Welcome to a special Christmas Edition of SKFabe. Here's a recap of all the exciting action from the world of sports entertainment, as we head into the Holidays.
Santa served up a whole lot of exciting and unforgettable action for fans this week. From Clash of Champions, all the way to RAW, SmackDown and a special episode of NXT, this week was totally packed.
This is a summary of all the action that you did not see on screen. The behind-the-scenes updates that also set the world of wrestling ablaze.
This is SKFabe, a roundup of all the news from WWE you may have missed.
#1 Goldberg positive about an in-ring return
Goldberg was in conversation with Chris Van Vliet of WSVN-TV recently, when he was asked about making a return to WWE. Without missing a beat, this is what The Icon had to say:
You never know. You really don't. I ain't dead yet and I ain't even close. So as long as I've got two arms and two legs and I can still do my thing, never say never.
Rumours are rife that Goldberg will be headlining the current class of the WWE Hall of Fame. If so, we wonder if he'll come back to compete with the newer lot of superstars, as well.
Goldberg was also critical of Ryback when he was asked about him during an interview:
Athletically, he doesn’t hold a candle to Roman (Reigns) or I. He’s more of a robot, bodybuilder looking kind of a guy moving around, but that doesn’t take anything away from him. That’s his character, that’s what he does.
#2 WWE's match of the year announced
Remember the incredible clash between John Cena and AJ Styles at the 2017 Royal Rumble? Well, there's more reason to celebrate the thrilling contest, because that match has been announced as the 'Match of the Year' by WWE.
This is what AJ Styles had to say, following the verdict:
That rivalry was something people wanted to see and thought would never happen. People knew what they were in store for: Two guys who bring out the best in each other. If you saw me before this match, you’d see a smile on my face because I knew something great was about to happen.
Here are some other matches that made the cut:
1. AJ Styles vs. John Cena — WWE Championship Match (Royal Rumble)
2. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman — Fatal 4-Way Universal Championship Match (SummerSlam)
3. Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne — WWE United Kingdom Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Chicago)
4. The New Day vs. The Usos — SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match (SummerSlam Kickoff)
5. Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles — Champion vs. Champion Match (Survivor Series)
6. Asuka vs. Ember Moon — NXT Women’s Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn)
7. “The Demon” Finn Bálor vs. AJ Styles (WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs)
8. The Authors of Pain vs. #DIY vs. The Revival — Triple Threat NXT Tag Team Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Orlando)
9. Big Show vs. Braun Strowman (Raw, Feb. 20)
10. Finn Bálor vs. Seth Rollins vs. The Miz — Triple Threat Match (Raw, May 1)
#3 Vader shared some good news
Vader was a legend in WCW and also had a pretty cool run in WWE in the 90s. The wrestling community was shocked when they discovered that he had only two years to live, owing to a string of health problems.
However, Vader replied to a fan on social media with some good news. It seems like he's far from done, right now.
We're thrilled to report that this legend is on the path to recovery. Let's hope we have more good news to report in coming weeks.
Unfortunately, the next bit of news is somewhat tragic...
#4 Vince McMahon sold $100 million of WWE's stock to fund XFL
The one constant for WWE through the years has been Vince McMahon at the helm of the company. Vince McMahon is, by far, the most successful wrestling promoter in history, and the only black mark against his name was the failure of his football venture- the XFL.
We have learned that McMahon sold $100 million of the WWE's stock. This was in a bid to fund Alpha Entertainment, a company that filed trademarks for the term XFL. We wonder what consequences this could have on WWE!
Let's hope that this edition of the XFL is successful. And that Vince McMahon still leads WWE to a glorious future. If not, everything's doomed.
However, following the sale, McMahon still holds 82.8% of the voting power in the company, as of right now.
#5 Nakamura and Bryan exchanged Tweets
Daniel Bryan and Shinsuke Nakamura have never wrestled each other in the WWE. However, did you know that they were once roommates and also best friends?
Following Clash of Champions, where Nakamura and Bryan were in the ring at the same time, The King of Strong Style sent this Tweet out. One that spoke of deep admiration and respect.
Bryan would respond to Nakamura and speak of a match that could have been. Let's hope Bryan gets cleared and this dream match can become a future possibility.
Who knows? Maybe this match will happen in WWE.
Maybe this match will happen at the Tokyo Dome!
#6 Ric Flair makes picks the greatest women's superstar in history
It is never surprising when a father has good things to say about his daughter. However, Ric Flair told UK's Starsport that Charlotte Flair is the greatest 'by far'. He added if he someone else's father, he'd ask her to push to be like Charlotte Flair. Wow!
He also said that he prefers her in a heel avatar:
I wish they would use her on the other side. I like her when she's bad. She's really good at enhancing other people's work. As a heel she's really good at that, that's art in itself.
#7 Update on Dean Ambrose's condition
As we've gathered already, Ambrose's injury on RAW was not a work. He underwent surgery and this is the latest update from Dr. Jeffrey Dugas:
He basically tore about 50 percent of the triceps tendon away from the bone. So yesterday we repaired that back down to the bone where it tore off of. The surgery was very straightforward; we removed all of the extra bursal tissue — all of that extra swollen stuff around his elbow.
Let's hope Ambrose is back on his feet soon. And that he can come back to the thick of things, as soon as possible.
That concludes this edition of SKFabe. Happy Holidays to all of you folks!
We shall see you again next week, for more sports entertainment news updates.