WWE the following matches for this week’s SmackDown from Little Rock, Arkansas.
– Seth Rollins & Sheamus vs. Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns
– Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler
– Big Show vs. Cesaro
– Devon Dudley vs. Kofi Kingston
– Paige & Becky Lynch vs. Naomi & Sasha Banks.
– WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella’s “Bellabration”
Keep reading for spoiler results for Thursday’s SmackDown …
Adam Rose worked a dark match between Tuesday’s Main Event and SmackDown tapings with his new “Party Pooper” gimmick. He lost to Damien Sandow.
@WrestlingInc Sandow beat this guy…I assume it's ADAM rose repackaged? pic.twitter.com/zve91Z8TW6
— Mike Ditmore (@thadodgaBL) September 16, 2015
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog with his latest thoughts and opinions on a number of subjects. Below are some of the highlights.
On the finish to RAW: “The finish of the show was perfect to build to Sunday’s NOC as Sting beating Rollins as tried an true, old school booking. Still curious as to why WWE did not heavily promote Sting’s first ever match on RAW in advance especially going up against the Monday Night Football double header. Nice booking.”
On the finish to the Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte title match: “Had no issue with villain Nikki cheating to retain her title and creating another opportunity to have another title bout in Houston Sunday against a motivated Charlotte. I only hope that Charlotte will never be earmarked to be a umpteen time champion which is one of the more overrated stats in pro wrestling. WWE is blessed with some amazing female talent and if they are not booked liked females have traditionally been more often than not in the biz in the past, they have something special to work with that will be new and fresh.”
“Nonetheless, Charlotte is amazingly athletic and a special talent and she reminds me of a female Kurt Angle.”
On Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman: “Love that @HeymanHustle and Brock Lesnar are not on every RAW as it keeps them special ala Andre the Giant back in the day when he was the most valued attraction in the game. Same goes for Taker which is another reason that I feel that the Deadman isn’t retirement ready.”
On Cesaro: “Damn, I’m a major fan of Cesaro and for the life of me still fee that he is massively underutilized. His in ring work/persona is SO strong that he’s a main eventer waiting to explode. I’d still love to see him some day have a match with Lesnar just for my own old school enjoyment. esaro is money…so please cash the check.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
Tough Enough finalist Zamariah “ZZ” Loupe was at the WWE Performance Center working out in the ring on Monday, according to PWInsider.com. No confirmation yet as to whether he has signed with the company.
Aside from Tough Enough winners Josh Bredl and Sara Lee earning one year $250,000 WWE contracts, finalist Amanda Saccomanno has reportedly signed on to be a cast member in the next season of Total Divas, which is currently in production.
Monday’s “Season Premiere” edition of WWE RAW drew a 2.42 rating, down from last week’s 2.44. RAW averaged 3.397 million viewers, up from 3.385 million last week.
Here’s the hourly breakdown:
RAW was up against the NFL’s Monday Night Football on ESPN, which averaged 14.3 million viewers.
Triple H announced on Tuesday that the next NXT Takeover special will be titled, Respect.
Bayley will defend the NXT Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks in the 30-minute Iron Woman main event.
NXT Takeover: Respect airs live on the WWE Network on Wednesday, October 7th.
More than money and fame…success is measured by one thing. @WWENXT #NXTTakeOver: RESPECT is LIVE only on @WWENetwork October 7, 2015.
— Triple H (@TripleH) September 15, 2015
– NXT Women’s Champion Bayley is getting prepared for her upcoming 30-minute Ironwoman Match against Sasha Banks at the NXT Takeover special in October. Below is a photo of Bayley studying the Rick Rude vs. Dustin Rhodes 30-minute Ironman Match from 1993.
Studying a @ScottDawsonWWE recommendation. Dustin Rhodes vs Rick Rude in a 30 minute iron man match. #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/2ueS6qPpQg
— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) September 14, 2015
– Former WWE on-air performer Teddy Long celebrates his 68th birthday today. Long was born on September 15, 1947.
– The developers of the new WWE 2K16 video game posted the following video of Natalya beating Eva Marie.
https://youtu.be/OnrkU4D6cNw
WWE Hulk Hogan was recently interviewed for Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard blog and says he believes pressure from the USA Network is the reason WWE distanced themselves from him so forcefully in the wake of his racism controversy.
Hogan told Justin Barasso that he WWE told him that the USA Network was putting heavy pressure on them to immediately distance themselves from him. “Triple H was telling me the USA Network was reacting very badly, and they had to make a quick decision, and that was to put me out to pasture.” Hogan said. “[WWE] were under heavy fire and they were scrambling.”
“The only person I talked to was Triple H. I called him and told him there was some old news coming out from when TMZ first reported the tape and there were some racial slurs on it. Triple H said, ‘Okay, thanks for calling. Let me talk to Vince,'” Hogan recalled.
Triple H called Hogan a half hour later and said Vince gave the word he needs to resign. He never spoke to Vince directly and can’t believe he got fired “in the middle of the night.”
Hogan said he and his attorney, David Houston, requested a meeting with WWE to work things out, but the request was denied. Hogan feels the company he helped build is unfairly banishing him from the WWE Universe. “They’ve known me for over 30 years and they know I’m not a racist, so they should have went to the source. I don’t use the word, ever, except for in that moment of anger, so I wish WWE went to the source instead of the symptoms. I could have explained I’ve tried every day since then to be a better man,” Hogan said.
Hogan was hopeful that he’d get a chance to address the WWE Universe, ask them for forgiveness, but it never panned out. The 62 wrestling icon hoped to use the WWE platform to rebuild his situation.
“The only place for me to be would be the WWE. That’s where my home is. I thought I’d go step-by-step, crawling uphill with WWE, to explain how wrong I was, but that opportunity wasn’t there.”
New Day member Xavier Woods recently spoke with Scott Fishman of The Miami Herald about a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On how the early days of The New Day act worked in the trio’s favor: “Initially, it didn’t go the way people thought it would go. We wanted to capitalize on the heel stuff, which is something we kind of wanted to begin with. So everything worked out together, I feel like it worked out in our favor because if we were to come out doing this from the get-go it wouldn’t’ be as effective and feel as fun. That’s why this evolution and journey we’ve been on in trying to get where we are means a lot more to us. I feel it also means a lot to the fans because they can feel how they’ve effected the change in us.”
On how video games have had a positive effect on his life: “Video games were my haven,” Woods said. “I just didn’t talk to humans at all. I was very socially awkward, so all I did was video games. Then when I started to play video games with other kids. That was the time I talked to people. So those kids brought me out of my shell and really helped me. Without them I would still be up against the wall playing my N64 not talking to anyone. So it really drew me out and made me who I am today. So I really owe my life to video games.”
Check out the complete interview at MiamiHerald.com.
In 2K’s six and final reveal for WWE 2K16’s ongoing Roster 3:16, the remaining 23 WWE Superstars and Divas have been announced for inclusion in the forthcoming franchise release on October 27, 2015 in North America and October 30, 2015 internationally.
This week’s additions to WWE 2K16’s extensive roster include Baron Corbin, Big E, Bray Wyatt, Brian Pillman, Colin Cassady, Enzo Amore, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Kofi Kingston, Konnor, Mark Henry, Mikey Whipwreck, Ricky Steamboat, Rusev, Savio Vega, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, Sting (1999), Sting (Blonde), Stunning Steve Austin, Undertaker (American Badass), Undertaker (Ministry), Viktor and Xavier Woods.
Pre-Order WWE 2K16 Now & Get The Terminator As A Bonus Playable Character
Here are screenshots from the latest roster reveal:
On Monday’s RAW, Charlotte had the rug pulled out from under her after her Divas Championship win was reversed by Stephanie McMahon, who broke the news that Charlotte had actually pinned Brie, not Nikki. Stephanie announced that this Sunday at Night of Champions, Nikki will defend her title against Charlotte once again – and the title can change hands if Nikki is disqualified or counted out.
Ric Flair tweeted out the following about the finish of the match and the Divas title match set for this Sunday:
You can only escape the inevitable for so long. Sunday. @MsCharlotteWWE #NightofChampions #NOC #WWE
— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) September 15, 2015
– WWE returns to Memphis, Tennessee on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2016 for a SmackDown taping. The pre-sale is going on right now with the passcode MEMPHIS.
– As noted last week, the Wyatt Family’s attack on Randy Orton was to write him off television for the foreseeable future. Orton was advertised locally for last night’s WWE RAW from Memphis, but did not appear. Orton is no longer advertised for this weekend’s live events. Orton reportedly told WWE that he is looking to work a reduced schedule.
– John Cena made the following cryptic tweet on Monday night:
Dictionary nugget for the evening ?? Interpret,to construe or understand in a particular way. Truth, the true or actual state of a matter.
— John Cena (@JohnCena) September 15, 2015
After Monday’s WWE RAW from Memphis went off the air, John Cena grabbed a microphone and took a moment to acknowledge Kiara Grindrod, the 7 year old girl in the crowd who learned last week that she is now cancer free. Cena and Sting greeted her and her family at ringside as the crowd chanted, “This is awesome.”
ROH World & TV Champion Jay Lethal was recently interviewed by Scott Fishman of Channel Guide Magazine to promote ROH’s All-Star Extravaganza VII PPV, which takes place this Friday September 18th. Lethal spoke about a number of topics, including his road to the top of ROH, being a locker room leader and more.
Fishman asked Lethal about rumors that WWE is reportedly interested in bringing him in. Lethal said,
“I’ll say also if that is true, I’m honored,” he said.
“To be wanted in professional wrestling, that’s all a wrestler can really ask for. Just to be wanted, it’s a great feeling. So if that’s true, I’m honored. I haven’t heard anything about that myself. Would you work for WWE? I’ve answered this question before. To me the answer is still the same.
“When I became a fan, it was because I watched the WWF as a fan growing up. It helped create this love growing up that I have for professional wrestling, much like everyone from my era. All the guys I’ve wrestled today. To say it wouldn’t be cool to work with or for the company that helped create my love for professional wrestling, I would say that I was lying. So given the chance and if the timing was right, sure I would definitely work for or with them. I got to say by the same token, I’m on cloud 9 right now. I’m undisputed champion of a company that’s known around the world. Not for its storylines, music or entrance. I’m the world champion of a company known around the world for its wrestling. What an honor to get to say that.”
Nikki Bella, WWE’s longest reigning Divas Champion in history, posted the following on Instagram after retaining her title on RAW. Nikki thanks her father, her trainers at FCW, her sister and of course, John Cena.
https://instagram.com/p/7orrF7CkHB/
On Monday’s WWE Night Of Champions “go-home” edition of RAW, a special segment was announced for this week’s SmackDown.
Nikki Bella, who became the longest reigning WWE Divas Champion in history when she managed to escape her match with Charlotte as the Divas Champion, as Charlotte won via disqualification, will take part in what is being advertised as a “Bella-bration” on this Thursday night’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
Also on Monday’s RAW, when The New Day successfully defended their WWE Tag-Team titles against The Prime Time Players, they made their match against The Dudley Boyz for this Sunday’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view official.
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com this Sunday night for the best WWE Night Of Champions live results coverage.
Nikki Bella broke AJ Lee’s record as the longest reigning Divas champion in WWE history on Monday night when she managed to retain her title when Charlotte won by disqualification at RAW. Stephanie McMahon announced a rematch between Nikki and Charlotte for the Divas title at this Sunday’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
Also announced for Sunday’s pay-per-view on RAW is a WWE Intercontinental Championship match between Ryback and Kevin Owens.
Make sure to visit SEScoops.com on Sunday, September 20th for the best WWE Night Of Champions live results coverage on the web!
The Authority Kicks Off RAW
This week’s show opens up with The Authority coming to the ring. They welcome us to the “season premiere” of Monday Night RAW. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon hype up the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and WWE United States Champion Seth Rollins. Triple H says this Sunday at Night Of Champions, Rollins has an opportunity to cement his legacy forever, because he will defend the U.S. Championship against John Cena and the World Heavyweight Championship against Sting.
Stephanie McMahon then talks about tonight’s WWE Divas Championship match between Nikki Bella and Charlotte in a match where either Bella becomes the new longest reigning Divas Champion in history or Charlotte becomes the new Divas Champion.
HHH says that’s not the only history that will be made tonight because tonight in this very ring for the first time ever competing here tonight will be Sting, as he goes one-on-one against Big Show. He says with that in mind he has only one question for us, are we ready? No, he said …are ..we ..ready?! Stephanie says we better be ready because they’re making history tonight and it’s time to start with a championship match.
WWE Tag-Team Championships
– The New Day (c) vs. The Prime Time Players
The New Day’s music hits and then they come out to the ring clapping and dancing. When they get in the ring, Stephanie starts getting down big time and dancing with energy along with them. Triple H then decides to join them and the crowd pops. We head to a commercial break.
When we return from commercial break, The New Day is still doing their thing in the ring. Finally, The Prime Time Players’ music hits and out they comes. Titus O’Neil and Darren Young are in the ring now. The bell sounds and Darren Young starts things off for his team. Kofi Kingston starts things off for his, with Big E. on the apron and Xavier Woods shouting from the floor as usual.
Young gets in some offense, but both guys quickly tag out. Big E. pounds away on O’Neil but he fights his way out and slams Big E. down. Woods plays a sad note on the trombone. We see The Dudley Boyz watching on from backstage.
Young makes the hot tag and comes in on fire but Woods distracts the ref allowing Kingston to slam Young into the ring post. Big E. takes over and Woods talks trash and then grabs his trombone and plays away proudly as The New Day enjoys offensive control in this tag title contest. On that note (literally), we head to a mid-match commercial.
When we return from the break, we see The New Day still dominating the action. Woods grabs the trombone and starts playing the Pink Panther theme song, and he actually does a pretty good job at it. O’Neil grabs the trombone and Woods freaks out yelling that no one touches his trombone.
Back in the ring, Big E. drives Darren Young into the barricade and Woods plays another crowd-leading trombone, a baseball stadium sounding thing. Young finally gets his boots up on Kingston coming off the top, which buys him enough time to make the tag to O’Neil. Big E. tags in as well.
O’Neil takes the hot tag and is destroying everything that moves. He takes out Kingston and then blasts Big E. with a big boot to the face. He catches Kingston coming at him and nails him with a back breaker. He hits a splash in the corner on both Big E. and Kingston at the same time for the near fall.
Woods gets O’Neil’s attention, allowing Big E. to attack him from behind. He sets O’Neil up for a double team move. Kingston comes off the top rope. 1-2-3. The New Day wins and retains their titles. After the match, The New Day gets on the announce table and Woods plays the trombone. The Dudley Boyz come out to the top of the stage and staredown The New Day. After the match, we head to a commercial break.
Winners and STILL WWE Tag-Team Champions: The New Day
WWE announced that The Miz will be hosting a special edition of Miz TV on tonight’s WWE Night Of Champions “go-home” edition of RAW.
Miz hyped his appearance as “bigger than huge,” and “the biggest thing that’s ever happened to Monday Night RAW,” and “something that will be talked about for years.”
Make sure to visit SEScoops.com later this evening for the best WWE RAW live results coverage on the web!
John Cena will be returning to guest co-host NBC’s “Today” show this coming Wednesday morning to promote this Sunday’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
WWE.com is reporting that Cena will co-host the 9am EST. hour with Willie Geist and Natalie Morales.
Cena acknowledged his appearance on the program with the following tweet:
Time 4 #sunriseandsquats #mondaymotivation so @WillieGeist what r u doing @TODAYShow ? @NBC @TapouT #nevergiveup pic.twitter.com/Wz5BM5Fb1n
— John Cena (@JohnCena) September 14, 2015
Part-time NXT performer Blue Pants recently appeared as a guest on The Roman Show to talk about a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On her WWE status: “I am something they never really have happened before, I’m a free agent. I come and go. You really never know when I’m going to pop up that’s the kind of appeal of Blue Pants. She’s the wacky next door neighbor. You really never know when she’s going to show up.”
On how the character came about: “It was kind of an accident, to be honest. They called me in. I was just going to be a girl to wrestle Carmella for her debut. I was standing there wearing the blue pants, while they were going over the promo and they decided, creative decided, well instead of having a normal debut, where she comes out I’m already out. Cass had a match and it didn’t really happen because their opponents turned on each other, so they didn’t even wrestle. They had all this time, and asked us if we wanted to wrestle. I asked Carmella if she wanted to wrestle and that’s how it literally happened.”
On who she wants to face: “I wrestled her in tag matches, I haven’t really wrestled her in singles matches, I would love to wrestle Paige one on one. I think that would be a really cool match. It’s been so long since we wrestled each other. Every time we wrestled, it was more like Re-Generation X vs the Knight Dynasty, so we never really had a one-on-one, so I think that would be really cool, plus we both have black and blue hair, so it’ll be kind of a cool pairing up.”
Check out the complete interview at RodolfoRoman.com.
WWE Hall Of Famer and former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura recently spoke with the Minnesota Star Tribune about the possibility of once again becoming active in the political world.
Although Ventura has spoken about joining Donald Trump’s ticket in recent weeks, there has been no formal invitation from Trump’s presidential campaign.
Ventura noted that he has been invited to the Libertarian Party Convention in 2016 and is considering running for president of the United States of America on that ticket, but that he would not join that political party.
“I would challenge the American people to make history with me and elect the first president since George Washington, the father of our country, who does not belong to a political party,” Ventura said.
Ventura also noted that he has not ruled out the possibility of seeking a second term as Governor of Minnesota. Ventura commented, “People come up to me every day and tell me to run for governor.”
TNA issued the following press release to officially announce the TNA Hall Of Fame induction of veteran referee Earl Hebner at their live event on October 3rd in Salem, Virginia, which is the night before TNA Bound For Glory 2015.
WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS REFEREE EARL HEBNER MAKES HISTORY WITH TNA WRESTLING HALL OF FAME INDUCTION
HEBNER BECOMES FIRST REFEREE INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME OF ANY MAJOR PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING PROMOTION
HEBNER’S HALL OF FAME INDUCTION TO TAKE PLACE SATURDAY, OCT. 3, DURING THE ROAD TO BOUND FOR GLORY TOUR LIVE EVENT IN SALEM, VA., HEBNER’S HOME STATE
TNA SENIOR PRODUCER AND SMASHING PUMPKINS FRONT MAN BILLY CORGAN TO INDUCT HEBNER
NASHVILLE, TN (Sept. 14, 2015) – For 27 years professional wrestling referee Earl Hebner has entered millions of living rooms across the globe every week, officiating the wildest and most memorable matches and main events of wrestling’s top promotions. On Saturday, Oct. 3, in front of family, friends and fans in his home state of Virginia, Hebner, the most famous professional referee in the world, will be inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame.
“Earl Hebner is not only one of the most recognizable personalities in professional wrestling, his passion for the sport, in-ring management skills, and ability to entertain audiences has set the standard by which all professional wrestling referees are measured,” said TNA President Dixie Carter. “ It is an honor to have Earl as part of the TNA family and as the newest member of the illustrious TNA Hall of Fame.”
Hebner’s TNA Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place Saturday, Oct. 3 during The Road to Bound For Glory Tour live event in Salem, Va. Smashing Pumpkins front man and TNA Senior Producer, Billy Corgan, will induct Hebner, with TNA Ring Announcer and Hebner’s dear friend, Jeremy Borash, emceeing.
On Sunday, Oct. 4, during TNA’s biggest night of the year, the Bound For Glory Pay-Per-View event, a special segment will be dedicated to Earl’s TNA Hall of Fame induction and will feature career highlights and portions of his induction ceremony from the previous night.
Hebner will be the sixth inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame, joining Sting, Kurt Angle, Bully Ray, Devon and Jeff Jarrett. His TNA Hall of Fame induction marks the first time a referee of any major professional wrestling organization has become a member of the promotion’s Hall of Fame.
“When I received the call from John Gaburick (TNA’s Executive Vice President of Television and Talent Relations) and he told me I am being inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame, I was stunned and my eyes welled up with tears,” said Hebner. “I’ve been working for 37 years for this incredible honor. It is rare for a referee in any sport to be recognized in this way, and I am proud TNA is recognizing me as the first referee to ever be inducted into a professional wrestling Hall of Fame.”
Hebner fell in love with professional wrestling during his teenage years while working concessions at the Richmond, Va., fairgrounds, where local and regional promotions would run shows every Friday night. He first became involved in professional wrestling by volunteering on the ring crew. Hebner’s foray into refereeing came about by happenstance when a referee fell ill and Earl was asked to fill in on a moment’s notice. Hebner went on to referee for Jim Crockett Promotions, and in the late 80s he made his debut with World Wrestling Federation, when he replaced his twin brother, Dave, mid-match and influenced the outcome of a title bout. Hebner made his TNA debut in 2006 where he has served as Senior Official, managing TNA’s other referees, including son Brian.
Event Information for Earl Hebner’s Hall of Fame Induction:
TNA Wrestling presents The Road to Bound For Glory Tour
Featuring the Stars and Knockouts of IMPACT WRESTLING
Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Salem, Va. – The Salem Civic Center
Tickets start at $15 and are available at ticketmaster.com
– As noted, Kurt Angle is scheduled to return to the ring at the TNA live event in Salem, Virginia on Saturday, October 3rd, which is the same night that TNA will be inducting Earl Hebner into the TNA Hall Of Fame. It is now confirmed that Angle will be facing Eric Young in one-on-one action at the 10/3 event. There is no word yet as to who Angle will be wrestling at the TNA Bound For Glory pay-per-view the following night in Concord, North Carolina.
– TNA posted the following video which features Abyss sending a message to Mahabali Shera as they prepare to square off on this week’s edition of Impact Wrestling, which airs Wednesday night on Destination America.
https://youtu.be/-i9_90_8X6w
– TNA announced that British rock band “Chasing Cadence” is doing the new theme song for their TNA Xplosion show. The song is called “Dear Life.” Check out the new intro below.
https://youtu.be/LdQL0mNuNFY
There has been some speculation that the current angle between Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose could potentially lead to a Reigns heel turn.
Since being promoted to the main roster, Reigns has been viewed as an obvious main event project, one that WWE has been carefully booking in specific ways pretty much since day one.
Lately, there has been speculation that Ambrose bringing Jimmy Uso into the fold for their battle against The Wyatt Family could lead to the Reigns heel turn, as Reigns would get upset that Ambrose brought his family, Uso, into a situation where he would get destroyed.
Whether or not this is the direction WWE is going remains to be seen, however there are many reasons why turning Reigns heel right now would make sense from a booking standpoint.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Radio)