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WWE Network leaves Disney Streaming Services and switches to Endeavor Streaming

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE Network

Variety.com is reporting that the WWE Network will be moving away from Disney Streaming Services as their infrastructure to deliver the streaming of their over-the-top service and joining with Endeavor Streaming.

Ever since the WWE Network launched, the company used the services of BAMTech, now renamed Disney Streaming Services, to handle all the delivery over the Internet. But that is all changed as the newly-launched Endeavor Streaming will be WWE Network’s partner.

“Endeavor Streaming’s best-in-class technology enables us to offer more features, elevate the user experience and provides us even more opportunity to delight our fans around the world,” WWE chairman/CEO Vince McMahon said in a statement.

Endeavor Streaming’s clients also include the NFL, NBA, Euroleague, Univision, Sportsnet, Sky Sports, MSG, National Geographic, and Big Ten Network along with Endeavor-owned properties UFC’s UFC.TV and Fight Pass.

[Spoilers] NXT UK television tapings results from 01/13/2019

By
Colin Vassallo
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W-O reader Scott Roebuck attended the NXT UK television tapings held at the Empress Ballroom yesterday and sent in the following notes and matches.

Matches for a total of three different episodes were taped during the night. These will be part of the next three weeks of NXT UK television. Another set of tapings is set for during the Royal Rumble Axxess as well.

The dark match for the evening was Luke Menzies defeating Flash Morgan Webster.

Episode one results: Nina Samuels defeated Lana Austin; Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan defeated Tyson T-Bone and Saxon Huxley; Eddie Dennis defeated Jamie Ahmed; Jordan Devlin vs Travis Banks ended in a double countout.

Episode two results: Dave Mastiff defeated Jay Melrose; WALTER defeated Jack Starz; Jinny defeated Kasey Owens; Moustache Mountain defeated The European Union.

Episode three results: Ligero defeated Mark Andrews; Xia Brookside defeated Candy Floss; Joseph Conners defeated Mike Hitchman; Joe Coffey defeated Ashton Smith; WALTER defeated Mark Coffey.

Former WWE Diva Eva Marie joins the Celebrity Big Brother cast

By
Colin Vassallo
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Former WWE Diva Eva Marie will be participating in the newest Celebrity Big Brother season. Since leaving WWE in 2017, the 34-year-old has done a couple of movies but largely stayed out of the TV spotlight.

The second season of Celebrity Big Brother will also include Anthony Scaramucci, Dina Lohan, Joey Lawrence, Jonathan Bennett, Kandi Burruss, Kato Kaelin, Lolo Jones, Ricky Williams, Ryan Locthe, Tamar Braxton, and Tom Green. Eva Marie, along with swimming Olympic gold medalist Ryan Locthe, are the youngest of the group.

The reality TV show will premiere on CBS on January 21 and finish on February 13, with a total of 13 episodes airing almost daily.

Eva Marie’s career in WWE started with a bang on Total Divas but she found it difficult when it came to in-ring performances. After going back to NXT and returning to the main roster, she was suspended for 30 days for violating the company’s wellness policy and lost her spot on the SummerSlam card. She departed WWE in August 2017.

WWE and Glenn Jacobs present $100,000 check to Knoxville Public Safety Foundation

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE delivered on their promise of a $100,000 check to the Knoxville Public Safety Foundation yesterday during a live event held at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum.

The $100,000 donation was for the services of Knox County Mayor Glenn “Kane” Jacobs last fall, including for his controversial trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the Crown Jewel show.

Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler, Police Chief Eve Thomas, and representatives from the foundation along with Jacobs and WWE Superstar Seth Rollins stood in the ring during the presentation of the over-sized check.

“I had some great moments in WWE,” Jacobs said. “I’ve had some moments I’m so proud of. Here tonight is the moment I’m most proud of because tonight, on behalf of WWE, I’d like to present the Knoxville Public Safety Foundation with this check for $100,000.”

Last year, Vince McMahon said the WWE would be happy to support the charity and had high praise for one of his longest-serving employees. “Much like his unparalleled contributions to advancing the WWE brand during his stellar career of more than 20 years, Mayor Jacobs has begun work to improve Knox County,” McMahon said at the time.

Non-televised live event on the day after Royal Rumble canceled

By
Colin Vassallo
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A non-televised live event set for the day after the Royal Rumble by the Smackdown brand has been canceled.

WWE issued a quick statement saying that the event at the Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, Arizona got canned because of production issues. All tickets purchased will be refunded at point of purchase.

WWE will be holding four back-to-back shows in Phoenix during the Royal Rumble weekend, including NXT Takeover, the pay-per-view, Raw, and Smackdown. The Rumble will be held at Chase Field while all other shows are at the Talking Stick Arena.

Former Impact X Division champion Trevor Lee signs WWE deal

By
Colin Vassallo
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Former Impact X Division and Tag Team champion Trevor Lee announced yesterday that he has signed a deal with WWE.

Lee made the announcement at an indie event for CWF Mid-Atlantic in Gibsonville, North Carolina, saying that he is no longer a free agent and that the rumors were true. Lee signed a WWE contract this week and will see him report to Orlando, Florida and the Performance Center imminently to join the NXT brand. He is currently the champion of CWF Mid-Atlantic and he is expected to drop the title soon so he can start for WWE.

The 25-year-old from Cameron, North Carolina was trained by Matt and Jeff Hardy and has wrestled for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Impact Wrestling, and other indie promotions before joining WWE.

He joined TNA in 2015 and spent just over three years there, winning the X Division title three times and the Tag Team titles once with Brian Myers. His last appearance on Impact Wrestling was on the January 3 episode where Killer Kross punched a concrete block through his face, effectively writing him off television. His deal expired at the end of 2018.

Total Bellas returns on E! tonight with season four

By
Colin Vassallo
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Total Bellas returns on the air tonight with episode one of season four starting at 9PM EST on E! The show will air weekly on Sundays in the same time slot.

The synopsis for tonight’s season premiere reads, “On the season premiere of Total Bellas, the Bella twins are back, but life couldn’t be any more complicated with these sisters. With Nicole’s new single lifestyle and wanting to start fresh in Los Angeles and Brie and Bryan trying for a second baby, they have to face the fact that they are in two different places in their lives. While their frustrations with each other begin to affect their relationship, they receive a phone call that will force them to put aside their differences to make history.”

Triple H discusses how Travis Banks reacted to getting replaced by Finn Balor

By
Colin Vassallo
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Being part of a first-ever show is a huge accomplishment but for Travis Banks, it was a bit of a bittersweet moment for him as he did not get to wrestle during NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool.

Banks was supposed to have a match against Jordan Devlin on the show but they ran an angle where earlier in the day, Devlin attacked Banks and injured his knee. Banks still got to have his entrance theme played at the show and came out in ring gear, attacking Devlin before the bell rang but eventually was taken out due to the injury.

His replacement was none other than Finn Balor, Devlin’s former wrestling coach and undoubtedly a more popular and prominent figure than Banks.

talkSPORT asked Triple H after the show how Banks took the booking decision. “He was extremely cool with it. It’s not the end of that story, they’re gonna get their moment. Part of me hates taking the moment away from him but it’s for the betterment of everybody,” Triple H told Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT.

HHH added that while everyone worked hard on the show tonight, Banks’ sacrifice “almost means more” because it’s about the product, not the individual, and Banks took it “because he’s a pro.”

WALTER finally arrives in NXT UK

By
Colin Vassallo
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One of the hottest independent wrestling stars arrived in NXT UK today as the recently-signed WALTER made his presence felt towards the end of NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool.

After the champ Pete Dunne stood in the ring with his title and the credits ran, WALTER’s theme song hit the speakers to a loud pop from the Blackpool crowd. The 31-year-old, 6’4″ Austrian star then walked to the ring for a face off with Dunne.

Coffey, who was still on the outside after a 34-minute match, tried to get in on the fun but WALTER kicked him in the face to send him flying back to the floor. WALTER and Dunne then had another face off before he exited the ring, leaving the champion alone to get the final cheers from the crowd.

WALTER signed with WWE in late November of last year.

NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool results and notes

By
Colin Vassallo
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Here are the results from the NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool WWE Network event which took place from the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, England today.

Zack Gibson and James Drake defeated Moustache Mountain to become the inaugural NXT UK Tag Team champions; Finn Balor defeated Jordan Devlin; Dave Mastiff defeated Eddie Dennis in a no DQ match; Toni Storm defeated Rhea Ripley to become the new NXT UK Women’s champion; Pete Dunne defeated Joe Coffey to retain the WWE United Kingdom title.

Finn Balor replaced Travis Banks who got jumped earlier in the day by Devlin. Banks still got his entrance and brawled with Devlin before he was taken injured to the back. As you can imagine, Balor got a tremendous pop from the crowd.

Kay Lee Ray and Jazzy Gabert were shown sitting at ringside before the UK Women’s title match started. Ray is the WoS Women’s champion and Gabert was one of the competitors of the 2017 Mae Young Classic. She received an offer to join WWE but a serious injury prevented her from completing the deal and had to undergo surgery. Charlotte Flair was also in attendance and shown on camera before the main event.

Alexa Bliss gives an update on her concussion and return to the ring

By
Colin Vassallo
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Alexa Bliss participated in a Q&A session yesterday at the ACE Comic Con, held at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

During the Q&A session, hosted by former Raw ring announcer Lilian Garcia, the former Raw and Smackdown Women’s champion said that she plans on coming back to action fairly soon. She outlined how the company takes extra precautions with concussions and does not allow talent to return before they are 100% ready and symptom-free. “Everybody is being cautious. It’s the brain…you only get one,” Bliss said, jokingly adding that you cannot trade it for another one.

Bliss added that she has been doing in-ring training at the WWE Performance Center and the MRIs that she had all look good. Neurologists told her that as long as she doesn’t have symptoms and she feels good, she will be good to go but once she has the tiniest of concussion symptom, she will have to start the process all over again.

Alexa has been out of action since mid-October.

205 Live returning to its live Tuesday time slot on WWE Network

By
Colin Vassallo
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It looks like 205 Live is moving back to its original Tuesday spot from next week, airing live immediately following Smackdown on the WWE Network.

Ever since Mixed Match Challenge 2 started a few months ago, 205 Live moved to a taped show, recorded prior to Smackdown and then airing the next day. When Mixed Match Challenge ended in December, WWE kept the same schedule, with a three-hour block of 205 Live, NXT, and NXT UK proving to be a popular combo on Wednesday nights.

But that is all about to change again next week with 205 Live going back to its live 10PM time slot on the WWE Network according to the latest schedule available. A replay of the episode will air on Wednesday at 7PM on the WWE Network, followed by a new episode of NXT, and for this week, a replay of NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool.

NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool live today on the WWE Network

By
Colin Vassallo
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Live on the WWE Network from the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, England, WWE presents NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool. The full card is as follows:

Pete Dunne vs Joe Coffey for the WWE United Kingdom title; Rhea Ripley vs Toni Storm for the NXT UK Women’s title; Zack Gibson and James Drake vs Moustache Mountain for the inaugural NXT UK Tag Team titles; Dave Mastiff vs Eddie Dennis in a no DQ match; Jordan Devlin vs Travis Banks.

The pre-show will start at 1:30PM EST (6:30PM GMT) and the live show will kick off at 2PM EST (7PM GMT). Takeover has a running time of two-and-a-half hours.

NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool is free for first-time subscribers to the WWE Network. To start your 30-day free trial, go to http://w-o.it/wwentwrk.

The Undertaker joins Twitter!

By
Colin Vassallo
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The Undertaker has taken another leap into social media, opening his official Twitter account.

Using the handle @TheUndertaker, the account is already verified by Twitter. He recently also launched an Instagram account where he posts different photos from his career and family life with not much text to accompany them. But Twitter is a different animal and all about the characters.

Boxing legend Evander Holyfield already welcomed Taker with a tweet, which Taker responded to thanking the former boxing champion. He’s already following over two dozen of personalities, including Vince McMahon, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, UFC President Dana White, Tom Herman of the The University of Texas football team, UFC fighters Daniel Cormier and Tim Kennedy, and of course President of the United States Donald Trump among others.

Two major cable networks in negotiations with All Elite Wrestling for TV

By
Colin Vassallo
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The latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has some additional details regarding All Elite Wrestling’s television negotiations.

Meltzer writes that there are two major cable networks who are discussing airing a live, weekly, two-hour broadcast although these two networks were never identified publicly. With Impact Wrestling have a great difficulty finding a television home every year, it would be quite an incredible feat if the newly-created promotion lands such a deal with a major outlet.

Committing to a live weekly show for two hours will require a pretty big roster and people working behind the scenes. Thankfully for AEW, unlike Impact Wrestling, a multi-billionaire is funding the promotion so it should not be an issue when it comes to offering decent money to build a roster and a team of professionals to run the shows.

Meltzer also adds that apart from Double or Nothing in Las Vegas this May, there are two more special events scheduled for this year: one in July taking place in Jacksonville, Florida, and one in Chicago, Illinois, in September. All In took place in September in Chicago so that could be on the one-year anniversary of the show that started it all.

Jacksonville will be the headquarters of All Elite Wrestling.

WWE Superstore to open at Phoenix Convention Center for Rumble weekend

By
Colin Vassallo
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Just like at WrestleMania Axxess, WWE will be opening up a massive Superstore at the Phoenix Convention Center for the Royal Rumble Axxess.

Access to the Superstore is free and no Rumble Axxess ticket is required. The Superstore will contain a large collection of WWE merchandise where fans can do their spending and avoid queuing at the arenas during the weekend.

Judging by previous Superstores, WWE goes all out on displaying their vast variety of merchandise and chances are that if you step foot in it, you will end up buying something!

The Superstore at the Phoenix Convention Center will be open on Friday, January 25 between 10AM and 10PM, on Saturday between 8AM and 9PM, and on Sunday between 8AM and 2PM.

Alternatively, you can do all your shopping online at the WWE Shop website at http://w-o.it/wweshop.

Key roles and responsibilities for the top AEW officials

By
Colin Vassallo
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Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that Tony Khan will be heading up the AEW creative team in a role similar to that of Vince McMahon in WWE. Khan will be surrounded by a group of writers but will ultimately have the final say creatively.

As far as the roles of Cody, Brandi, and The Young Bucks, they will all be focusing on certain jobs within the company. Cody will be in charge of the singles roster and matches, while the Bucks will concentrate on the tag team division. Brandi, apart from being the Chief Brand Officer, a role similar to that of Stephanie McMahon, will also head up the women’s division.

Rhodes and the Bucks have all been given Executive Vice President roles within the company. Many more roles have yet to be assigned but those individuals will be the key officers who will be steering the company into the future.

Impact Wrestling starts on The Pursuit Channel today

By
Colin Vassallo
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Impact Wrestling will make its debut on The Pursuit Channel starting tonight at 10PM EST with a brand new episode of Impact featuring the fallout from Homecoming.

Impact ended its run on POP last week and will now be airing every Friday night between 10PM and Midnight EST on Pursuit. Since Pursuit is not in as many homes as POP, Impact will also simulcast on Twitch, streaming live and free to anyone with an Internet connection at http://www.twitch.tv/impactwrestling.

This is the fourth home of Impact since making its debut on cable television in 2005. Spike was the first broadcast home of the show between 2005 and 2014, before the show moved to Destination America in 2015. After a year there, Impact found POP where the show aired from 2016 till the first week of 2019.

Impact’s parent company Anthem Sports & Entertainment owns a minority stake in the channel.

Pete Dunne surpasses the 600-day mark as WWE UK champion

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE United Kingdom champion Pete Dunne surpassed the 600-day mark as a title holder, becoming the longest-reigning champion in WWE in modern-day history.

As of today, January 11, Dunne has held on to the WWE United Kingdom title for 601 days with only Bob Backlund, Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, and Hulk Hogan holding a title longer than him.

The 25-year-old Dunne won the title on May 20, 2017 at NXT Takeover: Chicago, defeating the inaugural champion Tyler Bate who held the title for 125 days. His next title defense is tomorrow night at NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool against Joe Coffey.

A look inside the WWE UK Performance Center

By
Colin Vassallo
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The launch of the WWE UK Performance Center was attended by a lot of UK press and got some television coverage as well during the day.

The 17,000 square foot facility in London will now be the home of all the WWE-contracted talent in the United Kingdom, where they will be training every day with state-of-the-art equipment. While significantly smaller than the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, this new UK facility is the first step towards many more Performance Centers around the world.

Triple H, Charlotte Flair, and Finn Balor all attended the launch of the facility earlier today and they all spoke to the press, along with WWE United Kingdom champion Pete Dunne.

WWE sent us several photos from today’s event which gives you a great view on how the UK Performance Center looks like. You can see them below.

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