Lio Rush was not the only WWE Superstar to get married yesterday as Sarah Logan of the Riott Squad and Ray Rowe of the War Raiders also tied the knot in a rather unique way…a viking-themed wedding!
This is the first marriage for both Logan, 25, and Rowe, 34. The relationship between the two wasn’t a secret and last week the NXT tag team star tweeted a photo of the two together writing, “I’m going to marry this beautiful, wild, wonderful girl in seven days.”
Logan and Rowe join an ever-growing list of husband-and-wife WWE Superstars. Unfortunately for the two, they are on different brands so time together will be limited for now. Congratulations to the newlyweds!
This week’s Impact, which was a Best Of 2018 episode, did 116,000 viewers, down 24,000 viewers from last week’s show. Next week’s Impact will be Best of 2018 part two. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
205 Live star and Lashley’s sidekick Lio Rush tied the knot in Las Vegas yesterday, marrying Sarah Lai Wah Green.
The 24-year-old, who is a father of two boys, wrote on Instagram that there was a time where he was all alone, cold, and with no hope. He said that he didn’t even consider falling in love with someone because putting his heart into someone else hands “might as well should have been considered committing suicide.”
Rush then met Sarah, who said made him change it all. “A woman that made me believe. A woman that made me want to put all of the those negative beliefs to rest and just be free. A woman that made me not afraid to get down on one knee asking her to marry me.”
And when things couldn’t get better…as the two drove away from their wedding, they spotted former WWE Superstar D’Lo Brown behind them so obviously they stopped him and took a few photos with him as well!
On Twitter, Rush posted one of the photos and wrote, “When you’re driving around Vegas after just getting married and see @dlobrown75 in your rear view. Pulled him over and he says “Lio Rush? You’re the dude with that dope frogsplash” As I say …”No you’re the dude that inspired my dope frogsplash!”
It looks like WWE jumped the gun when they announced Asuka vs Becky Lynch for the Smackdown Women’s title at the Royal Rumble during this week’s Main Event.
Former Smackdown General Manager Paige tweeted yesterday that she tried to make “one last match” before being removed from Smackdown GM “but unfortunately @BeckyLynchWWE vs. @WWEAsuka for the Smackdown Women’s Championship is NOT official for #RoyalRumble,” Paige said, adding the hash tag #oops at the end.
After the graphic was shown on screen and Main Event host Scott Stanford announced the match, the WWE.COM website did not update the match on the card. The match might still happen regardless but it was odd that it was announced on WWE television without any proper build up.
WWE Network will air four new original shows next week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
The first one is called Fashion Files: Cold Case Unit and will air on Christmas Eve at 11PM EST immediately following the conclusion of Monday Night Raw. The show, hosted by Fandango and Tyler Breeze, will take a look and try to find out who threw the pie in Kevin Owen’s face last year.
On Christmas Day, Xavier Woods will host Xavier’s Arcade Challenge. The show airs at 7:30PM EST and will have The New Day member invading the arcade scene in The City of Brotherly Love, seeking a challenge in the retro gaming classic NBA Jam.
Bo Dallas will host the WWE Kitchen Showdown on Thursday, December 27 starting at 7PM EST. This show will feature Dana Brooke, Alicia Fox, and Curtis Axel compete in a cookoff for guest judges Enes Kanter, Noelle Foley and Mark Henry.
And last but certainly not least, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson host the Botch Club on Friday, December 28 at 7PM EST. This will be a look at the botches that happen during wrestling shows with a special look at the infamous Titus Worldslide at The Greatest Royal Rumble!
This year’s Tribute to the Troops averaged 1,127,000 viewers on USA Network on Thursday. That is down 274,000 viewers from last year’s broadcast. Meanwhile, The New Day Pancake Powered New Year Super Spectacular, which also aired on USA Network on Wednesday, did 584,000 viewers. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
The new home of Impact Wrestling, the Pursuit Channel, was launched in April 2008 and founded by CEO Rusty Faulk.
Pursuit Channel is carried by several providers including Dish Network (Ch. 393) on satellite and AT&T (Ch. 1844), Verizon FIOS (Ch. 818), Cox Communication, Centurylink Prsim (Ch. 1677) and others on cable. It transmits in HD although it’s still in standard definition on Dish. An OTT service is available at Pursuituptv.com and their app can be installed for Roku, iPad, iPhone, and other smart TVs.
In Fall 2012, Leonard Asper, the man who owns the majority stake in Anthem Sports & Entertainment, joined the Pursuit management team and pumped the necessary money for the network to keep expanding. Anthem owns Impact Wrestling, which probably explains why all of a sudden the company’s flagship program find itself on a channel dedicated to fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports.
Impact Wrestling will be moving to a new home in January 2019, leaving POP to join the Pursuit Channel, which in the press release it is described as “the most widely distributed outdoor network and one of the fastest growing channels in the country.”
The move will happen on Friday, January 11 with the first Impact following the Homecoming pay-per-view. The show will keep its current time slot of 10PM EST, which is not the ideal time.
“Pursuit Channel is a natural fit for IMPACT!” said Ed Nordholm, president of IMPACT Wrestling. “It has a passionate viewership base that correlates strongly with our core audience, and is one of the few broadcast destinations that is expanding its footprint, enjoying a 15% increase in broadcast distribution this year alone. With IMPACT Wrestling coming off a tremendous year of audience growth globally and positive fan engagement, we look forward to leveraging our respective resources to bring fans more of the wrestling content they want to see tougher, edgier action.”
Impact’s current deal with POP expires at the end of the year and the two had an agreement to keep the show on the air until a new home was found.
“Pursuit Channel is pleased to welcome IMPACT Wrestling into our Friday night lineup of popular shows,” said Rusty Faulk, CEO and founder of Pursuit Channel. “IMPACT Wrestling programming is perfect for our audience, which enjoys adventurous content to feed their wild side. We look forward to a long partnership and providing our fans with new and exciting world-class content while expanding IMPACT Wrestling’s audience to a new base.”
WWE and J SPORTS will extend their partnership into its 22nd year with a new agreement to broadcast WWE’s flagship shows Raw and Smackdown Live in Japan. Beginning Tuesday, January 1, J SPORTS 4 will air Raw live at 10AM JST on Tuesdays, and Smackdown Live at 10AM JST on Wednesdays.
Additionally, beginning Monday, January 7, J SPORTS 3 will air a one-hour version of Raw at 10PM on Mondays and a one-hour version of Smackdown at 10PM on Tuesdays. Fans can also order all of WWE’s monthly specials, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series and Royal Rumble, on J SPORTS On Demand with Japanese subtitles.
“We are thrilled to extend our relationship with J SPORTS and air Raw and SmackDown live in Japan,” said Michelle Wilson, WWE Co-President. “This partnership allows us to continue showcasing our unique blend of action-packed, family-friendly entertainment to fans across the country.”
“It has been more than 20 years since J SPORTS and WWE tapped into a partnership to broadcast WWE programming,” said Shin Kinoshita, President, J SPORTS. “We are pleased to extend our partnership to broadcast WWE programming live and add WWE’s monthly specials to the programming lineup for all WWE fans in Japan to enjoy.”
The movie Bumblebee with John Cena opens in theaters nationwide today, December 21. This is Cena’s first blockbuster movie where he is playing one of the leading roles.
Off a budget of $135 million, Bumblebee is about the popular yellow Autobot which seeks refuge in a junkyard in a small California beach town. Charlie, played by Hailee Steinfeld, discovers the battle-scarred and broken Bumblebee and when she revives it, she quickly learns that this is no ordinary yellow Volkswagen.
Cena plays the role of Jack Burns, an agent of Sector 7, a secret American government agency which deals with extraterrestrial technology and threats.
Bumblebee is directed by Travis Knight and produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tom DeSanto, Don Murphy, Michael Bay, and Mark Vahradian. It’s the first movie in the Transformers franchise not to be directed by Michael Bay.
The movie is expected to do big business in the box office worldwide due to the popularity of the Transformers franchise and currently has a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Becky Lynch will be getting her title rematch at the Royal Rumble next month, facing Asuka for the Smackdown Women’s title.
Bizarrely enough, the match was announced with a graphic during the Main Event show and as of this writing it has not been added to the Royal Rumble page yet.
Lynch has been tipped to win the Royal Rumble match following her title loss at the TLC pay-per-view but having a part in the title match means that the odds of being in the over-the-top Rumble match as well are low. But it’s not the first time that certain WWE Superstars pull double duty at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, participating in a match on the card and then in the battle royal as well.
With Becky being the overwhelming favorite at the moment, not having her in the Rumble might risk a similar backlash from WWE fans that happened in 2014 when Daniel Bryan was not included in the Rumble match.
Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch are rumored to be contenders to main event WrestleMania 35, with Charlotte Flair’s name also being mentioned which would turn it into a triple threat match.
Madison Square Garden will get its fair share of “Bro” chants on Boxing Day as NXT’s Matt Riddle has been added to the MSG non-televised live event on Wednesday.
Ten of NXT’s most popular stars will be participating in this main roster show as part of a 10-man tag team match and Riddle has replaced Johnny Gargano in the match. The 10-man tag match now has UK champ Pete Dunne, North American champ Ricochet, Aleister Black, Velveteen Dream, and Riddle taking on NXT champion Tommaso Ciampa and all four members of The Undisputed Era.
Riddle has been a popular addition to the NXT roster and is well liked by his peers.
Several tickets remain for this show and Ticketmaster is running a 4-pack offer for tickets.
Los Angeles, CA – (December 20, 2018) – From the Los Angeles Lakers Owner Jeanie Buss and founder of the original GLOW “Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling” David McLane, comes the groundbreaking all-female wrestling promotion WOW – WOMEN OF WRESTLING to AXS TV on Friday, January 18 at 9pE/6pP. The premiere episode features four powerhouse matches and also includes the arrival of third-generation wrestling superstar, the Born Legend, Tessa Blanchard, as she sets out to immediately make her mark by demanding a Championship Title Match.
The season gets off to a roaring start as the phenom, The Beast looks to destroy fan-favorite Stephy Slays. Then, “The Governor’s Daughter,” Abilene Maverick, tries not to get burned when she elects to take on Fire in a sizzling singles match; and WOW bombshells “The All Natural” Khloe Hurtz and Eye Candy go toe-to-toe in a battle of beauty and brawn. It all leads up to the highly-anticipated main event, when WOW legend Jungle Grrrl gets her long-awaited shot at redemption, putting her legacy on the line as she faces off with WOW Champion Santana Garrett for the coveted WOW title in a high-stakes match to close the show.
“We are extremely proud to make WOW – WOMEN OF WRESTLING’s debut on AXS TV,” said McLane. “For this special premiere event, we have planned an incredible event that will satisfy our loyal audience, while serving as the perfect introduction to WOW’s roster of Superheroes for new viewers. This season promises to be one of the best, packed with even more of the intense action, beloved personalities, and family-friendly entertainment that WOW is known for. I’m confident AXS TV viewers are really going to enjoy it.”
WOW – WOMEN OF WRESTLING is a part of AXS TV’s new Friday Night Fights lineup. The schedule for January 18 is NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING at 8pE, followed by the debut of WOW – WOMEN OF WRESTLING at 9pE and then Legacy Fighting Alliance’s first LIVE event of 2019, LFA 57 at its new time,10pE from the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.
USA Network will air the 2018 Tribute to the Troops show tonight which was recorded back on December 4 at Fort Hood, Texas.
Four matches were taped for this show including Finn Balor vs Drew McIntyre, Ronda Rousey and Natalya vs Nia Jax and Tamina, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch vs Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose, and Seth Rollins and AJ Styles vs Dean Ambrose and Daniel Bryan.
The show will run for two hours starting at 9PM EST and it will feature appearances by Jon Stewart and country music star Morgan Wallen.
A Miz & Mrs. marathon will air at 11PM EST immediately following the conclusion of the Troops show.
Smackdown did 2,214,000 viewers on Tuesday night, up 237,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. The show was #1 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and #6 in overall viewership for the night on cable. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Mickie James made history this past Monday by having the most matches by a female WWE Superstar on Raw…a total of 164!
James broke the record with her match against Bayley which was part of the gauntlet match to determine the new number one contender for the Raw Women’s title.
The 39-year-old Virginia native is in her second stint with WWE. She first joined WWE’s developmental territory OVW in 2003 and then made her main roster debut in 2005. She left in 2010 and went on to have a successful career at TNA/Impact before returning to the company in 2016.
She made her Raw debut on the October 10, 2005 episode in an angle with Trish Stratus. Congratulations, Mickie!
The Christmas Day episode of Smackdown Live was taped yesterday following the conclusion of the live show just like Raw the day before. The taping will enable Superstars and crew to spend the holidays with their loved ones, a welcomed change from years before.
During the tapings, a title change took place in the main event which will close out the episode on a cheerful note!
The feud between United States champion Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev continued which resulted in a title match between the two for later in the broadcast. The match ended with Rusev hitting the Machka Kick for the pinfall, winning his third United States title. And best of all, the title change happened on the biggest day of them all…Ruseeeev Daaaaay!
Nakamura won the title from Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules this past July.
Helped by the usual post-PPV bump and an appearance by Vince McMahon promising to “shake things up,” this week’s Raw drew an average of 2,547,000 viewers, up 354,000 viewers from last week’s show. This was the most-watched Raw since the October 22 episode.
Hour one started with 2,717,000 viewers, followed by 2,558,000 viewers in the second hour, and then down to 2,367,000 in the third and final hour.
Raw was #4, #5, and #6 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and #4 in overall viewership for the night on cable. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Paige is no longer the General Manager of Smackdown after Commissioner Shane McMahon removed her on-screen authority role during last night’s Smackdown just eight months after he appointed her.
Paige follows Baron Corbin out of the picture, although her exit was a bit more graceful. McMahon said that Paige’s role will be changed but did not specify what she will be doing although he did confirm that she will still be part of the Smackdown brand.
The McMahons on Monday announced that they would be taking back both Raw and Smackdown and did not announce any replacement General Managers.
Paige got the Smackdown GM job on the post-WrestleMania Smackdown, just 24 hours after she officially retired from in-ring competition due to neck problems.
The Canadian duo of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will be returning on WWE television soon. Two promos aired on Raw last night announcing their arrival although no date was mentioned.
Zayn last wrestled at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view, losing to Bobby Lashley. Following the event, Zayn underwent surgery to repair both of his rotator cuffs, with his second surgery taking place in August, 90 days after his first surgery.
Meanwhile, Owens also underwent surgery to repair both his knees in October. Owens joked that the hospital had a “2 for 1 sale” and opted for that. He last wrestled on the October 8 episode of Raw.
The two former NXT champions have been a big part of Smackdown and Monday Night Raw in 2018 and their presence was obviously missed on television.
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