Daily Update: Randy Orton, Lita, Jack Gallagher

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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

  • After last night’s Raw, WWE uploaded a video where NXT’s LA Knight got into a verbal confrontation with Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode. Roderick Strong was also shown walking by Ziggler & Roode during the video. Knight and Strong were both at this week’s Raw to wrestle matches on the tapings for Main Event. During the post-show confrontation, Knight invited Ziggler & Roode to come to NXT. Ziggler & Roode said they appreciated the invitation, but they work Mondays and are focused on winning the Royal Rumble and going to WrestleMania.
  • Randy Orton appeared on the latest episode of The Ringer Wrestling Show. Orton spoke about the feud he had against “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and how he’s recently learned to roll with the punches when it comes to angles:
    • I think rolling with the punches is something I realized more recently than not that if I just accept that I’m out of control on some of these situations, and I’m talking about the business right now, if I just take what they give me and do it to the best of my ability, like I was doing stuff with The Fiend a year ago and it was hard. Some of it was rough.
    • They put me in the burn mask one week and then the next week I’m out of it and my skin healed. It’s tough [laughs].
    • Then you go to who you would imagine you would go to when you have a gripe and say, ‘Hey, I can’t do this. Aren’t they going to…’ and you hear, ‘Just do it. It’s going to work.’ Okay. You roll with the punches. You do your best job.
    • Even though I’m lighting a dead guy on fire and he’s the babyface, I had a very hard time trying to make that real, but I feel like I did a good enough job that even though it was a little cringe worthy for some people because I really, really, tried to just believe that I was going through this, I think it helped people buy into it a little bit more while we’re suspending that reality and trying to make them believe like they would when they’re watching the most recent Halloween movie or Jason movie,
    • They want to believe when they’re in there. They want to be entertained so I think the more I can accept that, make that real, and make that something I’m feeling and not just words that some 22-year-old writer wrote on paper for me, but if I believe it and make it mine, I can get them to believe. I think that’s what changed with my promos too recently.
  • While appearing on Throwing Down with Renee Paquette and Miesha Tate, Lita confirmed that she had other “potential opportunities floating around” before agreeing to be in the women’s Royal Rumble match: “Yeah, so definitely, like you said [Lita wanting to get one more run in], so pandemic life kind of simplified everyone’s priorities because it’s just like only what’s in front of your plate but then – so I feel like I spent the first half of the pandemic just being like – just eating too much junk and processed food and doing absolutely nothing. I’m going, ‘Okay, so like even if the pandemic ends, you can’t just slowly kill yourself just laying around and eating junk food.’ So I had already just started to like lifestyle train which is very different from like G.I. Jane training, but I was like, I’m already starting to kind of remember what it felt like to, ‘Oh, it feels good when you move your body. It feels good when you push yourself.’ And I think those kind of was – it was a very baby step that culminated with – you know, and there were like potential opportunities floating around that I was like, ‘Well, maybe, maybe, maybe’ and then this thing was just like, ‘Yes or no, do you want to do this Rumble on this day? Like yes or no? Are you in?’ And I was just like – put my feet to the fire. I was like, ‘Yes, I’m in’ and then it was like, okay, so now that I’m in, it’s time to make the most of it.”
  • On his Something to Wrestle podcast, Bruce Prichard said he can see Vince McMahon continuing to run WWE for a long, long time: “Yes [I always felt like Vince McMahon would continue running WWE past the early 2000s]. Absolutely. Yeah, I can’t imagine him not doing it and I am sure that he will continue to do it probably for the next 25-to-30 years. His mom’s 101 and still going so, you know, he shows no signs of slowing down at all and he’s a freak of nature and it’s hard to imagine it without him and I don’t think that we’ll have to imagine it without him for a long, long time.”
  • Summer Rae is converting a portion of her Royal Rumble pay into cryptocurrencies.
  • WWE Shop released a Brock Lesnar flannel shirt.
  • WWE uploaded this year’s Royal Rumble “About the Numbers” video.
  • WWE shared an extra clip from the Broken Skull Sessions episode with Becky Lynch that premieres this Friday.
  • WWE’s YouTube channel uploaded the 2015 Royal Rumble match, Triple H vs. Batista in a no holds barred match from WrestleMania 35, and the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal from WrestleMania 34.

Other Wrestling

  • Jack Claffey (former WWE wrestler Jack Gallagher) has signed with bare-knuckle boxing promotion Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Claffey, whose real name is Oliver Claffey, was released by WWE in June 2020 after being accused of sexual assault during the #SpeakingOut movement.
  • The Sporting News asked Deonna Purrazzo what it means to her that Jonathan Gresham called her the best technical wrestler in the world: “Gresham has tweeted that once or twice, and it is quite a feeling. He is the number one wrestler in the entire world. I can’t speak enough praises about him, I think he’s phenomenal and I’m so envious of what he can do out there. I wish that I can be like Jonathan Gresham. For him to give me that kind of recognition, it means the entire world to me. I fought so hard to be at Impact Wrestling and also be able to do stuff with ROH, and Gresham was one of those people who were pushing for me. For him to be on my side and give me that recognition is amazing because I always wanted to be considered one of the greatest wrestlers in the world. If someone like that thinks that, then it’s that validation and approval that means everything.”
  • Joey Janela will face Dr. Wagner Jr. at GCW’s If I Die First show in Dallas on Saturday, February 5.
  • Keith Lee has filed a trademark for the phrase “Limitless.”
  • Mick Foley posted a video responding to the “F*ck Mick Foley” gear that Matt Cardona wore at GCW’s Hammerstein Ballroom show.
  • Cardona tweeted about the Hammerstein event: “I love @GCWrestling_. Everyone involved wants it to succeed so badly. The fans want it to succeed so badly. I couldn’t even get through my timeline last night. So much buzz. So much heart. Some much passion. So much potential. We danced. Now let’s f*cking go!”
  • “Man Scout” Jake Manning has been hired by AEW to work in their merchandise department: “I’m officially employed by @AEW to work in their merch department. It’s been a long road to get here but I’m grateful for the opportunity. I’m also thankful that this job will give me the ability to continue to work on my mental health & my indy wrestling & comedy careers.”
  • The Orlando Sentinel spoke to Matt Hardy about his new “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy” podcast.
  • Digital Spy interviewed Santana & Ortiz.
  • The latest episode of Sammy Guevara’s vlog is now available.