The following matches are scheduled for tonight’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network:
Former WCW / IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Vader recently spoke to Raj Giri of WrestlingINC.com. You can get a video message from Vader and other wrestlers and celebrities at CelebVM.com.
Here are some highlights from the interview:
The Ultimate Warrior originally being groomed for the Big Van Vader gimmick in Japan:
Vader: Yeah! This is just my understanding, but I heard that Sid Vicious was also up for it. And [Antonio] Inoki had designed this thing and he was going to put this helmet on somebody and pay him a lot of money. They brought the Warrior over and—let’s face it…may he rest in peace and with all due respect—he looked fantastic, he had a lot of energy, he’s a Hall of Famer, but athletically, he was limited; in other words, he was a little stiff. In other words, I don’t think he could play a real good game of basketball. I’m not trying to be disrespectful but I believe the best wrestlers are also athletic in nature. Look at someone like Sting who is a tremendous athlete. Look at Undertaker, who is just a fabulous athlete. A guy like Shawn Michaels, who is a smaller athlete but…tremendous athleticism. I think Ultimate Warrior and Sid, although they looked fantastic, athletically I don’t think they’d have been given college scholarships to play football or basketball or something like that.
“This is my point: over in Japan, these guys were just very special athletes. They were raised in this. They were like gods and these guys were raised to do this from childhood. These guys started when they were 10, doing squats and pushups and they were handpicked. The best athletes moved on. There was never a case when I got in the ring in Japan and I wasn’t with a superior athlete. These guys were all fantastic athletes. They could do anything. A guy named Mitsuharu Misawa—he worked for a while and then started his own company, NOAH—he could do anything physically. He was just gifted. He got heavy and smoked towards the end and still could do 20 and 30 minute matches with me and just do anything—and hold, any move, anything off the top rope. All of them: Kobashi, Akiyama, Inoki—was probably the least athletic of them all—Gret Muta—God, you talk about a 6’3” athlete. So that’s just my opinion and they didn’t work out because Inoki saw that they could not go 20 minutes a night and work with these athletic, smaller guys. Especially Sid, because of his height. He’s 6′ 7” and you know, I was a lot taller than these guys and compared to Sid…Sid towers over me. I’m 6’4” and he’s 6’7”…6’8” with a boot on. But again, if you watch Sid in the ring, he’s kind of stiff. He kind of reminds me of Kane. Kane is stiff. He moves… that robotic kind of thing. Not real fluid. And you compare Kane to the Undertaker and I think that’d be a fair analogy. Kane gets up to the top rope and he comes off and it’s kind of difficult for him and it’s kind of awkward. The Undertaker walks up backward gracefully and comes of the top rope and there’s just a difference in athletic ability. Don’t get me wrong; Kane’s a Hall of Famer and he’s going to do great but I’m trying to make a point here.
The sid Vicious – Arn Anderson hotel fight in the U.K. in 1993:
“Me and Steve [Austin] are sitting there [in the hotel bar] and then all hell breaks loose. Neither one of us really saw what happened but next thing I know, man, Sid comes walking up to me because I was headed that way to see if I could help or, you know, just hold somebody because it was a violent fight. I mean there were chairs and bottles. And Sid, if memory serves, it was either just to the left of his belly button or just to the right of his belly button, he had a hole in him and I looked and he was doing the Frankenstein walk and he just said, ‘Leon, Leon,’ and I said ‘Oh sh–‘ and I looked and it about a nickel sized stream of blood squirted out every time his heart pumped. It came out about four inches before it fell down, it wasn’t trickling down his stomach, it was squirting out, and it came out about two to three inches and then it dropped and I thought to myself, ‘He’s not going to last long, he’ll bleed to death.’ I said ‘Sid, trust me,’ and I grabbed a chair and I sat down and said, ‘Sid, don’t move, you’re gonna die’ and I slowly eased my thumb into that hole and higher and he said, ‘You’re hurting me.’ and I said, ‘You gotta take it’ and I got it in there a little bit more and it slowed the bleeding enough and kept him alive until the ambulance came.
“That’s the true story. This was instinct on my part, I knew if I took a towel he’d bleed to death. I thought I had to plug it and somehow I got in there and I had stopped the bleeding partially because I got my thumb on the vein that had been cut and it slowed it down and, you know what? As far as I’m concerned, Anderson owes me a “Thank you” because I don’t care if you’re right or wrong, when someone gets killed, you’re in trouble. Someone dies. And as far as Sid, I probably saved his life and, you know what? Not probably, most definitely did, because I was there, I saw it and (laughs) neither one of them thanked me. No good deed goes unpunished, brother.
Being promised the WWF title:
Vader: You know what, the title was promised to me two times. I was supposed to be a two-time heavyweight champion. If I did the job for Shawn at SummerSlam, and then something would happen and I’d get it then give it to somebody else, take it back and then give it back to Shawn in San Antonio. Instead, somehow that got changed around.
Anyway, Sid took that run and then I had a really great opportunity, Vince said to me, “You’re not just a good worker, you’re a great big man and there’s this guy coming in here called The Rock. Just take him under the arm about ninety days and just beat the hell out of him. I want you to teach him how to wrestle but be rough on him.” The Rock was just “Yes, sir, no, sir” to me and for ninety days, I beat him every night, but I made him listen. You know, “Hit me harder,” and “Do this,” and “This psychology and that psychology,” and the last night, he beat me and we shook hands and he went on and I think I did a pretty good job. He had a whole lot to work with. And then, for that, [Vince] said “We’re going to give you a run at the Intercontinental and then that never happened.
Vader also discussed another gimmick Vince McMahon had for him, getting his start in pro wrestling, his NFL career getting cut short, signing with WCW, Ron Simmons defeating him to become the first African American World Heavyweight Champion and what it meant to him, Eric Bischoff taking charge in WCW, his WCW departure, signing with WWE, WWE not pushing him properly and much more. You can read the full interview by clicking here.
At one point, WWE was planning on having Brock Lesnar return for a brief feud over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship with Big Show. Apparently, that is no longer in the plans and will not be happening.
Lesnar is not scheduled to make his return to WWE until January to begin promoting his Royal Rumble title defense, which is expected to be against John Cena.
It’s been reported that Cena may face Rusev at WrestleMania 31 next year, so the belief is that if they wanted to, WWE could have Rusev cost Cena his match with Lesnar at the Rumble, setting up Cena-Rusev at WrestleMania.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
TNA apparently made a play recently for CM Punk. It was said to be done in similar fashion to how they reached out to Alberto Del Rio, which is through an intermediary who is friends with Punk.
The idea was that Punk would be the top star of the company with pay similar to what Hulk Hogan was making when he was with the promotion.
TNA was hoping that Punk could be their flagship star and if he signed with them, could help them get a strong television deal.
Punk reportedly expressed zero interest in working for TNA, or in pro wrestling in general.
BROCK LESNAR To RETURN To UFC After His WWE Deal Expires In 2015?! [READ >>]
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
On this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, there will be a backstage segment involving The Rock, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. The segment sees Rock and HHH going back-and-forth over who would win if they wrestled again, including each guy taking shots at the other.
Apparently this was a tease for a potential WrestleMania 31 main event between Rock and Hunter. A match between the two was actually discussed at one point for WrestleMania XXX, but obviously ended up not happening.
During the segment taped for Friday’s SmackDown, The Rock actually brought up the main event of WrestleMania 31 and WWE generally does not tease something that big if it’s not in the plans.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
WWE was apparently not pleased that Rey Mysterio was backstage at the AAA Lucha Underground taping in Los Angeles recently, particularly because photos of him at the show and later at a dinner with people involved with the promotion appeared on social media.
It’s worth noting that the photos were quickly deleted.
There is no word yet as to whether or not this latest incident will result in any specific repercussions, as at this point, Mysterio is still legally under contract with WWE.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
– Apparently Randy Orton reached a new agreement with WWE recently where he’s no longer working full-time on the road. Orton is no longer obligated to work all of the weekend live events.
– As noted earlier this week, movie directors The Soska Twins, who worked on WWE Studios projects such as “See No Evil 2” and “Vendetta,” are very interested in making a movie based off of The Wyatt Family. The story received a very big response on Twitter after they tweeted about it and even garnered some mainstream attention with a Dread Central article. The Soska Twins noted in recent interviews that WWE gave them a lot of creative control over “See No Evil 2,” so it will be interesting to see if WWE bites on the idea of a possible Wyatt Family film.
(Partial Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
The storyline with Big Show and the Russian flag, including the company’s apology, was all simply part of a planned angle. WWE does have television shows in Russia, so they may have wanted to soften the blow, however it’s said that the entire thing was all planned out in advance.
The incident actually made the news in some Russian outlets, although it wasn’t treated as a major story or anything like that.
The part of the angle where Big Show pulled down the Russian flag ended up being edited off WWE’s Russian version of RAW, as the show airs on a five-day delay.
On a somewhat related note, Rusev and Lana are apparently put over strong by the Russian announcers as national heroes and babyfaces.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
WWE Hall Of Famer “Superstar” Billy Graham has been hospitalized again. Graham’s wife Valerie wrote the following on Facebook about his condition:
“This is a message from Superstar’s wife Valerie. Billy has been admitted to the Mayo Clinic from complications from his previous medical conditions. Not much specific information is known at this time, but this post will be updated soon. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.”
As noted, John Cena tweeted The Rock after his surprise appearance on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in Brooklyn, New York. The Rock has since responded to Cena, which you can read below.
@JohnCena Thank U homeboy. Great seeing ya backstage. Keep hustlin and grindin and one day I will beat you in a squat competition. #Never
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) October 8, 2014
Another exchange on Twitter involving The Rock is the back-and-forth he had with Lana after the show, which you can read below.
@LanaWWE @WWE @RusevBUL Clearly, you didn't appreciate my "Smirnoff bottle shoved up your Putin" joke. You're still smokin'. #Boots2Asses
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) October 7, 2014
Lana fired back at Rock with the following response:
I'm obviously stunning/beautiful/perfect @TheRock but I know word in English and Russian that perfectly describes you… PIG! @RusevBUL
— LANA (@LanaWWE) October 7, 2014
The following are highlights of a new Daily Mirror interview with TNA star Bram:
On TNA’s TV situation: “TNA management and Dixie [Carter] keep us in the loop as much as they can. I’m confident in the company. I don’t worry about it. Whatever they choose to do I know it’s going to work out.”
On being married to NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte: “I’m doing my own thing in TNA and she’s doing her own thing there. We have a bond in wrestling and in most relationships, wrestling can get in the way. We both understand when we’re away for a long time or we’re hurt or you’ve got to do things some people wouldn’t be too happy with. There’s a nice understanding there which makes our relationship a lot easier.”
On being Ric Flair’s son-in-law: “It’s not something you think about. If you had told me all of the things I would have done, people that I would have met when I was 13, I would have been like ‘wow’. But as the years pass, everything kind of seems normal. From an outside point of view it might seem cool or bizarre, but to me it’s normal. It’s a great relationship, it has been from day one, he’s a hell of a guy. As long as Ashley’s happy, he’s happy.”
You can check out the complete interview at Mirror.co.uk.
Triple H recently spoke to SIRIUS/XM host Sam Roberts and responded to the topic of fans seemingly enjoying the NXT product more so than the main WWE roster product.
“At the end of the day down here, I take the talent that I have and I try to write the best show,” Triple H said. “I try to write a show that I want to watch, and that’s all I do. People can say, ‘Oh, the difference in the shows.’ Listen, if I had to write a three-hour show ever week? You know, I don’t, I have to write a one hour show.”
HHH continued, “The pressure is a lot different. There’s a lot of masters that have to be served – Raw and Smackdown and all of those things. I’m flattered that people love the product. I think it’s great. I’m excited for these kids. At the end of the day, the goal is still to get them up to the main roster, but the bigger I can make the platform for them to jump off onto that main roster, the better it is.”
You can check out the complete interview above.
– Former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio will be competing at the WRESTLE-1’s big Sumo Hall show in Japan on November 1st. The show will mark Keiji Muto’s 30th anniversary as an active wrestler.
– The Rock will be appearing on Friday’s SmackDown in a backstage segment with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. The segment was recorded on Monday at RAW.
– The dark main event that took place after last night’s SmackDown tapings saw John Cena and Dean Ambrose defeat Kane and Seth Rollins. Late in the match, Ambrose got a hot tag and unloaded on Kane and Rollins. Cena and Ambrose hit their finishers for the win.
After the match, they played to the crowd to see who could get the bigger pop (like they did after RAW) and Ambrose won (again).
It was announced at the WWE SmackDown television taping on Tuesday night in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that at the upcoming WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view, the match between John Cena and Dean Ambrose will now have a stipulation.
The Cena-Ambrose bout will now be a no holds barred match with a contract on a pole, with the winner still advancing later in the pay-per-view to a match with “Mr. Money In The Bank” Seth Rollins. Based on advertising, the person who loses the Cena-Ambrose match will likely face Randy Orton later on in the pay-per-view.
You can read a complete SmackDown spoiler report for this week by clicking here.
Bo Dallas recently spoke with Jim Varsallone of The Miami Herald. Here are some highlights:
Working in NXT: “The NXT today is a developmental system unlike anything that has ever been done before. It’s a great platform for someone to grow. I had the opportunity to do that and live through it. I wouldn’t be the same performer if I didn’t get the chance to go down to NXT and perform in front of a crowd like that. It really helped me hone my craft and character unlike I ever thought possible.”
His Family Lineage: “Obviously, you have the big shoes to fill and having people wondering if you will ever compare up to your family members. I got into this business to make it as myself, whatever that was. I don’t think you look at me and say, ‘Wow, he took a lot from his father or grandfather or uncles.’ I think I’m a completely different entity. I think I do a good job distancing myself from that.”
R-Truth Ending His WWE Undefeated Streak: “The undefeated streak was great, but you are forever changing to keep yourself relevant and driven. No matter what happens, you’re going to come out okay…You never know where the character is going to go. I never knew I was going to get to this point. If I can say anything, I have my eyes set on the Intercontinental championship. So whoever is holding that at any point, that is where I’m going now…Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Shawn Michaels, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, the Intercontinental title needs to be put on that pedestal it was when I was growing up. Hopefully, I can strive to do that one day.”
Here are some highlights of Kofi Kingston’s recently interview with the UK’s The Independent newspaper:
NXT Champion Adrian Neville: “Some of the things he does are just incredible, he calls himself the man that gravity forgot, and he just defies gravity with everything he does. For me, as a fan, I think he’s going to be one of the greatest of all time when he gets it all going. As a performer I would love to get in there with him and mix it up, I think our styles would mesh well and produce a great match for the people watching.”
His new stable with Big E and Xavier Woods: “I’m always trying to climb the ladder, and right now myself, Big E and Xavier Woods are trying to get a team off the ground. We have been having a lot of matches on live events, and we are trying to get something going. If ,and when it does take off, it should be very entertaining, and something people can get behind. As of now, we’re just three smart athletic friends hanging out and having a good time. As a matter of fact, when we come to the UK I’ll be teaming with Big E, and Xavier will probably be there too as we’ll be taking on the Wyatt Family. It’s awesome, I tell everyone that the UK is one of my favorite places to go.”
Wanting the WWE World Heavyweight Championship: “That’s what everyone always strives for. Myself, I always tell people that if you’re not getting better you’re only getting worse, and every day I try and be better than yesterday. The ultimate goal in mind being to be WWE World Heavyweight Champion. That’s what you always strive for, and if you don’t believe that you can then you probably shouldn’t be in WWE.”
Be A Star Anti-Bullying Program Goes Purple in Support of GLAAD’S Spirit Day
NEW YORK and STAMFORD, Conn., October 7, 2014 – WWE® and The Creative Coalition will support GLAAD’s Spirit Day by “going purple” through their joint Be a STAR (Show Tolerance And Respect) anti-bullying initiative. Support kicked off this morning at a Be a STAR anti-bullying rally in New York and will continue through Spirit Day next Thursday, October 16 with promotion on TheCreativeCoalition.org, WWE.com, WWECommunity.com and on WWE and Be a STAR social media assets, reaching more than 400 million people globally.
As part of The Creative Coalition and WWE’s support for GLAAD, a Be a STAR Alliance Member, the Be a STAR logo was turned purple, a first in the program’s history, and students at the rally were given co-branded t-shirts that encouraged them to “Go Purple” on Spirit Day, show their support for LGBT youth and speak out against bullying. WWE has supported GLAAD’s Spirit Day since 2011.
“No one should be bullied because of who they are,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “GLAAD is proud to stand with WWE in the fight against bullying and in a visible display of support for LGBT youth.”
“Spirit Day is an important time for everyone to stand up against bullying and discrimination,” said Stephanie McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer. “WWE is proud to support the LGBT community and GLAAD by spreading the message of respect and inclusion through our global platforms.”
“The Creative Coalition is proud that GLAAD is a member of our Be a STAR Alliance and even more proud to support Spirit Day as an initiative that embodies the tenets of the Be a STAR program,” said CEO of The Creative Coalition Robin Bronk. “We commend GLAAD for Spirit Day and believe it enhances our commitment to utilizing the resources of the arts and entertainment community to increase acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.”
Additionally, WWE and Be a STAR will stand up against bullying and support GLAAD’s Spirit Day by promoting the initiative through homepage takeovers on WWE.com and WWECommunity.com as well as social media support from WWE Superstars and Divas.
Spirit Day was started in 2010 as a response to the young people who had taken their own lives. Millions wear purple on Spirit Day as a sign of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and to speak out against bullying. With GLAAD’s help, Spirit Day has since garnered widespread support from entertainment organizations, sports leagues, celebrities, TV news and entertainment programs, corporations, schools, local communities, and even national landmarks.
According to GLSEN’s 2011 National School Climate Survey, 63.5% of LGBT students reported feeling unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation and 43.9% because of their gender expression. GLSEN also reported that 81.9% of LGBT students report being verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation and 63.9% because of their gender expression.
CMT issued the following press release:
“REDNECK ISLAND” SET TO RETURN TO CMT WITH HOT NEW TWIST AND HOT NEW CO-HOST ON DECEMBER 4
Jessie James Decker will Join Steve Austin as Co-Host, Presiding Over 10 New Episodes of the Popular CMT Series
Nashville – October 8, 2014 – CMT’s ultimate competition series REDNECK ISLAND returns for a fourth season rowdier than ever, with a hot new co-host and even hotter new twist. Country singer/songwriter and TV personality Jessie James Decker joins wrestling icon Steve Austin as masters of ceremonies on the “island” this season, tucked away at a lake in North Georgia. CMT greenlit 10 one-hour episodes of the new season, marking the return of one of the most popular CMT series since it debuted in 2012. Part of CMT’s outrageous Thursday nights, the all-new REDNECK ISLAND debuts with a 90-minute extended premiere on Thursday, December 4 at 9:00-10:30 p.m., ET/PT.
This season on REDNECK ISLAND, 12 guys and 12 girls will fight to win cold hard cash in the ultimate redneck competition series where time spent partying is just as important as time spent competing. While these rednecks may arrive single and ready to mingle, a high-stakes, sexy spin on the original format will pair male and female teammates up as bunkmates in a new twist that is sure to fuel both competition and romance at the lake house. In the end, one guy/gal team will walk away from this little redneck heaven $100,000 richer.
Steve ‘Stone Cold’ Austin, six-time World Wrestling Federation Champion and 2003 WWE Hall of Fame inductee has been busy since retiring from the ring in 2003. Austin began his acting career in 2005 with a breakout performance in the Adam Sandler starrer, The Longest Yard, which went on to make $187 million worldwide; followed by a starring role in The Condemned, which continues to be one of the World Wrestling Entertainment’s most lucrative releases. In 2010 Sylvester Stallone tapped Austin for his action thriller The Expendables. In 2013 Austin had a featured role in Adam Sandler’s comedy Grown Ups 2. Austin currently hosts two successful TV shows for CMT, Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge and Redneck Island. In addition, he shakes things up every week with his highly-rated podcast, The Steve Austin Show on www.podcastone.com. When not hanging out on his 2100+ acre Broken Skull Ranch (www.brokenskullranch.com) in the back country of South Texas, Austin lives in Marina del Rey, Calif. with his wife, Kristin, and their three Labradors.
Multi-talented country singer, songwriter Jessie James Decker recently released her EP Comin’ Home, a candid celebration of her pop and country influences. The EP, produced by John Fields (Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Switchfoot), debuted at #5 on the Billboard Country chart and #28 on Billboard Top 200. Comin’ Home found major success on iTunes reaching #1 on the iTunes Album Chart and #9 on the Overall Digital Chart. Tracks from the EP were featured on her hit reality series “Eric & Jessie: Game On” which she starred in with husband, superstar pro football wide receiver Eric Decker. Jessie burst onto the music scene with her self-titled debut album in 2009. The album’s first single “Wanted” was certified gold with record sales of more than 120,000. Jessie is currently working on new music and enjoying time with her husband and newborn daughter Vivianne Rose. She also launched the Eric & Jessie Decker Foundation to positively impact the lives of United States military veterans and at risk children.
REDNECK ISLAND is executive produced by Christian Sarabia and Fred Birkhead from 51 Minds Entertainment and Clay Newbill from 310 Entertainment, along with Steve Austin from Broken Skull Ranch Productions. Jayson Dinsmore and Morgan Selzer serve as executive producers for CMT.
Paul Heyman appeared at last night’s SmackDown tapings from Philadelphia and cut a promo on John Cena and Dean Ambrose.
Heyman spoke about the news of Cena and Ambrose facing each other at Hell in a Cell for the right to wrestle Dean Ambrose in the main event of the PPV. Heyman said this is all part of Cena’s downward spiral that began when Cena lost WWE World Heavyweight Championship to his client Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.
Since the promo took place after Main Event and before the SmackDown broadcast began taping, it’s unknown if this segment will appear on Friday’s SmackDown 15th Anniversary show.
WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler was a guest on the debut episode of the new “This Is Awesome Wrestling Show” podcast.
– He talked about him and the announce team not knowing about The Rock coming back on Raw and how they thought when his music hit, it was going to be the Big Show dressed as The Rock. He mentions you see how much The Rock is still relevant and compares to stars now.
– The King also talks about possibility stepping back into a WWE ring. He also talks about a possible John Cena heel turn, which he says “never say never”.
– He also talks about announcing back in the Attitude Era vs. now, his jokes he used back then and now. How Triple H and other higher ups asked Jerry about Kevin Steen, who Jerry wrestled before Kevin signed with WWE.
Also, he talks about the crowd at Raw in Brooklyn, and even mentions when the crowd started chanting “This is Stupid” and says, hey, I was thinking the same thing.
The Lawler interview starts around the 21 minute mark; it lasts 30 minutes.
– WWE Diva Paige will be a playable character in the upcoming WWE 2K15 video game as part of the LC Season Pass ($24.99), according to Gamestop.com:
The 2K Showcase Season Pass brings you more action and excitement from WWE 2K15’s all-new 2K Showcase Mode. Save over 20% on three 2K Showcase Add-On Packs and receive the Exclusive Character Paige! 2K Showcase lets you relive groundbreaking rivalries and matches in this all-new single player campaign told through your gameplay and historic WWE footage!
– The latest WWE “Five Things” video looks at “Strange rules you didn’t know existed” –
This week on Five Things, Tom Phillips introduces five of the strangest, but true rules in WWE. From two obscure Royal Rumble rulings to a pinfall clause in Falls Count Anywhere Matches, you are bound to learn a new rule or two in the WWE Universe.
The following is a preview for tonight’s episode of TNA Impact Wrestling on Spike TV, the final show before Sunday’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view:
– Full Metal Mayhem: The finals of the Tag Team Title Series featuring The Wolves vs. Team 3D vs. The Hardys.
– Angelina Love vs. Madison Rayne vs. Taryn Terrell to determine the #1 contender for TNA’s Knockouts Champion Gail Kim.
– James Storm & Great Sanada vs. Low Ki & Tigre Uno.
– Bobby Roode awaits a response to his challenge for another title shot against TNA World Champion Bobby Lashley.
– Ethan Carter III and Rockstar Spud’s have a face-to-face confrontation.
Monday’s WWE RAW from Brooklyn, New York drew a 2.63 rating and averaged 3.797 million viewers.
It was the lowest RAW rating since December 3, 2012.
The only silver lining is that viewership increased throughout the show. Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown:
Despite the low rating, RAW was still the #2 most watched show on cable for the night behind NFL Monday Night Football on ESPN, which drew 13.2 million viewers.
Analysis: The general consensus amongst fans is that RAW has been terrible over the past month. Where to begin? WWE’s World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is nowhere to be found. Rising stars Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose are being featured prominently, but in segments involving green slime and hot dog condiments. Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan are out for months. We’ve got a bunny, a mini gator, a bull and bad celebrity guest hosts. The hype for Hell in a Cell has been atrocious. Overall, the creative direction for RAW is the worst it’s been in a long time. The real question is, what’s it going to take for WWE to wake up and make some dramatic changes to the show’s presentation?
WWE announced at Tuesday night’s SmackDown tapings that tickets for the 2015 Royal Rumble go on sale this Friday.
They also announced that the 2015 Royal Rumble will feature 40 men, only the second time in history the Rumble has featured that many competitors.
Former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio won the 2011 Rumble, besting 39 other men to earn his spot in the main event of WrestleMania.
The 2015 WWE Royal Rumble takes place on Sunday, January 25th from Philadelphia, PA.
WWE taped the October 10, 2014 WWE SmackDown episode from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Here are the results from the show:
Dark Matches
– Tyler Breeze defeated Xavier Woods, who played the babyface. Breeze got good heel heat for a NXT guy.
– NXT Champion Adrian Neville defeated Sami Zayn in an outstanding match. Neville won with Red Arrow and both men got a good reaction. There were loud “ole!” chants for Zayn also.
SmackDown
– Stephanie McMahon kicks off the SmackDown 15th anniversary show. She talks about SmackDown’s history but is interrupted by John Laurinaitis. Laurinaitis says he created the best era in the history of SmackDown – People Power. Teddy Long interrupts and has words with Laurinaitis. They go back and forth on who can make the biggest tag team match. Teddy calls for a 15 man match – 7 Superstars and a mini gator vs. 7 Superstars and a mini bull. It will be Team Teddy vs. Team Johnny tonight. The winner will be the greatest General Manager of all-time.
– Stephanie announces The Miz will host a face off between John Cena and Dean Ambrose tonight. Adam Rose comes out and tells Stephanie to not be a lemon. Rose wishes SmackDown a happy birthday, saying it’s party time all the time. He invites Stephanie to the party. She shuts down the Exotic Express and books Rose vs. Kane for tonight.
– Kane comes out and says he’s a party pooper tonight. He squashes Rose and wins with a chokeslam. Kane goes after The Bunny but he runs away. Kane destroyed all the Rosebuds as they tried to protect The Bunny.
-AJ Lee vs. Alicia Fox is up next. Paige came out with Alicia. AJ wins with the Black Widow. Paige runs in and hits AJ after the match but AJ fights them off with a double clothesline.
– Rusev vs. Dolph Ziggler is announced for later.
– Kofi Kingston vs. Seth Rollins is next. Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury came out with Rollins. They are watching out for Dean Ambrose at ringside. Rollins gets the win with a Curb Stomp.
– They air a Wyatt Family vignette.
– Rusev vs. Dolph Ziggler is next. Ziggler fought hard but Rusev got the non-title win with The Accolade. Lana cuts a promo on The Rock after the match. She says he will pay. Rusev challenges Big Show to a match on RAW.
– Backstage segment with The Rock, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon that appeared to be taped at RAW.
– Booker T comes out for the main event. Team Teddy is Mark Henry, Los Matadores, Sheamus, The Usos, Jack Swagger and El Torito. Team Johnny is Heath Slater, Titus O’Neil, Goldust, Stardust, Bo Dallas, Damien Sandow, The Miz and Hornswoggle. Slater and Sandow got big chants during the match. This was said to be an incredible and excellent match with lots of spots. One of The Usos got the pin for Team Teddy.