With one week to go for the 2015 Slammy Awards, WWE has opened up the voting and announced nominees for several categories.
Categories which were announced include Match of the Year, WWE Diva of the Year, Breakout Star of the Year, LOL Moment of the Year, Extreme Moment of the Year, “This is Awesome” Moment of the Year, The OMG Shocking Moment of the Year, and The Hero in All of Us Award, presented by Coca-Cola. These are likely the only ones which will be presented live on Raw while the others will be announced on WWE.COM.
Also for the first time ever, every Superstar on the roster is eligible for Superstar of the Year. Voting instructions and nominees of other categories can be found on WWE.COM.
Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet and formerly of TMZ Sports is reporting that Wade Barrett is out due to a nerve injury in his neck however the injury isn’t deemed to be that serious and will be back soon.
Barrett was absent from the TLC pay-per-view and from Monday Night Raw but his absence was not explained on television. Satin says that according to sources close to Barrett, the former Intercontinental champion received a bad stinger while wrestling a few weeks ago and now he’s on the sidelines to let it heal.
Last year Barrett was out for five months due to a shoulder injury that required surgery.
After Monday Night Raw went off the air, the new champion continued celebrating along with his cousins The Usos and one of his best friends, Dean Ambrose, and then addressed the usually unforgiving Philly crowd.
“It wasn’t that long ago, at Royal Rumble, we all know what happened, it was rough,” Reigns told the crowd, reminding them about all the boos he got after he won the Rumble. “But a lot of my progression and a lot of my focus and motivation came from that night. So in a weird hindsight, thank you so much guys.”
Reigns said that sometimes you need to get kicked in the ass to get better and that night it happened and that’s why he’s there tonight as the WWE champion.
“Thank you so much, I’ll never forget tonight,” Reigns said as the crowd roared in approval.
SavannahNow.com is reporting that the upcoming feature film Baywatch with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be filming in the Savannah area in March and April which pretty much rules out The Rock to wrestle at WrestleMania 32.
Starring alongside Johnson will be Zac Efron and Alexandra Daddario, the only two other stars confirmed for the movie so far. A big announcement is forthcoming according to Johnson regarding the casting of the person who will play the character of CJ Parker, played famously by Pamela Anderson during its run on television.
After several close calls, Roman Reigns is finally the WWE World Heavyweight champion, a title he won last night on Monday Night Raw after defeating Sheamus and even dropping Vince McMahon with the Superman punch.
The 30 year old won the Royal Rumble earlier this year and went on to main event WrestleMania 31, a match which he was expected to win. However the day before, the glory was taken away as the decision was made to have Seth Rollins walk out with the title after cashing in the Money In The Bank briefcase. Reigns ended up doing the job for Rollins that night as WWE opted to keep Lesnar strong by taking the title away from him without getting pinned.
At the Money In The Bank pay-per-view, Reigns was about to get the briefcase but was interrupted by Bray Wyatt, who cost him the match and Sheamus went on to win it. Following a few months feuding with Wyatt, Reigns got back in the title picture and earned a title shot against Seth Rollins at the Survivor Series.
As fate would have it, Rollins got injured and the title was vacated and a tournament was announced for the title. Roman Reigns went all the way in the tournament, winning the WWE title but his reign was short lived as Sheamus cashed in his Money In The Bank briefcase and defeated Reigns for the title just 5 minutes and 15 seconds following his pinfall.
At the TLC pay-per-view last weekend, Reigns got his rematch but interference from the League of Nations made sure that Sheamus walked out of Boston with the title. The post-match affair however seemed to have finally turned Reigns on the good side of the crowd after he viciously attacked Triple H.
The luck for the Irish ran out yesterday as in Philadelphia Reigns won the WWE title, ironically enough at the same arena where just 12 months ago, the Philly crowd completely crapped on Reigns after winning the Royal Rumble. Not even an embrace in the middle of the ring by his cousin The Rock was enough to convince the Philly crowd who showered both of them with boos.
Monday Night Raw TV Report for December 14th, 2015 – “Actions Breed Consequences”
Introduction Segment: Video, Welcoming, and Arena Promo
Footage of the suspenseful (and I truly mean that, as there were times I thought it could actually go either way) TLC WWE World Heavyweight Championship match is shown, as well as the post-match demolishing of WWE COO Triple H by Roman Reigns.
Principal Owner Stephanie McMahon marches out with a scowl on her face. She rants about Reigns’ assault on her husband, Triple H, at TLC and insinuates that she will deal with it. Before she can go further, Roman himself enters through the fans and joins her in the ring.
He first wishes his daughter, JoJo, a happy birthday, which displeases Steph because she thinks he doesn’t care at all what happened twenty-four hours ago. Roman orders her to fire him soon if that’s what she wants to do, as he’d like to get home to his birthday-girl. McMahon says she is not going to do that, as “The Game” wants him kept around. However, she reveals that the big-man of the family, Mr. Vince McMahon, may give Roman his pink slip, and will be at Raw later tonight!
Up next, new Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose will be wrestling!
Commercials.
It is announced that next week’s Raw will be the annual Slammy Awards Special.
Match #1: Single – Dolph Ziggler VS. Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose (Non-Title)
The bell rings and Ambrose twists Dolph into a hammerlock and standing side headlock. He puts him to the mat with a wristlock, which Dolph backs out of, but is taken back down with a side headlock. They both hit a couple quick moves, then Dean takes control with a scoop-slam and Regal-Stretch. He ties Ziggler up in a surfboard stretch, but “The Show Off” stands up and kicks out of it. He hits a running flying forearm, then a splash in the corner, but Ambrose hits a clothesline back, sending Dolph to the floor. “The Lunatic Fringe” follows with his dive through the ropes! He climbs the turnbuckle and dives back in the ring, but Dolph moves and they go back-and-forth on pin combos. Both try their finishers but counter each other and Dean gives him the “that close” sign.
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Dean is on the top turnbuckle, but Dolph counters with a dropkick and almost takes this after covering! Dean does the same with a roll-up, but is soon planted with the Fameasser and near-fall by Ziggler! “The Show Off” stomps the mat in preparation for the superkick, but Ambrose counters with a face-plant and a two-count! He hits a front-dropkick from the top and running clothesline in the corner, but Dolph still continues. “The Show Off” locks on a sleeper, but Dean runs him back into the corner. Ziggler this a Superkick, but Dean turns him around with a big clothesline! Both men are down until former champion Kevin Owens walks out. he interjects himself and punches away on both competitors, causing the referee to call for the bell.
Winner: None due to Interference and a Non-Finish
Post-match, Owens continues the attack, Powerbombing both Ziggler and Ambrose, then looking at and holding the IC Title.
Recap of the opening of Raw, then picture-stills of the Triple-Threat Tag-Team Ladder Match for the Tag-Team Championship at T.L.C. is shown. The New Day, who are still Tag-Team Champions, will be out later.
Commercials.
Segment #2: Backstage Promo
JoJo catches up with Kevin Owens and inquires if his beating of Ambrose was “justified.” Owens tells her “I don’t feel I have to justify myself to anybody.” He warns her and Dean that he will do anything to get his Intercontinental Championship back.
Segment #3: Backstage Promo
The Dudley Boyz are talking about how they didn’t get the job done against The Wyatt Family at T.L.C., and instead were destroyed. Tommy Dreamer and Rhyno chime in about the meaning of their careers in Philadelphia; all four vow to “bring this city back to ‘the extreme’” and want to go at it again with the entire Family.
Segment #4: Backstage Promo
Stephanie is hurrying an assistant to prepare for her father’s return.
Match #2: Single – R-Truth VS. Bo Dallas
They wrestle for a bit until a limousine is shown driving up backstage. Mr. McMahon gets out; Steph wants to walk with him, but Vince is going to do this on his own.
Back to the ring, Truth and Dallas are still going at it until Vince struts out in his style. He orders R and Bo to exit, hen says that he is going to make Roman wait for a bit; McMahon takes a seat at ringside.
Winner: None due to Non-Finish
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Segment #5: Arena Promo
Mr. McMahon continues to hold on, then eventually orders Reigns to join him. Vince puts himself over first then berates Roman for making his son-in-law feel pain. He commands him to say he is sorry, even to the point of begging on his hands and knees. Reigns shakes his head no, and McMahon threatens that he would “beat an apology out of you.” The Chairman goes to show him how, but WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus interrupts.
While Sheamus knows that Vince can beat Roman, Sheamus wants to do it; he’ll even let Reigns challenge again for the WWE Title. McMahon fakes making the match, until Roman makes fun of his “grapefruits,” calling them “prunes” now at seventy. This irritates McMahon of course, so he books the bout, with one condition – if Roman does not succeed, he’s “firrrrrrreeed!”
Commercials.
Match #3: Tag-Team – Ryback and Jack Swagger VS. The League Of Nations (United States Champion Alberto Del Rio and Rusev) (w/ Lana)
Ryback knock Rusev off the apron but turns around into an enziguri from Del Rio. The U.S. Champ pounds away, then tags in Rusev who repeatedly kicks at Ryback. He chokes him against the middle rope and dominates for a while.
Ryback makes the hot-tag, letting “The Real American” clothesline Rusev multiple times and then give him a belly-to-belly suplex. He attempts the Swaggerbomb, but Rusev counters. Jack catches him in the Patriot Ankle Lock, but Del Rio breaks it up. Ryback takes out Alberto, but Lana gets involved, allowing Del Rio to kick Swagger in the head, and Rusev to do the same. He covers and gets the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: The League Of Nations
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Segment #6; Video Promo
Adam Rose is back to dish the dirt on WWE. He makes fun of Divas Champion Charlotte, her father Ric Flair, and Tommy Dreamer.
Match #4: Single – Tyler Breeze (with Summer Rae) VS. Neville
Before this bout begins, The Miz walks out and demands everyone to get in their “places.” He calls for “action” and the bell rings. Tyler and Neville wrestle well and back-and-forth at first, then as Neville takes control, Miz is heard telling him what to do.
Breeze knees Neville out of the corner then punches and kicks away in the other corner. He continues to wear him down, but is tossed off a Tornado-DDT attempt. “The Man That Gravity Forgot” kicks back and flips Breeze over with an enziguri. Tyler jawbreaks Neville on the ropes, and Miz yells that wasn’t supposed to happen, so Neville hits back with a high-kick, then spins off the top turnbuckle with his Red Arrow Twisting Splash to take the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Neville
Commercials.
Segment #7: Backstage Promo
Miz and Neville are discussing the previous match, and Miz also wants Neville’s help in developing an English accent for himself, so he can be the next James Bond. Neville declines the offer and walks away.
Segment #8: Video Promo
“We are the way into the city of woe. We are the way into eternal pain. We are the way to go among the lost. We are the angels of the dirt. And tonight, Tommy Dreamer, Dudley Boyz, Rhyno, we will bury you in the same city you were born. Run!” quip all members of The Wyatt Family.
The Dudleyz, Rhyno, and Tommy Dreamer make their entrance for the Eight-Man Tag, next!
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Match #5: Eight-Man Tag-Team (Extreme Rulez) The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von), Tommy Dreamer, and Rhyno VS. The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Erik Rowan, Luke Harper, and Braun Strowman)
They all brawl to start out, then Tommy tosses in a trashcan full of weapons. Bubba whacks Harper with the can as D-Von wields a Kendo Stick on Rowan. Both teams are even until Luke kick both D-Von and Bubba in the head. He climbs the turnbuckle but is stopped by Dreamer, then suplexed by Bubba while Rowan powerbombs, Bubba all onto a chair!
Commercials.
The Wyatts are in control until Rhyno cleans house and Dreamer dropkicks Harper who was hanging upside down from the turnbuckle. Bubba tumbles Bray into the crowd, and Braun soars across the announce table. Bray punches back at Bubba against the barricade and Dreamer gives Harper a Death Valley Driver from the stage through two tables!
Bubba and Wyatt are continuing to scuffle in the fans until Braun helps out. Tommy makes the save with Kendo stick shots, but Strowman carries him and over-the-shoulder slams him through the timekeeper’s barrier!
Rowan and Luke double-team Bubba, then Harper boots both Dudleyz in the ring a bit later. He props up a table, but is put through it with a 3-D! D-Von covers, but Bray pulls him out before the three. He drives D-Von down with Sister Abigail, then Rowan roundhouse-kicks Bubba! Rhyno’s back in and gives Erik a belly-to-belly and signals for a Gore but he is stopped by a Sister Abigail from Bray!
Rowan places Rhyno on a table then ascends the turnbuckle. He dives off with a splash and The Wyatts take this one!
Winners via Pinfall: The Wyatt Family
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Segment #9: Arena Promo
Tag-Team Champions The New Day come out and celebrate their big win, then they call out both The Usos and Lucha Dragons. The other two teams agree to join, and Xavier Woods, Big E., and Kofi Kingston surprisingly give respect to Jimmy and Jey, Kalisto and Sin Cara. They shake hands, then New Day continue to proclaim themselves Tag Champs; The Usos and Luchas don’t take kindly to this and decide to blindside Woods, E., and Kingston!
Commercials.
Match #6: Tag-Team – Team Bella (Brie Bella and Alicia Fox) VS. Becky Lynch and Divas Champion Charlotte (with Ric Flair)
(Note: Team B.A.D. – Sasha Banks, Tamina, and Naomi – are at ringside.)
Charlotte and Bri3e start, with Charlotte giving Bella a neckbreaker, but she is soon flipped off the turnbuckle. Brie wears her down with a rear choke-and-scissors submission, then locks on a surfboard stretch after trying to get the pin.
Charlotte fights out and tags in Lynch, who dropkicks Alicia. She kicks her in the corner then gives her a t-bone suplex. Fox kicks out at two, but Charlotte runs in and spears Brie. Becky whips Alicia into the ropes, where Flair trips her up and puts her in a position for Lynch to lock on her Disarmer, forcing Fox to tap!
Winners via Submission: Becky Lynch and Divas Champion Charlotte (with Ric Flair)
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Following an advertisement for WWEshop.com, another recall of TLC is shown. Backstage, Mr. McMahon is chatting with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, United States Champion Alberto Del Rio and Rusev. The main-event is up next!
Commercials.
Match #7: Single for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship – Sheamus (Champion) VS. Roman Reigns (Challenger)
(Stipulation: If Roman does not win, he is fired.)
After formal intros, Reigns slugs away on Sheamus with ten clotheslines in the corner and a big boot! Sheamus cuts him off on the apron, then kicks him to the outside a couple moves later. Reigns comes back with an uppercut, but Sheamus counters and suplexes Roman onto the announce table.
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Sheamus now has Roman in a grounding rear chinlock. Reigns battles out and backdrops Sheamus. They both slug away, then Roman gets the better with a couple clotheslines and a flying forearm! He runs at Sheamus in the corner but is dumped to the apron and then kicked to the floor. Roman trips up Sheamus then punches him against the bottom rope from the apron. He hits the Drive-By running front-dropkick, but Sheamus elbows out of a Samoan Drop in the ring.
Sheamus boots Reigns out of the corner, then climbs the turnbuckle. He is punched down and given a middle rope Samoan Drop, but Reigns only gets two on the subsequent cover! Sheamus jawbreaks Roman between the ropes and rolls him up, but Reigns kicks out! Sheamus plants Roman with a backbreaker, but still only gets two! He goes for White Noise, but Roman reverses into a sit-down powerbomb for a very near-fall!
Roman goes for a Superman Punch, but Sheamus catches him by the throat then powerbombs him! Reigns kicks out again though as neither Vince or Sheamus can believe! Sheamus locks on a modified Cloverleaf, but Reigns struggles to and reaches the ropes!
Roman headbutts Sheamus, and is now busted open big! He hits a Superman Punch and covers, but Vince pulls the referee out just after two! Sheamus runs Roman into the ring post and plants him with White Noise, but Roman still gets his shoulder up!
With McMahon and the referee having a talk on the outside, Rusev and Del Rio run down to help Sheamus. Reigns manages to fend them off though, and Superman Punches both Sheamus and McMahon, collapsing him to the apron. He turns around into a Brogue kick and Sheamus drapes over him! 1 – 2 – Roman kicks out! The WWE Champion tries again, but Reigns counters with a Spear and covers! The referee counts,
1 – 2 – 3! Roman receives the hard-wrestled victory!
Winner and NEW WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Roman Reigns
Post-match, Reigns celebrates as Sheamus is in disbelief and McMahon is kicked to the floor. Roman holds the championship high to close the show.
NXT is once again packing the bags and going on the road as Triple H today announced that NXT will be visiting five different cities next month.
The tour kicks off on January 14 for three days visiting Green Bay, Milwaukee, and Chicago, and then picks up again on January 29 and 30 with NXT going to Detroit and Pittsburgh.
This is the first time that NXT will be going to Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan, having previously been to Pennsylvania earlier this year. All tickets go on sale on Friday, December 18 at NXTTickets.com.
The last time the Royal Rumble had a change in its logo was back in 2005 and now after 11 yeas WWE has decided to give the Rumble logo a face lift and go with a completely different design.
The previous logo used more of a block type of font whereas the new logo is more, well, royal-looking.
This is the sixth Royal Rumble logo change. The first logo from 1988 was replaced in 1996. In 2000 and 2001 different logos were used and in 2002 a new one was introduced which stayed in play until 2004. In 2005 the logo the Rumble is mostly associated with made its debut and was used up until the 2015 event.
The 2016 Royal Rumble takes place at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, on January 24.
The NXT Superstars and Divas are enjoying their time in the United Kingdom with fans coming up with several creative chants that take over the whole arena.
The most popular of the group seems to be the tag team of Jason Jordan and Chad Gable with fans chanting their names to the tune of the popular Yaya/Kolo Toure chant from football (or soccer for American readers). The NXT Women’s champion Bayley has also been on the receiving end of some popular football chants.
The atmosphere is expected to be the same, if not better, this Wednesday for the Takeover: London show on the WWE Network. Overseas fans tend to be very creative with their chants as clearly visible from the Raw after WrestleMania where the majority of fans are all international.
There are three days left on the NXT United Kingdom tour with one show tonight in Nottingham, one tomorrow in Cardiff, and the Takeover show on Wednesday in London.
This week’s Impact on Destination America will be airing at 11PM EST and ending at 1AM EST as Destination America has bumped off their broadcast for a Mountain Monsters marathon that will start at 1PM EST.
There will be no replay for this week’s Impact and going by what’s on the schedule for Destination America, there are no more Impact broadcasts for the remainder of the year. This means that this week’s show is the last one on the network and TNA will be off television for two weeks before returning on Pop on January 5.
WWE and NBCUniversal today announced that Coca-Cola will be the presenting partner of this year’s Tribute to the Troops event, a new collaboration which will include brand integration throughout the broadcast on USA Network.
Coca-Cola commercial spots will air during the broadcast and on WWE Network, and WWE will develop behind-the-scenes content with WWE Superstars and Divas for its global digital and social media platforms.
“We are excited to partner with Coca-Cola, an iconic, blue-chip brand that is dedicated to giving back to our nation’s heroes,” said Michelle Wilson, WWE Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer. “Supporting our servicemen and women is a key part of Coca-Cola’s DNA and we are proud to highlight their important efforts during our annual Tribute to the Troops event.”
Dan Lovinger, Executive Vice President, Advertising Sales at NBCUniversal, said, “We are thrilled to share in this special event with WWE and Coca-Cola. WWE is known for family-friendly programming and they go above and beyond in their support of veterans and the military. Tribute to the Troops is such a unique opportunity to showcase that passion and we’re proud to partner with them.”
When Smackdown debuts on the USA Network on January 7, a new voice will be leading the announcing booth, popular MMA and boxing announcer Mauro Ranallo. The news was reported yesterday by Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole.
Ranallo has been doing commentary for Showtime Championship Boxing, Glory Kickboxing and Invicta Fighting Championships as well as doing play by play for New Japan Pro Wrestling on AXS TV. His new role on Smackdown will not be exclusive as Ranallo said that WWE allowed him to keep doing all the commentary for Showtime events, although his role at NJPW will probably not continue.
“The boyhood dream has come true for me. The fact that I get to do all of my passions in one calendar year, I can’t believe it yet,” Ranallo said. The life-long wrestling fan said that he was contacted by Michael Cole to see if he’s interested in doing Smackdown on USA.
“Pro wrestling was my first love and my first entry into broadcasting,” Ranallo added. “And here I am, about to turn 46 with nearly 30 years as a broadcaster and it’s come full circle.”
Here are the results from last night’s TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view which took place at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Sasha Banks defeated Becky Lynch in the Kickoff match; The New Day defeated The Usos and The Lucha Dragons to retain the Tag Team titles in a triple threat tag team ladder match; Rusev defeated Ryback; Alberto Del Rio defeated Jack Swagger to retain the United States title in a chair match; The Wyatt Family defeated The Dudley Boyz, Rhyno, and Tommy Dreamer in an eight-man tag team elimination tables match; Dean Ambrose defeated Kevin Owens to become the new Intercontinental champion; Charlotte defeated Paige to retain the Divas title; Sheamus defeated Roman Reigns in a TLC match to retain the WWE World Heavyweight title.
In the latest round with the media in Singapore, former champ Daniel Bryan is now stating that he’s trying to work on a “compromise” with WWE to try and get back in the ring as Dr. Joseph Maroon, the lead WWE doctor, does not want to clear him due to the concussions he received.
“Because of my history with concussions, the WWE medical doctor wouldn’t clear me. We’re in the process of trying to figure out some compromise,” Bryan told The Straits Times newspaper. “They keep sending me to do more tests, brain MRIs, brain EGs and all my tests have come back great to the point where my brain is better than someone my age with no concussion.”
Bryan has already repeated the last part before to the press and said that all the tests he did showed that his brain looks in better shape than others despite suffering from several concussions throughout his wrestling career.
In earlier interviews this week Bryan said that WWE offered him a TV announcer job and a trainer at the Performance Center but he doesn’t want to take up that offer at this point in his career as he still feels he can wrestle.
Live tonight from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, WWE presents TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on pay-per-view and WWE Network. The full card is as follows:
Sheamus vs Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight title in a TLC match; Kevin Owens vs Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental title; The New Day vs The Usos vs The Lucha Dragons for the Tag Team titles in a triple threat tag team ladder match; Charlotte vs Paige for the Divas title; Alberto Del Rio vs Jack Swagger for the US title; Ryback vs Rusev; and The Dudley Boyz, Tommy Dreamer, and Rhyno vs The Wyatt Family in an eight-man tag team elimination tables match.
The Kickoff show will start at 7PM EST but no match has been announced yet. It airs on WWE.COM, Facebook, YouTube, and the WWE Network.
The current WWE World Heavyweight champion Sheamus is the favorite to retain the title tonight according to the bookies, standing at 1/7 in the odds while Reigns is distant at 4/1.
In the other title matches, all the champions are favorites, with Del Rio at 2/9, The New Day at 4/9, Kevin Owens at 1/3, and Charlotte at 1/4. Their opponents stand at 3/1 for Swagger, 11/5 for The Usos and 13/2 for The Lucha Dragons, Ambrose at 2/1, and Paige at 11/4.
In the remaining non-title matches, Rusev is at 1/2 to win vs Ryback at 6/4, and The Wyatt Family at 2/9 while the ECW Originals are at 3/1.
If you consider Charlotte as a heel, this pay-per-view has all the heels favorites to win their matches.
The Texas Tribune is running an article about Texas governor Greg Abbott agreeing to spend up to $2.7 million in taxpayer funds to bring WrestleMania to the state next year.
The article notes that during his campaign last year, the governor was against such ideas using taxpayer money however last week his office signed off on the $2.7 million payment from the Events Trust Fund. The Events Trust Fund is designed to defray the costs of some large events by paying state taxes collected during the events, such as those levied on hotel reservations and car rentals, back to event organizers.
“It’s a massive event,” CFO for Stadium Events Organizing Committee Marty MacInnis said. “They’ve got fan festivals. They’ve got golf tournaments. They’ve got rallies. It’s one of those things where people from all over the world will come to this.”
State subsidy helped the organizing committee plan out its bid and determine how much it could ultimately agree to pay WWE. The total funding WWE is receiving for the event is still being worked out, McInnis said.
WrestleMania 32 received the second biggest incentive since governor Abbott’s office took over the trust fund. The Formula One race in October received nearly $20 million.
Former World Heavyweight champion Rey Mysterio has joined El Rey’s Lucha Underground, making a surprise appearance yesterday at their television tapings. He will be part of the second season of the series which kicks off next month.
“When it comes to in-ring performers, Rey Mysterio is among the elite and we are thrilled to welcome him and his skills to the ‘Lucha Underground’ franchise reinforcing our promise to bring US audiences the very best in lucha libre wrestling,” said Executive Producer and Showrunner, Eric Van Wagenen.
There were rumors that Mysterio would be going to Lucha Underground for the past few weeks. Ever since leaving the WWE, Mysterio has worked for AAA in Mexico and other independent organizations there. He is the second high profile main event wrestler to join Lucha Underground after Alberto Del Rio joined for the first season however Del Rio left after there were some problems between the two parties.
“I am excited by the opportunity to join such an extraordinary group of athletes and be a part of the Lucha Underground family,” Mysterio said. “It is a privilege to be able to represent this sport and have a chance to share my love of Lucha with passionate wrestling fans around the globe.”
Triple H confirmed on his Twitter today that the NXT show in Dallas two nights before WrestleMania 32 will be a Takeover show and will be titled NXT Takeover: Dallas.
“This is the ticket you’re gonna want…@WWENXT the takeover continues. #NXTTakeOver: Dallas,” he wrote, adding a photo of himself holding a ticket in front of a WWE logo.
The initial news was that this would be a regular non-televised live event, similar to what the company did earlier this year in San Jose. That particular show started late not to conflict with Axxess and some other non-WWE related activities that were going on during the evening. During the SummerSlam weekend, WWE held their first Takeover show outside Full Sail University, selling out the Barclays Center immediately and giving fans one hell of a fantastic show.
NXT Takeover: Dallas will take place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Arena, located inside the Convention Center where WWE will host the multi-day Axxess fan interaction event. The arena hosts around 9,000 seats so it will have a smaller attendance than the Takeover: Brooklyn show.
Tickets for the April 1 Dallas Takeover show go on sale on December 19 on Ticketmaster.com.
John Cena will be taking another short break from WWE after the Royal Rumble and will return in time for the quick Germany tour in February.
The former WWE champion is only advertised up until the Raw after the Rumble and after that, Cena is nowhere on any advertising or any event listing on WWE.COM until the February 8 Raw in Seattle, Washington. On February 10, one half of the roster will travel to Germany for three live events for a tour headlined by Cena himself before heading into Anaheim for the final Raw before the Fastlane pay-per-view.
Cena has been off WWE television since Hell In A Cell where he lost the United States title to Alberto Del Rio. He is currently in Washington state filming the FOX reality series American Grit.
