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The more people change, the more different they are. NXT has become one of the most entertaining wrestling promotions in the world, with a rabid fan base and some of the strongest matches wrestling has seen in years. It also has some incredible characters who have gotten over with the fans in a big way. However, some of them might not be as you remember them, at least to start.
Who is that?
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WWE has released a new video looking at the Top 5 NXT Superstars with First Looks You Won’t Believe. The idea is looking at wrestlers whose looks have changed dramatically over the years. Each of the five are known by their same name today (or at least very close) and the focus is entirely on their look rather than a different gimmick. After all of the original looks, the modern look is shown for a comparison.
Opinion: This kind of thing is always cool to see as you really do have some different people in very different looks over the years. Some of the..

The WWE Universe isn’t happy with Nia Jax after her botch has put Becky Lynch on the shelf indefinitely. That’s understandable, and WWE officials seemed to have embraced the situation. Jax has been active on social media. It’s clear she’s playing the role of the heel going forward, but her receiving a new push has infuriated the WWE locker room.
At WWE TLC, Ronda Rousey will defend the Raw Women’s Championship against Nia. A lot of people don’t believe Jax deserves the opportunity. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE officials and the rest of the locker room feels one way or the other about her receiving a push and a title match at TLC despite the botch.
Related: Social Media Has Gotten Nia Jax in Trouble With WWE Behind the scenes, some people understand that business is business. The fact is Nia has a lot of heat after that botch, which is perfect to get the WWE Universe to support Ronda during the feud. The other side of the argument is that Nia Jax i..

At Survivor Series, SmackDown Live didn’t win a match during the event against Raw. A single win during the pre-show doesn’t count for the storyline. The expectation was that Shane McMahon would make “big changes” to the brand following the embarrassment that was Survivor Series. However, last Tuesday evening’s show was business as usual.
Instead of reacting to the situation, Shane got involved with The Miz and had a bizarre angle during a tag team match. According to a report from PWInsider, Thanksgiving is the reason why WWE officials kept Shane McMahon from “punishing” SmackDown for its failure at Survivor Series. The belief is fans could have been distracted by the holiday to start a new angle like that. Therefore, WWE decided to wait another week to do it.
Related: Real Reason Why Shane McMahon “Won” WWE World Cup at ‘Crown Jewel’ The important thing to develop is the heel turn for Shane O’Mac that began after WWE Crown Jewel. The angle should be perfect for building some heat o..

So England can feel even. Earlier this year, NXT UK debuted on the WWE Network, offering a second version of the hottest show in WWE. The show is filled with fresh talent and a few familiar faces that have taken a fast hold on their fans. With two episodes airing every week on the WWE Network, the show has already hit the ground running. I think you know where this is going.
They’re taking over too.
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In a new video posted to WWE’s YouTube page, Triple H announced the first ever NXT UK Takeover, which will be held in Blackpool, England on January 12 and air live on the WWE Network. No matches have been announced for the card yet though some will likely be set in the upcoming weeks. There is no word on how many Takeovers the UK brand will feature or when the next one will take place.
Opinion: I mean, you had to know this was coming right? It’s not like it’s exactly a big surprise so just getting it over with already is probably the best idea…

That’s a special one. This weekend, WWE presented a special house show in the form of Starrcade. The original run of the show was the biggest event of the year for the NWA/WCW and was brought back last year for the first time since December 2000. The show was almost a tribute to WCW and the theme continued to a certain degree this year, including a special appearance from Ric Flair.
Saturday night at Starrcade, Flair appeared for a concert with Elias. Before the singing began, the two of them talked for a bit with Flair saying he was a big fan of Elias and his music. He even said that Elias could have any woman in the company, save for Charlotte of course. The two of them were eventually joined by Tamina, Nia Jax, Alicia Fox and Mickie James. Here’s what happened:
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Opinion: This is the kind of thing that makes such a show feel important and that’s what they were going for here. Flair was one of the stars of the show and it made for an entert..

Sometimes you get a surprise. This weekend, WWE presented Starrcade as a special house show. The event certainly has some history to it, even in WWE as it was held last year as well. The card was stacked and featured two steel cage matches and a special appearance from Ric Flair. However, in addition to the big card, there was a special surprise for the fans in attendance.
Bray Wyatt made his return at Starrcade, answering an open challenge from Baron Corbin and defeating him with a rollup. After the pin, Corbin restarted the match with no disqualifications. This brought out Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre to beat Wyatt down but Elias and Finn Balor made the save, allowing Wyatt to pick up the win with Sister Abigail. This was Wyatt’s first match since September 15 on Monday Night Raw. There is no word on when Wyatt will return to TV.
How about a fresh one of these?
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Opinion: Cool. Wyatt being back is a good sign as the company can always u..

Sure why not. Last year, WWE brought back Starrcade in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, marking the first edition of the show in about seventeen years. Now it seems to be a tradition over Thanksgiving weekend (the show’s original time, at least in general) and I took in this year’s edition in the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show ran over three and a half hours, including a fifteen minute intermission.
Before the show, they aired an ad for the Wednesday night lineup, including the Mae Young Classic. The show that ended a month ago.
The crowd was hot all night and attendance was strong, with some sections blocked off. I didn’t see a hard camera so I’m not sure how this was shot, though there were regular cameramen around all night.
The show opened with a tribute video to Dusty Rhodes, who created the idea for Starrcade. This was well received and you could tell the fans were slightly older here, with a lot of Ric Flair and Dusty fans all night long.
After a Welcome to Starrc..

Traditionally, Chris Jericho’s hiatus from WWE is the result of him leaving for Fozzy or another commitment outside of wrestling. This year, Y2J has been wrestling outside of WWE for New Japan and has become the IWGP Intercontinental Champion. Recently, he ran the “Jericho Wrestling Cruise” and it was very well received by those in attendance.
It took a lot of work and two years for Jericho to pull off the cruise. Originally, he went to WWE officials with the idea and was turned down. Instead, Jericho went to ROH and other promotions to find talent for the cruise. Apparently, he wants to make the cruise an annual event and that might be a point of contention between himself and WWE.
Related: Chris Jericho’s Wrestling Cruise: How Did It Go? According to a report from RingSideNews, Jericho was able to get so much talent from a promotion like ROH or Impact because of his friendship with Don Callis. If Y2J can pull off the cruise for the second year in a row, he could ask WWE officials t..

Hopefully they can get over it. Wrestling, and WWE in particular, can be an up and down place. There are times when people have good things happen to them but other times, they’re not so lucky. Both of them are remembered in one way or another, but in the latter cases, they’re not such fond memories. Since WWE can be a pretty cruel company at times, that’s what they’re looking at today.
Not a list you want to be on.
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WWE has posted a new Top Ten video looking at Embarrassing Superstar Moments. The list spans a long history and includes moments both from WWE and other promotions, including WCW. Some of these are more famous than others and there is a collection of actual errors and real life blunders. The moment from earlier this week that likely inspired the list is included as well.
Opinion: These are going to depend on your individual taste, as some of them are rather funny and others are the various ideas that WWE thinks are funny for re..

Former WWE superstar Neville, now known as a PAC, recently held a Q&A session on his Instagram account.
Below are some questions, along with Neville’s answers:
If he would you ever go to NJPW:
“I’d love to carry on destroying the roster up there but I’m focused on Dragon Gate. “
If there are any USA companies he’s interested in working with:
“No.”
How was Vince [McMahon]:
“Powerful man won’t say much though he’d sue me 4 times in a row.”
How long would Enzo last in a real fight:
“It wasn’t really Enzo why I left, I don’t hate the lad. He was just annoying backstage and putting the title on him was bad, especially beating me. I was worth more than being jobbed out to jobbers, so that’s why I left.”
His best NXT match:
“Me and Sami for the title.”
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If he hates WWE:
“No, they gave me the opportunity to shine and shine I did. The lads over there are great but they ran out of ideas for me, so I left.”
If he thinks he can beat Brock Le..

I guess we’ll call this a Christmas present. It’s kind of hard to fathom that John Cena just kind of walked away from WWE. He’s not completely gone, but his appearances are very few and far between anymore, with only a handful of matches a year. That means it’s rare to see him and something that is quite the treat, especially around the holidays. Now, we know when we’ll be seeing him next.
As announced on WWE.com, Cena will be appearing on three shows in December. Cena will wrestle on the December 27 show in Long Island, the December 28 show in Baltimore and the December 30 show in Tampa, facing the Miz on all three nights. Prior to this, Cena’s most recent match was at Super Show-Down in October. It is not known when he will be returning to WWE TV.
In case you’ve forgotten what Cena does.
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Opinion: These are the kind of things that you don’t get very often anymore as Cena is certainly going to be moving to Hollywood even more than he alrea..