NEWS

And now, the reaction. We are in the middle of another huge change in WWE, as Vince McMahon has returned to the company after retiring from the company last July. The move came after a rapid fire change of pace, as McMahon and two hand picked partners returned to the Board Of Directors less than twenty four hours after announcing his plans. Now we are seeing the reaction to the whole situation.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Next Target: WWE Reportedly Interested In 40 Year Old Second Generation Star
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, some who were previously supportive of McMahon in WWE have changed their stances about his return. However, so far the situation is described as “business as usual” with McMahon having not move back into his office and no reported plans for him to do so. There are also no current plans for changes among the company’s management, though that could change in the future.
Change can be a good thing. Check out some WWE changes over the years:
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On the radar. There are a lot of talented wrestlers in the world who have nothing to do with WE. Those wrestlers often grow a following and reputation of their own and that can be enough to get WWE’s attention. WWE will often go after wrestlers from other promotions and that seems to be what they are trying to do now with a pair of second generation international stars.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Farewell? Weekly Wrestling Series Seems To Be Coming To An End
Earlier this week, New Japan Pro Wrestling held its annual Wrestle Kingdom event. During the show, Tama Tonga defeated Karl Anderson to become the new Never Openweight Champion. According to Fightful Select, WWE is interested in Tonga and has been for quite some time. There is no word on if Tonga is interested in leaving New Japan or when his current contract expires.
Tonga is quite the star. Check out his work around the world on his own and as part of the Guerrillas of Destiny team:
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One less? Wrestling has been around for a very long time and a lot of that time has seen it airing on television. It makes all the sense in the world as anyone can watch a wrestling match and get the basic idea. There are all kinds of ways to present wrestling and different promotions around the world have showcased it in varying styles. Now though, we might not be seeing one of them again.
In a new post on his personal blog, New Japan’s Hiroshi Tanahashi revealed that New Japan Strong, the weekly New Japan American television series, will be coming to an end after this weekend’s television tapings. There was no reason given as to why the show would be coming to an end. However, last month, New Japan President Takami Ohbari said that New Japan Strong “will be rebuilt next year” (meaning 2023).
???????STRONG???????????????????#njpwSTRONG will be rebuilt next year.
— ????/Takami Ohbari (@TAKAMIOHBARI) December 25, 2022
Strong had some good stuff. Check out some of its efforts:
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That’s not good. WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recently told a story on his podcast on AdFreeShows.com, about how he almost drowned on a recent vacation to Florida.
Angle said the following:
“We went to Miami, Florida,” Angle said. “The temperature was 80 degrees. We spent so much time on the beach. They had a wonderful pool at the hotel. It was a blast. I actually took my kids jet skiing. My first kid that I put on the back for me to ride them because they’re too young to drive themselves, I put her on the back and we went out, and when I went to make a turn, I slowed down and stopped, I wanted to make a turn and I didn’t put the accelerator on when I was turning and we flipped over. We went into the ocean.”
“Now, Thank God my daughter is like an Olympic-caliber swimmer. I even had the safety vest on me, but it wasn’t working. I was still sinking. I can’t swim. So I’m in trouble. I couldn’t get above water. I was going under. My daughter kept her composure. The jet ski got away from..

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?
Wrestle Kingdom XVII
Date: January 4, 2023
Location: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Chris Charlton, Gino Gambino
It’s time to go back to New Japan for a promotion that I have not looked at since last year’s Wrestle Kingdom. As tends to be the case with this show, I’m coming in mostly blind, save for knowing the wrestlers involved. The main event is Jay White defending the IWGP World Title against Kazuchika Okada, who he took the title from back in June. Let’s get to it.
Pre-Show: Boltin Oleg ..

Let the bidding begin. According to a report from CNBC, WWE has hired JPMorgan to begin the process of selling the company. This is being reported following the news that Vince McMahon returned to the company yesterday.
The report states that if a deal occurs, it would likely occur in the next three to six months. In addition, WWE plans to talk to potential buyers before it makes a decision on TV rights renewal agreements.
McMahon had the following to stay in a statement: “My return will allow WWE, as well as any transaction counterparties, to engage in these processes knowing they will have the support of the controlling shareholder.”
His return doesn’t affect current leadership as Stephanie, and former CAA agent Nick Khan are co-CEOs. However, it remains unclear what type of role, if any, Vince would want at WWE if he sold the company. WWE has told investors that his role is essential in “our ability to create popular characters and creative storylines.” Currently, Vince doesn’t h..

He has earned it. There have been a lot of wrestlers over the years and many of them do not stand out for the most part. It takes someone special to receive additionally positive treatment but in most cases, they have earned the status. That was the case last week when an all time great made a return, and now we know just how differently he was treated upon return.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Even Them? How WWE Is Going Incredibly Far To Protect Uncle Howdy’s Secret
The main event of last week’s SmackDown saw John Cena return for his first match of the year, teaming with Kevin Owens to defeat Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE’s booking of Cena was “very carefully done” This included keeping Cena out of the ring for most of the match, as he had not wrestled in over a year, and making sure that he looked strong and hit the Attitude Adjustment. There is no word on when Cena is expected back in the ring, but WWE has been working on WrestleMania pl..

That’s some dedication. There are all kinds of ways to present a new wrestler but one of the most consistently used over the year is a mask. A new star will appear but there is no way of knowing who is behind the mask, leading to quite a bit of intrigue. WWE is utilizing the idea again today, but this time around they are doing something pretty unique with the concept.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: She’s In: WWE Star Makes Long Awaited In-Ring Debut On SmackDown
Over the last few months, Bray Wyatt has been attempting to escape his path but is also dealing with someone named Uncle Howdy. The man appears in a mask and has either stared at or attacked Wyatt. It is not clear who is behind the mask and according to Fightful Select, that is the case backstage as well. Howdy reportedly never takes off his mask and costume backstage, leaving no one to know who he actually is. There is no word on when or if the identity will be revealed on television.
Howdy doesn’t have much to go on but he is som..

There’s a first time for everyone. WWE has a lot of talented wrestlers on its roster and that can make it difficult to find something for all of them to do. Some of them are left doing one specific thing over and over but a little versatility can go a long way. Being able to do multiple things makes you more valuable and that was on display this week as someone got to do something new.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Feel The Glow? Here’s The Latest On Naomi’s WWE Status
This week on SmackDown, Scarlett made her televised in-ring debut, teaming with Karrion Kross to defeat Madcap Moss/Emma. This was Scarlett’s first televised match, though she has wrestled some live event matches for WWE. Scarlett has wrestled throughout her career but only began wrestling for WWE in recent weeks, having served as a manager throughout her two tenures with the company.
Scarlett has some skills. Check out her debut and some of her other time in WWE:
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Rampage
Date: January 6, 2023
Location: Portland Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho
We are in for the first of two hours of AEW TV this week. That could mean quite a few things, but we do have a TNT Title match as new champion Darby Allin defends against Matt Taven. It’s a little weird to have a title match on the show right before a title made of nothing but title matches, but it should be good. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Top Flight vs. Jon Moxley/Bryan Danielson The Club gets jumped from behind to start and it’s Darius dropkicking Moxley for a quick one. A standing moonsault gives Dante two but it’s off to Danielson to fire off the kicks in the corner. Moxley comes back in to hammer away before it’s a four way standoff. The double fights go to the floor, with Moxley and Danielson hitting running kicks against the barricade.
Back in and Danielson puts Dante in a surfboard, allowing him to rip at the..

One more run? WWE has seen several wrestlers coming and going from the company in recent months as the roster has dramatically changed. There have been multiple reasons for wrestlers to leave, but two of the most prominent left on their own accord. One of them has since settled elsewhere, but the other might be still have a chance to return to WWE if things go another way.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: WWE Runs Surprise Attack Angle After This Week’s SmackDown
Back in May 2022, Naomi and Sasha Banks both walked out on WWE, vacating their Women’s Tag Team Titles in the process. Banks has since debuted with New Japan Pro Wrestling, under the name Mercedes Mone, while Naomi has not appeared for a promotion since. According to the Wrestling Observer Radio, there are no changes in Naomi’s status with WWE. A return is still possible, but nothing has been agreed to so far. Naomi was seen in Japan with Mone for her New Japan debut but did not appear and has no known deal with any promotion.
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Smackdown
Date: January 6, 2023
Location: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett
We are less than a month away from the Royal Rumble as we are officially in the new year. That means we should be in for some fun tonight and there is certainly a big main event. This week, the Usos will be defending the Tag Team Titles against Drew McIntyre/Sheamus in a match that was originally scheduled for last month. Let’s get to it.
The Bloodline opens things up by throwing chairs from the crowd as Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman come to the ring to join them. Reigns demands acknowledgment and seems to receive it but doesn’t seem happy. This week, we are going to hear from Sami Zayn, who says this year belongs to the Bloodline.
Zayn brags about the team winning its matches on Raw but that’s not what Reigns wants to talk about. He wants to talk about LAST YEAR when he and Zayn faced John Cena and Kevin Owens. Some people have said they lost, but Reigns doesn’t remember..