy Orton for the Raw World Title. This was set up incredibly well with Hardy being set up as the ultimate underdog who might be able to pull off the miracle. The fans believe in him and it’s an abs..

AEW Tried To Bring In WWE Hall Of Famer For Huge Match At All Out

That could have been huge. AEW has shaken up the wrestling world in a huge way and that is something that has been needed for a long time now. Above all else, at least for the sake of the wrestlers, it allows them a new place to go on the big stage. That is something that has been lacking for a long time now, and a WWE legend was in discussions to jump over to the new company.
According to Fightful Select, AEW was in discussions with WWE Hall of Famer Lita to have her come into the company for a feud with Britt Baker. The match would have eventually taken place at last year’s All Out, but the two sides were unable to come to terms. However, the discussions did end on a positive note and there was a chance that Lita could work for AEW in the future. Lita appeared on this week’s WWE SmackDown and will be participating in the Royal Rumble later this month.
That could have been huge. Check out the two of them, including Lita’s return to WWE:
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You Might Not Be Seeing An AEW Star For A Little While

Be back later. There are a lot of talented wrestlers on the AEW roster and some of them have stood out in a big way in the company’s short history. It has been great to see a lot of these wrestlers develop and become that much better in an AEW rung. One of the better stars has been taking a beating lately and now it might be a long time before you see her again.
This week on AEW Dynamite, Serena Deeb defeated Hikaru Shida in a short match, injuring Shida’s knee in the process. The match was stopped due to Shida’s injuries, with Deeb being awarded the win. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Shida will be returning to Japan “for a while” after the injury angle on Dynamite. There is no word on how long Shida will be out of action and nothing to suggest Shida has any injury issues.
Shida has been one of the top stars in AEW to date. Check out some of her time in the company so far:
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Here Is WWE’s Original Plan For The Main WrestleMania 38 Matches

That’s a big card. With WrestleMania 38 about two and a half months away, it is time to start getting ready for the show. The fans are going to be finding out the major matches in the near future, but WWE should have known what they have planned for quite a while. The show is starting to come together, and now we know what they originally had set for the show.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Sasha Banks had suffered a foot injury, which would put her on the shelf for 6-8 weeks. That would put her back in the ring in mid-March, which according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, might cause her planned match with Charlotte to be changed. This was said to be one of the four major matches at WrestleMania, along with:
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair Seth Rollins vs. Royal Rumble Winner (most likely Big E.) It is not clear if these matches are still on the schedule.
That could be a big card. Check out what we might be seeing:
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WWE Attorney Responds To Lawsuit Filed By Major League Wrestling

Now it’s WWE’s turn. WWE is the biggest wrestling promotions in the world and that brings a lot of benefits. The company has more money, more resources, more notoriety and more power than any other promotion in the world. At the same time though, it means that they are going to be a target for some other companies, which has led to a recent lawsuit against them. Now though, WWE has something to say.
Earlier this week, news broke that Major League Wrestling (MLW) had sued WWE for anti-trust violations. MLW claims that WWE caused the company to lose a streaming deal with Tubi as well as pressuring VICE TV from airing MLW content. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt has commented on the lawsuit, saying that while he had not seen the lawsuit, MLW had no one to blame but themselves. Here are his comments:
“I have not seen the full lawsuit since WWE has not been served. If Tubi breached, then sue Tubi. As to Vice, WWE has no commercial relationship w..

Welcome Back: Jon Moxley’s Return To The Ring Officially Announced

Welcome back. There are a lot of reasons a wrestler might miss time from the ring. It might be due to a wrestler needing a break or it might be an injury, but sometimes it could be something a lot more serious. That was the case with one of the biggest stars in AEW, who needed to take some time off to deal with some personal issues. Now though, we know when he is returning to the ring.
Back in November 2021, AEW’s Jon Moxley entered a rehabilitation center for alcohol related issued. As a result, he has been absent from the ring and television ever since. Now though, Game Changer Wrestling has announced that Moxley will be returning to the ring to defend the GCW World Title against Homicide on January 23. There is no word on when Moxley will be returning to AEW television.
*BREAKING*
Just Signed for #TheWrldOnGCW:
*GCW World Title Match*
MOX
vs
187
Plus:
Janela vs Cardona
Allie vs Ruby
Gresham vs Blake
Team Bandido vs Team Gringo
Watch LIVE on PPV or @FiteTV:https://t.co/DT2a5ab..

Several Ring Of Honor Title Retired, Future Of TV Show Revealed

So much for the gold. We are in the middle of a pretty weird time in wrestling and that might not be getting back to normal for a good while. One of the biggest changes has been the demise of the original version of Ring of Honor. The promotion has been around for nearly twenty years and now it seems that things are never going to be the same again. Now we have another change to go with it.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Ring of Honor will be focusing on its World Title, Women’s Title and Tag Team Titles. As a result, the company will be retiring its Television Title (currently held by Rhett Titus), the Pure Title (Josh Woods) and the Six Man Tag Team Titles (the Righteous). The three remaining titles will be treated as traveling championship with Jonathan Gresham, Deonna Purrazzo and the Briscoes defending the championships in various promotions. These matches will serve as the Ring of Honor television show when Ring of Honor returns in April.
Those are some big tit..

Bad News For Two WWE Stars Regarding The Royal Rumble

It might be a little while. We are just over two weeks away from the Royal Rumble and a good chunk of the fields for the show’s namesake matches have been set. More than half of the women’s field is ready and about half of the men’s field has been announced but there are still some spots to fill. Unfortunately, it seems that we do know two bigger names who won’t be included.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, neither Bayley nor Drew McIntyre will be available for the Royal Rumble. Bayley has been out of action since July 2021 with a torn ACL and is expected back in February or March. McIntyre is out of action with a neck injury and WWE hopes to have him back by WrestleMania 38 in early April. There is no word on what either is expected to do at WrestleMania.
These two should be good to go down the road. Check out what they can do, plus a look at the Royal Rumble:
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AEW Rampage Results – January 14, 2022

Rampage
Date: January 14, 2022
Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
Commentators: Chris Jericho, Excalibur, Ricky Starks, Taz
We are still in Horsemen Country and that means we should be in for another pretty good night. Rampage has found its groove in recent weeks and now it is time for a Tag Team Title match, as the Dark Order gets the first shot against Jurassic Express. Adam Cole is here too so let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Adam Cole vs. Trent Beretta The Best Friends and all of Adam Cole’s friends are here. They trade chops to start until Beretta tosses him down with a suplex. Back up and Beretta is sent to the floor and then into the barricade to put him in trouble for a change. They go inside again with Cole hitting his own suplex before Beretta is tossed right back to the floor. The Panama Sunrise is countered into a backdrop so Cole sends him into the barricade.
We take a break and come back with Beretta fighting out of a chinlock. A tornado DDT plants Cole an..

WATCH: All Time WWE Record Set On SmackDown

Records are made to be broken. WWE has been around for a very long time now and that means there have been a lot of moments over the years. Some of these are more notable than others, while some of them are flat out better than others. That can make for some interesting situations, including some that are rather noteworthy. Another one of those took place this week.
This week on SmackDown, Aliyah defeated Natalya in a record 3.17 seconds, as she rolled Natalya up for the pin at the bell. Before the match, Natalya had been bragging about her three Guinness World Records and wanted to add a fourth to the list by defeating Aliyah in the fastest time ever. This was Aliyah’s singles debut on WWE television, though she had wrestled several tag matches.
Aliyah has been around for a bit. Check out the win, some of her time in WWE, plus some fast matches:
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Opinio..

SmackDown Results – January 14, 2022

Smackdown
Date: January 14, 2022
Location: CHI Health Center, Omaha, Nebraska
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
We are just over two weeks away from the Royal Rumble and the big match on this side is Roman Reigns defending the Universal Title against Raw’s Seth Rollins. That is likely going to mean Brock Lesnar will be getting involved and I’m curious to see where that is going to go. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar arguing over Paul Heyman, leading to Reigns dropping Lesnar with a Superman Punch. Then Seth Rollins was announced as the opponent in a bit of a weird pick.
Here are the Usos for a chat. They talk about how the only team to ever give them a real fight is the New Day, but they beat them again last week. Instead of helping Roman Reigns against Seth Rollins, we need to have a four way to consider the #1 contendership. Jimmy even handles the entrances, with a special/not so serious voice.
Los Lotharios vs. Viking Raiders vs. Cesar..

Impact Wrestling Results – January 13, 2022

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 13, 2022
Location: Bomb Factory, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, D’Lo Brown
We are fresh off the outstanding Hard To Kill, which was one of the best shows that Impact has ever done. In addition to some great matches, a group of former Ring of Honor wrestlers invaded the show, which feels like it could be the start of something very good. Let’s get to it.
The opening recap looks at all of the matches from Hard To Kill, plus the invasion, albeit not in order.
A furious W. Morrissey arrives and wants Moose. Morrissey comes into the arena and calls Moose out. He had Moose beaten for a ten count at Hard To Kill, even though Moose practically stole his World Title. Just once, have the balls to face someone man to man. Moose can come out here or look over his shoulder for the rest of his life.
Instead, Moose pops up on screen to say Morrissey didn’t have him beaten. There will be a World Title match tonight but Morrissey won’t be in it. Instead, he..