Getting a grip: WWE ‘RAW 25' loading up, big changes in Impact Wrestling

Brian Fritz

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Getting a grip: WWE ‘RAW 25' loading up, big changes in Impact Wrestling image

Each week, Sporting News runs down the biggest stories in the world of professional wrestling.

'RAW 25' filled with big names and big matches

WWE is going all-out for the 25th anniversary of “Monday Night RAW” and, as expected, some huge stars are returning for the huge event.

None will be bigger that “Stone Cold” Steve Austin whose return was announced this past Monday night. Added to the list of returning stars are Ric Flair, The Bella Twins, The Dudley Boyz, APA (Ron Simmons and JBL), The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn and Road Dogg), Brother Love, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, The Godfather, Scott Hall and even The Boogeyman. Plus, Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler will reunite at the announcing desk that night.

MORE: Memorable 'Royal Rumble' moments

WWE had previously announced that Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, and The Undertaker would be a part of the anniversary show that will broadcast from both the Barclays Center and the Manhattan Center in New York.

Austin needed to be a part of the show considering his impact on “RAW” during the Attitude Era where he created numerous moments while becoming one of the biggest stars in WWE history. The Rock would be another big "get" — if he can carve out time in his busy Hollywood schedule.

There will be some surprises that night as well but don’t expect Hulk Hogan to be one of them. The company has distanced itself from him for more than two years now following the release of a tape where he used racial slurs. Most believe it is not if, but when “The Hulkster” will be welcomed back but that it not likely to happen in the immediate future.

While Hogan is one of the biggest wrestling stars of all-time, he was not an integral part of “RAW” and, at that time, was a focal part on its competitor “Monday Night Nitro."

WWE star injured

Another injury has again stopped Samoa Joe in his tracks.

Just a few months after returning from a knee injury, Samoa Joe is sidelined again with a foot injury he suffered during his “RAW” match against Rhyno.

Here is the report from WWE.com: 

“During his match, [Samoa Joe] felt a pop at the bottom of his [right] foot,” explained WWE Senior Ringside Physician Dr. Chris Amann. “We took a look and believe he has a plantar fascia rupture, which is a thick tissue rupture under the foot. We will get an MRI to confirm. Treatment includes a period of immobilization in a boot with crutches and platelet rich plasma injections.” 

No word yet on how long he will be out of action but he has been pulled from the upcoming Mixed Match Challenge where he was set to team with Bayley with Elias being named as his replacement.

The timing couldn’t have been worse with Samoa Joe announcing on Monday that he entering the upcoming Royal Rumble match and he had his eyes set on eliminating John Cena. That seems unlikely with it being less than two weeks away but it all depends on the severity of his injury.

The hope is that even if he misses the Rumble he will be back in time for WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans on April 8.

Big changes coming to Impact Wrestling

It’s a new day for Impact Wrestling.

Yes, it’s something we’ve heard time and time again but there have no major proclamations this time with Scott D’Amore and Don Callis now calling the shots.

They have already started making notable changes on Wednesday night to kick start six straight days of Impact Wrestling TV tapings at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla.

The first change made was Impact has ditched the six-sided ring and is now using a traditional four-sided ring. Another change is Grand Championship matches will no longer be broken up into three, five-minute rounds with a winner being chosen by ringside judges and those will now be standard matches.

Also on the first night of tapings, Austin Aries returned to the company and defeated Eli Drake to become Impact Wrestling World Champion with Impact breaking the news on social media.

The title change was going to get out to the public so it was a smart move for Impact to break the news itself rather than shying away from it. As for Aries, he had just started working on independent shows a few months ago following his run in WWE where he was underutilized.

He will obviously be one of the featured stars at Impact Wrestling as he begins his third stint with the company and as it begins its latest reboot.

Bullet Club All-In Event

Cody Rhodes’ goal of putting on — and hopefully filling — a 10,000-seat arena took another step forward this week as it will be titled “All In” and take place on Sept. 1.

Cody, along with The Young Bucks who are running the show together, still has not announced a city or venue for the event yet. However, it is notable that Kenny Omega will be a part of the event considering what a huge draw he is.

Just as important is the date for a couple of reasons. Sept. 1 is on Labor Day weekend, which should make it easier for fans across the U.S. to travel and attend the show. It is also when Pro Wrestling Guerrilla typically runs its immensely popular “Battle of Los Angeles” annual event in Reseda, Calif. If the shows go head-to-head, it would force top indie talents and fans to have to choose between them. It would also mean that the Bucks, who have been a huge draw at BOLA the past few years, would not be there.

And there’s this: Daniel Bryan may be free from his WWE contract by then. No one is sure exactly when his contract expires other than it will sometime in August or September. If Bryan is cleared to wrestle and available, his first match back since his Feb. 2016 retirement would be a massive draw.
 

News and notes

— Chris Jericho does plan on sticking around New Japan following his excellent Wrestle Kingdom 12 match with Kenny Omega. Jericho recently told “Busted Open Radio” that he wouldn’t want to be a regular there but hopes it can work out that he can pick some spots to work some New Japan shows. It looks like he’ll at least have a match with Tetsuya Naito — possibly at the March. 25 show in Long Beach, Calif. — after attacking him from behind at the recent “Dash” show.

— The Royal Rumble lineup is quickly coming together with the announcements this week that both the “RAW” and SmackDown” tag team titles will be up for grabs on the show. On the red brand, Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan will have another rematch with Sheamus and Cesaro while Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin will challenge The Usos in a two-out-of-three falls match on the blue brand.

Add to that both a 30-man and 30-women Rumble matches, the WWE and Universal championships being defended along the finals of the United States Championship tournament and it will be a packed show on Jan. 28.

— John Cena announced that he will be hosting the Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Award for the second year in a row. Expect lots of lots of slime.

— In the latest proof of how weird the wrestling business is…

Brian Fritz can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrianFritz and listen to his Between The Ropes podcast on Blog Talk Radio.

Brian Fritz

Brian Fritz Photo

Brian Fritz is a contributor with The Sporting News covering the NBA and NFL who previously worked at BasketballNews. He is a 20-year veteran of sports talk radio in Orlando, Florida, after graduating from the University of Central Florida. He now resides in Durham, North Carolina.