Archive for September, 2016

Luke Gallows Interview: What’s Changed Since His Previous WWE Run, AJ Styles & More

Luke Gallows recently spoke with the UK’s Mirror to promote November’s live events tour of the UK.  November overseas tour.

After returning to WWE earlier this year for the first time in nearly 6 years, Gallows sees a lot has changed during his time away. “WWE was great before, but it’s even greater now,” he said. “A great locker-room, a great group of like-minded, motivated talents, a bunch of young men and women who are driven and have a real passion for our business and everything we do. It’s been a very pleasant experience. Karl Anderson and I were talking about this – I’ve been doing this for almost 15 years now and I haven’t been part of a better locker-room.”

At Clash of Champions, Gallows and partner Karl Anderson will get another shot at The New Day’s tag team championships. Gallows has big aspirations for his time in WWE, starting with capturing the gold this Sunday. “We’re three-time IWGP Tag Team Champions, but never been champions in the WWE, never at the pinnacle of sports entertainment. So for us, we know that we’re a pretty good tag team, but to actually prove that, we’ve got to go out and put ourselves in the record books by winning the tag team titles here. That’s goal number one right now – at Clash of the Champions we want to deliver a great match, a good performance, and come out as the WWE World Tag Team Champions.”

It’s hard to talk about Gallows & Anderson’s time in WWE without acknowledging the success of their former Bullet Club brother, WWE World Champion AJ Styles. Gallows is thrilled to see Styles’ success and truly believes he’s one of the top names in the business. “Just watch an AJ Styles match, watch AJ Styles do his thing,” he said. “There’s something special about him, he has that ‘It factor’ that you hear people talk about. He’s the kind of guy that will get you emotionally invested in the performance, I’ve been in the ring with just about all of them and I can tell you from experience he’s one of the very best. I’ve wrestled the top names in the business and I think that everyone would agree that he’s one of the top guys. He’s a gifted performer and he is someone who certainly deserves that best in the world moniker for sure.

Other topics discussed include performing comedy in with Karl Anderson, his previous WWE run and more. Check out the full interview Mirror.co.uk.

Serious Health Problems For Former WWE Star Rico

Former OVW manager Kenny Bolin revealed on Facebook that former WWE star Rico Constantino is currently in bad health, dealing with concussion issues, a collapsed lung and severe heart problems. Bolin wrote:

“it saddens me to inform you that I have just found out that a Former WWE star and very dear friend of mine named Rico Costantino (Rico the Stylist) is very, very sick and has been since at least early January. He has no help financially at all, no disability help and none in sight. He has not spoke a word to hardly any one in like 9 months. he desperately needs our help. he also has severe diagnosed concussions, a collapsed lung and sever heart problems way to detailed to get in to here. I spoke to his X-wife and length last night and she is trying to take care of him as best she can. i am hoping we can set up a go fund me account to assist him as soon as his X can get me the banking info to have it sent too. i also hope the WWE and Vince Mcmahon, Stephanie McMahon or Hunter will chime in and help this great and very nice man who gave his life to helping others till here recently. Lets get the word out about Rico’s illness to those who may be able to help him in this extreme time of need. as i get more info from his X Linda i will pass it on. i will be contacting a few of my former and current WWE stars to rattle some cages in hope of getting rico some financial help. his illness was not caused by drug abuse as in the case of many others who got help. and his severe concussions were acquired entertaining all of us over the years. Linda says he can say something in one hour, and totally forgot he said it 2 hours later. i do hope we can all band together and give just a little that may up in the end being a lot and a life saver for Rico. he needs our help. he deserves our help. those of us who loved him and were entertained by him. he is one year younger than me and looked 20 years younger. Linda says we would not recognize him now. please help me help him and rattle a few cages. thank you all very much. KB”

NXT Preview For Tonight, WWE Star Speaking At Local Church, Superstars As Kids

– Tonight’s NXT episode on the WWE Network will feature an appearance by Samoa Joe, Billie Kay vs. Aliyah, Austin Aries vs. Oney Lorcan, Cedric Alexander vs. Andrade Almas and Tye Dillinger vs. Angelo Dawkins.

– WWE looks at photos of Superstars when they were younger in this new photo:

– WWE vet Mark Henry will be giving a speech at the Lake Hills Church in Austin, Texas tomorrow. Henry tweeted the following on the appearance:

Cesaro Interview: Sheamus Feud, Connecting With Fans, Not Liking His Theme Music

Cesaro recently spoke with ESPN.com about returning from injury, his ongoing feud with Sheamus, Kevin Owens capturing the WWE Universal Championship and his quest to one day become a World Champion.

This Sunday, Cesaro’s Best of 7 series with Sheamus culminates at WWE Clash of Champions. The Swiss Superman is loving the program with Sheamus because it reminds him of how wrestling used to be. “To me, it’s the closest to the old days when it was all about the wrestling, all about me against Sheamus in the ring without anything on the outside,” he said. “It has this real sports feel. I kind of had my back against the wall, you know, it’s best-of-seven. I do definitely love it.”

The winner of the feud earns a title shot and Cesaro is excited at the opportunity to realize his dream as a World Champion. Cesaro felt he had a lot of momentum before tearing his rotator cuff in late 2015. “The journey ahead seems still so long, but I’m happy I came back 100 percent,” he said. “I didn’t come back 70 percent or something. I’m getting better every day. I’m just enjoying myself.”

Nobody questions what Cesaro is capable in the ring. He’s won over the WWE Universe with his no-nonsense style of wrestling. Unfortunately, the one person WWE Superstars really have to win over is Vince McMahon and that requires a charismatic personality and the ability to deliver on the mic. “I actually can talk if you let me,” he said. “That’s always funny, because people always say that I can’t, but the thing is, you haven’t seen me on the mic a lot. I don’t really get that many chances. And if I do, it’s usually pretty good.”

Even though he doesn’t feel WWE is giving him enough opportunities to cut promos, he’s still connecting. “If you see the ‘Cesaro section,’ when I go out there, it is definitely not silent, and I have a huge fan base all over the world. Of course, there’s always room for improvement.” Cesaro admitted he’s the first one to criticize himself and he’s always looking to improve.

One thing he’d like to change about his character is his entrance music. “I do not like my current entrance music,” Cesaro said bluntly. “I’ve kind of wished I could have a new one since I got this one. I asked for a little James Bond-esque entrance because I’m a big fan and that’s always been an inspiration to me. That’s what made the transition to the Swiss Superman. It just went from there. Little piece at a time, little piece at a time. Hopefully the music will be a piece sometime soon.”

Head over to ESPN.com to read the full interview.

Dutch Mantell Talks About Why His Pairing With Alberto Del Rio Didn’t Work

Sports Illustrated has published an interview with wrestling legend Dirty Dutch Mantell, perhaps best known to WWE fans as former manager Zeb Colter. Mantell also appeared on a recent episode of the Jim Cornette Experience podcast and told some amazing stories about his long career in the business. During his talk with SI, Mantell explained why he felt the whole MexAmerica angle and his pairing with Alberto Del Rio failed so badly.

“WWE failed to take into account that it didn’t make a lot of sense,” he said. “Remember, I hated Alberto Del Rio, and he hated me. So, all of a sudden, I disappeared and came back. But it’s not necessarily the first step in wrestling that is the most important, because it’s the second step that identifies and clarifies the first one. That’s what we didn’t do. There was no chemistry, but there was also no logical explanation as to why I would be with Alberto. I said to the guys in the back, ‘I’m not getting the story,’ but people kept saying, ‘Just wait.’ I’ve walked on enough wrestling floors, and I know if a crowd isn’t getting a certain vibe. The chemistry wasn’t there with me and Alberto.”

The alliance with Del Rio really work out, but Mantell had a different idea for his reintroduction to WWE storylines. “I suggested that I get back with Jack [Swagger]. What I really wanted to say during my return was, ‘When I was away, I realized that, instead of building walls, we should be building bridges. Instead of hating on people, I should be loving people.’ That was the build-up, but then we’d find out that, while I was away, I was really having a s— fit about every son of a b—- who f—– me over, and Alberto was one of them. So my plan was to convince Alberto to let Jack join us, and then we’d do the big turn at the end, and that would have helped everybody.”

Unfortunately, WWE didn’t see it that way and wanted Del Rio to be a heel. They worked together for a short stretch and wound up going their separate ways. Neither man is with WWE anymore, so we know how that turned out.

WWE 2K17 DLC Announced: Eddie Guerrero, Gallows & Anderson, More

On Tuesday night, @WWEGames announced several characters that will be available as Downloadable Content in the upcoming WWE 2K17 video game. The following Superstars have been announced so far, with more DLC announcements coming soon:

  • Eddie Guerrero
  • Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows
  • Austin Aries
  • Kerry Von Erich
  • Godfather
  • Mojo Rawley
  • Papa Shango
  • Tye Dillinger

WWE 2K17 will be available for PS4, XB1, PS3 and XB360 on Tuesday, October 11, 2016. Earlier this week, Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle website released the following My Career mode trailer. If you haven’t already, check it out:

WWE World Championship Match Announced For Next Week

Daniel Bryan announced on SmackDown that next Tuesday’s show from Cleveland will see WWE World Champion AJ Styles defend against Dean Ambrose in singles action.

This is Ambrose’s rematch from Backlash where he lost the title. As reported, the main event of the 10/9 No Mercy PPV is scheduled to be AJ defending against Ambrose and John Cena in a Triple Threat.

WWE Smackdown Reaction (9/20)

This week’s episode of Smackdown started off with Daniel Bryan in the ring. Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss joined him in the ring for a contract signing for their Women’s Championship match at No Mercy. Alexa Bliss stated that Becky Lynch was not born to be a champion. Bliss went on to call Becky Lynch a loser and a one-hit wonder. Becky Lynch responded with a solid promo about how hard she has worked to capture the Women’s Championship. Lynch then told Bliss that she would rip her head off if she tried to take her title from her. Alexa Bliss then hit Lynch with the binder the contract was in and then flipped the table on top of Becky. However, Becky recovered and attacked Bliss on the entrance ramp. Alexa was able to escape Becky and ran backstage.

# 1 Contenders for the Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos vs American Alpha

Chad Gable started off this match on a mission. He beatdown Jimmy Uso right after the bell rung. American Alpha had control of this match up until the commercial break. When Smackdown returned, The Usos had control of the match. The Usos were targeting Gable’s injured leg throughout the match. This played a pivotal role in the match because Jordan did not want to tag in Gable because of his injured knee. This allowed The Usos to double team Jordan and ultimately win the match. The Usos will face Rhyno and Heath Slater at No Mercy for the titles.

Winners & #1 Contenders for the Tag Team Championship: The Usos

Baron Corbin vs Apollo Crews

A miracle happened tonight on Smackdown. Apollo Crews came down tot he ring without a gigantic smile on his face. To be fair, Crews has no reason to smile. He has done nothing but lose matches recently and tonight was no different. Baron Corbin hit the End of Days and defeated Crews rather easily. After the match, Corbin had a confrontation with Jack Swagger outside the ring.

Winner: Baron Corbin

Reaction: The Usos and American Alpha put on a very good in the first hour of Smackdown. Everything else has been very forgettable. I do not understand what the WWE is doing with Apollo Crews. I’d also rather see Corbin chasing after the IC Title or the World Championship rather than having a random feud with Jack Swagger.

Intercontinental Championship Match: The Miz (c) vs Dolph Ziggler

The Miz tried to weasel out of this match by asking Daniel Bryan to cancel it earlier in the night. Daniel Bryan stated that The Miz must not have read his new contract. The Miz has to defend his title. Bryan then offered to cancel the match but only if The Miz allowed his contract to be canceled as well. The Miz obviously didn’t want to do that and accepted the fact that he had to defend his championship. Before the match, Dolph Ziggler cut yet another promo about how he has to prove himself.

The Miz used Daniel Bryan’s kicks in this match. Ziggler barely got in any offense early on and was getting schooled by The Miz. Eventually, Dolph captured some momentum by hitting a Dropkick on The Miz while he was jumping off the turnbuckle. Ziggler’s momentum didn’t last long though. The Miz hit a Powerbomb but Ziggler kicked out at two.

Ziggler hit the Zig-Zag but The Miz powered out at two. Maryse went to spray something in Ziggler’s face again but the referee caught her. The referee then told Maryse to go backstage and The Miz became frustrated. The Miz grabbed his title and tried to run to the back. Ziggler ran after him and threw The Miz into the steel steps. The Miz wound up spraying something in Ziggler’s face and followed it up with a Skull Crushing Finale for the victory.

Winner & Still Intercontinental Champion: The Miz

Randy Orton vs Erick Rowan

Orton went for the RKO right away but Rowan blocked it. Rowan then hit a Spinning Powerslam on Orton. After a few minutes, Orton hit the RKO on Rowan for the victory. After the match, Bray Wyatt cut a promo. Wyatt once again referred to himself as God and claimed that he is immortal. Wyatt told Orton to run and that was the end of the promo.

Winner: Randy Orton

Nikki Bella & Naomi vs Carmella & Natalya 

Natalya got the Sharpshooter locked in pretty much right away. Carmella then dragged Nikki Bella out of the ring and wouldn’t stop punching her. The referee disqualified Carmella and Natalya literally thirty seconds into the match.

AJ Styles was interviewed backstage and continued to refer to himself as the “Champ that runs the camp”. Styles stated that he was going to enjoy watching Cena and Ambrose beat the hell out of each other tonight.

John Cena vs Dean Ambrose

There was a commercial after Cena’s entrance and then a commercial right when the match started. Ambrose had control of the match early. Ambrose hit a Clothesline in the corner and followed it up with a Running Bulldog. Cena then locked in the STF in the middle of the ring. Ambrose was able to power his way to the bottom rope to break the hold. Ambrose dove onto Cena outside the ring. Dean then hit a Crossbody on Cena in the middle of the ring but Cena rolled through and hit Ambrose with the Attitude Adjustment. Dean Ambrose was able to kick out at the last second.

Cena went for another Attitude Adjustment but Ambrose landed on his feet and hit Cena with the Dirty Deeds. Amborse went for the cover but Cena kicked out at two. Cena went for another Attitude Adjustment but Ambrose countered into a roll-up for the victory.

After the match, AJ Styles attacked Cena from behind and then hit the Pele Kick on Ambrose. Daniel Bryan came out from backstage and made a match for next week’s Smackdown. It will be AJ Styles defending his World Championship against Dean Ambrose next Tuesday. Dean Ambrose recovered from the Pele Kick and hit Styles with the Dirty Deeds to close out the show.

Winner: Dean Ambrose

Reaction: This entire episode of Smackdown felt uneventful. There was some storyline progression on this episode but for the most part it felt like a throwaway show. Ambrose getting the victory over Cena via a roll-up was surprising. The main-event was only five minutes long on television. Bray Wyatt cut another promo that will mean nothing if he loses to Orton at No Mercy. AJ Styles versus Dean Ambrose for the title next week is exciting but I would be shocked if Styles dropped the belt in his first defense.

What did you think of this week’s episode of Smackdown? Let us know in the comments below.

Tag Team Championship Match Added To WWE No Mercy

The Usos defeated American Alpha on tonight’s SmackDown to become the new #1 contenders to SmackDown Tag Team Champions Heath Slater and Rhyno. They will get their championship shot at No Mercy next month.

Below is the updated card for the 10/9 PPV from Sacramento:

WWE World Championship Triple Threat: AJ Styles (c) vs. John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose

SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Alexa Bliss

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: Slater & Rhyno (c) vs. The Usos

WWE SmackDown Results (9/20)

This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown aired live on the USA Network from Birmingham, AL at The BJCC.

– SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan is in the ring to open up the show. The ring is set up for the contract signing for the Women’s Championship match at No Mercy. Bryan introduces Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss, and they come out and talk trash to each other. Alexa eventually grabs the contract, but before signing it she hits Becky in the head with the clipboard and flips the table over onto her. As Alexa is leaving the ring, Becky attacks her from behind and Alexa runs away. Becky goes back in the ring and signs the contract before heading to the back.

– The Miz confronts Daniel Bryan in the back to complain about his Intercontinental Championship defense tonight. Daniel Bryan asks The Miz if he read the fine print in his newly renegotiated contract, and informs Miz that if he refuses to defend the IC Title he’ll violate his contract. The Miz storms off to prepare for his match.

The Usos def. American Alpha: Gable starts off against Jimmy and ends up dropping Jey too. We get a look at Rhino and Heath Slater in the back watching on a monitor. American Alpha continues to dominate the opening minutes of the match until Jimmy ties up Gable’s injured leg on the ropes and stomps on it. The Usos continue to work Gable’s bad knee for several minutes. Gable fights his way over to Jordan for the hot tag. Jordan hits a series of suplexes on both Usos, including a T-bone suplex on Jey for a near-fall. Jordan takes Jey up to the top rope but Jey fights him off and hits a superkick. Jimmy tags in and hits the splash off the top rope, and Gable breaks up the pin. Gable rolls out to the floor and sells his knee injury, leaving Jordan in the ring alone to fight both Usos. Jimmy hits a superkick on Jordan while Jey drops Gable with a shot to his injured knee. The Usos hit a double superkick on Jordan then Jey hits a splash off the top for the win.

– Heath Slater and Rhyno are in the back with crackers and cheese whiz. They are working on a new “Rhyno” chant for the fans when The Usos show up and challenge them for their Tag Title belts. The Usos threaten to slap the crackers out of Rhyno’s hands. Rhyno crushes the crackers and The Usos back off.

Baron Corbin def. Apollo Crews: Jack Swagger is on commentary for this one. Crews dominates the match early on, taking Corbin to ringside and hitting an enziguri. Corbin mounts a comeback after kicking Crews to the outside. Corbin starts working on the lower back of Crews, and eventually hits the Deep Six for the win. Corbin faces off with Swagger after the match and walks away.

The Miz (c) def. Dolph Ziggler: The Intercontinental Title is on the line and Maryse is at ringside. Ziggler controls the opening minutes of the match with some mat wrestling, then takes Miz outside for a clothesline on the floor. On the way back in the ring, Miz catches Ziggler on the ropes and turns the tides with a superkick. The Miz comes off the top with a double axehandle, and Ziggler is down. Ziggler tries to come back with a superkick, but Miz blocks it and drops the challenger with a facebuster. Miz starts hitting Daniel Bryan’s “Yes kicks” on Ziggler, but Ziggler blocks one and drops him with a right hand. Ziggler misses a spear in the corner and Miz drops him with a big boot. Ziggler is able to hit a series of clotheslines and a splash in the corner, but The Miz throws him into the ring post once again. The IC Champion follows up with a series of dropkicks and an Awesome Clothesline. Miz goes for another double axehandle off the top, but Ziggler caches him with a dropkick for a two count. The Miz escapes a Fameasser and Ziggler escapes a Skull Crushing Finale, then the two brawl out to ringside. Back in the ring, Ziggler is able to successfully hit the Fameasser but only gets a two count. The referee catches Maryse trying to spray something in Ziggler’s eyes and he ejects her from ringside. Ziggler hits the Zig Zag on the Champion for another near-fall. The Miz rolls outside and tries to take his belt and leave, but Ziggler chases him down and throws him into the ring steps. While the referee is handing the title belt back to ringside, The Miz sprays Ziggler with the perfume Maryse left in the ring and hits the Skull Crushing Finale for the win.

Randy Orton def. Eric Rowan: Rowan opens up with a back suplex and tarts pummeling on Orton on the mat. Rowan beats down Orton around ringside, but on the way back in Orton catches him with a kick and drops him with a DDT off the middle rope. Orton follows up with an RKO for the victory in a fairly short match. After the bell, the lights go out and when they come back on there’s a mask laying in the ring next to Orton’s feet. Bray Wyatt appears on the big screen and cuts a promo on Orton before we go to commercial.

Nikki Bella & Naomi def. Natalya & Carmella via DQ: Almost as soon as the match begins, Carmella assaults Nikki at ringside and the referee calls for the bell.

– AJ Styles is in the back talking about John Cena and Dean Ambrose. He says they aren’t his competition anymore because he’s beaten them both and is superior. Styles questions why he’s in a triple threat match at No Mercy against them. He says he’s going to enjoy sitting back and watching Cena and Ambrose rip each other apart tonight.

Dean Ambrose def. John Cena: Cena escapes a Dirty Deeds attempt early on, but Ambrose is still able to control the opening minutes of the match and capitalize with a running bulldog. Cena briefly gets Ambrose in an STF, but Ambrose reaches the ropes to break the hold. Cena rolls outside, and Ambrose flies down on him with a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Ambrose goes for a splash off the top, but Cena rolls through and hits the Attitude Adjustment for a near-fall. Cena goes for another AA but Ambrose gets out and hits the Dirty Deeds for a near-fall of his own. Cena attempts the AA once again, but Ambrose escapes and rolls up Cena with a sunset flip out of nowhere for the win.

– After the match, AJ Styles comes flying off the fan barricade with a forearm shot to John Cena at ringside. AJ hits the ring and lays out Dean Ambrose next. Daniel Bryan comes out to the stage and mentions that last week Shane McMahon promised a one-on-one rematch between him and Ambrose. Bryan says that rematch for the WWE Title will happen next week, and then AJ turns around into a Dirty Deeds from Dean Ambrose. Ambrose celebrates in the ring as SmackDown goes off the air.

WWE RAW Viewership Below 3 Million Again

The September 19th episode of WWE RAW averaged 2.684 million viewers, on par with last week’s 2.69 million viewers.

The show featured the final hype for WWE Clash of Champions with Roman Reigns vs. Universal Champion Kevin Owens in a steel cage main event.

Here’s the hourly breakdown:

  • Hour 1: 2.734 million viewers
  • Hour 2: 2.686 million viewers
  • Hour 3: 2.633 million viewers

RAW is up against very stiff competition next week with the first Presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, in addition to Monday Night Football.

Paul Heyman’s Big WWE 2K17 Reveal (Video), Randy Orton Getting Heat For Political Tweet

– The big WWE 2K17 exclusive that Paul Heyman and his Heyman Hustle website were hyping on Monday night was a first look at the game’s My Career mode. You can see video above, the feature looks pretty badass.

– A hot topic across the country this summer has been mainstream sports stars protesting during the National Anthem by taking a knee or raising their fists. After last night’s Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia Eagles NFL game, Randy Orton took to Twitter and commented on the protests. The Viper tweeted the following in response to sports editor Dave Zirin:

Orton is getting a lot of negative responses for his politically charged tweet, with several people making reference to his spotty military record.

Lana On Wrestling For WWE Again, Filming Total Divas With Rusev

Lana recently spoke with CraveOnline to promote WWE Studios’ “Interrogation” movie with Hall of Famer Edge and expressed interest in getting back in the ring. After wrestling her first match earlier this year at WrestleMania 32, Lana says she’d love to wrestle again – when the time is right.

“It was always a dream for me to do my debut match at WrestleMania and people would laugh at me. People would laugh at me all the time for my crazy ideas. Reach for the stars and at the very least, you will get the moon and so I would say my first match is going to be at WrestleMania and people would laugh at me and sure enough it happened. So right now I’ve been filming a lot of things for Total Divas and focusing on my weddings so when all of that passes, I’m sure you will see a lot more of me in the ring.”

She also commented on her experience joining the cast of Total Divas. “You can expect ratings to go through the roof with Lana on TV,” she joked. “We’re manifesting to be the highest rated season yet. I have had an incredible experience. It has been so fun being on Total Divas. I have got a lot closer to the girls. I guess it’s the Russian side of me that takes me a long time to get close to people. It took about two and a half years for me to finally make friends with some of these girls.”

Lana said it’s going to be a unique opportunity for WWE fans to see what she and Rusev are like outside of WWE. “You’ll see his humor, you’ll see my in-ring debut, and the challenges I faced with ‘Do I valet or do I wrestle?’ You’ll see a lot of stuff of us preparing for the wedding and you will learn a lot more about what has defined me. Lana is an extension of myself.”

Update On Rumors Of WWE Making An Offer To Buy TNA

Following up on the New York Post’s report over the weekend that WWE recently made an offer to buy TNA, Dave Meltzer confirmed on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE has made at least one offer to acquire the struggling promotion, but it was an ‘unofficial’ offer and not recently. The primary asset WWE would be interested in is obviously TNA’s extensive tape library. Meltzer added that Billy Corgan has already invested more money in TNA to acquire 30% ownership than WWE offered for the entire company.

Multiple sources are now flat out denying the New York Post’s report that WWE and Ring Of Honor’s parent company Sinclair Broadcasting recently made bids to buy TNA. As for who planted the story in the Post, it would be somebody who wanted to drive up the sale price of the company. We’ll let you draw your own conclusions there.

The eventual buyers will most likely come down to Corgan and an undisclosed party, for which there are non-disclosure agreements going around to keep things quiet. Aroluxe is not the other party working with Corgan to buy TNA. They had until 9/1 to submit an offer and did not exercise that right. The Post’s report stated that Aroluxe, Corgan, Dixie Carter and The Fight Network all have stakes in TNA, and that Aroluxe recently took over their “TNA” trademark because TNA is so financially strapped right now.

Corgan hopes to purchase TNA prior to Bound for Glory, which takes place on on 10/2.

What Happened After RAW, Del Rio Encourages Paige, Backstage Cruiserweight Videos

– After RAW in Memphis went off the air last night, WWE US Champion Rusev and WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens attacked Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns until the former Shield members fought back. Rollins hit a Pedigree on Owens and Reigns hit a spear on Rusev to end the segment with a staredown.

– Paige was backstage for last night’s RAW but not used. She did tweet during the show, revealing some words of encouragement from boyfriend Alberto Del Rio:

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/778051980128317440

– These backstage videos from last night’s RAW feature Brian Kendrick confronting Cruiserweight Champion TJ Perkins ahead of their Clash of Champions match and a promo in Spanish from Gran Metalik:

WWE Clash Of Champions: Updated Card For Sunday

WWE Clash of Champions is this Sunday and several matches were added to the show last night on RAW:

– New WWE Cruiserweight Champion TJ Perkins will defend against Brian Kendrick, who won a fatal 4 way match to earn the show.

– The finale of the Cesaro vs. Sheamus Best of 7 series

– Nia Jax vs. Alicia Fox has been announced for the Kickoff pre-show

Bayley was also added to the RAW Women’s Championship match between Charlotte and Sasha Banks, making that a triple threat.

These matches are in addition to:

– WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins

– RAW Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. Gallows & Anderson

– United States Champion Rusev vs. Roman Reigns

– Sami Zayn vs. Chris Jericho

It’s a pretty stacked card for RAW’s first brand-exclusive PPV. As always, we’ll have Live Coverage this Sunday.

Kalisto On His Status, Women’s Tapout Workout (Video), Mojo’s Zubaz

– As reported, Kalisto has been dealing with a back injury since before Summerslam weekend. He tweeted the following regarding his current WWE status:

– WWE posted the following clip featuring Maria Menounos along with WWE Superstars Summer Rae, Renee Young, Natalya, Lana, Alexa Bliss, Alicia Fox and Naomi appearing at the Tapout workout in New York City over Summerslam weekend:

– Mojo Rawley is scheduled for an upcoming David Alan Clothing fashion show to benefit the American Cancer Society. Rawley noted on social media that he’ll be wearing a Zubaz suit and says big things are on the horizon after speaking with Dan Stock, owner and founder of Zubaz. Below are tweets from Rawley regarding this opportunity:

https://twitter.com/MojoRawleyWWE/status/776479438800314368

https://twitter.com/MojoRawleyWWE/status/776525161524846596

If you aren’t familiar with Zubaz, here’s a reminder:

https://twitter.com/HeelDoors/status/654215175797645312

The Rock – WWE Studios Update, Bryan & Brie Emmys Photos, Big Show Games, CWC Top 10

– It looks as though production is getting ready to begin once again on WWE Studios’ “The Fall Guy.” The film, which will be the first WWE Studios project to star Dwayne Johnson, was originally optioned in July 2010 and went through continuous revisions for four years. The Rock signed on to star in the film in September of 2013. The film features a Hollywood Stuntman by the name of Colt Seavers, who moonlights as a bounty hunter using his unordinary abilities. According to IMDB, Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz—of X-Men: First Class—are writing the script and the director will be McG, who’s directed blockbuster films like Charlie’s Angels and Terminator Salvation.

– To celebrate 700,000 subscribers on his “UpUpDownDown” YouTube channel, WWE Tag Team Champion Xavier Woods plays Destiny with Big Show:

– The newest WWE Top 10 features Cruiserweight Classic exclusive maneuvers, seen here:

– Below are photos of Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella from Sunday night’s 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. As noted, Bryan and Brie worked the E! Entertainment Television pre-show before the ceremony:

Cedric Alexander Roster Update, Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins Promo, WWE 2K17 Video

– WWE RAW Superstar and Cruiserweight Contender Cedric Alexander appeared for NXT over the weekend in his NXT house show debut, defeating Andrade “Cien” Almas in the main event with a Lumbar Check. Andrade played the heel, and refused to shake Cedric’s hand after the match, instead opting for a middle finger. Alexander also worked this past Thursday’s NXT TV tapings, so it looks like we’ll be seeing Cedric on both RAW and NXT.

– Below is a clip advertising this Sunday’s WWE Universal Championship bout between Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins at Clash of Champions:

– The 2K developers posted this clip from WWE 2K17 featuring Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns wrestling on the outside of the squared-circle:

WWE Monday Night Raw Reaction (9/19)

This week’s episode of Monday Night Raw kicked off with Roman Reigns coming down to the ring to a chorus of boos. Stephanie McMahon interupted and joined Reigns in the ring before Roman got a chance to say anything. Mick Foley then also joined Reigns and McMahon in the ring. Foley stated that he let things get away from him last week and he needed to make things right. Foley then gave Reigns a match with Rusev for the United States Championship at Clash of Champions. Foley then awarded Roman Reigns a rematch with Kevin Owens, but this time the match would take place in a steel cage. This prompted Kevin Owens to come out from backstage and call Foley a joke. Stephanie McMahon also didn’t seem pleased with Foley’s decisions.

Seth Rollins vs Rusev

Roman Reigns was still in the ring when Seth Rollins made his entrance. Rollins and Reigns shared an interesting stare-down. Reigns had a smirk on his face before he exited the ring. Rusev confronted Foley backstage before the match to voice his displeasure with having to face Roman Reigns again.

Rusev and Rollins had a quick back and forth match that ended in a double count out. Rollins got the upper-hand in a brawl and the segment ended with Rollins hitting a Crossbody onto Rusev off of the announce table.

Charlotte and Dana Brooke confront Mick Foley backstage about last week’s controversial finish to the women’s match. It looked like both of Sasha Banks’ and Bayley’s shoulders were down, however Banks was awarded the victory. Dana Brooke asked Foley to cancel the tag team match tonight on Raw until Foley can figure out who is the #1 contender to Charlotte’s title. Instead of doing that, Mick Foley just added Bayley to the match at Clash of Champions. Thus, it is now Bayley vs Sasha Banks vs Charlotte for the Women’s Championship.

Braun Strowman vs Sin Cara

Sin Cara wanted to face Strowman again for some reason. Sin Cara did get in a little more offense this time, but it wound up being the same result. Strowman easily defeated Sin Cara.

Winner: Braun Strowman

Sasha Banks & Bayley vs Dana Brooke & Charlotte

Charlotte had control of the match early on. She was beating down Bayley and preventing her from tagging in Sasha. Finally, Bayley was able to tag in Banks and the momentum turned for a brief moment. Charlotte kicked Sasha right in her injured ribs and that really slowed her down. Dana Brooke and Charlotte spent the next several minutes targeting Sasha’s ribs. Sasha finally battled back and was able to tag Bayley in. Bayley cleaned house and sent Dana Brooke out of the ring. Bayley went for the Bayley to Belly on Charlotte but Dana Brooke grabbed Charlotte’s leg and prevented it. Sasha Banks then brawled with Dana Brooke outside the ring. Charlotte then hit a massive kick to Bayley’s face for the victory.

Winners: Dana Brooke & Charlotte

Reaction: The first hour of Raw this week was solid. There is certainly a storyline in the works in regards to the power structure on Monday Night Raw. We haven’t seen Triple H since he attacked Reigns and Seth Rollins a couple of weeks ago. Stephanie McMahon seems to be disagreeing with Foley more and more nowadays. Bayley being added to the Women’s Championship match at Clash of Champions feels random. It seems like Charlotte will hold the belt a little longer, unless Dana Brooke once again gets involved and costs her another match.

Seth Rollins and Stephanie McMahon had a conversation backstage. Rollins still doesn’t believe that Stephanie had no idea that Triple H was going to attack him. Rollins just wanted to know why it happened. Seth then went on to say that Stephanie and Triple made the wrong decision. Rollins stated that he will walk out of Clash of Champions as the new Universal Champion and just may go on to be Stephanie’s worst nightmare. Rollins claimed that Stephanie cannot manipulate him and that he is the one champion that Stephanie wouldn’t be able to control.

Stephanie McMahon once again denied knowing about Triple H’s attack ahead of time. However, Stephanie went on to tell Rollins to never threaten her. Stephanie then stated that even though she didn’t know about, she does believe that Kevin Owens has replaced Rollins as “the man” on the Raw roster. The segment ended with Rollins claiming that Stephanie used to be a shrewd business woman but has lost her edge ever since her brother returned to the company.

Bo Dallas vs Gary Graham

Bo Dallas continues to defeat people nobody has ever heard of. The best part of this match was the crowd chanting “lets go jobber!” throughout it. Unfortunately the crowd’s support for Graham wasn’t enough. Bo Dallas emerged with a very quick and very easy victory over Gary Graham.

Winner: Bo Dallas

https://twitter.com/countdante67/status/778040370764525568

Best of 7 Tournament Match: Cesaro vs Sheamus

Sheamus was up 3-0, but Cesaro has battled back and won the last two matches. Cesaro’s back seemingly will never heel as Sheamus targeted it early. Sheamus sent Cesaro over the top rope and Cesaro landed on his back. The match was back and forth all the way to the end. Sheamus went for the Brogue Kick but Cesaro rolled out of the way. Sheamus went over the top rope and landed onto the ring apron. Sheamus went to launch himself onto Cesaro but was greeted with an upper-cut while he was in mid-air. Cesaro then hit Sheamus with the Gotch Neutralizer for the victory. The series is now tied at 3-3 and the final match will take place this Sunday at Clash of Champions.

Winner: Cesaro

Chris Jericho confronted Mick Foley backstage and told him that he was then a terrible GM. Jericho then brought out a list of what is wrong with Foley and Mick pretty much laughed in his face. Jericho then stated that if Foley won’t listen to him, he will have to read the “list of Jericho” to the world.

https://twitter.com/WAManeuver/status/778031524176363521

Jericho then came down to the ring with a clipboard. Chris Jericho then proceeded to read a bunch of items off the list. Jericho claimed that Foley had terrible fashion sense and that he had grown an affection for Sami Zayn. Enzo and Cass interrupted. Enzo found it amusing that Jericho actually believes that Kevin Owens is his best friend. Enzo claimed that he knows Owens is not his friend because no friend would let Jericho come down to the ring wearing that scarf. The Shining Stars and The New Day then interrupted and joined the party.

Xavier Woods boasted about his YouTube channel and the fact that he was giving away two Iphone 7s. The Club then came down and insulted everyone. Jericho then left the ring and stated that he was starting a new list of stupid idiots and that all of them were on it. Sami Zayn then came out and attacked Jericho.

Chris Jericho, The Club & The Shining Stars vs Sami Zayn, The New Day & Enzo & Cass

This was a back and forth match with the good guys coming out on top. Sami Zayn went for the Helluva Kick on Jericho but he rolled out of the way. The Helluva Kick did connect with Primo. Sami Zayn then chased Jericho out of the ring. Enzo and Big Cass hit the Bada Boom Shakalaka on Primo for the victory.

Winners: Enzo & Cass, Sami Zayn & The New Day

Reaction: The second hour of Raw had a lot more filler than the first. The best segment was the backstage promo between Seth Rollins and Stephanie McMahon. I’m still holding out hope that the end result of this isn’t an Authority reunion but that seems pretty likely. I am interested in seeing Seth Rollins try to take down the the brand new Authority if that does turn out to be the case. Everybody knew that Cesaro was going to win and tie the series so that match was difficult to get into. In fact, the whole series has been rather difficult to get invested in. Thankfully, the series comes to an end this Sunday at Clash of Champions

Fatal 4 Way to Determine #1 Contender for Cruiserweight Championship: Brian Kendrick vs Cedric Alexander vs Rich Swann vs Gran Metalik

Rich Swann started out the match strong and showed off his interesting style by dancing around the ring. Cedric Alexander and Brian Kendrick then brawled in the ring. Kendrick rolled out of the ring for a breather but Alexander hit him with a boot through the ropes. Alexander and Gran Metalik then battled in the ring. Alexander sent Metalik outside the ring. Swann then attacked Alexander and the two battled in the ring. Swann hit Alexander with a slap across the face that echoed through the arena.

Alexander, Swann and Kendrick were battling outside. Gran Metalik took advantage and flipped onto all three of them. Kendrick locked Swann’s foot in the steel steps and stomped on his leg. When Raw came back from commercial, it was Swann and Metalik battling in the ring. Swann had Metalik pinned but Cedric Alexander broke it up. Alexander hit an incredible kick on Swann but it was not enough to put him away. Brian Kendrick locked in the Captain’s Hook on Cedric Alexander for the submission victory. Kendrick will go on to face T.J. Perkins for the Cruiserweight Championship at Clash of Champions.

Steel Cage Match: Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens

The match started out back and forth. Roman Reigns hit a forearm on Owens right before the commercial break. When Raw returned, both Reigns and Owens were climbing the cage. Owens knocked Reigns down to the ring, but Roman recovered and pulled Owens down. Owens landed with top rope between his legs. Reigns then beatdown Owens and captured momentum in the match. Reigns was going for the Superman Punch but Owens rolled out of the way towards the door of the steel cage. Kevin Owens hit a German Suplex on Reigns and followed it up with a Cannonball to Roman in the corner.

Owens went to escape the cage through the door but Reigns grabbed his leg. Owens went for a Senton on Roman but Reigns got his knees up. Reigns and Owens then traded punches in the ring. Owens went for the Pop-UP Powerbomb but Reigns reversed it into a Superman Punch. Reigns went for the cover but Owens kicked out at two. Reigns went for the Spear but Owens kicked him in the face and followed it up with a Pop-Up Powerbomb. It was not enough to put Roman Reigns away as he kicked out at two.

Reigns and Owens once again battled on the cage. Owens repeatedly smashed Reigns’ head into the cage. Reigns powered back and hit a Superman Punch to the back of Kevin Owens’ head. Both men fell off the cage and onto the mat. Roman Reigns then started climbing the cage and Kevin Owens crawled towards the door. Roman Reigns wound escaping the cage before Kevin Owens could escape through the door.

Winner: Roman Reigns

After the match, Rusev tried to ambush Reigns but Roman saw it coming. Reigns beatdown Rusev against the steel steps outside the ring. Kevin Owens then kicked the cage door open and it smashed Reigns in the face. Owens then shouted “Machka something!” at Rusev. Reigns was then helpless in the ring as Rusev locked the cage door shut with a steel chain. Owens and Rusev then beatdown Reigns in the middle of the ring.

Seth Rollins then came out and climbed the cage. Owens met Rollins at the top and Seth punched him off the cage. Rusev then tried the same thing but Rollins punched him off of the cage as well. Rollins then jumped from the top of the cage onto Rusev and Owens.

Reaction: The third hour of Raw had two very good matches to close the show. The Cruiserweight Fatal 4 Way was very exciting and so was the main-event. Raw has been lackluster for the past few weeks but that was not the case for tonight’s episode. Raw needed some momentum heading into Clash of Champions and they got it with this show. There will certainly be some surprises at Clash of Champions and I cannot wait to see if anyone gets involved in the Universal Championship match. It was also interesting to see Seth Rollins come down to the ring and help out Roman Reigns. That also opens the door for a Shield reunion of some sort. Hopefully some of these questions will be answered this Sunday at Clash of Champions.

What did you think of this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw? Let us know in the comments below.

Backstage Cesaro Video, Bayley On ESPN, Jinder Mahal Teams With Titus O’Neil, Stunner Promo

– Bayley will join Jonathan Coachman this Wednesday on ESPN’s SportsCenter for the weekly Off The Top Rope segment.

– WWE taped Curtis Axel vs. Darren Young and Golden Truth vs. Jinder Mahal & Titus O’Neil last night in Memphis for this week’s WWE Superstars episode.

– Steve Austin and his “Stunner” are featured in this new WWE Network promo:

– Cesaro is featured in this backstage video from last night’s RAW after tying the Best of 7 Series with Sheamus at 3-3. Cesaro talks about the Cesaro Section being behind him wherever he goes and the special connection they have, calling it a connection that other people don’t understand.

Emma Says She Was Cleared To Return 6 Weeks Ago, Getting Frustrated

We recently reported that Emma is scheduled to make her WWE return in the near future. Emma appeared this past Friday in Kentucky, acting as a referee in a six woman tag that saw Sasha Banks, Bayley and Alicia Fox defeat WWE RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte, Dana Brooke, and Nia Jax.

Emma has been out of action since the late spring and was backstage at last night’s RAW but did not appear. She did tweet during the show and revealed that she was medically cleared to return six weeks ago.

Edge Talks Future Of WWE Network Show, New WWE Studios Movie, Life With Kids

Adam “Edge” Copeland recently spoke with CraveOnline to discuss WWE Studios’ Interrogation, which is out today and co-stars Lana. Edge commented on what fans need to know about the movie:

“In terms of an action movie, it’s more than that. There are explosions and gunplay and car chases and all of that but there are layers. If you enjoy movies and want to see more of your character, this movie has that. It’s a different character than what I have played before, which is nice and it has nothing to do with “Edge.” But it was a good time and if they enjoy it as much as we had fun filming it, that’s all you can ask for.”

The WWE Hall of Famer also revealed that a second season of The Edge & Christian Show on the WWE Network will happen, depending on timing. He said:

“Yeah, it’s really just a matter of timing, honestly. Now that I’m filming Vikings it’s going to be a lot more difficult to squeeze it in and the only thing that Jay [Christian] and I want to do with a second season is have it all written beforehand because a lot of this was writing as we went because of the time constraints. Initially, we were told we would have a pilot episode and one week to film it to flesh out what the show was and get on board with the other producers. Then we got up there and they needed three episodes in three days [laughs].”

Besides keeping busy with acting gigs these days, Edge is enjoying family life with former WWE star Beth Phoenix after recently welcoming their second child together. Edge discussed parenting:

“It’s amazing. It’s tiring at times. It’s frustrating at times but it’s so much fun. I got to fly to Dublin to work but I’ll fly back and walk in the house and just to see the joy on their faces is just ‘oh my gosh.’ It’s so much fun to see all of these new words spring out of Lyric’s mouth cause she’s a little over two and a half now.

The other day we were playing with Lego blocks and she said ‘This Lego is an enchilada of psychiatry.’ I just stopped and said ‘What?’ Where did you get psychiatry? Just putting those words together was awesome. We have daddy/daughter day and it’s a lot of fun. Now Ruby, our youngest, she’s 10 weeks old and starting to smile and she’s really aware and watching things now and seeing how great Lyric is with her, that’s really fun to see.”

You can read the full interview with Edge at at this link.

Backlash Rematch & Big Main Event Announced For SmackDown

WWE has announced that The Miz will defends the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler in a Backlash rematch on this week’s WWE SmackDown.

Tomorrow’s show will be headlined by John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose in the main event.

Below is a promo for tomorrow:

WWE Changes Clash Of Champions Match

RAW GM Mick Foley announced on tonight’s RAW that Sunday’s Women’s Championship Match at Clash of Champions will now be a Triple Threat with Bayley added to the match due a double pin in last week’s #1 contenders match.

Below is the updated card for The Clash:

WWE Universal Championship Match: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Seth Rollins

RAW Women’s Championship Triple Threat: Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley

RAW Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day (c) vs. Gallows & Anderson

WWE US Championship Match: Rusev (c) vs. Roman Reigns

Sami Zayn vs. Chris Jericho