NEWS

End of the line? Wrestlers are a unique breed when it comes to athletics. While they are all athletes in one way or another, many of them top caliber, many of them do not walk away from competition like others are able to do. This is partially due to being able to get back in the ring for one more match, making it hard to finish up. Now one legend is ready to finish things up for good though.
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Dustin Rhodes began wrestling back in 1988 and has wrestled for a variety of promotions all over the world, from WCW to WWE to Impact Wrestling to AEW and various other stops in between. According to Premiere Streaming Network, Rhodes announced at this weekend’s Blizzard Brawl tapings that 2023 will be his final year wrestling. Rhodes, 53, did not say when in the year he planned on retiring or any specific plans for the year.
.@dustinrhodes has announced at the @BlizzardBrawl tapings that 2023 will be his last year wre..

He’s working on it. Earlier this year, Cody Rhodes made a surprise return to WWE after a years long absence, defeating Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38. Unfortunately, Rhodes tore his pectoral muscle during training about two months later, resulting in him needing surgery and putting him on the shelf. Rhodes is still recovering, but now we know a bit more about his recovery process.
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According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Rhodes is “doing well” in recovery and is working with “top level trainers” as he tries to get healthy again. Rhodes is also said to be the largest he has ever been in his career, now weighing about 240lbs as he attempts to build size and strength. There is still no expected return date, though a torn pectoral normally takes about 4-6 months of recovery, with Rhodes being injured in early June.
Rhodes made an impact in his short time back. Check out w..

The numbers don’t lie. Last weekend, WWE presented its annual Survivor Series event, though this year’s edition was more than a little different. Instead of the usual elimination matches, WWE centered the show around a pair of WarGames matches, with the men and women both getting a chance. That is quite the twist, but things seem to have gone well, at least based on the numbers.
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The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has revealed some of the business numbers for this year’s Survivor Series. The majority of these are positive and look at the amount of interest fans had in the show. Here are some highlights:
• There were 13,068 tickets out with 12,600 paid, for a gate of over $1 million.
• There were about 200,000 Google searches, or about the same as most WWE “B” premium live events.
• There were about 8,700 traditional pay per view buys, up about 24% from WWE Crown Jewel earlier in the mont..

He has some options. There are all kinds of stars in WWE’s developmental system and some of them are among the best wrestlers around today. It means a lot for one of them to move up the ladder, You can tell that some of the NXT stars are all but destined to become main roster stars as well and now one of them has set his signs on some rather top level opponents.
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During a new interview with WWE Die Woche from the official German WWE Instagram page, NXT Champion Bron Breakker spoke about who he wanted to face on the main roster. Breakker mentioned Roman Reigns at the top of his list, while also naming other former World Champions, such as AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins and more. Breakker has been the NXT Champion since April 4.
Breakker is a force on his own. Check out what might be coming for some top names one day:
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It would be an idea. There are all kinds of ways to present a wrestling story and some of them can be issues fans can relate to. At the same time though, there are some stories that are a little bit more outside of reality, as you would not be likely to see them take place in most people’s lives. Now we are hearing about some pitched ideas in WWE that would fit either list.
Former WWE writer Brian Gerwitz took to Twitter in response to recent “discussed” Royal Rumble plans. Gerwitz revealed some ideas that were “discussed” during his time with the company. Gerwitz mentioned two stories, neither of which ever made it to television. First up, there was an idea pitched of Vince McMahon having a midlife crisis, resulting in him growing a beard, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and singing Black Eyed Peas songs. The other idea would have involved Kaval, better known as Low Ki, revealed as Undertaker’s long lost son. There is no word on how close WWE came to using either idea.
Things “discussed” i..

That’s a big one. Wrestlers have a weird relationship with acting, as they are seen as actors in the ring, but are rarely able to land traditional acting roles as anything beyond a wrestler or some kind of a fighter. You do see someone break through occasionally though and that can make for some interesting moments. Now another WWE star seems to have landed a big acting role, but it isn’t something we can see.
According to Fightful Select, WWE’s Becky Lynch filmed a post credits scene for the Marvel movie “The Eternals”, but her scene did not make it into the finished film. There is no word on what the scene would have been, but it was described as being “too depressing”. There is still a chance that Lynch could wind up in another film down the line, though there is no word on what it could be.
Lynch is very talented in the ring too. Check out what she can do in her more natural job:
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For one night only. There are several different ways to present a wresting story and some of the most interesting ones involve personal issues. That can go in a variety of ways as well, with the relationships involved being positive or negative. It can be interesting to see what a promotion comes up with and sometimes the best choice is a surprise. That was true on Friday in a special moment.
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Earlier this year, Dexter Lumis made his return to NXT to briefly reunite with his storyline wife, Indi Hartwell. Lumis would then be arrested and return to Monday Night Raw, where he has since become a full member of the roster, while Hartwell remained in NXT. During Friday’s NXT live event in Jacksonville, Florida, Lumis made a surprise appearance, reuniting with Hartwell and defeating Javier Bernal. There is nothing to suggest that this is more than a one off appearance.
In-Dex Reunio..

Rampage
Date: December 2, 2022
Location: Indiana Farmer’s Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur
We are eight days away from Final Battle and the card is in need of some work. There are a few matches set but nowhere near enough to carry a full pay per view. Maybe we can get something new added tonight, but you never can tell with this show. At least the wrestling tends to be fun so let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Darby Allin vs. Cole Karter Before the match, Allin beats up Nick Comoroto with the baseball bat to cut him off. With that not being enough, Allin dives onto Karter on the floor but an apron powerbomb cuts him off. Back in and a buckle bomb rocks Allin again as we take a break. We come back with Karter missing a Stinger’s Splash but hitting a jumping knee to the face. Allin goes after the knee though and grabs a Code Red for two, leaving them both down. Karter drops him again and goes up, only to miss a 450. A hammerlock Scorpio..

That is some serious praise. There is no one in WWE on the level of Roman Reigns at the moment and that has been the case for a very long time now. Reigns has been the Universal Champion for nearly two and a half years and there is nothing to suggest that he will be losing the title anytime soon. It means a lot to be involved with Reigns at the moment, which means a lot for two current WWE stars.
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Back at Survivor Series, Kevin Owens slapped Roman Reigns, reportedly causing Reigns to become very angry about the situation. However, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the issue has cooled down and Owens will continue to work with Reigns. It was also noted that Reigns handpicked Owens and Sami Zayn to work with for this story. Zayn’s side of the story was meant to be short term but he got the story over and his inclusion continues. There is no word on how long the story with both will continu..

Another look. There are all kinds of ways to present a wrestler but a promotion has to find the right combination. Having a wrestler using the wrong character or the wrong story can be a career damaging situation but there are solutions out there. Sometimes a change needs to be made to a character or angle, and that is what WWE is doing again for someone who has undergone multiple changes.
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This week on SmackDown, a new vignette aired for Lacey Evans, showing her training with the United States Marine Corps. Evans is a former member of the Corps and has mentioned her service throughout her WWE career. This comes after Evans underwent multiple repackages this year, including one tied to her military service. Evans has only wrestled seven televised matches this year after missing over a year due to maternity leave.
This could be the one. Check out Evans’ latest vignette:
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That’s a serious one. There are all kinds of injuries in wrestling and some of them can be very serious indeed. You can see an injury take place all at once or some that are build up over time. Either can be devastating depending on how serious they are, and now we know more details on how bad a situation a current WWE superstar who has undergone rather serious surgery.
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WWE’s Robert Roode has made a post to Instagram, revealing that he has undergone neck fusion surgery in Birmingham, Alabama. The surgery fused his C5 and C6 vertebrae together, with Roode saying that it is time to begin recovery and rehabilitation. There is no word on when or if Roode, 45 years old, will be able to wrestle again. His most recent match took place on June 25.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Robert Roode (@realrobertroode)
Roode has a lot of talent. Check out what he has done in WWE:
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Smackdown
Date: December 2, 2022
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett
We are done with Survivor Series and on the long road to the Royal Rumble, as there is somehow no major event between now and the end of January. That is a lot of time to fill and first up we are probably going to be seeing the Bloodline celebrate their WarGames win. Other than that, the World Cup wraps up this week so let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Here is most of the Bloodline to get things going. After a WarGames recap, Sami Zayn praises the Usos but Jimmy cuts him off, saying tonight is about Zayn. On Saturday, Zayn was the MVP and the fans were chanting SAMI USO (as they do here). Jey says he didn’t like Sami for a long time but now Zayn has earned his respect and they won WarGames because of him. Jimmy asks Sami how he’s feeling and that would be pretty FREAKIN UCEY. We get a three way special handshake between the Usos and Zayn, who even dances a bit. Cue ..