Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Raw Discussion Post: 01.29.24

Royal Rumble fallout!

The winner of the women’s 2024 Royal Rumble Bayley will be on tonight’s Raw! What will go down?

Per WWE.com –

Records were broken at the 2024 Royal Rumble, and the second phase of Bayley’s Damage CTRL takeover came true. 

Before the Royal Rumble, the leader of Damage CTRL stated that she would win the 30-Superstar bout. Coming in as the third entrant, The Role Model outlasted everyone, eclipsing a record set by Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan from the previous year of time spent inside the Rumble. 

Now with WrestleMania looming large, Bayley comes to Raw to discuss her huge win. Will tonight be the night she decides which champion she will challenge at WrestleMania? 

Bayley Set To Appear On Jan. 29 Raw

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Bayley will be on tonight’s episode of Raw. She is on top of the world right now as she won the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble over the weekend.

Will Bayley make her choice on who to face at WrestleMania tonight? What will the rest of Damage CTRL have to say about Bayley’s win? How does the WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY or the Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley feel?

General Manager Adam Pearce also announced that the first hour will be commercial free.

Naomi Reportedly Heading To SmackDown Roster

Naomi made her huge return to WWE this past Saturday as the number two entrant in the Royal Rumble match. She last nearly the whole match but was eliminated when there were six women left by Jade Cargill.

According to the latest report by Fightful Select, Naomi will be heading to the SmackDown brand.

Naomi, who has also re-signed, is expected to appear on the Smackdown brand, we’re told. Naomi, who had performed in TNA under her real name Trinity, had been open with other talent that she was headed back to WWE, and likely appearing at the Royal Rumble.

Those we spoke to in TNA said that things were pretty clear by the start of the year that Naomi would be wrapping up. We’re told WWE had maintained interest in Naomi for over a year, until the unofficial hiring freeze happened. By the time that was lifted, she had obligations to TNA.  

How do you think Naomi will fit in with the current SmackDown roster?

Liv Morgan Says She’s Happy To Be Back, Returned As No. 30 In The Rumble

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Liv Morgan made her return in the Royal Rumble Saturday night as she entered at the coveted number 30 spot. Morgan had a rough back half of 2023 as she was out of action due to a shoulder injury. She has been off television since July when Rhea Ripley attacked her with a steel chair which wrote her off for the time being.


After the Rumble, Morgan spoke with Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture saying how happy she was to be back.

“It’s been a journey, the last six months. It’s been a fight, it’s been a struggle. To come back at the Royal Rumble, in the coveted 30 spot, I was very happy and I felt honored. Just happy to be back, happy to be back doing what I love, doing my thing. Came really really close, but I am happy for Bayley nonetheless,” she said.

Morgan posted on her social media the inspiration for her gear was Christina Aguilera’s music video for the song “Dirrty.”

Jade Cargill Says She’s Ready To Make Magic With Bianca Belair

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Jade Cargill made her official in-ring debut at Saturday’s WWE 30-woman Royal Rumble match and she did not disappoint.

Cargill received one of the biggest crowd reactions of the night. From her entrance, to her overpowering Nia Jax, and her stare down with Bianca Belair after the military press on Becky Lynch, every fan was on their feet. So what’s next for the rising star?

After the match, Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture met up with her and asked her about the Bianca moment.

“We’re gonna see what happens. I think I would rather work with the great Bianca Belair, I she is phenomenal. I think she’s a great representation for the African American community. We’re going to make magic. Whether we work against or together we’re going to make magic.”

Roxanne Perez vs. Tatum Paxley Added To Jan. 30 NXT

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Just one more show left before Roxanne Perez takes on Lyra Valkyria for the NXT Women’s Title at Vengeanxe Day. After what took place during the contract signing last week, Perez will be able to get her hands on Tatum Paxley this Tuesday.

Last week, despite what Valkyria was wanting to happen, Paxley emerged and planted Perez through the contract signing table. Valkyria and Perez were having a respectful signing between the two and Valkyra did not want or expect Paxley to take out Perez.

NXT – Jan. 30

  • Roxanne Perez vs. Tatum Paxley
  • Lola Vice vs. Elektra Lopez

Check back in Tuesday during the NXT broadcast to chat live about the show right here on Diva Dirt.

Naomi Talks About WWE Return, “That Jade Is Something Else”

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Naomi made her highly anticipated WWE return on Saturday’s Royal Rumble at the number two position. She received an incredible reaction from the crowd which had the former SmackDown Women’s Champion fighting back her tears and emotion.

In a WWE Exclusive, Naomi spoke with Kayla Braxton on what it felt like being back. She explained the emotional aspect of the response she received. She lasted almost the entire time of the Rumble being eliminated right before the final six by Jade Cargill.

Naomi stated to Braxton that Cargill is something else and what are they going to do about her?

Cargill made her much anticipated debut lasting to the final three.

Naomi also had an incredible moment with TN Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace. Grace is who defeated Naomi to become champion at Hard to Kill earlier this month.

Serena Deeb Returns To The Ring On Collision, Vows To Become Champion

Serena Deeb is back in the ring for AEW.

On the Jan. 27 episode of AEW Collision witness Deebs returned to the ring successfully in a win against Robyn Renegade.

After the match she expressed how happy she was for being back after over a year. She daid she is back to elevate the women’s division and to finally win a championship.

We also had another victory for Mariah May as she defeated Last Frost. This was May’s first match on Collision.

Bayley Wins 2024 Royal Rumble

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What a moment for Bayley as she last eliminated Liv Morgan to become the 2024 Royal Rumble Winner! She outlasted 29 other women and entered in the number three spot. She lasted 1 hour and 3 minutes and 3 seconds. Naomi who entered at number two lasted 1 hour and 2 minutes and 18 seconds. Final four were Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, Liv Morgan, and Bayley.

Below are the order of entries –

Being there in person the loudest pops were for Naomi and Jade Cargill. Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, and Jordynne Grace got a nice reaction as well.

Royal Rumble Discussion Post: 01.27.24

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Welcome to your Royal Rumble discussion post!

For Diva Dirt’s predictions click here.

Names confirmed for the Rumble:

Spoiler: Possible TNA Name To Be In The Royal Rumble

*Please note that this article contains a possible spoiler.*

A huge name from TNA is said to be in the women’s Royal Rumble. According to a report by PWInsider, the TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace will appear in the Rumble match. Much as Mickie James did and was promoted as such in 2022.

Fightful also has a report that states,

WWE could be working on an off the wall surprise for the WWE Royal Rumble.

Fightful has learned that WWE reached out to outside companies this past weekend about potentially utilizing their talent for the WWE Royal Rumble.

If Grace does appear in the Rumble and Naomi/Trinity returns then this could become very interesting.

Ronda Rousey: “Bruce Prichard Is Basically Vince’s Avatar”

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Former mulit-time WWE Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey is chiming in on the recent resignation of Vince McMahon. Due to the alleged and reported sex trafficking and much more news on McMahon over the past couple days, McMahon resigned from TKO/WWE. But have we seen this before?

In a new social media posting, Rousey seems to think McMahon will still have a mouthpiece as long as Bruce Prichard is around.

She writes:

Bruce Prichard is basically Vince’s avatar, if he’s still around Vince still has a hand in the business. Vince was still running things through Bruce when he was “gone” before

Possible Spoiler Royal Rumble Entrants

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*Please note that this article considers possible spoilers for the Royal Rumble entrants*

Fightful Select has a few reports on who is at the Tropicana Field venue for tonight’s Royal Rumble.

First, Jade Cargill.

Per the report:

A major debut for WWE has been discussed for the WWE Royal Rumble.

Fightful Select has learned that Jade Cargill was among the names discussed for the WWE Women’s Royal Rumble match. Cargill was signed months ago, but has yet to make her debut in WWE as of yet. 

We’re told she was at rehearsals on Thursday.

In a separate report, Fightful states that Blair Davenport and Tiffany Stratton have been spotted at the venue. They have not specifically been told they will participate.


Royal Rumble Predictions: 01.27.24

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The Royal Rumble is tonight and for the seventh time, 30 women will compete in the over the top rope elimination match. The winner of course will get to pick the champion of her choosing and head to WrestleMania.

Unfortunately there are no other women’s matches on the card so the Diva Dirt Predictions will dive head first into the Rumble match itself. There’s a few names floating around who may likely win it all, but with only four names confirmed (Bayley, Becky Lynch, Nia Jax, and Bianca Belair) the names in the match are all up in the air.

Let’s go over what Diva Dirt has to say about the upcoming match.

30-Woman Royal Rumble Match

COLBY: It’s my favorite time of the year and I am so excited to be in attendance for the 2024 Royal Rumble. After months of trying to guess who will win this year’s Rumble or who will make their long-awaited and shocking returns to WWE, we finally get to see what comes to fruition.

What’s most exciting, to me at least, is that both of this year’s Rumble matches have a few leading candidates without it being overtly obvious what the road to WrestleMania will look like. So, let’s start with some of the potential surprises.

DEBUTS – On paper, the Royal Rumble match is the perfect opportunity for someone like Jade Cargill to make their first grand impression. I’m not as confident she’ll walk out the winner, but unless there’s outside factors in the way, I don’t see why Cargill won’t take part in this year’s 30-woman match.

RETURNS – If Trinity truly is done with TNA after the Orlando tapings, then where else would she go but back to WWE? Doing so in the Royal Rumble in her home state of Florida would make it even more special.

I could speculate all day about the iconic legends who could show up (and even have their own Rumble), but I’ll keep this part short and say my other predicted return is Liv Morgan. She’s been out of action for awhile and I know there are a ton of fans who are hopeful she has a big moment Saturday night.

FINAL FOUR – This is always so tough. I could state the obvious four that have been featured as the favorites — Bayley, Becky, Nia, and Bianca. But I don’t want to be typical. So I’ll go with Bayley, Liv Morgan, Chelsea Green, and Bianca Belair.

I think Green will get the opposite treatment of last year and surprise us as this year’s workhorse starting at the beginning and last toward the end. Belair will come close to winning but I don’t think she’s destined for a title shot this year. So that brings us down to two favorites in Liv and Bayley. The stories write themselves for who they would challenge, but I truly do believe this is the year Bayley gets her redemption and has her first singles title match at WrestleMania. Liv will be fine and will likely receive a title shot against Rhea very soon in this scenario.

WINNER: Bayley


NICK: My favorite time of the year when it comes to WWE. I have always loved the Royal Rumble but ever since the women started to get involved I have cherished it even more. And dare I say, since the women have been having their Rumble match it often overshadows the men’s almost every year.

DEBUTS – Jade Cargill is on everyone’s mind and with good reason. She would be great to debut in the Royal Rumble, but obviously has to be done right. I would have said Deonna Purrazzo here but she went to AEW. Only other person who may be an option here is Kamille if they wanted to introduce her to a large audience (id the signing is accurate).

RETURNSNaomi, Liv Morgan, and Raquel Rodriguez are definite in my eyes. I want to see Lita and Trish in it purely to finish the story some between them because it bothers me it is left open. Of course I also want AJ Lee as a surprise.

FINAL FOUR – If Jade is in this, she has to last until at least the final four after eliminating half the field I feel. Jade, Becky, Bianca, and Bayley I think would be such a strong final four with us getting that stare down between Jade and Bianca that we all want.

Storyline wise, I really think there can only be one winner. And that is Bayley. All signs point to her. Normally I would be against a top star winning this type of match as I like it to be used to build someone up as it did with Bianca at the time. But the story is just too perfect for Bayley not to win. Only way I see Bayley losing is if the Damage CTRL turn starts in the Rumble and Kairi and Asuka eliminate her.

WINNER: Bayley

Isla Dawn Not In Royal Rumble Match As Others Pick Their Entry Numbers

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On the Jan. 26 episode of SmackDown, we saw Bayley and Bianca Belair pick their numbers for the Royal Rumble. We already knew they had been declared for the match. However, a few other names have now been confirmed.

A WWE Exclusive video had SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis and NXT General Manager Ava locking in the numbers that the participants were picking. Alba Fyre picked hers, but when Isla Dawn went to do it, she was informed by Aldis that she isn’t in the match. We did see though, Shotzi, Mia Yim, and Zelina Vega all get their numbers.

Below is the names confirmed so far for the 2024 Royal Rumble.

Vince McMahon Resigns From TKO, Continues To Deny Allegations

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An article from The Wallstreet Journal on Jan. 25 brought forth a new lawsuit and allegations on Vince McMahon from a former employee, Janel Grant.

The lawsuit regards sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and many other allegations in grave detail. The document of the lawsuit is 67 pages in length.As of Jan. 26, Vince McMahon has resigned from all TKO positions and is no longer involved in WWE.

WWE President Nick Khan sent out the following internal memo saying: “I wanted to inform you that Vince McMahon tendered his resignation from his positions as TKO Executive Chairman and on the TKO Board of Directors. He will no longer have a role with TKO Group Holdings or WWE.”

WWE did not have further comment on the matter.

McMahon commented the following to Deadline:

“I stand by my prior statement that Ms. Grant’s lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth. I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name.

“However, out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees and Superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately.”

The Kabuki Warriors Become New Women’s Tag Team Champions

The Kabuki Warriors are the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions as they defeated Katana Chance and Kayden Carter on the Jan. 26 episode of SmackDown. This makes them two-time champions as a team. Asuka is a four-time tag champ now as she has held the gold with Charlotte Flair and also Alexa Bliss.

A highly competitive match from the four women could have made the result go either way. But when The KC’s could not get the pin off of the Keg Stand nor the After Party, things were looking favorable for Asuka and Sane.

Sane would get the pin on Carter off of the InSane Elbow. The rest of Damage CTRL came out to celebrate as pyro went off. This wnded the KC’s title reign at 40 days.

Prior to the match, a Bayley promo aired talking the history of Damage CTRL, her goal of winning the Royal Rumble, and Damage CTRL having all of the gold.

Elektra Lopez Makes SmackDown Debut

On the Jan. 26 episode of SmackDown, Elektra Lopez made her SmackDown debut. Although it isn’t certain if it is her official call up, commentary seemed to notate the impact of her appearance.

The match was Carlito taking on Santos Escobar.

We had Zelina Vega, Cruz Del Toro, and Joaquin Wilde in the corner of Carlito representing LWO. Angel and Humberto was at ringside for Escobar representing Legado del Fantasma.

The final moments of the match broke down with Del Toro/Wilde and Angel/Humberto brawling at ringside. Lopez made her appearance here and took on Vega from the ring apron. She is now back with Escobar and Legado del Fantasma.

Lopez will have at least one more match in NXT as she faces her former tag team partner Lola Vice on the Jan. 30 episode of NXT.

WWE Superstars On Who They Want To See Return At The Royal Rumble

Who do WWE Superstars want to see in the Royal Rumble?

DS Shin from Ring the Belle is in town for the Royal Rumble event and has asked some stars who they want to see.

Shin spoke with Nia Jax, Natalya, Shayna Baszler, Maxxine Dupri, and Ivy Nile and here is who some of them said –

Natalya says Beth Phoenix, Molly Holly, Gail Kim, Layla (LayCool reunion)

Nia Jax is a mood

Ivy Nile says AJ Lee

Maxxine Dupri says the Divas – Kelly Kelly, Nikki Bella, Stacy Keibler

Shayna Baszler says NXT talent

SmackDown Discussion Post: 01.26.24

We’ve reached the last show before the Royal Rumble.

There will be a WWE Women’s Tag Team Title match tonight as Kayden Carter and Katana Chance defend against The Kabuki Warriors.

Latest On Trinity And Mercedes Moné Ahead Of The Royal Rumble

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Don’t bet on Trinity and Mercedes being a team again any time soon.

In the latest news from Fightful Select, all seems to be processing normal when it comes to new homes for Trinity/Naomi and Mercedes Moné.

According to sources, those Fightful spoke to in TNA said that Trinity/Naomi indicated that she was going back to WWE before she left, and had mentioned the Royal Rumble.

As for Mercedes Moné when asked a WWE source about the possibility of Mercedes in the Royal Rumble, one said “Well, we’re not really interested in contract tampering with her, so I doubt it.”

All roads have been leading to AEW when it comes to Mercedes.

According to the Wrestling Observer, Moné’s AEW debut will be extremely big and the announcement could be soon.

ROH Six Woman Tag Match, Abadon, Red Velvet In Action

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This week’s episode of ROH on Jan. 25 had a lot of women on the show.

There was a big six woman tag team match where Lady Frost, Trish Adora, and Kiera Hogan took on Taya Valkyrie w/ Johnny TV, Leila Grey, and Diamante.

Diamante picked up the win for her team with a swinging neck breaker to Adora. Commentary mentioned that all of these women are shaping up the division ahead of the ROH Women’s TV Title Tournament.

Speaking of the upcoming tournament, Rachae Ellering and Leyla Hirsch will be in it as individuals despite them growing as a team. In a backstage interview with Lexy Nair, after they complimented each other, Ellering said she feels the only way that someone can beat Hirsch is if they have been keeping an extra close eye on her.

Other results from this weeks episode:

  • Nyla Rose def. Laynie Luck
  • Red Velvet def. Heather Reckless
  • Abadon def. Robyn Renegade
  • Billie Starkz def. Tootie Lynn

Maria Kanellis also provided the distraction in the Cole Karter & Griff Garrison vs. Angelico and Serpentico. Karter and Garrison won and took of Serpentico’s mask.

In a backstage segment Nyla Rose claims herself to be the new Minion Overlord as she was throwing away Athena’s gear. Lexy Nair was attempting to stop her.

Cora Jade Receives A Surprise Visitor While Out With ACL Injury

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Cora Jade successfully had surgery on her ACL injury just a few days ago. She posted on her Instagram post surgery.

After she was able to leave the hospital, Jade was with fellow NXT Superstars Roxanne Perez and Jacy Jayne when she was surprised by her wrestling father CM Punk.

You can view the video below which includes them watching a “promo” that Jade made aftwr surgery.

Rhea Ripley Reaches 300 Days As Women’s World Champion

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Rhea Ripley has reached 300 days as the Women’s World Champion. Despite some criticism for her reign, Ripley has managed to make her way up the ladder and is currently the third longest woman to hold the gold.

https://youtu.be/6lT9DIey1Ts?si=YtJg5LcrEyXGuLIb

Formerly the SmackDown Women’s Championship, Ripley won the title off of Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 in a match of the year contender. Since winning the gold, she has remained a prominent and very obviously the leader of Judgment Day.

While being champion, Ripley has successfully defended the belt against: Natalya, Zelina Vega, Raquel Rodriguez, Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark, and most recently, Ivy Nile.

Currently, Ripley is likely heading into WrestleMania 40 still as champion. With a stop at Elimination Chamber in her home country of Australia first, it won’t be likely she drops the championship there. Many eyes are on her for WrestleMania including Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Nia Jax.

Ripley is behind Charlotte Flair in combined days who has 479 days and Bayley who is first with 519. We also have Bayley as the longest single reign at 379 days.

What have you thought of Rhea’s reign? Discuss below.

Jordynne Grace Defeats Trinity, MK Ultra Sends A Message On IMPACT

The January 25 episode of TNA iMPACT featured Jordynne Grace defending the TNA Knockouts World Championship against Trinity in a rematch from Hard To Kill.

Trinity dictated the pace at the start until the action spilled out of the ring and Grace soon took control. Trinity managed to spike Grac into the mat, but Grace would then hit Trinity with the Juggernaut Jackhammer for a nearfall.

Grace put Trinity up top for the Muscle Buster but Trinity kicked her away and hit a sunset bomb into a cover. They traded covers back and forth until Grace stacked on Trinity for the three to retain.

After, Savannah Evans and Gisele Shaw attacked both women and stood tall with Shaw’s X in hand.

Later on, former champs MK Ultra battled the duo of Dani Luna and Jody Threat. Masha Slamovich was double teamed early on until Killer Kelly was able to get the tag. Threat hit her with a flurry of offense until Kelly sent her crashing from the top. Masha returned and helped Kelly hit their double knees and double piledriver finisher on Threat for the win.

Afterward, MK Ultra hit their finish on Luna as well to send a message.

We also saw new vignettes for Ash By Elegance and Decay.

What did you think of this week’s show? Sound off in the comments below!

Bianca Belair Talks Heel vs. Face, Admires Bayley’s Heel Work

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Bianca Belair has been steadfast as a babyface since joining the WWE main roster in 2020. Prior to that she did have a heel run in NXT that some fans would like to see her showcase once again.

Belair along with her husband and fellow WWE Superstar Montez Ford sat down with Ariel Helwani promoting their upcoming reality series on Hulu. While speaking, Belair discusses the differences she feels from working as a face or heel and her admiration of Bayley.

I love being a good guy, I love being a babyface because it puts purpose to what I do. I feel like it has a bigger impact and I’m able to do stuff with the community and it’s very purposeful and inspirational and impactful. That being said, when I was a heel in NXT, it was so much fun. I feel like being a heel is a lot easier. It’s a lot easier to get people to not like you than to get people to like you and keep liking you and keeping it fresh. When you’re a babyface, in order for me to have the attitude and come back, I have to have somebody who provokes me. They have to bring it out of me. I need like a Bayley who brings it out of me, otherwise I end up looking like a heel.

A heel is a lot of fun, you’re not in a box, you can do whatever you want to do. I feel like I do have more attitude. At the same time, at NXT, I was a heel, but if I ever turned heel now, I want to be the right type of heel. I was the cool heel in NXT, which I don’t feel like benefitted anyone but myself. I got myself over. If I’m in there with a babyface that’s not as established, it’s very hard for them. I learned when I got to the main roster how great it is to work with an amazing heel like Bayley when I first came in. The reason why I think I hit the ground running, as a good guy, was I had this amazing heel who was established and over. She helped introduce me to the audience and helped people get to know me and care about me. That’s what I want to do if I ever turn heel, so I won’t be the heel you like and cheer for,”she said. (Fightful)

Belair and Bayley have had many matches and feuds with each other over the past couple of years.

Would you like to see Belair as a heel again?