NEWS

No more? We are in the middle of a weird time in WWE, as all kinds of things continue to change. You never know what kind of thing is going to happen next at the moment, with most of the changes taking place behind the scenes. At the same time though, there are changes taking place with various storylines. Now we seem to have seen another big change, as WWE may have dropped something cold.

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This week on SmackDown, Bray Wyatt made an appearance and sat in the middle of the ring in his rocking chair. Wyatt used several of his old catchphrases, including calling himself the Eater of Worlds. He also said that HE is Uncle Howdy and told LA Knight to “run” at the Royal Rumble, in another of his former signature lines. There is no word on if this is a reset of Wyatt’s character or something that will be changed again in the weeks to come.
This could go multiple ways. Check out Wyatt’s promo plus a look..

That’s one way to do it. Title shots can make for some of the most important matches in any wrestling promotion. The chance to have a new champion crowned means that something might be changing soon and that can make things all the more interesting. It means a lot when someone gets such a shot and now several wrestlers have the chance to earn one.
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This week on SmackDown, WWE executive Adam Pearce announced the launch of a new tournament to crown #1 contenders for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles. The only detail announced for the tournament is that Drew McIntyre and Sheamus will face the Viking Raiders in the first round next week. There is no word on how many teams will be involved, brackets or the date of the title match.
There is some talent involved. Check out the three teams in the whole situation so far:
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He’s back! At tonight’s Impact Wrestling Hard to Kill pay-per-view event, former WWE superstar Santino Marella made his debut in Impact Wrestling.
Marella made his entrance after Moose used a low blow to defeat Joe Hendry and announced that he is now in the role of the Director of Authority. He then restarted the match, which led to Hendry getting the win and retaining the Digital Media Championship.
You can see a clip of the return below:
.@milanmiracle is HERE and is the BRAND NEW Director of Authority! @TheMooseNation and @joehendry CONTINUES! #HardToKill pic.twitter.com/CY68Ndy8hF
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) January 14, 2023
According to a report from WrestlingNews.co, Marella, whose real name is Anthony Carelli, is able to use the “Santino Marella” name because WWE abandoned the trademark some time ago and it was registered by attorney Mike Dockins last month. He retired from WWE due to neck issues and he has been running the BattleArts school/promotion in Toronto.
Editor’s ..

Smackdown
Date: January 13, 2023
Location: Resch Center, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole
It’s a big show this week as we have a pair of major matches. This week we’ll be seeing another match between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, which should have some Bloodline implications. In addition, Gunther is defending the Intercontinental Title against Braun Strowman. Let’s get to it.
Intercontinental Title: Braun Strowman vs. Gunther Strowman is challenging and wearing boots designed by a boy who died in the Waukesha parade shootings. Feeling process to start as Gunther is a bit hesitant to go after him. Strowman manages to send him outside though and the running shoulder sends Gunther into the announcers’ table.
We take a break and come back with Strowman getting posted, allowing Gunther to start in on the arm. The armbar goes on but Strowman powers up, only to fall down when the arm gives out. Strowman fights out again and hits a clothesline but the rest of Imper..

Sometimes you need a new job. At tonight’s Impact Wrestling Hard to Kill pay-per-view event, Frankie Kazarian announced that he had signed a new, long-term contract with the promotion.
Kazarian cut a promo during the show, stating that after wrestling from Impact, he had to decide whether to remain complacent and be with “people he thought were his friends” or push himself and he chose to push himself.
According to a report from PWInsider, after his 40-minute match with Josh Alexander, Kazarian asked AEW to be released and it was granted. It was said to be a completely amicable situation based on Kazarian wanting to push himself harder as he’s getting closer to the latter point of his career. In Impact, he’d had a chance to be more in the mix than he’d likely be able to get the opportunity to do in AEW, given how massive that company’s roster is.
It was said that Kazarian “did business the right way” and would be welcomed back into their locker room anytime.
Editor’s Opinion:
I ab..

The boss has spoken. According to a report from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, Triple H held a talent meeting before tonight’s episode of Smackdown. There, he and other WWE executives addressed a number of reports that have been circulating as of late.
Triple H told everyone that Vince McMahon’s return to the company is to see whether or not they sell, and who they should sell to. He said this would not change the creative team or process. Furthermore, Triple H did say that he and Vince McMahon have conversations about creative, but Vince defers the final say to Triple H.
It was also noted that Kevin Dunn spoke at the Smackdown talent meeting and had interesting things to say.
Triple H led the talent meeting today in Green Bay. He told talent that Vince McMahon's return is to see whether or not they sell, and who they should sell to.
He said this will not change the creative team or process.
More coming to https://t.co/jy8u4a7WDa.
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSap..

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 12, 2023
Location: Charles F. Dodge City Center, Pembroke Pines, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan
It’s the go home show for Hard To Kill and since Impact does their pay per views on Fridays, the show is tomorrow night. That should mean the card is intact but you never know around here. Hopefully the roll can continue around here, as it has been a rather nice few weeks in a row. Let’s get to it.
The opening recap looks at Bully Ray’s rise to the top of the company, including him attacking Scott D’Amore last week.
We get a Zoom interview with Josh Matthews talking to Bully Ray and Josh Alexander, both at their homes. Alexander knows Ray is going after everyone he cares about and they will be in his mind at Hard To Kill. Ray thinks Alexander has given away his hand because Ray is in his head. Last week Ray didn’t need to have an Anthem executive take a swing at him.
Ray talks about how he has gotten Alexander to do whatever he wants, ..

WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther was recently interviewed by the Dallas Morning News where he discussed a number of topics. Among them were the rumors of WWE’s upcoming sale, his relationship with Stephanie McMahon, thoughts on the Royal Rumble, and more.
Below are some highlights from the interview:
On the refuted reports on social media that WWE was being sold to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and his reaction to the news…
Gunther: “I mean, rumors are rumors. And at the end of the day, I’m not the CEO. I’m a wrestler. So, I focus on what I do in the ring and leave the business to the people that do business.”
Also on the business side, Stephanie McMahon just left the company, what was your relationship with her?
Gunther: “To be fair, I only had very brief interactions with her. She’s always been very nice and very lovely. And yeah, I’m happy for her that she’s going to be able now to take time off and enjoy time with her family. And yeah, I think you should be hap..

Even the boss needs help now and then. Stephanie McMahon recently posted a message to Twitter, saying that she recently underwent successful ankle surgery in Birmingham, Alabama.
Stephanie said the following:
Busy week! Thank you Dr. Waldrop, @AndrewsSportMed and the Orthopaedic Center Staff for fixing my ankle! And to Kevin Wilk @ChampionSportsM for already getting me started on rehab! (And of course to my amazing caregiver @TripleH) #RoadtoRecovery
Busy week! Thank you Dr. Waldrop, @AndrewsSportMed and the Orthopaedic Center Staff for fixing my ankle! And to Kevin Wilk @ChampionSportsM for already getting me started on rehab! (And of course to my amazing caregiver @TripleH ??) #RoadtoRecovery pic.twitter.com/s8v3rtqqRs
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) January 13, 2023
According to WrestlingNews.co, the former Chairwoman and CEO of WWE noted on Twitter that she had surgery done to fix her ankle by Dr. Waldrop of Andrews Sports Medicine. WWE sends talent to Birmingham to have t..

He would know best. Retirement is a tricky situation in wrestling as it can be difficult for a wrestler to finally hang up their boots. The problem is that it can be so easy to come back for one more match or appearance, but some are able to go out on their own terms and know when to call it a career. Now a legend is saying that his career is not going to extend beyond this year.
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AEW’s Sting was interviewed by D Magazine (Dallas, Texas) and revealed that his deal with the company expires at some point this year. Once it ends, “so will his time behind the face paint”, according to the article. There is no word on what Sting will be doing for his final match or if he has any plans for his retirement. Sting has been paired with Darby Allin since his debut with AEW in December 2020.
Sting’s time in AEW has gone quite well. Check out how some of it has gone:
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The family’s take. The biggest wrestling story of the year so far, and one of the biggest in a very long time, is WWE announcing that it is getting ready to be sold. This has sent major shocks throughout the wrestling industry, but WWE in particular has felt the impact. There have been all kinds of questions being asked, but now we may know the reactions from two of the most important players.
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Axios has released its own story on the entire situation, including regarding the decision to sell in the first place. According to Axios’ sources, both Triple H and Stephanie McMahon had opposed the selling of the company. This comes after McMahon resigned from the WWE Board Of Directors last week. It is not clear if her stance on this is what directly led to her departure from the company.
Those are some important voices in WWE. Check out some of what they have done in the company:
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That’s better. There are all kinds of issues that can take place during the course of a wrestler’s career. Any wrestler can get hurt at any time and it can cause issues for the rest of their lives. On top of that, there are also issues that have nothing to do with the ring. Now a legend is going through one of the latter problems, but things seem to be looking up a bit.
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As announced by his wife on Facebook, WWE Hall Of Famer Superstar Billy Graham, 79, had an infection in his ears that spread to the bones in his ears. As a result, Graham “coded” and had to be brought back to life. This required Graham to have a breathing tube installed, but according to Graham’s wife, Graham is breathing on his own again and the tube could be removed this week. At the same time, Graham’s kidney functions are down due to the coding. There is no word on when he could be released from the hospital.
Graham is one of the m..