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Top 10 Wrestling Stories of the Week 12/3: Lesnar Return, WWE NXT WarGames, More

By Matthew Fowler • Published 3rd December 2021

Welcome back TJR readers! Did you spend all day Friday punching a grandma for a television set, and missed WWE Smackdown?

Perhaps you spent all day Monday shopping on Amazon, and missed Raw. Worry not for I have returned with another edition of the Top Ten Wrestling Stories of the Week.

10. Nia Jax Claims That it is Unlikely That She Will Ever Wrestle Again

From Michael Jordan to Joe Montana, I have been lucky to witness some of the all-time greats call it a career. This week another joined that list, as Nia Jax claimed that it is unlikely that she will ever wrestle again. Jax changed all her social media handles and website to her birth name of Lina Fanene, before making the announcement on Twitter. Although heartbreaking, there was some positive developments out of the announcement as well, as all health insurance rates for female wrestlers suddenly dropped 25%. (TJRWrestling)

9. Vince McMahon Begins Mentoring Austin Theory

Austin Theory has a pretty important person taking interest in him. This past Monday on Raw, Vince McMahon invited Theory to his office and had him watch the entire episode of Raw with him. Throughout the night McMahon taught Theory to be attentive and expect the unexpected. Finally, right before the main event, McMahon ended up slapping Theory before telling him he still has a lot to learn. McMahon is reportedly excited to be mentoring Theory, as he feels like he finally has the son he never had. (TJRWrestling)

8. Sami Zayn Becomes Number One Contender For The Universal Championship

Roman Reigns is about to have an unlikely challenger. This past Friday on Smackdown, a Black Friday Battle Royal was held to decide a new number one contender for the Universal Championship. During the match, Sami Zayn was thrown through the middle rope, meaning he was never officially eliminated. The conclusion of the match then saw Jeff Hardy thinking he won the match, before Zayn snuck back into the ring and eliminated him. Zayn will now get a championship match against Reigns at a future date. We will have to see if Zayn can get the upset, or if this is just going to be another Generico win for Reigns. (TJRWrestling)

7. The Miz and Maryse Return to Raw

Edge returned to Raw this week, and quickly found a new challenger. Edge came down to the ring, and stated that he was excited to be on Raw and get a chance to face a fresh group of opponents. Edge was then quickly interrupted by The Miz and his wife Maryse. The two then had a back and forth promo segment, which included references to (now released) John Morrison and last week’s AEW promo segment between CM Punk and MJF. The segment ended with the two teasing a fight before The Miz suddenly left the ring. The Miz has not been seen on WWE television since leaving last September to go be on Dancing with the Stars. It had been even longer for Maryse, who had not been seen on WWE television since April. Maryse was reportedly excited to be back in WWE, but was very surprised at how short the line at catering now was.

6. Jim Ross to Take Time Off For Cancer Treatment

AEW will have to get by for a month without its legendary voice. This week it was announced that Jim Ross will be taking the next month off from AEW commentary, so he can receive radiation treatments for skin cancer. Ross will be receiving 22 treatments and is hoping to return to the announcing desk on December 29th. Personally, I would like to send my best wishes to Ross, as he stomps a mudhole in Cancer’s ass.

5. Cody Rhodes and Andrade El Idolo Go Through a Flaming Table

AEW Dynamite had a hot finish this week. During the main event of Dynamite, Cody Rhodes and Andrade El Idolo faced each other in an Atlanta Street Fight. The finish of the match saw Rhodes reverse superplex Andrade off the top rope onto a table that Brandi Rhodes had just set on fire. Rhodes actually ended up getting the worst of the bump, with his back actually setting on fire. Rhodes was still able to crawl over and make the pin however, to pick up the win. Many wrestling fans question if such high risk should be taken on a weekly television show, with them believing that the rewards for such a dangerous spot will burn out quickly. (TJRWrestling)

4. Bryan Danielson to Face Adam Page at AEW Winter is Coming

We finally know when Bryan Danielson will be challenging Adam Page for the AEW World Championship. This week, Tony Khan announced that Danielson will be challenging Page on a special edition of Dynamite on December 15th titled AEW Winter is Coming. Danielson earned the right to face Page for the title by winning the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament last month at Full Gear. Danielson has been undefeated since joining AEW, and has recently been going through all the members of The Dark Order. Last year at Winter is Coming, Kenny Omega defeated Jon Moxley to capture the AEW World Championship. We shall have to wait and see if Danielson can have a similar fate, or if one of the guys his father in-law fired will be one to take the title off of Page instead.

3. WWE Championship Match Announced for Day 1 PPV

The first match for WWE’s next PPV on January 1st titled Day 1 was announced this week. This past week on Raw, Seth Rollins announced that he would be challenging Big E for the WWE Championship at Day 1. Later in the evening, Kevin Owens convinced WWE Official Adam Pearce to add Owens to the match if he could defeat Big E in the main event of Raw. During the Big E and Owens match, Rollins came out to do commentary. Since Owens just had to win the match by any means, he attempted to goat Rollins into attacking him to cause a disqualification. At first, Rollins was able to ignore Owens but ended up punching Owens to cause the disqualification. Both Owens and Rollins will now face Big E on the first day of 2022. We will have to see if WWE can start the new year on a positive note, and who knows, maybe not even fire anyone that day. (TJRWrestling)

wwe day 1 big e seth rollins kevin owens

2. NXT WarGames This Sunday Night

NXT WarGames is scheduled to take place this Sunday, December 5th at 8PM ET. Five matches have been announced including a Hair vs. Hair match between Cameron Grimes and Duke Hudson. Imperium will defend the NXT Tag Team Championships against Kyle O’Reilly & Von Wagner. Joe Gacy will try to capture the NXT Cruiserweight Championship from Roderick Strong.

In the Women’s WarGames Match it will be Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin, Jacy Jayne & Dakota Kai facing Raquel Gonzalez, Io Shirai, Cora Jade & Kay Lee Ray. Finally, Team Black and Gold made up of Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunne & LA Knight will face team 2.0 of Carmelo Hayes, Tony D’Angelo, Bron Breakker & Grayson Waller in a WarGames match. This will be a huge test for NXT 2.0, to see if they can live up to the same quality that the former NXT Takeover shows had. Luckily for NXT 2.0, since Mandy Rose is competing, they are guaranteed at least one five-star match from John Canton. (TJRWrestling)

1. Brock Lesnar Officially Reinstated And Returning On Smackdown

The Beast is officially back in the WWE. At the end of last Friday’s Smackdown, Kayla Braxton announced that Brock Lesnar’s indefinite suspension had been lifted. Lesnar was originally suspended for attacking WWE official Adam Pearce on October 22nd. Lesnar will be making his return on tonight’s edition of Smackdown. This has made many superstars on edge, as they are all wondering who else may be released to help pay for Lesnar’s contract. (TJRWrestling)

That will conclude another edition of The Top Ten Wrestling Stories of the Week. Thank you for taking the time to read this each week. Although I often joke, I have recently started refereeing with NYCW and respect more than ever what wrestlers do every week. I wrote an article all about it all right here. If you like what I do, despite my jokes being almost as bad as a scorched back, then feel free to listen to my brand new podcast The Smark and the Noob and follow me on Twitter @Fowlerwrestlin1 as well.