Major Name Ruled Out As AEW’s Devil; December 15th Wrestling News Round-Up

Last week it was announced that Okada would be making a shock return to TNA at the companies upcoming Snake Eyes event in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The announce appeared to coincide with underwhelming ticket sales for the event, with social media putting this down to the tough market that is Vegas.

But how has Okada impacted ticket sales?

Well, according to a new report from WrestleTix, in the past week since Okada was announced to be returning to IMPACT/TNA, the company has sold 68 new tickets for the event.

This take the event to a current set up of 348 tickets sold out of 1180.

You can read a breakdown of these numbers below!

TNA Wrestling: Snake Eyes
Sun • Jan 14, 2024 • 4:30 PM
Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, NV

Available Tickets => 832
Current Setup => 1,180
Tickets Distributed => 348

+68 since the last update (7 days ago) pic.twitter.com/hL6RGEbrFU

— WrestleTix (@WrestleTix) December 15, 2023

Former WWE Superstar Hornswoggle has taken issue with actor Hugh Grant over comments regarding his latest role.

Hugh Grant has found himself under fire for his role as the Oompa-Loompa in the upcoming re-re-reboot of Rohl Dahl’s classic novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The casting has found itself under criticism as the use of CGI and motion capture to turn Hugh Grant into a person of short stature has been seen to take away work and representation opportunities for someone within the little person community.

To make matters worse Grant has since done nothing but complain about the role, even during press conferences ahead of the films event.

Grant was recently quoted stating that he “couldn’t have hated the whole thing more.”

Following his departure from professional wrestling, Hornswoggle, real name Dylan Postl, has moved into the acting world following his departure from WWE. Appearing on Sky News, the former Cruiserweight Champion has “zero sympathy” for Grant as he knew what he signed up for:

“He knew what he was getting into when he took the role, that’s my whole thing. He knew the character, he knew how it would be viewed, edited and all that, but he still took it. Obviously, I have zero sympathy for him feeling this way and it’s even more than that, I feel it’s a shame that he did take that role and it could have gone to someone of my stature.”

Postl continued, stating that the production company made an error with their casting choice and should have chosen an actor of smaller stature:

“It’s an absolutely huge movie and a huge part of the Wonka story and backstory, how they are perceiving it. So for it to go to someone in the dwarf community would have been absolutely enormous.”

If you use any quotes from this article please credit Sky News and leave a h/t to Inside The Ropes.

Tony Khan has revealed he is open to making one particular change in AEW when it comes to title defences.

In the last few few years championships from the likes of IMPACT Wrestling, AAA, Ring of Honor and more have all been defended on AEW.

But NJPW has been less involved in this way than many would have suspected.

Speaking on the media call ahead of ROH Final Battle, Tony Khan was asked if the new Global Championship would be a part of AEW or ROH programming.

Khan responded that much like any of the other championships in New Japan, the Global Championship could be defended on any of his shows:

““I’d certainly be open to having any of New Japan’s great champions defending the title in AEW or ROH or any promotion. I think that’s great. New Japan Pro-Wrestling has a really, really exciting roster, and they have some of the best wrestlers, and we have a really exciting opportunity, going forward, to present, what I believe, is a unified champion across the Triple Crown.

With any New Japan champion, we would certainly welcome them to compete as part of the same spirit of competition and partnership with New Japan. We’re excited about that news and it certainly creates another exciting opportunity in the world of pro wrestling with the great roster New Japan offers,” he said.” [h/t Fightful]

Bryan Danielson talks to Alex McCarthy about his involvement in the AEW disciplinary committee that chose to fire CM Punk, allowing him to return to WWE!

Check it out below!

When CM Punk returned to the WWE at Survivor Series 2023 fans around the worlds were in shock.

But how did the AEW locker room react?

Well, according to Chris Jericho, not at all.

Speaking in a new interview with WFAA, Chris Jericho would comment on Punk’s return to the WWE noting that “it’s business as usual’ in AEW.

Jericho would note:

“It’s business as usual. It happens.

It’s the same reason why I’m sure there wasn’t a big reaction when Adam Copeland came to AEW or when Will Ospreay signed with AEW or when Danielson, Moxley, and Adam Cole came to AEW.

It’s good for the business that guys have the ability to go between companies.

It’s great for the fans and it’s great for the talent overall. It just makes the business stronger and that’s the most important thing,” [h/t Fightful]

WWE have dropped another awesome YouTube video for us to enjoy!

Relive every major debut and return in the WWE throughout 2023 in this one hour video featuring Randy Orton, Jade Cargill, Booker T and of course… CM Punk!

Check it out below!

What has been your favourite return of 2023? Let us know by using the ‘get involved’ feature at the top of the page!

Cody Rhodes has given his pick for the MVP of 2023… and no, it’s not Montel Vontavious Porter.

Appearing on The Michael Kay Show, Rhodes stated that there are multiple parameters to decide who should be awarded the title of MVP. When choosing his pick, Rhodes believes that the title should go to Seth Rollins:

“That’s a loaded [question] because Dom is a prickly individual. If I was looking at it from tickets sold, merch sold, excitement over matches, genuine body of work, I’d say your MVP is…I’m not gonna say myself, somebody else hopefully will say me, but I’d say Seth Rollins, World Heavyweight Champion is probably somebody who’s more of the MVP.”

When asked about Michaels’ pick, Rhodes admitted that he can see why the Hall of Famer chose The Judgment Day member:

“Who am I to go against what Shawn Michaels said though. If Shawn Michaels sees something in Dominik Mysterio. That’s huge, because he’s not one that often will make that claim. Dom is…as difficult as he is to get along with, he is incredibly linked to the audience.

I have a feeling that if, Dom Mysterio walks out now, for those of you don’t watch WWE. He walks out and you can’t hear a word he’s saying because they boo him out of the building. I have a sense that Dom will be getting that same reaction two or three years from now but they won’t be boos, they’ll be cheers.

There is something incredibly special about the young man and I’m sorry that I’ve had to beat him so many times. But I look forward to what he does. He comes from good stock, obviously. His future is perhaps brighter than anybodys.”

[h/t SEScoops]

If you want to have your say on the best of wrestling in 2023, you can vote on the Inside The Ropes Magazine ‘End of Year Awards’ NOW!

Voting includes Match of the Year, Wrestler of the Year, Most Improved and more!

Winners will be announced in issue 41 of Inside The Ropes Magazine.

Ace Steel and CM Punk have been two of the most discussed names in wrestling over the past two years.

The pairs role in the infamous AEW All Out Brawl has been discussed by every fan, journalist, critic and locker room member with people taking a range of stances.

Some side with Punk and believe The Elite and Tony Khan did not act correctly and others believe that no matter the reason behind their actions what Steel and Punk are alleged to have does is never acceptable.

Grayson Waller recently sat down with Adrian Hernadez and during the interview revealed that he did not realise how “wrong” the internet was about everything until he met CM Punk for himself.

He would go on to heap praise on CM Punk and Ace Steel noting that the has “nothing but positive things” to say…for now.

Waller would state:

“I didn’t realize how wrong the internet was about everything until I came to WWE and I was actually backstage and saw some things.

I don’t think there is anything but positive energy about CM Punk coming back.

The entire roster right now is great, from top to bottom. Everyone is challenging each other, everyone wants to be the top guy, but no one is stepping on anyone to get there.

Maybe me, I don’t mind doing that, but everyone is working together.

We want this product to succeed, and I think that’s what’s happening. Everyone is buzzing to have him back.

Why would you not want to have this guy who can cut incredible promos, he can have great matches, who the crowd wants to see, who is super controversial?

If you don’t want him back here, you’re stupid type of thing.

For me, personally, I said some things online about Punk when I heard the rumors. I like to play with the rumors and have some fun, that type of thing.

I got to meet him recently, and that’s all I’ll say about that.

I was trained in NXT originally by Ace Steel, who is obviously Punk’s coach as well. I know the type of training he went through.

Ace Steel is a great trainer. He’s hard-nosed, very to the point. He got me a lot of my first matches in NXT.

I have nothing but positive things to say about Ace and nothing but positive things to say currently about Punk. I’m sure that’ll change in the future,” [h/t Fightful]

On January 13th TNA wrestling officially returns with their first PPV ‘Hard To Kill’.

The card is only just coming together but already looks stacked with Jordynne Grace taking on Trinity for the Knockout’s Championship and Moose taking on Alex Shelly for the TNA/IMPACT World Championship.

But that’s not all.

Hard to Kill and the follow up ‘Snake Eyes’ event will feature the TNA/IMPACT Wrestling return of the sensational El Hijo Del Vikingo.

Vikingo, who has recently made waves in AEW, last appeared for the company back in November 2023 (his first appearance for the company in three years) when he teamed with the Legendary Motor City Machine Guns to take on Los Vipers and Trey Miguel at Impact Wrestling’s Ultra Clash show in Monterrey, Mexico.

You can check out the official IMPACT Wrestling announcement below.

BREAKING: The electrifying @vikingo_aaa makes his return to TNA at #HardToKill & #SnakeEyes on January 13 & 14 at the Palms in Las Vegas!

Get tickets HERE:
🎟️ Hard to Kill: https://t.co/xnu2ERrYoO
🎟️ Snake Eyes: https://t.co/uIMNT4ffq6 pic.twitter.com/k0emm1M3Wj

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) December 15, 2023

As IMPACT Wrestling looks ahead to it’s much anticipated relaunch under the iconic TNA name there appears to be some general housekeeping going on in order to ensure a smooth and successful relaunch.

Recently it was announced that top international star Kushida would be exclusively working with TNA in the United States and now long term roster member Eddie Edwards has re-signed with the company.

Eddie Edwards took to social media to react to his contract extension.

“Happy and proud to continue being a part of Impact Wrestling/TNA.

This has been and will continue to be my home as long as I am able to do this amazing product and more importantly we have an amazing locker room with people who truly care about each other.

Thank you!”

Will you be checking out TNA when it relaunches in 2024? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!

Jim Ross has provided fans with an update on both his health and his AEW future as he continues to recover from his recent battle with skin cancer.

Speaking on the Grilling JR Podcast, Jim Ross provided an update on his on-going health issues including his blood sugar and upcoming MRI checks.

“Feeling good. Medicals are doing good, blood sugar is coming down.

Those nightly insulin shots I give myself in my fat ass stomach, I got plenty of territory hidden for that needle not to go in the same place twice.

My blood sugar, which is a huge issue, that’s what’s retarding the healing of my leg, the blood sugar. So it’s damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

So I’m getting an MRI next week to make sure that there’s no damage to the bone in my leg, just as a precaution.

You know, I don’t want to deal with bone cancer, for God’s sake.

We’re pretty sure that ain’t gonna be the case. So we’ll get an MRI next week just to bring that to a close,” [h/t Fightful]

The legendary announcer would then go on to discuss his AEW future, stating that the feels “back in the hunt” and has thought about trying to make his return at Worlds End but he does not currently have a date.

“The medicines that have been prescribed to me are working.

Mentally, I feel like I’m back in the hunt competitively.

I have no idea what my future is at AEW, I have no clue.

To be very frank about it, I’m not worried about it yay or nay.

My work should stand on its own after 50 years for God’s sake, seriously. So, sometimes I worry too much…

I have the corner of my eye thought about the pay-per-view coming up that you just mentioned on Long Island.

But that’s a hope that I would be healthy enough and able to work and work to the level that I need to work.

I don’t have a date. It’s just hard to plan. I don’t want to set myself up for disappointment.

If I’m going to do something and I say I’m going to do it then it’s going to get done but I can’t commit to that right now because I still got some ongoing health issues that need to be addressed and they are being addressed.”

[h/t F4WOnline]

Earlier this week The Von Erich’s returned to televised wrestling when they appeared on AEW Dynamite in Arlington, Texas.

The Von Erich’s appearance in AEW has been marked with a small but of controversy after fans and former talent alike complained on social media at Danhausen’s role in the segment.

This is due to Danhausen’s gimmick of placing curses on his opponents being seen as a poor, if accidental, reference to the infamous Von Erich curse that surrounds the tragic deaths of Muke, Chris and Kerry Von Erich who all committed suicide between 1987 and 1993.

Responding to a fan on Twitter, AEW commentator Taz would recall his memory of wrestling Kerry Von Erich in IWCCW back in 1991.

Taz would simply state that he does remember the match…but not fondly.

“Yeah, I have a memory of the match, it was horrible.”

Following up, Taz would explain why he does not look back at the match with much joy, stating that sometimes two workers just ‘don’t gel.’

“Sometimes matches are bad. That’s the way it’s always been, that’s the way it’s always gonna be.

I know in todays wrestling biz,  many fans expect matches to be great all the time nonstop “5 STAR BANGERS!” …

That’s not reality. It’s a difficult business & sometimes guys don’t gel.”

What did you think of The Von Erich’s role on AEW Winter is Coming? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below.

AEW Revolution is set to be home to Sting’s final match of his iconic career.

But how are tickets moving for the show?

Well, according to an update from WrestleTix, things seem to be selling well for the event.

At the time of writing there are currently over 7000 tickets distributed out of a capacity of just over 9000 leaving around 2000 tickets available.

The report also notes that amongst North American pre-sales Revolution 2024 ranks as one of the best in AEW history!

Will you be checking our Sting’s final show? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!

Dragon Lee has made waves in WWE since signing with the company in December 2022.

During his time in the company so far Lee has worked with legends such as Rey Mysterio and is currently the NXT North American Champion after defeating Dominik Mysterio at NXT Deadline last week.

But is Lee’s interactions with the fans off camera that has today made headlines.

Taking to social media, one fan would share footage of the Lee’s incredible, heart-warming encounter with a young WWE fan.

The video, shown below, features Lee trading demasking and trading his mask with a young fans Rey Mysterio mask in a moment the kid is likely never going to forget.

Check it out!

Dragon Lee trades masks with a young #WWE fan! Really wholesome! 😊#WWENXT #Raw #Smackdown #Dynamite #AEW #CMPunk #RandyOrton #DrewMcIntyre #SethRollins
Credit: stay__true_mikey pic.twitter.com/bIzEz0pSOv

— StepdadsWrestling (@StepdadsWrestle) December 15, 2023

Could Dragon Lee be the next Rey Mysterio? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!

Wrestling in Japan seems to be making a major change to the way promotions interact with one another.

NJPW today announced that it is one of nine organisations that will constitute ‘United Japan Pro-Wrestling’, a new industry group representing professional wrestling in Japan.

The other members include:

• New Japan Pro-Wrestling (New Japan Pro-Wrestling Co. Ltd.)
• All Japan Pro-Wrestling (All Japan Pro-Wrestling Co. Ltd.)
• Pro-Wrestling NOAH (Cyber Fight Co. Ltd.)
• DDT Pro-Wrestling (Cyber Fight Co. Ltd.)
• Ganbare ☆ Pro-Wrestling  (Cyber Fight Co. Ltd.)
• Big Japan Pro-Wrestling （Yotsuba Industries Ltd.)
• DRAGONGATE (DRAGONGATE Co. Ltd.)
• STARDOM (BushiRoad Fight Co. Ltd.)
• Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling  (Cyber Fight Co. Ltd.)

The organisation’s mission statement reads:

“To further the presence of pro-wrestling and its cultural merit in Japanese society at large, allow professional wrestling to contribute further to cultural and sporting sectors, and work toward continued health and prosperity of the industry.”

You can read the United Japan Pro-Wrestling core tenants and planned activities listings, here.

Who is the man behind the Devil mask? That is the question on every fan’s lips.

In the past few months names such as CM Punk, Adam Cole, Britt Baker, Sami Callihan and Jack Perry have been thrown about.

Well with CM Punk signed to the WWE we can safely cross him off the suspects list and according to a new report another name can be discounted as well.

Fightful Select has reported that a “high-level source” close to the situation has dismissed speculation surrounding Jack Perry’s role as the Devil.

The source stated that they do not believe Perry is connected to the ongoing storyline.

While plans can change, it has been previously reported that the Devil’s henchmen are portrayed by members of the AEW roster who will eventually be unmasked, adding another layer of intrigue to the mystery.

You can read a full breakdown of this report, here.

Who do you think is behind the Devil mask? Let us know by using the ‘get involved’ feature at the top of the page!

Good Afternoon!

I hope everyone is doing well and has had an awesome week so far!

I will be with you from 12pm to 6pm BST (7am – 1pm ET) covering all the biggest stories from WWE, AEW, NJPW, IMPACT and more.

We will be kicking things off today with the biggest stories from the last 24 hours including:

• A major name has been ruled out as the true identity of AEW’s devil.
• Jim Ross is undergoing an MRI to check for potential bone cancer, AEW future remains uncertain.
• AEW backstage reaction to CM Punk‘s WWE return revealed.
• Rising WWE star has nothing but love for CM Punk and Ace Steel…for now.
• Dragon Lee shares heart-warming encounter with young WWE fan.