Here's more wrestling news for February 5th 2022
And your headlines for Afternoon include
WWE planning even more Saudi Arabia shows very soon
Former NXT Champion may have already signed a deal with AEW
Current Champion says they turned down a “100 page contract” from WWE to work for AEW
Three WWE Superstars expected to return from hiatus in time for WrestleMania. Who’s returning very soon?
Brock Lesnar breaks yet another long-standing WWE record with latest victory
Becky Lynch opens up about ‘that punch’ from Nia Jax. What happened after the Man was busted open?
Huge match confirmed for upcoming AEW Pay Per View. Massive announcement to take place next week And more!
We’re kicking off with WWE, who for the past few years, has had an incredible valuable, albeit controversial partnership with the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia. One night in Saudi Arabia earns WWE more than months of touring, and has been a major
contributor into the company’s recent record- breaking earnings. At this week’s 2021 year-end financial report,
WWE President Nick Khan discussed Saudi Arabia, and teased having more shows a year in the Middle East, asking “why just limit ourselves to just two.”
Although WWE’s decade-long deal with the Saudi Sports Authority began in 2018, the company had to miss over a year of events overseas, with t
these skipped events now tacked on to the end of their current deal. WWE’s next show in Saudi Arabia will be this month’s
Elimination Chamber, and will see Brock Lesnar’s first foray into the Chamber as well as the return of Bill Goldberg but it may be just a matter
of time before WWE makes even more trips to Saudi Arabia.
Last November, WWE released Keith Lee from his contract, after an incredible run in NXT and underwhelming tenure on RAW.
This week, Lee's non-compete clause with the company expired, and the Limitless One could soon be All Elite.
In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it's reported that Lee is a name AEW are actively seeking, with some believing that the two parties may have already
signed a deal. AEW isn't the only option, as Lee has teased a return to the independent scene, liking a tweet
from Beyond Championship Wrestling to come and be their top champion. Lee does have a history with BCW and worked in
the Melrose Massachusetts promotion from 2016- 2018, where he faced the likes of Riddle, Joey Janela, Brian Cage and others before coming to WWE.
A former NXT and North American Champion, Lee has a litany of great matches already to his name, and there’s no shortage of employers willing to
pay for the services of the former Bearcat of WWE.
AEW is already host to some talented individuals, including reigning TBS Champion Jade Cargill.
Making her debut with the company in November 2020, Cargill has quickly risen up the ranks of the company’s women’s division, and turned down
chance to work with WWE in order to prove herself. Speaking on Talk is Jericho, the inaugural TBS Champion said that WWE wanted to sign her a
after a tryout she had with them, but she didn’t appreciate the company grilling her about having a child.
Cargill went on to say that she turned down WWE’s which was sent to her in a “100 page contract” but called it the best decision she’s ever made for her
family and for herself. Jade’s choice to say no definitely paid off for her, and allowed someone else to get a spot in WWE,
but we’re wondering just how different both companies would be today had she signed that 100-page deal.
Back to WWE, as this time last year, Lacey Evans was feuding with Charlotte Flair, but that angle was dropped on the February 15th RAW, where Evans
announced she was pregnant. The Sassy Southern Belle has been absent from WWE TV ever since then, and after celebrating the
birth of her second child back in October,got back into ring shape within a matter of weeks. According to Dave Meltzer, Evans has been working
especially hard to return a of late, with her return to TV set to happen soon, possibly ahead of WrestleMania 38.
Before her pregnancy, there had been plans or Evans to become RAW Women’s Champion, and we’ll have to see if this is still the plan for her when she returns to
TV very soon.
Evans is expected back on TV very soon, but she’s not the only female Superstar who could be able to make a return.
In the Observer, Meltzer writes that both Bayley and Asuka are expected back in the coming months with the plan being for them both to be on TV in time for
WrestleMania 38.
Bayley has been out since early July last year, as she injured her knee during a training session in the build to the return of live fans.
At the time, it was reported that she’d need 9 months off, and underwent knee reconstruction surgery.
Mere days after Bayley’s injury, Asuka competed in what’d be her last match to date as one of the participants in the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder
match, and details of her injury remain sketchy. WWE reportedly had plans for Asuka to be in this year’s Women’s Royal Rumble, but later decided
she wasn’t ready for the match, but it appears things have changed
With WrestleMania now 56 days away, we’ll have to see if these two decorated Superstars do return in time, and if so, what WWE has planned for them on TV.
At the Royal Rumble, Brock Lesnar had a mixed night to say the least, losing the WWE Championship and services of Paul Heyman but winning the men's Rumble
match later in the night. Winning the match from the number 30 position, we previously covered that Lesnar broke the
record for the shortest time to win a Rumble match, but he now has another accolade to his name.
As Dave Meltzer noted in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Lesnar now has the record for most time between Rumble victories.
It took 19 years after Lesnar's Rumble win in 2003 for him to emerge victorious again, breaking the previous 14-year record held by Triple H.
Now, Lesnar will challenge Universal Champion Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 38, and plans to enter as WWE Champion, and time will tell if Lesnar
achieves this goal en route to his Texas-sized Showdown with the Tribal Chief.
Now, on the November 19th 2018 RAW, then SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch appeared on the red brand as part of the RAW Vs.
SmackDown dynamic going into Survivor Series, on a night that would change her career.
Brawling with the RAW roster, Lynch would receive a stiff shot to the face from Nia Jax, which would break her nose and give her a concussion,
forcing WWE to change their Pay Per Views. Speaking now on the Broken Skull Sessions, Lynch explained that all it took was one punch to break
her nose, and that Jax could not have felt worse after the incident: “She sent me flowers, but I should’ve sent her
flowers. Yeah, yeah it was after that, there was an iconic image to go with the match… it catapulted me to a different stratosphere.”
Lynch is correct, as the image of her standing tall with blood smeared across her face made her the unbeatable badass, and would cement her transformation into The Man.
Now, Lynch is one of WWE’s top stars, with multiple reigns as champion to her name, and she has Jax’s fist to thank for pushing her in the right direction.
And we’re ending today with AEW, who are bringing back the face of the revolution ladder match.
During last night’s Rampage it was confirmed that the multi-man Ladder match will take place at the upcoming Revolution Pay Per View, with the first
qualifying match taking place on next week’s edition of Dynamite. The match will see a yet-to-be confirmed number
participants compete to grab a brass ring, a dig at WWE and the proverbial brass ring several ex- Superstars have spoken about since leaving the
company. Next week’s Dynamite will also feature an AEW World title match where Hangman Adam Page will
put his gold on the line against Lance Archer in a Texas Death Match. Tony Khan has also promised to make a huge
announcement on next Wednesday’s show, but we’ll just have to wait and see what Khan has to say on the road to Revolution 2022.