Wrestling Tonight: NJPW WRESTLE KINGDOM 20 FALLOUT | TANAHASHI SAYS GOODBYE | RAW NETFLIX ANNIVERSARY | AEW & WWE SHIFT GEARS
Release Date: 01/06/2026
Wrestling Tonight: WWE ROYAL RUMBLE: RIYADH PREVIEW | SNME FALLOUT | WRESTLEMANIA 42 & 43 TAKING SHAPE | CMLL’S HISTORIC MÍSTICO RUN | 164
The Turnbuckle Tavern
Welcome to Episode 164 of Wrestling Tonight, powered by G FUEL and Dick Lazers. Use code TAVERN for 20 percent off. Acefield Retro and Chad are back, and this week is built around the road to Royal Rumble: Riyadh, while also zooming out to examine how WWE, AEW, TNA, AAA, NJPW, Stardom — and the global wrestling economy itself — are all adjusting direction at the same time. We open with a full preview of Royal Rumble: Riyadh, taking place January 31, 2026 at the King Abdullah Financial District as part of Riyadh Season. This marks the first traditional Royal Rumble ever held outside North...
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The Turnbuckle Debate #257
The Turnbuckle Tavern
The week we are joined by Tanner from Kicking Out Pod! Join us as we ask should Trey Miguel be signed to AEW or is he too much of a liability; who make a bigger impact, Rascalz in AEW or Hobbs in WWE; and of the latest AEW signings, who are you most excited about? It's going to be a fun week here at The Tavern, so to make sure you do not miss anything, go to patreon.com/theturnbuckletavern for all your Tavern needs!
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AEW Dynamite: MJF And Brody King Have Words | JetSpeed And Hangman Win Trios Gold | Alec Price And Jordan Oliver VS FTR
The Turnbuckle Tavern
It's Thursday, and you know what that means! It is time to walk through those Tavern doors and order up a round of professional wrestling coverage from The Two Bad Chads! This week we talk AEW and all the happenings of the week! Make sure you go to patreon.com/theturnbuckletavern for all your Tavern needs!
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Rawdown #213: 4-Way #1 Contender Spot Match | AJ Styles Career Ending Match?
The Turnbuckle Tavern
The RAWDOWN boys discuss all of the news coming out of RAW and Smackdown and get you caught up on all of the news happening inside and outside the ropes in WWE. Everything is on the table. This is just the tip of the iceberg with all of the stories and news going on in the WWE. Let's talk about it and everything else in the WWE Universe! WWE RAW, WWE Smackdown, NXT... It's all there! Come get your best weekly fix for all things WWE on The RAWDOWN, right here at The Turnbuckle Tavern! PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, COMMENT, SHARE, & CLICK THE BELL! TELL A FRIEND ABOUT US! Go to...
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Wrestling Tonight: TNA GENESIS FALLOUT (VISA ISSUES & AMC DEBUT) | WRESTLEMANIA 42 PLAN PIVOT? | POWERHOUSE HOBBS TO WWE | RASCALZ TO AEW | AAA FOX ERA BEGINS
The Turnbuckle Tavern
Welcome to Episode 163 of Wrestling Tonight, powered by G FUEL and Dick Lazers. Use code TAVERN for 20 percent off. Acefield Retro and Chad are back, and this week focuses on how multiple promotions are adjusting direction rather than delivering final outcomes. We begin with TNA Genesis, where several championships were defended and key moments shaped the current hierarchy. The event took place amid confirmed visa issues that affected both Impact’s AMC debut and Genesis, requiring multiple card changes and substitutions. Those adjustments highlighted the degree to which TNA is currently...
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The Turnbuckle Debate #256
The Turnbuckle Tavern
The week we are joined by The Rawdown's own, JBugz! Join us as we ask will Drew McIntyre hold the world title until WrestleMania; should AEW add an on-screen GM; and will Chris Jericho hold the TNA world championship in 2026? It's going to be a fun week here at The Tavern, so to make sure you do not miss anything, go to patreon.com/theturnbuckletavern for all your Tavern needs!
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Wrestling Tonight: TNA DEBUTS ON AMC | AJ STYLES OPENS “NEW ERA” | 3 MATCHES IN 2 HOURS?
The Turnbuckle Tavern
Welcome to a bonus episode of Wrestling Tonight, powered by G FUEL and Dick Lazers. Use code TAVERN for 20 percent off. Acefield Retro with a focused breakdown of TNA’s AMC debut, a show that looked professional, sounded historic, and still felt unsure of what it wanted to be. This was not a loud failure. There were no disastrous matches or segments that collapsed in real time. That is exactly why it matters. This was a failure of priorities, not execution. A failure of conviction, not talent. On the night TNA needed to be decisive, it hesitated. The framing told the story. From the...
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AEW Dynamite- Maximum Carnage: MJF Beats Bandido To Retain | Omega Returns | Rascalz Are All Elite| PAC VS Darby
The Turnbuckle Tavern
It's Thursday, and you know what that means! It is time to walk through those Tavern doors and order up a round of professional wrestling coverage from The Two Bad Chads! This week we talk AEW and all the happenings of the week! Make sure you go to patreon.com/theturnbuckletavern for all your Tavern needs!
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Rawdown #212: Drew McIntyre's Boyhood Dream Come True | Finn Balor WHC Bound?
The Turnbuckle Tavern
The RAWDOWN boys discuss all of the news coming out of RAW and Smackdown and get you caught up on all of the news happening inside and outside the ropes in WWE. Everything is on the table. This is just the tip of the iceberg with all of the stories and news going on in the WWE. Let's talk about it and everything else in the WWE Universe! WWE RAW, WWE Smackdown, NXT... It's all there! Come get your best weekly fix for all things WWE on The RAWDOWN, right here at The Turnbuckle Tavern! PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, COMMENT, SHARE, & CLICK THE BELL! TELL A FRIEND ABOUT US! Go to...
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Wrestling Tonight: ROYAL RUMBLE VENUE NOT BUILT YET?! | WHO STEPS UP TO DREW MCINTYRE AT THE RUMBLE | OBA FEMI VACATES NXT TITLE | TNA READIES FOR AMC DEBUT
The Turnbuckle Tavern
Welcome to Episode 161 of Wrestling Tonight, powered by G FUEL and Dick Lazers. Use code TAVERN for 20 percent off. Acefield Retro and Chad are back this week, and there is a lot to talk through as WWE, AEW, NXT, and TNA all continue to feel like they are in the middle of major transitions rather than arriving at clean conclusions. WWE drives most of the conversation again, not because of one isolated moment, but because of how many significant pieces are moving at the same time. Drew McIntyre capturing the WWE Championship in Berlin, CM Punk surviving a defining title defense on Raw’s...
info_outlineNew Japan Pro-Wrestling closed the book on a defining era at the Tokyo Dome with Wrestle Kingdom 20, a show built around transition rather than nostalgia. Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement match marked the end of a 25-year in-ring career and served as a clear dividing line for the company moving forward, while the rest of the card focused on consolidation and direction through major title matches and contender-setting bouts. Wrestle Kingdom once again functioned as NJPW’s annual truth serum — clarifying priorities, tightening the championship picture, and setting expectations for the post-Tanahashi era.
Elsewhere, AEW wrapped up 2025 with Worlds End drawing an estimated 140,000 buys, pushing the company’s annual PPV total near 1.25 million worldwide. MJF reclaimed the AEW World Championship, restored the “Triple B,” and immediately introduced volatility to the title scene with challengers lining up on television and a potential independent title defense looming at Limitless Wrestling. Willow Nightingale made history on New Year’s Smash by becoming the first woman to hold two AEW championships simultaneously, while Tony Khan confirmed the return of AEW Grand Slam Mexico in 2026 and reiterated plans to expand dual-contract partnerships with CMLL talent.
WWE entered the new year in the midst of its own structural shift. Trick Williams officially joined the SmackDown roster, Giulia regained the Women’s United States Championship, and Matt Cardona was confirmed as an active SmackDown competitor. The WWE PPV and PLE archive began its transition to Netflix in the United States as Raw prepares to celebrate its one-year Netflix anniversary with a Stranger Things–themed episode. Injury updates for Dominik Mysterio and Sheamus, combined with The Usos capturing the World Tag Team Championships, further highlighted a roster recalibration heading into 2026.
Tonight’s episode breaks down the fallout from Wrestle Kingdom 20, what Tanahashi’s retirement means for New Japan’s future, and how AEW and WWE are repositioning themselves at the start of a new year. No overstatement, no revisionist framing — just a grounded look at a week that quietly reset the industry’s direction.