NEWS

Back to start. Titles are some of the most important things in all of wrestling as they tell fans what is going on during the show. A champion is, in theory, one of the most important and talented stars in a promotion as other wrestlers are going to want to win their titles. That can make for some big times matches, which was the case this week as some new champions were crowned.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: A Long Time Coming: Injured AEW Star Makes Surprise Return On Dynamite
This week on AEW Dynamite, the Elite defeated Death Triangle in an Escalara de la Muerte match to become the new Trios Champions. The match was the final match in a Best of Seven series between the two, which began back at Full Gear in November. The Elite were the inaugural champions but were stripped of the titles following a suspension. Death Triangle then defeated the Best Friends to win the vacant titles.
It took a long time to get here. Check out the series:
[This post contains video, click to play]

[This p..

Welcome back! Injuries are one of the worst things in all of wrestling as someone is going to be left on the shelf for awhile. There are some that are far worse than others though and that can be absolutely devastating to a wrestler’s career. You never know when you are going to see someone go down, but that can lead to some surprise returns, which we saw this week.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: That Could Mean Something: AEW Star Posts Cryptic Message, Says “Bye”
Adam Cole made his return to television this week on AEW Dynamite. Cole came to the ring and talked about being on the shelf for over six months and thanked the fans for supporting him throughout his absence. Cole said that he was back and wanted to reach the top of the mountain. This was Cole’s first appearance since August 2022, though he has not wrestled since June 2022, when he suffered a concussion at Forbidden Door.
It’s great to have Cole back. Check out some of his time in AEW:
[This post contains video, click to play]

..

So maybe not? We are in a very strange time for WWE as things are moving so fast that it is hard to keep track of everything. The difference this time is that it is at the very top of the promotion, with the future ownership being questioned. That has opened up a variety of options, but now it seems that one of the leading candidates may not be as close to control as expected.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WRESTLING RUMORS: When Vince McMahon Could Appear On WWE TV Again
Earlier this week, a rumor circulated that WWE had been sold to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which planned to take the company private again. However, new reports from Ariel Helwani of BT Sports, Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics and Jon Alba of Fite TV say that they have heard nothing of such a sale. At the moment, WWE has yet to comment on the story, though the company has been rumored to look at a sale in recent days.
Contrary to reports stating otherwise last night, there is no deal in place at this precise moment for ..

What a comeback. WWE has been undergoing a pretty serious shakeup in the last few days and most of it centers around Vince McMahon himself. After his retirement from the company in July 2022, McMahon is back in his seat as Chairman of the Board and that means things are getting shake up again. Now there is a rumor of when we might see McMahon in public again.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE Sold To Saudi Arabia, Huge Change Coming To Company
Xero News sent out a Tweet saying that “big news was imminent” and would take place “within the next two weeks”. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful responded to the tweet, saying it was a rumor that WWE would be announcing McMahon making an appearance at the Royal Rumble on January 28. Sapp did not say how he came to this conclusion and emphasized that he was not reporting it himself. WWE has yet to make any such announcement.
Big News Imminent
Within the next 2 weeks anyways
— Xero News (@NewsXero) January 11, 2023
Hes implying WWE wil..

That would be a huge one. There have been all kinds of changes to WWE in recent months and now things are ramping up to a degree that would never have seemed possible. The idea of the company being sold seems a lot more likely than ever before and now there is a rumor circulating that not only has the sale been decided, but it would be one of the most unique situations in wrestling history.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: She’s All Gone Now: More Details On Stephanie McMahon Leaving WWE (Again)
To clarify: the following has NOT been verified by WWE or any mainstream news source and is considered a RUMOR at this point: On Tuesday night, Cassidy Hayes of Bodyslam.net posted a report saying that WWE had been sold to the Saudi Investment Fund and would be going private again (meaning there would be no stock holders) under the new ownership. The same was also reported by Steven Muehlhausen of DAZN. However, Sean Ross Sapp said that his WWE contacts “claimed to not know” anything about such a sale…

They’re on the way back. We are less than a month away from the Royal Rumble and that means it is time to start getting the names together for the show’s namesake matches. With sixty names between two matches, WWE is going to need to beef up its rosters rather quickly. That can involve bringing in some more names and that is what they announced this week.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: She’s All Gone Now: More Details On Stephanie McMahon Leaving WWE (Again)
Two upcoming returns were announced this week during NXT. First up, Tyler Bate announced that he would be returning on the January 17 episode. Bate was last seen at Worlds Collide, losing a title unification match to Bron Breakker. Later in the show, Stevie Turner, from NXT UK, aired a video announcing that she was now streaming and described herself as the resident data collector. There is no word on when she will be debuting. This was in addition to five stars making their returns on the same show.
This could go in a few ways. Check o..

He’s gone? There have not been very many departures from the AEW roster during its few years of existence. As a result, seeing someone leave feels like a bigger deal when it actually takes place. It means something to see someone leave AEW and you get to see where they might go from there. While not confirmed, it does seem like another AEW star is hinting at heading elsewhere.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Up For Grabs: Former IWGP World Champion Jay White Free Agent Soon, WWE And AEW Interested
AEW’s Andrade El Idolo has released a post on Instagram, showing a picture of his mask with the caption “Bye!!!”. There is no word on what this means for El Idolo, who is currently under suspension due to a backstage altercation with Sammy Guevara. El Idolo’s most recent AEW match took place in September. AEW has yet to comment on El Idolo’s comments or given a date for his return to television.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Andrade El Idolo (@andradealmas)
El Idolo has done well du..

Welcome back. NXT is in a unique place as it is both the WWE’s in-house developmental system as well as its own wrestling show. Therefore, they have to find new ways to introduce stars and fresh faces, some of whom have been around before and are returning after a hiatus. You can see some of those returns every so often and there were several this week alone.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: She’s All Gone Now: More Details On Stephanie McMahon Leaving WWE (Again)
There were five returning Superstars this week on NXT. First up, former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal returned and attacked the Creed Brothers, with the help of Sanga. This was Mahal’s first televised match since November 2022. Later, Gallus returned as part of Pretty Deadly’s gauntlet match, defeating them in the third fall. After, Gallus stared down NXT Tag Team Champions New Day. This was their first appearance since September 2022 due to a suspension. Finally, Tiffany Stratton returned after a several month hiatus after a countdown t..

That’s a big one. The WWE roller coaster is fully underway as we have one change after another almost daily at this point. The biggest thus far this week has been Vince McMahon being reelected as Chairman of the Board of WWE and his daughter Stephanie resigning from her seat. While Vince will get more of the attention, Stephanie’s resignation has several details of its own.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Up For Grabs: Former IWGP World Champion Jay White Free Agent Soon, WWE And AEW Interested
Fightful Select has more on Stephanie leaving WWE. Stephanie leaving is believed to be a continuation of the leave of absence she was taking last year, though there is no word on when or if she will be returning to the company. Along with former co-WWE CEO Nick Khan, Stephanie is said to be well liked backstage, with wrestlers feeling uncertainty over the situation, including when it comes to Stephanie and Khan. Stephanie’s husband Triple H is still officially Chief Content Officer.
Stephanie has play..

He’s up next? The rise of AEW has changed the way the wrestling world works, as wrestlers are no longer stuck picking between WWE and everything else. AEW now offers another large scale promotion where wrestlers can go and showcase themselves with more exposure. It means that a wrestler becoming a free agent means a lot, and that is the case again with a top international star.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Farewell: Wrestling Legend Says His Career Is “Probably Over”
According to Fightful Select, former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion is expected to leave New Japan Pro Wrestling when his contract expires. While there is no firm date for when his deal is up, it is believed to be in the near future. White will be courted by both WWE and AEW, with a source saying that WWE will come out on top. On February 11, White is scheduled to face Hikuleo in a Loser Leaves Japan match. Neither White nor New Japan have responded to inquiries about the situation.
White is one of the best in the world. Che..

He’s done. Retirement is a tricky concept in wrestling as a wrestler can always come back for one more match if given the chance. Rather than having to wrestler a full season of matches like a mainstream athlete would, a wrestler can jump in and out whenever they like. In this situation though, a wrestling legend is indicating that his career is entirely over once and for all.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He’s New: WWE Reportedly Signs Former New Japan Star
During an appearance on the Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast, wrestling legend Tully Blanchard announced that his contract with AEW/Ring Of Honor was up and that his wrestling career was “probably over”. Blanchard, 69 years old, worked with AEW as a manager, appearing with various wrestlers such as FTR and Shawn Spears. He last appeared with the company in 2022 when his stable was purchased by Prince Nana.
Blanchard had an amazing career. Check out some of his highlights:
[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post c..

NXT
Date: January 10, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph It’s New Year’s Evil and this time we have the NXT Title on the line as Grayson Waller challenges Bron Breakker. Other than that, we have a twenty woman battle royal for the #1 contendership to the Women’s Title. Throw in Indus Sher vs. the Creed Brothers and we should be in for a good one. Let’s get to it.
We open at Chase U, with Andre Chase assigning the class to watch New Year’s Evil. Chase recaps everything and mentions Australia. A student asks Duke Hudson if he’s Australian and gets thrown out because Thea Hail doesn’t need to be near that kind of stupidity before her battle royal. Hail gets fired up and is all ready to go.
Dijak vs. Tony D’Angelo Stacks is here with D’Angelo and Wes Lee is on commentary. They fight to the floor and then back inside, with D’Angelo getting knocked down outside. Back in again where a shot to Dijak lets them head back outside. This ..