— This week’s WWE Classics on Demand updates are as follows: (The Big Events – Armageddon 1999; Classics Rewind – Monday Night Wars: Nitro (1/19/98). Monday Night Wars: Raw (1/19/98), Prime Time Wrestling Holiday Show (12/23/86); Cowboy Bill Watts – North American Heavyweight Championship: Bill Watts (c) vs. Terry Funk (CWF – 1970’s), Bill Watts and Jerry Brisco vs. Robert Fuller and Ron Fuller (CWF – 7/2/74), Florida Heavyweight Championship: Dusty Rhodes (c) vs Bill Watts (CWF – 10/22/74), Bill Watts, Jim Duggan and Terry Taylor vs. Fabulous Freebirds (UWF – 7/21/86); Season Beatings – WCW World Tag Team Championship: Dallas Page and Kevin Nash (c) vs. 3 Count (Nitro – 12/4/2000), First Blood Match: John Cena vs. Kurt Angle (Raw – 1/2/06), Diamond Dallas Page vs. Sting (WCW Thunder – 12/9/99), Eddie Guerrero and Juventud Guerrera vs. Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Billy Kidman (Nitro – 12/28/98), Divas Championship: Michelle McCool (c) vs. Maryse (Smackdown – 12/26/08); TV Classics – NWA’s WCW on TBS (8/20/88), Monday Night Raw (12/19/94), Tribute to the Troops (2012).
— Amidst reports that Divas Champion AJ Lee is in hot water with WWE brass for appearing unruly towards NBC sports and entertainment personality Michelle Beadle at last Wednesday’s Tribute to the Troops event at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Pierce County, Washington, betting for her scheduled title defense against Natalya tonight at WWE TLC is now off in most outlets.
The New Jersey-native was a heavy favorite to win her match against the accomplished third-generation wrestler after “insider betting” was placed on Thursday. At the start of Sunday, Lee was a 4,500-point favorite, then downgraded to a 2,750-point favorite after reports of the incident surfaced. Natalya moved to a 1,250-point underdog with late money landing on a win before the match was removed from most sportsbooks entirely.
The idea is that part of AJ Lee’s “punishment” from WWE management will be to take the title off of her. That will likely happen sooner than later even if they try to “swerve” the ‘net fans and the title change doesn’t take place tonight.
Lee has the third-longest Divas Championship reign in history, having held the title for 182 days as of Sunday. She trails Beth Phoenix (204) and Maryse (216).
