Russo is joined on today’s show by his co-host Jeff Lane and Glenn Gilbertti (Disco Inferno).

Russo and Gilbertti open today’s show by discussing WWE’s decision to run RAW live on Christmas Day. Russo is still angry over the fact that WWE made their employees leave their families at Christmas in order to work a wrestling show, but Gilbertti doesn’t have a problem with it at all. Russo points out that if Gilbertti had a wife and kids he might think differently.

Lane points out that the live attendance for the show was great and ratings for the show were roughly the same as the week prior, with around 2.7 Million people tuning in. This doesn’t surprise Russo because he mentions that those 2.7 million people are the marks who watch every single week, whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving, or Halloween.

Gilbertti speaks about Hideo Itami kneeing Brin Kendrick in the face this past week, resulting in severe injuries. He doesn’t think it’s necessary to utilize moves like this in the business anymore, and he thinks the wrestling world is turning a bling eye to how reckless the in-ring action has become. He adds that a move like Itami’s ‘GTS’ has to be executed perfectly every single time or it can have disastrous results.

The post Vince Russo’s The Brand Recap – RAW Live on Christmas, Reckless In-Ring Work, Nakamura Losing Appeal, More! appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

During Sunday’s installment of Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez discussed Rich Swann’s match being pulled from tonight’s episode of RAW because of his arrest over the weekend.

Bryan Alvarez reports that they are trying to get Hideo Itami to debut on tonight’s RAW as the replacement for Swann on the show. Alvarez said if they are unable to get him in for the show, they will probably just do a multi-person match to determine the new challenger for Enzo Amore’s Cruiserweight Championship.

We will keep you updated if WWE makes an official announcement.

The post Possible NXT Debut on Tonight’s Episode of RAW appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest installment of The Wrestling Observer Newlsetter that Hideo Itami will be pushed as the new star of the 205 Live brand once he makes his debut.

Meltzer wrote, “Hideo Itami, who is being pushed as the new star of the brand, will likely anchor the shows with Amore, and the usual crew featuring the Zo train heels of Drew Gulak, Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari and Noam Dar (who seems in the process of a turn) and a babyface group featuring Cedric Alexander (whose been teased for a change), Rich Swann, Mustafa Ali and Akira Tozawa.”

Meltzer also indicated that WWE may book some NXT talents on the undercard or tryout some wrestlers who are cruiserweights once the company kicks off the 205 Live house shows next year.

The post Backstage Plans for Hideo Itami on 205 Live appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

Photo: WWE

Ric Flair Returns For Starrcade

It’s been announced that Ric Flair will make his first appearance for WWE since his health care over the summer at this month’s Starrcade show in Greensboro. Flair has been added to the list of legends that will appear at the event, along with The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express, Rick Steamboat, and more.

The New Day Invading RAW

Looks like The New Day is sticking around the RAW brand for a bit longer. The trio will be working the remaining dates on the current European Tour with the RAW roster. This is being done in order to continue the angle that the team started on last night’s RAW.

At this time, it’s expected that the reunited Shield will take on New Day at Survivor Series. We should be seeing that match announced on next week’s RAW after Roman Reigns officially returns to action.

Hideo Itami On His Way To The Main Roster?

We reported last week that WWE was looking at adding some international stars to the Cruiserweight Division, and apparently, that’s closer to happening today. It’s being reported that Hideo Itami will be called up to join the division and 205 Live.

Itami has been plagued by injuries during his NXT run, so hopefully his luck changes when he hits the main roster.

The post New Day Headed To RAW; Hideo Itami Being Called Up; Ric Flair Scheduled For Starrcade appeared first on TopRopePress.com – Wrestling News, WWE News, TNA News, Wrestling Results.

Photo: Impact

International Crusierweights Incoming?

It sounds like WWE may be looking to expand the Cruiserweight Division with some international stars. Rockstar Spud, who was parted ways with Impact Wrestling a few weeks ago after asking for his release, is said to be on WWE’s radar. Spud has worked with PROGRESS in the past, and with the friendly relationship between the two promotions, WWE may have an easier time working with and possibly signing Spud.

Also, it appears that Hideo Itami may finally be called up to the main roster. Itami has had a rough time of it in NXT, mostly due to injuries that have kept him on the shelf for a lot of his tenure in the brand. WWE apparently has creative plans in place for Itami already, so maybe his luck will change once he hits the main roster.

RAW Social Media Score

Monday’s WWE RAW ranked #1 among series and specials for the night in Nielsen’s social media TV ratings. RAW had 201,000 interactions with 37,000 unique authors on Twitter. This is down from last week’s 254,000 Twitter interactions with 46,000 unique authors. Last night’s episode also had 161,000 Facebook interactions with 114,000 unique authors, which is down from last week’s 164,000 interactions with 110,000 unique authors on Facebook.

The post WWE Looking To Add To Cruiserweight Division; RAW Social Media Score appeared first on TopRopePress.com – Wrestling News, WWE News, TNA News, Wrestling Results.

According to PWInsider, WWE is considering having Hideo Itami move to the Cruiserweight division in the near future.

While no exact date is set, the belief is that Itami will be joining the RAW brand under the 205 Live banner once the creative direction is finalized.

Itami has been part of NXT since 2014. Several injuries have prolonged his time in developmental.

The post NXT Superstar Moving to The Cruiserweight Division? appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

Welcome to the fastest hour on television, 205 Live!

Well the cruiserweight division has had quite the shake-up as of late hasn’t it? Whether you like Enzo Amore or not, he’s definitely had the desired effect on the division; he’s shook things up and gotten people to care. Two weeks in a row now, Enzo and his peers have main evented Raw, before him that was unheard of. That’s not to say Enzo is the best worker in the division, in fact he’s probably the worst, but he has put the division on the map.

So last night, Enzo once again ran down every other member of the division and they could do nothing about it because they would be fired if they laid a finger on the realest guy in the room. That stipulation did not apply to 205 Live’s latest acquisition however: Kalisto. Sure, the big reveal was a let-down when we realised it was Kalisto, I myself was hoping for Hideo Itami, but Kalisto is perfect for 205 Live and adds a little bit more name power. Kalisto is now in a feud with Enzo over the title, which is sure to take a new twist or turn on tonight’s show.

Elsewhere on tonight’s show, Cedric Alexander will clash with the newly heel Jack Gallagher. These two have been butting heads for a few weeks now, largely because of the man with a plan, Brian Kendrick. This should be an interesting match but probably only the beginning. Remember to join the conversation on the Ringside Talk app and enjoy the show!

The post WWE 205 Live Results – October 3 2017 appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

Ross opens today’s show by expressing his excitement at the news that Ric Flair is improving after being hospitalized last weekend. He says that for a few days last week things could have went either way, as doctors were unsure of Flair’s fate. Luckily for all of us, Flair kicked out at two and appears to be recovering as we speak. Ross is sure that Flair will be up and back in action sooner rather than later.

Ross says that he had a terrific time in Brooklyn last week. He informs that he and Lita had to re-do the commentary for 16 matches of the Mae Young Classic after a change was made in the the show’s creative/direction. Ross was surprised to hear that they had to re-do that much content, but he looked at it as an opportunity to improve upon his work and he believes he and Lita accomplished that.

He says that he thoroughly enjoyed his guest appearance on NXT Takeover on Saturday night, and he says it’s hard to put into words the distinct atmosphere that exists at NXT events. He thought Aleister Black and Hideo Itami had a great, physical bout on Saturday and he was proud to be a part of it.

Ross thinks that Lesnar is a ‘man amongst men’, and he took an awful beating on Sunday night in an effort to make the other three men look good. There’s no doubt that this match was booked around making Braun Strowman look like a destructive force, and the work of all four men certainly helped in accomplishing that goal.

The post The Ross Report Recap w/ Mike Johnson – SummerSlam Analysis, Cornette’s GFW Debut, How Can WWE Get Fans to Cheer Reigns? More! appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

Photo: WWE 2K18

New WWE 2K18 Screenshots

Thursday morning saw the first screenshots of WWE 2K18. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the first couple screenshots were of the man on the cover of the upcoming video game: Seth Rollins. The first screenshot has Rollins wearing his black “Seth Freakin’ Rollins” shirt in what may be during his entrance to the ring. The second Rollins screenshot has him shirtless in the ring. The 2K team handling the next WWE game released a video describing how they created the “new look” of WWE 2K18.

You didn't miss the VERY FIRST #WWE2K18 screenshots released today, did you? pic.twitter.com/pCQyQ4i4L0

— WWE 2K18 (@WWEgames) August 3, 2017

.@WWE2Kdev shows you how we created the new look of #WWE2K18! Watch through the end for a surprise pic.twitter.com/XBqUPUrNwi

— WWE 2K18 (@WWEgames) August 3, 2017

A special limited edition John Cena “Cena (Nuff)” version of the game is available via preorder with special additions of Cena’s WWE gimmicks, Batista, Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle, and extra merchandise.

Be sure to pick up a copy of the #WWE2K18 Cena (Nuff) Edition before this limited collector's pack sells out! @Xbox #Xbox #XboxOne pic.twitter.com/EGrNZWwUFS

— WWE 2K18 (@WWEgames) August 1, 2017

2K18 will be released on October 17 for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The game will be available for the Nintendo Switch but its release date was not confirmed yet.

New NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III Match Confirmed

Following yesterday’s NXT broadcast, which featured an in-ring and post-show altercation between Hideo Itami and Aleister Black, it was announced that the two NXT superstars will have a match against each other at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III.

The August 2^nd episode of NXT also revealed the inevitable Sanity (Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain) vs. NXT Tag Team Champions Authors of Pain for the Brooklyn special.

NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III takes place on Saturday, August 19, from Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center. The show starts live at 8 p.m. EDT on the WWE Network.

NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III Card

NXT Championship
Bobby Roode (c) vs. Drew McIntyre.

NXT Women’s Championship
Asuka (c) vs. Ember Moon.

NXT Tag Team Championship
Authors of Pain (c) vs. Sanity (Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain).

Aleister Black vs. Hideo Itami.

The post WWE 2K18 Screenshots Revealed; New NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III Matches appeared first on TopRopePress.com – Wrestling News, WWE News, TNA News, Wrestling Results.

WWE announced today that Aleister Black vs. Hideo Itami has officially been added to NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III. Here is the updated card:

NXT Title Match
Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Roode

NXT Women’s Title Match
Ember Moon vs. Asuka

NXT Tag Team Title Match
SAnitY vs. The Authors of Pain

Aleister Black vs. Hideo Itami

NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III takes place on August 19th. As always, we will be providing live play-by-play coverage of the event.

The post Another Match Added to NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.