Finn Balor will be finally getting in the ring again at New Year’s Evil on January 6, his first time wrestling since October 4.
His three-month absence from in-ring action is due to a broken jaw he suffered at NXT Takeover 31 where he successfully defended the title against Kyle O’Reilly in a hard-hitting match. Rather than stripping him off the title like they did with Karrion Kross, WWE decided to let Balor keep the title even though he spent a lengthy time on the sidelines.
It remains to be seen who Balor will be defending the title against come January 6. Pete Dunne, Damian Priest, and Kyle O’Reilly all interrupted him yesterday on NXT wanting a title shot, and so did Scarlett on behalf of Karrion Kross.
Balor appeared in person last night on the show, his second time only since winning the title.
All Elite Wrestling announced three special events for the holidays, all themed episodes of Dynamite.
The holiday cheer will start on December 23 with a Holiday Bash themed episode of Dynamite which will air immediately following the conclusion of Celtics vs Bucks NBA game on TNT. Dynamite might start late that night due to the basketball game.
Then, a double header will follow with two events titled New Year’s Smash. Part one of that will air on December 30 and part two will continue on January 6 head-to-head with NXT’s New Year’s Evil show. AEW also announced that Snoop Dogg, a frequent collaborator with WWE and the cousin of Smackdown Women’s champion Sasha Banks, will be the special guest on night two.
Over the past couple of years, sports betting has seen some great changes in the world, but particularly in the USA. Several countries like New Jersey and Nevada, have already passed bills to legalize betting, and more are expected to join.
But, no one could have imagined that an event like WWE could be something that people would want to bet on. Even though World Wrestling Entertainment wants to be recognized, even in part, as a sports category, this won’t be happening in the near future. So, why and how do people bet on the phenomenon known as WWE?
Where Can You Bet On WWE?
Even though WWE is one of the most-watched shows in the USA, it’s hardly likely that it will ever be offered at any American sportsbooks as an option to bet on. This is mostly due to the unique nature of WWE’s scripted events and strict rules and regulations of the American sportsbooks that determine what you can and can’t wager upon. This doesn’t mean that US operators don’t and aren’t planning to provide enough interesting options. One example is Online Gambling in Michigan, which is expected to be every player’s dream for online entertainment very soon.
However, there’s a variety of offshore bookies and European sportsbooks bookies that have included WWE as a part of their regular offer. Although it was unthinkable that players would show any interest in betting on scripted events, they did. And the fact that anything can happen until the very end of the match and that it’s all just a show makes wagering into WWE a completely new and exciting experience.
What About The Odds?
Well, this might be one of the strangest things when it comes to betting on WWE. Because of the way that these events take place, and the preplanned ending of the show, the odds are mostly very low. In this way, the fans aren’t in danger of losing too much money even though their winning wouldn’t be that big.
Betting On WWE, Even If It Makes No Sense
So, if odds are low and the event is scripted, why would anyone want to place a bet on WWE? The reason for this phenomenon is simple. People who like watching their favorite fighters win or lose, and watching all the drama happen, like to feel like part of the show. And betting on the outcome is one of the ways.
The second reason is entertainment. Everything about WWE is connected to fun and having a good laugh. And this feeling is only enhanced by placing a wager on any of their matches.
Weird and Fun Betting Options
Bettors around the world are familiar with traditional betting options. But anything connected to WWE is impossible to be ordinary. So you might stumble upon several interesting betting options, especially on multi-person events like Royal Rumble.
So here are some of the things that you can bet on when watching WWE:
First to appear – Or which fighter will come to the show first
First-time winner – This might refer to the match, the season, or the tournament. The fighter that you opt for shouldn’t have won anything before.
Bout Outcome – This is only reserved for dedicated fans. The bettor needs to make a precise prediction of how the match will end.
Longest ring time – You will need to pick which fighter will stay the longest time inside the ring.
Most Eliminations Made – You’ll need to pick a wrestler who will eliminate the most opponents.
The Writer Of The Script Is The Ultimate Judge
Fans of WWE should never forget that no matter how much they think they know about wrestling, there’s one person who knows better. And that’s the writer of the show. Before wagering on WWE, catch up with previous seasons to learn more about the writer’s patterns, so it can be easier for you to predict the outcome.
Goldberg, appearing on The Bump this morning, issued a warning to Universal champion Roman Reigns and told him he’s coming to get him.
Asked if there is some unfinished business between him and Roman after he appeared in the ThunderDome last month as a virtual fan watching Reigns vs Strowman, Goldberg said that it’s one of “the most mild understatements” that he’s ever heard.
“He backed out on me at WrestleMania. He stole my move God knows how long ago and he continues to perform it at sub-par level. Let’s be perfectly honest, I’m the dude who delivers the spears and I don’t think he understands what it’s like until I deliver one to him,” Goldberg said. “So Roman, it’s coming and I’m coming for you. I may be old and I may be grey, but I’m still Goldberg!”
Goldberg was supposed to take on Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36 but Reigns pulled out of the match a few days before, leaving WWE scrambling to find a new main event. Eventually, Braun Strowman was picked for the spot and Goldberg lost the Universal title in the match.
The former Universal and World Heavyweight champion was on The Bump to promote his upcoming WWE Untold documentary about the streak which debuts this Sunday on the WWE Network.
Goldberg’s undefeated streak started in 1997 after former WCW commentator Mike Tenay came up with the idea. It would have been interesting to find out what would have been the odds of Goldberg going 173-0 back then but betting on wrestling had not started yet, unlike other major sports such as horse betting which is available at https://www.horsebetting.com/us/.
Hugh Morrus was Goldberg’s first “victim” on WCW Nitro on September 22, 1997 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Goldberg went through the whole WCW roster many times over to reach the 173-0 record and wrestled on pay-per-views, Nitro, Thunder, Saturday Night, and non-televised live events.
Notable names who Goldberg went through include The Barbarian, Bobby Eaton, Steve McMichael, Meng, Fit Finlay, Jerry Flynn, Perry Saturn, Raven, Glacier, Scott Hall, Hulk Hogan, Curt Hennig, Sting, The Giant, Diamond Dallas Page, and many, many others. Stars such as Curt Hennig, The Giant, Hugh Morrus, Saturn, Flynn did the job multiple times to Goldberg both on television and at live events.
The streak came to a screeching halt at Starrcade 1998 after Kevin Nash beat him for the WCW title, coincidentally enough on his birthday. Goldberg said on The Bump that he’s all good with what happened despite everything. “It needed to be done, but dammit, did it need to happen on my birthday,” Goldberg joked.
Goldberg also added that Nash was “the perfect guy” to do it at the time and with the streak concept losing momentum, it was the best time to pull the trigger.
WWE is offering the WWE Network for just 99 cents for new subscribers in a new offer.
This limited-time offer is only available for the first month of your subscription. And if you’re living anywhere else except the United States, well, it’s not good for you as it’s limited to those with a U.S. address.
Upgrading your subscription for 99 cents will give you the full catalog of the Network and you can cancel anytime without obligation. You can watch on gaming consoles, smart TVs, Android, iOS, and many other TV-connected devices.
Subscribing today will get you the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view as part of the deal. Go to WWENetwork.com for more information.
AEW will present another loaded episode of Dynamite tonight, headlined by two big interviews, one with Kenny Omega and Don Callis, and one with AEW’s newest recruit, Sting.
Matches announced are Orange Cassidy vs MJF for the Dynamite Diamond ring, The Dark Order’s 10 vs Dustin Rhodes, The Young Bucks vs Jack Evans and Angelico, Brian Pillman Jr and Griff Garrison vs FTR, The Butcher and The Blade and Eddie Kingston vs Lance Archer and The Lucha Bros, and Abadon will also be in action.
Plus, NBA legend Shaq will address the AEW fans and The Inner Circle will decide to either remain as a group or disband once and for all.
AEW went old school with a “paid ad” segment on Impact Wrestling, showing Tony Schiavone and AEW President Tony Khan.
“Hey Impact Wrestling, it’s great to be here tonight via this paid ad,” Khan said. “I understand that the brand new AEW World champion Kenny Omega is going to be on this show tonight so I thought I would join him.”
Khan said that if he wanted to stop the appearance he could have by filing an injunction and claiming breach of contract but instead he thought he would “fund the show” via this ad and help promote AEW to Impact’s audience.
The AEW President then invited Impact VP Don Callis to join Omega on AEW Dynamite tonight and then he and Schiavone ran down the card for the show, which was taped last week.
Monday Night Raw drew an average of 1,736,000 viewers this week, down 5,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast.
Hour one started with 1,852,000 viewers and was then followed by 1,775,000 viewers in the second hour, before dropping to 1,583,000 viewers in the third and final hour. The show lost over a quarter of a million viewers from the first to the third hour.
Raw placed #4, #5, and #7 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic with 0.55, 0.52, and 0.47 ratings respectively. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
As advertised, Kenny Omega appeared on Impact Wrestling on AXS TV last night and had a sit-down interview along with Don Callis in his new private tour bus. The interview was conducted by Josh Mathews.
Impact actually started with a recap of what happened last Wednesday on Dynamite and then showed the bus arriving at the Skyway Studios parking lot.
Omega and Callis did not reveal much in the interview apart from sharing their long history together and Omega said he would make a “major announcement” on tonight’s episode of Dynamite. Callis is also expected on the show as he was invited by AEW President Tony Khan during a “paid ad” segment on the show.
Omega’s name is now proudly displayed on the AEW World title with the nameplate being changed on the bus at the start of the interview.
AEW World champion Kenny Omega will be making an appearance on tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling on AXS TV to continue the angle which started last week on Dynamite.
With Impact having filmed all episodes for the rest of the year already, it’s unclear how Omega will be used on tonight’s broadcast. Impact EVP Don Callis explained last Wednesday as they were fleeing Daily’s Place that the duo would discuss their actions on Impact so Omega’s appearance might come in the form of an added video rather than an in-ring promo.
There are some unconfirmed rumors that other AEW personalities will be making an appearance on Impact in relation to the same angle.
Regardless of what happens and in what form the angle will take place, tonight’s episode of Impact is probably the most anticipated one in several years.
Appearing on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast, fellow former Backstage panelist CM Punk listed what it would take for him to return to either WWE or AEW in the future.
Asked by Renee the most common question that Punk gets, the former WWE champion was blunt. “It would take above all an interesting scenario…a story that would be fun to tell,” he said. “Also, just the stupidest amount of money!”
Punk said that either WWE or AEW could save a lot of money if they instead presented a good storyline to be involved in which would make it fun for him to go back to. He admitted he has no idea what that storyline would be and he tends to be pretty picky lately.
He mentioned that he thinks there are more “interesting” people in AEW to wrestle since he didn’t not wrestle them before but doesn’t know who he would take on if he goes back to WWE, saying that right now there’s no one interesting enough to pull him back.
Punk said that while he feels like a “shit bag” for saying he wants a ton of money, he feels that there’s a lot of baggage to clear from WWE’s side.
“There’s stuff that’s gotta be worked through. So I don’t know how you get there. I really don’t,” he said.
WWE will be holding this year’s Slammy Awards on December 23 at 10AM ET on the WWE Network and digital media platforms.
Fans will be able to vote on five different categories while five additional categories are not eligible for fan voting.
Those categories which fans can vote for include Superstar of the Year, Match of the Year, Rivalry of the Year, Tag Team of the Year, and Return of the Year. Not eligible for voting are Ring Gear of the Year, Breakout Star of the Year, Female Superstar of the Year, Male Superstar of the Year, and Moment of the Year.
Nominees for Superstar of the Year are Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Braun Strowman, The Fiend, Asuka, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Charlotte Flair.
Match of the Year nominees are The Undertaker vs AJ Styles (Boneyard Match at WrestleMania 36), New Day vs The Hurt Business (RAW on November 16), Edge vs Randy Orton (Backlash), Men’s Royal Rumble, AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan (Friday Night SmackDown on June 12), Roman Reigns vs Jey Uso (I Quit Match at Hell in a Cell), Sasha Banks vs Bayley (Hell in a Cell), AJ Styles vs Jeff Hardy vs Sami Zayn (Ladder match at Clash of Champions), Drew McIntyre vs Roman Reigns (Survivor Series), and Becky Lynch vs Asuka (Royal Rumble).
Rivalry of the Year nominees are Seth Rollins vs. The Mysterios, Drew McIntyre vs Randy Orton, Edge vs Randy Orton, Sasha Banks vs Bayley, R-Truth vs The World, Lana vs Announcer’s Tables.
Nominees for Tag Team of the Year are Bayley and Sasha Banks, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler, The New Day, The Street Profits, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura.
Return of the Year nominees are Edge, Roman Reigns, MVP, Bill Goldberg, and Sami Zayn.
Episode 12 of season two of Miz & Mrs, titled Dirt Sheet Duo Rides Again, did 503,000 viewers on Thursday, up 123,000 viewers from the previous episode. The show placed #47 on the top 50 cable chart with a 0.14 rating in the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
If you like to play baccarat online on your mobile phone, you can continue to do this, but get ready for a very different gaming experience soon. The rules of the games will not change, but you will get a new experience due to new mobile development trends. Companies that develop mobile applications keep up with new trends, and this directly affects all the applications they develop. This also applies to mobile casino gaming, and some of the changes are effective enough to change your gaming habits forever. Below, we talk about new trends in mobile development and how they affect mobile casino gaming.
5G Technology
You’ve probably heard of 5G technology before: this technology enables download speeds of up to 1 Gbps on smartphones. This means that much more complex applications can now run on phones easily. Most VR (virtual reality) apps, for example, require some calculations to be done in the cloud, and with current connection speeds, this is a time-consuming process. However, with 5G technology, even the most complex calculations will happen so fast that the user will not feel any difference.
Mobile apps and hence mobile casino games, can now contain much more advanced graphics and still won’t lose their instant-play feature. Likewise, you will see that innovative technologies such as VR and AR (augmented reality) are used more frequently. Point the camera wherever you want and place your cards on a real-world table: AR technology can let you do this easily.
Say Hello to AI
According to a study conducted in 2019, there is a 270% increase in the number of companies using AI in their applications. Don’t worry, this AI isn’t trying to take over the world. On the contrary, it enables the development of better applications by analyzing user data and habits. Using AI, it is possible to optimize any application according to user requests. AI analyzes massive amounts of data in seconds, enabling developers to create a roadmap. In addition, by showing which features are liked, it makes it possible to shape the development process completely according to user feedback.
This also applies to mobile casino games. For example, bonuses that no one uses in mobile slot games can be easily detected, and these will no longer be a part of the development process. Instead, you’ll be able to get special bonuses for the bets you use most often, and AI will decide what those will be, analyzing your gameplay habits. In other words, every player will be able to get a personalized online gambling experience. In fact, every player can even see a personalized interface: if you are using the “auto-spin” feature constantly, you can see its button a little bigger, for example.
Cloud Computing Will Be the New King
The size of the mobile apps will shrink, and you won’t even need to download most of them: you will be able to launch the app as soon as you tap the “Play” button. One of the things that makes this possible is the 5G technology we mentioned above. However, the main reason is that there has been a transition to a development type where complex calculations are made on the cloud. The applications you see on mobile screens are actually just an interface: they can work without having to install anything on your phone. For example, when you press the “spin” button while playing mobile slots, the calculations made on the cloud decide what the result will be, and you just see this result on the screen: your phone is not doing any of these calculations.
Mobile apps are now just a “shell,” and all the code they use is stored in the cloud. This is more important than you think because it means we can now get rid of operating system restrictions and do not have to replace our mobile phones every year. We will get rid of operating system restrictions because applications will actually run in the cloud, meaning you will be using an online service, and it will run no matter what operating system you are using. Hardware power will not matter because every application will work like some kind of streaming service: since all calculations are done off-device, you will be able to see great graphics and run demanding applications even with a cheap phone. Therefore, mobile game developers will no longer have to develop a game for a specific platform or test the game on different hardware and be able to act much more creatively.
Jon Alba from Spectrum Sports 360 in Florida published the first photos from inside the Tropicana Field sent to him by a source showing a look at the construction of the WWE ThunderDome inside the MLB stadium.
Construction on the J-shaped structure which will hold the ThunderDome video boards is already up and so are parts of the overhead rig. From the way construction is looking, it doesn’t seem that WWE is planning for any seats for fans at the time being.
The seats are also being tarped off and while the Tropicana Field is a big stadium compared to what WWE typically films in, the company is only using a section of it and some camera magic will make it feel like they’re inside a normal-sized arena on television. Huge black curtains will help cover the rest of the angles.
You can check out the photos below.
A source inside Tropicana Field just passed this along: your first look at the new #WWE ThunderDome at the home of the #Rays. First show there will be this Friday, final Orlando show at Amway Center is tonight with #RAW. @MyNews13@BN9pic.twitter.com/GEL5HmOWou
Here is another view of the new #WWE ThunderDome setup at Tropicana Field, per a source. I've praised on @theLTGpodcast how good the set looks at Amway, and I imagine it will look similar here. @BN9@MyNews13pic.twitter.com/6O3950ol6V
Tony Schiavone will be a busy man tomorrow as a part from an interview with Sting, he will also be interviewing NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.
Shaq’s involvement on Wednesday’s show was announced by AEW in a tweet which says Shaq will address AEW with Schiavone. Tomorrow’s episode has already been taped.
It was newcomer Jade Cargill who mentioned Shaq a few weeks ago on Dynamite after she interrupted Cody Rhodes and looks like she will be associated with him on AEW television.
Shaq made his intentions known of wanting to be in an AEW match several months ago during his contract negotiations with WarnerMedia and specifically asked for a Cody match.
He is a huge wrestling fan and made appearances in both WCW and WWE.
WWE said goodbye to the Amway Center yesterday with last night’s Raw being the final show inside the arena for the foreseeable future.
WWE started their residency at the Orlando location on August 21 with Smackdown following months of taping inside the Performance Center. Moving to the Amway allowed WWE to take full advantage of a regular-sized arena, introducing the ThunderDome concept. WWE has taped every Raw, Smackdown, and pay-per-view inside the Amway Center since then.
But with the NBA starting again this month, WWE had to pack up and leave and starting this Friday, the company starts their residency inside the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, and will have their “next iteration” of the ThunderDome inside the baseball field. With the next MLB season starting in April, that means that WWE can use the stadium until then.
Tropicana Field is a massive location compared to the Amway Center and will allow for fans to be seated socially distanced if WWE goes down that route.
Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins welcomed their first child, named Roux. The gender of the baby was not actually announced, although the name is usually associated with a boy.
Lynch posted a photo holding hands with Rollins and the baby on social media, writing, “Welcome to the world Roux. You are the love of our lives. #andnew”
Becky announced her pregnancy the day after Money In The Bank in May and surrendered the Raw Women’s title to Asuka on Raw after she won the MITB ladder match. She has not appeared on WWE television ever since.
Seth Rollins last appeared at the Survivor Series and is expected to be off TV for several weeks as he adjusts to fatherhood.
Triple H revealed that The Undertaker is considering getting involved with NXT and the WWE Performance Center, following the footsteps of Shawn Michaels.
In his post-Takeover press conference, Triple H said that the two have talked about it and Taker is looking at the next phase of his life and “it involves being here.” He said that when Superstars such as The Undertaker come to the PC to work with up-and-coming WWE Superstars, they all come with a different perspective and a fresh take, adding that he himself learns from Taker every time he is around him.
Triple H continued saying that he’s letting Taker enjoy his retirement for now and while they talked a few days ago regarding the subject, once the holidays are over and 2021 kicks in, they will dive deeper in the possibility of The Undertaker being there.
“I just can’t stress enough how impactful that will be to everybody,” Triple H said.
In his many interviews, The Undertaker stressed that he would be wrestling forever if his body let him do it because he loves the business that much. While not wrestling, being around and helping in running the PC and NXT would be the next best thing to keep being involved in professional wrestling and help build the future of the industry.
NXT will start 2021 with a themed episode on USA Network titled New Year’s Evil.
Set to air on Wednesday, January 6, this will be the first NXT episode of the new year and as history suggests, themed episodes fare better when it comes to viewers in television ratings.
The last themed episode of NXT was in October for Halloween Havoc which was a big hit with fans. The first episode of NXT of 2020 had the NXT Year-End Awards with no matches at all so this is obviously a change in direction.
All Elite Wrestling will also have a themed episode in January titled Beach Break but no date has been announced yet.
