NXT Tag Team champions Pretty Deadly got to know their opponents for this Saturday’s Deadline premium live event last night on NXT.
In an unexpected twist, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods of The New Day crashed Pretty Deadly’s Christmas Story segment on NXT, sending the WWE Performance Center crowd into frenzy.
Woods asked who they will be defending their titles at Deadline because they said they beat everybody already. With New Day now in the ring, a brawl started and Pretty Deadly bounced around for Kofi and Xavier. The New Day then placed Christmas-wrapped gift boxes on the champs’ heads and super kicked them out of the ring.
While Woods was a part of NXT in the earlier years for a short time, this was Kofi’s first time. Both had stints with Florida Championship Wrestling before it was rebranded to NXT.
The final two participants in the Iron Survivor Challenge matches were revealed last night on NXT.
In the men’s match, Axiom will now join Carmelo Hayes, JD McDonagh, Grayson Waller, and Joe Gacy after he defeated Von Wagner and Andre Chase in a triple threat match on the show to qualify.
Meanwhile, Indi Hartwell also qualified for the match, beating Fallon Henley and Wendy Choo in a triple threat match and now joins Roxanne Perez, Kiana James, Zoey Stark, and Cora Jade in the match.
The winner of each match will become the #1 contender for the NXT and NXT Women’s titles.
This is the first time that the Iron Survivor Challenge match concept will be used.
Friday Night Smackdown, pre-empted on FOX and moved to FS1, drew 902,000 viewers, down 1,264,000 viewers from last week which aired on FOX. The show did 67,000 viewers more from the last time they were on FS1 on October 28. The show did a 0.25 rating in the 18-49 demo and was #5 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. That was down 0.29 from last week’s show but up 0.02 from last time on FS1. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
The Undisputed WWE Tag Team champions, The Usos, were named the top tag team in professional wrestling in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 100 Tag Teams list.
The Usos were #4 in the PWI Top 100 chart last year and didn’t even crack the chart in 2020. The brothers have been tag team champions for the past 506 days.
Coming in #2 were the current IWGP, ROH and AAA Tag Team champions FTR, followed by The Briscoe Brothers in #3, AEW World Trios champions Death Triangle in #4 and Fukuoka Double Crazy in #5.
Rounding up the top 10 were RK-Bro in #6, The Good Brothers in #7, The Young Bucks in #8, The Hex in #9 and Violence Is Forever in #10.
“Did Paul Heyman write this issue? ‘Cause this shit FULL of lies,” tweeted Dax Harwood of FTR following the publication of the list.
“Imagine if we weren’t banned from TV…Usos my ass,” added Jay Briscoe of the Briscoe Brothers.
Kenny Omega was more in a congratulatory mood towards The Usos. “Well earned! I’m sure pizza tonight is on fellow family member @SamiZayn! Congrats,” he tweeted.
The Usos did notice the several comments online and tweeted their own opinion about being #1. “A lot of Salty ass tag teams out there huh??…#WeTheOnes,” their Twitter said.
Drew McIntyre has been “medically disqualified” from participating on Friday Night Smackdown this week and is being replaced by Butch in the tag team match with Sheamus against The Usos for the WWE Undisputed Tag Team titles.
McIntyre is expected to be on the sidelines for a couple of weeks according to Dave Meltzer of the Observer and as of now, this is not a long-term injury. He is expected back for the non-televised live events after Christmas.
The Scottish Superstar had several back problems throughout the year although it’s not known if this injury is related to his previous back problems.
Last week’s Rampage had some ugly numbers for AEW, getting the lowest viewership ever in the 10PM time slot with only 361,000 viewers tuning in. That was down 50,000 viewers from the prior week. In the 18-49 demo, Rampage did its lowest ever, regardless of time slot, with just a 0.08 and placed #60 in the top 150 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
A new number one contender for the Raw Women’s title will be decided next week on Monday Night Raw.
Last night on the broadcast, Bayley defeated Rhea Ripley and Asuka while Alexa Bliss defeated Nikki Cross and Becky Lynch in two separate triple threat matches to advance to next week’s one-on-one match.
The winner of Bayley vs Bliss will then take on Bianca Belair at a later date. There’s no premium live events between now and the Royal Rumble so the match could be on a regular Raw.
It’s interesting to note that during a backstage segment showing Alexa Bliss warming up for the match, Bray Wyatt’s logo appeared in the background and Bliss also teased hitting the Sister Abigail on Becky Lynch during the bout.
The newest WWE documentary, Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair, will have its premiere on Peacock on December 26.
This is a brand new doc where Flair got the opportunity to say the “real story” from the Plane Ride From Hell and other famous stories.
“Very few people have professional careers as storied as Ric Flair,” said Rod Aissa, EVP of Unscripted Content for NBCUniversal. “We can’t wait to give Peacock audiences this revealing, in-depth and often raw look into the life of one of sports and wrestling’s most controversial icons.”
Flair said that he’s thrilled to have partnered with WWE and Peacock to produce the “most accurate depiction of my life to date” and hopes that the audience enjoys the ride.
A lot of Flair’s friends and former co-workers were interviewed for this documentary, including the likes of Hulk Hogan, Triple H, Mike Tyson, and others.
The Usos with Solo Sikoa & Sami Zayn come out for the Usos Tag Team championship match. After the Usos come to the ring, they show an earlier interview tonight where they attacked Elias. The Usos say the match for tonight has been cancelled due to Solo Sikoa taking out Elias.
Matt Riddle came out and says he found a tag team partner tonight and there will be a tag team championship match and he doesn’t really like this guy but they both hate the Bloodline.
The Usos VS. Matt Riddle & Kevin Owens for the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship
The end saw Riddle take out Solo as Sami pulled Jey Uso out of the way out on the outside and Solo got in Owens face. As Riddle rolls Jey back in the ring, he tags in Jimmy. Riddle started hitting Jimmy then turned into a superkick from Jey then the Usos hit the One D for the win.
Winners and Still WWE Undisputed Tag Team Champions: The Usos
After the match, the Bloodline beats down Owens and Riddle with Riddle taking most of the damage from Solo after Owens chases off The Usos and Sami with a chair. Solo ends with putting a chair over Riddle’s neck and running and jumping on the chair in the corner. EMS personnel came out to stretcher out Matt Riddle.
In the back they were having a JBL invitational poker game and Dexter Lumis walked in with his bag from last week and JBL told him he wasn’t invited. He dumped the bag of money out and they welcomed him in.
Bayley VS. Rhea Ripley VS. Asuka
Becky Lynch comes out after Bayley comes out and they get into an argument. Becky then tells Bayley good luck and maybe they can have a one-on-one match if she is woman enough to face the man. As Becky leaves Rhea Ripley comes out and they have a long tense stare down.
Bayley hits Asuka with a rose plant after Ripley was knocked out and gets the win.
Winner: Bayley
After the match, Ripley attacks Asuka and leaves her lying in the middle of the ring.
They announce Drew McIntyre is injured and it will be Sheamus and Butch for the Tag Team Championship on Friday Night Smackdown.
Seth ”Freakin” Rollins is out next. Seth says next week on Monday Night Raw he will face Bobby Lashley to determine who will be the #1 contender for the United States Championship. Seth says there is a lot he could say to Bobby, but he is not out here and that is not very fun. Bobby Lashley comes out and Seth asks him if he is afraid of Brock Lesnar because he hasn’t been the same since he lost to Brock at Crown Jewel. Seth then tells Bobby if he doesn’t get his head right, beating him is going to be a lot easier this time than it was last time. Lashley attacked Seth and a fight starts until officials come out to attempt to break it up.
They interview Austin Theory who says he is the now and the future it doesn’t matter who wins in the Rollins and Lashley match. Mustafa Ali then interrupts and Theory tells him he will see him in the ring and after that he never wants to hear anything about opportunity again.
They show the poker game with Dexter beating Corbin and at the other table Dominik Mysterio gets into it with Tozawa. JBL says no fighting in here and Tozawa says I will see you outside. Dominik walks the other way taking chips off the table with him.
Austin Theory VS. Mustafa Ali for the United States Championship
As Theory was beating on Ali, Dolph Ziggler comes out and knocks Theory out of the ring.
Winner By Disqualification: Austin Theory
After the match Ziggler and Ali are arguing and Theory comes in and attacks Ziggler and runs Ali hard into the ring post then gives Ziggler A-Town Down.
JBL is out in the hallway on the phone and the Miz comes up and said he wasn’t invited and JBL said he did not know he was a card player and the Miz said of course he was and JBL told him it was money down to get in. Miz stated he doesn’t have it and JBL said well you don’t have the best reputation for paying off your debts lately and then Miz tried to give JBL his “Rolex” watch as collateral and JBL looked and said you know this isn’t real? Miz storms off.
AJ Styles catches Corbin cheating and JBL gets cray yelling at Alpha Academy. Corbin and the O.C. about to start fighting in the room. After they all leave, Johnny Gargano looks and says I guess that means we win. He and Dexter brush the money and chips into his bag and Tamina grabs a handful of money off the table and walks away as well.
The O.C. VS. Alpha Academy & Baron Corbin
It’s Gallows and Anderson with the Magic Killer on Gable for the win.
Winners: The O.C.
Akira Tozawa VS. Dominik Mysterio
Dominik hits the frog splash for the win.
Winner: Dominik Mysterio
Finn tried to get Dominik to do further damage to Tozawa, but the Street Profits come out for the save and the Judgment Day leave the ring.
Alexa Bliss VS. Nikki Cross VS. Becky Lynch
Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky came out and attacked Becky and put her through the announce desk. In the ring Alexa hits Twisted Bliss on Cross and gets the win.
Winner: Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss will face Bayley next week on Monday Night Raw to determine who will be #1 contender to the Raw Woman’s Championship.
Brian Pillman Jr. reacted to a tweet published by Justin LaBar of Busted Open Radio where he said that one of the reasons why William Regal decided to leave AEW is because his “wisdom and coaching” was not being appreciated or received in a positive way by the AEW locker room.
LaBar noted how some people there feel they have “6-figure multi year deals & Regal’s advice is behind times or beneath them.”
Pillman Jr. said that LaBar’s assessment is not entirely true and several wrestlers, including himself, spent hours before arenas opened with Regal in the ring learning from him.
“Should there have been more? Maybe, but he and Danielson always had a solid audience around the ring before TV,” Pillman Jr. said.
Regal has quit AEW just nine months into his deal and is on his way back to WWE to resume working in a backstage role. Dave Meltzer of the Observer said that there should be more clarity about what happened to Regal on Dynamite this Wednesday.
Nikki Bella will be back on television screens starting tonight hosting USA Network’s new show Barmageddon. Barmageddon will air immediately following the conclusion of Monday Night Raw.
The show features Blake Shelton and Carson Daly – who are also executive producers – along with host Nikki Bella as they pit celebrities against each other in several bar games at Shelton’s bar, Ole Red, in Nashville.
In each episode, two celebrities play a unique set of five games in the bar to win a much-needed prize for a viral Internet sensation each has chosen to support. The competition heats up when the losing rival of each round has a chance to even the score by spinning the Wheel of Redemption, a risky move with hilarious consequences.
Sasha Banks vs Brie Bella will be one of the episodes of Barmageddon.
WWE Hall of Famer Barry Windham has suffered a heart attack and is in intensive care. The news was reported by his niece Mika, who is also the sister of Bray Wyatt.
The former member of the Four Horsemen suffered a massive heart attack on Friday evening while traveling through Atlanta airport.
“He is currently in the ICU and has undergone an emergency procedure to save his life. As a family, we are impatiently waiting to hear that he will be okay. But as of now, the future is uncertain,” Mika wrote.
Mika also started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover all the medical expenses that her uncle will face. She said that due to several injuries, he had to undergo multiple surgeries and had limited work since the early 2000’s due to his medical history and was left without health insurance.
“We are politely asking for any increment of financial assistance to help cover his medical expenses and bills and see him through this time,” she wrote.
The campaign has a goal of $200,000 and in just a few hours nearly $5,000 were collected, thanks in part to $1,000 donations from Diamond Dallas Page and Cody Rhodes.
Bianca Belair wowed judges and audience at the WBFF Pro Atlantic City Pro Am competition this past weekend and her hard work definitely paid off.
Belair won first place in the wellness category and second place in fitness category and set the stage on fire with two self-made custom bikinis, one red and one gold.
The Raw Women’s champion said that she had been training for this moment for 10 weeks and the journey taught her a lot about herself and how much she has grown and evolved from that little girl in high school and college who was obsessed with being the best but took it too far and over trained constantly.
“The little girl who had such an unhealthy relationship with food and struggled with eating disorders that even years later as an adult I couldn’t even hear the word ‘diet’ without being triggered,” Belair explained in a long Instagram post.
“It was physically challenging with finding time to train consistently between my WWE schedule of being on the road for live events, TV’s, traveling internationally to Mexico & Saudi Arabia, having historical matches like the ladder match, last woman standing match, & 45 minutes in a War Games match the WEEK BEFORE the competition,” she continued, adding that she gave it her all.
For the past 10 weeks, in between my schedule, I have been training for the WBFF Pro Atlantic City Pro Am. This weekend all of that hard work got to play out on stage!#wbff#ESTofWWEpic.twitter.com/Tn0zym3xHX
A horrible tragedy has hit Mickie James’ family as her brother and niece were killed in an automobile accident on November 22.
The accident also injured her sister-in-law who remains in serious condition while a friend of her niece was also killed. Her niece was 16 and her friend was just 15.
“I still haven’t found the right words. Home to see my family on Monday,” James wrote last week. “Lost my oldest brother on Tuesday. It’s been a week. I’ve cried everyday since. If you pray, please save one for his 3 beautiful daughters. They need it the most. I love you Wayne.”
A celebration of life will be held today at Nelsen Funeral Home in Ashland, Virginia.
“Thank you everyone for the love & the messages. It’s warmed my heart,” James added on social media. “Please continue to pray Wayne’s wife Christy Knuckles. She is still in serious condition in the hospital. She lost both her husband (My brother) and her 16yr old daughter in the accident. I can’t imagine.”
Wrestling is a thrilling sport that keeps you hooked on the entire match. These matches are exciting as every match has a buildup and a storyline creating rivalries amongst the opponents.
Wrestling matches have predetermined results, but that does not take away the drama of near-three counts, frog splashes, use of tables and chairs, or suplexes. You thoroughly enjoy every move.
Over the years, wrestling has become more of an entertainment and created its space within combat sports. The amount of money and fan following are huge, which makes it a lucrative business. Just when you thought it could not get any more exciting, online sportsbooks allow you to place bets on wrestling matches where you could try to win some money.
Betting on professional wrestling matches is still a new phenomenon, and the matches feel more personal as every move could affect your decision. However, there are several tips that may increase your odds when betting and could help you overcome the fear of betting.
Embrace yourself with knowledge
Despite its uniqueness, pro wrestling has some similarities with other sports. Pro wrestling betting involves researching the characters, strengths, and weaknesses of every wrestler on the roster, regardless of the promotion. There is some form of luck in pro wrestling, unlike MMA odds.
However, there is also a component of strategy, and you will be unable to make informed decisions if you don’t have the knowledge.
Different types of bets
Even wrestling has a variety of bets. You need to get familiar with the different kinds and understand which suits your interests and style. Matches with lower odds do not result in big wins. Thus betting on special events and picking unexpected events, like someone going through a table or someone interrupting the match, etc. Incidents like this may not always occur, so predicting any of them could increase your winnings.
Following the storyline
As mentioned, wrestling now follows a story and gives wrestlers an aim to fight for. If you follow wrestling closely, you will notice feuds, involvement of other fighters, new collaborations, team-ups, etc. It will help in guessing what could happen in an upcoming match. Paying attention to details is another way of improving your chances of winning.
Find the best odds
Bets made on wrestling are still finding their feet in the market and are not considered a go-to betting option. Therefore, there are not many online sportsbooks that offer odds, and if they do, are not appealing, and limit the number of bets one can place.
It is crucial to find the best odds, and usually, these are available for special events like Wrestlemania. The primary reason for online sportsbooks not featuring wrestling odds is based on the predetermined results, and these results could be leaked. Perhaps there are a few platforms that offer odds for wrestling, which forces you to be careful while doing research.
Start from low
Major wrestling events like Royal Rumble, Summerslam, or Wrestlemania can be more crowded and may have high stakes, which can make things difficult for those who play with small budgets. Therefore, it is better to explore less popular events and sharpen your skills before jumping onto major events.
The smaller matches have low betting limits and are less risky. It helps you in building confidence and learning about the ropes of wrestling betting.
Anticipate
Never place your bet early because writers are responsible for developing a storyline and creating hype around a particular match. It is harder to predict the result and the winner of the match a few weeks before. The odds will also be unfavorable for you and can cause damage to your bankroll.
Hence, it is always better to wait as much as you can and before things unfold. But you also don’t want to wait till the last second because then the odds may not favor you. Try to find a balance and learn about the sport as much as possible. It is also recommended to trust your gut, which requires a lot of practice and experience.
Be patient
If you are starting out or are unknown to the game, never jump on the bandwagon of betting. Always be conservative in your approach, watch the sports, learn about the rules, and then start betting with a small amount. With in-depth knowledge, you enable yourself to explore more options and compare different betting platforms.
Read up on the previous wrestlers, note their strengths and weaknesses, and review previous wrestling seasons. It is easier to place an informed bet when you have a thorough understanding of an event.
Conclusion
Betting on wrestling matches is still new, and with time, it will gain popularity and more attention. Because the sport itself is entertaining and engaging, the fans’ involvement makes it incredible to watch, which makes wrestling betting compelling and lucrative.
PWInsider.com is reporting that William Regal is finalizing a new deal with WWE which will see him return to the company in the new year.
Regal’s role will be in a backstage capacity although it was not revealed what his exact job will be. Prior to leaving WWE, Regal occupied both an executive position and an on-screen role in NXT.
Fightful Wrestling is also adding that Regal is effectively done with AEW with his last appearance coming last week on Dynamite.
Regal joined AEW in March of this year and showed up as a surprise at the Revolution pay-per-view, breaking up a fight between Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson, later forming the Blackpool Combat Club.
While it is believed that Regal signed a three-year deal with AEW, he is walking out of the door after just nine months. Some insiders believe he had a release clause in his contract which allowed him to give notice and leave.
Former UFC Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez returned to the wrestling ring last night for Lucha Libre AAA’s show in Tempe, Arizona.
Velasquez, who was also under a WWE deal a few years ago, teamed up with Blue Demon Jr and Pagano for a trios match against Taurus, Sam Adonis, and Gringo Loco. He won the match for his team with a power bomb off the ropes. Following the match, he addressed the crowd and told them to never stop believing and never stop fighting.
He has not wrestled since December 4, 2021 and was just recently released on $1 million bail from prison.
The mixed martial artist received special permission from a judge to travel to Arizona and remove his GPS monitor but had to be accompanied by and pay for a law enforcement official to be with him throughout the trip.
Velasquez was arrested after he chased down and shot at a truck which included a man who allegedly sexually assaulted his son. He is now facing an attempted murder charge and spent nine months in prison waiting for bail.
Dustin Rhodes said that 2023 will be his last year in active wrestling, bringing down the curtain on an incredible 35-year career.
Rhodes made the announcement last night at the Great Lakes Championship Wrestling Blizzard Brawl event and the full announcement will be made available exclusively on the Premier Streaming Network.
Rhodes, now 53 years old, made his debut in 1988 and worked for WCW until 1995 when he moved to WWF as Goldust. He eventually had more stints in WCW, WWE, and then TNA, returning to each promotion multiple times. He signed with AEW in 2019 and is still employed by the promotion.
He last wrestled on the August 24 episode of Rampage, losing a match against the then ROH World champion Claudio Castagnoli.
WWE held a live event in Rochester, New York, last night and Seth Rollins paid tribute to Rochester’s own Brodie Lee following his match.
“He passed away a couple of years ago around this time and this is the first time I’ve been here with a microphone in my hand in this city to tell him how much I miss him and how much I love him,” an emotional Rollins told the crowd.
“I just wanted to say, tonight was for him, every single time we are in Rochester, in my heart, that means we’re here for him,” he continued as fans clapped.
He then ended with a Brodie Lee line.
“It’s Saturday, and you know what that means,” Seth said. “So do your damn thing and sing my song!”
Lee, who wrestled as Luke Harper in WWE and was loved by everyone, passed away two years ago on December 26, 2020.
Impact last week drew 74,000 viewers, up 9,000 viewers from the prior week which was the second least-watched show of 2022. Impact did 0.02 in the 18-49 demo and did not chart for the second week in a row. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
