Columnist Rob Pasbani catches you up on the big moments from WWE Survivor Series and everything else going on in the wrestling world, post-Thanksgiving.
The final WWE premium live event of the year is in the books, and WWE Survivor Series proved very eventful for The Bloodline. The show-long story was about whether undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns could trust Sami Zayn, based on conversations Sami had with Roman Reigns the night before.
The acting was off the charts in all the segments, leading to the big War Games match where Zayn consistently helped his biggest critic, Jey Uso. In the end, Zayn physically stopped a referee from counting to three for Kevin Owens to beat Roman Reigns. He then gave Owens a low blow, sacrificing him for Jey Uso, leading to the loudest reaction for a hug I’ve ever heard:
At the house show on Sunday, Zayn and Jey were getting along so well that they even did the secret handshake that Zayn has been doing with Jimmy:
The other highlights were the women’s War Games match and the triple threat for the United States title. Here’s a highlight reel WWE put together:
Fightful Select reports that Roman Reigns was fuming backstage after the event ended. The issue was an “unplanned spot” with Kevin Owens, and Roman was complaining that he may have ruptured his ear drum.
Reigns was said to be very vocal with his displeasure of the matter, with some saying they’ve never seen him this upset (according to a report on F4W). Perhaps cooler heads have since prevailed, as there is no punishment expected for anybody over the incident.
Reigns was planned for the post-Survivor Series press conference but did not end up attending the event.
Fans are speculating that the unplanned spot was Owens slapping Reigns at the beginning of this exchange. It certainly sounds louder than all the other slaps.
Raw is on tonight at 8pm on the USA Network and the first hour is commercial-free! The only things announced so far are:
NXT is tomorrow at 8pm on USA Network with this card:
AEW has a stacked Dynamite scheduled for Wednesday
So far announced for WWE Smackdown on Friday:
There were reports that William Regal may be headed to WWE soon. Those reports are not true as Regal is locked into a three-year deal with AEW.
Sportskeeda is reporting WWE is heading to India for a special event in the city of Hyderabad, with the working date being Wednesday, January 18. WWE has yet to officially announce anything.
Triple H confirmed during the Survivor Series press conference that “Hell in the Cell” will no longer be a standalone premium live event, but rather a match saved for when a feud calls for a big blow-off. He said that Elimination Chamber and Money in the Bank will, however, remain as premium live events. As for if “War Games” will be an annual part of Survivor Series, Triple H said “we’ll see, but tonight was a success.”
The main event of ROH Final Battle was revealed to be Chris Jericho vs. Claudio Castignoli for the ROH title. If Claudio loses, he has to become a member of the Jericho Appreciation Society.
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, who is 69 years old, came out of retirement for one more match, teaming with FTR (Dax Hardwood and Cash Wheeler) to defeat Nick Aldis, Jay Lethal and Brock Anderson (with Arn Anderson). It was part of a part of a Big Time Wrestling event in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Sunday, November 27, 2022. Here is a cool little clip:
WWE will be holding tryouts this week at the prestigious sports school IMG Academy. It’s part of a new recruiting strategy they revealed in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated targeting elite college athletes.
Logan Paul revealed he will need about six more weeks of recovery time from his knee injury at WWE Crown Jewel. That means he will be ready to go by Royal Rumble at the end of January.
Andrade El Idalo revealed he underwent surgery for a torn pectoral muscle. He was previously suspended by AEW for getting into a fight with Sammy Guevarra. No word on when he is expected back.
Undertaker was backstage at Survivor Series this weekend and noted he really enjoyed the event.
Last night, The New Day paid tribute to Power Rangers star Jason David Frank who passed away earlier this month. Take a look:
At the same show, Sami Zayn made Solo Sikoa briefly break character:
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Do you enjoy pro wrestling? Knotfest Wrestling has a bi-weekly column filled with wrestling news. Read previous editions of this column here. You can always follow me @robinjection on Instagram and Twitter and @Squaredcirclpit.
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