Here is your news for February 22, 2020.
We’re starting today’s video with news from Friday Night SmackDown, as
Goldberg showed up in person to the show.
In the ring, the former WWE Universal Champion made it clear he wasn’t afraid of
The Fiend whom he will face at Super Showdown and proved his dominance by
delivering a spear to Wyatt that sent the demonic Superstar running.
The entire segment put Goldberg over pretty strong, and whilst most fans expect
Wyatt to retain the Universal title in Riyadh on February 27th, there have been
rumors of a title switch, and having the Hall of Famer enter Wrestle Mania with the gold.
As for Wyatt, the Fiend remains one of WWE’s most popular characters, despite
Now we’ve got a potential Big Spoiler for WWE Super Showdown, so if you don’t
want to hear them, feel free to skip the next minute of this video.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Goldberg is not expected to be at
WrestleMania 36 this year, indicating that it will be Wyatt who retains next week
in Riyadh. They said:
Everything is obviously subject to change as Vince McMahon could always
decide Goldberg is a better opponent for Reigns for a WrestleMania
marquee, but that would also mean ditching plans for months of building
Bray Wyatt up for Reigns.
Since Wyatt’s move to Friday Night SmackDown, he and Reigns have kept their
distance, but all reports are stating that it’ll be the Big Dog who challenges for the
Universal title at WrestleMania.
As the Observer stated, the card is always subject to change, but given how close
we are to the showcase of the Immortals, it’s in WWE’s best interest to keep their
story for the show the same that they’ve had planned for months.
We’ve got more Super Showdown news now, as for the first time in history, a
Women’s Championship will be defended in Saudi Arabia.
Following her victory over Carmella on last night’s Smack Down, Naomi will be
taking on SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley next Thursday, in what will be
the second WWE Women’s match in the company’s ten-year deal with the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
It’s been over two and a half years since Naomi lost the gold to Natalya at
Summerslam 2017, and now the Glow has the opportunity to win the title for third
time, and make history in the process.
Though Naomi’s victory this week was a big win for the Glow, it was her entrance
that got a lot of fans talking online.
During her walkout to the ring, the image on the screen cut to a clock ticking, and
this was just one of several glitches that hounded the blue brand during the two
hour broadcast.
More knowledgeable fans pointed out that the Tick Tock is the slogan of new
WWE recruit Killer Kross, leading many to assume that the former Impact star
could soon be on his way to the main roster.
If true, it would make sense that Kross is called up along side his real-life girlfriend
Scarlett Bordeaux, as the self- professed Smoke Show has also signed a deal with
the company.
From two new faces in WWE to some established veterans of the company, as
Triple H is reportedly not set for a match at WrestleMania, and neither is Goldberg.
According to reports, the pair aren’t the only big names that will be missing from
the show, as despite rumors of Sting getting closer to returning to the WWE ring,
with speculation that the Hall of Famer would work a Saudi event or
WrestleMania, there hasn’t been any news on a match for the Stinger.
In the past, Sting has said the only match he would come out of retirement for
would be to face The Undertaker, but with reports of the Deadman facing AJ
Styles at the showcase of the Immortals, it seems that the former WCW World
Champion will have to wait for another opportunity to challenge the Phenom.
Back to SmackDown now, and one Superstar who has certainly made an impact
since returning to the ring has been the Celtic Warrior Sheamus.
After defeating stars like Shorty G and Apollo Crews in decisive fashion, the former
World Champion made another impact on this week’s show, announcing himself
as the first participant in the men’s Elimination Chamber match.
It’ll be interesting to see who joins the Celtic Warrior, who is currently winless
inside the steel structure despite four appearances, and fans will be able to see
both the men’s and women’s Chamber matches when the Pay Per View takes
place at the Wells Fargo Center on Match 8th.
Also on SmackDown, the WWE pushed the envelope out with another unique
concept, as Intercontinental Champion Braun Strowman and Elias took on
Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro in a Symphony of Destruction match.
A match that featured a ton of musical instruments as weapons, the bout saw the
Monster Among Men slam Nakamura onto a piano to end the match.
Unsurprisngly, the match was a physical affair, and we have no doubt that the
King of Strong Style and the Swiss Cyborg will be left with a ringing in their ears for
many days to come.
In Women’s division news, this week’s show also saw the return of the Bella
Twins, who confirmed what fans had speculated on for a while.
During an appearance on A Moment Of Bliss, the news broke that Nikki and Brie
will be entering the WWE 2020 Hall of Famer, and will be joining the likes of
Batista and the New World Order.
Whilst this was obviously a huge moment for the pregnant twins, fans couldn’t
help but notice the absence of Nikki Cross, who had been promoted for the
segment earlier in the week, but had been removed from promotional materials
shortly before the show.
It was revealed by Cross’ real- life husband Killian Dain via his live Twitch stream,
that the former Women’s Tag Team Champion is very sick right now, which caused
WWE to pull her from the show.
Hopefully, Cross will get better soon, as with WrestleMania 36 drawing nearer,
now is the worst time for a popular Superstar such as her to be on the shelf.
We’ve got some more news concerning the WWE Hall of Fame now, as despite
plenty of legends being inducted over the years, the WWE has never chosen to
induct the man they call Vader.
Before he passed in June 2018, Vader spoke about how much being inducted
would mean to him, and though his tragic passing hasn’t led to an induction, his
son hasn’t stopped in getting a spot for his legendary father.
This week, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that despite lobbying to
get the former WCW World Champion inducted, 2020 isn’t Vader’s year, as they said.
It would look like Vader, who Mick Foley has been heavily pushing for,
won’t be put in. Vader is a no- brainer, but it’s the audience of one.
We can only assume that Vader’s time in the WWE Hall of Fame will come
eventually, but as the years go on, it’s hard to wonder why exactly the WWE is so
opposed to inducting one of the most athletically gifted Super heavyweights of all time.
From one powerhouse of the ring to another now, as it’s been quite a while since
fans saw Nia Jax in the ring, though that could soon change.
Following double knee surgery last year, the former RAW Women’s Champion has
worked hard to return to the ring, and posted a work out selfie on social media
this week, with the appropriate caption “Sweaty.”
There’s still no clear time when Jax will be able to make her return to the ring, and
even if she was to comeback in time for WrestleMania, it’s likely that she’d just be
another star in the Women’s Battle Royal, as all three singles titles have already
reportedly been booked for the show.
With that said, there’s always the possibility that Jax could challenge the Kabuki
Warriors for the Women’s Tag Team titles, if she was able to find a partner, but
for now, the Irresistable Force is focussing all her energy on healing her body after
her double knee surgery.
Back to the Hall of Fame now, and whilst this year’s list of inductees is coming
together nicely, that doesn’t mean that WWE are expecting a huge crowd for the show.
The Wrestling Observer News letter noted that the company is reportedly having a
much smaller event this year, as they said:
For the Hall of Fame on 4/2, they are not even opening up the top section
and have seats left.
The fact that WWE still has seats left to sell for the show might encourage them to
go ahead and confirm more inductees, as names like JBL, Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger
and the British Bulldog have all been rumoured to receive the nod.
With that said, fans will remember last year’s show, where a fan attacked Bret
Hart during his second induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, and this may be a
factor into why the company are wanting fewer members of the public at the
prestigious event.
Though the WWE Hall of Fame isn’t exactly selling out, the ceremony is just one of
the highlights of WrestleMania weekend.
Unfortunately, it seems that the RAW after WrestleMania in Tampa isn’t doing
much better either, as according to the Observer, there are plenty of seats left for
what has been described as the most exciting and unpredictable RAW of the year. They said:
The demand for the Raw after WrestleMania, previously one of the hottest
tickets of the year, is way down. Even in the sections open they have
plenty of seats available.
The report goes on to say that the SmackDown of Wrestle Mania week is opening
about 40% of the upper deck seating of the show, whilst they are are also opening
up seats in the lower levels also.
NXT is selling the entire arena for their TakeOver: Tampa show that will happen
during WrestleMania week also, but according to the report, there are still plenty
of tickets left for that show as well.
We’ve got some news from All Elite Wrestling now, as this week’s edition of
Dynamite featured a Steel Cage match, that left Cody Rhodes pretty banged up.
During the match, the former WWE Superstar suffered a fractured big toe on his
right foot as the result of a moonsault off the top of the cage, that won him the
match against Wardlow, finalizing his highly anticipated showdown against MJF at
the upcoming Revolution Pay Per View.
Online, Cody said that he’s on a treatment plan and cleared for action, and AEW’s
resdident physician Doc Sampson said that there could have been worse injuries
that could have happened to the American Nightmare.
Despite his foot, Cody is still cleared for action, as it’s clear that nothing will stop
him from competing against his former protégé at Revolution on February 29th.
Back to WWE now, and even though it’s been many years since Davey Boy Smith
Jr. competed inside a WWE ring, that may be changing this year.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, once Smith’s contract expires
with MLW, he will be free to do as he pleases, as they reported:
We’re told that after [Davey Boy Smith’s] MLW contract expires, he would
be open to WWE or anywhere else.
Though Smith could go anywhere, including AEW, Impact, Ring of Honor or New
Japan, there’s plenty of reasons to suspect that the former WWE Tag Team
Champion will be returning to McMahon’s promotion.
Recently, Smith appeared with his fellow Hart Dynasty members Natalya and
Tyson Kidd on The Bump, and with rumours of his father finally being inducted
into the WWE Hall of Fame, there doesn’t seem to be a better time to bring his son back.
This may be easier said than done though, as MLW recently accused WWE of
tampering with the contracts of MLW stars, so time will tell whether the third
generation Superstar and grandson of Stu Hart will eventually return to the WWE.
Back to the Elimination Chamber now, and whilst there will be a total 12
Superstars in the Men’s and Women’s Chamber matches, some stand out more than others.
This week, the Observer noted that the favourites right now, are Shayna Baszler to
win the Women’s Chamber, which would see her challenge RAW Women’s
Champion Becky Lynch at WrestleMania, whilst Roman Reigns is expected to win
the Men’s match, which could give the Big Dog a Universal title match in Tampa.
The Observer noted that there is a chance that the WWE could go down a
different route, as they said:
One would look at that knowing only Baszler and Asuka would have a
chance. On the SmackDown side, it pretty much has to be Reigns.”
WWE have swerved fans on the road to WrestleMania before, so it’s entirely
possible that Reigns may come up short in the Chamber and have to find a way
into the Universal title match another way, but for now, it appears that the Fiend
and the Big Dog are destined to face off on April 5th.
One man fans shouldn’t expect to see at WrestleMania is Matt Hardy, who’s
career in WWE may be over, given that his contract expires next week.
On this week’s RAW, the former Tag Team Champion received yet another
beatdown by Randy Orton, but now Matt has let his fans know he’s resting easy.
On Twitter, Hardy posted himself in a very unique, old fashioned wheelchair,
which the Woken One described as a chair of wheels, and said he’s very happy to
be home on the Hardy compound.
Though his career in WWE may be over, it seems that Hardy is fine with how
things have panned out, and time will tell what is next for the popular Superstar.
And finally today we’re ending with news from SmackDown, as the show had
plenty of action that we haven’t covered yet.
After Goldberg collided with the Fiend and Naomi defeated Carmella to earn a
shot at SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley at Super Showdown, Daniel Bryan
earned another punishing victory over Heath Slater, dropping for the former
SmackDown Tag Team Champion with a running knee.
Up next fans got the Bella Twins appearing on A Moment of Bliss and the
Symphony of Destruction match, as well as a sitdown interview with Renee Young
and Lacey Evans.
In her first appearance since losing to Bayley at the Royal Rumble, the Sassy
Southern Belle acknowledged that her loss to the Champion puts her at the back
of the line for a rematch, but has her eyes set on the Elimination Chamber Pay Per
View, even though she’s not announced for the Women’s Chamber match.
In the main event, the New Day and the Usos picked up the win over The Miz,
John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, though this won’t be the last time
some of these stars face off, as Miz and Morrison will have a chance at the New
Day’s SmackDown Tag titles, when they meet at Super Showdown on February
27th, live on the WWE Network.