NEWS

Rampage
Date: February 3, 2023
Location: Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio
Commentators: Chris Jericho, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur
Rampage continues to be a bit all over the place as you know most of the card/lineup in advance but it still feels like a show that could go in a bunch of different directions. That could be the case again this week as there is some star power with the Elite around to defend the Trios Titles. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Trios Titles: Elite vs. Isiah Kassidy/Matt Hardy/Ethan Page The Elite is defending and for the sake of simplicity, Matt Hardy will be referred to as Hardy and Matt Jackson will be referred to as Matt. Nick Jackson and Kassidy trade some flips and takedowns to start before Matt comes in to take over. Kassidy gets over to Hardy for the tag, so Omega gets the overly dramatic tag.
Hardy sends Omega outside and goes up but Page tags himself in to take over instead. Omega snaps off a hurricanrana and it’s the Bucks coming back in for..

They’re expanding. WWE has all kinds of wrestlers on its roster, including several developmental stars as part of NXT. Those wrestlers are often just starting their wrestling careers and are mainly in need of ring time. The problem is there is only so much time to go around in NXT, but now WWE might have a solution that can make things a bit easier on everyone involved.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He’s A Wild Card: WWE CEO On Vince McMahon Possibly Stepping Away From The Company
According to Bryan Alvarez, WWE will allow NXT wrestlers to work for select independent promotions. There is no word on which promotions will be able to work with WWE, but Booker T. has announced that NXT’s Ivy Nile will be appearing for his Reality of Wrestling promotion on February 11. WWE had a previous arrangement with Evolve Wrestling in the past but has not had such an agreement since.
NXT is going to allow talent to work select indies going forward, which is a pretty big deal
— Bryan Alvarez (@bryanalvare..

Unless I’m forgetting something, this is the first time NXT has left Orlando for a televised event since Stand & Deliver over Wrestlemania weekend. At some point they just need to get out of Florida and heading to Charlotte is as good of a way as any. The card actually has me interested this time, though the television show from this week wasn’t so great. Maybe they can overcome that with a good one here so let’s get to it.
North American Title: Wes Lee(c) vs. Dijak We’ll start off with one that can go either way as Dijak is a monster who can run through a lot of people and Lee is someone who could be champion for a nice run. This has been built up for a few weeks with Dijak speaking more and more like an 80s movie villain. Lee has turned into a much better star than I would have expected him to be and this is a tossup so far.
I’ll go with Lee here, as it would not surprise me to see Tony D’Angelo and Stacks come in to cost Dijak the match. Dijak is someone who needs to be protected ..

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over ten years now and have reviewed over 5,000 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?
The Main Event #1
Date: February 5, 1988
Location: Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura
Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant II. I’m not sure what else there is to say here because that’s all that could possibly matter with this show. This is the long awaited rematch from WrestleMania 3, which featured a bit of a controversial moment where Hogan may not have gotten his shoulder up in time. There is some other stuff around here but do you really think it matters? Let’s get to..

That would be a game changer. For about forty years, Vince McMahon has been at the helm of WWE. Last year, McMahon went away for about five months due to a scandal, only to come back in an effort to sell the company. That could be the biggest change in the history of WWE, but now the question becomes what happens once the move is made. We might know one detail that could be another game changer.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He Was Busy: Here Is Why WWE Did Not Run Rumored Edge Matches
One of the points of contention of a WWE sale is what would happen to McMahon after the sale was completed. WWE held its fourth quarter earning call earlier this week with CEO Nick Khan taking questions. One reported asked if McMahon would step away from the company if it was in the WWE shareholders’ best interest. Here is Khan’s reply, with transcription courtesy of Fightful:
“Yes. Without question. He’s declared it to the board. He’s declared it to us in management. It’s all about shareholder value. Obviou..

That’s a good reason. There are certain stars in WWE who get your attention no matter what they are doing. Some of them have an innate ability to get your attention and the audience will react to them whenever they are around. There are occasionally outside reasons that keep these bigger names away from being on WWE TV regularly and that is the case again.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: It’s Coming Together: Current Planned And Potential WrestleMania 39 Card *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
Over the last few months, there have been rumors of upcoming matches between Edge/Beth Phoenix vs. Finn Balor/Rhea Ripley in some form. However, Edge had been missing for several months before returning last month at the Royal Rumble. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Edge has been missing in action due to filming commitments on the Disney+ series “Percy Jackson And The Olympians”, leaving him with no time to hype up the match. Edge appeared this week on Monday Night Raw to attack Balor, but no match ..

Smackdown
Date: February 3, 2023
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole
We’re done with the Royal Rumble and the main event of Wrestlemania is set. That being said, there is a Sami Zayn sized road block on the Road To Wrestlemania and I’m not sure how they are going to deal with it. You can almost guarantee Zayn is getting the Elimination Chamber title shot, but dang it’s going to be a fun right on the way there. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Sami Zayn finally turning on the Bloodline with a chair shot to Roman Reigns, but Jey Uso couldn’t bring himself to help with the ensuing beatdown.
The Bloodline, minus Jey Uso, and everyone but Paul Heyman ignores questions about Jey. Heyman says they cannon confirm or deny Jey’s Bloodline status at the moment.
Opening sequence.
Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament: Imperium vs. Braun Strowman/Ricochet For a future Smackdown Tag Team Title shot. Strowman shoves..

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 2, 2023
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Florida
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt
It’s the start of a new month and we are well on our way to No Surrender. Last week saw Rich Swann win a #1 contenders match to earn a shot at Josh Alexander later this month, but it still feels like we are coming up on Steve Maclin as the really big bad. Odds are we see more of the build this week so let’s get to it.
Opening recap.
Opening sequence.
Bullet Club vs. Kevin Knight/Kushida Knight and Ace start things off with Bey’s headlock not getting him very far. Knight misses a charge into the corner and Bey stomps him in the back, only to get caught with a springboard spinning crossbody. It’s off to Kushida to start in on the arm but it’s right back to Knight, whose springboard is dropkicked out of the air. Austin comes in to stomp Knight down for two and he kicks away at Knight in the corner. The Club starts taking turns on Knight, with Austin ..

That’s the big stuff. We are rapidly approaching WrestleMania 39 and that means the card needs to be either set up or close to set up. While the matches might not have been announced on television as of yet, there might be something different going on behind the scenes. As a result, WWE could have a strong idea o what is coming at the biggest show of the year, and now we might know a lot more about what they have planned.
So far, there are three matches confirmed for WrestleMania 39. Those matches are:
• Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Cody Rhodes
• SmackDown Women’s Title: Charlotte(c) vs. Rhea Ripley
• Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair(c) vs. Elimination Chamber winner
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the following matches are considered “locked in” for the card but have yet to be announced:
• John Cena vs. Austin Theory (it is not clear if this will be for Theory’s United States Title)
• Women’s Tag Team Titles: Damage Ctrl(c) vs. Ronda Rousey/S..

That’s a different way to go. We are less than two months away from WrestleMania 39 and that means it is time to start getting the card ready for the show. The show’s main event is already set and you can probably guess a bit more of the card from here. However, there are some matches that might take you by surprise and now we might have another one ready for the card.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The Big One: WWE Officially Sets Main Event For Elimination Chamber (And It’s Special)
Back on the December 30, 2022 SmackDown, Ronda Rousey lost the SmackDown Women’s Title to Charlotte. Rousey has not been seen since, including in last weekend’s Women’s Royal Rumble. However, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Rousey is expected to team with Shayna Baszler to challenge Damage Ctrl for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Baszler and Rousey had teamed together in the weeks before Rousey’s absence, though they never challenged for the titles.
This could be a heck of a fight. Check out the c..

That’s the big one. We are just over two weeks away from Elimination Chamber, which is the final stop on the Road To WrestleMania 39. The show will feature a pair of the event’s namesake matches, which will feature twelve wrestlers between the pair. That should be enough to carry the show, but now we have something else to add to the card which should be even bigger.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: So Close: Former WWE Star Opens Up On Nearly Winning World Title, Moving Forward
The show closing angle from the Royal Rumble saw Sami Zayn turn on the Bloodline by hitting Roman Reigns in the back with a chair. Zayn attacked Reigns again the following week on SmackDown and challenged him for a title match at Elimination Chamber. The Bloodline attacked Zayn, allowing Reigns to yell at him in the corner, accepting the match in the process. WWE officially confirmed the match later that night.
This is going to be a big one. Check out the angle and some of Zayn’s better moments:
[This post contains v..

It’s a new way to go. According to a report from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, the 2023 Royal Rumble event was said to have been the “easiest” that it’s has been in a long time, with regard to putting the show together. This is due to the lack of creative involvement from Vince McMahon.
This year’s Royal Rumble was the first under Triple H and the report states that there was a good feeling about the show in the end, including the morale among talent. Furthermore, it was said that from a day-to-day and weekly basis, the atmosphere is much more laid back. One of the only reminders of Vince’s influence remains the “Vince’s office” directional sign that hasn’t been changed since he left but points to a section of the backstage area that is completely different.
Vince has been notorious for changing things at the last minute and creating a sense of chaos and unease right before a show goes on the air. The report further states that the process of the Rumble itself was the easiest in a long..