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Facebook and WWE announce new original series Mixed Match Challenge

By
Colin Vassallo
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Facebook and WWE today announced a new in-ring series, Mixed Match Challenge, that will stream live in the U.S. exclusively on Facebook on Tuesday nights beginning January 16 at 10PM EST. The 12-episode series will air on Facebook Watch and feature WWE Superstars from both the Raw and Smackdown rosters competing in a single-elimination mixed tag-team tournament to win $100,000 to support the charity of their choice.

Each 20-minute episode will reflect a progressive approach to production, with elements optimized for mobile consumption, experimentation and social interaction, including the ability for the WWE Universe to engage with Superstars during the show. In addition, fans will have the opportunity to select matchups, match stipulations and more, on Facebook.

“As we continue to expand our strategic partnership with Facebook, this new series, Mixed Match Challenge, jointly reflects our innovative approach to content distribution and fan engagement,” said Michelle Wilson, WWE Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer. “This show will deliver the action and excitement our passionate fan base is accustomed to while offering new production elements and social experiences that only Facebook can provide.”

“As a leader in entertainment innovation, WWE is an ideal partner to demonstrate how the live sports viewing experience can be reimagined on Facebook Watch,” said Dan Reed, Facebook Head of Global Sports Partnerships. “Mixed Match Challenge is a new competition produced specifically to take advantage of the reach, interaction and ongoing engagement enabled by our platform. Fans will be able to directly influence and interact with the in-ring action, follow the rivalries and storylines in between events, and connect with one another as the drama unfolds. We’re excited for the WWE community to come together on our platform to watch some of the biggest Raw and SmackDown Live Superstars and engage with WWE like never before.”

“Mixed Match Challenge demonstrates WWE’s flexibility in creating and producing compelling content across platforms in a media landscape that is evolving each day,” said Jayar Donlan, WWE Executive Vice President, Digital & Social Content. “The social interaction leading up to and during each show will connect WWE Superstars with our massive fan base on Facebook in more ways than ever before.”

Former Tough Enough winner Matt Cappotelli has terminal brain cancer

By
Colin Vassallo
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Former Tough Enough winner Matt Cappotelli got the worst possible news as it was determined that his brain cancer is terminal and his doctors say only 5% of patients with that condition survive a maximum of five years.

Louisville’s WDRB.COM is reporting that Cappotelli was diagnosed with Grade 4 glioblastoma tumor, the most deadly form of brain cancer. “Though it seems unfortunate, I want it to be portrayed as a story of hope … unending hope,” the 36-year-old Cappotelli said.

In 2007, Cappotelli beat cancer but after ten years of remission, cancer came back with a vengeance. In June of this year, surgeons removed 90% of the mass pressing on his skull while the remaining 10% was being treated with chemo. The remaining tumor that still resides in his brain is too dangerous to touch as it’s next to the brain stem.

Cappotelli won Tough Enough season 3 in 2003 along with John Hennigan, better known now as Johny Impact.

Daniel Bryan will be second referee for tag match at Clash of Champions

By
Colin Vassallo
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Things got a little bit more interesting for Sunday’s Clash of Champions pay-per-view as Smackdown General Manager Daniel Bryan will be the second referee for the Owens/Zayn vs Orton/Nakamura match.

Shane McMahon appointed himself as a referee last week and added the stipulation that if Owens and Zayn lose, they will be fired from the WWE. That didn’t seem to go down well with the Smackdown GM by the look on his face, and this week, with no Shane on the show, Bryan got even.

To make matters even worse for Shane, Bryan awarded Owens a victory over Nakamura last night on Smackdown after the referee was down. Bryan, who was at ringside, took the referee shirt off from the ref and went in the ring to continue officiating and counted the 1, 2, 3 when Owens hit Nakamura with the Popup power bomb.

Triple threat match for Universal title rumored for the Royal Rumble

By
Colin Vassallo
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A number one contender for Brock Lesnar’s Universal title was supposed to be decided on Raw last night but that match between Kane and Braun Strowman ended in a double contout, leaving Lesnar with no opponent yet for one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year.

The plan, according to several insiders, is that Lesnar will be taking on both Strowman and Kane in a triple threat for the Universal title to change things up since Lesnar vs Strowman already happened and ended with Lesnar going over clean in a few minutes. Having Kane in the match and possibly take the pin will keep Strowman looking strong while Lesnar walks out of Philadelphia still with the title.

While there’s somewhat of a clear plan of what one of the main events at the Rumble will be, the same cannot be said for the situation regarding the WWE title over at the Smackdown brand. Things will start getting clearer once the Clash of Champions pay-per-view is over, with either AJ Styles or Jinder Mahal walking into the Rumble as the champion.Triple te

Raw rating for 12/11/2017

By
Colin Vassallo
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Monday Night Raw drew an average of 2,684,000 viewers this week, down 129,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. It was the least-viewed Raw since June 12.

Hour one started with 2,876,000 viewers, then went down to 2,608,000 viewers in the second hour, and 2,570,000 viewers in the third and final hour.

Raw was #4, #5, and #6 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic. The NFL game on ESPN easily won the night with 11.7 million viewers. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

Baby girl #2 on the way for Dwayne Johnson and girlfriend Lauren

By
Colin Vassallo
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Dwayne Johnson announced that he will be a father for the third time as his girlfriend Lauren is expecting their second baby, another girl. Johnson has another daughter, Simone, from his marriage to Dany Garcia.

In a post on Instagram, the former WWE champion wrote that the couple are “boundlessly grateful for this blessing” and baby #2 is expected this Spring. “And once again, big daddy is completely surrounded by beautiful estrogen and loving, powerful female mana. All girls. One dude. And a boy dog. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Johnson wrote.

Congratulations to the people’s champion!

Kenny Omega attacks Chris Jericho at NJPW press conference

By
Colin Vassallo
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A New Japan Pro Wrestling press conference ended in chaos as Kenny Omega attacked Chris Jericho as payback for what Jericho did to him during the World Tag League finals a day earlier.

Omega, with his head taped after getting busted open, went first solo in facing the press and then Jericho replaced him to talk to the media. When Jericho was about to answer the second question, Omega flew in out of nowhere and beat the hell out of Jericho.

As the two were getting separated, Jericho threw the press conference table at Omega and then got the upper hand. “Come on you son of a bitch, come on. I’ll see you at the Tokyo Dome. Son of a bitch,” Jericho screamed as the press continued to take photos while Omega retreated.

You can see the video below.

Cedric Alexander takes Rich Swann’s spot in #1 contenders match for CW title

By
Colin Vassallo
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With Rich Swann out with a suspension, WWE held a fatal 4-way match last night on Raw to see who would be facing Drew Gulak next week with the winner advancing to get a shot at the Cruiserweight title currently held by Enzo Amore.

The four individuals included Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali, Ariya Daivari, and Tony Nese. Cedric Alexander got out of the match victorious after pinning Ariya Daivari, setting up the match against Gulak.

WWE did not address Swann’s arrest on the show apart from mentioning that his opportunity at a crack at the title has been “revoked.”

Alison Brie from GLOW receives Golden Globe nomination

By
Colin Vassallo
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Alison Brie, who portrays the character of Ruth Wilder in the hit Netflix series GLOW, received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy.

Brie will be fighting for the award with Pamela Adlon from Better Things, Issa Rae from Insecure, Rachel Brosnahan from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Frankie Shaw from SMILF.

GLOW received rave reviews from fans and critics and Netflix announced a season two pick up shortly after season one was released. The Netflix Twitter account congratulated Brie, calling her the “golden lady of wrestling.”

Rich Swann released from jail

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE Superstar Rich Swann was released from jail yesterday and ordered not to have direct or indirect hostile contact with his wife, indy wrestler Su Yung. Yung, real name Vannarah Riggs, was the victim in the case that led to his arrest.

A court hearing date has yet to be announced but a Judge has been assigned the case already. Swann will remain suspended from WWE until all legal proceedings have been concluded and WWE will probably take further action if Swann is convicted.

There are rumors that his wife eventually paid for his bail although those remain unconfirmed reports. While Swann signed the agreement not to fight or threaten his wife to get out of jail, he is still free to be in her presence as there was no restraining orders filed.

Impact returning to Orlando for first tapings of 2018

By
Colin Vassallo
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Impact Wrestling is returning to Orlando for more television tapings in the beginning of 2018 after several weeks worth of television shows airing from Ottawa in Canada.

Today, the company announced that Universal Studios Orlando will be their home for their next set of tapings which will start on January 10 and run till January 15. Tapings are free for those who are inside the Universal Studios theme park.

Anthem will be holding Impact tapings both in the United States and in Canada in 2018.

Paige acknowledges use of drugs that led to second suspension and break-up with El Patron

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE Superstar Paige appeared on the Lilian Garcia podcast Chasing Glory and discussed her Wellness Program violation as well as her break-up from Alberto El Patron.

Garcia read out a tweet that Paige wrote after she was suspended for the second time, blaming somebody else for her mistake while her family covered for her as well. When pressed for the real story, Paige admitted that she was suspended for doing illegal drugs and did not anticipate that WWE would reply publicly to a story on the New York Post outing her for doing drugs, she says she has been rehabilitating and using kratom to help her stay away from drugs, over at this website you will find more info. Drug is really harmful to our body, but kratom is exception to that, read more about kratom, here is my company. It’s important to choose the right attorney to defend you against DWI/DUI Penalties. Paige said that she thought of herself as a role model and did not want to ruin her image by saying that she was busted for that. Paige is on two strikes already, and one more problem will lead to her pink slip from WWE. So its important for him to read some legit reviews of using products like synthetic urine kits to protect his reputation and save himself from such ban situations.Like if you are unterested in bodybuilding. You’ll find that a lot of bodybuilders stack SARMs. For those of you that are interested in gaining size and strength, we’re going to check out the best guide to list of vendors.The most popular sarms stack for bulking is a combination of RAD-140 and LGD-4033. Other than this if the evidence for the criminal charge against you is overwhelming, and you are found guilty, defense lawyer, Parlin Law will fight for reduced or alternative sentencing and help you get your life back.

Another touchy subject discussed was her relationship with former WWE and Impact champion Alberto El Patron. Paige, for the first time publicly, said that she is no longer with El Patron, saying that both of them had different career paths and they were not going to intersect. Paige said she has one focus, to fix herself, while El Patron wanted to focus on his family.

The former NXT and Divas champion said she was welcomed by Vince and Stephanie McMahon upon her return, who welcomed her back “home.”

Cartoon WWE and NXT Superstars sing in this year’s WWE holiday greeting video

By
Colin Vassallo
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This year’s holiday greeting from WWE is a two-minute video featuring Southpark-like WWE and NXT Superstars cartoons singing a modified version of the Joy to the World song.

John Cena, Dean Ambrose, Sasha Banks, Shinsuke Nakamura, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Brock Lesnar, The New Day, Roman Reigns, and everyone else is in the hilarious, yet awesome-looking video that will surely bring a smile to everyone’s face. The changes in the song are also a touch of genius, with the song getting the WWE treatment.

You can see the video below.

Chris Jericho attacks Kenny Omega at NJPW’s World Tag League finals

By
Colin Vassallo
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Chris Jericho made a surprise appearance at NJPW’s World Tag League finals yesterday, attacking Kenny Omega with less than a month away from their match at Wrestle Kingdom 12.

After Omega and The Young Bucks defeated Rocky Romero, Sho and Yoh, a video aired of Jericho telling Omega that they will find out who the best in the world really is. After the video stopped and the lights came back up in the arena, Jericho was standing in the ring behind Omega.

Jericho immediately gave Omega the Codebreaker and hit him with the IWGP United States title, a title that will be on the line for their match. Jericho also attacked the referee and Don Callis, who came in to check on Omega. Eventually The Young Bucks came for the rescue but Jericho managed to escape.

Their epic match will be held on January 4 at the Tokyo Dome.

WWE suspends Rich Swann indefinitely following arrest

By
Colin Vassallo
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As expected, former WWE Cruiserweight champion Rich Swann has been suspended by WWE.

A short statement on WWE.COM reads, “WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, and per our policy, Rich Swann has been suspended indefinitely following his arrest.”

According to their Wellness Program, domestic violence leads also to a strike on their record but WWE did not mention this. A first violation results to a 30-day suspension. The indefinite suspension will last until all legal proceedings against Swann are concluded and then WWE can take further action depending on the outcome.

Swann was supposed to wrestle Drew Gulak on Raw tomorrow in a #1 contenders match for the Cruiserweight title. Their match is still part of the Raw preview on WWE.COM but obviously that match will not happen now.

Rich Swann arrest details, victim is his wife and indy wrestler Su Yung

By
Colin Vassallo
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The police report on the arrest of Rich Swann listed his wife, Vannarah Riggs, better known as Su Yung, as the victim of the domestic abuse.

Describing both as professional wrestlers, the report states that Swann was critiquing his wife’s performance after a show in downtown Gainesville just hours earlier. He began to get angry with her and she got scared and got out of the car on the way to home. “The Def stopped his vehicle in the middle of traffic and the vic jumped out. The Def gave chase and yelled for the Vic to get back in the car. The Vic told the Def she did not want to get back in the car and she continued to walk away,” the report states.

Swann then grabbed her by the arm and neck and placed her in a headlock, dragging her back in the car while his wife screamed for help. A witness saw the whole incident going down and called the police to report it. “Wit 1 said that the Vic was beating on the window screaming for help as they drove away again,” the report continues.

Another witness described Swann driving erratically and then the victim, his wife, jumped out of the vehicle while it was moving and ran away. Swann got out of the vehicle and gave chase, forgetting to put the car on park so the vehicle kept rolling down until it hit a telephone pole.

In the report, Riggs described her husband as having a temper and was trying to get away as she was scared it would escalate into physical violence. After he was arrested, Swann told the cops that he did not grab her and his wife got in the car voluntarily. He said that she was manning the GPS on her phone which was getting them back home and he needed her in the car.

The report states that the duo have been married for nine months and been together for five years.

WWE cruiserweight Rich Swann arrested in Florida

By
Colin Vassallo
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Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com is reporting that WWE cruiserweight Rich Swann has been arrested in Florida and is currently still in jail.

Alachua County Sheriff said that Swann was arrested around Midnight and charged with battery and false imprisonment. No bond has been listed. The 26-year-old has been working for WWE since 2015 and in November of last year, he defeated Brian Kendrick on the premiere episode of 205 Live to become the new Cruiserweight champion.

There are no more details on his arrest as of press time. Swann is married to indy wrestler Su Yung and it’s not clear if she’s the one involved in the case.

You can see Swann’s mugshot below.

ESPN’s 30 for 30: Nature Boy documentary to air in the United Kingdom

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Fans in the United Kingdom will be able to watch the fantastic ESPN 30 for 30: Nature Boy documentary which aired on ESPN in the United States last month. The documentary will premiere on December 15 at 10PM GMT on BT Sport 2.

30 for 30: Nature Boy was shot over a period of two years, chronicling life of Ric Flair, highlighting the blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice that Flair made to become the best wrestler in the world. Interviewed for this documentary are Jim Cornette, Ricky Steamboat, The Undertaker, Arn Anderson, Sting, Tony Schiavone, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Jim Ross, and many more.

For those who missed the original airing in the U.S., the documentary is available on the ESPN website and mobile/TV app but a cable TV login is required to unlock the streaming.

Two WWE Hall of Famers undergo knee surgeries

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Two WWE Hall of Famers – Madusa and Kevin Nash – underwent knee operations this week, with Madusa going for a full knee replacement.

The former WWE Women’s champion said that this surgery was in addition to the one she underwent five months ago, going from partial knee to full knee replacement. The operation was performed by Dr. Brian Palumbo at Florida Orthopaedic Institute. “Now I have a full knee replacement and again it’s no frick’n joke,” Madusa wrote, congratulating her doctor for “his great cocktails” especially the one that didn’t make her vomit her guts out after surgery!

Meanwhile, Nash posted a graphic photo of his stitched-up knee and said that while it’s not pretty, it’s now straight. “Let it heal and start training. Amazing process. Sore as f*** but finally fixed after 33 years,” Nash wrote. Nash is still scheduled to be part of the Raw 25th anniversary episode from the Manhattan Center in late January.

Who are you betting on as 2017’s top wrestlers outside the WWE?

By
Daniel Street
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WWE is box office and always will be, but if you want to experience any sport in its purest form, you will often find that the best place to look is in the feeder formats. For example, if you go to a college football game, you will be spared the pyrotechnics and the players and coaches playing up to the cameras – but you will see some of the biggest talents giving it their all in a bid to get noticed and make the step up to the big time.

For the love of the game

The same applies across all disciplines. A top casino in Vegas might have the razzmatazz and star appeal, but to simply play your favorite game and stand the best chance of beating the house, you can’t beat Casino-Websites.co.uk new casino site reviews. And if you have yet to experience wrestling outside the world of WWE, chances are you will find it a breath of fresh air.

On the other hand, if you are already a fan of the lesser known formats, see if you agree with our top five names from the past 12 months.

Zack Sabre

This British wrestler has been one of the biggest names in his home country for the past decade, but having turned 30 this year, he is now hitting his prime. If awards were made on the basis of airmiles, he would be the hands-down winner, having competed on both sides of the Atlantic, including a classic AAW encounter with Michael Elgin in May and an equally memorable bout with Will Ospreay in his home country in October.

Walter

Austria has a great track record when it comes to providing the world with muscle-bound superstars. While it might be a little early to suggest that Walter could emulate his most illustrious countryman, he certainly has the potential to go to the very top. Like Sabre, he is just coming into his prime, and he has the confidence and mental toughness to match his most obvious physical attribute – put simply, the guy is built like a truck.

Kazuchika Okada

Ask those in the know who is the best wrestler on the planet, and you might be surprised at the answer. The Rainmaker has held the IWGP Heavyweight crown for 18 months – a record in the history of the championship. WWE might be box office, but this man is something else – and at just 30 years old, his strength, talent and ability to tell a story in the ring could take his career absolutely anywhere.

Tomohiro Ishii

If the Rainmaker is beyond box office, Tomohiro Ishii could be mistaken for a member of the crew who stepped into the ring by mistake. Anyone who mistakes the understated appearance for a lack of prowess finds out their mistake the hard way, however. This 41 year old exemplifies the phrase “fighting spirit” to the letter.

Keith Lee

When Kassius Ohno joined WWE, fans feared he would leave a huge hole in the independent scene. Thankfully, Keith Lee was ready to step in, and he has done so in a unique style. For athleticism, theatre and all out-brutal power, he has it all, and if you’ve not seen him yet, make a date to do so in 2018.

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