Sami Zayn Declares for the Rumble 🏆, Jeff Hardy’s Dream Match 👑, Britt Baker's AEW Troubles 💔

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Tuesday, January 21st, 2025

🗓️ On This Day

January 21, 2001 - Stone Cold Sets Royal Rumble Records!

24 years ago today, WWE hosted the Royal Rumble at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. In the main event, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin claimed his record-breaking third Royal Rumble victory, eliminating Kane to secure his spot at WrestleMania X-Seven. The match was also historic for Kane’s dominant performance, eliminating 11 competitors and setting a new record that stood until Roman Reigns surpassed it in 2014.

This Rumble was notable for its star-studded lineup, including comedian Drew Carey, who made a memorable cameo as a participant.

Side note: If you haven’t been keeping tabs on what Drew Carey has been up to outside of hosting The Price is Right, he’s gotten very into the jam-band Phish. Here’s one of his tweets from back in April 2024 (NSFW):

With that, lets go back to the 2001 Royal Rumble…

Elsewhere on the card, Chris Jericho defeated Chris Benoit in a grueling Ladder Match to capture the Intercontinental Championship. The fallout from the event set the stage for a heated rivalry between Austin and Triple H, leading to their brutal Three Stages of Hell match at No Way Out 2001, which Triple H ultimately won.

At that same event, Stephanie McMahon faced Trish Stratus, and The Rock triumphed over Kurt Angle to win the WWF Championship. These victories set the stage for the iconic showdown between The Rock and Steve Austin at WrestleMania X-Seven, where Austin, with an unexpected assist from Mr. McMahon, turned heel and captured the WWF Championship.

WWE Raw Results – January 20th, 2025

WWE Raw aired live from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Netflix. The show featured major developments on the road to the Royal Rumble, including Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre in a high-stakes main event, Sami Zayn declaring for the Rumble, and plenty of action-packed matches and segments.

• Rhea Ripley Ambushed by Nia Jax
  The show opened with a backstage attack as Nia Jax blindsided Rhea Ripley, leading to a chaotic brawl. Ripley later challenged Jax to a match at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

• Jey Uso Confronts GUNTHER
  Jey Uso and GUNTHER exchanged heated words about the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, leading to a brawl that saw Jey standing tall before their upcoming title clash.

• Kofi Kingston def. Rey Mysterio
  After interference from Xavier Woods, Rey Mysterio overcame the odds to pin Kofi Kingston. Post-match, Wilde and Del Toro saved Rey from a New Day ambush, though New Day retaliated with a hit-and-run attack.

• Bayley def. Nia Jax
  In a hard-fought battle, Bayley triumphed over Nia Jax with a sunset flip powerbomb. Post-match, Ripley and Jax reignited their feud in a chaotic brawl.

• Penta def. Pete Dunne
  In an intense showdown, Penta defeated Pete Dunne with the Penta Driver after a back-and-forth contest.

• Damage CTRL def. Pure Fusion Collective
  Dakota Kai and IYO SKY took the win after SKY landed a diving moonsault on Shayna Baszler.

• Seth Rollins def. Drew McIntyre
  Rollins narrowly defeated McIntyre with a jackknife pin. Post-match chaos erupted as McIntyre attacked Rollins, Sami Zayn attempted a save, and the night ended with Zayn inadvertently hitting Rollins with a Helluva Kick.

See full results here.

🔮 WWE NXT Preview – January 21st, 2025

Tune into NXT tonight at 8pm EST on The CW Network:

• NXT Championship Match: Oba Femi (c) vs. Eddy Thorpe

• NXT North American Championship Match: Tony D’Angelo (c) vs. Ridge Holland

WWE

👑 Jeff Hardy Wants to Face Roman Reigns
Jeff Hardy expressed his desire for a dream match against Roman Reigns, stating, “One of my dream matches was always Roman Reigns I used to say. I still have that in my head before it’s all over in my career. Roman Reigns is a big one.”

🎭 Penta Reflects on WWE Raw Debut
In a behind-the-scenes video, Penta shared his joy after his WWE debut, calling it “the best night of my life.” Looking ahead, he added, “I come here to give my best every show, every night, everything. I want to win everything here. I finally achieved my dream of being in WWE and today I don't plan on quitting. I've come to win everything there is to win in WWE.”

🎥 Triple H Highlights WWE's Role in Penta's Entrance
Triple H praised WWE's creative team for their role in Penta’s dynamic debut entrance, emphasizing the company's commitment to delivering memorable moments for fans.

🏟️ New Orleans the Frontrunner for WrestleMania 42
According to PWInsider Elite, New Orleans is currently the leading candidate to host WrestleMania 42 in 2026, based on local speculation in Louisiana.

🏈 George Kittle Reportedly Eyeing WWE Collaboration
NFL star George Kittle is rumored to be exploring opportunities with WWE. Further details on his potential involvement have yet to be disclosed.

AEW

🚪 TNA Star PCO Reveals He Declined AEW Offers
PCO shared on social media that he turned down AEW three times since 2018, including a planned match against Kenny Omega at AEW's first-ever Double or Nothing. He signed a three-year deal with ROH instead.

🚀 Adam Copeland Discusses Career Goals and Mentorship
Adam Copeland outlined his vision for his final wrestling chapter, saying, “I’d love to get in with a young person and just try and strap a rocket to him… In my last match, what can I do to try and get someone set up or at least another block in the foundation to set them up?”

💔 Britt Baker Rumored to Be Leaving AEW
Reports suggest Britt Baker may be on her way out of AEW, citing backstage tensions and her reportedly strained relationship with Tony Khan.

Reddit

🎯 Possibly the LAST Best Moonsault Ever hit by Christopher Daniels in his match against Hangman Page

🎢 WWE Rhea Ripley takes Liv Morgan for a ride... literally. (This is absurd)

🐉 WWE should book Asuka as a complete beast when she returns, in fact, I think she should eventually be the one to end Tiffany's reign

🎩 INSANE WORK FROM THE WISEMAN 😭

😮 Mick Foley teasing a Royal Rumble appearance

😂 Harley Cameron accepting Fightful's 2024 Funniest Wrestler of the Year Award

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