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Top 10 Wrestling Stories of the Week 2/10: WWE Elimination Chamber Matches, Jerry Lawler Suffers Stroke, New AEW Tag Champs, More

By Matthew Fowler • Published 10th February 2023
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Welcome back, TJRWrestling readers! Did you spend all day Friday trying to figure out how to pop a balloon, and missed WWE Smackdown? Perhaps you spent all day Monday praying for the people of Turkey and Syria, and missed Raw.

Worry not for I have returned with another edition of The Top Ten Wrestling Stories of the Week.

10. Ilja Dragunov Returns to NXT

A former champion returned to NXT this week. Former NXT United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov returned to NXT for the first time since losing to JD McDonagh in October of 2022. Dragunov’s music suddenly hit during a match between McDonagh and Carmelo Hayes, distracting McDonagh and allowing Hayes to get the win. Dragunov then attacked McDonagh, with security trying to intervene. Dragunov is perhaps best known as the man who ended Walter’s (Gunther) record-setting NXT UK Title Reign. Dragunov reportedly has been missing from NXT due to a Visa issue, which is why I prefer American Express. (TJRWrestling)

9. JBL Drops Baron Corbin

It was not a good night for Baron Corbin this past Monday on Raw. First, Corbin continued his losing streak by being defeated by Dexter Lumis. Corbin’s troubles did not stop there however, as later in the evening a video was posted on WWE’s social media page. The video showed Corbin’s mentor JBL verbally tearing into Corbin. After telling Corbin that “he didn’t give a damn about him”, JBL then claimed that “you can’t polish a turd, I tried.” It is not all bad news for Corbin however, as he was always more successful as a “lone wolf” anyways. (TJRWrestling)

8. Lita Returns on Raw

This past Monday on Raw, Becky Lynch and Bayley finally met inside a steel cage. Near the end of the match, Lynch was able to get Bayley in the Disarm-her on top of the cage. Before Lynch could get the win however, Bayley’s Damage CTRL partners IYO SKY and Dakota Kai interfered in the match. SKY then knocked Lynch back into the cage while Kai slid a crutch in to Bayley. Shockingly before Bayley could use the crutch on Lynch, WWE Hall of Famer Lita came down to the ring. Lita then dropped SKY with a Twist of Fate while in the ring, Lynch hit Bayley with the Man-Handle Slam to pick up the victory. We shall have to wait and see if Lita will team up with Becky Lynch in the future, or if WWE is holding the spot for a bigger star like Mandy Rose. (TJRWrestling)

7. Braun Strowman and Ricochet Become Number One Contenders for WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships

The Usos will have new challengers for their WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships tonight; that is if Jey Uso decides to actually show up. This past Friday on Smackdown, Braun Strowman and Ricochet defeated Imperium to become the number one contenders for the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Titles. Strowman and Ricochet are now scheduled to face The Usos for the titles tonight on Smackdown. The Usos and the rest of The Bloodline are dealing with their own issues, however, as none of the members of The Bloodline have seen Jey Uso since he walked out on the group at the Royal Rumble. There is still hope that Jey will show up for the match tonight, as he has not, as of this writing, put the tag title on John Laurinatis’s desk. (TJRWrestling)

6. MJF to Officially Face Bryan Danielson at AEW Revolution

In spite of his best efforts to prevent it, MJF will be defending the AEW World Championship against Bryan Danielson in a 60 Minute Iron Man Match at AEW Revolution on March 5th. For the last few weeks, Danielson has had to defeat a number of different opponents to earn the title opportunity. This past Wednesday on Dynamite, Danielson faced his final challenger in Rush. Before the match could even begin, MJF attempted to trap Danielson in his locker room to cause a count out. Unfortunately for MJF, Konosuke Takeshita came to Danielson’s assistance allowing him to enter the match. After a bloody and brutal matchup, Danielson emerged victorious. With MJF and Danielson competing in an hour-long Iron Man Match at AEW Revolution, it should now be at least the third-longest match on the show. (TJRWrestling)

5. SummerSlam to Take Place at Ford Field in Detroit

The biggest party of the summer is heading to Motor City this year. This past Tuesday, WWE announced that SummerSlam will take place at Ford Field in Detroit, MI on Saturday, August 5th. This will be the first time that a WWE event has been at Ford Field since WrestleMania 23 way back in 2007. Ford Field can hold over 80,000 people, with tickets set to go on sale on April 14th. As of this writing, it is unclear how WWE will hold a show without any title belts, due to them not allowing championships inside the building. (TJRWrestling)

4. Two Tag Title Changes at NXT Vengeance Day

It was not a good night for defending tag team champions this past Saturday at NXT Vengeance Day. First Kayden Carter and Katana Chance’s record-setting 186 days as NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions came to an end, when they lost the titles to Kiana James & Fallon Henley. The tag title changes did not stop there, however, as later in the evening The New Day lost their NXT Tag Team Championships as well. The New Day was defeated by Gallus for the titles in a Fatal-4-Way match that also included Pretty Deadly and Chase U. In similar news, the tag team of John Canton and the rest of the TJR Wrestling staff successfully defended their title of top wrestling site in the world for yet another week. (TJRWrestling)

3. The Gunns Capture the AEW Tag Team Championships

Nobody was getting scissored by the end of AEW Dynamite this week. The main event of the evening saw The Acclaimed defend the AEW Tag Team Championships against The Gunns. The story of the match going in was if Billy Gunn would continue to side with The Acclaimed, or instead join up with his biological sons. During the match, it appeared at one time that Billy Gunn would assist his son Austin by hitting Anthony Bowens of The Acclaimed with a title belt, before suddenly pushing Bowens out of the way of the attack. Billy Gunn choosing to side with The Acclaimed made no difference in the end, as Austin Gunn did eventually hit Bowens with the belt to get the win and the championships. In spite of the outcome, Vince McMahon still called Billy Gunn after the match to ask him how he stays so close to his kids. (TJRWrestling)

2. WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler Suffers a Stroke

Prayers went out across the wrestling world for WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler this week. This past Tuesday it was reported that Lawler was rushed to the hospital on Monday afternoon, after suffering a stroke. Thankfully it was reported by several people later in the week, that Lawler is expected to make a full recovery from the incident. Lawler is not a stranger to medical emergencies, as he memorably suffered a heart attack during an episode of Raw in September 2012. I would personally like to also give my best wishes to “The King”, as I like many others hope to see him again on WWE television real soon. (TJRWrestling)

1. WWE Elimination Chamber Card Takes Shape

With the WWE Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event being just a little over a week away, the card for the show started taking shape this week. This week on Raw, Montez Ford and Damien Priest both qualified for the Men’s Chamber match for the WWE United States Championship, and will now join Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Bronson Reed, Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory in the match. On the women’s side, both Natalya and Carmella qualified for the Women’s Chamber Match, and will now face Asuka, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriquez and Nikki Cross for an opportunity for the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 39. Also this past Monday on Raw it was announced that Edge and Beth Phoenix will face Rhea Ripley and Finn Balor in a Mixed Tag Team Match at the Elimination Chamber event. Finally it was announced on Smackdown that Sami Zayn would challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed Universal Championship in the main event of the show. WWE Elimination Chamber is scheduled to take place in Sami Zayn’s hometown of Montreal Canada. The Canadian crowd should be loud and raucous for Zayn, with them not being that excited since Tim Hortons was giving out free Timbits. (TJRWrestling)

wwe elimination chamber 2023 us title

That concludes another edition of The Top Ten Wrestling Stories of the Week. Although I often joke, I have recently started refereeing with NYCW and FCWA, 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 a popped balloon, then follow me on Twitter @Fowlerwrestlin1.and listen to my Podcast The Smark and the Noob. Thank you to all of those who read this every week.