Charlotte Flair Signs Monster WWE Deal; December 20th Wrestling News Round-Up

Nicknames are a key part of many iconic wrestling characters from ‘The Icon’ to ‘The Phenom’ and even ‘The Tribal Chief’ but in a world of tens of thousands of wrestlers it is becoming increasingly difficult to be original.

Something WWE has found out once again.

Lexis King, FKA Brian Pillman Jr, has featured prominently since signing with NXT earlier this year but his new nickname has caught the attention of one former NXT Tag Team Champion.

During last night’s episode of NXT Lexis King took part in the Men’s Breakout Tournament at which point the WWE on TNT Sports account dubbed the former AEW star… ‘The Drama King’ a nickname that will be familiar to WWE viewers.

The Drama King was the nickname of former Vaudevillian and Rusev Day member Aiden English.

Taking to Twitter, English would acknowledge the repurposed nickname.

Check it out below!

…pardon? https://t.co/wTdN6t6ZbU

— Matthew Rehwoldt (@DramaKingMatt) December 20, 2023

The Undertaker and Vince McMahon were two of WWE’s most feared personalities behind the scenes for decades…but that doesn’t mean they didn’t like a joke.

In a new video on his YouTube channel “Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway”, The Undertaker has recalled the moment Vince McMahon got one over on The Big Show during a flight to Tribute to the Troops.

Check it out below!

Disco Inferno has become more known for his outrageous Twitter takes in recent years than his previous wrestling ability.

Earlier this week Disco Inferno sent some criticism towards AEW and Tony Khan, prompting the AEW owner to blast the former WCW star as a “irrelevant parasite.”

Speaking on “Keepin’ It 100” Inferno, real name Glenn Gilbertti, would address Khan’s response:

“That’s the way I feel… That this show has been kind of stuck in the mud, the ratings haven’t gone up in months.

They’re doing tournaments, you know, a lot of guys like Wardlow, they’re still not …

We do the reviews on the show and I tell the stuff that we like and don’t like, the funny thing about this is that all these fans think I’m this hater and stuff …

Every single week, there’s at least some stuff I like, but nobody wants to talk about that. Just listen to our review…

I paid my dues, I’ve gone up and down the roads, I’ve been in the ring and I wrestled during a period of time when wrestling was the hottest it’s ever been …

You bought your way into this business and you’re gonna call me an irrelevant parasite?

I did way more to make a name for myself in this business than just putting up a bunch of money and buying a company.

It’s very offensive … You’re the head of a company. This is not behavior becoming of the head of a wrestling company.” [h/t WrestlingInc]

Do you agree with Disco Inferno? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!

As we enter the final week of live ITRWrestling blogs for 2023 I want to take a look ahead to what wrestling may have to offer in 2024.

2023 has been a ridiculous year with CM Punk being suspened by AEW, brought back by AEW, fired by AEW, signed by the WWE and seemingly on the road for WrestleMania.

All in the same year that Vince McMahon left the WWE, returned to the WWE, sold the WWE, left the WWE, returned to the WWE (again) before finally leaving…again.

And IMPACT Wrestling announced that TNA will be making a return in 2024!

So with that being said let’s take a look ahead at 2024 and make a prediction for each of the major wrestling companies.

Please note this is just a bit of fun, these predictions are the opinion of me (@LiamAStewart) only…don’t be sending any heat to ITR if you disagree.

AJ Lee Returns To The WWE

Starting off with a prediction I am placing for January 2024…so I can be proven right or wrong by at least one of these early in the year.

Since CM Punk returned to the WWE there has been a dose of fan excitement on social media regarding a potential return for former Women’s Champion, and Punk’s real-life partner, AJ Lee.

Now, importantly, we must remember that Lee is her own person and just because Punk is back in WWE does not mean that she will necessarily return.

Lee, real name April Mendez, has a lot going on from her writing and acting to being an advocate and ambassador for NAMI, The Jed Foundation and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

But with that being said…

Punk seem to be, at least for now, having a blast in WWE both on Raw & SmackDown but also in connecting with the new generation in NXT.

That sort of positivity and excitement is contagious and with WWE looking to maximise social media interest and reactions as part of their aim to make WWE present as the biggest sports entertainment company in the world and AJ Lee return will be on their minds as well.

Combine all this with the Royal Rumble being just around the corner and Charlotte Flair out of action for WrestleMania and maybe the time will finally come to light it up once again.

Swerve Strickland Becomes AEW World Champion

I am much more confident in this prediction because I think it *has* to happen.

Swerve Strickland is currently on the run of his life in AEW.

Thanks to his incredible in-ring ability and recent shift in presentation Swerve has gone from one half of a disappointing tag team with Keith Lee to the hottest talent in the company.

Add into account MJF’s underwhelming run as World Champion, plagued by backstage drama and injuries to key storytelling elements, and the time is getting near to pull the trigger.

AEW needs to show that getting yourself over and consistently delivering can be rewarded and we only need to look at Wardlow to see what happens when you wait too long to pull the trigger.

Whilst the iron is hot and Swerve is taking over the world I believe AEW will pull the trigger and finally acknowledge who’s house it is.

Kazuchika Okada Re-Signs With NJPW

Yeah admittedly this is not much of a shocking prediction.

Okada’s contract is reportedly up in 2024 and with rumours floating around that he has hired wrestling’s super-agent Barry Bloom fans are speculating if ‘The Rainmaker’ could be WWE or AEW bound.

I think the simple answer is most likely not.

Okada is the guy in NJPW and is on track to create a Misawa-esque legacy in Japan, combine this with his partner Suzuko Mimori beign valued at over $15,000,000 and her work and fame being largely eastern centric it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for Okada and his family to move permanently to the United States at the detriment of Mimori’s career.

I think Okada will continue to appear occasionally for AEW but as for becoming All Elite.. I don’t see that happening in 2024.

Monty Brown Returns To TNA

Right… listen.

This is more of a manifest and half prediction than a true prediction.

TNA/IMPACT Wrestling are excellent at social media, they are experts at maximising organic hype via use of old clips or moments from the company’s history.

Somebody wins a WWE title that had one match in TNA one time in 2006… they’ve got that clip and tweet ready to go before the title is lifted.

When TNA relaunches in 2024 they will be looking to maximise on the hype and outside of the usual big TNA legend names such as Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Abyss, The MCMG and Sting…I don’t think anyone would electrify social media quite like the master of the pounce the most charismatic man in the history of wrestling… The Alpha Male Monty Brown.

Monty Brown, as well as being a legitimately incredible performer at his peak, has become a piece of wrestling folklore due to his disappearance from pro-wrestling back in 2007.

Brown, then Marcus Cor Von, would wrestle his final matches for the WWE against CM Punk and Chris Benoit before leaving pro-wrestling to care for his mother.

Now almost 20 years later social media still wants him back and if TNA’s new generation kicks off with Monty Brown hitting one hell of a pounce then viral hits are sure to follow.

A New Generation of NXT

This one is more of a catch all for a few predictions.

I think we have seen that under Shawn Michaels and Triple H WWE is both very willing to call up NXT talent throughout the year but also not afraid to hold off for the betterment of the talent involved and NXT.

But with that being said here are some NXT talents I expect to permanently move to Raw/SmackDown in 2024.

–       Carmelo Hayes

–       Axiom

–       Bron Breakker

–       Ilja Dragunov

–       Tyler Bate

–       Cora Jade

–       Tiffany Stratton

–       Gallus

How many of my predictions to you agree with? Let me know by using the ‘get involved’ feature at the top of the page and tell me your 5 predictions for 2024 as well!

It’s been a rough few months for AEW Collision since CM Punk was fired by the company but despite major NFL competition things seem to be on the up.

The December 16th episode of AEW Collision averaged a total of 457,000 viewers, a 0.4% increase on the previous week.

This represents the highest viewership for the show since October 28th.

A rating of 0.15 in the key 18-49 demographic represented a 7.15% increase from the previous week and the highest key demographic rating for the show since October 21st.

This is all the more impressive given that the show went head-to-head with the greatest NFL team in the world…at least for this writer, as the Detroit Lions annihilated the Denver Broncos.

Do you still check out AEW Collision every week? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!

The Ultimate Warrior is a divisive wrestling figure with his in-ring contributions shadowed by personal and political issues.

However, he is a one-of-a-kind story if there ever was one.

Speaking to Wrestling Shoot Interviews, Gret ‘The Hammer’ Valentine would recall Warrior holding a promoter HOSTAGE!

Check it out below!

Becky Lynch’s WWE deal may be expiring in 2024 but according to ‘The Man’ she isn’t going anywhere.

Speaking on ‘Strutting from Gorilla’ Lynch would reveal that she sees WWE as her home and plans to retire with the wrestling giants.

“Growing up, WWE is what I watched, it’s what I loved, it’s the reason I became a professional wrestler.

Now, having been in it, I love it. I love the people, I love the audience, and I love being able to being an important part of change.

I love that I get to continue to drive that and that my voice matters in WWE. I feel listened to, and I feel we’ve been able to change the landscape of women’s wrestling forever.

That feels very special to me. It’s my home. It’s where I was born as a professional wrestler in many ways in terms of my influence, and it’s where I’ll retire.” [h/t Fighful]

Is Becky Lynch the greatest women’s wrestler of all-time? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!

NXT has been on the up and up ever since Triple H took over management of the WWE and appointed Shawn Michaels to oversee management of WWE’s development brand.

Following heavy criticism under the brands NXT 2.0 era, Shawn Michaels has been heavily praised for helping NXT get back to it’s best balancing incredible in-ring wrestling with bright, unique characters and a blend of independent talent and NXT homegrown performers.

Speaking on Notsam Wrestling, former United States Champion Baron Corbin would heap praise on the Heartbreak Kid for his work in NXT.

“I think NXT’s putting out fire, man.

What Shawn and Baldo and all those coaches there, what they’re doing is special because they’re listening to talent, they’re getting behind them, like how do you want to make this work? How do you feel about this?

Because then people are truly invested for themselves. Then there are some guys, there are different people on that roster that really want to be successful and want to learn and want to listen, so when someone like me or Seth comes in the building or Becky, they’re asking questions.

Randy was there, training, Taker was there. People are asking genuine questions. Then there are some guys, when you’re getting these athletes from all over from college, they’re high-profile athletes, they might come in and think they already have it made.

I’ve met a few of those, where they ask you a question, and you can tell they don’t care about the answer or what you’re saying. They’re gonna do it their way, they’re just trying to play the game.

But I’ve been around too long to know that, and I’m not stupid… is excitement for the show and the people on the show and the creativity behind the show and his passion to make that show, we always say it’s not a developmental system anymore, but it is a third brand.

It pulled a million viewers a couple months back with Becky. It has taken the show to another level, and it’s because of Shawn and the guys behind him and the coaches in the PC.” [h/t Fightful]

Are you enjoying NXT? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!

Mr Blobby Makes Wrestling Return…Sends Spike Trivet Through A Table

Mr Blobby celebrated the 30th anniversary of his Christmas number one as we all would… by getting in a wrestling ring and sending a tory through a table.

Obviously.

At Riot Cabaret, Mr Blobby returned to the ring after his Royal Rumble clash with Steve Austin earlier this year.

Blobby would show case his incredible ability by sending Progress World Champion Spike Trivet through a ladder with some help from Dave Benson Phillips’ favourite wrestler Session Moth Martina.

Check out the bonkers moment below!

Did not expect to see 90s British icon Mr Blobby put a wrestler through a table tonight… 😂

Great fun at @RiotCabaret pic.twitter.com/ZUjsXGqgoj

— On This Day in WWE (@OTD_in_WWE) December 19, 2023

Charlotte Flair may be injured but she isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

According to a new report from Fightful Select, ‘The Queen’ has signed a new multi-year deal with the WWE and it looks to be a big money deal.

The report notes that Flair was one of the first contract extension following the TKO merger coming prior to Dominik and Rey Mysterio’s recent extensions.

Additionally, Fightful Select has reported that Flair has become one of the highest paid women in WWE history earning a major pay rise and a personal travel bus as part of the new deal.

You can read a full breakdown of Charlotte Flair’s current injury status, here.

Good Afternoon!

I hope everyone is doing well and is ready for the festive season ahead!

I will be with you from 2pm to 6pm BST (9am – 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:

• Charlotte Flair signs a monster WWE deal.
• Shawn Michaels praised for taking NXT to another level.
• Becky Lynch opens up on her future in wrestling ahead of WWE contract expiry.
• A former WCW star has blasted Tony Khan for “buying his way” into wrestling.
• Inside The Ropes 5 predictions for wrestling in 2024 have been revealed.