AEW Rampage this past Friday drew 503,000 viewers, up 4,000 viewers from prior week’s broadcast. The show did the same 0.18 rating in the 18-49 demo, matching the November 26 and December 3 numbers. Rampage was #13 in the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Bobby Lashley added to Day 1 WWE Championship match
Former WWE champion Bobby Lashley has been added to the Day 1 WWE Championship match, turning it now into a fatal four-way match from a triple threat.
Lashley had to beat Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, and Big E on Raw last night in order to earn a place in the match, a stipulation which did not faze him.
Lashley beat Owens first in less than five minutes, something which Rollins did not appreciate as he said Owens didn’t even try. Rollins then beat Lashley via DQ when Owens interfered and punched Rollins in the face. Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville were not impressed though and restarted the match with a no DQ stipulation. Lashley beat Rollins in seconds after hitting the spear. The main event was also a no DQ match and Lashley defeated champion Big E in 18 minutes after interference from both Owens and Rollins. A little help from MVP and a cane shot to the back helped secure a spot for Lashley.
Reasons why Sami Zayn didn’t wrestle at Crown Jewel In Saudi
Sami Zayn’s popularity has been growing globally for several years, however his absence from the 2021 Crown Jewel and other Saudi shows should not be surprising to say the least.
What’s the reason or the reasons why he didn’t take part in the WWE event in KSA? We will outline the most relevant aspects to explain what’s the situation in the WWE world.
What Prevented Zayn From Wrestling WWE Events In KSA?
WWE star Sami Zayn held off the card at the 2021 WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia leads to many questions. For those who have followed Zayn’s career and regularly bet on WWE events aren’t surprised. The Syrian-Canadian star has not performed at any of WWE’s events in Saudi Arabia since 2018. Sami has admitted publicly he isn’t interested in wrestling in this Middle Eastern nation.
Several sources confirm the deciding factor behind Zayn’s absence at events in KSA is more political than athletic. Saudi Arabia and Syria have had a longstanding hostility. Zayn’s nationality is why he wasn’t allowed to perform at the Greatest Royal Rumble event.
Sami Zayn’s social media has been known to provoke his fans’ comments. This is especially so when it comes to political positions. His fans are sensitive to Sami’s political thoughts. That was why the decision to ban him from the WWE events in KSA created much discontent.
Consequences On The WWE Betting Segment
Superstar Sami Zayn’s ethnicity seems to bother Saudi Arabia’s government. To the point of not allowing him to perform in the WWE events. That came with significant consequences on the betting segment. As several bookmakers worldwide can tell you, Zayn’s supporters gave up placing bets for the events in KSA. Many of his supporters live in Syria, the betting week lost a remarkable revenue during the event season. Despite this negative impact on the betting segment, Saudi Arabia’s government kept proceeding on its line.
The political deal between Saudi Arabia and Syria is a complicated controversy that generates reactions in many WWE fans. Many of them don’t like that WWE goes along with Saudi Arabia. However, the latest trends suggest that the WWE company will go hand in hand with this Middle Eastern country even more often in the future.
KSA Banned More Wrestlers From 2019 WWE Events
Unfortunately, Sami Zayn was not the only WWE superstar to be banned from the events in KSA. Other brilliant stars of the WWE environment weren’t allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia for the WWE events:
- Kevin Owens and his family decided not to go to Saudi Arabia after his best friend Sami Zayn got banned from wrestling there. Owens freely wanted to stand by his friend’s side instead of appearing at a wrestling event that excluded Sami from participating.
- A report reveals that Daniel Bryan and John Cena didn’t perform in the wrestling events in KSA after the death of Jamal Khashoggi (Saudi journalist and protester who died at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey). The two big stars of wrestling took an ethical position to express a political discrepancy.
- Aleister Black has several tattoos on his body that Saudis don’t seem to appreciate too much. The religious themes in his tattoos hurt Saudis’ sensibility to the point of deserving a prohibition to appear in the 2019 Super ShowDown season in KSA.
The strict selection of the athletes that can perform in the WWE events in Saudi Arabia doesn’t leave any hope to see stars like Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan, John Cena, and Aleister Black on the card for the future.
For many fans, the decision of KSA’s government was excessive and barely understandable. Sami Zayn is a Sunni Muslim, not more nor less than the majority of Saudis. But having Syrian parents seems to be enough for the Saudi government to remove him from one of the most significant WWE events in the Middle East. We should highlight that Sami won The Humanitarian Award from the Syrian American Medical Society for his financial help: in 2018, Sami engaged in fundraising to support the Syrian medical community. Now, the question is: was this fact a factor to decide for Zayn’s exclusion from the WWE events in KSA? Currently, there isn’t any direct evidence to confirm this, but we can never rule it out. Posterity will judge it.
Former TNA and ROH star Jimmy Rave passes away at 39
Jimmy Rave, the 39-year-old former TNA and ROH star, passed away yesterday after battling health issues for a long time. The announcement of his death was done by his agent Bill Behrens.
Real name James Michael Duffey, Rave struggled with drug addiction for multiple years and eventually that led to both his legs and one of his arms needed to be amputated due to an MRSA infection.
Rave started his wrestling career in 2000 and in 2003 he was signed with Ring of Honor, becoming a member of The Embassy. Four years later he was scooped up by TNA Wrestling and formed The Rock ‘n Rave Infection stable with Christy Hemme and Lance Archer. He only lasted two years in TNA and was released in 2009 along with Archer.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of James Guffey, otherwise known as Jimmy Rave,” Impact Wrestling said in a statement. “We offer our sincere condolences to his family & friends during this difficult time. Rave made his IMPACT debut in 2002 during The Asylum Years & became a mainstay of the X-Division.”
Throughout his carer, Rave also wrestled for NJPW, Dragon Gate, NWA, CZW, and other independent promotions.
He is survived by ex-wife, son and daughter, and parents.
A GoFundMe campaign has been setup by his daughter to cover the $20,000 in expenses for his memorial. You can help donate at GoFundMe.com.
Amanda Huber pens touching tribute to her late husband Brodie Lee
Amanda Huber, the wife of the late Jon “Brodie Lee” Huber, wrote a touching tribute in The Players’ Tribune ahead of the one-year anniversary of his death and what would have been their tenth year wedding anniversary.
Simply titled Jon, the story goes over their whole relationship, from the very beginning in the early 90s all the way until his death on December 26, 2020. It’s divided in 29 chapters and covers how they met, wrestling on the indie circuit, singing with WWE, WrestleMania, and moving to AEW.
The last seven chapters cover extensively the road leading to his untimely passing and the support she received from his friends in the wrestling business, be it those in WWE and in AEW.
You can read it in full at ThePlayersTribune.com.
Bayley says it’s “only a matter of time” until she’s back
Former Smackdown Women’s champion Bayley said it’s “only a matter of time” until she’s back in a WWE ring.
Speaking during a Q&A session held on her Instagram account in benefit of the Family Giving Tree, Bayley hinted at returning well ahead of schedule but obviously did not reveal when she’s going to be back exactly.
“I’m not going to tell you when and I don’t want all these idiots watching to know when,” Bayley said. “But I’m going to be coming back soon…maybe, no. Y’all better be ready…better be ready!”
Bayley suffered an injury during a training session back in July and underwent a torn ACL surgery in mid July, putting her timetable for a return at approximately nine months. Five months have passed since Bayley went under the knife and a possible return could be at the Royal Rumble, which would put her at a six-month mark.
“My knee is doing great, my ankle is doing great, my calf is doing great, my shin is doing great, and my hip is doing great,” Bayley said during the Q&A. “My mind is doing great so it’s only a matter of time.”
Bryan Danielson added to Qatar show in March 2022
In a post on the Lucha Libre Online social media it was revealed that AEW’s Bryan Danielson will be traveling to Qatar for the SuperSlam III show next March. This will be Danielson’s first time wrestling overseas not under the WWE banner in many, many years and his wish to travel the world doing what he loves to do was one of the major reasons why he decided to leave WWE.
QPW President and Owner Ali Al-Marafi confirmed the Lucha Libre news with AEW already signing off on the appearance. Jon Moxley, Sammy Guevara, and Sting from AEW are also appearing on the show which will take place at the Ali Bi N Hamad Alatya Arena in Doha. No opponent has been named yet for Danielson.
SuperSlam III, held on March 18 and 19, will be streaming on FITE.TV.
1xBet – Online sports betting & casino, games review
1xBet Review
The bookmaker 1xbet was founded in 2007, and a few years later began accepting bets on the Internet. At the moment, the company has over 400,000 regular visitors and is one of the world leaders in the sports betting industry. Read about this big bookmaker in our detailed 1xBet review.
The site has been translated into more than 50 languages, users can adjust the time zone, the format of the coefficients, as well as a variety of currencies. Bookmaker 1xBet offers the largest catalog of promotions and bonuses in the sports betting industry. The 1xbet website presents both short-term events dedicated to any holiday and long-term promotions. Indians will be delighted with the large selection of cricket bets.
The “Promo” section includes six subsections, which contain more than a dozen relevant offers for the bookmaker’s clients:
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1xBet India regularly pampers users with good prizes. The company often gives away top smartphones, big cash prizes and expensive cars.
Personal account 1xBet
In this 1xBet review, we analyzed the personal account 1xBet, which is easy to use and has a simple interface. So that all players can figure it out. In the personal account, bettors can:
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It is easy to log in to your 1xBet Personal Account by entering your nickname and password.
1xBet bet line
The popularity of the 1xBet Prematch line is due to a large number of sports, among which each player will find a suitable option for himself. There are many variations of forecasts in the list.
Qualified analysts are working on the development of the line, choosing the most profitable coefficients. Bets are accepted around the clock.
The line is characterized by competent navigation. Bets are placed by category, you can choose the type of sport in the rating of the office. With the help of the filtering system, the player will see current 1xBet games in his country, familiarize himself with popular championships and upcoming events in certain categories.
1xbet Live line offers a large selection of local events. Bets are available at international tournaments and regional events. Players will appreciate about 300 types of bets. In the 1x Bet Live section, bets are made during the game. There are many variations of the bet.
1xbet games
In addition to sports betting, 1xbet India offers to pass the time in the gaming sections of the resource. On the bookmaker’s website, you can find a huge number of sweepstakes and lotteries, backgammon, slots, online and offline games known all over the world.
In the entertainment section, users can play popular card games for real money and try their luck in colorful slots.
The games are designed according to the latest trends and allow players to have fun and while away the time while waiting for the 1xBet cricket match, as well as quickly and easily win large cash prizes.
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Thus, 1xBet attracts new customers. Among other companies, they try to offer the best possible bonuses.
Executives from Apple, MGM, FOX, and CBS at Smackdown in LA
Deadline.com is reporting that several television executives were present at the STAPLES Center this past Friday for Smackdown live on FOX.
With TV contract negotiations soon starting again, it was an important day for WWE to flex their muscles in front of their partners and would-be partners as the company is hoping to get more money for their television rights in the next round of talks.
According to Deadline, those present on Friday included CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl, Apple’s Head of Development and Programming Matt Cherniss, MGM Studios President Barry Poznick, FOX Sports Executive Vice President Larry Jones, Producer Noah Harpster, FOX Sports analyst Reggie Bush, and sports journalist Jemele Hill.
Smackdown topped the 18-49 demo with four other shows from other networks in the overnight ratings. Final numbers will be out today.
NXT star Sarray back in USA after month-long trip home to Japan
The reason why Japanese star Sarray has not been seen on NXT television lately is because she went back home to Japan for a month but is now back in the United States and ready to resume her NXT in-ring work.
Sarray noted that it was her first time in Japan in 9 months following her signing with WWE. With more travel restrictions being added due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sarray has traveled back Stateside before it’s too late.
In a tweet, the 25-year-old said that she got a lot of strength from her family, friends, and loved ones back home but now she’s ready to go back to America where life is shining because of her dream.
Sarray last wrestled on NXT in early November, losing to Kay Lee Ray.
Diamond Dallas Page gets married in surprise ceremony
Diamond Dallas Page got married to his girlfriend Payge McMahon during a surprise ceremony held on December 9 at the The Dwell in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The event, organized by Page and his daughter Brittany, was a total surprise for Payge who thought it was a Christmas party…because that’s what the false invites looked like! 115 of the couple’s closest friends were invited to the boutique hotel to witness the occasion.
DDP proposed to her there at the event and after she said yes, they got married by author and entrepreneur Dr. Asa Andrews. His wife now goes by the name of Payge Page!
Among the guests were Court TV analyst Julie Grant, country musician Justin Fabus, WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam, wrestlers Katie Forbes, Harold ‘Ice Train’ Hogue, nZo, Big Cass, Ace Austin, Gia Miller, Eric Watts, Marc Mero, and Hollywood Yates.
https://twitter.com/RealDDP/status/1470183479908483073
Betway Live casino review
The online bookmaker Betway has a very strong name in Europe, sponsoring famous sports clubs. It has been dedicated to strengthening its market and gaining more and more members. Betway advances are in what the players like most: good promotions and a great catalog of sporting events. Betways.in is a sports betting site and online casino that has quality in its service. In addition to presenting the main thing, we need when we talk about financial transactions: reliability.
Betway India Review
Betway is a sports betting site and online casino with a great layout and easy navigation. All steps are intuitive, creating no barriers for beginners. Those already used to online bookmakers find no difficulties since the items are located according to most sites.
On the left side, you can check the events and sports, the registration field is at the top on the right side. The selections for the bets are on the right side. We highlight e-sport, as a way of enhancing it, being able to find the item arranged in a central bar.
One of the strong points of the house is precisely the good opportunities for promotions, a fact that has attracted a lot of players. It is worth paying attention to the ads and banners on the site.
Live Casino
If there is something about online casinos that can be as exciting as being in the physical space, it is just watching several games. It’s a really premium experience almost as if all the players and professionals are at the table with the player.
Of course, the most famous in this modality would be blackjack and Texas Hold’em, which certainly cause the emotion and cold in the belly of being there live, looking into the eyes of your opponents while setting up your own strategy. All of this without leaving the comfort of home.
And you can still take advantage of the 100% first deposit promotion and other cumulative offers.
Casino Welcome Bonus
Betway’s casino gaming sector is located in a separate location from the sports betting site. To access it, you just need to find it in the top bar of the site and click to be able to have fun with the different options of slots, roulette, poker, other table games, and much more.
With live gaming options you can feel at the best Las Vegas casinos without leaving your home or wherever you are! This is all possible because Betway also has an application that can be used on your smartphone or tablet, giving you much more freedom and fun.
To start your journey, just create your account, get your welcome bonus for casino games, and enter the lobby of the house, if your interest is in live games, with other participants who will interact in real-time like you.
For this reason, also, the welcome bonuses can be interesting so that you can test your skills, know your player characteristics, find out which games are your favorite games, and have even more fun with all the products that Betway has to offer.
Whatever the bonus you want to benefit from, do not neglect a careful reading of its terms and conditions, to make sure that you comply with them and, consequently, enjoy the promotion in question.
Loyalty Club
You get rewards every time you play through the Betway loyalty program. Customers must collect points that can be redeemed for bonuses. With each new level of the program, better benefits and rewards are offered. Always read the Betway promotions tab, there’s always something new for you.
Withdrawals
To withdraw money at Betway, it will be necessary for the bettor to have an account balance, regardless of the amount, and also not counting the bonus.
The withdrawal is made whenever the customer requests and the company guarantees the security of this operation. The company is committed to making the payment as quickly as possible, however, the speed of payment depends on the method chosen. E-wallets take 2 to 24 hours; cards from 1 to 2 days and bank accounts from 1 to 2 days.
Lynch hilariously blames young girl at ringside for loss during Smackdown dark match
Following the conclusion of this past Friday’s Smackdown on FOX at the STAPLES Center, Raw Women’s champion Becky Lynch was involved in a dark match along with Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, and another Raw woman, Bianca Belair.
Usually, it’s Roman Reigns who ends up in the dark matches with his cousins The Usos but Reigns was not present for the show on Friday.
Lynch, writing on Twitter, said she got a call to be in the dark match. “The people of LA need the biggest main event possible. Can you make a stop at Smackdown tonight?” Lynch wrote. “And so The Man came around. You’re welcome.”
Unfortunately for Becky, it was Sasha Banks who won the match, pinning Lynch and using the ring ropes as leverage, something that Lynch has been doing lately.
The Raw Women’s champion was not happy and after the match, she hilariously blamed a young girl at ringside for her loss. “You distracted me! You distracted me,” Lynch told the young fan who was in front row. “I would’ve won!” she continued, as the girl said, “Oh nooo!” Lynch added on Twitter that she’s petitioning to have the fan banned from all future events.
Jokingly, of course.
https://twitter.com/Baby_Face_Grace/status/1469694537576681486
Adam Scherr aligns with EC3 at Ring of Honor pay-per-view
Adam Scherr, the man formerly known as Braun Strowman, appeared at the Ring of Honor pay-per-view last night, aligning himself with another former WWE star, EC3.
Scherr, along with Wesley Blake and another unnamed star, showed up with Control Your Narrative shirts and attacked Dak Draper, Eli Isom, and Brian Johnson, after EC3 cut a promo in the ring against corporate wrestling, saying these guys give everything but get nothing in return. EC3 riled up fellow wrestlers saying they could take back professional wrestling and urged them to use their freedom.
Scherr’s only other non-WWE appearance was at EC3’s Free the Narrative 2 show which aired two months ago and defeated EC3 in the main event.
He was surprisingly released from WWE in June of this year.
Deonna Purrazzo challenges ROH Women’s champion Rok-C
Impact Knockouts champion Deonna Purrazzo showed up at the ROH End of an Era pay-per-view last night and challenged ROH Women’s champion Rok-C.
Carrying her AAA Reina de Reinas title, Purrazzo told Rok-C that after she beats Mickie James for the Knockouts title at the Hard to Kill pay-per-view next month, she wants to face her in a winner-take-all match.
The ROH champ agreed to the challenge and shook Purrazzo’s hand.
Purrazzo wrestled for ROH between 2015 and 2018 and was part of the revival of women’s wrestling in the promotion.
Several AEW stars appear via video on ROH PPV, FTR attack Briscoes
Some of AEW’s biggest stars sent in video messages that were played during Ring of Honor’s End of an Era pay-per-view last night.
AEW champion Hangman Page, CM Punk, Adam Cole, The Young Bucks, and Bryan Danielson – all of whom are ROH alumni – recorded messages for ROH fans, thanking the promotion and its followers for giving them their start. The videos were played in between matches.
Meanwhile, FTR showed up in person to raise some hell and attacked Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe after they defeated Matt Taven and Mike Bennett for the ROH World Tag Team titles. Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood showed up after The Briscoes challenged any team after the match as while it’s the end of an era, it’s not the end for them.
Former ROH champion and now AEW star Jay Lethal was also in the main event of the show but lost his match against Jonathan Gresham for the ROH World title. Lethal replaced Bandido who could not be part of the show due to COVID-19.
AEW President Tony Khan vowed to help ROH in their final show earlier this week because it’s the right thing to do, keeping his promise.
Smackdown rating for 12/10/2021
Last night’s Smackdown from the STAPLES Center drew 2,171,000 viewers in the overnight numbers, up 206,000 viewers from last week’s overnight. Last week’s show ended with 2,030,000 viewers when the final numbers came in on Monday and this week’s show should have the best number since October 22 with the final rating.
The show had 2,219,000 viewers in the first hour and then 2,124,000 viewers in the second hour. The show did a 0.5 in the 18-49 demo and was joint #1 with a bunch of other shows. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV.com)
Hip-hop trio Migos to make special appearance at Day 1
Hip-hop trio Migos, who are from Georgia, will be at the Day 1 WWE pay-per-view which will take place from their home state on January 1, 2022.
The group will be making a special appearance at the show, although it wasn’t specified if they will be performing or not. The group consists of rappers Quavo, Offset, and Takeoff, and their song Straightenin is being used for the show.
All three members have had their fair share of legal issues in the past with one of the members, Offset, even spending time in prion for felony convictions. In 2015, the group also raised eyebrows when their performance at the Georgia South University spring concert was cut short after they arrived late and police arrested all three and the 12 members of their entourage for possession of marijuana, other controlled substances, and possession of firearms.
AEW sends Jay Lethal to ROH’s Final Battle: End of an Era pay-per-view
AEW’s Jay Lethal will be returning to Ring of Honor tonight to take on Jonathan Gresham in what will be ROH’s final show before they pause operations for a few months.
AEW President Tony Khan said that he is going to help out ROH because it’s the right thing to do, sending Lethal to replace Bandido who tested positive for COVID-19.
“ROH would like to publicly thank AEW for allowing Lethal to wrestle at Final Battle: End of an Era,” Ring of Honor said in a statement. Meanwhile, Lethal said that this match will be about showing the world what this era of ROH is really about and can’t wait to get in the ring with Gresham.
The two are former ROH Tag Team champions and were part of The Foundation faction.
Final Battle: End of an Era airs on pay-per-view and on the promotion’s streaming service HonorClub live from the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.
Former WWE creative writer Brian Gewirtz writing book on life in WWE
Brian Gewirtz, the former WWE creative writer who now serves as the Senior Vice President of Development for The Rock’s Seven Bucks Production company, will be releasing a book from his time in WWE.
Gewirtz was part of the WWE creative team from 1999 until 2012 and later changed to a consultant until 2015. He worked very close with The Rock on all his material and eventually The Rock hired him as part of his team. When Johnson returns to WWE, Gewirtz is heavily involved in whatever The Rock is doing, including coming up with ideas and promos.
Titled Heels and Heroes, the book will take readers behind the scenes for an unprecedented look at the chaotic, surreal, unbelievable backstage world of the WWE.
“With untold stories from a career spanning over 15 years and featuring the biggest names and controversial moments in wrestling history, Heels and Heroes is an honest, unflinching look on how an introverted life-long fan unexpectedly became one of the most powerful men in all of professional wrestling,” the synopsis for the book reads.
The book will be published by Twelve Books and is set to be released in August 2022.