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Over the past few months, the man behind The Velveteen Dream has been really active on social media to the chagrin of NXT and WWE officials. His activity has ruffled some feathers behind the scenes and there have been rumors about him having backstage heat for a while now. The saving grace for him is The Dream is red-hot as a performer.
Despite all the rumors, it’s tough to pinpoint if The Velveteen Dream has backstage heat with WWE officials or if it’s all part of the rumor mill created by the WWE Universe. It’s been reported by RingSideNews that The Dream has acknowledged his heat with WWE in a tweet that claims “he’s ready to deal with the ramifications of being his true self.”
Related: Velveteen Dream Might Be In Trouble 2 The Offices of @WWE / @WWENXT
? AM READY 2 DEAL WITH THE RAMIFICATIONS OF BEING MY FULL SELF.
NOTHING SHOULD SURPRISE U.
— The DREAM (@VelveteenWWE) December 31, 2018
It’s unclear if Velveteen Dream is being pushed behind the scenes. He’s one of the bigge..

The champ vs. The face. WWE has posted a new video to their YouTube channel in which they show the full match between John Cena and AJ Styles for the WWE Championship from the 2017 Royal Rumble.
You can see the match in its entirety below:
[This post contains video, click to play]

From WWE.com:
It’s official! At Royal Rumble 2017, John Cena did the impossible: He tied Ric Flair’s hallowed record of 16 World Title wins after defeating AJ Styles in an emotional match witnessed by 52,020 frenzied fans inside the Alamodome.
For years, it seemed inconceivable that any Superstar could approach Flair’s record, let alone match it. Year after year, however, The Champ continued his hard work and determination, relentless in his drive to elevate himself. And though he captured the United States Championship just 14 months ago, he hadn’t won a World Title since June 29, 2014. That perseverance, however, would pay hefty dividends at Royal Rumble in his pursuit of the WWE Championship.
Editor..

Nice to meet you. There are all kinds of roster moves throughout a year. Someone might be put on the shelf with an injury and then come back, or make a long awaited return from a hiatus. It might be a surprise or it might be something you knew was coming for a long time, but there is one big one left: the initial debut. There were several over the course of the year and WWE is looking back at them.
Well hello there. Check out WWE’s best debuts of 2018:
[This post contains video, click to play]

WWE has posted a new video looking at the Top Ten Most Memorable Debuts of 2018. The video is exactly what it sounds like, with a look back at people making their first appearance in one way or another. These include both people showing up on NXT TV for the first time as well as recent callups debuting on the main roster. The entries are not people who had previously appeared and were making returns as everyone is new.
Opinion: The future is pretty bright around here with all kinds of people..

The bar has been set. WWE has recently posted a new video to its YouTube page in which they show the entire 2012 Royal Rumble match. Sheamus was the victor that year and went on to WrestleMania to challenge for the championship of his choosing.
You can see the match in ins entirety below:
[This post contains video, click to play]

From WWE.com:
It was a grueling battle for the powerhouse who drew No. 22. Entering before a sold-out crowd that had already witnessed Ricardo Rodriguez rolling to the ring in an ’85 Datsun, Kofi Kingston walking on his hands to avoid elimination and Michael Cole jumping over the top rope to escape the wrath of Kharma, The Celtic Warrior immediately made his presence felt by launching Kingston out of the ring.
From there, the Rumble became a demolition derby of battered bodies and unpredictable arrivals. Booker T, Jerry “The King” Lawler and Michael Cole all left the broadcast booth at one point to try their luck in the bout, but were quickly sent back t..

Sami Zayn has been out of action for several months after tearing both of his rotator cuffs this summer. With the Royal Rumble coming around, most people are wondering if the “Underdog From the Underground” will be an entrant in the match. WWE officials do like to surprise the WWE Universe, but the chances of him wrestling are really slim.
During a recent appearance on Talk is Jericho, Zayn explained that he’s still a couple of months away from being medically cleared. He also went into detail about not being in a hurry to return to the road and enjoying his time away from the ring. A lot of people will take that out of context, but Sami really means is he’s enjoying the time he has off.
Related: Update On Return Dates For Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn WWE has been running vignettes for his return to Raw for the past few weeks. If Zayn is really still a few months off, that’s unfair to set the expectation that Sami will be back in time for the Royal Rumble. Depending on how close they ar..

Fusion #36
Date: December 28, 2018
Location: Scottish Rite Temple, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone
It’s time for one of the biggest matches of this taping, if not the main event of the whole thing. This week we’ll be seeing Konnan come out of retirement to challenge Low Ki for the World Title in a match that is almost destined to go the way of shenanigans. Other than that, it’s time for more build towards Super Fight, which should be a changing of the guard. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of the war between Konnan and Salina de la Renta, which has seen Konnan bringing in one name after another to go after Low Ki. With all of them having been vanquished, it’s Konnan’s time to do it himself.
Opening sequence.
The announcers preview the World Title match.
We look back at Tom Lawlor choking out Simon Gotch last week.
Here’s Gotch for the $20,000 open challenge.
Simon Gotch vs. Ace Romero Romero weighs about 400lbs and Gotch knows he screwed up. Some..

Fusion Christmas Day Special
Date: December 25, 2018
Location: Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Rich Bocchini
So this is exactly what the title says it is: a special show that aired as a surprise on Christmas Day. It’s not quite as long as the regular episode of Fusion but in this case that might be a good thing. For a special show like this, you don’t want to overstay your welcome and if you get a good show out of it, cool. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
PCO says he’s not human and Brody King can’t handle the electricity.
PCO vs. Brody King No DQ and a rematch of a match that went insane. They slug it out to start with King being sent outside for a quick suicide dive. King’s chop hits the post and he hurts his hand trying to chop PCO again. A chair shot slows PCO down a bit and King sits him in said chair for a running cannonball. It takes a few seconds but the chair does indeed break underneath the two of them.
PCO is right back with a DDT on t..

After three years in exile, Hulk Hogan made his first appearance with WWE for Crown Jewel. His brief appearance was just to say hello and acknowledge the rumors that he’s been speaking with WWE officials again. However, he hasn’t been mentioned and there has been no update on the WWE Hall of Famer’s next appearance with the company.
With WrestleMania 35 approaching fast, the WWE Universe is wondering if Hulk Hogan will make an appearance on the grandest stage of them all. Hogan won’t do more than a brief promo or interact with someone for fun. The odds of him working a match or even getting physical in the ring are very low, but that’s not stopping some WWE Superstars.
Related: Current WWE Star Challenges Hulk Hogan For WrestleMania 35. According to a report from RingSideNews.com, Brad Shepard replied to a Twitter post from Bryan Alvarez stating that Hulk Hogan would be involved with WrestleMania 35 in some shape or form. Other than being the host, the roles for him at limited. He co..

Say that again? While the most important part of wrestling would seem to be wrestling, the more important part is actually everything else. If you can’t get people to come and see the shows or watch them at home, it doesn’t matter what happens in the ring. The microphone means more than anything else and can do more harm or good to anyone on any given wrestling show. That sounds worthy of a look back.
In a new article posted to WWE.com, WWE is taking a look at the Top Ten Mic Moments of 2018. Instead of a compilation, this set is a series of stand alone videos, with each one showing most of if not all of the speech in question. They are all from the main roster and most of them happen to come from SmackDown Live. The full list can be seen at the link but here are numbers three thru one:
3. Paul Heyman Says The Show Must Go On: [This post contains video, click to play]

2. Becky Lynch Has A Backup Plan: [This post contains video, click to play]

1. The YES Movement Is Dead: [This po..

My goodness what a year. I know a lot of 2018 wasn’t the strongest year from top to bottom, but there are some absolute gems in there, with some of the best matches to be seen. Between the main roster, NXT and other shows that WWE produces, 2018 produced some incredible matches and with the year coming to a close, it’s time to start looking back at some of the best.
In a new article on WWE.com, WWE is looking back at the Top 25 Matches of 2018. These matches include both main roster matches as well as NXT, with a healthy sampling from each. There are several pay per views and television matches on the list with a variety of regular matches and gimmick matches included. The entire list is available above but here are the top five from one to five:
5. Seth Rollins vs. The Miz – Backlash: [This post contains video, click to play]

4. Moustache Mountain vs. Undisputed Era – NXT, July 11: [This post contains video, click to play]

3. Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan – Survivor Series [This..

Minor league doesn’t mean weaker. I don’t think it’s any secret that NXT is one of the hottest wrestling promotions in the last several years. They know how to put things together to turn it into one of the most exciting television shows you’ll ever see. One of the things they do best is highlight reel moments, normally from the end of the matches. That sounds like a flashback to me.
You’ve probably seen these before. Check out some of the best highlight reel moments of the NXT year:
[This post contains video, click to play]

WWE has released a new video on their YouTube page showcasing the Top 5 Most Insane NXT Maneuvers Of 2018. Several of these maneuvers finished a match but there are some that took place in the middle, meaning they might not have even been the biggest spot of the match. There is a mixture of maneuvers from both the regular NXT TV show and the Takeover specials.
Opinion: This is exactly where NXT shines. They set up these big matches and feuds and give you not o..

As 2018 comes to a close, it’s hard to argue that anyone else but Becky Lynch had the better year. Since Summerslam, The Lass Kicker has been red-hot and everything that happens has improved her role with the company. She may have lost the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WWE TLC, but she’s entering 2019 with a ton of momentum.
Her new attitude that could be seen as a babyface or heel run depending on your view, has drawn several comparisons to Stone Cold Steve Austin and other great anti-heroes in WWE history. It’s become a cliche to compare an anti-hero to The Texas Rattlesnake, but she recently addresses those comparisons during an interview with Gorilla Position.
Related: Becky Lynch Named 2018 CBS Sports Wrestler Of The Year Becky Lynch said the following regarding the WWE Universe comparing her to Austin:
“It’s quite an honor to be compared to ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, he’s one of the greatest Superstar we’ve ever had. It’s unbelievable, unbelievable. So I take that with a l..