Alexa Bliss revealed on tonight's WWE RAW that the first WWE Women's Tag Team Champions will be decided at the upcoming WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
There will be a Chamber match with 3 teams from RAW and 3 teams from SmackDown. The winning team will be crowned the champions, indicating the titles will be defended on both brands.
There's no word yet on the 6 teams.
As reported here earlier today, Triple H was in London celebrating the grand opening of the new WWE Performance Center UK. As seen above, Inside The Ropes attended the event and caught an in-depth interview with Triple H where they asked him about his future aspirations concerning the NXT and NXT UK talent. Triple H confirmed that certain NXT UK stars will indeed make the eventual transition to RAW or SmackDown, but along with that, certain stars will begin to rotate back through the various developmental territories they continue to establish.
"There are some talent here, that you might see come from the UK, that might move straight to RAW or SmackDown," Triple H explained. "I think right now there's sort of this perceived system of where it's kinda - 1. RAW, 2. SmackDown, 3. NXT, 4. NXT UK. I don't believe that, I believe that talent are talent and I believe they will sit where they sit, and I believe you'll see talent over the next few years start coming up to Raw and SmackDown. And I think you'll see them move back over in to NXT, or come back in to the NXT UK system. I think talent will begin to evolve and rotate through territories, so to speak."
Triple H believes that some performers have reached their plateau of success rotating through the NXT developmental territories, and hopes to give those individuals successful, meaningful careers without them ever having to transition to the cable network programs.
"I think there will be some talent that will be incredibly successful, will be global names, will be global, household names," Triple H said, "that will probably never leave that NXT system because that's their home base and that's where they fit, and they'll have incredibly successful, meaningful careers. And probably over those careers they'll gravitate through different locations within the globe, maybe without never being on RAW or SmackDown, but that not being any lesser to their careers."
Triple H also discussed the importance of reinventing a character when the performer feels it's the necessary action to take, saying that it's no different than decades ago, when wrestlers would travel to a new territory and present their revamped character to an audience.
"I think it depends on the talent and the moment and I think it's no different than it was if you go back, 30 - 40 years, into the territory system in the US. No different," Triple H said. "You left one place, you went someplace else, sometimes you reinvented because you thought, 'What I'm doing is good, but here, I want to do something different, I want to make it something more.' And you reinvent, and you become something different."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Inside The Ropes with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
WWE has talked about opening international Performance Centers for some time and it looks like the UK Performance Center is finally about to launch.
WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne, Trent Seven and Tyler Bate just appeared on Good Morning Britain to promote Saturday's WWE NXT UK "Takeover: Blackpool" event and Seven said WWE has launched a new Performance Center in a "secret location" in the UK.
One of the GMB hosts mentioned how Saturday's first-ever NXT UK Takeover special is the set-up for a new "training camp" for WWE in the UK. Seven responded, "We're going to be able to go straight from here to our secret location, our new NXT UK Performance Center, right after this. So fantastic news coming out all the way through the day. The fact that we get to go back, the fact that we've had this investment... for the other wrestlers and the British wrestling fanbase, it's pretty exciting."
Chris Jericho signing with All Elite Wrestling looked to be right down to the wire as he had been in talks with WWE in the last few weeks, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.
Jericho noted yesterday that he is staying with AEW for the "long haul" and that he was looking forward to "changing the universe" with the new promotion. Some are viewing the "changing the universe" as a slight dig at WWE.
WWE have reacted to Jericho's signing by moving him to the alumni section of their website and also removing him from the opening "THEN NOW FOREVER" intro which airs before the beginning of all WWE programming.
His contract with AEW is not believed to be an exclusive one and will be free to work NJPW dates should they be able to come to an agreement.
CM Punk has filed a motion to have the lawsuit filed against him by Colt Cabana dismissed.
Cabana filed a lawsuit back in the summer of 2018 which claimed Punk promised he would be covered fully in terms of legal fees in the lawsuit filed by WWE's Chris Amann. Punk, however, demanded payment from Cabana for legal fees and resulted in Cabana ultimately having to hire his own attorney and suffered $200,000 in legal fees that Punk refused to pay.
Punk's legal team are claiming that Cabana has failed to use factual allegations in his lawsuit and "conclusory allegations" will not stand up legally in the state of Illinois.
Cabana’s lawyers have until January 25th to respond to the motion to dismiss, and Punk’s team would then have until February 9th to respond. A status conference is set for February 20th.
AEW President Tony Khan was interviewed during the Double Or Nothing Rally yesterday by WrestlingInc. and revealed how All Elite Wrestling will be different from other promotion in that they want their talent to work lighter scheduled and offer a healthcare package.
“And also favorable schedules, and I don’t wanna run down guys with too many dates or too much time on the road, I feel really positive about what we’re doing in terms of taking care of the guys. We have great management and the guys we’re focusing it on, Cody and the Bucks, they are very, very hands on with the talent. And I’m sure, for us, the kind of people we’re bringing in, they’re gonna contribute to the company in a number of ways. And I think that, yeah, there is a package, a competition package and healthcare package that could be available.”
From WWE.com:
WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Gene Okerlund, the most recognizable interviewer in sports-entertainment history, has passed away at age 76.
“Mean Gene,” as he was named by fellow Minnesotan, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, first came to prominence as an interviewer in the American Wrestling Association. In 1984, Okerlund made the move to WWE where he became as recognizable as the Superstars he asked the tough questions to, including “Macho Man” Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior and, perhaps Okerlund's greatest guest, Hulk Hogan. Countless Hulkster interviews included the indelible phrase, "Well you know something 'Mean' Gene!"
As the respected and reliable man behind the microphone in WWE, Okerlund branched out from interviewing and provided ringside commentary and hosted several shows, including All-American Wrestling, Tuesday Night Titans, Wrestling Challenge and Prime Time Wrestling.
Announcing wasn't all that Okerlund could do with a microphone, as he performed the National Anthem at the first WrestleMania in 1985. Later that year, Okerlund would sing “Tutti Frutti” on WWE’s The Wrestling Album.
In 1993, Okerlund joined WCW where he continued to interview many of the legends he had worked with in the AWA and WWE, as well as WCW stalwarts like Sting, Diamond Dallas Page, Goldberg and others.
Okerlund returned to WWE in 2001 to call the Gimmick Battle Royal at WrestleMania 17 along with Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and continued to appear on WWE television programming, including as a cast member on WWE Network’s Legends’ House.
WWE extends its condolences to Okerlund’s family, friends and fans.
Cody Rhodes has confirmed his Executive Vice President role within All Elite Wrestling, and released a statement for the fans about the exciting new promotion.
Read the full statement below:
I feel so damn lucky. I believe that more than talent…more than chance…work ethic will guide me where I’d like to go.
To be Executive Vice President for our new venture, and to be flanked by Matt and Nick and a few familiar names sharing that position: this is my dream job.
I can’t think of a time when so many of wrestling’s top free agents all opted out of the road usually traveled and instead wanted to start something new. I am excited to see AEW into existence.
What’s old isn’t new – what’s new is new. Perception isn’t reality – reality is reality. Fans first.
Wrestler of the Year: Becky Lynch (WWE)
WWE Male Wrestler of the Year: Johnny Gargano
NJPW Wrestler of the Year: Kota Ibushi
Match of the Year: Kenny Omega def. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW Dominion 6.9)
WWE Match of the Year: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka (TLC)
NXT Match of the Year: Andrade "Cien" Almas def. Johnny Gargano (NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia)
Tag Team of the Year: The Usos (WWE)
Rookie of the Year: Ronda Rousey (WWE)
Commentator of the Year: Mauro Ranallo (NXT)
Comeback Wrestler of the Year: Daniel Bryan (WWE)
Breakthough Wrestler of the Year*: Buddy Murphy (205 Live)
Feud of the Year*: Johnny Gargano vs. Tomasso Ciampa (NXT)
Best Pay-Per-View of the Year*: TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs
Best Moment of the Year*: Becky Lynch attacks Ronda Rousey on Raw
Best Promo of the Year*: Daniel Bryan before TLC
Smack Talker of the Year*: Samoa Joe
Worst Angle of the Year*: DeGeneration X vs. Brothers of Destruction
Good news for those clamoring for a women’s tag team belt in WWE. Vince McMahon announced that they are planning on introducing a new Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Impact Wrestling announced today that its flagship weekly two-hour program, IMPACT!, will move to Friday nights on the Pursuit Channel in January. As noted, SmackDown Live will also begin airing on Friday nights when it moves to FOX this October, while MLW FUSION also currently airs on Friday nights on beIN Sports.
Beginning on Friday, January 11, featuring the aftermath of the Homecoming pay-per-view, IMPACT! will air weekly on Pursuit Channel on Friday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET.
"Pursuit Channel is a natural fit for IMPACT!" said Impact Wrestling President Ed Nordholm. "It has a passionate viewership base that correlates strongly with our core audience, and is one of the few broadcast destinations that is expanding its footprint, enjoying a 15% increase in broadcast distribution this year alone. With IMPACT Wrestling coming off a tremendous year of audience growth globally and positive fan engagement, we look forward to leveraging our respective resources to bring fans more of the wrestling content they want to see: tougher, edgier action."
