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Raw, Smackdown, and NXT Vaults coming to Netflix

By
Colin Vassallo
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The Netflix streaming service is now showing Raw, Smackdown, and NXT Vault sections, suggesting that older episodes of the three shows are going to be part of the Netflix catalog.

For those in the United States, only Raw Vault is visible while international subscribers are able to see the Smackdown and NXT vault channels too.

The Raw Vault description says, “WWE’s groundbreaking in-ring series highlights over three decades of unforgettable matches, moments and Superstar-studded episodes.”

The Smackdown Vault description reads, “From Attitude Era origins to the modern day, these matches and milestones spanning over 25 years reinforce what it means to lay the Smackdown in WWE.”

The NXT Vault reads, “The next generation of Superstars step forward in Premium Live Events, classic encounters and TakeOvers that define this trailblazing in-ring series.”

There’s only a Remind Me button and no actual date when these will be live unlike other shows which will go live tomorrow.

Shinsuke Nakamura and Omos in Japan for NOAH The New Year 2025

By
Colin Vassallo
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Two WWE Superstars are currently in Japan and will be participating in the Pro Wrestling NOAH The New Year 2025 pay-per-view event later tonight.

The United States champion will be taking on Ulka Sasaki in a non title match while Omos will team up with Jack Morris to take on Naomichi Marufuji and Takashi Sugiura for the GHC Tag Team titles.

Nakamura traveled to his home country several days ago and spent Christmas in the Land of the Rising Sun. Omos was just recently announced for the show.

Nakamura headlined the 2023 event, pinning The Great Muta during Muta’s farewell tour.

NOAH The New Year 2025 will take place from the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan and airs on AbemaTV on linear television and streams on CyberFight’s Wrestle Universe streaming service. It starts at 4PM Tokyo time which is 2AM ET.

Seth Rollins and CM Punk close last Raw on USA with fierce promo battle

By
Colin Vassallo
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The last Raw ever on USA Network ended with a gigantic promo battle between Seth Rollins and CM Punk ahead of their one-on-one clash next week on the Raw Netflix premiere.

Both Rollins and Punk took digs at each other, with Rollins saying that CM Punk took his ball and went home when things got rough, went on his buddy’s podcast (Colt Cabana) to smash WWE, signed with the competition…and questioned Punk on how that turned out.

Punk was not kind in his replies, telling Rollins that if he sees it like that, then his wife Becky Lynch took her ball and went home, with Rollins firing back saying that she went home to take care of their child, something that Punk cannot comprehend. He also told Rollins that he didn’t want to leave WWE in the first place, but he hated the guy who was in charge, the same guy who loved Seth Rollins.

CM Punk continued, telling Rollins that he followed by betraying Roman Reigns and playing the victim for several years because of a situation that he created himself. Punk told Rollins that he came back to wrestling because fans kept chanting his name even when Rollins was around.

Punk promised Rollins that the arrows that were meant for him during his first stint in WWE will turn and he will jam them down Rollin’s corporate throat.

Rollins called Punk a cancer of professional wrestling and the only way to eliminate the cancer is the cut it out – something that he will do next week!

Latest Penta El Zero Miedo’s WWE teaser gives biggest hint yet

By
Colin Vassallo
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The latest teaser for Penta El Zero Miedo’s arrival in WWE aired last night on Raw and it was the clearest hint yet.

The vignette which was shown yesterday saw the strike-through zero transform, bit by bit, into a a design which is often used as Penta’s mask.

Penta is expected to make his WWE debut next week on the Raw Netflix premiere but won’t be joined by his brother Fenix as he remains under contract with AEW for pretty much most of 2025 after AEW extended his deal for time lost during his injury.

The former AEW Tag Team champion had his AEW contract expire at the end of last month.

Smackdown rating for 12/27/2024

By
Colin Vassallo
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Smackdown this past Friday drew 1,436,000 viewers, up 110,000 viewers from the prior week which was the second least-watched episode of Smackdown of 2024. The show drew a 0.41 rating in 18-49, up 0.04 from the previous show and was #2 on the top 50 cable chart for the night and #3 in all of television behind the college football game. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)

Final for the WWE Women’s Intercontinental title set

By
Colin Vassallo
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Women's Intercontinental title

The final match for the WWE Women’s Intercontinental title tournament was set last night on Raw after the two semi finals took place at the sold-out show in Houston.

Dakota Kai was the first one to advance after she beat Zoey Stark and set up a potential final against fellow Damage CTRL member Iyo Sky, but the former WWE Women’s champion came up short in the quest to reach the final after former NXT Women’s champion Lyra Valkyria beat her in the second semi final.

The match between Kai and Valkyria to crown the inaugural WWE Women’s Intercontinental champion will now take place next Monday on the Netflix premiere episode.

This was the second mid-card title introduced for the women after Smackdown crowned a Women’s United States champion earlier this month.

Konosuke Takeshita to defend AEW International title at Wrestle Kingdom

By
Colin Vassallo
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AEW International champion Konosuke Takeshita could be pulling double duty this weekend wrestling on back-to-back days at the Wrestle Kingdom and Wrestle Dynasty events in Tokyo.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced that Takeshita will defend his AEW International title against Shingo Takagi and Takagi will put up his NEVER Openweight title on the line as well so this will be a title for title match.

If Takeshita survives Takagi, he then has Tomohiro Ishii waiting for him the next night at Wrestle Dynasty, who will challenge for both titles whoever the champion might be.

Wrestle Kingdom takes place on January 4 while Wrestle Dynasty takes place on January 5, with the latter being the co-promoted show with AEW, ROH, CMLL, and Stardom. Both shows are at the Tokyo Dome.

Nearly 100,000 fans attend the five-day WWE Holiday Tour 2024 events

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE Live

Almost 100,000 fans were part of a very successful WWE Holiday Tour, a five-day, 10-event tour which will end tonight with the final two events.

The tour kicked off on December 26 with over 12,000 fans at Madison Square Garden in New York and over 6,000 fans at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville.

On December 27 there were over 7,700 at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh and over 11,700 at Amalie Arena in Tampa for the live Smackdown on USA Network.

December 28 had two shows more, with over 8,000 at the Kia Center in Orlando and over 8,300 at the CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore. The Orlando house show out-drew the AEW Worlds End pay-per-view on the same day in the same city.

On December 29, over 6,600 fans were at the Casey Center in Miami and then over 12,000 attended at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont.

It ends tonight with over 9,000 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit and a sold out Toyota Center in Houston with over 14,500 expected.

All attendance numbers are courtesy of ticket tracking service @WrestleTix on X.

Ricky Starks confronts Kenta at DEFY Blueprint indie show

By
Colin Vassallo
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Ricky Starks, still exiled from AEW, showed up at the DEFY’s Blueprint show yesterday night and had a stare down with Kenta.

The show took place from the Washington Hall in Seattle, Washington and was headlined by Kenta defending his title against Schaff. The way this was set up suggests that Kenta and Starks will eventually meet each other in the promotion down the line.

Starks has not been seen on AEW television since March and recently was pulled from an upcoming appearance with GCW.

As a contracted AEW talent, he still has to clear his indie appearances with AEW so at least there seems to be at least communication between the two sides. AEW President Tony Khan has so far refused to answer why Starks has been kept off television or if he is coming back.

Punk vs Gunther inside steel cage entertains over 12,000 fans at Allstate Arena

By
Colin Vassallo
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Over 12,000 fans showed up at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois last night to witness CM Punk getting a WWE World Heavyweight title shot against Gunther inside a steel cage.

This was Punk’s first crack at a title since returning to WWE 13 months ago at the Survivor Series and it was the first Gunther vs Punk match ever as well.

Unfortunately for the hometown boy, Gunther came out victorious thanks to the interference of Dominik Mysterio, who showed up just in time to slam the cage’s door in Punk’s face, blocking his exit and allowing Gunther to recover and walk out of the door.

The match received rave reviews from fans in attendance and despite the ending which fans did not want to see, they still went home on a high due to the post-match antics.

After the match, Dirty Dom was joined by Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, and Santos Escobar as they attacked Punk. Thankfully for Punk, Rey Mysterio, LA Knight, and Otis came out to save the day and the faces cleaned house.

Raw ends its historic USA Network run tonight live ahead of Netflix move

By
Colin Vassallo
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Raw

Tonight’s Monday Night Raw will be the last one ever on USA Network as the show moves to Netflix starting from next week.

The show, which made its debut on January 11, 1993, has always aired on USA Network apart from a five-year period between 2000-2005 when it moved to TNN/Spike TV. It moved back to USA Network in 2005.

USA Network was the home of some incredible episodes of Raw, especially the most important period during the Attitude Era. It has catapulted USA Network to the top of the cable chart for many, many years and its loss from the line-up will certainly be felt since it has constantly been the most-watched series on the cable network.

But WWE is not ending its association with USA Network altogether as Smackdown remains on it for the next five years in a brand-new deal. Smackdown is also expanding to three hours starting from this Friday.

Raw was originally supposed to end its USA Network run in October but the Netflix deal was not kicking in until January 6, enabling WWE and NBCUniversal to strike a separate, three-month deal worth $25 million to keep the red brand on USA. The show moved to two hours on October 7, ending its continuous three-hour broadcast after 12 years.

WWE Vault YouTube channel surpasses 1 million subscribers

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE logo

The WWE Vault YouTube channel has surpassed the 1 million subscribers mark this week, with more people tuning in lately as WWE continues its different approach of making their video library available on streaming services.

WWE has been uploading full documentaries, shows, and other original content on the Vault channel as the WWE Network winds down worldwide with the move to Netflix. Netflix will not carry all the WWE video library so the majority of the content available currently on the Network will once again be unavailable to watch on-demand.

With several ads from YouTube playing throughout shows, the WWE Vault channel will eventually be raking in some serious money, although not as much as if they were to license the full content to a streaming service.

This weekend, WWE even uploaded a WWE/ECW house show from the ECW Arena which was held in 2006 featuring Rob Van Dam, CM Punk, Sandman, Sabu, and others.

AEW no longer airing on SKY Sport Italy

By
Colin Vassallo
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AEW logo

AEW programming will no longer be airing on SKY Sport television in Italy according to one of its local commentators Salvatore Torrisi. The contract will expire at the end of 2024 and was not renewed by SKY Italy.

SKY Sport Italia has been airing AEW shows since August 2020.

It’s unclear if the company is engaged with a different network to air AEW in the European country but Italian fans can still continue to get their AEW fix by subscribing to the AEW Plus streaming service which is offered through Triller TV.

AEW Plus offers live Dynamite and Collision as well as 20% off discount for AEW pay-per-views and access to previous AEW shows for $4.99 a month.

Adam Copeland makes surprise return at Worlds End

By
Colin Vassallo
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Kenny Omega was not the only one who made his return to AEW last night as former TNT champion Adam Copeland also returned at the end of the pay-per-view.

Following the chaotic main event which saw Jon Moxley retain the AEW World title in a four-way match, The Death Riders continued the carnage in the ring and specifically on Jay White.

FTR came out for the rescue but stopped mid-way through the aisle. At that point, the lights went out and the graphic changed to Rated FTR on the big screen as Alterbridge’s Metalingus hit the speakers and out came Copeland to another thunderous ovation.

FTR and Copeland hit the ring and took on The Death Riders, with Copeland spearing Moxley while FTR took care of Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli. Copeland then applied a crossface with a piece of a broken chair across the champion’s face.

A trios match between FTR and Copeland against The Death Riders was then announced for the Fight for the Fallen Dynamite this Wednesday night.

Copeland has been out of action since May when he broke his foot after he jumped from the top of the cage and landed on his feet. He had to surrender the TNT title due to his injury, which required surgery to fix.

Kazuchika Okada wins the Continental Classic, retains title

By
Colin Vassallo
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Kazuchika Okada won the second Continental Classic tournament, retaining the title after a final match against Will Ospreay.

Okada, who was the runner up of the blue league, defeated Ricochet, who won the gold league, in the semi final while Ospreay, who was the gold league runner up, defeated Kyle Fletcher, who won the blue league, in the other semi final.

Okada finished the tournament with 10 points, winning against Shelton Benjamin, Mark Briscoe, and The Beast Mortos, while losing against Kyle Fletcher and drawing against Daniel Garcia.

Ospreay was on nine points at the end of the tournament, winning against Claudio Castagnoli, Brodie King, and Komander, while losing to Darby Allin and Ricochet.

The Japanese star originally won the Continental title in March of this year, defeating the inaugural Continental Classic winner Eddie Kingston.

Kenny Omega returns at Worlds End

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Former AEW World champion Kenny Omega made his return on AEW television at the Worlds End pay-per-view. This was his first appearance since May when he was attacked by The Elite.

Omega was introduced by Christopher Daniels after Kazuchika Okada defeated Will Ospreay in the Continental Classic final. Standing at the top of the stage, Daniels said he would normally come down to the ring and present Okada with the title, but effective immediately, he was no longer an EVP for AEW.

“But he is,” Daniels said, as Omega’s music hit the speakers to a big pop from the crowd.

The man known as The Cleaner then came down to the ring and presented Okada with the Continental Classic title, had a stare down, and Omega then left the ring.

Omega will return to the ring on January 5 at the Wrestle Dynasty show, a show promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling along with AEW, ROH, Stardom, and CMLL.

Worlds End 2024 pay-per-view results

By
Colin Vassallo
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Here are the results from last night’s Worlds End pay-per-view which took place from the Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida.

ZERO HOUR: Toni Storm defeated Leila Grey; Jeff Jarrett defeated QT Marshall; Lio Rush, Action Andretti, and Murder Machines defeated The Outrunners and Top Flight in an eight-man tag team match.

PPV: Will Ospreay defeated Kyle Fletcher in the Continental Classic semi final; Kazuchika Okada defeated Ricochet in the Continental Classic semi final; Mariah May defeated Thunder Rosa in a Tijuana Street Fight to retain the AEW Women’s title; MJF defeated Adam Cole to retain the AEW Dynamite Diamond Ring; Konosuke Takeshita defeated Powerhouse Hobbs to retain the AEW International title; Mercedes Mone defeated Kris Statlander to retain AEW TBS title; Kazuchika Okada defeated Will Ospreay in the Continental Classic final to retain the AEW Continental title; Jon Moxley defeated Orange Cassidy, “Hangman” Adam Page, and Jay White in a four-way match to retain the AEW World title.

Worlds End 2024 live on pay-per-view tonight

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Live from the Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida, AEW presents its final pay-per-view of 2024, Worlds End. The full card is as follows:

PPV: Jon Moxley vs Orange Cassidy vs “Hangman” Adam Page vs Jay White in a four-way match for the AEW World title; Mariah May vs Thunder Rosa in a Tijuana Street Fight for the AEW Women’s title; Mercedes Mone vs Kris Statlander for the AEW TBS title; Konosuke Takeshita vs Powerhouse Hobbs for the AEW International title; Will Ospreay vs Kyle Fletcher in the Continental Classic semi final; Kazuchika Okada vs Ricochet in the Continental Classic semi final; Okada or Ricochet vs Fletcher or Ospreay in the Continental Classic final for the AEW Continental title; and MJF vs Adam Cole for the AEW Dynamite Diamond Ring.

ZERO HOUR: The Outrunners and Top Flight vs Murder Machines, Action Andretti, and Lio Rush; Jeff Jarrett vs QT Marshall; and Toni Storm vs Leila Grey.

The Zero Hour show starts at 7PM ET and airs on AEW’s social media channels as well as Triller TV while the pay-per-view starts at 8PM ET and is available to purchase from PPV.COM, YouTube, and Triller TV. Internationally, the show can be purchased from Triller TV.

Big E announced as Chief FIESTA Officer for Fiesta Sports Foundation

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Big E has been announced as the Chief FIESTA Officer for the Fiesta Sports Foundation in a press release issued today by the Fiesta Bowl.

In his role, Big E will enhance the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl experience through a variety of fan-centric activities while bringing unparalleled energy and fun to the first-ever CFP Quarterfinal.

“The first-ever College Football Playoff Quarterfinal being played at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl is worthy of maximum hype and energy to mark this historic moment on the field,” said Fiesta Sports Foundation Executive Director & CEO Erik Moses. “Big E, a college football player and one of WWE’s premier personalities, will elevate fan interactions and engagements before, during and after the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.”

Big E’s duties as Chief FIESTA Officer include fan engagement, interactive experiences, event participation, media and brand promotion, and community outreach.

Big E was introduced to the Valley fans and visitors at the Rate Bowl on Thursday night and will continue to enhance the fan engagement around the Fiesta Sports Foundation’s events, including the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe, to make them unforgettable for all fans and participants. In addition to these engagements, Big E will partake in social media takeovers on the Fiesta Bowl channels offering up exclusive vantage points of the Fiesta Sports Foundation’s signature events.

“I’m thrilled to step into this role as Chief Fiesta Officer,” Big E said. “College football has always been close to my heart, and the Fiesta Bowl is one of the biggest stages to celebrate the game we all love. I’m here to bring the energy, connect with the fans and make sure this year’s Fiesta Bowl is unforgettable. Let’s have some fun and make some noise!”

Liv Morgan vs Rhea Ripley on Raw Netflix premiere gets a stipulation added

By
Colin Vassallo
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The WWE Women’s World title match between Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley on the Raw premiere episode of Netflix now has an added stipulation attached to it.

The bout is now a last woman standing match as was announced during the international broadcast of Main Event.

This will be Liv’s fifth title defense since winning it at the King and Queen of the Ring premium live event from Becky Lynch in May. It’s also the third match between the two for the title. The first match was at SummerSlam where Morgan came out victorious. The second match was at Bad Blood two months later where Ripley defeated Morgan via disqualification, so Morgan retained the gold.

The last time Morgan defended the title was at the Saturday Night’s Main Event broadcast on December 14 against Iyo Sky.

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