NEWS

We are less than a week away from Christmas and that should mean everyone has already written their letters to Santa Claus (though I have heard good things about giving them to your parents to take care of it for you). It’s also a time to look back at the good things we have and hopefully remember some of the better times that have taken place over the last year. That is certainly the case with wrestling and it is what we are going to look at this week.
I’m going to keep things simple this week as we are going to look at the major wrestling shows (not promotions) and see what their best news/gift was this year. It might not have been the best year for wrestling, but there have certainly been good things to look at for almost every show. Those things need some attention, even if some of them are not exactly the strongest positives.
Note that these are only going to be the shows that I watch, as there isn’t much of a point in talking about a show I don’t see. Also, for the sake of sani..

He hasn’t been there in a bit. There is no one in wrestling like Brock Lesnar and that has been the case for a long time now. Lesnar is an absolute monster and no one really comes close to him. It is a special treat to get to see him get in the ring and dominate someone, but he isn’t around that often. Now though, we might be seeing him get in the ring a bit more frequently.
According to PWInsider.com, WWE is advertising a Universal Title match between the winner of Drew McIntyre vs. the winner of the Day One match between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar for a string of live events. The shows are in:
Boston, Massachusetts – January 8
Fargo, North Dakota – January 15
Salt Lake City, Utah – February 5
Boise, Idaho – February 6
Should Lesnar appear at the shows, it would be his first matches at live events March 2018. Lesnar has only wrestled on a handful of live events since his return to the company in 2012.
Lesnar has done some things at live events before. Check out what he can do a..

One for two. Titles are the lifeblood of a wrestling promotion as you have people fighting to be recognized as the best in the world. They have been around forever and always will be, even if there are occasionally more than there need to be around a promotion. That is the case in WWE, but now it seems that they are getting rid of one of them as a few are going to be unified.
This week on NXT, a title for title match was set for New Year’s Evil on January 4, 2022, as North American Champion Carmelo Hayes will face NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong. The two champions ran into each other last week and got into a brawl this week, with the title match being made later in the evening. This comes as WWE is phasing down its cruiserweight division, as the weight limit has been waved and there has been talk of changing 205 Live.
We could be in for something special here. Check out the titles in action, plus some unification matches:
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Guess who’s back? Wrestlers are legitimate athletes, but they do not do the same things as their contemporaries. One of the major differences is in the area of retirement, as you do not see wrestlers stay out of the ring forever most of the time. It also helps that wrestlers are able to come back for a one off match if they choose, which is the case again with another retired wrestler.
Last week on NXT, Harland attacked WWE producer and former star Brian Kendrick, causing him to suffer a neck injury. This week, Harland and Joe Gacy blamed Kendrick for causing his own injury due to his comments about Harland. As a result, Kendrick announced that he had resigned as a producer and would be returning to the ring to face Harland next week. This will be Kendrick’s first match since the October 28, 2010 edition of 205 Live.
Kendrick had a heck of a career of his own. Check out what is coming for Harland:
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They want different things. We are in a period of change for WWE and a lot of those changes have been due to the company releasing all kinds of wrestlers. The reason is said to be that WWE wants younger stars for the future rather than established names. However, it seems that there are some differences between the kinds of wrestlers that WWE is hoping to recruit.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE has different priorities when it comes to signing male or female wrestlers. WWE is said to be looking for bigger male wrestlers, with shorter wrestlers not likely to be brought in. When it comes to women, WWE is more interested in looks, and will be more likely to hire women who are “good looking” or can do something special in the ring.
WWE has signed several wrestlers over the years. Check out some of the better debuts:
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Opinion: I don’t think this i..

I guess he isn’t a fan. WWE has been undergoing all kinds of changes in recent months and there is nothing to suggest that those changes have come to an end. Most of the changes have been related to wrestlers’ contracts, including several who have been let go from the company. There are ways to prevent those cuts from taking place, but it seems that the most powerful person in WWE is not a fan.
According to Fightful Select, there are several higher ups in WWE who are interested in allowing no cut clauses in new contracts. However, these clauses are not something negotiable because Vince McMahon is “adamantly against” the idea of including such clauses. In addition, WWE is said to have extended or re-signed most a large portion of its roster since 2019, though over 100 wrestlers have been released since then.
I guess they won’t be included. Check out some WWE contract signings:
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Back to it. Retirements in wrestling are one of the bigger moments you will see, as it means, at least in theory, that a wrestler won’t be around any longer. Granted that is just in theory, as wrestlers rarely stay out of the ring forever when they first announce their retirement. That seems to be the case again, as another former star is wanting to get back in the ring.
According to PWInsider.com, former WWE star Mike Mondo is planning a full time return to the ring starting in 2022. Mondo has not wrestled full time since 2019 and is best known for his time as part of the Spirit Squad. He wrestled for WWE from 2005 until 2008, mainly in Ohio Valley Wrestling. There is no word on where he might be making appearances or when his first match back would take place.
Mondo certainly had a career of his own. Check out some of his time in the ring:
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Opinion: Th..

NXT
Date: December 21, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, London, England
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph
We’re coming up on the end of the year and that means New Year’s Evil is on the way soon. That means we will be seeing Bron Breakker vs. Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Title. The match seemed to be set up last week and now we should be ready for the title match pretty soon. Oh and AJ Styles is here too so let’s get to it.
Here is NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa to get things going. He knows that the title means that people are coming for you and that includes Bron Breakker. Last week he laid Breakker out and now it is time for Breakker to come out here and do something about it. Cue Breakker, but Ciampa cuts him off, saying Breakker is getting another shot when most people never get one.
At Halloween Havoc, Ciampa showed the flaws in Breakker, who is not ready to be a champion around here. He won’t be like Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor or Tommaso Ciamp..

You need a plan. The Coronavirus has changed the way the world works and wrestling has certainly felt its impact as well. Things are finally getting back to normal for the most part, but there is always the chance that something could flare up all over again. There is always the chance that another breakout could take place, so good testing is a requirement. Now we know a bit more about how WWE and AEW are handling things.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE and AEW both require ten days away for any wrestler who tests positive for the Coronavirus. In addition, both companies will require a negative Coronavirus test before they are allowed to return. This is the policy that both promotions have announced publicly, though they would not mention making any changed to their rules.
Both companies are doing what they can. Check out how things have been going as of late:
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It makes a difference. Wrestling is a lot of things, but ultimately it is a visual medium. The wrestlers have to come up with a way to make the fans stop what they are doing and look at what is in front of them. That is easier said than done, but there are certain tricks that work better than others. Wrestlers can make some changes to improve their appearance, which was the case for a certain top WWE star for a very specific reason.
Drew McIntyre was recently interviewed by the Daily Record and spoke about the change in his appearance. McIntyre said that he didn’t believe someone who looked like he did could beat Brock Lesnar, so he began putting in the extra work to make it believable. This included training and adjusting his diet, with McIntyre saying the latter is the far more important of the two. McIntyre would defeat Lesnar to win the WWE Title in the main event of WrestleMania 36.
McIntyre was on to something. Check out what he did with his new look:
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Ring Of Honor
Date: December 15, 2021
Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
We’re around Final Battle, with this show officially debuting before the show took place. At this point though, it isn’t like the date matters since there are only a few shows left in the first place. I’m not sure what to expect here, but odds are we’ll get some good wrestling to go with the rather limited storylines. Let’s get to it.
Opening recap.
Quinn McKay gives us the welcome and rundown.
Sledge vs. PCO Holidead is on commentary and it’s Falls Count Anywhere/no DQ. Before the match, Sledge teases attacking Brian Zane over (jokingly) calling him Steve. Business will be taken care of instead. PCO on the other hand shouts IT’S ALIVE. They slug it out with Sledge hitting a jumping back elbow to the face to take him down. It’s already time to put a trashcan on PCO’s head for a charge in the corner.
The fight heads to the floor for the chop off until ..

They need a backup plan. The Coronavirus pandemic has changed the way the world works, including the wrestling industry. Things are mostly back to normal, but there are some issues that are still not quite what they once were. Now it seems that the entire ordeal is ramping up again and wrestling will need a backup plan. The good thing is that WWE and AEW seem to have that covered.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, both WWE and AEW would likely return to Florida should there be another national shutdown over the Coronavirus pandemic. Florida would not be expected to have any restrictions, meaning AEW could return to Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, while WWE could find another building to use as the Thunderdome. At the moment, there are no expectations for another shutdown to take place.
It could be different. Check out the venues we could be seeing again:
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