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The Scoop

Posted: Dec 27th 2020 By: Compiled by Oklafan Staff

NEWS
The first Raw of 2021 will feature several WWE Legends in a bid to save the falling ratings, with a themed episode titled Legends Night. Several WWE Legends will be appearing on the show and those featured in the commercial which aired last night include Alicia Fox, Beth Phoenix, Big Show, Boogeyman, Booker T, Carlito, Hillbilly Jim, Ivory, IRS, Jacqueline, Jeff Jarrett, Jimmy Hart, Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, Mark Henry, Melina, Michael Hayes, Mickie James, Ric Flair, Sgt. Slaughter, Tatanka, and Torrie Wilson. Themed episodes, especially when it relates to Legends appearing, are very popular with WWE fans due to the nostalgia factor but obviously it's not the answer to restoring viewership apart from a one-week boost.

WWE acknowledged Kevin Greene's death on the WWE.COM website, mentioning his time with WCW towards the end of his football career. The short story noted that the Pro Football Hall of Famer teamed with Roddy Piper and Ric Flair against Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Syxx in a victory at Slamboree in May of 1997. "WWE extends its condolences to Greene’s family and friends," the statement said. Ric Flair, who also worked with Greene in WCW said he's at a loss for words. "What started out as a relationship of mutual respect resulted in a bond of friendship throughout these years," Flair wrote on Twitter. "I have 2 autographed jerseys that you inscribed 'You are simply the best!' Let me return this by saying you were the best!" Sean "X-Pac" Waltman described Greene as an intense individual and said the six-man tag match from Slamboree 97 is one of the highlights of his career. "I'm honored to been a part of that with him. Very sad to learn he passed away today." Eric Bischoff, who brought Greene to WCW also said that he was very sad to hear about the passing of Greene. "An amazing NFL Hall of Famer, a great person and a friend. RIP Kevin."

WWE presented the 2020 Slammy Awards Wednesday with a broadcast on the WWE Network hosted by R-Truth from an empty WWE warehouse in Connecticut. All the presenters introduced the nominees virtually and the winners accepted the award virtually as well. In total, 10 Slammy Awards were handed out, five of which were voted by the fans. Drew McIntyre, The Street Profits, The Undertaker, and Edge both won two Slammy Awards each, the most this year. McIntyre won the Male Superstar of the Year and the overall Superstar of the Year. Edge won the Return of the Year and Rivalry of the Year with Randy Orton. The Undertaker won the Moment of the Year for the Final Farewell and the Best Match of the Year against AJ Styles for the Boneyard match at WrestleMania 36. The Street Profits won both Best Tag Team of the Year and the Breakout Stars of the Year. The New Day got the Ring Gear of the Year while Sasha Banks won the Female Superstar of the Year. Presenting the awards today were Mick Foley, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Trish Stratus, The Bachelor’s Demi Burnett, actors Clark Duke, Rico Rodriguez, and Ken Jeong, actress Raini Rodriguez, Jersey Shore’s Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, rapper Method Man, and Derek Baker from TikTok.

Free matches added to the WWE YouTube page Wednesday include an eight woman gauntlet match featuring Bayley, Sasha Banks, Natalya, Ember Moon, Dana Brooke, Alicia Fox, Mickie James, and Ruby Riott from the December 17, 2018 Raw.

Sting himself is the special guest of AEW’s Unrestricted Podcast this week. Sting had this to say about today’s talent: “When I first started, I didn’t want to do and be like the generation before me. I wanted to be different, and I was, and these guys I’m watching do the same thing. They’re different. They’ve changed the psychology, you know, how they tell a story, and they’re good. Very innovative.” You can listen to the entire show here

On his podcast, Jim Ross had this to say about intergender wrestling. “I’m trying to be honest but I’ve never been able to get over that hump. I know that’s gonna piss off Tessa Blanchard fans and other fans. It’s no disrespect to any of those women. I don’t think men should wrestle women either.”

Reggie Lincoln was diagnosed with COVID this psst week. Oklafan wishes him a speedy recovery.

Maggie Rae underwent surgery Tuesday. Oklafan wishes her a speedy recovery.

Bud Guffey’s uncle passed away December 20th. Oklafan extends condolences to his family and friend at this time.

Oklafan is saddened to report the death of Danny Hodge, who passed away December 25th, 2020 at the age of 88. While no specific cause of death has been reported at the time of his death, it was known that he had been battling dementia for many years. Hodge was born May 13, 1932 in Perry, OK, growing up in an abusive family in Dust Bowl territory. His father was an alcoholic and his mother suffered from depression. Hodge was shuffled from abusive relative to abusive relative until he found refuge in a fire house, sweeping floors and polishing trucks in exchange for sleeping on premises on a steel cot. But the beating created a determination in him as he made up his mind that he was never going to lose a fight as an adult. Hodge became a pro wrestling fan in 8th grade, and joined his high school wrestling team, winning a state title in 1951. He qualified for the Olympics in 1952, placing 5th and qualified again in 1956. In the finals, he was well ahead his Bulgarian opponent when the two became entangled and collapsed to the mat. The referee called it a fall on Hodge (though his shoulders just grazed the mat) and he lost his chance for a gold medal, instead winning the Silver. After competing the Olympics, Hodge carried on in amateur wrestling at Oklahoma University, where he compiled a record of 46-0, 36 wins by pinfall. Most impressively, during his entire college wrestling career, he was never taken off his feet. He was a 3-time Big Seven conference champion and won the 177-pound NCAA championship 3 years, pinning all 3 of his finals opponents (one of only 2 NCAA Division 1 champions to have done that). That led to him being the first and only amateur wrestler to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated Magazine. But Hodge was not done setting records. In 1958, Hodge became a Golden Gloves Boxer, compiling a record of 17-0 with 12 KOs. Passing up an opportunity to compete in the 1960 Olympics in both boxing and wrestling, Hodge turned pro in boxing and compiled a record of 8-2, scoring a 1st round knockout in his first pro bout. But after a year of that, Hodge retired and began to look in to the world of professional wrestling. Mentored by Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Hodge debuted just 3 months after retiring as a boxer. He catapulted straight to the top just 9 months after debuting, defeating Angelo Savoldi for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title in Oklahoma City. It was the first of 8 title reigns for him over the next 16 years and the first reign would last almost 4 years. Hodge was not complacent in being the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion. On September 15, 1962, he teamed with Jose Lothario and defeated Hiro Matsuda and Don Kent for the TSW United States Tag Team Titles. It’s unknown how long they held those belts or who they dropped them to, but Hodge continued to be World JH champion until July 11, 1964, when he lost that title to Hiro Matsuda. He began his second reign on April 23, 1965 by again defeated Angelo Savoldi in Oklahoma City, but lost the title to Lorenzo Parente exactly 7 months later. January 4, 1966 saw Hodge regain the title from Parente, but he only held it for 10 days, losing it back to Parente in Oklahoma City after collapsing in the ring during a title match. May 3, 1966 saw Hodge begin his 4th reign after defeating Joe McCarthy in Oklahoma City. This reign lasted just over 6 months until he lost it to Assassin #2 on November 5, 1966 in OKlahoma City. He would regain the title December 19, 1966, beginnng another nearly 4-year long reign. And again, Hodge was not satisfied just being the NWA World JH Champion. On October 7, 1967, he teamed with Skandar Akbar to defeat Chati Yokouchi & Togo Shikuma to regain the TSW United States Tag Team Title. They would lose those titles to Yokouchi and Chuck Karbo in December, 1967. Hodge and Akbar defeated Yokouchi & Karbo (who might not have been the champions) for the titles again on May 4, 1968, but Yokouchi & Karbo regained the titles within a week. Hodge then teamed with Lorenzo Parente to capture the titles on June 3, 1968 In Tulsa and would hold the titles unlit the end of July, when they lost them to Jack Donovan & Ron Reed. Hodge & Parente regained the Titles November 4, 1968 in Tulsa, but again only held them for about 6 weeks, losing them to Karl Von Stroheim & Treacherous Phillips in Tulsa. At this point, Hodge switched his focus to singles competition and on August 15, 1969 in Oklahoma City, he defeated Chuck Karbo for the TSW North American Title. Karbo would regain the title in early October, but on October 20, 1969, Hodge defeated Karbo for his second North American Title. This reign was very brief, as he lost it to Tarzan Baxter on October 31st, 1969 in Oklahoma City. By March, 1970, Hodge had regained the title, though it is unknown who he defeated for the title. What is known is that he lost it to The Spoiler on March 20, 1970, ending his last North American Title reign. This was the beginning of a year of disappointment for Hodge. He would team with Luke Brown and capture the TSW United States Tag Team Titles on May 27, 1970 from The Hollywood Blondes, Jerry Brown & Dale Roberts, but lost them back to the Blondes just two days later. And then on July 13, 1970, he would lose the NWA World JH Title to Sputnik Monroe . But less than a month later, on August 10, 1970, Hodge would regain the title from Monroe in Tulsa. This reign lasted until May 20, 1971, when he lost the title to Roger Kirby. Hodge would not lay claim to the title again until March 20, 1972, when he defeated Dr. X in Oklahoma City to begin reign #7. This reign lasted until December 19, 1973, when he lost it to Ken Mantell. Hodge did not see championship gold again for almost two years. But on July 9, 1975, Hodge teamed with Jay Clayton to defeat Stan Hansen and Frank Goodish for his final reign with the TSW US Tag Team Titles. That reign ended in October when they lost the belts to Karl Kox & Dick Murdoch. Hodge would begin his 8th and final NWA World JH Title reign by beating Hiro Matsuda for the title on March 6, 1976. But just 9 days later, Hodge’s title reign and career (And nearly his life) ended when he fell asleep and his car crashed off a bridge, breaking his neck. Hodge would go on to continue being involved in wrestling in Oklahoma. The Dan Hodge trophy, named after him, is presented every year to the NCAA’s best collegiate wrestler. He was inducted to practically every Hall of Fame known. And in 1999, he was appointed the head of the Oklahoma Athletic Commission. Hodge would continue to make appearances at Oklahoma wrestling events into the beginning of the 21st century and even into his 70s was still able to demonstrate the incredible grip he had while wrestling as he crushed apples and bent pliers with ease (due to being born with two sents of tendons in his wrist). His last known appearance at an Oklahoma wrestling event was in 2010, when he knocked Ray Martinez out at a UWE event in Tahlequah. In 2016, a statue in his honor was unveiled in his home city of Perry, but by that point, Hodge was already in the grips of dementia, which he would battle with for the rest of his life. Hodge competed on almost 300 documented wrestling events in Oklahoma. The earliest was January 1, 1960, in Oklahoma City, where he teamed with Ivan the Terrible and defeated Karol Krause & Soldat Gorky. The last was January 30th, 1976 in Lawton, OK, where he teamed with Ted DiBiase to face Buck Robley & Mr. Ito. No result is known for that match. Hodge’s lasting legacy is perhaps insurmountable as an athlete. Many consider him the greatest amateur wrestler ever and thos in the know suggest that if MMA had existed when Hodge was active, he would have dominated that sport as well. Oklafan extends its condolences to Hodge’s friends and family at this time.

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RECENT RESULTS
December 16th
The Dark Order (5, 10 & Colt Cabana) def. Fuego del Sol, Aaron Solow & Ray Jaz at the All Elite Wrestling “Dark” tapings in Jacksonville, FL. In other matches, Matt Sydal def. Serpentico

December 19th
LPS Champion Nobe Bryant def. Rodney Mack by Countout at the Lion’s Pride Sports event in Bryan, TX.

Exodus Prime def. Malico at the MetroPlex Wrestling “A Cold Day In Hell” event in Bedford, TX. In other matches, MPX Addicts Champion C. J. Ward def. Zero the Antihero, Jason Silver def. Marce Lewis, MPX Champion Sky de la Crimosa def. Matthew Palmer in a No DQ match and Casey Clay, Mr. Leggs, Noah Navarre, Steven Kirby & Tatum Manning def. Jaxon Stone, J. D. Griffey, Joe Angelo Garcia, Ryan Remington & Tommy Becker in an Ultimate Surrender Match

Chase Stevens won Hercules Cup Battle Royal for the vacant NAWA Title at the North American Wrestling Alliance “Jingle Brawl” event in Daytona Beach, FL

December 20th
WWE World Champion Drew McIntyre def. A. J. Styles (w/ Omos) and The Miz in a Triple Threat/TLC Match at the WWE “TLC” event in St. Petersburg, FL

December 21st
The Hurt Business (MVP & WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley) def. The Hardy Bros (Jeff Hardy & Riddle) at the WWE “Raw” broadcast in St. Petersburg, FL. In other matches, Keith Lee, Sheamus & WWE World Champion Drew McIntryre def. John Morrison, The Miz & A. J. Styles (w/ Omos) in a Holiday Street Fight.

December 27th
Jay Briscoe, Fkip Gordon, Brawler Milonas, John Walters & PCO def. Mark Briscoe, The Beer City Bruiser, Dak Draper, Tracy Williams, & Dalton Castle at the Ring of Honor event in Baltimore, MD.

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UPCOMING OKLAHOMA EVENTS
January 2nd
Core Pro Wrestling
Hillspring Church
Sand Springs, OK
Bell Time: 6pm


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UPCOMING EVENTS
December 30th
Jake Hager vs. Wardlow is scheduled for the All Elite Wrestling “Dynamite” broadcast in Jacksonville, FL

2021
January 1st
TPW Red River Champion Jerome Daniel Griffey, Dexter Hardaway, and Niles Plonk are among the stars scheduled for Texoma Pro Wrestling's "New Year's Day" event in Sherman, TX

January 4th
Ric Flair, Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Michael Hayes, Jeff Jarrett & Sgt. Slaughter are scheduled for the WWE RAW “Legends” event in St. Petersburg, FL

January 6th
Karrion Kross (w/ Scarlett) vs. Damien Priest is scheduled for the NXT “New Year’s Evil” event in Winter Park, FL

Matt Sydal vs. Cody Rhodes (w/ Arn Anderson) is scheduled for the All Elite Wrestling “Dynamite” broadcast in Jacksonville, FL

MLW World Tag Team Champions The Von Erichs (Marshall Von Erich & Ross Von Erich) defend the titles against the Dirty Blondes (Michael Patrick & Leo Brian) in a Tornado Rules Match at the Major League Wrestling event in Orlando, FL

January 14th
Malico takes on Husk at Pale Pro Wrestling's "Brawl at the Brew" event in Arlington, TX. In other matches, Chandler Hopkins takes on Will Allday.

January 16th
Miranda Gordy takes on Marti Belle at Magnum Pro Wrestling "Anniversary Volume X" event in Omaha, NE

Malico vs. Nate Slater is scheduled for Texas All-Star Wrestling's "Cypress Rumble" event in Cypress, TX

January 23rd
BIW Heavyweight Champion Steve Anthony defends the title against Apoc in a Career vs. Title & Hair Match at the Bayou Independent Wrestling event in Brookhaven, MS. In other matches, Barrett Brown takes on Danny Chance, Ryan Davidson takes on Rey Furioso, and Angel Camacho & Jeremiah Jackson take on Vordell Walker & T-Ray Watford.

Gino takes on Psycho Clown at the Loko Wrestling event in Houston, TX

January 29th
Matt Cross is among the stars scheduled for VIP Wrestling's "This Card is Fire" event in Haltom City, TX

January 31st
Double D takes on Xander Gold in a Handcore Lumberjack Match to determine the #1 contender to the WCWA Heavyweight Title at World Class Wrestling Association's "Purge" event in Springdale, AR. Also scheduled to appear is Malico, Luke Langley, Erica Torres, Colt Killbane, Jamie Holley, Cam Cole, and many more.

February 4th
MLW Tag Team Champion The Von Erichs (Marshall Von Erich & Ross Von Erich) are among the stars scheduled for the Major League Wrestling event in New York, NY

February 6th
SWE Heavyweight Champion Tim Storm, SWE Television Champion Rodney Mack, Xander Gold, Moonshine Mantell, and Charlie Haas are among the stars scheduled for Southwest Wrestling Entertainment's "Sweetheart Brawl" event in Irving, TX

March 28th
Bobby Joe Bristow is among the stars scheduled for the Rapid Wrestling event in Lincolnton, NC

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AUTOGRAPHS & APPEARANCES
2021
January 3rd
Robert Gibson and Manny Fernandez will be conducting a seminar for Gulf-States Wrestling Alliance. To register, email GulfStateWrestlingAlliance@gmail.com.

February 7th
Ricky Morton and Manny Fernandez will be conducting a seminar for Gulf-States Wrestling Alliance. To register, email GulfStateWrestlingAlliance@gmail.com.

June 12th
The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner), Ron Simmons, and Kurt Angle will be signing autographs at "River City Wrestling Con" at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds in Jacksonville, FL. For more info, go to RiverCityWrestlingCon.com.

June 13th
The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner), Mick Foley, Ron Simmons, and Kane will be signing autographs at "River City Wrestling Con" at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds in Jacksonville, FL. For more info, go to RiverCityWrestlingCon.com.

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UPCOMING BIRTHDAYS
December 27 - Bill Goldberg, The Masked Superstar
December 28 - Firpo Wilcox, Gideon Shaw, Lanny Poffo, Tatsumi Fujinami
December 29 - Billy Ray [1st], Donny Brooks, Ivan Vansky, J. T. LaMotta, Justin Roberts, O'Brien
December 30 - Lady Venom, Lynx
December 31 - Jack Nichols, Karl Von Brauner, Matt Cross
January 1 - Bobby Graham, Don Soto, Keebler, Luscious Larry, Magnum XL, The Midnite Rider, Precious, Steve Cox, Sweet Cakes
January 2 - Dustin Harp, The Mummy, Tommy D

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Most news & results derived from reports found on Gerweck.net, PWBTS.com, WrestlingFigs.com, SlamWrestling.net, and various other wrestling news sites.