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SmackDown Results – January 27, 2023

January 28, 2023 • Admin

Smackdown Date: January 27, 2023 Location: Sames Auto Arena, Laredo, Texas Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and that means we have some final pushes to make to get us to the big event. In this case, we are probably going to have some more names added to the Royal Rumbles, but there is also a Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa match that will probably involve the Bloodline. Let’s get to it. We open with a recap of the Trial Of Sami Zayn from Raw. Roman Reigns told Sami Zayn to not be seen until the Royal Rumble. The Usos and Solo Sikoa arrive and Sami Zayn sneaks in to thank Jey for having his back. If Jey ever needs anything, let him know. Sami leaves. Opening sequence. Rey Mysterio vs. Karrion Kross Scarlett is here with Kross. Rey snaps off the hurricanrana to start but gets tossed over the top for his efforts. They switch places though and the sliding sunset flip sends Kross into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Rey fighting..

It Happened Again: Another AEW Star Out Of Action With An Injury

January 28, 2023 • Admin

It keeps happening. There are all kinds of injuries in wrestling and you never want to see someone put on the shelf for any length of time. While the majority of injuries to wrestlers take place inside the ring, there are some that happen away from action that can still slow things down. That has happened again, as an AEW star is out of action for the time being with an injury. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The Symphony Rests: Update On Wardlow’s AEW Status AEW star Willow Nightingale has suffered a non-wrestling related injury and is out of action for the time being. Beyond Wrestling has announced that Nightingale will not be able to wrestle this weekend as planned but she will still be appearing. There is no word on the nature of her injury but Beyond Wrestling descried it as “minor”. Nightingale last wrestled on the January 18 Dynamite. Sorry I won’t be able to compete this weekend, but I’ll still be around to see all you lovely people in Worcester https://t.co/lNkTdIEL2G — Willow Nigh..

Impact Wrestling Results – January 26, 2023

January 28, 2023 • Admin

Impact Wrestling Date: January 26, 2023 Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan The fallout from Hard To Kill continues and we are also on the way to No Surrender. The latter means that we need a new #1 contender and we will have one by the end of the night due to a six way elimination match. Other than that, Bully Ray now seems to have to deal with Mickie James and possibly Frankie Kazarian so let’s get to it. Opening recap. Opening sequence. X-Division Title: Mike Jackson vs. Trey Miguel Jackson, 73 years old, is challenging and gets wristlocked down to start. Some running shoulders and a hiptoss have Miguel down for a change but Miguel punches him in the face. A hammerlock slam puts Jackson down but he avoids the springboard moonsault. An atomic drop sends Jackson outside, where he is fine enough to post Miguel. Back in and Jackson stays on the arm but takes too long with Oldest School, allowing Miguel to pull him down. The Lightning..

The Symphony Rests: Update On Wardlow’s AEW Status

January 28, 2023 • Admin

That explains a bit. There are all kinds of injuries in the wrestling world and what matters the most is getting the injured star healthy enough to get back in the ring. Someone being healthy is far more important than any storyline they might be involved in and hopefully they are able to get back sooner than later. That is the situation with a current AEW star but things might not be as bad as they seem. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He’ll Be Back: Here’s Why Kenny Omega Has Been Missing From AEW TV Wardlow has not appeared on AEW TV since the December 28 edition of Dynamite when Samoa Joe attacked him and defeated him to retain the TNT Title. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Wardlow has been out of action due to an injury. Wardlow is not expected to be out of action long, but there is no word on when he will be back on television. Wardlow is a monster when he is around. Check out what happens when he is in AEW: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contai..

He’s There: John Cena Reportedly Set For Something At WWE Royal Rumble

January 27, 2023 • Admin

He’s a big deal. There are certain wrestlers who become the biggest stars in WWE and you know them when you see them. It makes a difference to have one of them around as it makes any show they are on feel that much bigger. WWE still has a small handful of that kind of stars around and now one of them seems ready to make an appearance at one of the biggest shows of the year. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He’ll Be Back: Here’s Why Kenny Omega Has Been Missing From AEW TV This weekend, WWE will present its annual Royal Rumble. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, John Cena is expected to appear at the event in some way. There is no word on if Cena will be entered into the Royal Rumble match. This comes less than a month after Cena reportedly filmed material with Austin Theory at the December 30, 2022 SmackDown, though the footage has yet to air. Theory is set for the men’s Royal Rumble match. Cena has a history at the Royal Rumble. Check out some of his time at the event: [This po..

He’ll Be Back: Here’s Why Kenny Omega Has Been Missing From AEW TV

January 27, 2023 • Admin

The international slowdown. There are all kinds of wrestling stars from around the world and several of them appear on national television on a regular basis. You can see many of them every week on WWE and AEW programming but they do have issues that American wrestlers do not have to face. One of AEW’s biggest stars is having just that problem at the moment and it could be a bit before he is back. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He’s In For Now: Former WWE Star Set For AEW Debut According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Kenny Omega is currently dealing with a visa issue that is keeping him off AEW TV. Omega has not appeared on the last two weeks of Dynamite and was said to have “badly” wanted to be on the Jay Briscoe tribute show. AEW is hoping that Omega will be able to return on February 1 but that is yet to be guaranteed so far. Omega is one of their biggest stars. Check out some of his AEW work: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] ..

WATCH: WWE Continues To Erase Bryan Danielson From Its History

January 27, 2023 • Admin

The new history. There have been all kinds of moments and incidents throughout WWE history, some of which are more notable than others. In most cases, the issues are written in black and white, but there are some cases that can be a bit more of a gray area. Now WWE is changing something up from what once was pretty straightforward to something a bit more complicated. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Extension Granted: Sami Zayn’s Original Plans With The Bloodline Were Very, Very Different In the 2023 edition of the Rumble By The Numbers video, the all time longevity record is once again held by Rey Mysterio in the 2006 Royal Rumble. This changes from previous editions, which listed Daniel Bryan’s 2018 performance in the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia as the longer run. There is no word on why WWE made the change but the Greatest Royal Rumble stats are included in other records in the video. There’s the history. Check out Rumble By The Numbers and a look at both runs in the Royal Rumble..

Extension Granted: Sami Zayn’s Original Plans With The Bloodline Were Very, Very Different

January 27, 2023 • Admin

It wasn’t in the cards. WWE has a lot going on at any given time and it can be a bit difficult to keep track of everything taking place at once. You know a special story or moment when you see one though and that is certainly the case with the top story in WWE today. However, it turns out that the original plan for the angle went a lot differently than what wound up on television. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Mystery Solved: Missing WWE Star Explains Her Four Month Absence The Bloodline has been the top story in WWE for over a year now and the last several months have focused on Sami Zayn’s involvement. This is expected to continue at the Royal Rumble, where Zayn is to show his loyalty to the team. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, there was no original plan to make Zayn a star. Zayn’s story with the team was expected to last about three weeks but he kept making everything work. Eventually WWE decided to let him run with it and he became a much bigger star as a result. There is no wor..

Mystery Solved: Missing WWE Star Explains Her Four Month Absence

January 27, 2023 • Admin

That’s a good reason. There are all kinds of reasons for a wrestler to miss time from the ring and some of them are a lot more serious than others. Sometimes a situation can cause a wrestler to just vanish from the public eye out of nowhere and there is not much that can be done about it. That seems to be the situation again with a WWE star who has been missing for a long time. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Double Shot: Two More Possible WWE Returns For The Royal Rumble WWE star Doudrop recently spoke with Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture and revealed that she has been absent from WWE TV due to a bout with Covid. Doudrop said that she had serious symptoms that caused worries about her heart, but every test came back “clean as a whistle”. While she said that she would be around the Royal Rumble in some capacity, she stopped short of saying she would be taking part in the match. Doudrop has not wrestled since September 2022. Doudrop being back would be an impressive return. Check out what ..

Double Shot: Two More Possible WWE Returns For The Royal Rumble

January 27, 2023 • Admin

Welcome back? The Royal Rumble is taking place this weekend and that means it is the season for returning wrestlers. The question about the show’s namesake matches is who will be showing up after not being around for a long time. That can make for some interesting guesses, but now we have a good idea of two more stars who are making their returns. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Switch: WWE Changes Plans For Upcoming Women’s Title Matches According to PWInsider.com by way of Ringsidenews.com, Chelsea Green and Matt Cardona are believed to return to WWE at the Royal Rumble, with Cardona returning as Zack Ryder. The two would return to the main roster rather than appearing in NXT. This is still not confirmed, though it is believed that Cardona finished up with Impact Wrestling at their latest TV tapings. They have some history. Check out the two in WWE, plus in a tag match together: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains vid..

Switch: WWE Changes Plans For Upcoming Women’s Title Matches

January 27, 2023 • Admin

That’s different. We are officially in the busy season for WWE as the Road To WrestleMania is set to begin on Saturday at the Royal Rumble. That is the kind of show that changes the way WWE operates and several important moments can take place during the night. WWE has already changed things around on the show though and one big match is not going to take place. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Already: Bray Wyatt Receives Surprise Designation On WWE SmackDown Roster According to Fightful Select, WWE has made a change to a planned Royal Rumble title match. The December 30 SmackDown Women’s Title match featuring Ronda Rousey successfully defending against Raquel Rodriguez was originally scheduled for the January 28 Royal Rumble but WWE changed the plans. In addition, Charlotte’s return and title win were moved to SmackDown as well, in an effort to beef up the show. There is no word on what this means for other planned matches, including Rhea Ripley vs. Rousey and Charlotte vs. Bianca Belair. It..

Kevin Owens: “Everybody’s Also Kind of Happy That [Stephanie McMahon] Gets To Take This Time For Herself”

January 27, 2023 • Admin

The San Antonio Express-News recently interviewed WWE superstar Kevin Owens to promote the upcoming Royal Rumble event this Saturday. He discussed a number of topics, including his upcoming championship match with Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Stephanie McMahon and more. Below are some highlights from the interview: On his championship match with Roman Reigns: “I don’t know if I expected it (to come full circle), but I certainly hoped it would,” said Owens, whose real name is Kevin Steen. “Because when our whole feud started, we were doing it through the pandemic in empty buildings. So it’s gonna be nice to have at least one match in front of an actual crowd, considering we had some of our best matches against each other with nobody in the arena.” On Sami Zayn: “(His success) is no surprise to me. I’ve known how good (Zayn) was and how special of a talent he is for 20 years now,” Owens said. “It just took a while for him to get into a situation where he can showcase just how good he is..

WWE Reveals 3rd Class of Athletes to their NIL Program

January 27, 2023 • Admin

Here comes the next generation. Earlier today, WWE issued a press release, detailing the names of 15 new college athletes who will join the company’s NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) program, “Next In Line.” This program was created to give an opportunity to collegiate athletes that want to be a part of WWE. The names are as follows: Name College Sport Height/Weight Hometown Abby Jacobs South Alabama Soccer 5’7 Gulf Breeze, Fla. Alexandra Jaksec Mary Washington Tennis 5’4 Pittsburgh, Pa. Alia Armstrong LSU Track & Field 5’4 Baton Rouge, La. Cameron Jones Cincinnati Football 6’8, 320 lbs. Hindman, Ky. Dee Beckwith Kentucky Football 6’5, 235 lbs. Florence, Ala. Greg Kerkvliet Penn State Wrestling 6’3, 250 lbs. Inver Grove Heights, Minn. Isaiah Iton Rutgers Football 6’2, 290 lbs. Houston, Texas Jaiden Fields Georgia Softball 5’9 Kennesaw, Ga. Landon Jackson Arkansas Football 6’7, 275 lbs. Texarkana, Texas Mady Aulbach Youngstown State Basketball 5’3 Slippery Rock, Pa. Nick Dawkins Penn Stat..

Already: Bray Wyatt Receives Surprise Designation On WWE SmackDown Roster

January 27, 2023 • Admin

That’s a special place. There are a lot of wrestlers on the WWE roster and that adds up to quite a bit of talent. It takes a lot for someone to move up the ladder and reach the top of the pile but you know someone special when you see them. Now WWE is seeing something in one of its stars and thinks enough of them to put them above most of the roster all at once. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Again: Vince McMahon Facing Another Lawsuit Over Alleged Sexual Harassment Payments According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Bray Wyatt is currently slotted in as the #1 babyface on the SmackDown roster and the #1 star that Roman Reigns has not worked with during his title reign. There is also no word on if Reigns will be feuding with Wyatt anytime soon, as Reigns is said to know that people who feud with Wyatt wind up looking “a lot worse than going in”. Wyatt is scheduled to have his first televised match after his return this weekend at the Royal Rumble. There is a history between them. Check out Reig..

The Doctor Is Needed: Update On Britt Baker’s Injury Status

January 27, 2023 • Admin

That could be worse. There are all kinds of injuries in wrestling and some of them are a lot more severe than others. You never know when you are going to see someone get hurt and put on the shelf for a long time. That is the kind of thing that can derail a lot of plans, but thankfully in this situation it seems that the injury is only going to cause a minor delay instead of a big change. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He’s In For Now: Former WWE Star Set For AEW Debut This week, AEW announced that Britt Baker had suffered an undisclosed injury and would be pulled from her scheduled triple threat match along with Toni Storm and Ruby Soho. Baker did appear during the match, offering a distraction to Storm so Soho could pick up the win. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Baker’s injury “wasn’t serious” and she should be returning to the ring soon. Baker could have wrestled this week but AEW erred on the side of caution and held her out instead. Baker is a star worth waiting on. Check out ..

Jay Briscoe: A Celebration Of Life Results

January 27, 2023 • Admin

Jay Briscoe: A Celebration Of Life Date: January 26, 2023 Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Carpice Coleman As you might have guessed, this is a special show honoring the life of Jay Briscoe, who passed away last week. The show was filmed after last week’s AEW taping and features special matches, plus presumably tributes and maybe classic matches from Briscoe’s career. That should be more than enough so let’s get to it. We get the tribute video from this week’s Dynamite. Ring Of Honor Pure Rules Title: Hagane Shinno vs. Wheeler Yuta Yuta is defending under Pure Rules and Shinno is from Big Japan. They go with the grappling to start with Yuta working on a head/wristlock. Shinno shrugs that off and strikes away but gets caught with an Angle Slam for two. Yuta starts in on the leg and the cranking sends Shinno to the ropes for the first break. That’s fine with Yuta, who grabs a Gory Stretch to work on the back. Something like the Octopus sends..

Again: Vince McMahon Facing Another Lawsuit Over Alleged Sexual Harassment Payments

January 26, 2023 • Admin

They just keep coming. Earlier this month, Vince McMahon returned to WWE in what could almost be defined as a coup. McMahon said that if he was not put back in his previous role of Chairman Of The Board, he would not let the company go forward with either television rights deals or a sale. He got what he wanted, but that might not be what everyone else wanted and now some more people are saying something about McMahon. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: On The Mend: Update On Wrestling Legend’s Health Status, Leaving Hospital Soon According to Bloomberg, McMahon is facing another lawsuit involving alleged payments made to deal with sexual harassment claims. While the details of the lawsuit, filed by Carole Casale and Chrystal Lavelle, are not known, they are attempting to sue on their own rather than part of a class action lawsuit. McMahon is already facing two lawsuits filed earlier this month, both of which are hoping to be recognized as class action suits over attempting to keep McMahon off t..

AEW Dynamite Results – January 25, 2023

January 26, 2023 • Admin

Dynamite Date: January 25, 2023 Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz This is going to be an emotional one as the main event will feature the Jay Briscoe Tribute match between Mark Briscoe and Jay Lethal. If that’s not enough, we’re still on the way to Revolution and that means Bryan Danielson gets to wrestle again. This time he has to find a way around Brian Cage, which is quite the different opponent than he has had in recent weeks. Other than that, the Gunns and the Acclaimed are going to have family therapy, which could go in a few different ways. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara vs. Action Andretti/Ricky Starks We are joined in the middle of Jericho’s entrance (including Daniel Garcia). Andretti and Guevara start things off and exchange some flips without being able to make a ton of contact. Andretti’s standing moonsault misses and they stare at each other for a bit. Guevara offers a handshake and th..

REVIEW: Royal Rumble 2003: When The Rumble Doesn’t Mean As Much

January 26, 2023 • Admin

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over ten years now and have reviewed over 5,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net, starting today. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be? Royal Rumble 2003 Date: January 19, 2003 Location: Fleet Center, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,338 Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler This is a really odd entry in the series as the namesake match is being treated as secondary to almost everything else. Really, coming into this show, there’s a good argument to be made that Torrie Wilson vs. Dawn Marie is being treated as a bigger deal than the Rumble itself. Let’s get to it. The opening video is your standard montage of w..

On The Mend: Update On Wrestling Legend’s Health Status, Leaving Hospital Soon

January 26, 2023 • Admin

That’s a step forward. Wrestlers have to deal with a lot of issues during their careers, but some of those problems do not go away once they retire from the ring. Several health issues can continue, including some that might happen to anyone at any time. Now a wrestling legend is dealing with some serious health problems, but things might be looking a bit better. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Another Happy Return? Controversial WWE Star Discussed For Possible Royal Rumble Return Earlier this month, it was announced that WWE Hall Of Famer Superstar Billy Graham had been hospitalized due to an infection, which had caused his heart to start. Graham was brought back and has improved in the time since. On Wednesday, Graham’s wife announced that Graham will soon be moved to a skilled nursing facility for rehab and physical therapy. He will also continue IV antibiotics for “a long time”. There is no word on how long Graham will be in the new facility. Graham was a heck of a star. Check out some o..