NEWS

Welcome back. We are coming up the Road To WrestleMania and that means it is time to start setting things up. There are a few ways to do that and some of them are a little more complicated than others. One of the best things that WWE can do is bring back some of its bigger names, many of whom will be in action at WrestleMania. Now we know a little bit more about one of the top returning stars.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Ronda Rousey is returning to WWE on a one year deal. Rousey will be part of the SmackDown roster but will likely appear on some Monday Night Raw shows as well. There is no word on if Rousey will be around every week, but the deal is said to be for more than the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania. WWE has yet to officially announce anything about Rousey, though she may be saved for a surprise at the Royal Rumble.
Rousey has not wrestled for WWE since WrestleMania 35 in 2019. She debuted at the 2018 Royal Rumble and made her in-ring debut at WrestleMania 45. Rous..

It’s time for things to get serious in WWE and that makes things feel better. WWE tends to know how to get the bigger things right, at least when it comes to the build. That is the case again this time, as the card for the show is looking great. The Rumbles themselves will be fine, but you also have some good looking World Title matches and a pretty stacked mixed tag. Let’s get to it.
Edge/Beth Phoenix vs. Miz/Maryse This is a match that you probably saw coming a few weeks ago as Maryse has been around from the start and Edge kept talking about Phoenix. The story itself has been a bit hit and miss though, as I’m not entirely sure why the four of them are still feuding. The idea of seeing Beth crush Maryse is appealing, though seeing Edge vs. Miz again isn’t the most thrilling.
I think they’re ready:
[This post contains video, click to play]

I’ll go with Miz/Maryse stealing a win here, as it seems to set up a final blowoff match. I’m not sure when that would happen as I can’t imagin..

Get the stars ready. There have been a lot of people in the wrestling industry over the years and a lot of them have worked for WWE at one time or another. The company has employed thousands of wrestlers and performers over the years and it is not easy to remember all of them, or even close to it. Some of them do stand out more than others though and that has one of WWE’s major partners rather pleased.
Earlier this month, several guest stars appeared on SmackDown, with Eric Bischoff and Jeff Jarrett among others making surprise appearances. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, FOX was pleased with the idea of surprise guest stars as they felt it could lead to extra buzz over who might show up. Therefore, WWE may be having more surprise guests on its show, though it is not clear when this may start.
Opinion: I can go for the idea, but it would be a little bit weird to see it happen so frequently. If nothing else, it would be nice to have these wrestlers or people appear for..

It might be a bit. There have been a lot of changes in the wrestling world over the last year and a half but the most impactful might have taken place in NXT. The promotion barely resembles what it once was, which is the case both in front of and behind the camera. Some of the backstage changes have been even bigger than those in the ring, and now we have an update on one of the biggest.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE has no current plans to bring back Triple H in any capacity. This is due to Triple H’s health issues, following a cardiac event suffered last September. Should Triple H’s health improve, he could be allowed to come back as plans could change. Triple H has lost most of his authority in WWE in recent months, with John Laurinaitis and Bruce Prichard taking over his responsibilities.
Opinion: This isn’t the biggest surprise as there was nothing to suggest that Triple H was going to be back anytime soon. Ultimately, he has very little authority at the mo..

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 2021
Date: January 31, 2021
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Samoa Joe, Tom Phillips
A year has passed and a lot of things have changed, including the lack of a Thunderdome. This is one of the last major shows without fans and it is going to be weird looking back at how different everything was just a year ago. I’m not sure what to expect from the card but the Rumble is always cool to see. Let’s get to it.
Kickoff Show: Asuka/C..

I’d call that a big one. We are just over two months away from WrestleMania 38 and that means WWE should have a lot of the show ready. While we might not know what to expect, WWE likely has most of the card ready to go. This should mean a few things will start to become more clear in the coming weeks, and now we might know what one of the bigger matches is going to be.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE has had internal discussions over holding Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 38, though the match has yet to be confirmed. Rousey has been rumored to return to WWE television at the Royal Rumble, possibly taking part in the match itself. Lynch is the reigning Raw Women’s Champion and is scheduled to defend her title against Doudrop at the Royal Rumble.
Rousey has not wrestled for WWE since WrestleMania 35 in 2019. She debuted at the 2018 Royal Rumble and made her in-ring debut at WrestleMania 45. Rousey would go on to become the Raw Women’s Champion and ulti..

It’s a different career. Professional wrestlers are very talented people. You don’t get to the top level of your profession without a good deal of skill and that is often on display. However, it does not mean that wrestling is the only thing these wrestlers can do well, though you do not get to see it very often. Now though, you might be seeing someone getting to showcase their talents in another way.
Lio Rush has announced that he has signed a deal with the Universal Music Group, Thump Records and Virgin Music. There is no word on what this means for Rush or if he will be releasing an album or singles in the near future. Rush had previously stepped away from the ring to work on music before returning. Earlier this month, Rush announced that his AEW contract would be expiring, making him a free agent.
Today I signed a deal with @UMG #UniversalMusicGroup , @ThumpRecords and @virginmusic . ??? ? #LioRush pic.twitter.com/GvaXC7CtZX
— Lio Rush (@IamLioRush) January 28, 2022
Opinion: I’..

He has earned it. NXT is in a unique spot in the wrestling world, as it is both the developmental promotion for WWE while also being its own weekly television shows. The promotion has to find a way to balance these positions out, but one of the bigger problems is losing its talent for the sake of a main roster promotion. It seems that we will be seeing that take place again soon.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, LA Knight is likely in line for a promotion to the main roster after WrestleMania 38 in early April. Knight is 39 years old and WWE has been pushing for younger wrestlers on its main roster shows, but the company is said to be very high on Knight’s work. There is no word on which show Knight would be brought up to should he be called up.
Opinion: I have been a fan of Knight’s for a long time now and it would be great to see him get a shot on the main roster. Knight has a great look, can talk, and is good enough in the ring to back it up. There is something to W..

There’s a game changer. We are less than a day away from the Royal Rumble and that means the show’s namesake matches are mostly set. WWE does like to bring in some last minute names though and some of them can be some pretty big deals. Sometimes they are names you might not have seen coming, and that very well may have been the case with someone who popped back up this week.
This week’s SmackDown began with Charlotte talking about how no one could beat her in the women’s Royal Rumble. Several women came out to object, capped off by the return of Sasha Banks. After staring Charlotte down, Banks cleared the ring, including throwing Charlotte over the top. Later in the night, Banks was officially announced as a participant in the women’s Royal Rumble.
Banks’ return comes after she missed several weeks of action due to a foot injury suffered in a match with Charlotte. It was not clear when she would be back in the ring, though a Royal Rumble return was a possibility. This will only be Ba..

That’s a big move. There are a lot of wrestlers on the WWE roster, to the point where the company can split the roster into multiple groups on their own shows. These wrestlers rarely interact with each other, but you do see it happen from time to time. Usually this is the case before some of the bigger shows of the year and that seemed to be the case again. Now though, we are seeing a more permanent change.
This week on SmackDown, it was announced that Big E. has officially been moved from Monday Night Raw back to SmackDown. The move allowed Big E. to reunite with his former New Day teammates Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, with Big E. teaming with Kingston in a tag match on this week’s show. There is no word on why the move was made or if this will be an official reunion of the New Day.
Big E. was moved into a singles run in the 2020 WWE Draft, when New Day was officially split up. The team was then reunited for a few weeks, only to have Big E. jump over to Monday Night Raw after wi..

Rampage
Date: January 28, 2022
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Taz, Chris Jericho, Excalibur, Ricky Starks
It’s another Friday and Jon Moxley is back in the ring. That should be enough to make the show work, but we also have a pair of title matches, as Jade Cargill defends the TBS Title against Julia Hart and Private Party challenges for the Tag Team Titles. That’s not bad for an hour so let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Anthony Bowens vs. Jon Moxley Moxley gets a great ovation and Caster’s rap is about every thing happening to Moxley as of late, save for his rehab. Moxley jumps Bowens before the bell and beats him up, including taking it to the floor. He even stops to bow to and pose with referee Aubrey Edwards. The fight goes into the crowd with Bowens getting beaten up out there too. Back to ringside with Bowens managing to post him to slow things down.
They get back in with Bowens starting in on the arm but Moxley fights out of a suplex. Bowens neckbre..

Smackdown
Date: January 28, 2022
Location: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and that means it is probably time for the fabled face to face showdown. In this case, that likely means Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins, who just don’t have that much history together. Other than that, we are likely going to get the final push towards tomorrow night. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Here is Charlotte to get things going. She promises to do what Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will never do: bring a championship to Kansas City! Charlotte promises to win the Royal Rumble on Saturday, where there will be returns and betrayals. There are going to be people fighting and clawing to go to Wrestlemania. Cue Shayna Baszler to interrupt, saying that this is her language. Baszler is going to win, but here is Aliyah to brag about her world record. She is feeling confident, but here is Natalya to interrupt, calling Al..