The Triple Threader - Jan. 22, 2024
Welcome to the Triple Threader, covering the three stories from the world of professional wrestling.
The graphic for the Undisputed Title Fatal 4-Way at Royal Rumble. (Courtesy: WWE)
Rolling toward the Rumble
The 37th annual Royal Rumble takes place this Saturday in Tampa Bay, Florida. Matches include Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens for the United States crown, and the Fatal 4-Way for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship between Randy Orton, AJ Styles, LA Knight, and current titleholder Roman Reigns, who as of this article, will have held the title for 1,244 days, the 4th longest reign behind Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan, and Bruno Sammartino. As the premium live event name suggests, the 30-man and 30-woman Royal Rumble matches will also be waged. The winners of those respective bouts go on to contend for a world title of their choosing at WrestleMania.
Adam Copeland & Dante Martin shaking hands before battle. (AEW/Scott Lesh)
Elite Things
Last Wednesday on Dynamite, AEW World Champion Samoa Joe defended his belt against Hook, Deonna Purrazzo continues on her journey toward championship gold, and Bullet Club Gold defeated Brian Cage and the Gates of Agony to win the Ring of Honor Six-Man Tag Team Titles. The newly crowned team of Jay White and the Gunns later appeared on Saturday’s Collision to join forces with Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed, who are AEW World Trios Champs. Meanwhile, Adam Copeland is set to continue his “Cope-Open” challenge against Minoru Suzuki this Wednesday on Dynamite.
Graphic for Josh Alexander/Will Ospreay 2. (Courtesy: TNA Wrestling)
NEVER GOING AWAY
Last Thursday, the first TNA iMPACT! of the new era took place with the second meeting between Josh Alexander and Will Ospreay as its main event. The first battle was last October on the same show, where Ospreay was victorious. This time, the Walking Weapon and Aerial Assassin put on another blockbuster match, but unlike the first time, it would be Alexander who picked up the win. Afterwards, TNA President Scott D’Amore came out and gave an impassioned speech, praising both competitors, and declared that TNA Wrestling was “back and it’s never, ever, going away.”
