31/1/2018

JB to WWE:

Jeremy Borash will work for NXT and at the PC when he starts working for WWE. Impact are furious and are having to rework their stories going forward. Josh Mathews was set to give up his announcing duties to align himself with Evan Bourne. He was to be replaced by Borash on the comms desk in the coming weeks, that cannot now happen.

Mixed Match:

Mandy Rose will take Alicia Fox's spot on Mixed Match challenge.

Rousey's secret prep:

Ronda Rousey has been secretly training at the WWE PC at night. Natalya, Charlotte and Becky Lynch have all played a part in her ring training as she prepares to debut at WrestleMania.

Her old boss at UFC says he does not expect her to ever set foot in the octagon again, but heartily wished her well for her new career.

Fastlane:

Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn will decide AJ Styles Fastlane opponent next week.

205 Live:

Drake Maverick, formerly known as Rockstar Spud is the 205 Live GM. His first task saw him announce a 16 man tournament to crown a new champion for the show, which will culminate at WrestleMania.

Tyler Bate has joined the show as part of the competition and Roderick Strong will follow him onto the brand next week with a match against Hideo Itami (Which I am marking out for) booked for his debut.

Taker's first comment:

WWE have released a VT of Undertaker's first comments since seeming to retire at Mania last year, which they got from him right after he made it through the curtain after the bout...

"It's kind of surreal, I guess, right now. 30-plus years of my life, but right now I'm pretty content riding off into the sunset. We'll see what tomorrow brings."

Heat still burns:

X-Pac has revealed Ric Flair told him he is still angry with him at Raw last week, over an incident during their time in WCW...

"When I was in WCW I was definitely like … kind of cutthroat, a little bit. Just kind of like, just like the way I was with Flair. Flair's still hot at me for slapping him. He came in the ring after the RAW thing and he mentioned twice about me slapping him. We had a segment on Nitro after our big six-man and you know, he's a much better talker than me... when we were kind of squared off, Mean Gene was holding the mic, so I kind of bowed up to him and we were on live TV, and when he shoved me like he wasn't supposed to shove me, he wasn't supposed to put his hands on me, and when he did, I smacked the s--t out of him. One nice good one, then he kind of chased me around a little bit and I just kind of just danced around him. '97, '96 something like that. At RAW 25, Flair was putting me over too, but he still had to bring up the 'hey you slapped me back in the day' and then once again he said it twice in the ring. Ya the mic ya ya, and I was disrespectful, but honestly at the time, that's what I had to do. I had to be that way. If I wasn't that way I would not have gotten where I was in that company at that time, it's just how it was. They try to hold you down and you try to put them out of their misery."

SummerSlam tickets on sale:

Travel packages for this years Slam have gone on sale today. General tickets go on sale on Friday.

WWE star has surgery:

Epico has had a shoulder injury operated on. No word on when he was hurt, or how long he will be out.

Brothers of election:

Undertaker will support Kane on the political trail on March 1st.

Why Otunga retired:

As the split between David Otunga and Jennifer Hudson gets nastier, the WWE man has revealed she made him stop wrestling. She has decided to contest the residency of their child, citing him being unemployed as the reason. She says he doesn't work and therefore can't support their child. He shot back via his legal team that it was her that demanded he gave up his in ring career and left him no choice but to move into his current role as a part of the announce team.

WrestleMania 35:

WWE are finalising the venue of next years Mania, and it seems New York have won out. The event was last in the area 5 years ago.

NXT tribute:

Zelina Vega has revealed she wore all red at Royal Rumble to pay tribute to her hero, Lita.

30/1/2018

WWE defend female Rumble:

WWE insiders have come out in defense of criticism over the women's Royal Rumble match. Some say, what was billed as a huge step forward for women's wrestling turned into a nostalgia trip, due to almost half of the entrants returning as surprises. WWE say they wanted the first edition of what may become a regular annual event to not only make history and raise the profile of the current women on the roster, but to acknowledge and celebrate the work done by those that went before, in getting the division to where it is now.

While I agree, I made the same point about the nostalgic feel of the match on the night, not one of the guest entrants disgraced themselves, all looked like they could re-sign tomorrow and have another run, EXCUSE ME!!!, even Vickie Guerrero was on top form. They do need a deeper roster of female talent to choose from if they want to continue with the event in future though. IMO.

Elimination Chamber:

Braun Strowman, Elias and John Cena have earned spots in the chamber match, with the winner to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. WWE have also confirmed the first female match will see Alexa Bliss defend her gold in the structure.

Alum vs WWE:

Tazz was not happy with the Royal Rumble. He didn't just join the chorus of criticism over the female legends, but went after the use of NXT talent and Ronda Rousey too...

"Let's worry about the current talent, WWE. That's what we need to get over. Not the men and women that are from the past. That's something I have a problem with, and I have a problem with doing what you're doing to your two champions from NXT. They come off as small, and they come off as not being utilized the right way, and it hurts. It hurts them. It hurts them badly when that happens. And Rousey, It kind of takes the spotlight away from Asuka's victory, but what did she win? I mean, you're pointing, Ronda Rousey, I know how tough you are, but what did she earn? She didn't beat anyone, she didn't fight anybody here. I don't get it."

WWE anger own talent:

WWE made a list of the most important moments from the Royal Rumble PPV, listing Ronda Rousey's appearance as number 1. This has offended many people, notably three of the women that competed in the Rumble match, who have openly criticised WWE for demeaning what they had just achieved...

Nia Jax...

''Cool she’s here....I guess 30 women making history can just be forgotten''

Nikki Bella...

''Wonder what all the 30 other women candid thoughts were too?''

Sasha Banks...

"I have nothing nice to say so I can't say anything at all. I have nothing to say about it."

These comments followed Triple H gushing over Rousey in mainstream media interviews, where he declared the whole women's division excited to warmly greet the former MMA star into the family.

Hall Of Fame:

O, my brother... testify! Dudley Boyz have been officially confirmed for this years HOF class...

Batista vs Fans:

Batista has criticised fans as unfocused over their chants for CM Punk...

"I love Punk. I've always gotten along with Punk and I had to hear from people that he left because I came back. Where the hell did that come from? And I've said, I wasn't crazy about the way he left because that's not the way we did business. We just don't do that, especially when you've got guys… and Brock did it way back in the day as well. You've got a million guys lined up to put this guy over and then he just leaves! Just leaves, doesn't give anything back, doesn't build any stars to fill those spots, and that's the way we do business. That's the way we've always done business. And I just can't respect when people lose sight of that. And again, it's not a knock on Punk because I think very highly of him. I just don't agree with the way he left. And the fans, definitely, with that kind of stuff, when he's not there, and people are still chanting his name, it just confuses me. And I get that they don't have that same type of insight, but at the same time, I just can't relate."

He also thanked Steve Austin for giving him tough, but helpful advice when he left...

"I was actually passing up a lot of lead roles in straight-to-DVD stuff, and that was kind of advice Austin had given me like way back before he left, when he knew what I wanted to do and I was talking to him about it. And he said, 'man, you're going to be offered these roles and if you start taking a lot of them, you're going to get stuck in that rut.' And he said, 'don't get stuck in that rut.' So I was very aware of that, so I passed up on a lot of those roles, even though it was hard and they would've paid for some bills and I needed the money at the time, but I wanted to be an actor and I wanted to be in good films."

Promotion nixed:

The US title challenger changed three times at Rumble. The original plan was for Dolph to come back and reclaim his gold, then NXT's Adam Cole was given the shot, but Mojo Rawley ultimately got the pre show nod, the other two guys went into the Rumble match.

Raw:

WWE have unveiled a new logo for Raw, a new theme song will follow... this is set to be that song...

Heat on Hulk:

Hulk Hogan got heat on Twitter for a tweet saying he wished he could have thrown all of the girls over the top at Royal Rumble.

WWE sign top Impact star:

Jeremy Borash has quit Impact and signed for WWE. He was in town with the promotion over the weekend, he claimed visiting friends, but announced he will not return to Impact today. He had been there since 2002.

SmackDown tease:

• The Road to WrestleMania kicks off for Styles & Nakamura
• Who will be next in line for a United States Championship opportunity?
• What's next for The Usos?
• How will Ronda Rousey's arrival affect the women of Team Blue?

Rumble>Grammy's:

Rapper Desiigner turned down an invite to the annual music awards show to go to the WWE PPV on Sunday.

New job for Mark:

Mark Henry has joined the presenting team of Busted Open radio.

Paige blamed for own demise:

Missy Hyatt says Paige has to blame herself for the end of her career...

"Overall, I think she had an opportunity to do something and to have a really, really great run, and I think she spoiled it. I think it's sad, because she could have had a really great run, and make a lot of money and probably never have to work again... I heard WWE didn't want her to have the neck surgery, but she pressed for the neck surgery, and they're like, you're too young to have the neck surgery."

She also blasted female talent, including Paige, Charlotte and Maria for having explicit images leaked online.

Stop doing that:

Mick Foley has urged Sasha Banks not to dive through the ropes again, after she almost hurt herself on Raw last night...

''I really don’t want to see Sasha try that dive again. Too many close calls. Time to take that item off the menu. It’s not something I wanted to say but man, if I don’t speak up, I don’t sleep tonight.''

205:

The new GM for 205 Live will be named tonight. Strong speculation has Rockstar Spud, on his 35th birthday, getting the role, but this is WWE, anything could happen.

New format:

Daniel Bryan says all blue brand stars will have a vote on future angles and title matches. He will ask the talent to vote on a series of categories, such as overall talent, locker room leadership and athletic skill. He and Shane would then take into account the 10 stars with most votes for the big angles and title matches going forward.

Rey>Ronda:

WWE are said to be looking seriously at Rey Mysterio's status after the social media reaction to his return. His return video and backstage interview has garnered more than three times the views Ronda Rousey's VT's have received on YouTube.

29/1/2018

Royal Rumble:

The first big 4 event of the year is in the books...

Results...

1. Kalisto, Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado bt Gentleman Jack Gallagher, Drew Gulak & TJ Perkins (Pre)
2. The Revival bt The Club (Pre)
3. Bobby Roode bt Mojo Rawley (Pre)
4. AJ Styles bt Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn.
5. Uso's bt Shelton & Gable (2-0).
6. Shinsuke Nakamura won the male Royal Rumble.
7. BAR bt Rollins & Jordan to win the red Tag.
8. Brock Lesnar bt Kane and Braun Strowman.
9. Asuka won the female Royal Rumble.

Order of entry (Male)

1. Rusev
2. Finn Balor
3. Rhyno
4. Baron Corbin
5. Heath Slater
6. Elias
7. Andrade Cien Almas
8. Bray Wyatt
9. Big E
10. Sami Zayn
11. Sheamus
12. Xavier Woods
13. Apollo Crews
14. Shinsuke Nakamura
15. Cesaro
16. Kofi Kingston
17. Jinder Mahal
18. Seth Rollins
19. Matt Hardy
20. John Cena
21. The Hurricane
22. Aiden English
23. Adam Cole
24. Randy Orton
25. Titus O'Neil
26. The Miz
27. Rey Mysterio
28. Roman Reigns
29. Goldust
30. Dolph Ziggler

Order of entry (Female)

1. Sasha Banks
2. Becky Lynch
3. Sarah Logan
4. Mandy Rose
5. Lita
6. Kairi Sane
7. Tamina Snuka
8. Dana Brooke
9. Torrie Wilson
10. Sonya Deville
11. Liv Morgan
12. Molly Holly
13. Lana
14. Michelle McCool
15. Ruby Riott
16. Vickie Guerrero
17. Carmella
18. Natalya
19. Kelly Kelly
20. Naomi
21. Jacqueline
22. Nia Jax
23. Ember Moon
24. Beth Phoenix
25. Asuka
26. Mickie James
27. Nikki Bella
28. Brie Bella
29. Bayley
30. Trish Stratus

Notes...

• Dolph Ziggler was meant to challenge Bobby Roode for the US title in the pre show, but plans changed on the day.
• Sami Zayn stole the spot of Tye Dillinger after attacking him backstage.
• Rey Mysterio's appearance was put together in the days before the show, and was a one shot deal.
• Sheamus is now the fastest eliminated star in history. Heath put him out in 0.8 seconds on the Irishman's 40th birthday.
• Jason Jordan did not wrestle in the red Tag title match, they did a silly injury angle where he stayed outside the ring for the whole match. He was legit injured going in to the event.
• Brock and Braun shot on each other during their match, Braun tagged Brock with a hard knee and Lesnar replied with a stiff punch, they were heard arguing after both incidents.
• NXT MYC winner Kairi Sane was a last minute replacement for Alicia Fox, who was injured (Broken tailbone) during a run through of the female Rumble earlier in the day.
• Layla was at the rehearsal, but did not compete.
• The women main evented a big 4 event for the first time.
• NXT champions wrestled on a big 4 show for the first time, with both the male and female champions entering their respective Rumbles.
• Ronda Rousey debuted at the end of the PPV.
• The Undertaker, Pat Patterson, Nikolai Volkoff and Paige were backstage.

WrestleMania 34:

Shinsuke Nakamura picked AJ Styles as his opponent for WrestleMania after winning the Rumble last night. Asuka has yet to decide her opponent.

Ronda Rousey:

Ronda Rousey has signed a full time, multi year deal with WWE. She revealed Colt, son of Rowdy Roddy Piper, flew to the Royal Rumble to loan her his iconic father's ring jacket, which she wore as she debuted. She will wrestle at Mania. The current plan is to hold the mixed tag match that was teased a couple of years ago, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon will be the opponents, but WWE are not sure they will be able to get the Rock to be her partner, due to movie commitments.

Raw tease:

• Will Raw get "Rowdy"?
• Can The Miz carry the Intercontinental Title all the way to WrestleMania?
• How will Seth Rollins respond to last night's defeat?
• What havoc will Braun Strowman wreak?

Alum returns tonight:

Jonathan Coachman has signed a new WWE deal and will return to TV tonight as part of the Raw announce team. He is replacing Booker T.

Hall Of Fame:

Dudley Boyz will be confirmed for the WWE HOF tonight on Raw. Mark Henry is rumoured to be this years lead inductee.

Brian Pillman:

Brian Pillman's book is now available through Amazon.

28/1/2018

It's the most wonderful night of the year...

NXT:

WWE held their first NXT special of the year last night...

Results...

1. Undisputed Era bt Authors Of Pain.
2. Velveteen Dream bt Kassius Ohno.
3. Ember Moon bt Shayna Baszler.
4. Aleister Black bt Adam Cole.
5. Andrade Cien Almas bt Johnny Gargano.

Notes...

• War Machine, Maria Menounos, ECIII and Ricochet were sitting in the crowd.
• Candice LeRae accompanied Johnny Gargano to the ring for his main event title shot.
• Tommaso Ciampa returned.
• Awards were presented for the best stars of 2017.
• Nigel McGuiness missed the event. He was ill.

Return confirmed:

WWE have confirmed they have re-signed Ethan Carter III, formerly known as Derrick Bateman, during his last WWE run. He will keep his Impact name, and will be a part of NXT.

The announcement, coming as it has, before the Rumble, likely means he will not be in tonight's Royal Rumble match.

Goldberg talks not expecting HOF:

"Hell no! I mean, let's be perfectly, honest, man. Booker asked it. Booker could've answered it, yeah, I think it's a shock to a lot of people, but I think by Brock making them bring me back and by them giving me the opportunity, I maybe showed a little bit of something worthy of an accolade of some sort. I don't know, man!"

He also says his inductor is confirmed, but did not name them.

NJPW:

Cody Rhodes turned on Kenny Omega last night at the special in Japan. Omega lost his US title, one of a number of title changes at the event.

WWE Doctor recalls Jerry Lawler's heart attack:

The man that saved the King's life, former WWE medic Michael Sampson, has recalled that emotional night...

"Quite honestly, you are always prepared for that, but I would have never thought I would be taking care of a cardiac issue on WWE. We were just sitting there watching the match. Actually, Michael Cole was motioning to Justin (Roberts) and myself, who I was sitting from five feet from Jerry, because I was watching the match because you don't really look at the commentators because hopefully nothing is going to happen to them. Justin Roberts tapped me and said, Doc, look at Jerry. Jerry Lawler's face was planted on the desk. Everybody knows Jerry, he is a comedian, we thought he was snoring or thinking it was a boring match. I started talking to him and he wasn't responding, so one of the big things that you do for anybody that is comatose is that you do a sternal rub, and if you do a sternal rub, it hurts just doing it on yourself let alone how hard I was doing it to get him to respond and when he wasn't responding I knew something was going on so that was when we went into action."

He also revealed fearing for his safety after stopping a Ryback match, due to the anger of the Alum and having an unrepairable relationship with an un-named female star after stopping a match on TV once, she never forgave him.

Lashley to WWE:

Bobby Lashley's return to WWE is imminent, possibly as soon as tonight. Brock Lesnar is to be asked to stick around after Mania for a run vs the former Impact champion. Question is, will Brock see the angle as a tasty enough lure to keep him from returning to MMA?

Alum snubbed:

RVD says he was not invited to Raw 25.

Royal Rumble SPOILERS!!!:

Kelly Kelly and the Bella Twins have been spotted at the WWE hotel, and are expected to be among the 12 surprises in the female Rumble tonight.

Alum offers to Rumble:

Tommy Dreamer says he is a phone call away from taking part at tonight's Royal Rumble...

"I will do anything for any wrestling company. I just went to Impact because Scott D'Amore and Don Callis called me up and said Sonjay Dutt is hurt. He can't fly, and I need your help. That's all he had to say. We didn't even talk money, we didn't talk anything. He was a friend that needed help. I said cool, just give me a plane ticket. We discussed everything after. Same thing for WWE. If WWE ever needs my help, I'll help them out. They've had so many guys from House of Hardcore. If they think it will be a great surprise for Philadelphia, then I'll be there. If not, then I'll be very, very happy just being me."

Gail Kim does not feel the same, she adamantly ruled herself out on Twitter.

New baby:

Karl Anderson has announced his wife is expecting.

27/1/2018

Never Forget...

More history coming:

The venue of this years Elimination Chamber, a Raw special, has teased the first female Elimination Chamber match will take place at this years event. This is not yet confirmed by WWE.

Next Vince:

Jim Ross says he believes Triple H will be the man that takes over the running of WWE after Vince stops, rather than one of his children...

"I have an opinion on where the company will go. I will say this — you know, Vince is very healthy. He still works out like a crazy man. He really takes care of himself. So, he ain't going anywhere soon. We don't want him to go anywhere soon. He's the rock that built that thing. He's the rudder in the water. It's an amazing company. I think that, if I'm guessing, and it's gonna strictly be a guess — that the money would be on, probably, Paul Levesque to be Vince's successor. I think Vince is kind of preparing him for that in a lot of ways. You always knew that he was different from the other guys because he was very studious, and very – under control. He didn't drink. No drugs. He looked to be a lifer early on, and he got a lot of that from being a fan all his life growing up in the northeast — New Hampshire. Then, getting trained by Killer Kowalski who was a great, old-school guy. So, I think he's probably the heir apparent. Stephanie is very involved and, you know, is really more of a face of WWE. She does a lot of charity work. And she's great at that. And you've got to have that in the world. I think Shane seems to be, apparently, content with being a TV character. I don't know where his role's gonna be going forward or what he wants it to be. But, I think that Paul Levesque is the one that seems to be earmarked to be the next guy, if and when Vince is not in that role."

NJPW:

Minoru Suzuki won the IC title last night in Sapporo.

Enzo getting Benoited:

WWE have removed Enzo Amore's image from their production trucks.

NXT special:

The pre Royal Rumble NXT special is happening tonight. All NXT titles are on the line.

Old boy worries about Rumble:

Brother Love says he is concerned this years event will not work...

"Having two Rumbles in one show concerns me a little bit because those are two long matches and they're the same type of match. It's kind of like having a night of cage matches or a night of the same gimmick matches. It can wear on you after a while, but I'm confident that they'll be able to make it different enough that people will enjoy it and pretty much be into everything that they do."

Rousey Rumbler?:

Ronda Rousey is posting pictures of herself in Colombia, she says that means she can't be in the Rumble match, but it is only a five hour flight to Philadelphia.

Another Alum rules herself out of Rumble:

Kaitlyn says WWE have not asked her to be in the Rumble match this weekend...

"I haven't got a call or anything. As far I know I'm not going to be there. But they've been known to call you 2 days before and that's what happened to me when I debuted on NXT. They called me on a Friday and told me I was going to debut on a Tuesday. So anything is possible in the world of professional wrestling."

Vince accused:

After the Benoiting of Enzo Amore over his rape accusation an online publication have re-reported an 11 year old accusation against Vince McMahon. An employee of a tanning store claims Vince showed her explicit and nude images of himself on his phone, followed her into a room, kissed and groped her, then waited outside her shop for her to get off work and followed her in his car. She ran into a pizzeria to ask for help, but the manager refused to call police. The woman later made a report herself but they could only find one witness, who shot down the ladies story and gushed over the gentleman (Vince).

Legends in town for Rumble:

Undertaker, Michelle McCool, Shawn Michales, Ethan Carter III, Ricochet and Candice LeRae have been spotted in Philadelphia today. There is also a convention in town with many other legends, including Sting, Billy Gunn, Vader and Scott Steiner advertised to appear.

Rockstar Spud also says he is in town.

26/1/2018

Rich Swann:

Rich Swann has been cleared of all charges regarding a domestic violence incident with his wife, Impact star Su Yung. Prosecutors deemed there to be insufficient evidence to prosecute. WWE have not yet commented on what this means for his WWE future.

205 Live GM:

Recently released Summer Rae was considered for the GM role on 205, but has been turned down because she is taller than most of the talent.

Alum wins Impact gold:

Evan Bourne won the Grand title at Genesis last night.

Alum talks Enzo:

X-Pac has shared his views on the Enzo Amore situation...

"Obviously he may or may have not done this, I am hoping it's the may not part... It will play out, the investigation will take its course and either charges will be filed or they won't be. He should have got on top of this instead of stuffing it under the rug. And also quit putting yourself in situations every week of your life where something like this can happen, where you're leaving yourself open for anything to happen."

WWE high:

WWE's stock price is at it's highest ever level after yesterday's XFL announcement.

Coach reveals WWE was part of the reason he quit ESPN:

"They dropped the ball. They could have done so much more. Every single project I'm about to start doing, I pitched to ESPN, and they said no to. It was very frustrating near the end. I said to my boss 'you are so shortsighted on what we need to be doing, that it's incredible to me'. The night before Summerslam 2016, Conor McGregor fought Nate Diaz for the 2nd time. I said to them, 'I will go to Vegas, cover the fight, then fly to New York, cover Summerslam, and put both stories into a package to celebrate the biggest weekend in combat sports'. My boss said, 'can't do it. Nobody's gonna want to watch that. I've already sent 3 cameras to preseason football.' I said you gotta be kidding me. When I was getting ready to leave, I went to his boss and asked if this idea ever came across your desk. He said 'No. We would have absolutely ran with that.'"

Injuries:

Kairi Sane is back in the ring after niggling injuries. Jason Jordan has a bad back, but is still scheduled to compete at the Rumble.

Ban lifted:

Edmonton have revoked their ban on combat sports, which included WWE, implemented after an MMA fighter died in the city.

Top stars fought to keep Goldberg out of HOF:

A former WWE writer has claimed HHH and Shawn Michaels vowed to make sure Goldberg would never be inducted into the HOF. They apparently also said he was a hodge podge wrestler that left no legacy with the company.

Goldberg will be going into the Hall this year, he was announced last week.

Steroid dealer vows to take Roman down:

A steroid dealer that was jailed for using his gym to distribute roids to his celebrity clientele is still adamant he will prove Roman Reigns was one of his customers. He says he has texts from Reigns proving his claim is true, and will release them in due course.

Philly change name for WWE:

Two streets in Philadelphia have been renamed Royal and Rumble for this weekend, to mark the PPV in the city on Sunday.

Heat on King:

Jerry Lawler says he took a bollocking over his headset for saying ''Puppies'' on Raw...

"I didn't ask anybody at all and I told JR right before the commercial break, right before I said it, I said 'Hey, I'm going to say "I'm waiting for the puppies," and I think it would probably be good if you 'd just say "Don't start that," or something, because I really wanted to give JR deniability and protect him in case there was some kind of repercussion. So sure enough, I said 'Hey JR, I'm waiting for puppies," and just like that, there were no girls on the screen. I just said the word 'Puppies,' and JR, of course, he did it just right. He said 'Don't start that.' Then immediately, I heard in my ear, they said 'King, they asked to stay away from the "puppies" comments.' So, that was my one and only time to say 'Puppies,' but at least I did say it."

Royal Rumble:

To replace the now cancelled Cruiserweight match, Bobby Roode will offer an open challenge to his US title on the kick off show. Also on the pre The Revival vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson and Kalisto, Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado vs. TJP, Drew Gulak & Jack Gallagher have been confirmed.

One time WWE wrestler Maria Menounos will be the ring announcer for the women's Rumble match. Jerry Lawler will call the men's. He has just signed a one year deal to stay with WWE.

Roman Reigns has taken a spot in the men's match. He his hot favourite to win it.

Alum rules herself out of Rumble:

Molly Holly says she will not be taking part on Sunday...

"My friends' kids were texting me and they're like, 'I saw on the internet that you're gonna be in the Royal Rumble.' I was like, 'I am?! Oh my gosh! Where does it say this?. So I start looking like, is this like some thing that they just forgot to tell me? So then, I actually called, because I was like, 'Am I gonna be?' So then I called the WWE, and I was like, 'Is this like a thing?' And they were like, 'Oh, fans are predicting who's gonna be in the Rumble.' I was like, 'oh, I'm sorry. I'm like embarrassed.' I'm just a mark who believes everything that's on the Internet. But, for a second, I was like 'Ah crap! I don't have enough time. I need months to prepare!' But then it's not even true, so it was nice enough that the fans cared enough to start a rumor. So, that's cool."

25/1/2018

Raw rewrites:

Raw 25 had to be rewritten on the night of the show because a big name celeb guest was late getting to the show. Jimmy Fallon was going to introduce the legend segments, but could not get to Barclays in time for rehearsals.

XFL:

XFL will return in 2020. Vince McMahon made a statement confirming the relaunch earlier today.

Goldberg reveals WrestleMania injuries:

"Well, being older, how did I feel after?. I think my groin turned black. The back of my right quad turned black. The back of my quad, excuse me. The back of my right leg turned black, I think, two weeks after 'Mania. It didn't happen till then! My body was in shock, I think! But I'll be honest with you, man. I'll be honest. I was ready to go that night and I could've gone. I mean, whatever."

Enzo rape claim:

The accuser of Enzo Amore has confirmed a video of one of her friends showing text messages she sent him on the night she alleges she was raped by the former WWE star is legitimate. However, while confirming she did send the texts, she says her friend has taken them out of context, and stands by her accusation of rape vs Enzo.

She also admits to lying about how long she was in a mental health facility. She now says she spent 20-26 days, not 45 in the care of the specialists.

WrestleMania:

The Miz's monster Mania match is set to be against Braun Strowman for his IC title.

HHH defends Rousey:

"It's funny because I see people say, 'Oh, if she does sign with them that's taking the place of somebody else who's been trying to do this for years.' She's been training for this for a long time. I saw videos of her, I think, four years ago, doing this kind of on the side, when she was fighting. Still kind of doing the sports entertainment thing on the side. She's been thinking about - and been very serious about - doing this for a long period of time. So, that criticism is kind of unfounded, because, man, if she does this - when that time comes - I think she likes it to the point where it's going to be tough for her to not be all in. But we'll see when we get there. I know people think - because she's not fighting or whatever - she has a very busy schedule. So, us sitting down and doing some things is not the fastest process on the planet."

New baby:

Chad Gable has become a second time father to a baby girl.

I won't be there:

Ronda Rousey says she has not signed with WWE and will not be in the Royal Rumble...

"I appreciate everyone's confidence, but I'm actually leaving to Colombia right now to finish shooting Mile 22 and won't be back until mid February. I appreciate you saying that and it's a real honor to hear it."

24/1/2018

Bully thanks ROH:

Bubba Dudley has thanked ROH for allowing him to appear on Raw this week.

Enzo accuser speaks out:

TMZ have released a video interview with the woman that claims she was raped by Enzo Amore. She waived her right to anonymity by allowing them to broadcast this video, which has graphic descriptions of what she alleges happened to her. So be aware...

Enzo released a statement from his attorney denying her accusations, after he was fired by WWE last night over the incident. He was not fired because of the rape claim, but because he had known of the investigation against him since October 23, 4 days after the assault, and did not inform WWE. They found out at the same time as everyone else, when the lady in question posted her accusations on Twitter. She has been named on social media since going public, and has been questioned in her motives, her honesty and her beliveability due to her chequered past. She has also been panned for waiting so long to make a complaint to police. Unfairly as it turns out, she made a complaint from her hospital bed after it happened, police made Enzo aware of the accusations against him a couple of days later, and she then claims she was put into a mental health facility for 45 days because of the trauma she suffered. She has not made clear why she decided to go public the other night.

WWE are clearly angry with their former star, or want to cut all ties with him, or both, because they have deleted him from the website. When a talent leaves the company they are moved to the Alumni roster of the website, unless it is an NXT star that never made it to the full roster. Only Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Snuka have had their profiles deleted before him.

Mainstream media outlets have picked up on the story since WWE fired Enzo.

205 Live:

Daniel Bryan wrote Enzo Amore off WWE TV on 205 last night. He cut a promo via VT saying Amore had decided to abdicate his title reign and to leave the brand and company. He also confirmed a new brand GM will be installed next week and he or she will decide the future of the Cruiserweight title.

Royal Rumble:

Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods, The Miz, Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews (Male) and Alicia Fox (Female) have confirmed themselves for the Royal Rumbles. There are still more than 10 available spots in both matches, with just days to go before the event.

Stephanie McMahon has announced she will be on the comms team for the women's Rumble.

WWE have made a big announcement regarding next years event. It will be held at Chase Field in Phoenix, the first time the over the top special will be hosted in an open air venue. WWE concede this will create challenges...

''Every year, we design something endemic to that particular facility. They are built to fit the stadium that we are going to be in. The same will be true here. It's unlike a concert tour, with 100 semis that pull and put up the same setup. We go into the venue and design the set with the backdrop of that facility. Oftentimes, that set will never be used again."

Injury:

Samir of the Singh brothers tore his ACL on SD last week. He has had surgery to repair the damage. The usual bench time for this injury is 6-9 months.

Miz talks next goal:

"Ultimate Warrior, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Mr. Perfect, Rick Rude -- you name it. Every superstar that was my hero growing up as a kid has held that title. It's a title I always loved as a kid. When I got it for the first time, you're ecstatic, you're happy, but you watch the title become a second-place kind of title. The last time I got it, I literally said I was sick of people looking at this as just a placeholder, as like a whatever title. I want people to understand that when you hold that title, it is prestigious, it is relevant, it has a rich history and that's what I set out to do. I think I've been doing a pretty good job of it, but I'm not done until I'm main-eventing WrestleMania with the Intercontinental championship."

HOF'er backs Hulk:

DDP says it is time to bring Hulk Hogan back...

"To me, at some point Hulk has to come back. I'm hoping that gets seen on the WWE side, because I'm a big Hulk Hogan fan. He was really one of the guys who was instrumental in helping me get up to that spot as the top guy. Because he believed in me, and when I won the World Title that night of the match he was in there: me, Flair, Sting and Hogan. Hulk, he's spent his time. I don't think anybody believes that Hulk - in anyway - has any racist bone in his body. Bottom line is he's a good man and I hope to God he gets to come back."

23/1/2018

Enzo Amore:

Enzo Amore is being investigated by police over rape accusations made online yesterday. A YouTube star accused him and fashion designer Tyler Grosso of attacking her in October, after one of her friends invited her to her house and drugged her, leaving her vulnerable to the assault. Only the friend has made public comment since, and as you would predict vehemently denied her claims, and threatened to make a counter criminal accusation against the accuser. Her posts have since been removed.

Enzo remained suspended by WWE pending the result of the police investigation when I started writing this, but WWE have now confirmed they have decided to release the Cruiserweight champion. If found guilty he would have been fired for breaching the WWE morals clause anyway. It is not known if this was a final straw for WWE, he has been in heat many times during his brief career, or if they have had conformation of his guilt from him, maybe an indication from police that there is enough to charge him with something, or maybe in the current media storm regarding sexual naughtiness, they just thought it would be better to cut their losses. We will have to wait and see what is said in the coming days and weeks.

It should be noted that they did not give him the parting wave of a future endeavour message. They released a single line statement that he had been released.

He was at Raw 25 last night, despite being suspended. He was booked to wrestle Goldust.


**Update**

It is now reported that he has known about this since October 23, 4 days after the alleged assault, but did not tell WWE about the investigation. That is why he has been canned.

Raw 25 upsets:

Fans at the Manhattan Center were less than impressed with their experience last night. There were long periods where nothing was happening for them, this was showcased best by one fan appearing to catch JR and King fast asleep at the comms desk (JR angrily denied this earlier today). Triple H cut a promo popping for the fans after the show went off air, to try to appease the bad taste the fans at the old school venue were left with.

Lita tweeted her upset at not being invited.

I am kind of happy that Lita wasn't there though, I predicted that anyone that went to the Raw birthday show would not be in the Rumble too, it would be one or the other. Lita is now my favourite to be one of the legends in the women's Rumble. Molly Holly, Victoria, Kharma and Alundra Blayze are my 5 predictions. By my logic though Trish Stratus and Michelle McCool, who had both declared interest in taking part, would not do so. Ronda Rousey will be in there too IMO. My 5 predictions for men, although I don't think there will be that many, all come from the attitude era. Ken Shamrock, Blue Meanie, Mosh, Thrasher and The Patriot.

Bret Hart apologised for missing the party...

''I'm sorry I'm not there for #Raw25. I wish I was able to make it. I know I've had my fair share of memorable moments on the show. Here's to another 25 years of Monday Night Raw.''

Miz took the IC gold for an 8th time from Roman Reigns.

Other notable moments saw AJ Styles cut a promo in the style of Hulk Hogan and Triple H name checking Chyna during the DX reunion.

WWE star wants Punk fight:

Jack Gallagher scored a funny bazinga on CM Punk on Twitter. He commented on a post saying Dana White is starting to look for CM Punk's next opponent in the octagon, with this witty retort...

''Doesn't have an opponent. I have two minutes to spare.''

Batista talks angle he hated:

"Never going to go away. Now that I'm thinking about it, that whole thing, that all stemmed from actually that ridiculous storyline that they were putting together and Vince's sick head. I mean, how the whole thing came about. And I was supposed to be the child of a rape. That's why I was so angry at the world. Yeah, yeah, that was tossed around. Ric was trying to get on my good side and figure out why I was so angry. That was one of the ideas that went around, that maybe I was a child of a rape. It was horrible. And I was raised by foster families. Thank goodness that didn't happen. At the time, I was like, 'I don't know how I feel about that.'"

SmackDown teaser:

• Will the "Yep!" Movement be out in full force?
• New U.S. Champion Roode teams with New Day to battle Mahal & Rusev Day
• Naomi looks for payback against Riott Squad's Liv Morgan
• Who will gain momentum heading into the 2018 Royal Rumble event?
• Jey Uso and Chad Gable battle in one-on-one competition

Miz did not want Cena match:

Miz says he was reluctant to do last years Mania mixed tag vs Cena and Nikki Bella...

"I didn't want to do it at first. I just didn't know if it would be good. When I go out there, I set out to do something memorable. Something great. And when I first heard the pitch of 'Hey, do you want to imitate them?,' I was like, "I don't know. I don't know if it'll be great. I don't know if it'll be good.' I kinda turned it down. Then I was driving with my wife and I was thinking about it and i was like, 'Maybe this could be good,' and I started doing how I would do John Cena and I just escalated it and Maryse just started dying laughing. If Maryse laughs at something, then it's funny because she doesn't laugh at anything. So I was like, 'Hmm, this is something. And then I started thinking of ideas on what it would be and I was like, 'alright we got something here.'"

WWE target to ROH:

Kota Ibushi has been announced for ROH shows later in the year.

TNA on Network:

Kurt Angle has revealed TNA will be discussed in his upcoming episode of 'Table For 3.'

Ronda Rousey:

Triple H has given his biggest hint yet that Ronda Rousey is coming to WWE...

"I will tell you this. Stay tuned."

Cena nominated:

John Cena's film 'Ferdinand' has been nominated for an Oscar. This comes as he has been linked with the starring role in video game franchise movie 'Duke Nukem.'

Reigns de-push?:

WWE insiders have shot down stories of Roman Reigns being de-pushed because of the recent steroid story. He is still planned to main event Mania vs Brock, but WWE did the title switch becuase they have a ''Monster push'' planned for Miz, including something huge at Mania this year.

Royal Rumble:

Tye Dillinger has confirmed himself for the Rumble match.

205 Live:

Daniel Bryan will address the Enzo Amore situation on 205 Live tonight. He will make an announcement regarding the shows title, and is rumoured to be announcing a GM for the brand.