The Worlds Collide special continued to take shape with a couple of more matches added to the card.
As previously reported, the NXT Cruiserweight title will be on the line in a fatal four-way match with champ Angel Garza defending against Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and two from NXT UK. Qualifying matches to determine who will be the other two entrants will take place on next week’s NXT UK featuring Jordan Devlin vs Liger and Travis Banks vs Brian Kendrick.
Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano will be teaming up again to reform DIY for one night as they take on Moustache Mountain, the team of Trent Seven and Tyler Bate.
The other matches announced so far are Finn Balor vs Ilja Dragunov, Rhea Ripley vs Toni Storm for the NXT Women’s title, and an eight-man tag team match featuring The Undisputed Era vs Emporium.
Worlds Collide takes place on January 25 from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on the eve of the Royal Rumble.
Former Smackdown and Impact commentator Taz has joined the AEW broadcast team, officially signing a multi-year deal.
The contract was signed yesterday in Miami at the Bash at the Beach themed episode of Dynamite in the presence of Cody Rhodes and Chris Harrington, AEW’s Vice President of Business Strategy.
“Well, looks like I’ve joined a revolution…again,” Taz said after signing his new deal.
Taz made his first AEW appearance back in October when the company worked Philadelphia and the former ECW champion was brought in to do commentary for the AEW Dark episode. He also did commentary for the January 1 episode of Dynamite from Jacksonville.
On Twitter, Taz said that he’s beyond proud to be on the awesome team of driven and talented people at AEW. He also said that the Taz Show will be “on hold for quite some time” and thanked his fans for supporting him.
Rocky Johnson, the father of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, passed away last night in Lutz, Florida at the age of 75.
Johnson began his wrestling career in 1965 and wrestled mostly for the National Wrestling Alliance during his career. In 1982, he jumped to the World Wrestling Federation where he feuded with the likes of Adrian Adonis, Greg Valentine, Don Muraco, and others. He then started tag teaming with Tony Atlas, winning the Tag Team titles once from the Wild Samoans in 1983. Johnson wrestled for WWE till 1985.
After his retirement in 1991, Johnson started training his son and took a trainer role with WWE at Ohio Valley Wrestling but that assignment did not last long and was removed a few months later.
In 2008, WWE inducted him into its Hall of Fame with Dwayne Johnson doing the honors for his father. Last year he published his autobiography Soulman: The Rocky Johnson Story, with his son writing the foreword.
Rocky was married to Una but divorced in 1978 and married his second wife Ata just a few days later. Ata was the daughter of High Chief Peter Maivia and the mother of Dwayne. He divorced from his second wife in 2003 and later married speech pathologist Sheila to who he was married to until his death.
Cauliflower Alley Club’s Brian Blair noted that Johnson had been ill over the last couple of weeks but did not specify what he had. No cause of death has been released.
Madison Square Garden is advertising a DX reunion for WWE’s return to the arena on March 22. This will be the first time that Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg, and X-Pac have appeared together at the world’s most famous arena in over a decade.
The show, set for a 3PM start time, has two matches announced so far including Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, and The Big Show vs Seth Rollins and The Authors of Pain, and Becky Lynch vs Asuka for the Raw Women’s title. This will be a Raw branded show.
VIP Experience packages including ringside seats and meet and greets are available now, with the pre-sale ending on Thursday, January 16 at 11:59PM ET. Use code WWEMSG at Ticketmaster.com to purchase tickets.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that WarnerMedia is paying AEW approximately $45 million per year for the new four-year television deal that will keep Dynamite on TNT through 2023.
The deal is worth $175 million in total and WarnerMedia has the option to extend in 2024 for more money if they want to eventually keep the show. Meltzer said that this deal will make AEW profitable in 2020 and beyond.
As part of the extended deal, AEW will get another hour on television sometime this year although no date has been announced yet. The third hour is likely to be also taped on Wednesdays, making it a long day of television considering AEW also tapes Dark for YouTube after Dynamite wraps up filming.
Triple H, WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative, has publicly apologized to Paige for a “terrible joke” he made last week while speaking to the media prior to the NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool II event.
Triple H was asked about the rumors of Edge and Paige returning to the ring and he said that he would like for them to live a healthy life rather that come back and something happens again, adding that Edge has kids and Paige “probably has some she doesn’t know of.”
The joke didn’t go down well with the former NXT and Divas champion who in the past revealed she cannot have kids. Today, Triple H issued a public apology on Twitter, writing, “I’ve reached out to @RealPaigeWWE to apologize. I made a terrible joke and I’m sorry if it offended her or anyone else.”
Speaking to Sportskeeda, Paige said she was surprised by what Triple H said and she was confused why he would make such a joke.
“Obviously I was a little bit perplexed…a little bit taken aback because he’s someone that I truly look up to and he’s always been very respectful, so I feel like he got caught up maybe in a joke that I just don’t think was appropriate to joke about,” Paige said. “I don’t know…I feel like it’s something that I don’t need to continually keep talking about because I feel like people have done a pretty good job of that.”
Paige confirmed that Triple H did reach out to her and that they’re going to be talking about some things moving forward.
Nikki Bella also addressed the bad taste joke on her Twitter, saying that “change in a company starts from the top” and their leaders help set the example. “For us women we need all the help we can get. Help with respect from our co workers and fans. We are all one.”
Renee Young also jumped to Paige’s defense who said that Paige has been to hell and back “but still some people wanna make jokes.” Young then called for real change.
Four matches have been announced for tonight’s NXT on USA Network. Fresh off a sizable ratings defeat last week, NXT is looking to get back on track after two weeks of taped shows somewhat derailed the momentum.
The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament matches tonight will feature Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne vs Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan while Kushida and Alex Shelley battle the Grizzled Young Veterans.
Lio Rush, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and Tyler Breeze will be in a triple threat match with the winner advancing to Worlds Collide in the planned fatal 4-Way match for the NXT Cruiserweight title.
A battle royal to determine the number one contender for the NXT Women’s title will also take place while the WWE.COM preview also suggests the fallout from The Undisputed Era’s attack on Imperium at NXT UK Takeover.
Quibi and WWE today announced the WWE Superstars participating in the transformational series Fight Like a Girl. Leading individual episodes of the upcoming series are WWE Superstars Sasha Banks, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Alexa Bliss, Sonya Deville, Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, Becky Lynch and Natalya.
In each episode of Fight Like a Girl, Stephanie McMahon pairs a WWE Superstar with a young woman struggling with a personal issue that has been holding her back. The WWE Superstars draw from their own life experiences to help their trainees overcome obstacles and become tougher, stronger and healthier versions of their former selves inside and out.
“This strong cast of Superstars are leaders and role models who each have personal stories of challenge, perseverance and triumph,” said Stephanie McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer. “We are thrilled to have them on board to help young women find both their inner and outer strength and overcome adversity in their lives.”
Shot at the world-famous WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, each episode features a stunning transformation and heart-pounding reveal as the women change their lives forever.
Produced by WWE Studios and Critical Content, the Executive Producers are Stephanie McMahon, Susan Levison and Ben Zierten for WWE Studios, and Tom Forman, Jenny Daly and Jon Beyer for Critical Content.
WWE Superstar Elias has signed a new multi-year deal with WWE. The news was reported yesterday during WWE Backstage.
The 32-year-old has been working for WWE since 2014, first appearing in NXT under the name of Elias Samson. In April 2017, he was moved to the main roster where was was filmed multiple times walking through the crowd with his guitar during matches and playing the guitar in the background during different backstage segments. In July of that year, WWE dropped the Samson part from his name and he has been known as just Elias ever since.
The Pittsburgh native has been wrestling professionally since 2008 and worked for various independent promotions before signing with WWE.
Tonight’s Dynamite on TNT is another PPV-worthy loaded card, with five solid matches for the Bash at the Beach themed episode of the show.
Scheduled for the show live from Miami tonight are Kris Statlander and Hiroku Shida vs Awesome Kong and Mel, PAC vs Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara vs Jon Moxley, MJF, The Butcher, and The Blade vs Diamond Dallas Page, QT Marshall, and Dustin Rhodes, and a #1 contenders match for the AEW Tag Team titles featuring The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page, Ortiz and Santana, and Best Friends.
The show will take place from the Watsco Center and will carry the name of the former WCW pay-per-view, a name which Cody Rhodes now has the rights for.
The recently signed Mercedes Martinez is going straight into the spotlight tonight on NXT as she was announced on WWE Backstage last night as being part of the battle royal to crown the new number one contender for the NXT Women’s title.
Other competitors set for tonight’s battle royal include Bianca Belair, Candice LeRae, Chelsea Green, Dakota Kai, Io Shirai, Kayden Carter, Mia Yim, Santana Garrett, Shotzi Blackheart, Vanessa Borne, and Xia Li. It’s not known if any others will be added by the time the show goes on the air.
Whoever wins the match will face Rhea Ripley at NXT Takeover: Portland next month.
Martinez is joined by Anthony Francis, Emily Andzulis, Jake Atlas, Sidney Bateman, and Zechariah Smith as the latest WWE Performance Center trainees.
WarnerMedia today announced that it has expanded its relationship with All Elite Wrestling, extending its deal through 2023 in addition to also green lighting another show.
“When Tony Khan first shared with me his idea of starting a new wrestling league, I was impressed by his audacity to go up against a contender that has been the only game in town for twenty years, and ultimately believed that together we could bring his vision for a new, authentic, gritty product to bear,” says Kevin Reilly, chief content officer, HBO Max, president, TNT, TBS, and truTV. “The fans have spoken and after only three months, we have seen AEW shake up the wrestling world and this will only continue as we build upon
this momentum.”
TNT has been super happy with AEW’s ratings, constantly delivering nearly 1 million viewers every week and placing in the top 10 among the 18-49 demographic.
“When we launched AEW one year ago, we wanted to start a revolution that would disrupt the wrestling business, but everyone said that it would take a strong weekly television partner to make AEW real in the eyes of everyone – above all, the fans,” said Tony Khan, president and CEO of AEW. “What virtually no one realized at the time was Kevin Reilly and TNT were committed to this very same movement from day one, and their belief in us made it possible for AEW to think and act big from the start. Here we are, only three months into Wednesday Night Dynamite, and now we’ve been extended through 2023! We’re now making the ultimate statement that the team of AEW and TNT is here to stay and to bring fans more of the great wrestling that the fans demand and deserve.”
No details have been announced yet for the new show.
As expected, Monday Night Raw got a serious beatdown in the ratings due to the college football game on ESPN, with Raw only getting 2,030,000 viewers, down 354,000 viewers from last week. This was the least-watched live Raw in modern-day history.
Hour one started with 2,218,000 viewers, followed by 2,059,000 viewers in the second hour, and then 1,814,000 viewers in the third and final hour. Just as a comparison, the football on ESPN did a gigantic 25 million viewers.
Raw was #9, #10, and #13 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and #15 in overall viewership for the night on cable. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
As of 2020, the WWE, the largest wrestling promotion in the US, has a listed net worth of $5.71 billion, according to an article published on Sportskeeda. The chance at a hefty paycheck, along with other benefits, has led to more people than ever pursuing their dream of professional wrestling. Given the physical demands of being a professional wrestler, having a good fitness routine is essential.
CrossFit’s rising popularity with WWE Superstars isn’t just because of some trend. Instead, it’s because of certain traits CrossFit has that makes it ideal for professional wrestlers.
CrossFit Workouts Are Scalable To The Specific Wrestler
One of the most popular supporters of CrossFit for pro wrestlers is grand slam champion Seth Rollins. Also known as CrossFit Jesus, Rollins talked about how his trainer programmed his workout to suit his needs while sustaining a look that worked for the WWE, according to an interview with ESPN. In the interview he talked about how his height and weight meant that his in-ring style had to be more dynamic than larger wrestlers who could just stand there and dish out attacks.
This meant that his workout had to be just as dynamic as he was. The ability to customize a CrossFit workout, coupled with the simple yet effective equipment used in CrossFit means that any pro wrestler, regardless of their body type or fitness needs.
CrossFit Takes Injuries Into Consideration
No matter how careful a wrestler is, there’s always a chance they’ll get injured. Even on their downtime, pro wrestlers need to keep fit and ready for their in-ring return. Bayley, the first ever women’s grand slam WWE champion, suffered an injury during a match 5 months after starting her CrossFit training.
Josh Gallegos, her CrossFit trainer, was able to adjust her workout to keep her fit while allowing her to heal, both physically and mentally. Gallegos had also done so for Rollins after the terrible injury Rollins had suffered in 2015.
The CrossFit Community Is Like Family
One thing pro wrestlers have to do on a regular basis is travel. With shows taking place at different locations across America every week, many superstars don’t have the luxury of having a regular gym. In the aforementioned ESPN interview, Bayley said that the atmosphere feels like family, which is especially helpful on the road.
Since many of these pros spend days, or even weeks away from their homes and families, having an environment that feels like home is essential for maintaining good mental health.
Seth Rollins and Bayley aren’t the only WWE superstars on the CrossFit road, though. Other superstars like Cesaro, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch have all had social media posts showing them working out in CrossFit boxes. These superstars have an impressive collection of championship belts between them, with Charlotte winning the Women’s Title multiple times and Becky earning the nickname Becky-Two-Belts holding both the SmackDown and Raw Women’s titles at the same time. With accolades like that, it’s hard to argue with the benefits CrossFit offers pro wrestlers.
Soon-to-be WWE Hall of Famer Dave Bautista has joined the cast of See, Apple TV+’s drama series. Bautista will start with season two of the show, which is created by Steven Knight and Francis Lawrence.
The series is set in the distant future, where the human race has lost the sense of sight, and society is left to find new ways to interact, build, hunt, and survive. Meanwhile, the wife of blind warrior and chieftain Baba Voss gives birth to a set of twins. To his tribe’s amazement, the twins can see.
Voss is played by Jason Momoa and Bautista will be joined by Alfre Woodard, Hera Hilmar, Sylvia Hoeks, and Christian Carmago who will all be returning for season two.
Bautista’s involvement in See is his first major television gig as he previously only did movies.
The former WWE champion will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this April during WrestleMania week in Tampa.
TheWrap.com is reporting that WWE Superstar The Miz will be hosting USA Network’s upcoming competition series titled Cannonball. He will be flanked by co-hosts Rosci Diaz and sideline reporter Simon Gibson.
The 10-episode Cannonball will premiere on USA in the summer and will feature contestants from across America who face off in the “biggest, wettest, slippery-est water sports competition ever created.” Cannonball is produced by ITV America’s ITV Entertainment, based on the original format by ITV Studios Netherlands.
The Miz and his wife Maryse have been a big hit on the cable channel with their Miz & Mrs show, pulling in decent numbers for the network. Season two will hit TV screens later this month.
The next episode of the highly-rated WWE 24 will be titled WrestleMania New York and will focus on the behind-the-scenes activity leading up to last year’s WrestleMania, technically held in New Jersey.
This episode will air immediately following the conclusion of the 2020 Royal Rumble on the WWE Network on Sunday, January 26.
WWE 24: WrestleMania New York is the the 24th episode of the series and the first one for the new year. Usually WWE produces four or five episodes of WWE 24 per year although last year they had six in total, focusing on WrestleMania 34, Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey, Batista, Kofi Kingston, and Trish Stratus. The latest episode on Trish made its debut on December 1.
Ever since the show made its debut in 2015, the look back at the previous year’s WrestleMania has always aired in late January. This is the sixth one focusing on WrestleMania.
Nikki and Brie Bella are featured on this week’s episode of Cold As Balls from Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud channel.
The twins get in an ice tub with Hart to dish on everything from dealing with cattiness backstage to getting all the women in the WWE to band together and start an evolution towards making wrestling better for women. Nikki also opens up about her main event match with Ronda Rousey at Evolution.
Episode highlights also include chatting about getting their start, Hart’s relationship with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, their theme songs, the first ring names that were chosen for them, their grandfather who didn’t want them to wrestle, and more.
Cannabis utilization is not a new practice among professional sports players, specifically those who engage in the field of wrestling. With the continued rise of the marijuana business as well as the legalization of the plant, more and more wrestlers see it as something that can aid in their profession, especially in training.
One should know that the only way to experience the beneficial effects of cannabis is to find strains that are 100% legitimate and high-quality. You can look for supplies from local marijuana cultivators, or you can find products online. My suggestion is to visit the Weekend Gardener website for additional information about hybrid strain (a type of Marijuana strain), as well as how you can get a supply.
Cannabis Helps Alleviate Pain
Even for those who don’t know a lot about the sport, just by watching a wrestling match, one can conclude that the competition can bring frequent muscle pain and soreness. Cannabis is known to have beneficial effects on muscle pain because of how it works with a person’s endocannabinoid system. ECS helps manage chronic pain.
According to Zach Scioli, he sees marijuana as the perfect pain reliever without the risk of getting addicted. Some painkillers can make individuals addicted to it as well as damage the kidneys and livers. Marijuana, on the other hand does not have the same effects. Scioli is a trainer from DIAKADI Fitness and has used both opioid drugs and marijuana for chronic pain relief.
There Is A Reduction In Muscle And Joint Inflammation
In line with chronic pain, training for a wrestling match can contribute to a professional’s joint and muscle pain. In a study conducted by Nagakatti et al., cannabis utilization dramatically reduces inflammation. Although a common misconception is that users needed to smoke marijuana, there are other options such as edibles and topicals.
According to Adam Brous, using marijuana is something that he encourages his followers to do because of the outstanding effects it has, especially in tissue recovery after intense training sessions. Brous is a certified yoga instructor that founded Ganja Guru Yoga.
Marijuana Also Treats Muscle Spasms
Muscle spasms are involuntary contractions of a muscle or a group of muscles that results from continuous sustenance of activities. These spasms can be excruciating, depending on the severity of the movement. In the wrestling world, numerous training and stunts can result in muscle spasms that can last for up to a few minutes.
According to Erich Anderer, M.D., there are various studies done on rats that show a significant decrease in muscle spasms, which could be because of marijuana’s anti-inflammatory property. Anderer is a doctor and chief of the Neurosurgery Department at the NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn. Although the cannabis industry still has a long way to go, the plant already shows promising results for people who engage in physical activities that can potentially contribute to muscle pain and spasms.
Overall, Is Cannabis Advisable For Wrestlers Who Are Currently In Training Season?
Yes. With the information as mentioned earlier about the beneficial effects of marijuana, wrestlers can benefit greatly from cannabis utilization. Considering that the sport calls for different training and activities that can cause pain, inflammation, and spasms, these individuals also need a kind of pain reliever that does not increase the risk for addiction and dependence, as well as not damage the liver and kidneys.
While AEW has no shows planned during WrestleMania weekend, IWGP United States champion Jon Moxley will be in Tampa during the weekend, and not just accompanying his wife Renee Young.
Moxley will be involved in a match against former UFC champ Josh Barnett as part of his Bloodsport III show, held at The Cuban Club on Thursday, April 2, in conjunction with Game Changer Wrestling.
The former WWE champion was supposed to wrestle Barnett in September last year and main event Bloodsport II but his MRSA infection got in the way. Eventually he had to pull out just like he did for All Out.
Bloodsport rules involve matches ending in either a knockout or submission, so there’s no pinfalls as a means of win. The ring is also without ropes or turnbuckles, giving the feeling of a proper fight.
