Ellsworth indie note, Sandman needs help, WWE seeking ROH name for trainer, ROH name signs new deal, Balor return update, Raw before the Rumble will be big, Usos return set, women joining WWEPC soon, Fulton injury update, WWE announces big UK tournament, ROH commentator jumps to WWE, big HHH interview, Ryder headed to surgery, Brock suspended from MMA, Brisco on finding Brock, Tribute audience, and Questions on no European Championship, the Slammys, Mid-South rights, Foley knocking Eva Marie, and Paige returning

James Ellsworth has been pulled from a HOH event on December 17 in order to work a Smackdown live event. WWE usually lets talents work shows they've already been advertised for, although they're not required to. There's no word on WWE sending someone in his place or anything.

The Sandman will be undergoing a number of surgeries due to injuries sustained in the ring. I hope those lead to him being free of pain and being able to live a better life.

WWE is reportedly interested in BJ Whitmer as a trainer at the Performance Center. I wouldn't blame him for taking the position if the pay is good. It would be a real shame on ROH's end to lose him, though. He's one of the few talents who stands out from the ROH mold, and he's really able to work in an old-school way.

Silas Young has officially signed a new one-year contract with ROH. He's another valuable piece of the ROH puzzle by virtue of being unique to what others there do. I'd like to see him have another solid angle in 2017.

Finn Balor is targeting a return at WM33. Or perhaps the night after? The Rumble doesn't really seem like a strong possibility. I'll be glad to see him back and in the mix for the Universal Championship.

Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, and Paul Heyman are all advertised for the Raw before the Royal Rumble. I hope they announce what Undertaker is doing soon, because they've got a LOT of seats to fill. Taker hasn't been seen since announcing he was back.

The Usos are advertised as returning to action at the December 26 Smackdown live event in Madison Square Garden.

Heidi Lovelace and Kimber Lee will start at the WWE Performance Center in January. Evie and Nixon Newell will report in April. I imagine all four names will be in the as-yet-unannounced women's tournament.

Sawyer Fulton is expected to miss several months. We'll see what happens in regard to his status with Sanity once he's cleared. Big Damo has effectively replaced him for now.

WWE has announced a UK Championship tournament coming to the Network on January 14 and 15. The tournament, with 16 competitors, will take place in Blackpool. As with the CWC before it, there is a possibility this becomes the launchpad for a larger series. This is a big milestone for WWE in that market as they become increasingly global.

- Nigel McGuinness will be one of the commentators for the tournament. He is not under ROH contract, and has been written off as their matchmaker. ROH was caught off-guard by his abrupt exit, which they were unaware of until this past weekend.

-- McGuinness commented on signing with WWE. It's a surreal moment for the former ROH and TNA performer after not being able to join the company as a wrestler years back.

- WWE has named 18 talents for the tournament, two of whom will be on-hand as alternates:
-- Trent Seven
-- Jack Starz
-- Pete Dunne
-- Wolfgang
-- Roy Johnson
-- Sam Gradwell
-- James Drake
-- Jordan Devlin
-- Tyler Bate
-- Joseph Conners
-- Tyson T. Bone
-- HC Dyer
-- Dan Moloney
-- Chris Tyler
-- Saxon Huxley
-- Ringo Ryan
-- Tiger Ali
-- Tucker

--- Somewhat surprisingly, Zack Sabre, Jr. will not be part of the series. I suppose he wants to remain an independent star for the time being.

- WWE put out a press release for the tournament. I wouldn't be shocked if this leads to similar ventures in other parts of the world. WWE is going ALL IN with being a presence around the globe, picking up talents from many different countries.

- Triple H did a big interview on the series:
--  It looks like some of the names announced will be in qualifying matches to earn a spot in the tournament.

-- It's too early to think too much about, say, a Japan Championship, but it's something to look at for the future.

-- If WWE doesn't get a UK show, it could be a mess booking title matches on the indies.

-- The next few years will be big for WWE in the UK. I think it's entirely possible we see a PPV or main roster Network special from there before too much longer.

-- I think Chyna will go in the Hall at some point when there's enough distance from her "outside the ring activities."

-- Hahaha HHH dead-on that people will complain no matter what you book.

-- I wouldn't be shocked in the least to see Trump at Wrestlemania.

Zack Ryder will soon be undergoing knee surgery following his injury on Smackdown. I hope he's not out too long. They could do a fun oddball pairing of Mojo and Curt Hawkins for a while if they want. It's not like Curt's doing much else!

Brock Lesnar has been suspended from MMA until July due to his failed drug test before UFC 200. His win that night has been ruled a no-contest, and Lesnar will also pay a $250,000 fine. I hope that was worth it for Brock, because I don't know if UFC would be willing to work with him again after this ruling. This isn't expected to affect WWE's plans for him or his wrestling future, but it does seem to cement him as a wrestler instead of a wrestler who occasionally does MMA.

Gerry Brisco talked about recruiting Brock and more:
- It's weird to think Brisco and Patterson will be known by a lot of people as the stooges instead of for their legacies before that.

- Brock's gifted enough to do pretty much anything, so he's going to go wherever will let him do what he likes to do.

- I hope we do see Shelton back in WWE!

- Wes looked to have potential when we saw him in TNA. Only so many people can "make it" in the business, though.

Tribute to the Troops drew just under 1.40 million viewers. Not bad at all.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. They want to focus on the UK specifically with this series. If the title is a hit, it's possible we see more regional championships.

2. I doubt we've seen the last of the concept, but there aren't any plans to do a Slammy Awards broadcast at this time.

3. WWE probably let them continue to sell the material they still had around after the deal went down.

4. The comparison between the fighting babyface and the heel who's done everything she can to not get in the ring was the right one for that segment. She has yet to have a televised match since being drafted to Smackdown.

5. She's not figured into plans at this time, as she hasn't been cleared to get back in the ring.

More wrestling tomorrow.