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Another perspective. WWE is in the middle of a huge change as Vince McMahon is back from his five and a half month retirement and seems set to sell the company later this year. This is the kind of change that can shake up the wrestling industry and it has come close to doing so already. It is something that is hard to fathom, but now we are hearing from someone on the inside.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: Fight Breaks Out At WWE Performance Center
WWE CEO Nick Khan appeared on the Bill Simmons Podcast where he discussed McMahon returning to WWE. Khan talked about McMahon’s return to the company and praised him for using his authority as majority shareholder to come back. He also said that he always felt McMahon would come back after the dust had settled. Finally, Khan said that he didn’t not believe the board of directors forced McMahon to step away, but rather that McMahon chose to do so. Here are some highlights, with transcription courtesy of 411mania.com:
On McMahon’s Return
“F..

The build continues. There are all kinds of ways to set up a wrestling match, with some of them being a bit more unique than others. This can include various angles and moments between the wrestlers involve, some of which can take place in different areas. With the advent of various modern technology, it can be easier than ever to film something outside of an arena and that took place again this week.
WWE NXT recruit Alexis Lete uploaded a video to her Instagram page where she talked about a series of drills. As she was talking, Grayson Waller and NXT Champion Bron Breakker got into an incident, which included Waller throwing a water bottle. This caused the two to get into a fight, with officials having to break it up. Waller is scheduled to challenge Breakker for the NXT Title at Vengeance Day on February 4.
Things got intense. Check out the fight, plus who got into it:
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You can’t fit everything in. This week’s edition of Monday Night Raw was the Raw XXX special. The show celebrated thirty years of Monday Night Raw, which saw a stacked show. The card featured a pair of title matches, along with a huge grudge match several weeks in the making. However, one of those things did not happen as something else took up too much time.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Return: Brock Lesnar Returns, Interferes In Main Event On Monday Night Raw
A scheduled cage match between Bayley and Becky Lynch did not take place on Raw XXX. While the two came to the cage, the rest of Damage Ctrl attacked Lynch and left her laying with the match never starting. According to Fightful Select and later PWInsider.com, the match was cut due to the Trial Of Sami Zayn segment running long. Other unnamed segments were reportedly cut down as well. There is no word on when or if the match will take place.
It’s a feud worth seeing. Check out what Lynch and Bayley can do:
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He’s here again. Wrestling is like almost any other form of visual media, in that is it built around stories. The right characters have to be put in the right places and situations to make the fans care. That can be difficult to do, but one of the easiest shortcuts is to have people the fans care about in the first place. That was on display this week, as a top star is back in WWE.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Acknowledge What? WWE Pitches Steve Austin vs. Roman Reigns
The main event of this week’s Monday Night Raw saw Bobby Lashley challenging Austin Theory for the United States Title. Later in the match, Lashley put Theory through a table before Brock Lesnar returned to take Lashley out. As a result, Theory was able to retain the title. The attack continues Lesnar and Lashley’s feud, which saw them split a pair of matches in 2022. No third match has been announced.
There is a history here. Check out the two of them together:
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That’s a bit one. Roman Reigns has held the WWE Undisputed Title for two and a half years and there is nothing to suggest that he is going to be losing the title anytime soon. Unfortunately this has led to Reigns having almost no credible challengers left. WWE has brought in some legends to challenge Reigns, and now it seems that WWE has tried to find another such to go after the title.
According to Fightful Select, WWE pitched a match between Roman Reigns and Steve Austin for WrestleMania 39. There is no word as to whether or not Austin accepted the offer, though the money offered was said to be “enormous”. Another source said that Austin had another major name pitched to him as well. Austin returned to the ring or the first time in nineteen years last year at WrestleMania 38, defeating Kevin Owens.
This would have been big. Check out the two in action:
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It was a staffing issue. WWE has reached a special milestone for its flagship show. This week, Monday Night Raw will celebrate thirty years on the air, with several former stars appearing on the show. There have been all kinds of names announced, including some of the biggest stars in WWE history. However, three names who cannot appear caused a major change to the schedule.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He Almost Got There: How Ricochet Wanted To Pay A Gory Tribute To Steve Austin
Last week, WWE cancelled the scheduled Bloodline Acknowledgment Ceremony will not take place on Raw XXX. The ceremony was expected to include multiple members of the Anoa’i wrestling family. According to F4WOnline.com, the ceremony was canceled because multiple people scheduled were unable to attend. Afa and Sika (80 and 77 years old respectively) were unable to be ready for the trip and Rikishi was sick. The ceremony has since been replaced by The Trial Of Sami Zayn.
That is a talented family. Check out what the..

That’s some praise. AEW has come a long way in just a few years and a lot of that has been due to its talent roster. The company has seen all kinds of people come through its doors since its inception and many of them have had quite the run. Only a few stand out as top stars though and now one of them is receiving a very special distinction from the most important person in the company.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: Another Tag Team Splits On AEW Rampage
AEW President Tony Khan appeared on the In The Kliq podcast, where he said that he felt Jon Moxley was the company’s MVP in 2022. Khan talked about how Moxley had been a great World Champion for the company and was there week in and week out, doing the best work of his entire career. Moxley helped form the Blackpool Combat Club and won the AEW World Title twice in 2022.
Moxley did have a heck of a year. Check out some of the better parts of his 2022:
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That would have been a tribute. There are certain images in wrestling that are absolutely iconic no matter how you look at them. These are the shots that you have seen for years and will continue to see for years to come, as they were some kind of a game changer in wrestling. Occasionally you will see someone pay tribute to such a moment, which was almost the case again recently.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: They’re Next: WWE Discusses Bringing Back Two Former Champions
During a recent interview with Metro, Ricochet revealed that he was attempting to recreate the classic Steve Austin bleeding visual from WrestleMania 13. Ricochet was busted open on the December 23 SmackDown and attempted to make himself look like Austin in the match. As a result of the cut though, medics came to the ring and wiped away the blood, despite Ricochet’s protests.
It would have been different. Check out the original and how Ricochet tried to recreate it, plus some classic Austin:
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NXT LVL Up
Date: January 20, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Matt Camp
The big change this week is on commentary, as Sudu Shah is gone from the company, meaning we have a new team talking to us. That could be just about anyone, but what makes things worse is the fact that commentary changes are probably more interesting than whatever is going on with the show. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Nikkita Lyons vs. Jakara Jackson Lyons misses the early kick to the head and it’s a fast standoff. A armbar has Jackson down and Lyons rolls over into a front facelock. Back up and Lyons misses a running boot in the corner, allowing Jackson to hammer away. We hit the Fujiwara armbar and Lyons can’t quite power out. Finally she gets up and hits a sidewalk slam for the break. The strikes have Jackson in trouble, with a superkick into the splits splash being enough to give Lyons the pin at 5:10.
Result: Nikkita Lyons b. Jakara Jackson – Spli..

Them too? There have been several returns to WWE in recent months and those returns seem to be continuing. After dozens of wrestlers were released from the company over the last two years, all kinds of them are being brought back. That has made for some interesting moments and now it seems that WWE has its eye on bringing back to more former champions.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: His Lordship: William Regal Opens Up About Returning To WWE
According to Fightful Select, WWE is internally discussing bringing back the Authors of Pain, Akam and Rezar. The team are former Raw and NXT Tag Team Champions and wrestled for WWE from 2016-2020 when they were released. There is no word on if the team is interested in a return or if they have been contacted about making one. Neither has wrestled since their release, though the team did announce their own independent promotion, which never ran its initial event.
The team was pretty awesome when they were around. Check out what the team did in WWE:
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Back home. We are in a different wrestling world as there have been all kinds of changes taking place on an almost daily basis. That is the kind of thing you do not see happen very often and it has been all over the place with one change after another. Several names have jumped between WWE and AEW and now one of the more prominent stars has something to say about his unique spot.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: 30 Greatest Monday Night Raw Moments Of All Time
William Regal appeared on the Destruction Pieces podcast and talked about coming back to WWE after his stint in AEW. Regal returned to WWE earlier this month and is now a Vice President in the company. He reportedly returned to work with his son Charlie Dempsey in NXT and be the unofficial right hand man for Triple H. Here are some highlights, with transcription courtesy of Wrestlinginc.com:
On Coming Back To WWE “It’s as if nothing’s ever happened and nothing’s changed in the slightest. It’s weird. Anybody listening that’s young..

That’s an appropriate number. WWE Monday Night Raw has been the flagship wrestling program in the United States for most of its history. The show debuted on January 11, 1993 and has since become a staple of wrestling television, as WWE continues to air new editions every week. Now the show has reached a major milestone and they are doing something special to celebrate.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Bobby Lashley on Another Match With Brock Lesnar: “It’s About To Happen”
This Monday, WWE will be presenting the Raw XXX special, celebrating thirty years of Monday Night Raw. As a result, the company is airing a countdown of the thirty greatest moments in the history of Monday Night Raw. The list includes moments from throughout the show’s history and features matches, interviews and segments. There is no word on if the list is in order or in a random order.
This is pretty awesome. Check out the countdown, plus some more awesome Monday Night Raw moments:
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