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There is most of the field. We are less than a month away from the Royal Rumble and that means it is time to start getting the fields put together. There are sixty slots to be filled and only a handful of names have already been announced. That can make for some interesting announcements and we got a ton of them all in a row, including more than one Hall of Famer, and a big surprise.
This week on SmackDown, Charlotte announced nineteen entrants for the women’s Royal Rumble match:
Rhea Ripley
Nikki Ash
Nikki Bella
Brie Bella
Shotzi
Natalya
Michelle McCool
Dana Brooke
Carmella
Queen Zelina
Mickie James
Tamina
Kelly Kelly
Aliyah
Summer Rae
Naomi
Shayna Baszler
Lita
Charlotte
The Bella Twins and Lita are all retired and have been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. James is currently the reigning Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion, which was acknowledged by commentary. Charlotte will be the first reigning champion to enter the Women’s Royal Rumble. There is no word on if any other entr..

Smackdown
Date: January 7, 2022
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncastville, Connecticut
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
It’s the first show of the year and that means we’re in for a special night with two World Champions in the house. Last Saturday, Brock Lesnar became the WWE Champion and tonight he is here to confront Roman Reigns, who was not around at Day One due to health issues. I think that’s going to make for a sufficient explosion so let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Paul Heyman aligning with Brock Lesnar on Raw, revealing that he got Lesnar into the WWE Title match at Day One.
Here is Roman Reigns for a chat. He was gone for a week and everything fell apart….but here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman to interrupt. We get the big staredown and Heyman loads up the catchphrase but Lesnar gets in Reigns’ face to introduce himself. That means Lesnar does Heyman’s catchphrases and tells Reigns to acknowledge him.
Last Saturday, they both got what they wanted: Lesnar ..

Triple H has been a major focus of pro wrestling headlines over the past several days. The ironic part however is that it’s not due to anything that the WWE Hall of Famer has specifically done. The reason for his constant name dropping is because of WWE’s latest round of talent cuts.
The most recent target was NXT. The Road Dogg, William Regal and Samoa Joe are now all gone from the company. Each man has direct ties to Triple H and the same is true of many in-ring talents that WWE has released over the past two years. Many fans are crying foul, but is Triple H the common denominator, or is something else going on?
Extremely fortunate and grateful to all the young & amazing talent I had the pleasure of working with in the past months. Only saddened at the loss of an “excuse” to see their continued growth & achievement . I am very excited for there future,….. and mine ?
— Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) January 7, 2022
Building a Brand It’s easy to sit back and presume that Hunter’s handiwork ..

NXT UK
Date: January 6, 2022
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness
We’re in a new year over in England and that means it is time for a major title match. This time around that means we have the Women’s Title on the line, with Meiko Satomura defending against Blair Davenport. Other than that, we could be in for almost anything else. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Meiko Satomura vs. Blair Davenport.
Opening sequence.
Ashton Smith/Oliver Carter vs. Symbiosis Eddie Dennis is here with Symbiosis. Primate drives Carter into the corner to start before cranking on the arm. Carter kicks his way to freedom and brings Smith in to flip T-Bone over by the arm for a change. A slingshot shoulder drops T-Bone again and it’s Carter grabbing the armbar. Smith comes back in for his own shoulder and Carter’s slingshot splash gets two as this is one sided so far.
T-Bone finally powers Carter over to the corner but Smith breaks up a double suplex ..

Can you blame them? Possibly the biggest wrestling story over the last year and a half has been WWE’s long string of releases. The company has not stopped lately either, letting go another dozen people this week. That kind of turnover is going to have some kind of impact on the people who are still around and now we have a better idea of just how they are reacting to what happened.
According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, the latest batch of releases made for a sad day in WWE, with several people who rarely show empathy being shaken up by the news. People were said to be upset or sad about the releases, with one joking that they were now in Nick Khan’s WWE. One of the statements was that WWE is not the company it once was. No one spoken to was happy with the situation, as the question is now who might be next to go.
A lot of talented people were let go this week. Check out what some of them have done in their careers:
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There was nothing for him? The biggest wrestling story of the week has been the latest batch of WWE releases, as the company let several names from NXT go. This latest group was mainly on the coaching/training side of NXT, including a few well known names. One of those names in particular was quite the surprise but it seems that WWE might have had a specific reason for letting him go.
Longtime NXT General Manager William Regal was one of the names released from WWE this week. According to Wrestling Observer Live, the reason for Regal’s departure was due to WWE having nothing for him to do in NXT. Regal no longer serves as an on-screen character and since WWE is no longer signing talent from independent promotions, Regal was not needed as a scout.
Regal was a pretty big deal in NXT. Check out what he did while he was around:
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Opinion: This is one of the m..

Welcome to the team. There has been a lot of upheaval in WWE as of late, with the roster being shifted in a variety of ways. This has included the wrestlers on both the main roster and down in NXT, but that has not been the entirety of the changes. The coaching and production staff has also been turned upside down, but now we know another name who will be joining the ranks.
According to Fightful Select, former Impact Wrestling X-Division Champion Petey Williams has joined WWE as a full time producer. Williams has been working for the company on a trial basis for several months. It is not clear when he will begin to work full time or which show he will be working on. Williams has wrestled for Impact Wrestling on and off since 2004, winning the X-Division Title twice.
Williams was a pretty big deal in Impact Wrestling. Check out his time there:
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Opinion: W..

Another new career? WWE’s releases have struck again, with several more names being released from the company this week. This time was a bit different though, as several trainers and coaches were let go from NXT. Several of the coaches had been regulars wrestlers before the NXT relaunch late last year, and one of them already has plans for his future.
According to Fightful Select, following his release from WWE earlier this week, Samoa Joe is expected to return to the ring, either on the independent circuit or in another major promotion. There is no word on when his no complete clause will end, but four longtime independent promoters are said to be interested in bringing him in. Joe last wrestled on August 22, defeating Karrion Kross to become a three time NXT Champion.
Joe was a force in NXT. Check out his time both there and on the main roster:
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Opinio..

Welcome to your new home. Every now and then, you see a wrestler who instantly gets your attention. It might be due to something they say or something they do, but there is something about them that makes you watch them. Seeing them move forward or upward in their careers can be quite the sight, and now it seems that a certain WWE star may be heading up the ladder.
This week on NXT UK, Walter announced that he will be wrestling his last match for the brand on January 13, when he faces Nathan Frazer. According to 411mania.com, Walter will be moving to NXT full time, though there is no word on when he will be arriving on the show. For several years, Walter had not wanted to come to America full time as he was happy living in Germany.
Walter is a monster. Check out his announcement plus what he can do when he is in the ring:
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Opinion: This is something a lo..

That’s going to be a no. WWE is a huge company with a lot of different moving parts, but there are always going to be some things that do not make the most sense. Some of these instances involve plans that seem to change at the last minute, which was the case with a major match just a few years ago. The match never took place, and now we know the simple reason why.
Jinder Mahal won the WWE Title in May 2017 and held it until November of the same year, ultimately losing it to AJ Styles. The loss canceled a scheduled match between Mahal and Universal Champion Brock Lesnar at the Survivor Series. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, the last minute change was due to the fact that Lesnar did not want to work with Mahal. Lesnar went on to defeat Styles at Survivor Series.
It wound up going well. Check out Lesnar vs. Styles, plus what we could have seen:
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Op..

It’s for real this time. According to a report from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, Samoa Joe has been released by WWE. This is the second time in eight months that Joe has been let go by the company.
Samoa Joe has been released by WWE, Fightful has confirmed with the company.
More details to come on https://t.co/jy8u4a7WDa this evening. pic.twitter.com/qmr6AC8mpR
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) January 6, 2022
Joe was among nine wrestlers who were released in April 2021, a list that included Tucker, Chelsea Green, Kalisto, Bo Dallas, Wesley Blake, Mickie, Billie Kay, and Peyton Royce. However, Joe was rehired the same day and made his return to NXT shortly afterward.
In August of 2021, Joe would become the NXT Champion after defeating Karrion Kross at TakeOver 36. However, due to injury, he was forced to vacate the title on September 12, and was not seen on WWE television again following that.
Check out what happened after Joe won the title:
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Mark your calendars. It’s a new year and that means it is time to see what is coming up next on the wrestling schedule. WWE has a lot of shows to run, with some of their bigger ones coming early in the new year. Day One is already out of the way and we are on the Road to WrestleMania, but now we might need to get ready for one heck of a big out of the way trip.
According to Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Podcast, WWE is heading back to Saudi Arabia for its next event at some point in February. The show is expected to be held on Saturday, February 19 as it would continue WWE’s new trend of major events being held on Saturdays. WWE was last in Saudi Arabia for an event on October 21, 2021 when they presented Crown Jewel.
Hearing that WWE is planning on returning to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, February 19th. #WWE #ProWrestling pic.twitter.com/K8GyK1HZ84
— Andrew Zarian (@AndrewZarian) January 6, 2022
WWE has a history in Saudi Arabia. Check out some of the company’s time in the country:
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