Author: Ethan Renner

An F4WOnline Editor since 2019, Ethan has been covering wrestling and MMA since 2011. He has hosted The Wrestling Life Podcast since 2014, and is a former Baltimore Sun TV/Tribune Media contributor. He is also a Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles fan.

Mercedes Mone promo, new match added to AEW Christmas Collision

Posted on by Ethan Renner

We will hear from the TBS Champion on Saturday’s AEW Christmas Collision, plus a new bout is set for the show.

AEW has announced that TBS Champion Mercedes Mone will appear on Saturday’s Collision episode for a promo. Mone retained her title with a victory over Anna Jay on Wednesday’s Dynamite, and Kris Statlander was shown watching Mone from backstage.

As she prepares to once again challenge Mone for the TBS title, Statlander will also be in action at Christmas Collision in a new match announced for the show. Statlander will take on Penelope Ford in the contest. Statlander saved Willow Nightingale from an attack at the hands of Ford and Harley Cameron on Rampage this week.

The updated card for Saturday’s AEW Christmas Collision:

  • Adam Cole/MJF face-to-face
  • Continental Classic Gold League: Darby Allin vs. Claudio Castagnoli
  • Continental Classic Gold League: Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet
  • Continental Classic Blue League: Mark Briscoe vs. The Beast Mortos
  • Continental Classic Blue League: Daniel Garcia vs. Shelton Benjamin
  • TBS Champion Mercedes Mone speaks
  • Kris Statlander vs. Penelope Ford

Six new matches announced for ROH Final Battle

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Six new matches are on tap for Friday’s ROH Final Battle special streaming on Honor Club.

The new bouts for Friday’s show were revealed during Thursday’s Ring of Honor TV go-home show, including Katusyori Shibata facing “Dynamite Kid” Tommy Billington. Billington was last in action for AEW at All In at Wembley Stadium this past August.

Former ROH TV Champion Atlantis Jr. of CMLL will also be on action on Friday’s show, taking on Mansoor of MxM Collection.

Four of the six new bouts announced are set for Friday’s Zero Hour pre-show streaming on the ROH social media channels, including Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) facing Dark Order’s Alex Reynolds & John Silver.

Also set for Zero Hour, Harley Cameron will face Stardom’s Hanako. The Undisputed Kingdom’s Mike Bennett & Matt Taven will also face The Infantry’s Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo on the pre-show.

Rounding out the new match announcements for Friday, Lee Johnson & EJ Nduka will face Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) in tag team action on Zero Hour.

The finalized Ring of Honor Final Battle card:

ROH Final Battle, Friday, December 20, 7 p.m. Eastern time on Honor Club:

  • ROH Women’s World Champion Athena defends against Billie Starkz
  • ROH World Champion Chris Jericho defends against Matt Cardona
  • Survival of the Fittest match for the ROH TV Championship: Brian Cage vs. Mark Davis vs. Willie Mack vs. AR Fox vs. Blake Christian vs. Komander
  • ROH Pure Champion Lee Moriarty defends against TBA
  • ROH Women’s TV Champion Red Velvet defends against Leyla Hirsch
  • Texas Bullrope match: ROH Tag Team Champions Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara defend against The Righteous (Vincent & Dutch)
  • Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tommy Billington
  • Mansoor vs. Atlantis Jr.
  • Jay Lethal vs. QT Marshall
  • Zero Hour: Undisputed Kingdom (Mike Bennett & Matt Taven) vs. The Infantry (Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo)
  • Zero Hour: Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) vs. Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver)
  • Zero Hour: Lee Johnson & EJ Nduka vs. Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
  • Zero Hour: Harley Cameron vs. Hanako

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Cora Jade announced for WWE NXT Christmas Eve episode

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Stephanie Vaquer will go one-on-one with Cora Jade in one of the new bouts and segments confirmed for next week’s Christmas Eve edition of WWE NXT.

Vaquer vs. Jade was officially announced following a vignette highlighting Vaquer’s journey to WWE aired on Tuesday’s NXT episode.

A four-way to crown new number one contenders to the NXT Tag Team titles will also take place on the December 24 episode. No Quarter Catch Crew’s Tavion Heights & Myles Borne take on Hank Walker & Tank Ledger, The Family’s Stacks Lorenzo and Luca Crusifino, and OTM’s Bronco Nima & Lucien Price for the right to challenge Axiom & Nathan Frazer for the NXT Tag Team titles.

Already announced for the December 24 episode, Charlie Dempsey will defend the NXT Heritage Cup against Lexis King.

A special appearance by Santa Claus has also bee announced for next week’s show.

The lineup for the Tuesday, December 24 WWE NXT:

  • Stephanie Vaquer vs. Cora Jade
  • NXT Tag Team Championship number one contender’s match : Tavion Heights & Myles Borne vs. Hank Walker & Tank Ledger vs. Stacks Lorenzo & Luca Crusifino vs. Bronco Nima & Lucien Price
  • NXT Heritage Cup Champion Charlie Dempsey defends against Lexis King
  • Santa Claus appears

WWE NXT Championship match ends in double pin

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Tuesday’s NXT Championship match on WWE NXT TV ended in controversy.

Trick Williams defending his NXT Championship against Eddy Thorpe in the show’s main event ended with a double pin and confusion surrounding who is the rightful NXT Champion as two referees were involved in the finish.

After the first referee was taken out inadvertently following a DDT from Thorpe, a second official entered to call the rest of the match. As Williams hit his Trick Shot finish, the original referee was revived.

Williams and Thorpe then fell into one another and landed in such a way that one referee counted the pin for Thorpe, and one for Williams.

NXT general manager Ava came to ringside as the show went off the air to mediate the dispute between the officials.

In an angle posted to social media, WWE revealed that Williams is still the NXT Champion as a result of the double pin, with Thorpe getting physical with Shawn Michaels:

The matter will certainly be addressed further on next week’s taped edition of WWE NXT on Christmas Eve.

The announced lineup for next week’s show is as follows:

WWE NXT, Tuesday, December 24 —

  • Stephanie Vaquer vs. Cora Jade
  • NXT Tag Team Championship number one contender’s match : Tavion Heights & Myles Borne vs. Hank Walker & Tank Ledger vs. Stacks Lorenzo & Luca Crusifino vs. Bronco Nima & Lucien Price
  • NXT Heritage Cup Champion Charlie Dempsey defends against Lexis King
  • Santa Claus appears

First matches announced for NJPW Battle in the Valley

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NJPW has made the first match announcements for Battle in the Valley set for Saturday, January 11, 2025.

After throwing down the gauntlet at Strong Style Evolved Sunday, Gabe Kidd will in fact defend his Strong Openweight Championship against Tomohiro Ishii in San Jose on January 11.

Kidd is set to face Kenny Omega at Wrestle Dynasty in the Tokyo Dome on January 5 in a non-title bout, while Ishii will challenge for the NEVER Openweight title at Wrestle Dynasty against either Shingo Takagi or Konosuke Takeshita. If Takeshita still holds the AEW International title, that will also be on the line at Wrestle Dynasty.

Sumie Sakai’s retirement match is also official for Battle in the Valley.

After challenging Hiromu Takahashi to face her in her retirement match, NJPW has revealed that Sakai will team with one man and one woman against Hiromu and two female partners of his choosing. All of the participants will be revealed at a later date.

NJPW Battle in the Valley, Saturday, January 11 —

  • NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd defends against Tomohiro Ishii
  • Sumie Sakai retirement match: Sumie Sakai, TBA & TBA vs. Hiromu Takahashi, TBA & TBA

Also announced to appear at Battle in the Valley —

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr.
  • AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita
  • Jeff Cobb
  • El Desperado
  • AZM
  • Mina Shirakawa
  • Maika
  • Shane Haste
  • Bad Dude Tito
  • Rocky Romero
  • Royce Isaacs
  • Jorel Nelson
  • Tom Lawlor
  • Fred Rosser
  • HANAKO

The Miz vs. Dexter Lumis booked for next week’s WWE Raw

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The first match has been announced for the Monday, December 23 WWE Raw.

The Miz will go one-on-one with Dexter Lumis of the Wyatt Sicks on next week’s episode. The match was revealed during a backstage segment on this week’s episode as The Miz met with The Final Testament.

Miz thought that his association with Karrion Kross and The Final Testament group was over after their eight-man tag bout against the stable on last week’s Raw won by Miz and Final Testament. Instead, Kross said that Miz would be facing Lumis next week, and that they will be finished when Kross says they are finished.

The matchup will be the first singles bout for Lumis in all of 2024, and just his sixth match overall this year.

Next Monday’s Raw is being taped this Monday. We will have spoilers on the site as they become available.

The lineup for the Monday, December 23 WWE Raw:

  • The Miz vs. Dexter Lumis

Zoey Stark advances to WWE Women’s IC title tournament semifinals

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The first semifinals match in the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship tournament is set following Monday’s Raw.

Zoey Stark won a triple threat quarterfinals bout on Monday’s Raw to advance to the semifinals in the tournament to crown the first-ever WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion.

Stark pinned Kayden Carter in the quarterfinals on Monday’s episode in a match that also featured Raquel Rodriguez to advance to the semifinals.

Dakota Kai has already qualified for the semifinals in their half of the bracket, so Stark vs. Kai is the first semifinal bout set. On the other side of the bracket, Lyra Valkyria awaits the winner of the remaining quarterfinals triple threat bout between Natalya, Kairi Sane, and Alba Fyre.

In addition to the introduction of the Women’s Intercontinental Championship, WWE introduced the Women’s United States Championship with a tournament on the SmackDown brand that culminated in Chelsea Green being crowned the inaugural champion after winning the tournament finals at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

‘Zero’ vignette airs on WWE Raw

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A mystery “Zero” vignette aired on Monday’s WWE Raw.

The brief video vignette featured the number zero with a strikethrough, then highlighted the WWE Raw on Netflix premiere date of January 6, 2025.

All signs point to the vignette heralding the arrival of Penta El Zero Miedo to WWE after the tag team specialist’s AEW contract is believed to have expired in recent weeks. Penta was removed from AEW’s roster page on their website two weeks ago.

After his removal from the AEW roster page, Penta made a surprise appearance at an AAA TV taping delivering a short promo.

With brother Rey Fenix, Penta is a former AEW Tag Team and AEW Trios Champion, having been with the company since its 2019 inception. Fenix remains under contract to AEW, but he is expected to depart the company for WWE as soon as he is contractually able.

Neither Fenix nor Penta has wrestled for AEW since July.

CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins official for WWE Raw Netflix premiere

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A second match is official for WWE Raw’s premiere episode on Netflix on January 6, 2025.

CM Punk and Seth Rollins will lock horns inside a WWE ring on January 6, with Punk vs. Rolins officially announced for Raw’s Netflix premiere.

After another brawl between Punk and Rollins on Monday’s episode, Raw general manager Adam Pearce made the match official for January during a backstage interview segment with Cathy Kelley.

Punk vs. Rollins has been teased ever since Punk made his surprise WWE return at Survivor Series in 2023, with the two interacting throughout other feuds. Rollins was the special referee for Punk vs. Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam this past August.

The other match announced for the Raw premiere on Netflix is a Tribal Combat bout between Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa. That match was set up on Friday’s SmackDown.

The WWE Raw on Netflix premiere lineup for Monday, January 6, 2025:

  • Tribal Combat: Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa
  • CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins

CMLL wrestler qualifies for Wrestle Dynasty International Women’s Cup finals

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CMLL’s representation in the International Women’s Cup finals at Wrestle Dynasty has been decided.

Persephone won a four-way qualifier on Friday night’s CMLL Arena Mexico show to advance to the four-way final at Wrestle Dynasty set for January 5, 2025 in the Tokyo Dome.

Persephone defeated Zeuxis, Reyna Isis, and Sanely in the CMLL qualifier on Friday to move on to the tournament finals.

She joins Ring of Honor’s Athena, plus the winner of the Willow Nightingale vs. Jamie Hayter match on tomorrow’s taped AEW Collision in the Wrestle Dynasty bout to crown the International Women’s Cup winner. The fourth and final participant will be decided by a tournament in Stardom, with the finals set for December 22.

The updated Wrestle Dynasty lineup is as follows:

Wrestle Dynasty (Sunday, January 5 airing live on NJPW World) —

  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ricochet (will be an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match if Sabre retains against Shota Umino at Wrestle Kingdom)
  • Shota Umino vs. Claudio Castagnoli (will be an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match if Umino wins the title at Wrestle Kingdom)
  • David Finlay vs. Brody King (will be an IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship match if Finlay retains against Yota Tsuji at Wrestle Kingdom)
  • Yota Tsuji vs. Jack Perry (will be an IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship match if Tsuji wins the title at Wrestle Kingdom)
  • Kenny Omega vs. Gabe Kidd
  • Great-O-Khan & TBD vs. The Young Bucks for the vacant IWGP Tag Team titles
  • International Women’s Cup four-way match (winner receives a title shot in the promotion of their choosing): Persephone vs. Athena vs. Willow Nightingale or Jamie Hayter vs. TBD (Stardom representative)
  • Tomohiro Ishii challenges either Shingo Takagi or Konosuke Takeshita for the NEVER Openweight Championship (AEW International Championship will also be on the line if Takeshita still holds the title when he faces Takagi at Wrestle Kingdom)

Two matches, talk show segment announced for next WWE SmackDown

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Two matches, plus a talk show segment are on tap for the Friday, December 20 WWE SmackDown episode.

The Women’s Tag Team titles will be on the line as Nia Jax and Candice LeRae challenge Bianca Belair and newly-minted Women’s Tag Team Champion Naomi for the gold. Naomi was announced as replacing Jade Cargill as Tag champ in a backstage segment on Friday’s SmackDown after being written out of storylines with an injury angle.

One-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions will also be in action next week.

Newly-crowned WWE Tag Team Champion Johnny Gargano will go one-on-one with Alex Shelley on next week’s show following Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa turning heel and defeating Shelley and Chris Sabin for the titles on last week’s SmackDown.

Also set for next week’s episode, the newly-returned Braun Strowman will appear on The Grayson Waller Effect with hosts Grayson Waller and Austin Theory.

Next week’s SmackDown is being taped this week. We will have spoilers for the show as they become available.

The announced lineup for the Friday, December 20 WWE SmackDown:

  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair & Naomi defend against Nia Jax & Candice LeRae
  • Johnny Gargano vs. Alex Shelley
  • The Grayson Waller Effect with Braun Strowman

Naomi replacing Jade Cargill as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion

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Naomi has replaced Jade Cargill as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion alongside Bianca Belair.

In a backstage segment on Friday’s WWE SmackDown, GM Nick Aldis told Belair that he was forcing her to relinquish the Women’s Tag Team titles as the investigation into who attacked Cargill in a backstage angle continues.

Naomi offered to step in for Cargill, and Aldis relented under the condition that the duo defend the Tag titles on next week’s SmackDown.

Later in the show, Belair and Naomi defending the Women’s Tag Team titles against Nia Jax and Candice LeRae was announced for next week’s SmackDown.

The Cargill injury angle took place on the November 22 SmackDown, with the star shown laying on the hood of a car.

The most recent Women’s Tag Team title defense came on the November 11 edition of WWE Raw, with Belair and Cargill retaining over Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez in that contest.

Women’s United States tournament finals official for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

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The finals are set in the tournament to crown the inaugural WWE Women’s United States Champion.

Michin and Chelsea Green won their semifinal matches on Friday’s SmackDown to advance to the finals set for Saturday Night’s Main Event on Saturday, December 14.

Green defeated Bayley to advance to Saturday’s match, while Michin scored a victory over Tiffany Stratton in Friday’s other semifinals bout to punch her ticket to the finals.

Five matches are on tap for the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event, four of them championship bouts. The finalized card:

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, Saturday, December 14, 8 p.m. Eastern time on NBC —

  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Kevin Owens
  • World Heavyweight Champion Gunther defends against Damian Priest & Finn Balor in a triple threat
  • Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan defends against IYO SKY
  • Women’s United States Championship tournament finals: Chelsea Green vs. Michin
  • Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn

Triple H has list ‘a mile long’ of celebrities who want to appear at WWE WrestleMania 41

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Celebrities are lining up to take part in WWE WrestleMania 41 next year, says WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque.

Appearing on the Roommates Show with NBA star Jalen Brunson (who has made appearances for WWE) and Josh Hart, Triple H stated that WWE is in a resurgent period hotter than its Attitude Era peak, and that stars from all walks of entertainment want to get on board.

“We’re in sort of like this resurgence of WWE, and I was a big part of the Attitude Era, but this is bigger than the Attitude Era was,” Triple H said. “It’s amazing the amount of people on a weekly basis that we get to do cool stuff with.”

Specifically, celebrities want to take part in WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas next April, Triple H said:

“I’ve got a celebrity list a mile long for people who want to do something for WrestleMania in April in Vegas at Allegiant Stadium, and we just don’t have the real estate to do it with them. So we’ll pick the biggest ones and the ones that make sense storyline-wise for us and we’ll do it with them. But it’s incredible the amount of people that just want to be involved.”

Triple H’s interview on Roommates Show can be viewed in its entirety in the embedded video below.

Three-way tag team match announced for TNA Final Resolution

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The card for Friday’s TNA Final Resolution event is finalized following the addition of a three-way tag team bout.

As announced during Thursday’s Impact go-home show for Friday’s Final Resolution TNA Plus special, The Rascalz will face PCO & Sami Callihan, and Hammerstone & Jake Something in a three-way tag team contest on Friday’s event.

Eight matches are now set for Friday’s main card, plus two bouts are official for Friday’s Countdown to Final Resolution pre-show.

The finalized card:

TNA Final Resolution, Friday, December 13, 7:30 p.m. Eastern time on TNA Plus —

  • TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth defends against AJ Francis
  • TNA Knockouts World Champion Masha Slamovich defends against Tasha Steelz
  • Tables match: TNA Tag Team Champions The Hardys (Matt & Jeff Hardy) defend against The System (Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards)
  • TNA X-Division Champion Moose defends against KUSHIDA
  • TNA World title number one contender’s match: Joe Hendry vs. Mike Santana vs. Steve Maclin vs. Josh Alexander
  • Jordynne Grace vs. Rosemary
  • Ace Austin vs. Trent Seven
  • The Rascalz (Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz) vs. PCO & Sami Callihan vs. Hammerstone & Jake Something
  • Pre-show: Jonathan Gresham vs. Frankie Kazarian
  • Pre-show: Leon Slater vs. JDC (Johnny Dango Curtis)