2026

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01/05/2026

Monday Night Raw goes upside down tonight for the Stranger Things crossover episode and it will be a big one with three championship matches as WWE celebrates one year on Netflix.

It’s also the first time since September that the show will not go head-to-head with Monday Night Football so a bigger audience is expected.

Headlining the broadcast is CM Punk defending the WWE World Heavyweight title against Bron Breakker. WWE Women’s Intercontinental champion Maxxine Dupri defends her gold against Becky Lynch, and The Kabuki Warriors put their WWE Women’s Tag Team titles on the line against Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky.

Plus, Liv Morgan wrestles on television for the first time in six months against Lyra Valkyria.

All this and more live on Netflix worldwide starting at 8PM ET.

Will Ospreay makes surprise appearance at NJPW New Year Dash event

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/05/2026

Will Ospreay made a surprise appearance at the NJPW New Year Dash show held earlier today.

The former IWGP champion came out for an angle following the match featuring United Empire and War Dogs, with Ospreay trying to mend things between David Finlay and Callum Newman. Newman was not interested in Ospreay’s move and even tried to hit him with a chair before the rest of United Empire stopped him.

Speaking after the show, Ospreay expressed his wish to return to New Japan Pro-Wrestling for a few shows per year once he is fully recovered and said he is determined to make it happen.

The popular British star also gave an update on his health status, saying he still needs to recover from neck surgery and that’s going to take a long time.

“I’m getting better and better, and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “When I’m good to go, I’m going to handle some business in AEW. I’m going to come back to New Japan Pro-Wrestling.”

Ospreay was also present for the Wrestle Kingdom 20 pay-per-view and was part of the Hiroshi Tanahashi retirement ceremony.

Limited number of tickets for Smackdown on the eve of Royal Rumble released

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/05/2026

A limited number of tickets for the Smackdown on the eve of the Royal Rumble were put on sale today on Webook.com.

All the tickets are 50 Saudi Riyal, which is equivalent to around $14, and all are in the upper section of the seating chart.

Smackdown will be held in the same outdoor venue where the Royal Rumble takes place the following night. The venue is currently being constructed in the King Abdullah Financial District, an urban neighborhood in Riyadh.

Netflix publishes trailer of WWE: Unreal season two

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/05/2026

Netflix has dropped the first trailer of season two of WWE: Unreal, which will premiere on January 20.

The second season will follow the WWE Superstars and the powers that be who make it all happen as they go on the road to SummerSlam following WrestleMania season.

A prominent part of this season will include behind-the-scenes of how WWE tried to fool everyone with the Seth Rollins injury which led him to be out for a few months, only to cash in his MITB briefcase at SummerSlam on CM Punk.

Just like the first season, season two will feature five episodes of 50 minutes each with Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Pat McAfee, Jelly Roll, R-Truth, Iyo Sky, Naomi, Chelsea Green, Penta, and Lyra Valkyria all part of the cast.

WWE: Unreal is produced by Omaha Productions, NFL Films, Skydance Sports, and WWE with Peyton Manning, Jamie Horowitz, Ross Ketover, Keith Cossrow, Ken Rodgers, Jessica Boddy, Lee Fitting, Ben Houser, and Marc Pomarico serving as executive producers.

WWE constructing its own outdoor arena for 2026 Royal Rumble in Riyadh

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/05/2026

The 2026 Royal Rumble will be held at a location in Riyadh specifically built for the premium live event, as images published online show that construction has started.

A specific location was never announced for the Rumble and it was only listed as taking place at the King Abdullah Financial District.

Rather than using any of the stadiums or arenas nearby which WWE has already used in the past for Saudi PLEs, it was decided to build from scratch a large arena similar to what the company did at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas for WrestleMania IX in 1993.

The seating chart contains 39 sections with an estimated seating capacity of 20,000 to 25,000. There will be no seats behind the stage area as the design is in the shape of a U.

When tickets went on sale, over 800,000 people were in line on the Webook.com website looking for tickets.

أعمال مسرح رويال رامبل 2026 اليوم. 5/1#RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/fUsidnkQqM

— سوبر SUPER (@wrestlng) January 5, 2026

Nakamura on trying to be part of Tanahashi’s retirement: “I did everything I could”

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/05/2026

Speaking to Tokyo Sports following Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement match, WWE’s Shinsuke Nakamura revealed that he did everything he could possibly do to be part of it.

But while Nakamura was previously given permission to work and appear at shows by Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan, appearing on a New Japan Pro-Wrestling broadcast, a company with big ties to competitor AEW, was going to be difficult.

“I thought I did everything I could,” Nakamura told Tokyo Sports. “But the fact that it didn’t come to fruition makes me think that there was a (other) mission that was imposed upon me. That’s the only way to look at it. I think that’s dramatic in itself.”

Nakamura was, at one point, in consideration to be Tanahashi’s final opponent, but that spot unsurprisingly went to AEW’s Kazuchika Okada.

Brinley Rice exits WWE NXT

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/05/2026

NXT’s Brinley Reece announced her departure from WWE after three years. Reece said she decided to leave because of health issues and a serious injury which required surgery last year.

“It wasn’t an easy choice, but it was a necessary one — choosing my health, my body, and my future first,” she wrote in a long post on social media. “That choice alone has been one of the most powerful lessons this journey gave me.

She described her last three years as “truly life-changing” and she was pushed in ways she never imagined, learning resilience, discipline, and belief in the process and grow not just as a wrestler, but as a person as well.

“This isn’t an ending — it’s a redirection. I’m proud of everything I gave to this chapter, and even more excited for what’s ahead. Thank you for being part of my journey. The best is still to come,” she concluded.

The 25-year-old California native was a tumbler and acrobat before she was recruited by WWE. She suffered a shoulder injury in May of last year and appeared multiple times on NXT and EVOLVE.

Adam Pearce drops Chris Jericho hint while hyping tomorrow’s Raw

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/04/2026

Raw General Manager Adam Pearce dropped a big Chris Jericho hint while hyping up tomorrow’s Raw on Netflix.

There are a lot of rumors that Jericho could show up on Raw tomorrow as he is now supposedly a free agent, with his AEW contract expiring at Midnight on January 1.

After announcing that Liv Morgan will return to the ring against Lyra Valkyria, Pearce said there are three huge championship matches and wondered “who can break down the walls and claim the gold.”

Breaking down the walls is obviously a reference to Chris Jericho and his iconic WWE theme song.

Raw tomorrow is the one year anniversary episode on Netflix and it will be a crossover with the streaming service’s most popular TV series, Stranger Things.

WWE is asking fans who will be attending the show at the Barclays Center tomorrow to wear Stranger Things-related costumes and merch.

Iyo Sky and Shinsuke Nakamura send flowers to Hiroshi Tanahashi for retirement match

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/04/2026

Iyo Sky and Shinsuke Nakamura sent flowers to Hiroshi Tanahashi for his retirement match. The flowers were displayed in several social media posts during the day.

Tanahashi actually posted the flower arrangement by Nakamura, which had the words, “26 years of hard work, thank you!!” on his X account. Tanahashi replied by also writing “Thank you” in the post.

Sky wrote on X that he gave wonderful influence to a tremendous number of pro wrestlers, and she is one of those.

“The title of “Etsujo” (逸女) bestowed upon me by Issai during our discussion 11 years ago is a treasure for my lifetime,” Sky said, adding that she would be cheering on The Ace from America.

Nakamura is a previous opponent of Tanahashi and the two even had a match at Wrestle Kingdom back in 2014.

Several WWE Superstars who worked with Tanahashi in the past also paid tribute to him on socials.

AEW kicks off Collision residency at Esports Stadium in Arlington

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/04/2026

AEW kicked off its second Esports Stadium residency in Arlington, Texas last night.

The company had yesterday’s episode of Collision as well as the January 10, January 24, and January 31 episodes of the show all taking place from the same location. The January 14 episode will be taped with Dynamite in Phoenix, Arizona.

All ROH television tapings for the next few weeks will also be held at the Esports Stadium prior to the start of Collision.

AEW did a similar residency in Arlington in July/August 2024 marketed as the AEW Path To All In Summer Series.

Tanahashi pays tribute to Shinsuke Nakamura during match against Okada

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/04/2026

Hirsohi Tanahashi paid tribute to WWE’s Shinsuke Nakamura during his final match against Kazuchika Okada today at the Tokyo Dome.

After leveling Okada with a Bomaye, a move regularly performed by Nakamura, Tanahashi started doing Nakamura’s hand motion and the crowed popped big. He then went to the corner, held on to the top rope and did Nakamura’s signature drop with the fans chanting along. Tanahashi then hit Okada with the Kinshasa.

Nakamura, who at one point was considered for the coveted spot to face Tanahashi in the Wrestle Kingdom 20 main event, was not present at the show, but was watching the event live, and posted “I’m watching you” during the match.

NJPW’s close relationship with AEW complicated matters to have Nakamura wrestle Tanahashi, or even appear at the show.

Several former NJPW stars who are now part of the AEW roster, like Kenny Omega, Katsuyori Shibata, Will Ospreay, and Jay White, were part of the retirement ceremony following the match.

[WRESTLE KINGDOM 20 SPOILERS] Hiroshi Tanahashi with a tribute to Katsuyori Shibata and Shinsuke Nakamura
byu/ReverseBattleRoyal inSquaredCircle

Kazuchika Okada defeats Hiroshi Tanahashi in main event of Wrestle Kingdom 20

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/04/2026

AEW star Kazuchika Okada defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi in the main event of today’s Wrestle Kingdom 20, with Tanahashi taking a clean pinfall in his retirement match.

Okada retired Tanahashi after he hit the Rainmaker and then a lariat, ending the NJPW President’s illustrious 26-year wrestling career, with New Japan Pro-Wrestling always present in his path.

Following the match, Okada, Jay White, Will Ospreay, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Katsuyori Shibata, Keiji Muto, Tatsumi Fujinami, Bushi, and Tetsuya Naito all came down to the ring to hand The Ace a bouquet of flowers.

A total of 46,913 fans attended Wrestle Kingdom 20 at the Tokyo Dome to witness Tanahashi’s final match.

Rainmaker @rainmakerXokada

Sign up Now & Stay tuned to https://t.co/CcdQ1X9P52 #NJPW #njpwworld #njwk20 #棚橋引退 pic.twitter.com/MMB9mNFd6M

— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) January 4, 2026

🏟️WRESTLE KINGDOM 20 in 東京ドーム棚橋弘至引退🏟️

たくさんの愛をありがとう

登録&視聴 ⏩ https://t.co/CcdQ1X9P52 #NJPW #njpwworld #njwk20 #棚橋引退 pic.twitter.com/TtxdE6XGE0

— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) January 4, 2026

AEW stars currently involved in NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 20 pay-per-view

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/04/2026

AEW’s Konosuke Takeshita and Kazuchika Okada are participating in today’s Wrestle Kingdom 20 pay-per-view in Tokyo, Japan.

Takeshita, who is currently the IWGP World Heavyweight champion, will face Yota Tsuji, who is the IWGP Global Heavyweight champion, in a winner-takes-all match.

Meanwhile, Okada will have the honor of facing Hiroshi Tanahashi, the President of NJPW, in his retirement match, a coveted spot which had a long list of people aiming for.

Thekla was also involved in the first match of the evening, accompanying War Dogs to the ring.

Former NJPW stars Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay are also in attendance, but not in action, as they will be part of Tanahashi’s retirement ceremony which will follow the main event.

Matt Cardona thanks promoters, opponents, and fans in lengthy statement

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/03/2026

In a statement released on social media, Matt Cardona thanked all the promoters who for the past five years, booked him on their shows, as well as all his opponents and fans who supported him leading to achieving his goal of returning to WWE.

Cardona said that in 2020, his release had to happen after he traveled the world, won championships, and experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows.

He said he had three options after he got released: he could feel sorry for himself and become bitter, he could coast off his WWE name and make money for the rest of his life, or he could reinvent himself and work his ass off.

“I chose option 3,” Cardona wrote. “These past 5 years on the indies have been the greatest time of my career…so far.”

He added that from the moment he got released, he wanted to prove himself and all his fans right.

“I’m often asked for advice. My advice is don’t quit. You might make it if you don’t,” he added. “You definitely won’t make it if you do. I took my own advice. I never quit.”

He concluded saying that his goal was to get back to WWE and as of January 2, he is back in WWE as Matt Cardona.

“I am Alwayz Ready and I’M NOT FINISHED,” Cardona concluded, along with a plug to buy his new t-shirt.

John Cena also welcomed Cardona back to WWE with a post on X of his own.

“Persistence and preparation tend to help manufacture luck. I couldn’t be more proud of both @TheMattCardona and @ImChelseaGreen,” Cena wrote. “They stand as a tremendous example of making luck through effort. Welcome home Matt.”

Nikki and Brie Garcia to feature in next Mr. Beast YouTube video

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/03/2026

Nikki and Brie Bella will be featured in an upcoming Mr. Beast video on YouTube.

The popular YouTuber announced that to celebrate the release of Beast Games 2 premiering this coming week, he and Kevin Hart gathered 30 celebrities to compete for $1 million for charity.

The video is expected to go live on Mr. Beast’s YouTube channel on Wednesday.

Joining the Bellas are Selma Blair, Steve-O, Cedric The Entertainer, Josh Peck, Sal Vulcano, Eugenio Derbez, Alessia Cara, Howie Mandel, and more.

Jordynne Grace appears on Smackdown

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/03/2026

NXT’s Jordynne Grace appeared on Smackdown last night and is looking like she is also joining the blue brand roster.

The former TNA Knockouts champion showed up in a backstage segment with General Manager Nick Aldis as Aldis tried to sell her the idea of joining Smackdown. Grace was noncommittal to the plan.

Later in the broadcast, Grace somewhat interrupted Jade Cargill’s interview time with Cathy Kelly. Cargill asked Grace what she wanted, and Grace responded by saying that she wanted to get a good look at all the options before deciding if she’s moving to Smackdown.

“I suggest you sign somewhere else because this is my show and I’m that bitch,” Cargill responded.

“Well, I’m Jordynne Grace, but you’re definitely one of those,” Grace fired back.

Report: Tommaso Ciampa leaving WWE

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/03/2026

Bodyslam.net is reporting through the Bodyslam+ Patreon service that Tommaso Ciampa is departing WWE when his contract ends soon.

The website states that the former NXT champion is opting not to sign a new WWE deal, with his future remaining unclear at this point. If his contract expires, Ciampa could technically show up anywhere immediately.

Ciampa has been with WWE since 2015 and moved to the main roster in 2022. He is a former two-time NXT champion, one-time NXT Tag Team champion, and two-time WWE Tag Team champion.

His DIY tag team partner, Johnny Gargano, also left WWE in 2021 and returned nine months later.

Former NXT and TNA champion Trick Williams joins the Smackdown roster

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/03/2026

Former two-time NXT champion Trick Williams has joined Smackdown as the blue brand gets some additional bodies now that it’s also a three-hour broadcast moving forward.

Williams interrupted the returning Sami Zayn, who said that SmackDown GM Nick Aldis called the “1-800-WHOOP-THAT” number for some extra ammo.

Trick insulted Zayn, saying that unlike him, he gets the job done and Zayn responded that Williams still needs to be humbled.

Williams appeared on last week’s episode of Smackdown, hinting that he would be joining the roster.

It’s a dream real-life scenario for him as his fiancé, Lash Legend, is also part of the Smackdown roster.

Williams has been with WWE since 2021 and is a former NXT champion, NXT North American champion, Iron Survivor Challenge winner, and also a former TNA champion.

Smackdown rating for 12/26/2025

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/03/2026

The Boxing Day episode of Smackdown last week drew 1,138,000 viewers, up 183,000 viewers from the prior week. The show had a 0.27 rating in 18-49, up 0.06 from the previous show and was the #1 top rated show on cable television for the night and #2 in all of television including networks. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)

Three Stages of Hell stipulations for WWE Championship match revealed

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/03/2026

The Three Stages of Hell stipulations were revealed by Drew McIntyre yesterday on Smackdown, just a week before the WWE Championship is defended in Berlin, Germany.

The first fall will be a traditional wrestling match while the second fall will be a falls count anywhere match. If there’s a need for a third fall, the match will be decided inside a steel cage.

The match will headline Smackdown next week as WWE goes to a tour of Europe for the next two weeks. Raw on January 12 will be from Dusseldorf, Germany, Smackdown on January 16 will be from London, England, and Raw on January 19 will be from Belfast, Northern Ireland.