Here is your news for December 20 2019
We're kicking off with some huge news about WrestleMania 36, as the showcase of
the Immortals may be able to get a Rated-R Return.
According to the PW Insider, WWE Hall of Famer Edge could be returning to the ring,
despite it being nearly nine years since he last competed back at WestleMania 27
The report says:
"We've heard that Edge signed a new deal with WWE that has a pretty nice upside.
We also reported a few months ago he was in Pittsburgh for WWE business and that's
where WWE Wellness Policy head Dr. Joseph Maroon is headquartered. My gut
feeling is we'll see Edge in the Royal Rumble as a surprise (as that seems like the
perfect place to make a big splash with a return for Wrestlemania season) and possibly
even see him do a few matches on major events."
Having the 46-year-old former World Champion return at the Royal Rumble would
certainly make headlines, though Mike Johnson also went on to say that Edge
continues to deny any thoughts of a return to WWE as a Superstar.
It's hard to think that it's been over eight years since the Ultimate Opportunist last
wrestled, and since then, the Rated- R Superstar has only made a handful of
appearance, as well as hosting the Edge and Christian show that Totally Reeks of
Awesomeness on the WWE Network.
At SmackDown 1000 in October 2018, Edge was on the wrong end of a Becky Lynch
verbal tirade, but did spear Elias on the Summerslam 2019 pre- show, his first offensive
move since his retirement which sparked speculation of an in- ring return.
Of course, nothing is set in stone and the odds of Edge wrestling again are still slim,
but to be fair, fans used to say the same about Daniel Bryan, who has proven that
anything is possible in the WWE.
Love is in the air next in WWE as this Monday, Lana and Bobby Lashley will have their
wedding live on Monday Night RAW.
According to WWE.com, the plan was for the couple to wait until New Years, but the
pair couldn't wait that long, and will instead tie the knot on the final RAW of the decade.
Getting married on Rusev Day no less, the Destroyer Lashley has sent out an invite via
tweet to everyone, including Rusev, who has a seat saved for him, according to the groom
If you've seen any wedding in wrestling ever, you know that these ceremonies never
go off without a hitch, so fans will have to wait and see whether Rusev will crash the
wedding, as his on-screen divorce to the Ravishing Russian is still being finalised.
The wedding of Lana and Lashley isn't the only big thing happening next week though,
as according to Deadline, Roman Reigns is set to appear the next night on the FOX
News New Years Eve special in some capacity.
The report that Deadline says the show will be hosted by Family Feud star Steve
Harvey, and will feature a match with the Big Dog, though it didn't say who he'll be
facing, or whether the match will be a live appearance or pre-taped.
Maria Menounos and Rob Gronkowski will be hosting this part of the special, and fans
may remember Menounos for her handful of matches in WWE, including a tag team
bout at WrestleMania 28.
Most recently, Menounos has been training with X-Pac and Sonya Deville for what she
has called a secret Project, and the SmackDown Superstar has said that Menounos is
going to do great.
As for Gronkowski, the retired NFL star has also been tied to WWE thanks to his
friendship with Mojo Rawley and the pair shared the ring together when Gronk helped
eliminate Jinder Mahal from the WrestleMania 33 Memorial Battle Royal.
There have been rumors for a while about Gronkowski having a WWE match, so
perhaps fans will get some answers when the New Years Eve on FOX show starts at
8pm Eastern on December 31st.
Back to the ring now, as tonight's edition of SmackDown will see the blue brand's Tag
Champions compete in non-title action.
On tonight's show, SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day will face
Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro, after defearing the King
of Strong Style and the Swiss Superman three weeks ago, in a championship open challenge.
The team of Kofi Kingston and Big E have certainly been busy lately, as they not only
defeated The Revvial to retain their titles in a ladder match at TLC, but also found time
to sign new five-year deals with the company.
According to WWE, the trio of Kingston, E and Xavier Woods "solidified a pact of
identical length and compensation on their contracts, to maintain equal status among the team."
That is very interesting to hear, as given his career's length and recent WWE
Championship win, it's possible to believe that Kingston would have been offered
more than his comrades, but turned it down for his brothers.
In an interview with Newsweek, Kofi said that five years is still a long way off, and
though he could see himself retiring between now and then, he just doesn't know at
this point in his career.
Five years from now, Kofi will have been on WWE TV for 16 years, and in the company
for even longer than that, so its easy to see why the former WWE Champion could see
himself hanging up his winged boots for good between now and 2024.
Xavier Woods hasn't been seen on TV since undergoing surgery in October for a torn
Achilles tendon, but has kept himself busy with his YouTube channel Up Up Down Down.
We're looking at All Elite Wrestling next. as after the latest episode of AEW Dark was
recorded, a group of babyfaces, and a referee, laid out Shawn Spears.
This wasn't any normal beatdown though, as the group delivered Stunners to the
former Perfect 10, and had a beer bash, on Stone Cold Steve Austin's birthday, and the
show took place in Texas.
Just when it looked like things were winding down, AEW Owner and long-time
wrestling fan Tony Khan entered the fray, and after being introduced to the crowd,
delivered one final Stunner to Spears to send the crowd home happy.
Though the crowd may have been pleased, this week's episode of Dynamite came up
short against WWE NXT in every way.
December 18th was a huge night for both shows, as it was the final live show of the
year, and both had title matches for AEW and NXT.
Showbuzz Daily reports that NXT pulled in 795,000 fans on the last show of the year,
whilst Dynamite closed out 2019 with 683,000.
Not only that, NXT also won in both the adult and younger demographics, meaning
this is the first time that the Gold brand has defeated the competition across the board.
We'll have to wait and see what AEW can do in 2020, as they have a huge show
planned for January 1st, which they have been heavily promoting.
Part of NXT's success this week came thanks to Rhea Ripley, who ended the 416 day
reign of Shayna Baszler to capture the Gold brand's Women's Championship.
Though the crowd was very happy about the title change, and the locker room filled
up the ring to celebrate, one person who wasn't so happy with the success of the
Australian Superstar was Smack Down Women's Champion Bayley.
A former NXT Women's Champion in her own right, the former hugger called those
celebrating Ripley's win 'sheep', and gave the ominous warning that the two will meet soon.
Looking ahead to WrestleMania 36, and Becky Lynch has been rumored to face Shayna
Baszler, and if this match is true, then Ripley Vs Bayley would be another epic match
to add to the card.
That wasn't the only big appearance by Bayley this week, as the Smack Down Women's
Champion recently spoke to the New York Post about her heel turn.
After years as the company's lovable babyface, Bayley's turn happened back in
October when she aligned herself with best friend Sasha Banks, and changed her look
to reflect her new attitude.
In the interview, Bayley spoke about her belief that there needs to be constant
evolution in the business, saying:
“I need to be able to do everything and test the waters everywhere and ride the waves
and challenge myself," she said. "“I can’t get stale and bored and do the same thing
over and over. In order to excel in this business, you have to constantly evolve.”
In that same interview, Bayley also spoke about why she felt she had to turn heel to
keep her character fresh, claiming that she had gotten frustrated with her former character:
I’ve been with WWE for seven years, so not all of it has been colorful and castle-like
and wacky wavy inflatable tubemen and happy and fun. It’s been a struggle. It’s really,
really difficult to kind of stay on top for a period of time, so it’s pretty easy to find
frustration believe it or not.”
Earlier this month, there were plans for Bayley to defend her title against Lacey Evans
at the Tables, Ladders and Chairs Pay Per View, though those plans were obviously scrapped.
We're looking ahead to next month, next year and the next decade now, as WWE will
host their annual Royal Rumble Pay Per View on January 26th.
Though the Rumble matches could include some big names, such as Edge who we
mentioned earlier, recently signed Superstar Cain Velasquez is reportedly booked for the show.
This news comes courtesy of the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer, though it's
currently unclear what Velasquez's role at the event will be.
The former UFC star hasn't appeared on WWE TV since losing to Brock Lesnar in just
over two minutes at Crown Jewel on October 31st, for the Beast's WWE
Championship.
Cain made his WWE debut on the premiere episode of SmackDown on FOX, shocking
the Beast after his championship victory in the main event of the show.
Prior to his Crown Jewel match, Velasquez worked two matches with AAA Lucha Libre,
and since Crown Jewel, has worked one more match, teaming with Humberto Carillo
at the November 30th WWE Live Supershow in Mexico City, where he teamed with
Humberto Carillo to defeat the OC.
WWE has yet to confirm any names or matches for the Royal Rumble event, but if
Velasquez does show, expect him to be the odds on favourite to win the 30-Man match.
And finally today we're heading back to AEW Dynamite now, as whilst Tony Schiavone
is on the show most weeks, one place fans will never hear his name is at the WWE Hall
of Fame ceremony.
During the latest edition of What Happened When, the former WCW commentator
discussed his disdain for how WWE has treated Eric Bischoff for leaving him out of the
NWO's upcoming induction next year.
The legendary announcer has even instructed his family to never allow him into the
WWE Hall of Fame, not even after he has died. He said:
"My family has been instructed that if they want to induct me in anyway, postmortem,
the answer from the family is no. So, don’t expect from me to be inducted into the
WWE Hall Of Fame. You know, now I’m pissed off. I’m pissed off because Eric is not a
part of the n.W.o. into the Hall Of Fame, and I’m pissed off because Eric got f*cked
over by Vince McMahon. Not Bruce Prichard, who’s our friend, who’s a good guy,
straight up guy, but by Vince McMahon.”
Bischoff, who has said he has made peace with the decision not to induct him with the
NWO, was with the WWE earlier this year, but after a disastrous run as SmackDown
Executive Director was let go by the company.
Part of the issue with Bischoff's tenure is that no-one knew what was going on, as
multiple reports came out of Bischoff missing shows and meetings, and for those he
did attend, he could usually be found hiding in catering.
Speaking about Bischoff's departure, Schiavone didn't hold back on his criticism, saying:
“You know, and everybody knows that Eric was brought in just so he could get fired,
and that f*cking sucks. I know it, and I’ll guarantee you that I’m right, and the fact he
wasn’t put in the n.W.o. Hall Of Fame — into the Hall Of Fame with the n.W.o. confirms it.”
Though Bischoff wasn't inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on this occasion, it's
highly likely that the WCW magnate and former RAW General Manager will be
inducted one day, though the same can't be said for Tony Schivone.