Chris Jericho Hits Milestone and Top WWE News from Week of January 14

Before the Superstars of WWE compete in the annual Royal Rumble match on Jan. 29, a tournament will be held to crown the first WWE United Kingdom champion.

A lot happened in the world of wrestling this week. Let's take a look at some of the biggest stories.

WrestleMania 34 Location Revealed

Each year, WWE brings millions of dollars of revenue to whichever city plays host to WrestleMania, and in 2018, New Orleans will have that honor.

The announcement was made at a press conference on Jan. 10, well over a year before the event will take place.

WrestleMania is not just a one-night show. It's an entire week of different activities for the fans. The yearly Axxess event spans several days, but there are also other things to look forward to leading up to the big night.

The Hall of Fame ceremony is always a treat, and holding an NXT TakeOver event in the same city prior to The Show of Shows has become its own tradition.

WWE typically schedules Raw and SmackDown broadcasts in the same city before and after WrestleMania, so there is a lot to choose from during those couple of weeks.

New Orleans last hosted the event in 2014 for WrestleMania 30, which fans will remember as the night Daniel Bryan defeated Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista to become the WWE world heavyweight champion, and Brock Lesnar broke The Undertaker's undefeated streak.

Chris Jericho Hits Career Milestone

As seen on Monday's Raw, Chris Jericho became the new United States champion after a victory over Roman Reigns in the main event.

WWE has changed the criteria for being considered a Grand Slam winner, so Jericho is one of only seven Superstars to hold the required U.S., intercontinental, world and tag team titles.

However, Jericho also qualifies under the old standard, as he held the European and Hardcore Championships.

Y2J's resume extends even further. He is one of the few people to have held titles in the original ECW, WCW and WWE, he holds the record for most Intercontinental Championship reigns (nine), he has teamed with six different Superstars to win seven tag titles, he has four WCW Cruiserweight Championship wins to his name and he became WWE's first undisputed champion.

The only major accolades Jericho can't lay claim to are winning the Royal Rumble, King of the Ring and being inducted into the Hall of Fame, but that last one is locked in.

WWE Reveals United Kingdom Championship

WWE will hold a tournament on Saturday and Sunday to crown its first United Kingdom champion, and the title the 16 competitors are fighting for was revealed on WWE's Instagram account on Friday.

The belt is the same shape as all of the newer WWE titles, but the center plate is a departure from the giant WWE logo shared by the Universal, WWE and both Women's Championships.

The design is more appealing than anything other than the IC title in WWE, so it's a shame we won't be seeing it featured regularly on Raw and SmackDown.

WWE has yet to outline how the title will be defended or when a possible UK-based show will start, but whoever wins this belt will get a huge boost in exposure.

Bracket for UK Tournament Released

WWE.com has posted the bracket for the United Kingdom Championship tournament taking place Saturday and Sunday. The image above lays out the path each Superstar could face on the way to the final round.

Nigel McGuinness will call the tournament alongside WWE veteran Michael Cole, which is only appropriate, given McGuinness is a well-respected veteran of the UK and indy wrestling scene.

For many American wrestling fans, the majority of the names in this tourney will be unfamiliar, which is exactly why this is such a great thing for the industry.

WWE is giving 16 people a worldwide stage to showcase their talents. Even the wrestlers who don't win will go back to their own promotions with some hype, which will hopefully bring more people out to see them at local shows.

Being the biggest wrestling promotion in the world puts more responsibility on WWE's shoulders than one might think. Without other places for young hopefuls to hone their skills, WWE would run out of talent within a decade or two.

By helping to promote indy and international wrestlers through the Cruiserweight Classic and UK tournaments, WWE is helping to ensure its own future.

Updated Royal Rumble Participants

The list of Superstars competing in this year's Royal Rumble match grows with each passing week. Here is a look at the veterans, rookies and everyone in between who will be participating, according to WWE.com:

• The Undertaker
• Goldberg
• Brock Lesnar
• Dean Ambrose
• The Miz
• Seth Rollins
• Dolph Ziggler
• Big E
• Kofi Kingston
• Xavier Woods
• Braun Strowman
• Chris Jericho
• Baron Corbin

With only 13 participants announced, WWE has more than half the match to fill before Jan. 29, even with a few spots reserved for surprise appearances from legends and NXT stars. Here is a quick rundown of the other matches already booked for the show:

Competitors	Match
AJ Styles vs. John Cena	WWE Championship
Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns	Universal Championship
Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley	Raw Women's Championship
Rich Swann vs. Neville	Cruiserweight Championship

John Cena Film Gets Green-Lighted

Following John Cena's highly praised roles in Trainwreck and Sisters, the WWE veteran has landed another role in a comedy picked up by Universal Studios, according to Anthony D'Alessandro of Deadline.com.

The article says the film is called The Pact and that it will see Cena star alongside Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz as one of three parents who learn their daughters plan to lose their virginities on prom night.

Mann is married to Judd Apatow and is a comedy veteran, having appeared in Big Daddy, The 40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny People and many more.

Barinholtz is also a comedy heavyweight. His credits include roles in Sisters, Suicide Squad, Neighbors and multiple seasons of TV show The Mindy Project.

The film's plot almost sounds like American Pie in reverse. Instead of guys trying to lose their virginities, it's girls, and instead of following the exploits of the kids, this will follow the parents' efforts to stop the plan.

Despite telling ESPN.com's Brian Campbell he has no plans to leave WWE in the near future, Cena's career continues to grow outside of the ring. Hosting American Grit and multiple episodes of The Today Show have allowed fans to see a different side of him, and Hollywood seems to be knocking on his door with growing frequency.

Cena is getting ready to challenge AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble, and if he wins the title, he will tie Ric Flair's record of 16 recognized world title reigns.

What do you think? Will Cena make history at Royal Rumble, or will WWE save the moment for a bigger occasion like WrestleMania?

Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter @BR_Doctor.