Former NXT star Mercedes Martinez made her debut last night on Dynamite, attacking Thunder Rosa during her semi final match against Jade Cargill.
Martinez had her face covered and a hoodie on when she interfered in the match but later revealed her face after the post-match beatdown of Rosa, who was eventually helped by Ruby Soho.
This is actually not her first time in AEW as Martinez had already competed in the Casino Battle Royale at the All Out pay-per-view and later had a match taped on the Dark broadcast.
After her appearance, she got the customary “is All Elite” graphic, meaning that she signed a deal with the company.
After joining WWE last year as part of the NXT brand, she was released a few months ago. She resurfaced on television when she won the Impact Knockouts Knockdown tournament but failed to win the title at Turning Point against Mickie James last month.
The Day 1 go-home episode of Monday Night Raw drew 1,592,000 viewers this week, up 60,000 viewers from last week’s show.
The first hour started with 1,589,000 viewers, then increased to 1,656,000 viewers in the second hour, before ending the night with 1,532,000 viewers.
The show placed #6, #7, and #8 in the top 50 cable chart and did 0.43, 0.41, and 0.39 ratings respectively for an average of 0.41, up 0.03 from last week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Wrestling broke the news that Toni Storm has been released from WWE today.
The 26-year-old from New Zealand was just in a feud with Charlotte Flair on Smackdown and had a Smackdown Women’s title match on the show which aired last Friday. A couple of industry insiders have also reported that Storm asked for her release, a wish which was swiftly granted by the company.
Storm started with WWE in 2017 as part of the Mae Young Classic tournament and was then part of the NXT UK brand, winning the NXT UK Women’s title from Rhea Ripley in January 2019. She lost the title six months later to Kay Lee Ray.
She then moved to the NXT brand in the United States later in 2019 and was called up to the main roster in July of this year where she has been part of the Smackdown brand.
It’s Wednesday and you know what that means as AEW returns with the New Year’s Smash episode of Dynamite live from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville on TNT. This will be the final episode of Dynamite on TNT as the show moves to TBS starting from next week.
Tonight’s show is headlined by the reunion of The Undisputed Era as Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly team up to take on Orange Cassidy and Best Friends in a trios match. Another trios match will also take place with Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz versus Daniel Garcia and 2point0. The only other match announced so far is Thunder Rosa vs Jade Cargill in the semi final match of the TBS title tournament.
Plus, new TNT champion Cody Rhodes will be in the house and good ol’ JR returns to commentary after weeks of skin cancer treatment.
The Christmas Day episode of Rampage did the best number since November 5, getting a total of 589,000 viewers, up 18,000 viewers from the prior week. The show did a 0.26 in the 18-49 demo, the best since the September 24 episode and ranked #25 in the top 50 cable chart for the day. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
AEW announcer Jim Ross announced today on Twitter that he is now cancer free.
“I’m CANCER FREE! We did it!,” Ross wrote in a post.
Ross was diagnosed with skin cancer in October and started the 22 radiation treatments in November. This was his second bout with skin cancer after he had already beat it in 2016.
The WWE Hall of Famer initially did not want to miss any time from work during treatments but then took the better decision to step away from his duties to concentrate on getting better.
He set a target to return on the December 29 broadcast, which is live tonight from Jacksonville. JR will be back behind the microphone calling tonight’s action.
Ross also underwent surgery on his back earlier in November to remove two spots. His skin cancer was initially found in a growth near his ankle.
The final Raw before WrestleMania 38 will be taking place at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where WWE held a non-televised live event yesterday.
Just over 6,000 fans turned up for the holiday tour yesterday with the arena set up for 7,000 seats.
The pre-sale for the March 28 Monday Night Raw has started already and you can use the code WWEPRE to unlock the sale. Tickets start from $30 and go up to $120 for regular seats or $550 for the Ringsider Package.
During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg confirmed that he only has one more match left in his current WWE deal.
Asked how many times can Vince McMahon call him when drunk in a bar, Goldberg replied, “I got one more match on my deal left and that is it. That’s all I got!”
The former World Heavyweight champion wrestled three times this year, losing against Drew McIntyre at the Royal Rumble and Bobby Lashley at SummerSlam, and then got his revenge on Lashley at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view in October.
With WrestleMania around the corner and needing to sell over 80,000 seats for a legit sell-out, twice, it’s fair to say that the last match will be saved for the biggest pay-per-view of them all.
The Middle East is an area with a huge love of all things related to combat sports and martial arts. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that boxing and WWE are two of the most popular in the area. However, how do the two compare when it comes to popularity, and what are the biggest reasons behind its success in the Middle East?
What Is Boxing?
Boxing is arguably the most popular form of combat sport in the world, as fans from around the globe tune in to watch the biggest fights taking place. Huge purses are available for the most lucrative bouts, with these more often than not taking place on PPV. Boxing has come a long way from the Prizefighting days, with the sport now being one of the most tightly regulated, with the WBC, WBO, and IBF among those that have world titles.
Professional boxing fights are ones that are sanctioned by a governing body, with both fighters involved getting a share of the purse. In this modern-day of boxing, fights now last for twelve three-minute rounds. Fights were historically longer, as many fights between the 1920s and 1980s lasted for 15 rounds. However, this was reduced to 12 across the board by 1988 due to safety and television reasons. Fighters would typically be looking for the knockout finish, but points are also scored by three judges at ringside. One of the most popular factors when it comes to boxing is betting. Gamblers can find boxing betting websites to make wagers on the fighter that will come out on top in their upcoming bout.
What is the WWE?
When it comes to professional wrestling, there are no companies that come close to the global success enjoyed by the WWE. Millions of fans from around the world watch the hours of weekly television produced by the sports entertainment company. The WWE hosts over 450 live events from around the world throughout the year. The name of the company has changed a number of times since its inception as the WWF in 1982. WWE sees two or more superstars involved in matches with a predetermined outcome. However, some of the acrobatics and power that are on show in WWE rings can be matched anywhere else in the world. Fans are engrossed by the action throughout the year, with Raw and SmackDown taking place on Monday and Friday, respectively. However, the biggest shows are the PPVs that take place at least once a month. The biggest of these is WrestleMania, which takes place annually in April. It is the most prominent show of the year, with the biggest stars in the company taking to the ring to put it all on the line for the fans.
Comparing the Success of Boxing and WWE in the Middle East
The success of professional wrestling and boxing in the Middle East has been profound throughout the history of both. Boxing in the Middle East has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, with the world heavyweight championship fight between Andy Ruiz Jr and Anthony Joshua taking place in Saudi Arabia back in December 2019. Hosting events in the Middle East is something that the WWE have also tapped into to ensure that their popularity remains high. The first WWE show in Saudi Arabia took place in April 2014, but since 2018, the company have been broadcasting PPVs from the county. The most recent PPV in Saudi Arabia was called Crown Jewel and saw Roman Reigns defend his Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar in the main event. Hosting events in the Middle East has led to success for both the WWE and boxing, and it looks set to continue for years to come.
Who Are the Biggest Boxing Stars in the Middle East?
The hosting of boxing events in the Middle East have made huge stars of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury in the area. The popularity of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather is also high within the area. However, few boxing stars will ever be able to get close to the level of popularity achieved by Muhammad Ali. Considered by many to be the greatest of all time, his Muslim heritage has ensured that he is considered to be the most popular boxer in the Middle East. Ali’s involvement outside of the ring was as important as the work he did in boxing, as he supported racial integration in the United States. However, his bouts against Joe Frazier remain amongst the most popular in the sport, and ensure that his legacy in the Middle East is as strong as ever despite his death in 2016.
Who Are the Biggest Wrestling Stars in the Middle East?
There is yet to be a huge Middle Eastern WWE star, but that doesn’t mean that certain superstars aren’t still popular in the area. Stars such as John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and Roman Reigns are global celebrities, which means their stock is very high in the Middle East. However, the superstar that all fans wanted to see when he traveled to the Middle East for shows in Saudi Arabia was The Undertaker. Taker is one of the most instantly recognisable stars in the world of wrestling, and enjoyed a career that spun over 30 years in the WWE. His final standard match in the WWE came at the Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia in 2020, as he defeated AJ Styles to set up their WrestleMania match just a couple of months later.
And the Judge’s Decision Is
It’s likely that the popularity of boxing and the WWE will continue for decades to come in the Middle Eastern. Both will continue to host huge shows in the countries, which will mean that fan support will stay high. However, when it comes to opting for the most popular, it is just too close to call.
The former NXT Tag Team title holder and the current Raw Tag Team champion will be appearing at the New Year’s Evil show next week where he will team up with MSK to take on the current NXT Tag Team champions Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner along with former NXT UK champion Walter.
Walter has been absent from WWE television since losing the NXT UK title in August to Ilja Dragunov and yesterday he showed up via video, along with Riddle, to set up the six-man tag team match.
AJ Styles is also going to be on the show and yesterday appeared via video as well to warn Grayson Waller that he’ll see him on Tuesday night.
Matt Hardy is entering the podcast world with a new show titled The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy. Co-hosted by Jon Alba, the new podcast will be available on the Podcast Heat Network, the same platform which hosts Ric Flair’s Wooooo! Uncensored podcast.
The new podcast will launch on Friday, January 7 and the first episode will discuss the 1999 No Mercy ladder match.
“It’s the perfect time to transition into something new,” Hardy told Sports Illustrated which broke the news. “This podcast is going to give a different perspective to older, more historical events, and see how they translate in today’s modern climate.”
Alba wrote in a tweet that for the past 22 years, the Hardy Boyz have been his favorite tag team and Matt was his guy.
“Matt Hardy has a mind for this unlike anybody else,” Alba continued in the SI story. “I don’t think there has ever been anyone like him. He’s a serial reinventer, and he’s always been one step ahead. Our goal isn’t just to look back at memorable moments in Matt’s career. We are going to bridge the past with the present and look at how those events shaped pro wrestling as we know it today. That’s the core theme of every episode.”
Just three months after his cancer went into remission, former TNA announcer Don West is back in hospital for round two after his cancer resurfaced.
Longtime friend and colleague Jeff Jarrett broke the news on Twitter, with West’s permission. “He’s back in the hospital to kick cancer’s ass a 2nd time! I certainly believe in the power of prayer…if you do as well, please send a prayer up for Don and his family!”
West announced in June that he was diagnosed with brain lymphoma and started treatment immediately. Following two months of treatment, he said in September that his cancer went into remission.
He stopped his radio show on NewsRadio 560 KPQ in Washington in June to concentrate on beating cancer, and wrote that he hoped he would be back on the air soon.
West spent 10 years working for TNA, starting from the very beginning in 2002 and his voice is part of some of the most historic moments in the company.
Speaking to Renee Paquette on her latest Oral Sessions podcast, former NXT star Scarlett Bordeaux revealed why she did not wrestle in the months leading up to her release after doing a dark match against Shotzi Blackheart.
Scarlett said that following the second dark match with Shotzi, she went home and after looking in the mirror, she noticed that her boobs did not look the same and when she went to NXT the following day, she was examined and it was determined that one of her breast implants was “totally gone.”
The last four months she was in the company, Scarlett sat at home doing nothing as they wanted her to wrestle and not manage anymore, but getting cleared to wrestle after surgery took its time.
Scarlett did not blame Shotzi for what happened and to this day she doesn’t know exactly what happened. “I could have been just falling forward,” she exclaimed. She was told she probably shouldn’t talk about what happened but Bordeaux said she was not embarrassed by what went down.
Scarlett was joined by Karrion Kross on the show where they talked about a variety of subjects from their time in NXT, including recording the vocals for the Kross theme song on her cell phone!
The WWE non-televised live event scheduled for tomorrow at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Canada, has been rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
W-O reader Josh Packham forwarded an e-mail to us from Ticketmaster which lists March 27, 2022 as the new date. Those who cannot make the new date can choose to collect a full refund up till January 26.
The show was going to be hosted by Trish Stratus and had quite a few thousands of tickets sold. Coronavirus restrictions in Ontario call for only 50% capacity for indoor events so somehow they had to work around that as well. The event in Laval, Quebec, the next day was also rescheduled for next year after the government of Quebec banned all fans from arenas and stadiums.
Impact Wrestling on AXS TV drew 79,000 viewers for the December 23 broadcast, up 8,000 viewers from the prior week. The show did a 0.02 in the 18-49 demo, same number as last time and did not chart in the top 150 cable rankings. (Ratings credit: Wrestlenomics)
PWInsider.com is reporting that Raw last night did not have the presence of key people such as Vince McMahon, Kevin Dunn, Bruce Prichard, Michael Hayes, and Adam Pearce, with the backstage area running pretty much on skeleton crew.
With several talent testing positive for coronavirus and those who were around them forced into quarantine, it was already going to be a big effort to do last night’s broadcast, let alone with several key individuals missing as well.
Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis and creative writer Ed Koskey ran the show in their absence.
Speaking of coronavirus, Fightful Wrestling added to the story that WWE will no longer do mandatory testing for their Superstars and with the new CDC guidelines published yesterday, it will take only five days of quarantine for those who tested positive instead of 10, making Day 1 more doable now.
Many people are looking for the best ways to save their money. Saving smartly means knowing saving techniques and applying them as needed. In this article, we’ll look at eight ways you can use to save funds easily.
Shop Online and Look for Promotions
Online shopping will significantly save your budget. Well-known brands can sell their products in online stores with discounts of up to 90%. There is one more way to make a profit with 1xslots, as you can get a no deposit bonus and enjoy real money gambling for free.
Create Shopping Lists
Make a list before going to the store. Write down foods when you think about them — any time during the week. To do this, it is convenient to have a small notebook in the kitchen or a separate section in the task manager on your smartphone:
The list is worth evaluating just before going to the store: what is needed and what is missing. What ingredients are you going to buy from which stores?
It’s important to stick to your plan. If you accept this simple rule, you will not be distracted by unnecessary impulsive purchases.
Dividing products into categories (dairy, meat) will help you create and manage your list more efficiently.
Use Apps to Plan Your Finances
Using special applications, you can correctly calculate your expenses and effectively spend your finances. Moreover, budgeting is much easier with such apps. If you have some kind of financial goal, then using such applications will help you achieve it faster.
Expense Accounting Practice
It is best when cost accounting becomes a regular practice. If you do not know how to independently make accounting, then you need to learn this from those who do it. After a month of regular accounting, you will notice that you have accumulated a decent amount of money that can be used for useful purposes. This is a great motivation to keep going.
Don’t Pay for Services You Don’t Use
Review your subscriptions — how many of them do you often use? You will save a large amount if you unsubscribe from what you do not use and adjust the tariffs for more suitable ones.
Make Wish Lists, Get Ready for Sales
Create a sales calendar. For example, there are dates like 11/11 — World Sale, and Black Friday — the last Friday of November. You can schedule purchases for these dates. Some companies make additional promotions during the holidays, and clothing stores arrange seasonal sales. If the store offers a mailing list, subscribe to it. You will be aware of all the news and promotions.
Christmas is a special holiday. Sometimes, after long weekends, shops run even bigger sales and discounts. In some cases, discounts go up to 80%. Preparing for sales helps you not to be disappointed — if you have a wishlist, you know exactly what you want, so you know that it’s better to save money for these purchases.
Create Your Optimal Wardrobe
Even women of fashion prefer capsule wardrobes. You know what kind of events you need clothes for. Collect multiple costumes for each occasion. You don’t have to pile up what you don’t wear. If you want to buy something new, first get rid of the old one. This piece of advice will help fight buying a lot of clothes. This is especially true for avid shopaholics who love to buy a lot of excess clothes. You can save more money and afford to buy clothes that you like, fit well and attract attention.
Target Money Distribution
Don’t go to the store on payday. Spend only after targeted distribution. Make a list of regular spending: utilities, internet, groceries. After deducting these expenses from your salary, set aside a small amount (10-15%) and plan other purchases.
Implement at least two ways to save funds in your daily life, and in a month you will notice how your expenditures have been optimized.
Former Smackdown Executive Producer Eric Bischoff returned on WWE television yesterday to officiate the ceremony of the renewal of the wedding vows between The Miz and Maryse.
As expected, things did not go as planned for the It Couple, first with The Miz slipping, then Edge interrupting them and giving them a Brood bath, ruining their all-white outfits. Bischoff, who was standing close by, also got hit with the liquid.
The Hall of Famer is one of the few, if not the only one, with the luxury of appearing on both WWE and AEW television, and made several appearances for AEW including this year.
Bischoff had a short-lived executive position with WWE in the Summer of 2019 but lasted only a couple of months before he was stripped of his duties.
WWE Superstar Seth Rollins will be sitting out of the next several shows as he has tested positive for COVID-19.
Depending on when he was diagnosed with coronavirus, he might also miss the Day 1 pay-per-view set for this Saturday. According to the CDC guidelines, anyone with COVID-19 should isolate for 10 days and Rollins was at the December 20 Raw so for him to participate at Day 1 he had to be diagnosed not later than December 22.
Rollins is part of one of the main events, involved in the WWE fatal four-way title match between champion Big E, Bobby Lashley, and Kevin Owens as well.
The former champion tweeted that he had a COVID Christmas.
Mixed martial arts today are experiencing a real stir, occupying ever-higher ratings in terms of the number of the target audience. Against this background, UFC betting is becoming more and more relevant, which has become available almost everywhere. For example, a bet UFC Canada can be easily placed via https://ca.parimatch.com/en/ufc. However, success can be approached much faster if you know how to bet on UFC in Canada correctly and what strategies to use.
UFC betting odds: what are there
The most popular are undoubtedly the UFC betting odds on the overall outcome of the competition. Most often, experienced bettors bet on favorites, while not always choosing them, relying on the bookmaker’s lines. Often the real favorite of the game turns out to be hidden. For example, the previous statistics show 5 out of 5 victories for a young fighter, but in the next tournament an athlete who has lost the last two tournaments, but with enviable skills in mixed martial arts, becomes a competitor. Most likely, in such a situation, the quotes for the young participant will be higher, therefore, UFC betting odds with a forecast of his victory will be more promising.
It is important to understand if the UFC betting line contains the possibility of a draw. If the bookmaker does not offer this option, it is more fortunate for the bettor: even if a draw is recognized, the money will simply be returned to the user’s account. If there is a “draw” among the bets, the chances of winning are halved.
Another popular type of UFC bets is on the total number of rounds. While some players are trying to decide the outcome of the fight at the very beginning, others deliberately “hesitate” to exhaust the opponent. Competent analysis of previous fights will allow you to identify as accurately as possible how many rounds are to be in a duel.
UFC betting online can be specific. For example, betting on knockout, technical knockout or rear-naked choke is common. Each athlete has his style of fighting, which allows you to reasonably approach predictions.
Where and how to bet on UFC in Canada
Each bookmaker site may have its own rules on how to bet on UFC in Canada. The best option is to use the Parimatch platform, which has an intuitive interface. To place a bet on ufc via Parimatch, you need:
register in the system, specifying personal data and confirming the creation of an account;
replenish the deposit for the desired amount, but not less than the established lower limit;
select the UFC-direction in the left panel of the screen, where all the directions for betting are presented;
choose a suitable game event, and then decide what bet and in what amount to make.
Like other UFC betting sites, Parimatch offers customer support to users. Therefore, without even understanding the intricacies of the bookmaker’s work, each bettor can receive additional clarifications at any time of the day. Just a few first attempts at betting – and each participant of BC Parimatch will get used to the system and learn the intricacies of UFC fights. And a regular subsequent study of strategies will quickly turn bets into a winning business, where the risks of losing will be minimal.
