NEWS

It’s an option. We are in a new era in the wrestling world as there is now a second major wrestling promotion. WWE has dominated the landscape for decades but now we have another option available in the form of AEW. Several wrestlers have either already jumped or seem likely to do so. Now it seems that the list of former WWE stars on the AEW roster might be growing soon.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, former NXT Champion Johnny Gargano is said to be “heavily considering” signing with AEW. Gargano has spoken about wanting to face various AEW wrestlers, including Kenny Omega. As Gargano’s WWE contract expired, he could show up in AEW at any time, with the possibility of a debut in his hometown in Cleveland, Ohio on January 26 being seen as a possibility.
Gargano is a heck of a star. Check out his time in NXT:
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Opinion: I don’t think this is any kin..

It needs some work. There are a lot of wrestlers in WWE at the moment and some of them are more experienced than others. Therefore, it makes sense to not put everyone on the same level of show, as some of them are not ready for that kind of a stage. Sometimes even then things can go badly, which seemed to be the case last week with a rookie’s match.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, the match between Sarray and Lash Legend from last week’s 205 Live was “heavily edited” before being broadcast. The match was Legend’s second in her career and Sarray’s first match since her return to the United States following a return to Japan. The aired version lasted less than four minutes, though it is not clear how long the full match ran.
It was a different kind of match. Check out the match, plus the two of them in better situations:
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Opinion: This is one of the..

NXT UK
Date: December 23, 2021
Host: Nina Samuels
It’s almost Christmas and that means this show is getting a week off. We have a special holiday edition of the show, which is UK for Best Of 2021. That could make for a good show, as NXT UK has had a rather nice year so far. There are a lot of matches to pick from so let’s get to it.
These are going to be the full version of the matches copied over from the original reviews.
Nina Samuels welcomes us to the show and promises to give us the best.
Shawn Michaels narrates a video on the Iron Man match.
From August 5.
A-Kid vs. Jordan Devlin Thirty minute Iron Man match and A-Kid might have a bad knee coming in. Feeling out process to start and they take turns going after wrist control. Devlin gets him down into an armbar but A-Kid is right back up. A dropkick puts Devlin on the floor but it’s back inside for more grappling. The threat of an armbar sends Devlin over to the ropes and he grabs a Gory Stretch to put A-Kid in trouble for a..

He has something to say. There are a lot of wrestlers who are known for their in-ring abilities while others are known for their talking. Very rarely do you see someone who is excellent at both and it makes sense to have those people as the focal point of a promotion. That is the case with modern wrestling as well, and now one of them is getting some extra attention.
AEW’s CM Punk appeared on ESPN’s SportsNation and discussed his time in AEW so far. In addition, Punk spoke about his debut, as well as some of the younger names that he is looking forward to working with in the future. Punk also spoke about his promo insulting the NHL’s New York Islanders and his thoughts on boxing and combat sports stars coming into professional wrestling.
It was an interesting interview. Check out the whole thing, plus Punk in AEW:
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Opinion: This is one of those things th..

That’s a lot. WWE is a lot of things, but ultimately it is a business that is designed to make as much money as possible. Sometimes their methods of doing so can be a cross between confusing and annoying for fans, which was the case with several of their recent releases. Now it appears that some of them are even more confusing than it seemed in the first place.
Earlier this year, WWE released the entire Hit Row stable less than a month after they debuted on SmackDown. The team had been drafted and wrestled one match on SmackDown before being let go. According to Isaiah Scott, the leader of the team, Hit Row generated $2 million of revenue in the four months they were in NXT. It is not clear how this money was generated. None of the team’s members have announced their future plans in wrestling so far.
#HitRow generated $2 million together JUST in NXT… #money
— Just Different (@swerveconfident) December 22, 2021
We did that in 4 months…. ?
— Just Different (@swerveconfident) Decembe..

He’s worth the tribute. There are certain ways to honor a wrestler that you will see come up over and over. The easiest way tends to be to name something after them, which can come in a variety of forms. Some of these are a bit more effective than others as you can tell when a promotion has put in the effort. That is the case at the moment, as one legend is getting a double shot.
AEW has announced a pair of tournaments honoring Owen Hart, with one men’s and one women’s edition. The tournaments will begin in May with the finals taking place at Double Or Nothing. This week, AEW has released a video tribute to Hart, showing various home movies and photos of him, along with wrestlers talking about what Hart meant to their careers.
It’s a pretty touching tribute. Check out the Hart video, plus some of his better matches:
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Opinion: This really was a special tri..

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?
King of the Ring 1994
Date: June 19, 1994
Location: Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Attendance: 12,000
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Randy Savage, Art Donovan
It’s tournament time and that means it’s not likely to be the most interesting show in the world. On top of that, this is one of the weaker fields they’ve ever had, which makes for a rather dull few hours. Finally, this show is infamous for the commentary, which really was a disaster and a horrible idea. Let’s get to it.
Earlier today, Jeff Jarrett ca..

Welcome to the team. We are in the middle of the first real promotional war on a national level in over twenty years. That has made weekly wrestling shows a heck of a lot more interesting as fans have been able to wonder who they are going to be able to see come in next on either show. That was the case again this week, as a somewhat expected debut took place.
Former NXT and Ring of Honor star Kyle O’Reilly made his AEW debut during this week’s edition of Dynamite. O’Reilly interfered in Adam Cole’s match with Orange Cassidy to help Cole pick up the win. After the match, Cole left with O’Reilly and Bobby Fish as the Young Bucks looked on. O’Reilly finished up with NXT earlier this month when his contract expired, making him a free agent.
It’s a big debut. Check out O’Reilly coming to AEW and what the former Undisputed Era can do together:
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Opinion: I don..

Sounds like he’s a fan. There have been some issues bringing wrestlers up from NXT to the main WWE rosters. One of the bigger problems has been taking away what made the wrestlers work in NXT and changing them into something else entirely. It does not always happen, and one of the recent non-changes was ordered by none other than Vince McMahon himself.
In a new interview with GiveMeSport, SmackDown’s Rick Boogs spoke about the origins of his SmackDown character. Boogs said that he screamed as loud as he could during his first appearance, where he was told to tone it down. However, McMahon told him to be himself and be as loud as he wanted. Ultimately the style was praised and Boogs has continued doing it his own way since.
It is an interesting interview. Check out the full interview, plus Boogs on SmackDown:
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Opinion: It’s great to see Boogs getting to b..

Welcome back. Sometimes, for one reason or another, someone has to take some time away from wrestling. Some of these reasons are a lot more serious than others, but the worst reasons often involve health issues which need to be tended to in a big way. That can be the case with people who do not actually compete in the ring and this time around, one such person is getting to come back.
This week on AEW Dynamite, Excalibur announced that Jim Ross will be returning to the broadcast team next week. Ross’ return comes after he has missed the better part of a month due to radiation treatment for his skin cancer. There is no word on how well the treatment went or if Ross will be missing any more time. Taz has been filling in for Ross during his absence.
Ross is a big deal in AEW. Check out his time in the company:
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Opinion: That’s great to hear as you never wan..

Dynamite
Date: December 22, 2021
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz
We’re back with yet another special show, this time in the form of Holiday Bash. That should make for another big card, though this time around the major draw is Sting being back in Greensboro. I’m still not sure why that should matter to anyone but the live audience, though seeing Sting team with CM Punk and Darby Allin against MJF and FTR should be fun. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Orange Cassidy vs. Adam Cole They stare each other down to start and trade headlock takeovers. Cassidy grabs a rollup for two and it’s right back to the mat, with Cassidy bouncing out of a headscissors. Cole kicks him down again and grabs a chinlock as they keep fighting for minor victories to start. Cassidy fights up again and grabs some rollups for two each. Back up and Cole hits a Backstabber out of the corner, setting up a hard whip into another corner to put ..

That’s never good to hear. The Coronavirus pandemic has shaken up the world and there are only a few ways to deal with the whole thing. The wrestling industry has certainly been changed as well and things are only starting to get back to normal. That is no guarantee of the future though, and now it seems that the biggest promotion in the world is having another problem.
According to PWInsider.com, WWE is dealing with a Coronavirus outbreak, with several of its wrestlers testing positive for the virus. There is no word n who has tested positive, but the positive tests were said to take place after last week’s live events. This week’s SmackDown was taped in advance and will not be affected, but the upcoming live events schedule and the December 27 Monday Night Raw may face problems. There is no word on how WWE will handle several of its wrestlers possibly being out of action.
WWE can do well at full strength. Check out what they have been doing lately:
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