Impact Wrestling on POP did a total of 124,000 viewers on Thanksgiving Day, an increase of 23,000 viewers over the previous week’s episode. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Indy star WALTER signs with WWE
Indy star and Austrian pro wrestler WALTER has signed a WWE deal and will be part of the NXT UK brand moving forward.
The 31-year-old is one of the most popular wrestlers who was still not signed to a WWE deal and he has wrestled all over the world. WALTER, real name Walter Hahn, is currently the PROGRESS Wrestling champion. He made his debut in 2005 and started working for the German-based wXw promotion two years later. He joined PROGRESS Wrestling – WWE’s partner promotion in the United Kingdom – in 2015 where he has been one of its main stars ever since. WALTER also wrestled for EVOLVE and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as well as Defiant Wrestling before signing the WWE deal.
In a recent interview, WALTER said that he has no intentions of going to Raw or Smackdown and no desire to relocate to the United States but did like the NXT brand a lot. In the interview, he said that NXT has the best talent in the world and likes that it’s focused on in-ring wrestling unlike Raw or Smackdown. Signing a deal to be part of the NXT UK roster allows him to wrestle for the brand but still be based in Europe.
Alexa Bliss to oversee Raw’s women’s division in new on-screen role
Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin appointed Alexa Bliss to oversee the women’s division every week on Monday Night Raw while Bliss remains on the sidelines.
The former Raw and Smackdown Women’s champion last wrestled in October and has been on the shelf due to multiple concussions. The latest one came in a tag match where she landed on her head after Ronda Rousey hip-tossed her a week before Evolution.
Giving her an on-screen role doesn’t sound good for her career at the moment as it means she has a long way to go before she is cleared again to wrestle.
Bliss has reportedly failed multiple concussion tests over the last few weeks and if she does not pass the IMPACT testing she will not get the green light to step back in the ring.
WWE locks down several NXT UK talent with new contracts and exclusivity
The UK-based WrestleTalk.com website is reporting that several UK talent who are under a deal with WWE and part of the NXT UK roster are being told they cannot continue working on the independent scene after they received new contracts and an increase in their base salary.
All the talent who are part of NXT UK came from indy promotions around the country and sometimes from other European countries and up until now they were free to work the shows that they wanted to. With NXT UK starting its weekly television broadcast on the WWE Network and Takeover specials set to air every few months, the freedom for these wrestlers to perform for other promotions has now been taken away.
It remains to be seen if this will also affect those who perform for PROGRESS Wrestling and ICW in the UK as these two indy promotions have been helping WWE with their UK operation, however sources for WrestleTalk said that it looks those promotions who have a working relationship with WWE will remain unaffected.
Not all NXT UK talent were handed a contract which includes exclusivity so there will be wrestlers who will still appear on other shows but it’s safe to assume that those who WWE think are essential to the growth of the brand will no longer be showing up at your local indy show.
NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool sold out
NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool quickly sold out this morning and Ticketmaster is showing no tickets available.
The Empress Ballroom, the host of the first UK Takeover show, will be configured with seats on the East and West side but just four rows on the North side and just five rows on the South side. The entrance ramp will be on the South side of the ballroom. Balcony seating is also available on the East and West sides. The location is configured to hold just under 2,000 seats.
A few tickets still remain for the NXT UK television tapings set to be held the next day on January 13 also from the Empress Ballroom.
Four matches announced for tonight’s Raw from Milwaukee
Four matches have been announced for tonight’s Raw from Milwaukee, Wisconsin with two titles on the line.
The Authors of Pain will be defending their Raw Tag Team titles against Bobby Roode and Chad Gable while Seth Rollins will also be putting his Intercontinental title up for grabs in an open challenge. Last week it was Ronda Rousey who issued an open challenge for her Raw Women’s title, a challenge which was accepted by Mickie James.
Also on the show tonight will be Bobby Lashley taking on Elias and acting General Manager Baron Corbin versus Finn Balor.
[Spoilers] First three matches for NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool announced
The first three matches of the NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool event were announced last night during the television tapings in Liverpool. These angles leading up to the matches will play out over the next month and a half on NXT UK on the WWE Network so be aware spoilers are ahead.
The longest-reigning WWE champion in modern-day era Pete Dunne will be defending the WWE United Kingdom title against number one contender Joe Coffey. Dunne won the title at NXT Takeover: Chicago in May 2017 and has remained champion ever since.
NXT UK Women’s champion Rhea Ripley will also be defending her newly-won title against this year’s Mae Young Classic tournament winner Toni Storm. This is the rematch from the NXT UK Women’s title tournament final which will air on the WWE Network next week.
Also, the first-ever NXT UK Tag Team titles will be decided on the show. The tournament kicked off yesterday in Liverpool and the final match takes place at Takeover: Blackpool.
Just like NXT Takeovers, this card is expected to have around five matches in total.
Starrcade 2018 results from Cincinnati, Ohio
WWE held its Starrcade house show last night in Cincinnati, Ohio at the U.S. Bank Arena with the show airing in a one-hour presentation on the WWE Network tonight starting at 8PM EST. Here are the results:
Sasha Banks, Bayley, Ember Moon, and Dana Brooke defeated Nia Jax, Tamina, Mickie James, and Alicia Fox; Drew McIntyre defeated Finn Balor; B-Team defeated The Revival; The Bar defeated The New Day to retain the Smackdown Tag Team titles; Bray Wyatt defeated Baron Corbin; Charlotte Flair defeated Asuka; Rey Mysterio defeated Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ; Rusev and Rey Mysterio defeated The Miz and Shinsuke Nakamura; AJ Styles defeated Samoa Joe in a steel cage match; Seth Rollins defeated Dean Ambrose in a steel cage match to retain the Intercontinental title.
Bray Wyatt returns at Starrcade
Former WWE champion Bray Wyatt returned to the ring yesterday at Starrcade in Cincinnati, two months after he wrestled his last match.
Wyatt, who was teaming up with Matt Hardy, last wrestled in mid-September after Hardy left. Bray was also taken off television and live events with seemingly no creative set for him. At Starrcade last night, Wyatt replaced Braun Strowman and accepted Baron Corbin’s open challenge. Wyatt won the match.
Once one of the most popular WWE Superstars on the roster, Wyatt quickly faded once the Wyatt Family faction was disbanded. His program with Matt Hardy eventually reignited his career somewhat but that soon quickly went away after the duo lost the Raw Tag Team titles and Hardy left due to injuries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKggTVege7Q
NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool announced for January 2019
WWE will be holding the first ever NXT UK Takeover WWE Network event on Saturday, January 12, 2019 at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool. The announcement was made today during the NXT UK television tapings in Liverpool.
Titled NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool, the event will join the popular Takeover series and will feature all the top NXT UK talent. The show is being held almost two years after the original WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament which was also held at the Empress Ballroom on January 14 and 15 in 2017.
Built in 1896 and renovated in 1934, the Empress Ballroom has a capacity of nearly 3,000 and the NXT brand already performed there as well in December 2015.
WWE will also hold NXT UK television tapings in the same location the next day on January 13. Tickets for both shows go on sale this coming Monday at 10AM GMT on Eventim.co.uk.
Roman Reigns attends Georgia Tech football game and gets on camera!
Former WWE and Universal champion Roman Reigns appeared on camera for the first time since he announced that he is fighting leukemia on Raw a month ago.
Wearing a beanie hat, Reigns attended the Georgia Tech vs Georgia Bulldogs football game and recorded a quick video for Tech’s Twitter account saying, “I’m the real big dog here, to hell with Georgia baby!” The Georgia Tech Twitter account said, “@WWERomanReigns knows the GOOD WORD!!! #THWG.”
Reigns attended Georgia Tech while at college and played collegiate football for the school before he had brief stints with the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL and Edmonton Eskimos of the CLF.
Roman is out of WWE indefinitely as he battles leukemia for the second time and there’s no timetable for his return. Reigns surrendered the WWE Universal title on the October 22 episode of Monday Night Raw, surprising his fans, peers, and everyone backstage with his cancer announcement, news that only a handful of individuals knew about.
.@WWERomanReigns knows the GOOD WORD!!! #THWG pic.twitter.com/bKxJF1mRtp
— Georgia Tech Football (@GeorgiaTechFB) November 24, 2018
Starrcade 2018 taking place tonight in Cincinnati at the U.S. Bank Arena
WWE will be holding Starrcade tonight at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. The event, which was revived last year, will have a one-hour special presentation tomorrow on the WWE Network at 8PM EST.
The dual-brand show is close to sold out with Ticketmaster only having some tickets left although there are a couple of ringside seats available as well for $304.
There are seven matches on the card so far including Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental title in a steel cage; AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe in a steel cage; Shinsuke Nakamura vs Rey Mysterio for the United States title; Asuka vs Charlotte Flair; The Bar vs The New Day for the Smackdown Tag Team titles; Finn Balor vs Drew McIntyre; and Rusev vs The Miz.
Sasha Banks, Bayley, Dolph Ziggler, and others are also advertised to appear so there will be probably more matches or changes to the card. Elias will be holding a special concert with WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair as well.
“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan hospitalized in South Carolina on Thursday
WWE Hall of Famer Hacksaw Jim Duggan did not have the best Thanksgiving as he was hospitalized in intensive care unit.
One of his daughters, Celia, posted on Instagram on Thursday saying that her dad is in ICU but is in good spirits and they’re all doing good so they have a lot to be thankful for. The post was tagged to be from South Carolina.
“Hacksaw” then posted that he’s getting out of the hospital this weekend and would be missing the show he was booked for on Saturday.
It was not revealed why Duggan was in hospital.
WWE to hold NXT UK tapings from Liverpool this weekend
WWE will have two more days of filming for NXT UK tomorrow and Sunday in Liverpool, England at The Olympia.
All the favorite NXT UK stars will be in the house including NXT UK champion Pete Dunne who last week was involved in the WarGames match. These will be the final two tapings of 2018 for the brand new promotion and tickets are still available at livenation.co.uk.
The WWE Network has been airing double headers of NXT UK every week.
There are rumors that WWE will also announce the launch of WWE Performance Center UK during the weekend with London being the proposed base for the facility. WWE is planning to open several Performance Centers around the world.
Conor McGregor tells Becky Lynch to call him when she needs backup
UFC champion Conor McGregor has offered to help Becky Lynch after Lynch took a swipe at a news story that says she’s channeling her “inner Conor McGregor” in the gimmick that set her career on fire lately.
In a reply to the article, the Smackdown Women’s champion said she channels no one and while she and McGregor are bonded as Irish brother and sister, she would still break that bond and his arm in three short seconds if they get close to each other. “I’d be too tempting; he’d completely understand too. Proper12 after,” Lynch wrote, referring to his whiskey brand Proper12.
McGregor, replying to her tweet, told her to call him whenever she needs “Proper backup.”
“Cheers, Conor. I’m carrying two divisions at the moment, but you know exactly how that is,” Becky responded. “I hear New York is nice in the spring, though.” The New York reference is obviously about WrestleMania which will be held in the area in April.
According to the latest reports, Lynch will wrestle Rousey at WrestleMania and there’s a big chance that it could be the first women’s match to headline and close WrestleMania.
Ronda Rousey shows off nasty bruises from Survivor Series match
In a Q&A session posted on her YouTube channel from her house, Raw Women’s champion Ronda Rousey showed off the nasty bruises she received from the tons of kendo stick shots courtesy of a beatdown by Charlotte Flair at the Survivor Series.
A few days removed from the Survivor Series and her injuries still look pretty bad, with both her arms, hips, both legs, shoulders, chest, and right side of the head including her ear all bruised up pretty bad.
Rousey said even though she’s carrying all these bruises, she doesn’t feel beat up and her head is okay and joints as well but did reveal that she received a cut in her mouth during her match with Mickie James on Raw that is bothering her more than the rest of the bruises.
You can see the video below.
Get tickets now for London Raw and Smackdown TV tapings in May 2019
Tickets for the Monday Night Raw and Smackdown Live from The O2 Arena in London, England went on pre-sale this morning on AXS.COM.
WWE will be doing back-to-back television tapings in London in May as part of the next European tour. The dates are May 13 and 14.
Three different types of tickets are being offered: regular tickets, Ringsider package, and Fan Ramp package. The Ringsider package includes row 1 or 2 tickets, authentic mini-title that comes in an autographed case by select Superstars, a variety of exclusive merchandise items not available for sale elsewhere, commemorative 3D event ticket with the official Superstar tour artwork, and commemorative hard stock poster with the official Superstar tour artwork. There’s also priority check-in and an on-site WWE host to assist you. The Fan Ramp package is the same but instead of ringside seats you get seats by the entrance ramp.
The Raw tickets can be purchased from https://bit.ly/2QheayQ and the Smackdown tickets can be purchased from https://bit.ly/2BqrjgU.
WWE launches big Black Friday sale on WWE Shop
WWE Shop has launched its yearly Black Friday sale with several items carrying a 75% discount plus an extra 25% off on all orders with the code FRIDAY during checkout. Free shipping applies to all orders over $15.
Items which carry a big discount include Ronda Rousey, AJ Styles, Adam Cole, Seth Rollins, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, AOP, Daniel Bryan, and many others and merchandise available are t-shirts, shoes, caps, accessories, and other items.
Several title belts are also on sale and the 25% FRIDAY code at checkout applies to them as well.
The discounts are available now and valid until tomorrow, November 23. Start your shopping at http://w-o.it/wweshopcom!
Smackdown rating 11/20/2018
Smackdown pulled in 2,150,000 viewers for the post-Survivor Series episode, down 162,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. The show was #2 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and #7 in overall viewership for the night. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Jacksonville Jaguars owners file for trademarks for new promotion All Elite Wrestling
A user on the popular r/squaredcircle Reddit forum posted information about several new trademarks filed for a new promotion called All Elite Wrestling with its base address being the home of the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars.
There were a few rumors a month or so ago that the son of the owner of the Jaguars was going to launch a new promotion soon along with Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and would have the involvement of Chris Jericho and Jim Ross. Ross and Jericho immediately shot down the rumor once the original story, posted by SEScoops at the time, made it online.
Apart from All Elite Wrestling as a trademark, a bunch of others were filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office including All Out, Double or Nothing, Tuesday Night Dynamite, AEW, and several logos. All Out is obviously a take of All In and Double or Nothing is what the second All In show was suggested to be named.
All trademarks are currently live but pending since there is a lengthy process to assign a trademark. They were filed on November 5 by the law firm of Proskauer Rose LLP which is headquartered in New York. All trademarks filed refer to professional wrestling, live streaming, and merchandise.