NEWS

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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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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Wrestle Kingdom XVI Night One
Date: January 4, 2022
Location: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
Attendance: 12,047
Commentators: Chris Charlton, Kevin Kelly
It’s back to Japan for the first time in about a year, though the company does feel a good bit colder this time around. The pandemic and a slew of injuries have battered New Japan, but this show’s reputation is more than enough to warrant a look. The main event of this first night is Kazuchika Okada challenging Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Title, with the winner facing Will Ospreay tomorrow night. Let’s get to it.
Note that I do not regularly follow New Japan so I won’t know much in the way of storylines or recent character development. Please bear with me if I miss something that commentary does not explain.
Pre-Show: New Japan Ranbo
This is a 19 man Royal Rumble and over the top/pinfall/submission eliminations with one minute intervals. The final four advancing to a four way on night two for the Provisional King Of Pro Wrestling 2..

That could have been a lot worse. We are in the middle of a horrible global pandemic caused by the Coronavirus. There are only so many ways around the situation and a lot of people have gotten sick. That is certainly the case in the wrestling world, where several wrestlers have tested positive. Another huge name did so last week, but it might already have turned a corner.
Last weekend, WWE presented the first ever Day One event, which was scheduled to feature a Universal Title match between champion Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. Before the show, Reigns announced that he had tested positive for the Coronavirus and would be missing the show. However, WWE has announced that Reigns has been medically cleared to return and will be appearing on this week’s SmackDown to confront Lesnar, who won the WWE Title at Day One.
The champ is back. Check out what is waiting for Lesnar on SmackDown:
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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?
Thunder
Date: March 21, 2001
Location: O’Connell Center, Gainesville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay
We’ve arrived at the final shows. We’ll start off the final episode of the corporate mandate that was Thunder, which has somehow gotten even less important over the years. The big story coming out of Monday is Ric Flair’s face being pressed onto the back of a donkey and the upcoming Night of Champions on Monday. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Monday and most of the major stories. I’m st..

It does happen to everyone. One of the most common criticisms against wrestling is that it is “fake”. While the matches are pre-determined, the wrestlers are indeed in the ring and doing every physical thing themselves. There is nothing fake about the work that they are putting in and it is going to cause some physical problems. That seems to be the case again with a WWE star.
According to PWInsider.com, Monday Night Raw’s Carmella is dealing with some form of an injury. The exact nature of Carmella’s injury is not known, but her matches are being said to be set up to work around the injury. That was the case this week on Monday Night Raw, when Carmella and Queen Zelina retained the Women’s Tag Team Titles over Rhea Ripley and Nikki Ash with Carmella never getting in the ring. Carmella also did not wrestle on WWE’s recent holiday tour. In addition, the WWE locker room is said to have gained respect for Carmella working through the injury and doing everything that she can.
Carmella ha..

It can happen at any time. There are certain dangers that are always possibilities in wrestling and one of the worst of those is an injury. You never know what is going to happen and unfortunately it can take place even when something simple takes place. That seems to be the case again this week, as a wrestler has been injured in a match that most people have yet to see.
According to PWInsider.com (link contains spoilers), Jake Atlas was injured during his match with Adam Cole during this week’s edition of AEW Rampage. Atlas suffered a knee injury during the match, but was able to continue. There is currently no word on how severe the injury maybe. Atlas made his AEW debut last week and signed with the company earlier this week.
Atlas is good when he is in the ring. Check out what happens when he can go:
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Opinion: That is some amazing timing and hopefull..

What could have been. Last weekend, WWE presented its first ever Day One event, marking what might be a new tradition for the company. The show did have a big card, but it was not the one that was originally advertised. The announced main event of Universal Champion Roman Reigns defending against Brock Lesnar did not happen due to Reigns contracting the Coronavirus. Lesnar wound up winning the WWE Title instead after being inserted into the match. Now we might know what was coming before the change.
According to Dave Meltzer in an article for Sports Illustrated, the original plans for the WWE Title match at Day One would have called for Seth Rollins to win the title. There is no word on what would have been next for Rollins after he won the championship. In addition, the Reigns vs. Lesnar match would have featured Paul Heyman officially siding with Lesnar, which wound up taking place two days later on Monday Night Raw instead.
It was a busy night. Check out how the match went down an..