The Continental Classic round robin matches came to an end last night with a total of six bouts on the Christmas Collision episode.
Kyle Fletcher opened the night with three points, defeated Jack Perry to move to nine points while Perry was eliminated. Fletcher earned a spot in the semis with this win.
Konosuke Takeshita solidified his place in the chart with another win over Mascara Dorada, with Takeshita ending the tournament with 13 points and was the first one to advance to the next round.
Roderick Strong got his first and only win in the tournament when he defeated CMLL Heavyweight Champion Claudio Castagnoli. Strong ends with three points on the board but did nothing for him, apart from preventing Castagnoli from advancing.
The match between Kevin Knight and Pac ended in a draw after the 20-minute time-limit expired. They ended the tournament with seven points each.
Former AEW World champ Jon Moxley defeated Orange Cassidy, moving to nine points and advancing to the semi final. Cassidy was eliminated as a result of this loss.
And reigning Continental champion Kazuchika Okada defeated “Speedball” Mike Bailey in the last match of the night, moving to nine points and advancing to the next round.
The final Gold League standings:
Kazuchika Okada – 9 points (advances to semi final)
Kyle Fletcher – 9 points (advances to semi final)
Kevin Knight – 7 points (eliminated)
Pac – 7 points (eliminated)
Mike Bailey – 6 points (eliminated)
Jack Perry – 6 points (eliminated)
The final Blue League standings:
Konosuke Takeshita – 13 points (advances to semi final)
AEW is back for a second night of television action with Christmas Collision, airing at 9PM ET on TNT and also streaming on HBO Max. The show will run for two-and-a-half hours, getting 30 minutes extra.
The Continental Classic round robin tournament matches will conclude tonight, with six remaining matches.
In the Gold League, we will have Jack Perry vs Kyle Fletcher, Pac vs Kevin Knight, and “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs Kazuchika Okada. In the Blue League, it’s Konosuke Takeshita vs Mascara Dorada, Claudio Castagnoli vs Roderick Strong, and Jon Moxley vs Orange Cassidy.
The only other match announced is Babes of Wrath vs Hyan and Maya for the AEW Women’s World Tag Team titles.
The AEW Revolution 2026 pay-per-view is already at around 7,000 tickets distributed with nearly three months to go for the show.
Revolution will be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and @WrestleTix is reporting that the arena is currently set up for 8,000 seats. The arena can fit up to 20,000 so there will be more room to expand if there’s a surge in sales.
This is the second Revolution in a row to be held at the Crypto.com Arena, with the 2025 edition having an attendance of 11,670.
Wrestling history is filled with memorable moments, but only a few make it through the test of time. A powerful win turns into a legendary moment when a champion holds his belt high in the sky to show his victory and pride.
Custom championship belts turn major wrestling victories into lasting legends by symbolizing dominance, emotion, and legacy that fans remember long after the match ends.
Championship Belts and Their Role in Wrestling Legacy
In professional wrestling, championship belts are not just plain awards. They are carefully designed to showcase power and achievement. Custom championship belts are made of premium material, including high-quality leather straps and carved metal plates. The main design is in the middle, while the side plates often have logos or names that link the belt to a specific brand or time period.
Unlike trophies that sit on the shelf, custom WWE belts are worn and shown off to millions of people. Winners wear them like a crown with pride and mark their name in the pages of history. Moreover, wrestling companies spend a fortune to make unique custom belts for their champions that showcase their brand.
The 7 Most Iconic Championship Belt Moments in Wrestling History
1. Muhammad Ali Wins the Heavyweight Championship (1964)
The first most iconic championship belt moment was when Muhammad Ali won the heavyweight championship belt and lifted it over his head like a crown of a rebellious king. His championship belt moment showcased his rebellious nature, pride, and dominion. When he fought Sonny Liston, most people thought Ali was too young and overconfident. They expected Liston to beat him easily, but Ali was too fast and brave. When Liston couldn’t keep up with Ali, the whole arena froze in disbelief. Ali lifting that belt wasn’t just a victory pose. It showed the world a new, confident champion had arrived who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind.
2. Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels (1997)
The second most iconic championship belt moment was when Bret Hart lost this title to Shawn Michaels in confusing circumstances, which felt like betrayal. Hart fought Michaels with the whole crowd on his side. But things went wrong, the bell rang signaling the sudden ending of the match, and the belt was taken from Hart against his will. Fans were shocked to see the belt change hands without even a fair win. That title belt became a symbol of broken trust and real-life drama. It proved that championship belts can carry lasting emotions and impact, even when the victory isn’t clear.
Just like AJ Lee’s recent comeback reminded everyone how quickly a title race can change, the Montreal Screwjob once totally reshaped the world of wrestling.
3. Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant in WrestleMania III
The third most iconic championship belt moment was when Hulk Hogan lifted the heavyweight title belt as a warrior lifting the crown of a lost giant. His victory was welcomed with screams of disbelief and cheers of astonishment. Andre the Giant was considered imperishable, an undefeatable warrior who had never lost. Hogan’s victory shocked the audience when they were expecting his defeat. When he slammed Andre and secured the victory, the stadium erupted as if witnessing the impossible. His custom WWE belt thus became a symbol of faith and strength, showing that with faith and strength, heroes can achieve the impossible. His win changed wrestling forever.
4. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock in WrestleMania X-Seven
The fourth most iconic belt moment was when Stone Cold Steve Austin won the title with pure toughness and intensity. The arena was split between the fans of the Rock and Austin, with both players fighting to win. The hunger for dominance made the match violent and relentless, making the whole arena shake
When Austin finally won, the belt rested on a man who was willing to do anything to stay at the top. The title belt symbolized obsession, power, and a hunger for victory that fueled Austin’s performance. Fans cherish this legendary win because it showed a champion who was entirely focused on being unstoppable.
5. Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle in WrestleMania XIX
The fifth most iconic championship belt moment was when Brock Lesnar won the title with his natural talent and raw power. Kurt Angle entered the ring with technical mastery, respect, and dominance, while Lesnar stepped in with unmatched physical strength. While many believe that technique matters more than natural strength, Lesnar proved everyone wrong with his speed and intensity. When Lesnar finally claimed the championship belt, it marked the rise of a new kind of championship, showing that true strength matters in the wrestling arena. He became proof that pure strength and athleticism could redefine championship dominance.
6. The Undertaker’s Streak Ends in WrestleMania 30
The sixth most iconic championship belt moment was when Brock Lesnar stood victorious while the crowd stared in disbelief at the end of Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak. His WrestleMania streak was considered sacred, intangible, and expected to last forever. Fans were confident that history would repeat itself, yet Lesnar proved everyone wrong when the ref counted to three, the crowd froze in shock. Even though no belt exchange occurred, the moment still holds the win changed how people look at titles and legacies. It showed that even the biggest stars can lose, and that records are meant to be challenged, not just kept safe.
Just like Andrade El Idolo’s recent win started a new chapter for him, Brock Lesnar’s beating of The Undertaker back then completely changed wrestling history.
7. Daniel Bryan Wins at WrestleMania XXX
The seventh most iconic championship belt moment was when Daniel Bryan raised two championship belts, showing that his hard work had finally paid off. He entered the arena as an underdog, carrying the hopes of the fans who felt ignored or unheard. Everyone was cheering for him to win. When Bryan finally won and lifted those belts, it felt like a real victory, not just a show. His belts became the symbol of persistence, never giving up, and the strong bond between a wrestler and his fans. It proved that a champion doesn’t have to be the biggest or strongest guy; sometimes, it’s the resilient one who shares deep connections with his supporters.
Conclusion
After looking at these seven championship belt moments, one thing has become clear: wrestling history isn’t just about who wins, but also the belt they hold at the end. Every belt raised in these matches was more than just gold and leather. It represented real feelings, hard work, and big rivalries.
From Ali’s brave win to Daniel Bryan’s emotional victory, these belts turned wins into memories that fans still talk about today. These moments prove that a title belt isn’t just an accessory; it’s physical proof of everything a wrestler went through. The fight might end when the bell rings, but the real legacy starts when the belt is lifted high.
TKO stock reached an all-time high of $218.11 yesterday during the Christmas Eve trading day and closed the day with $217.98, the highest-ever closing.
In December, TKO stocks soared 12.73% so far, helped by Morgan Stanley after they raised their target price to $210.
The $217.98 closing gave the company a market cap of a whopping $42.08 billion.
The Continental Classic tournament continued on Dynamite last night, with two Blue League and one Gold League matches taking place.
Current IWGP champion Konosuke Takeshita defeated Orange Cassidy to reach the semi final with 10 points. Cassidy finished up with six points.
Mascara Dorada then defeated Roderick Strong in the second Blue League match, with Dorada now at six points and Strong remaining the only one without a victory and zero points.
In the Gold League, Jack Perry defeated Death Riders member Pac, with both men now standing with six points.
The final matches, three from Blue and three from Gold, will take place tonight on the Christmas Day episode of Collision.
A new Dynamite Diamond Ring winner was crowned yesterday on the Christmas Eve edition of Dynamite from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.
The final two in the battle royal, Ricochet and Bandido, squared off in a one-on-one match, with Bandido coming out victorious despite interference from Gates of Agony. Following the match, Ricochet and Gates of Agony continued their attack on Bandido and he was saved by Brody King.
The Dynamite Diamond Ring, which was introduced in 2019, has always been in the possession of MJF, who has won every single edition since then.
In a post on Instagram, a Hollywood, Florida, Italian eatery Mimi’s Ravioli, called former WWE champion Roman Reigns a “true hero” and applauded him for stopping by and picking up pizzas to personally deliver to sick kids at the nearby Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.
The IG account said that two days before Christmas, Reigns, with “all the money in the world,” picked up pizza and took it to the hospital on his own free time.
“They don’t make them like this guy. This guy is what you call a true life hero,” they wrote. “I’m glad we can call Joe our friend thank you for stopping by saying hello and bring the kids Pizza.”
In the photo, Reigns is seen sporting a Wild Samoans t-shirt posing with the owners of the shop.
“It’s an honor to have you walk through my doors buddy. Keep doing what you’re doing and keep paying it forward. God created people like you to make this a better place thank you guys from my family to everyone,” the post continued.
Ticket tracking service @WrestleTix has released their first counts for WrestleMania 42 Saturday and Sunday.
WrestleMania Saturday is currently at 35,973 tickets distributed while Sunday is at 36,045. For both nights, the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is configured for 43,416 seats.
The total number of seats on the map are 68,179 and a large chunk of the stadium remains closed off because of lower than expected ticket sales.
More sections in the stadium will open depending on how ticket sales will move over the next few months.
The Las Vegas Stadium Authority revealed a few months ago that WrestleMania 41 Saturday had 58,538 fans and Sunday had 60,103 fans. WWE’s slightly inflated number had 124,693 across both nights, with 61,467 announced for Saturday and 63,226 announced for Sunday.
Tickets for both nights, including combo deals, are available via Ticketmaster.com.
A video is making the rounds of a what looks to be an intoxicated Ric Flair recording a Cameo video for a customer which went sideways.
Sitting in a bar/restaurant, Flair recorded the personalized video for someone who is getting married.
“Now that you’re getting married, oh my God. Why would you get married, motherf*cker?” Flair says. “It’s the worst possible commitment you could do. Because as of the day you get married, 50% of everything is hers.”
Speaking from multiple experiences, the Nature Boy continued, “I don’t care how beautiful she is. Stay her girlfriend. It’s family, Tina.”
Flair then concludes the cool $500 video by adding, “I’m a diamond. I’m forever. I’ve overstayed my welcome, and my name is Ric Flair. Woo!”
Smackdown fell below a million viewers once again, drawing just 995,000 viewers last Friday night for the taped episode, down 285,000 viewers from the prior week. The night was dominated by college football playoffs which drew 7.6 million viewers. Smackdown had a 0.21 rating in 18-49, down 0.05 from the prior week and was #3 on cable and #3 in all of TV behind college football programming. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)
Netflix’s Vice President of Sports Gabe Spitzer said during an interview with The Varsity Podcast with John Ourand that the Hulk Hogan documentary which was being filmed when Hogan passed away is still in the works and will be released with other planned documentaries that Netflix has in the pipeline.
The unnamed Hogan documentary has been filming since 2024 and took an unexpected twist in July of this year when Hulk passed away.
Netflix crew recorded over 20 hours of new interviews with Hulk Hogan, his family, and those who he worked with so there is plenty of footage available.
The documentary is directed by Bryan Storkel and produced by Words + Pictures in association with WWE and Netflix.
It is expected to be a multi-part doc and not just one episode. No release date is available yet.
Appearing on Up Close with Renee Paquette, AEW star Jack Perry said that he has grown a lot from the CM Punk backstage incident back in August 2023.
Perry never directly mentioned Punk but Paquette alluded to it when she asked how he has grown since 2023, when the incident occurred.
“I feel like I’ve grown a lot from it, but I feel like the growth came from a lot of it sounds dramatic to say pain, but it wasn’t the nicest of times, for most of that time,” Perry told Paquette. “I think it really freed me in a lot of ways. It’s kind of like before all that feels like another lifetime at this point, and I think back to how I felt before that, and I think a big thing I had was like, I just really, it sounds silly, I just wanted everyone to like me.”
Perry and Punk made the headlines when Perry, in his Zero Hour match prior to the PPV, had a spot on a car, smashing the windshield, breaking the real glass.
“It’s real glass! Go cry me a river!” he said to the camera, referring to Punk who during Collision refused to let Perry use real glass for a segment.
Punk met Perry backstage and an altercation ensued just before Punk was scheduled to open the show with Samoa Joe. That led to Punk getting fired and just two months later he returned to WWE.
“I was new to being on TV. This was my dream job since I was a little kid, and I wanted to do it perfectly, and I wanted everyone to like me, and it’s not something I worry about so much in my real life, but this was different,” he continued. “I kind of wanted to micromanage it and make it perfect.”
He added that when he would come up short of that expectation, it was very disappointing and when there are “a million people” telling you that “you’re a piece of shit,” it was hard.
The Christmas Eve Dynamite, marketed as Dynamite on 34th Street, will have a special start time of 6PM ET tonight, airing on TBS and also streaming on HBO Max.
Three Continental Classic matches will take place including Konosuke Takeshita vs Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong vs Mascara Dorada in the Blue League and Pac vs Jack Perry in the Gold League.
Also, Ricochet battles Bandido in the Dynamite Diamond Ring final, Mina Shirakawa vs Marina Shafir, MJF will be in action, and Kris Statlander and Jamie Hayter will have a face-to-face interview.
The December 15 episode of Raw did not make it in the Netflix Top 10 global chart this week, marking only the third time this year that the show missed the chart.
This was the post-John Cena final match episode of Raw. The #10 on the chart was Stranger Things 2, with 3.3 million global views and 26 million hours watched, way more than a regular episode of Raw usually gets. The previous episode of Raw hit the #10 spot with 2.5 million views.
This particular episode of Raw only hit the top 10 in four different countries: Bolivia, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, and United States.
The final number of this Raw will not be known until Netflix releases its bi-annual data sheet of all shows.
The NXT Women’s North American title will be on the line on the NXT New Year’s Evil episode with Thea Hail defending against former champion Blake Monroe.
Hail won the title last week thanks to a botch when Monroe failed to kick out before the count of three and the referee proceeded with the count. Hail was never penned to win the title but Monroe reportedly had the wind knocked out of her after taking a springboard senton from Hail, resulting in the inadvertent victory for Hail.
The young Hail had a victory celebration on yesterday’s episode of NXT but she was interrupted by Monroe, who demanded a title rematch after she said Hail’s win was just a mistake. Both women eventually ended up brawling the end the segment.
PWInsider.com is reporting in an exclusive story that the Raw and Smackdown commentary teams will swap come January.
Michael Cole and Corey Graves will be moving to Netflix and Raw while Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett will go the opposite direction and back to Smackdown.
Cole and Graves started doing Smackdown in September to allow Tessitore to do Raw while he was still on college football duties during the weekend.
The change will take effect with the January 2 Smackdown and the January 5 Raw. Smackdown will be moving to three hours on that day as well.
Diamond Dallas Page sat down with Chris Van Vliet in Atlanta, Georgia to discuss how he feels approaching his 70th birthday, his recent hospitalization and what caused the health scare, the comparisons to his career and LA Knight’s, fans calling for him to receive another Hall of Fame induction for helping legends, losing the WCW Championship to David Arquette, his thoughts on John Cena’s last match, Cody Rhodes’ Championship run and more!
What did it mean to see Lex Luger inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame?
“A lot. It should have been Sting, because that’s the real brotherhood of those two. But the bottom line is, we even tried to make it so we could both do it, because Sting is Sting. So being able to do that was strong. People have heard this story, but don’t realize that down Panama City Beach, where we built Page’s retreat, when you get off the bottom floor, there’s four floors. So you would come around and come out the door, which you can just roll out, and then you roll right onto my boardwalk that comes around the house and then goes straight out to the beach. I did that for Lex so he could roll and get out there and then get up and walk the rest of the way. We had great footage of him just putting his hand on my shoulder and walking like 15 feet, 20 feet. We had that, and we were going to rehearse it like once we get to Vegas. And when Lex went to get out of the car in Atlanta, the Uber, the guy came around with the chair, but he didn’t hold on to it. So when Lex went to sit on it, it slid, boom. He hit that concrete, and he felt so bad. He’s like, ‘D, I feel so bad I can’t walk, and I want to do this for you.’ This is about you, and we’re doing a documentary.”
So there’s going to be a Lex documentary at some point:
“That’s the goal. And it’s got to be when he’s hit that spot where he feels really comfortable, his physical and mental action will tell us when that is, and we’re not there yet, if anything for that hurdle. But he did get up those last, two steps and he did stand up there, that was really special. And his bonus son, as I call him, Jonathan, was right there to roll him out. And it was a special, special, special moment. It’s long overdue. I love Triple H. He made all that possible.”
Have you seen the comparisons between your career and LA Knight’s career?
“I love that kid, man. I love the tenacity of the stick to it; it took him a long time to get to that character. And he was good before that, but now he’s great. Hopefully, at some point, he gets a chance to really get that ball, because he can run with it, give him that damn ball, because that cat, he’s got it all. And people who say that he’s mimicking this character, that character, that’s so wrong. He’s a piece of all that. He grew up on all of us coming up wanting to do what we do, and now he’s doing it at its highest level. So I saw that article actually sent it to him, because it was really cool the way they [did it]. I thought it was just going to be a little blurb, but just comparing our careers.”
You know there’s a good chance that Bron Breakker could be a World Champion in 2026:
“I would love to see that. I haven’t talked to him probably in about a month or two, but humble, feet on the ground, and you got to know who you are. You don’t forget that, but you want to always try to keep your feet on the ground, because that’s the guys who continue to excel. You don’t want to be too much of a headache. And we know part of stories about guys that I won’t mention, that I’ve been a bit ahead of a headache to work with.”
Were it not for you, do you think Jake Roberts would still be here?
“Well, Jake would tell you that. It’s pretty unbelievable. When I think about knowing Jake as long as I have, and as well as I have that Macho Man, Roddy [Piper], Scott [Hall], Hulk [Hogan], Jake’s outlived everybody, wow, and been sober for over 14 years right now. When I see him and Cheryl together, boy, it’s amazing. Because you would think there is no way, but yeah, because when you have that real love, you just have to be in the right set of mind, and Jake is that guy now.”
Dwayne Johnson’s The Smashing Machine movie will join HBO Max for streaming on January 23, 2026.
While the movie bombed in the box office, with only $11,411,388 in the United States and $9,702,919 internationally, it landed both Johnson and his co-star Emily Blunt two Golden Globe Awards nominations.
It’s the first major nomination for The Rock, who portrays former MMA star Mark Kerr in the movie.
Joining Johnson and Blunt on the cast are Lyndsey Gavin, Oleksandr Usyk, Bas Rutten, Ryan Bader, Satoshi Ishii, Yoko Hamamura, Paul Cheng, Cyborg Abreu, and Zoe Kosovic.
The movie is based on the 2002 documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr and is directed by Benny Safdie and distributed by the A24 movie studio.
