Collision last Saturday, back in its usual time slot on TNT, drew 278,000 viewers, up 134,000 viewers from the prior week’s record low. The show did a 0.07 rating in 18-49, up 0.04 from the previous week and was #8 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)
Shotzi returns after 10 months out
Shotzi made her return to WWE television last night on NXT, aligning herself with Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley.
Her return came after Dolin and Paxley were being attacked by the trio of Jazmyn Nyx, Jacy Jayne, and NXT Women’s North American champion Fallon Henley, with Shotzi coming out to even the numbers.
Shotzi was injured in February, tearing her ACL during an NXT episode, and has been out of action ever since. While away from the company, Shotzi also took care of a back injury by traveling to Mexico to get stem cell treatment.
Rampage rating for 12/06/2024
Rampage on Friday night on TNT with three much-lauded Continental Classic matches drew 177,000 viewers, up 51,000 viewers from last week’s record low and the second least-watched episode of Rampage in its regular time slot ever. The show had a 0.04 rating in 18-49, up 0.01 from the previous show and was #25 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)
Bryan Danielson says he’s trying to avoid neck surgery, seeking alternative methods
During the AEW All In: Texas ticket launch, former AEW World champion Bryan Danielson told Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture that he is trying to avoid undergoing neck surgery.
“I’d like to avoid it as much as possible. The idea to me is that surgery is a last resort, not a first resort,” Danielson said, adding that he’s trying some alternative methods instead.
“I’m going to try some other things first before going under the knife. And yeah, that’s kind of my plan now,” he continued.
Danielson put his chances of wrestling again at 50/50 and if it doesn’t happen, he’s okay with that.
“I loved the time I got to spend doing this, but I also love what I’m doing now,” Danielson said.
Danielson remains without a full-time contract with AEW, having said multiple times that he was not looking at signing another performer deal once he loses his AEW World title. He lost the title to Jon Moxley at WrestleDream and has not appeared on AEW TV ever since.
Tickets for Smackdown on eve of 2025 Royal Rumble go on pre-sale
The pre-sale for the Smackdown on the eve of the Royal Rumble started this morning on Ticketmaster.com using the code WWEVIP.
Tickets start from $74 for a limited view seat and go all the way up to $454 for ringside seat. WWE Ringsider packages for floor are between $704 and $804.
Most of the 200 section is not open but seats with great views from the 100 sections start from $94 plus fees.
The show takes place from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, with the general on-sale tomorrow at 10AM as well.
Over 45,000 tickets have been sold for The Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Field stadium.
Lyra Valkyria moves on in the Women’s Intercontinental title tournament
The second woman to advance in the Women’s Intercontinental title tournament is Lyra Valkryia.
The former NXT Women’s champion overcame Ivy Nile and Zelina Vega on Raw last night and will be facing the winner of the match between Kairi Sane, Alba Fyre, and Natalya.
Dakota Kai advanced last week and will now face the winner of the match consisting of Zoey Stark, Kayden Carter, and Raquel Rodriguez.
WWE has not announced when the final of the tournament will take place but it looks like it’s being kept for the Raw debut on Netflix early next month.
Top five wrestling betting tips for pro punters
Betting on any sport requires understanding and knowledge of the game. Moreover, you should not be overambitious in your earning expectations. To a professional punter, a sport like wrestling is easy to understand, especially if you want to bet the correct bets. With this William Hill offer, you can jump right into the WWE moments and place your bets with confidence. However, things get somehow tricky for a novice bettor who barely understands wrestling. Save for popular wrestlers every kid knows about, predicting a win can sometimes be difficult. Even more importantly, picking the right wrestling betting market for an ideal price can be challenging.
Before we dig deeper, here is why Christian Cage remains an elite wrestler despite taking a break from the ring for 7 years. To a wrestling novice, the following are the top five tips you help you bet like a pro:
Follow and Read About the Sport
Like every other sport, the first step to becoming a pro punter in wrestling is to follow the sport beyond the ring. Wrestling is a uniquely structured sport, which makes it different from soccer, boxing, baseball or basketball. First off, fans hardly know much about a wrestling event before it kicks off. While rumors can have a significant impact on a wrestling event, treat them as rumors. Vital news about the fitness statuses of wrestlers are often useful leads to placing a bet wisely. In the wrestling world, one can easily fall for rumours, hence fans should always countercheck facts with reliable news sources.
Explore Different Betting Markets
Unlike most sports, wrestling does not feature a lot of betting markets. In football betting, punters can choose player props, goals and countless other options. However, wrestling is quite limiting in betting markets. For example, ‘the next world champion’ is a popular betting market in wrestling that lets you predict future events for a good price. Royal Rumble winner is another top betting market in wrestling and is often very popular among punters.
Find a Good Bookmarker
Another vital betting tip for writing lovers is to find a top bookmarker. Today, several bookmakers offer wrestling as a betting product. However, not every bookie has the best price. It means punters must carefully select a betting site that has the best odds on an event. Usually, bettors compare odds across bookmarkers before choosing the ultimate one for a good wager.
Get Greedy and Lose Everything
Depending on your approach to wrestling betting, it can be an opportunity for earning quick cash. However, greedy punters often lose on a streak. Thus, expecting to earn more without taking the risk for it can often lead to more losses.
Have a Good Bankroll
If you are just starting, a good bankroll is necessary to keep you in the game. The risk with betting is that everything depends on mere predictions. And given that vital news about wrestling events are often hidden from fans, placing a spot-on bet can be tricky. Thus, having a good bankroll to see you through the lows and highs is necessary. It is all about spreading risks.
Keep an Eye on Long-Term Predictions
One of the emerging trends in wrestling betting is the rise of long-term markets, where fans can predict storylines that span months or even an entire season. These include markets such as “Will Wrestler X turn heel by the end of the year?” or “Which superstar will headline WrestleMania?” Such options not only add excitement to the betting experience but also reward punters who carefully follow backstage developments and long-term story arcs.
Smackdown rating for 12/06/2024
The post-Survivor Series Smackdown drew 1,494,000 viewers last Friday on USA Network, up 153,000 viewers from the prior week. Smackdown had a 0.44 rating in 18-49, up 0.04 from the previous show and was #1 on the top 50 cable chart for the night and was also #3 in all of television. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)
World Heavyweight title match on SNME turned into a triple threat match
The WWE World Heavyweight title match at this weekend’s Saturday Night’s Main Event show on NBC has been switched to a triple threat match.
Originally Gunther vs Finn Balor for the gold, it will now have the addition of former champion Damian Priest as well after Raw General Manager Adam Pearce broke the news to Balor following a chaotic opening segment which saw Balor and Judgment Day attack Gunther and Priest.
Another match was also added to the show, with Sami Zayn taking on the returning Drew McIntyre. McIntyre attacked Zayn last week on Raw and last night Zayn issued a challenge, only to get jumped again by the Scotsman.
All In: Texas to stream on Max in the United States
AEW’s All In: Texas show will be streaming live on Max in the United States and will not be a pay-per-view show according to AEW President Tony Khan.
Speaking at the ticket launch party this morning outside Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, Khan said that pro wrestling has been at the forefront of all kinds of forms of broadcasting, and the future of pro wrestling will be streaming.
“AEW All In and all of the AEW TV are gonna be live-streaming going forward on Max,” Khan said, while putting over the TV partners TBS and TNT.
“You can watch AEW the same great way you’ve been watching it, but you’re gonna be able to livestream the shows on Max too. It’s gonna be the future of pro wrestling,” he added.
Dwayne Johnson remains king of box office for second week
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson remained the king of the box office charts this past weekend with the movie Moana 2 still at the top of the chart while his other movie, Red One, ranked at #5.
Disney’s Moana 2 had a $52 million weekend, sending its domestic gross to $300 million plus an additional $300 million in international sales for a total of just over $600 million worldwide.
Domestically, it surpassed Moana’s original gross of $248 million and is just $43 million away from surpassing its worldwide total after just two weeks.
Red One increased its domestic total to nearly $86 million and an additional $78 million internationally for a total of $163.9 million worldwide, way short of the $250 million budget the movie had for production.
Bryan Danielson and Sting attend All In: Texas ticket launch party
AEW held a launch party for the All In: Texas tickets on sale this morning at Globe Life Field Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Hosting the show were commentator Tony Schiavone and podcaster Conrad Thompson.
Joining the two on stage where AEW President and CEO Tony Khan, Big Boom AJ and Big Justice of The Costco Guys, Thunder Rosa, Bobby Lashley, Swerve Strickland, Bryan Danielson, Mercedes Mone, Darby Allin, and Sting.
This was Danielson’s first appearance with AEW since he lost the AEW World title to Jon Moxley at WrestleDream and Sting’s first appearance since All In at Wembley Stadium in August.
Conrad Thompson also announced that Starrcast will be returning for another edition to coincide with All In in Arlington that weekend.
Unfortunately, very few people showed up for the morning event despite a strong lineup of AEW stars.
Fenix: “I needed a doctor and you ignored me for months”
Fenix doubled down on his comments against AEW and his “inhumane treatment” post from X by posting another message this morning on the same social media platform.
“I needed a doctor and you ignored me for months,” Fenix wrote. He has not wrestled since July 26 and his last appearance for AEW was on the July 17 episode of Rampage.
Dr. Chris Featherstone, host of the Pancakes and Powerslams podcast, wrote on X that according to an AEW source, the excuse that Khan prevented Fenix from joining his brother was because he found out that they were dealing with WWE is “fake news” and the real reason will be revealed soon.
Dr. Featherstone said that the comments by Fenix on social media against AEW will soon make sense when the real story behind the whole situation is revealed. He added that when both Penta and Fenix are free and able to discuss, things will get ugly.
Replying to his series of X posts, Fenix went on record that Dr. Featherstone’s statements were “so far the most accurate” comments online.
“Unfortunately, due to contractual issues I cannot speak now, but I will have my time,” he added.
AEW’s Big Bill and Lexy Nair get married in Mexico
AEW’s Big Bill and backstage correspondent Lexi Nair got married over the weekend at the Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya in Mexico.
The two got engaged during Christmas two years ago. This is the first marriage for both Bill, 38, and Lexi, 28.
Nair is the stepdaughter of WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page and has been with AEW since early 2020 while Big Bill arrived over two years later.
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
All In: Texas tickets go on sale to general public
Tickets for All In: Texas officially went on sale to the general public this morning at 10AM CT on Ticketmaster.com.
Taking place from the 40,000-seater Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on July 12, All In will be the first proper AEW stadium show in the United States. It will return to London’s Wembley Stadium in 2026.
Tickets for All In start at just $31 and go all the way up to $1,356 for ringside. The pre-sale was nothing spectacular so AEW is really hoping the general sale will kick things into gear.
The company has already canceled one stadium show for 2025 as Grand Slam: Australia has moved to an indoor arena in Brisbane from the Suncorp Stadium after dismal sales.
Apple TV with $4.99 sale on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson movies
Apple TV has a bunch of movies from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on sale for just $4.99 for a limited time only.
These movies include Black Adam, Get Smart, The Scorpion King, San Andreas, Planet 51, The Rundown, Pain & Gain, Doom, Be Cool, Journey 2, Gridiron Gang, Hercules, Southland Tales, Fighting With My Family, The Game Plan, Walking Tall, Skyscraper, Race To Witch Mountain, Tooth Fairy, and GI Joe: Retaliation.
An Apple account is required to purchase and watch the movies and they can be playable on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or any device which supports the Apple TV app.
Rey Fenix says he received “inhumane treatment” in AEW
Rey Fenix sent AEW fans into frenzy after posting a very controversial statement on X regarding his current employer AEW.
Fenix, who is stuck in AEW after the company extended his contract to make up for his time injured, wrote, “No one stays in a place where they received inhumane treatment.”
His contract extension has prevented him from joining his brother Penta in free agency and ultimately WWE, with his deal running well in 2025. AEW has no plans to use Fenix in the meantime.
“I will have my chance to speak the truth,” he also said, replying to a comment from a fan.
Speaking of Penta, he showed up yesterday at the AAA television tapings for a surprise appearance and gave what many believe is a farewell speech. Joining WWE would prevent him from appearing for the promotion as long as he’s under a contract.
Cero Miedo en el cierre de la gira #OrígenesAAA en CDMX@Victorlatin77 @PENTAELZEROM @luchalibreaaa pic.twitter.com/xA3rUMn4hX
— Marisela Peña (@MPenaAAA) December 8, 2024
Six Continental Classic matches take place during weekend
The Continental Classic tournament had several matches over the weekend both on Rampage and last night’s Collision.
During Friday’s Rampage, Kazuchika Okada defeated Mark Briscoe in the blue league for his first three points and is now at four. Also in the blue league, Daniel Garcia defeated The Beast Mortos for three points, moving him level with Okada at four. In the gold league, Ricochet defeated Komander to get his first victory and three points.
The action continued on Saturday at Collision, with Darby Allin inflicting another defeat to Komander to get his first three points in the gold league. In the blue league, Kyle Fletcher defeated Kazuchika Okada to move to the top of the table with nine points while Mark Briscoe defeated Daniel Garcia in the main event to get his first three points.
The Beast Mortos and Komander remain the only two with zero points while Fletcher and Claudio Castagnoli lead the boards with nine and six points respectively.
NXT’s New Year’s Evil episode on CW moving to Los Angeles
The NXT New Year’s Evil episode will be heading to Los Angeles on Tuesday, January 7, a day after Raw makes its debut on Netflix.
The venue for the show has not been announced yet apart that it will be in the LA area. Raw will be live from the Intuit Dome in neighboring Inglewood the night before.
The show will be headlined by Trick Williams vs Oba Femi for the NXT title and Roxanne Perez vs Giulia for the NXT Women’s title.
Ms Money In The Bank Tiffany Stratton made an appearance at Deadline last night and hinted at NXT General Manager Ava that she could cash her MITB briefcase on the winner of the Perez/Giulia match.
Oba Femi and Giulia win Iron Survivor Challenge matches
Oba Femi and Giulia became #1 contenders for the NXT and NXT Women’s titles respectively after yesterday they came out as the winners of the two Iron Survivor Challenge matches at Deadline.
Oba Femi was not originally in the match but took the place of Eddy Thorpe, who was attacked this past Tuesday on NXT. Femi had pinfall victories on Je’Von Evans, Nathan Frazer, and Wes Lee, winning the match in the last three seconds pinning both Frazer and Lee with a double chokeslam. Femi was the last person to enter the match.
Femi had been out of action since losing the NXT North American title to Tony D’Angelo at Halloween Havoc.
Meanwhile, the women’s match headlined Deadline and Giulia is now in line for her second NXT Women’s title shot. Giulia was the first person to enter the match and had pinfalls on Wren Sinclair and newcomer Zaria, who she pinned with nine seconds to go. Stephanie Vaquer was the only one who did not get pinned in the match.