Daniel Bryan posted the following on Twitter, showing a meeting with UFC star Diego Sanchez backstage at last night's WWE Live Event in Albuquerque, New Mexico…
Birthdate: 05/22/1981 (age 33) Height: 5'10" Weight: 210lb In WWE, Danielson is a four-time world champion... Finally met the original YES man, @DiegoSanchezUFC here at #WWEAlbuquerque… Truly an honor. YES! YES! YES! pic.twitter.com/iKGRBhjQba
— Daniel Bryan (@WWEDanielBryan) February 1, 2015
Partial Source: Pwinsider
It was previously reported that Jerry Lawler was moved from RAW to SmackDown because the company was being age-conscious and was making the move as a way to begin phasing him out. However, several other sources have a different take on the move. One source claims that one of the reasons for the move was because his move from RAW to SmackDown helps boost the show’s credibility among fans by providing the show with its own “A-level announce team.”
Of course, the two takes are not mutually exclusive; it is possible that the company is trying to reduce Lawler’s presence on their flagship show but still recognize that his name value gives the SmackDown commentary a boost among casual fans.
Speaking of the move, Lawler tweeted out the following about his first week on the job.
Birthdate: 11/29/1949 (age 65) Height: 6'0" Weight: 243 Ib Jerry Lawler serves as the play-by-play comment... Really great @WWESmackDown last Thursday with @MichaelCole & @ByronSaxton This week should be even better! pic.twitter.com/RDTrCiz4OB
— Jerry Lawler (@JerryLawler) January 20, 2015
-- For those wondering, WWE Diva AJ Lee was backstage at the RAW Reunion show in Dallas on Monday, despite not being used on the show. It's been reported for a while that AJ will make her return at the live events this coming weekend in her home state of New Jersey.
-- The WWE Community Twitter account posted the following pic of Darren Young, Naomi and Sin Cara hosting an anti-bullying rally at Burnet Middle School in Austin, Texas today:
Birthdate: 3/19/1987 (age 27) Height: 5'2" Weight: 115 Ib Originally trained by former TNA wrestler Ja... #WWE's @DarrenYoungWWE @SinCaraWWE and @NaomiWWE participated in a @beaSTARalliance Rally today in Austin, TX! pic.twitter.com/ZRjNNUkAXh
— WWE Community (@WWECommunity) January 20, 2015
UFC officials are considering options for opponents should Brock Lesnar to jump back to the promotion. Dana White has been clear that he has had no talks about Lesnar coming back but would be willing to do so once his deal with WWE expires.
The show says UFC officials have talked about Frank Mir as a potential opponent for Lesnar. Lesnar and Mir have faced off twice before and split their matches, with Mir beating Lesnar at UFC 81, which was Lesnar’s UFC debut. Lesnar then defeated Mir at UFC 100 in his first defense of the UFC heavyweight title.
Lesnar’s WWE deal expires in March and there is still no word as to whether he will re-sign. Bellator has also expressed interest in singing Lesnar if he becomes a free agent.
Check out our eWN sister MMA website - eFightNews.com for more on this story.
Source: Pwinsider.com
There has been talk in WWE about the in-ring career of Goldust ending. Word is that he will end his run as a wrestler in the next few months, moving to a role as a backstage agent/producer. His team with Stardust will slowly fade out and Stardust will become a singles wrestler.
This change isn’t expected to happen until after WrestleMania 31. While there was talk of Goldust vs. Stardust happening at some point, there’s no word on if the match is planned.
Partial Source: Pwinsider
Layla El was injured and pulled from WWE’s schedule. She also had surgery this week.
At this time it’s unknown what the injury was but we’ll post more details as we get them.
Source: The Wrestling Observer
As reported yesterday, The Rock posted a picture to Instagram of him being in Philadelphia, PA. This led to speculation that the Great One will be appearing at the Royal Rumble tonight. One source notes that The Rock will in fact be appearing at the pay-per-view event.
There are no details on what The Rock will be doing at this time. While there were rumors of him facing Rusev at WrestleMania (based on their interaction on RAW late last year), the source says this is not in the current plans for the show. Another source notes that its possible The Rock could even win the Royal Rumble match if they are planning to do a Rock vs. Brock match at WrestleMania 31.
More as we get it.
-- Despite rumors to the contrary, there have apparently been no talks between Rob Van Dam and WWE about a return for WrestleMania 31. It's always possible that things have been kept quiet, or that talks will take place before the event in March, however as things stand now, there are no plans for RVD to return for the show.
-- Below is the official synopsis for tonight's edition of Total Divas, which goes head-to-head with the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
"Insecurity Breach: Ariane secretly teams up with Jonathan to confront Eva Marie about a major issue; Brie lives in fear after a home invasion; and Paige faces the consequences of sending mixed signals."
Partial Source: The Wrestling Observer
The Lucha Underground television taping in Los Angeles, California on Saturday night was reportedly sold out. The tapings held on January 17th and January 18th were also said to be sold out, with 250 fans in attendance for both shows.
Several notable names were in attendance at the taping last night, including former Los Angeles Lakers star A.C. Green, Women's UFC fighter and Four Horsewomen member Shayna Baszler, as well as UFC fighter and New Japan Pro Wrestling announcer Josh Barnett.
AAA Mega Heavyweight Champion Alberto El Patron also worked the taping. He wrote the following on Twitter about being at the show.
Birthdate: 07/12/1977 (age 37) Height: 6'3" Weight: 286 Ib Brock Lesnar is one of the most dominant indivi... 
Birthdate: 04/11/11969 (age -9955) Height: 6'6" Weight: 232 IB Dustin Runnels' enigmatic, sexually ambiguous g... 
Birthdate: 06/25/1977 (age 37) Height: 5'2" Weight: 116 Ib After attending a performing arts college, El w... 
Birthdate: 05/02/1972 (age 42) Height: 6'5" Weight: 260 Ib Johnson was a college football player for the U... Time for @LuchaElRey if u r here get ready 4the best time of ur life and if u r not, come running cause we r making history in this place
— Alberto El Patron (@VivaDelRio) January 24, 2015
Source: The Wrestling Observer
WWE reportedly wants The Undertaker to be inducted into the 2015 WWE Hall Of Fame, if he chooses not to wrestle at the WrestleMania 31 event that weekend.
As noted in the past, if 'Taker does decide to work a match at WrestleMania, WWE officials want it to be with Bray Wyatt. They are keeping him strong due to this.
A potential Hall of Fame induction if he doesn't wrestle, guaranteeing him as part of "WrestleMania weekend" either way, is likely the reason WWE has been advertising The Undertaker in the WrestleMania promotional materials, such as the tour buses and production trucks.
-- WWE Diva AJ Lee is expected back on WWE TV sooner instead of later. She is taking some time off to heal from several minor nagging injuries. She tweeted a photo of a beachfront today to tell her fans that she’s on vacation.
-- Here is the latest RAW "Backstage Fallout", showing Brie Bella’s reaction to Daniel Bryan’s plan to enter the 2015 Royal Rumble.
Brie reacts to Bryan's announcement: Raw Fallout, December 30, 2014Here are this week's WWE RAW "Backstage Fallout" videos:
Daniel Bryan's Emotional Comeback - Raw Fallout - December 29, 2014Partial Source: Pwinsider
UPDATE: Earlier today, TNA announced that Kurt Angle had re-signed with the company (see below).
According to a source, Kurt Angle and TNA agreed to a new deal two weeks ago. It had been previously reported that Angle was remaining with the company, but there was no deal in place at that time as the two sides simply had a verbal agreement in place. During this time, Vince Russo stated on his podcast that Angle had signed a new deal with TNA, but at that point, negotiations had not been completed and the ink had not yet been put on paper.
ORIGINAL: TNA sent out the following today, announcing that Kurt Angle has official re-signed with the company…
Kurt Angle Re-signs With TNA Wrestling!
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (December 30, 2014) – TNA today announced Olympic Gold Medalist and TNA Hall-of-Fame member Kurt Angle has signed a new contract to remain an active TNA roster member. Kurt can be seen on IMPACT WRESTLING’s new home, Destination America, during a special LIVE event from New York City on Wednesday January 7 at 9/8c.
“Kurt Angle’s arrival nearly a decade ago put TNA on the map. Now Kurt leads a fresh, young IMPACT WRESTLING locker room into a whole new era on Destination America,” said TNA President Dixie Carter. “Once Kurt steps inside those ropes there is no greater talent in professional wrestling.”
“I’m extremely excited to remain with TNA Wrestling,” said Angle. “The driving force behind my signing is the honesty, great communication and positive changes being made by Dixie Carter and John Gaburick. Things are moving upward and forward at TNA, and 2015 will be a great one for all of us at IMPACT WRESTLING.”
For more information on Kurt Angle and other talent signings visit impactwrestling.com, and follow IMPACT WRESTLING on twitter @IMPACTWRESTLING and TNA President Dixie Carter @TNADixie.
IMPACT WRESTLING premieres in its permanent time slot on Fridays from 9-11 PM ET beginning January 16 on Destination America. And, IMPACT WRESTLING: UNLOCKED with Mike Tenay premieres in its permanent time slot on Saturdays from 10 AM-Noon ET beginning January 17, immediately followed by TNA GREATEST MATCHES from Noon-1 PM ET.
Source: The Wrestling Observer
UPDATE: As noted recently, WWE is looking at Adrian Neville as the next main roster call-up from NXT, however they are some matches and programs they would like him to do in NXT first.
WWE officials want Neville to work with Hideo Itami and Finn Balor in singles programs, and also a potential triple-threat feud for the NXT Championship with he, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
ORIGINAL: It was previously reported that Adrian Neville will be getting a “Mighty Mouse” like gimmick when he arrives on the main roster.
According to a source, Neville won’t be dressing like a mouse character, even though it’s inspired by the small yet powerful cartoon.
Although a Mighty Mouse gimmick has been discussed, it should be considered a rumor at this point. The latest plan is for Neville to have a "Crash Holly" style character and he won't be dressing up as a mouse as noted above.
It's worth noting that WWE actually had plans for the late Chris Candido to debut in the mid 90's with a Mighty Mouse character and even had a costume created for him. They wound up going with the Body Donnas character instead, which of course was instrumental in Sunny breaking out as the "Original Diva."
Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter
As noted late last night, it's said that morale in WWE, which was reportedly bad as it is, is even worse after Vince McMahon's live interview with Steve Austin on the WWE Network a few weeks ago.
The general feeling among many within the company is that McMahon "crapped on just about everyone" except for Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. There's also a feeling that McMahon made it clear that those four names were the only ones he sees any top star potential in.
Apparently things got bad enough that Triple H tried some damage control in the form of a speech to the entire WWE roster, which reportedly backfired.
As a general rule, NXT talents seem to be very fond of Triple H, however when it comes to the main roster, whatever he said in that speech reportedly lost him a lot of credibility, especially among talent that has been with the company for quite a while.
-- Here is this week’s video for WWE SmackDown Fallout:
-- Here are the latest RAW and SmackDown Slam of the Week videos:
The Night After Christmas - WWE SmackDown Slam of the Week 12/26Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Several people backstage in WWE weren’t happy about AJ Lee’s speech during the Slammy Awards. It wasn’t said to be scripted the way she said it. Some see it as a shot at every Diva in WWE, except for Paige.
There was also a negative reaction to AJ taking time off to be with CM Punk for his UFC signing announcement at UFC 181 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
There is also said to have been an incident last month, called a “hiccup” with AJ, that happened backstage. This resulted in AJ being removed from an episode of WWE Main Event. We’ll reveal more details as we get them.
It was reported earlier this week that former TNA Knockout Santana Garrett, aka Brittany, was being talked about within TNA as someone who may be back for the promotion’s debut on Destination America in the new year. That may not be the case as she was backstage at NXT Takeover: R Evolution Thursday night with the NXT Divas.
Garrett lives in the area and the site reports that according to “multiple sources,” she could be joining WWE in the near future.
Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter
TNA reportedly made another attempt at signing Alberto Del Rio. According to one source, TNA made a very serious money offer, rumored to be in the $400,000 per year range.
One of the issues in the negotiations is said to be TNA's attempt to get exclusivity of Del Rio, as it is widely known that he plans to work for AAA's Lucha Underground show in 2015, as well as Ring Of Honor, the latter of which is already being officially advertised.
It's believed that if TNA wants a shot at Del Rio, they'll have to either drop the request for exclusivity or up the money offer. Apparently, TNA is trying to sell Del Rio on the fact that he'll get more exposure in the United States by working with them.
Because of the fact that current TNA executive John Gaburick worked closely with Del Rio during their time in WWE, it's said that he is pushing hard to get him.
Bellator MMA is also very interested in Del Rio and the two sides are currently negotiating.
Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Here is a new report on what is next for Brock Lesnar post-WrestleMania 31. Currently, Lesnar’s WWE deal is set to end the night after WrestleMania 31.
According to a source, Lesnar’s status with re-signing with WWE is up in the air. However, there have been rumors for months that Lesnar might try to make a return to MMA and go for another run in the UFC. Even Bellator MMA, which is backed by Viacom, has expressed interest in pursuing Lesnar. The report states that there is a backstage belief in WWE that UFC could have the best shot at signing Lesnar to a deal.
WWE apparently is not in a position to offer Lesnar as lucrative of a deal as he has had for the last several years in the company since he returned in 2012. The report also notes that Lesnar could be using a potential UFC deal as a negotiating tactic to get a bigger offer from WWE again.
Birthdate: 03/24/1965 (age 49) Height: 6'10" Weight: 299 Ib Calaway began his wrestling career with World C... 
Birthdate: 05/22/1988 (age 26) Height: 5'5" Weight: 118 Ib Garrett is known for her work in TNA as the val...