NEWS

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?
OVW Christmas Chaos 2001
Date: January 31, 2001
Location: Louisville Gardens, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentator: Jim Cornette
Ah OVW, how much I love thee. This is from sometime around Christmas of 2001 which I’ll try to find an exact date for (future edit: got it). OVW was the official developmental organization for WWE for a very long time, just like FCW is now. They didn’t have PPVs but they had big shows where WWF guys would come down and this is one of them. The production value is very low here and the fact t..

There goes the brass ring. It is safe to say that things have been shaken up in WWE over the last year and a half and that might be continuing for a long time to come. The company looks almost nothing like it did just this time last year and it is almost scary to think about how things will look next. Now though, it seems that WWE has taken away something else from the wrestlers.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE has mostly done away with all financial bonuses that the wrestlers are able to make. Instead, the wrestlers are mostly limited to the amount on their contract, with pay per view, live event and merchandise bonuses being left out. There are some top stars who are still able to make more, but the lower level wrestlers have no bonuses available.
The top stars should be fine. Check out what they do in WWE:
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Opinion: So in other wor..

It’s a different kind of show. Wrestlers have a weird reputation when it comes to celebrity status, as you do not get to see them doing much outside of the ring. They are well known for that kind of appearance, but it is rare to see what else they can do. Now though, we might be getting to see a wrestler try something else, though seeing them is not the point this time.
AEW star Marko Stunt has announced that he has tried out for the singing competition show The Voice and has even received a call back to return for the next round. The idea of the show is that the judges will decide who should continue on the show based on the person’s voice rather than their look. Stunt sang I’m Yours by Jason Mraz for his audition song and is waiting on the next round of the competition.
I signed up for an open call for The Voice, for tomorrow. Wtf am I doing lol
— Mr. Fun Size (@realmarkostunt) December 6, 2021
About an hour left before the open audition. I’m ready, but man I get nervous…
— Mr. ..

That takes care of things. Wrestling fans watch their favorite, and sometimes not so favorite, stars on TV on a regular basis. It can be easy to forget that we are watching real people get in the ring every so often. These people have real life situations going on outside of the ring and no one of the most serious issues has been wrapped up in a bit of a surprise.
According to PWInsider.com, former WWE Champion Alberto El Patron’s sexual assault charges were dismissed on Friday and the case is officially closed. A witness was said to be missing, meaning that El Patron is cleared of all liability in the situation. The trial was scheduled to have begun on Monday. El Patron has been regularly wrestling for a variety of promotions in Mexico over the last few months.
This is a bit of a touchy situation so we’ll try something else. Here is a different Albert in action:
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Who’s left? There are certain wrestlers who don’t need much of an introduction. Something about them gets your attention immediately and that makes them incredibly valuable in a few ways. A promotion can put them on any show and get something out of them, which is the case with one certain living legend. We just might not be seeing that much of them in the future.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Goldberg has one match left on his current WWE deal and it is not clear if WWE will be re-signing him when his contract ends. Goldberg is highly paid for a light schedule and he has a no-cut clause in his deal. Goldberg’s most recent match took place in October at Crown Jewel, when he defeated Bobby Lashley.
He is absolutely a force. Check out some of Goldberg’s higher profile matches:
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Opinion: Goldberg is an interesting case, as he does feel lik..

That’s it for her. There have been a lot of changes to WWE in the last year and a half, with more names leaving than most people can hope to remember. That is not a good thing to see, as it leaves a lot of wrestlers without a place to go. Some of them are a bit luckier than others though, and now one of them has officially wrapped up her time as part of WWE.
Earlier this week, former NXT star Kairi Sane officially removed WWE references from her social media accounts. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Sane’s WWE deal has officially expired and she is allowed to work anywhere. WWE had wanted Sane to return to the company to wrestle, but Sane had no interest in living in the United States again. Sane recently opened a gym and wants to return to wrestling, though it is not clear where she will go.
Sane was a heck of a star in WWE. Check out some of her time in the company:
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Welcome to the show. It would be an understatement to say that WWE’s roster has been shaken up in recent months, as well over a hundred wrestlers have been released from the company. That has resulted in quite the set of changes, some of which have been quite noticeable. Some of those spots are going to need to be filled, and one might have been covered this week.
Xia Li made her SmackDown debut this week, saving Naomi from a three on one attack. Naomi had been scheduled to face Sonya Deville, who had Natalya and Shayna Baszler there to help. The match never started as Naomi tried to fight all three, drawing out Li for the save. Li wrestled in NXT for years and has had vignettes airing about her impending debut for the last few weeks.
It was a nice debut. Check out Li’s first night on SmackDown plus some of her time in NXT:
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Opinion: This has me interest..

Rampage
Date: December 10, 2021
Location: UBS Arena, New York City, New York
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz
We’re still in New York and this time there is a pretty big match on the card, as the Lucha Bros are defending the Tag Team Titles against FTR. Other than that, we have the in-ring debut as Hook, which should be a heck of a moment in its own right. This show tends to do well with the faster pace so let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Tag Team Titles: Lucha Bros vs. FTR FTR, with Tully Blanchard, is defending. Fenix grabs Harwood by the wrist to start and takes Wheeler down at the same time. Penta comes in to help take FTR down and it’s time for a breather on the floor. Back in and Penta takes off his glove but manages to roll Wheeler up for two. Now the glove is tossed to Wheeler, allowing Penta to catch him with a superkick. Fenix springboards in with a high crossbody but the momentum sends him outside.
That means Harwood can drop Fenix back first onto the apron and the champs ..

Add another one to the list. According to a report from PWInsider, Kyle O’Reilly has not-resigned with WWE and has officially become a free agent. Both he and Johnny Gargano have been removed from the company’s internal roster.
This news comes after Gargano became a free agent the day before. He is currently free to work anywhere he wants to since there was no non-compete attached to his contract.
O’Reilly has had quite a career in NXT. He was a three-time WWE NXT tag team champion, and also won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in 2018 with Adam Cole. The pair, along with Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong, was known as the Undisputed Era and was one of the most successful factions in NXT history.
However, Cole and O’Reilly had an intense rivalry throughout most of 2021, which led to a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match at NXT Takeover: 36. You can see the final war of words below:
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Editor’s Opinion:
This isn’t surprising to me at all. With Bobby Fish a..

Smackdown
Date: December 10, 2021
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
We’re on the way to Day One and that means some more of the show needs to be put together. The main event of Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns for the Universal Title is now set, but we are now missing a Jeff Hardy, who was released earlier this week. That could shake things up a bit so let’s get to it.
Here is Sami Zayn, in a wheelchair/leg cast/neck brace, with two male nurses pushing him to the ring. After a video on last week’s big beatdown at the hands of Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, Sami says he is the toughest man in WWE. Sami talks about how this isn’t necessarily a conspiracy, but he was betrayed last week….and now he has to sue. He promises to sue everyone involved with last week but here is Paul Heyman to interrupt.
Heyman: “You’re doing my people’s shtick. My people own entertainment in Hollywood.” Sami tells him to get out of his camera shot but Heyma..

They’re a priority. WWE has a lot of wrestlers on its roster at the moment and some of them are rather high profile stars. You can see a lot of them on television every single week and it is rather fun to see what happens to them as they continue their paths through the company. Now though, two stars might be on their way out, which has changed the way they are presented.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn’s WWE contracts are expiring soon and WWE is doing what they can to try and keep them happy. This includes giving both of them more TV time, as Owens has bee featured in a feud with WWE Champion Big E. and Zayn has been working with Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. Should they decide to leave, WWE can use them to put over other wrestlers.
There is a lot of talent there. Check out what the two of them can do:
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Opinio..

That would be a big one. When a wrestler becomes a legend, it takes them up to another level. If nothing else, it allows them to get away with more than a few things that would torpedo other careers. Some of these things are a lot more serious than others, and one active legend might have enough issues to keep him from being signed to one of the biggest companies around.
Earlier this week, Jeff Hardy was released from WWE, following an incident at a live event last weekend. Hardy had reportedly refused to go to rehab for his issues and was released as a result. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, this could create a problem with Hardy potentially signing with AEW. While AEW would be interested in Hardy having one final reunion with his brother Matt, it would likely be on a zero tolerance policy for Jeff.
It would be a reunion worth seeing. Check out what AEW might be able to put together again:
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