Archive for September, 2016

Alberto Del Rio Launching Mexican Restaurant

Former WWE Superstar Alberto El Patron is getting into the restaurant business. He and Paige announced Tuesday night that Alberto is opening a Mexican restaurant called La Cantinita. The wording that he’s making history “one restaurant at a time” and this being the “first ever” location implies more restaurants are in the works.

The restaurant will open in San Antonio on September 29th, and will reportedly have special guests for the grand opening. They’re touting amazing “authentic food and drinks, live music and a great outdoor area” for the entire family to enjoy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKUBVmcAf4f/?taken-by=realpaigewwe

WWE RAW Viewership Takes Beating Against NFL

Monday’s WWE RAW drew 2.69 million viewers, down from last week’s 3.069 million viewers for the Labor Day episode.

RAW featured Roman Reigns vs. WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens in the main event and featured stiff competition from the first week of NFL Monday Night Football on ESPN. MNF had almost 24 million viewers.  Here’s the hourly breakdown:

  • Hour 1: 2.833 million viewers
  • Hour 2: 2.717 million viewers
  • Hour 3: 2.520 million viewers

RAW was #6 for the night in viewership and #5 in the 18-49 demo.

Update: RAW drew a scary-low 1.88 rating.

https://twitter.com/thewadekeller/status/775802204502368256

Ryback Opens Up About His Beef With CM Punk & Mocking Him In Chicago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY5qO1s0wt8

Ryback, who has legally changed his name to that from Ryan Reeves, recently spoke out about his past issues with CM Punk in an interview with Sports Illustrated. Back in 2014, CM Punk made it known on a podcast that he didn’t like Ryback and thought he was an unsafe worker. Ryback feels that Punk’s comments were untrue and hurt his career.

“Those Punk comments did a lot of damage to me,” he said. “CM Punk has a tremendous following. When you have as many followers as he has, and you say something about somebody, they’re going to believe everything you say. To this day, I don’t know why Punk tied me in with his whole thing against the WWE. I feel like part of it was he was his unhappiest with the company when he was working with me, and I kind of got tied into all of it.”

With CM Punk’s large fan base turned against him, Ryback felt that WWE management didn’t have his back. While Ryback got support from his peers, he says WWE should have told fans that Punk’s comments were untrue.

“I was always upset that the WWE never went out of its way to say, ‘That’s not true about this guy,’” said Ryback. “Guys like Jericho, who have been in the ring with me, went to bat for me, and I can’t thank them enough for that – but why couldn’t the company do that, especially when I took the hit on that? That always bothered me that they never tried to clear that up.”

Ryback noted that his imitation of CM Punk’s entrance at Payback in Chicago was to get more heat from the crowd, and he felt it worked. Ryback noted that management was “furious” at him for the imitation.

“Punk and I are two entirely different human beings, but I think we shared some of the same viewpoints toward the WWE as far as business,” Ryback concluded.

You can read his entire interview at SI.com.

John Cena Teases Going For Ric Flair’s Record, Becky Side Plates Video, More

– John Cena sounds like he’s finally ready to make a run at tying Ric Flair’s all-time record of 15 World title reigns. Cena has been out of the WWE title picture for years now, focusing on working with younger talents and who can forget his run with the United States Championship. John Cena and AJ Styles had a hell of a war at SummerSlam. Now that Styles carries the richest prize in the game, Cena might have the extra motivation he needs. Over the past few days, Cena has been posting subtle hints about wanting to tie Flair’s record. The hints are getting less and less subtle by the day. On Tuesday, John Cena tweeted:

Here are some more recent social media posts by Cena regarding Ric Flair and his 16 World championships.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKNAa0sDLO0/?taken-by=johncena

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKRX3aoDAqE/?taken-by=johncena

– WWE shared this video of Becky Lynch’s custom plates being installed on the SmackDown Women’s Championship:

– WWE Hall of Famer Alundra Blayze says she will be making an announcement later this evening on Facebook. She hyped the announcement with this tweet:

Vince McMahon: Details On The Injury Requiring Surgery

WWE announced on Monday that company Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon is undergoing surgery to repair an injury sustained while training. WWE.com noted that Vince would be back in the office on Wednesday, but did not disclose the nature of the injury.

According to the Wrestling Observer, the word going around WWE is that McMahon tore his quadriceps while squatting. The injury is believed to have occurred over the past several days.

Longtime WWE fans know this isn’t the first time McMahon has suffered a quad tear. At the conclusion of the 2005 Royal Rumble match, Vince McMahon charged to the ring after John Cena and Batista botched the finish and both eliminated simultaneously. While entering the ring, he tore both of his quads and was forced to communicate the new finish to the referee while seated.

qud

Randy Orton Twitter Q&A: CM Punk’s UFC Debut, Conor McGregor, Retirement & More

Randy Orton held an impromptu Twitter Q&A late Monday night and commented on a wide variety of topics, including CM Punk’s UFC debut, Brock Lesnar, Cesaro and much more. The Twitter activity came just hours after his return to the ring at SmackDown’s live event from Fairfax, VA, where he teamed with John Cena (Results).

Here are some highlights of what The Viper said about:

CM Punk’s Debut: 

Does he like CM Punk?

Would he try UFC? 

Did he watch RAW on Monday night?

Would he like to see Cesaro as a champion in WWE?

How “Pro-Heath Slater” is he?

What was the most memorable RKO of his career?

Who does he want to face in his retirement match?

What 3 words would he use to describe John Cena?

Photo: Paige Gets “Alberto” Tattoo, More On Her Quitting WWE

WWE Superstar Paige is sporting some new ink honoring boyfriend Alberto El Patron. The two have been romantically linked since May. Paige professed her love for the Mexican wrestling champion by getting “Papi” tattooed on her finger while they were in Las Vegas together.

Cjc--yBWYAAib99

Last month they were both suspended by WWE within 24 hours of each other for violating the talent wellness policy. Alberto is officially gone form the company and Paige has reportedly quit the company and lawyered up in an effort to get out of her contract, which runs until 2019.

https://twitter.com/frontrowbrian/status/775619025569128449

https://twitter.com/frontrowbrian/status/775620222837370880

On Monday, Paige took another major step in professing her love — she got the name “Alberto” tattooed on her ribs. She posted a photo on Instagram with the caption:  “When you love someone so much you give it all for. Not the expression, no literally give it all for”

The post has since been deleted, but not before we grabbed a screen shot:

idiot

Randy Orton Returns To The Ring, Lean Crowd At Monday’s SmackDown Live Event (Photos)

Randy Orton returned to the ring at Monday night’s SmackDown live event from Fairfax, Virginia. Much like his appearance at Backlash, Orton had very limited physicality but did just enough that WWE could still advertise him. Attendance was very light for the show, likely due to the direct competition of WWE RAW and first week of NFL Monday Night Football featuring the Washington Redskins.

The following are results from SmackDown Live in Fairfax, VA (9/12):

– Dolph Ziggler defeated IC champion The Miz in a non-title match

– Baron Corbin beat Apollo Crews

– Jason Jordan & Hype Bros defeated Konnor & The Vaudevillains in a six-man tag match

– John Cena & Randy Orton beat Bray Wyatt & Erik Rowan. Our live correspondent noted that Cena worked the entire match and Orton barely got involved.

– Smackdown Women’s champion Becky Lynch & Naomi beat Alexa Bliss & Natalya when Becky made Natalya tap out.

– Smackdown Tag Team Champions Heath Slater & Rhyno beat The Usos.

– WWE World Champion A.J. Styles defeated Dean Ambrose with the Styles Clash to retain

https://twitter.com/jeffreyj1326/status/775548406647357440

WWE Monday Night Raw Reaction (9/12)

This week’s Monday Night Raw started off with Mick Foley cutting a promo. Foley introduced the Women’s Champion Charlotte and the crowd loudly booed. Dana Brooke also joined Charlotte in the ring. Sasha Banks interrupted and was then followed by Bayley. Throughout the promo, Charlotte was blaming Dana Brooke for everything. Bayley felt like she deserved a shot at Charlotte’s title because she defeated her last week. Sasha Banks felt like she should get the title match at Clash of Champions. Mick Foley went on to make a match between Sasha Banks and Bayley to determine the #1 contender for Charlotte’s title. Charlotte once again went off on a tirade against Dana Brooke and finally Dana snapped. Dana Brooke slapped Charlotte in the face and Foley added her to the #1 contenders match.

Triple Threat Match to Determine #1 Contender for the Women’s Championship: Bayley vs Sasha Banks vs Dana Brooke

Charlotte joined commentary for the match. This was a back and forth match. Sasha Banks had Dana Brooke locked in the Bank Statement but Bayley broke it up. Banks then rolled Bayley up but it looked like a double pin and that both Banks’ and Bayley’s shoulders were down. Apparently, that was not the case and Sasha Banks will be facing Charlotte at Clash of Champions.

Winner & #1 Contender for the Women’s Championship: Sasha Banks

Reaction: Both the promo and the match were a just alright. Sasha Banks was only Superstar in the match that made sense for Charlotte to face at Clash of Champions.

Bo Dallas vs Brandon Scott

Bo Dallas continued on with his new attitude and beat the heck out of Brandon Scott. The crowd broke out in a “lets go jobber!” chant. Brandon Scott got in some offense but ultimately Bo Dallas defeated him in a match that lasted a couple of minutes.

Winner: Bo Dallas

Chris Jericho hosted a Highlight Reel segment and his was guest Sami Zayn. Chris Jericho introduced Zayn as the lowest of the low and Jericho even laid down on the mat to introduce him. Sami Zayn then told Jericho that if he truly believes Kevin Owens is his friend then Jericho is a stupid idiot. Sami Zayn then stated that he used to look up to Jericho but now he is just Kevin Owens’ bitch. Jericho then claimed that before he came out here he received a text from Kevin Owens. Jericho was going to show Sami what it said but instead bashed the phone over Zayn’s head. Jericho then followed it up with a Codebreaker.

Reaction: Jericho continues to be brilliant and Sami Zayn finally has something to do on WWE television. Hooray!

Best of 7 Match: Cesaro vs Sheamus

Cesaro won the non-televised match in London so he trailed Sheamus 3-1.  Cesaro started off in control of this match and went for the Sharpshooter to end it quickly. Sheamus was able to avoid it and roll out of the ring. Cesaro once again went for the Sharpshooter later in the match and was able to lock it in. However, Sheamus powered through and reached the bottom rope to break the hold. Cesaro’s back was preventing him from performing a lot of his offense in this match. Cesaro was able to pin Sheamus by using the bottom rope to get some added leverage. The Best of Series is now 3-2 with Sheamus still in the lead.

Winner: Cesaro

Mick Foley and Seth Rollins had a confrontation backstage. Seth Rollins doesn’t believe that Roman Reigns even deserves an oppurtunity to fight for the Universal Championship at Clash of Champions. Foley reveals that Stephanie McMahon is not in the arena tonight and Rollins threatens to get involved in the main-event between Owens and Reigns. Foley stated that he didn’t want Rollins to get involved and was visibly annoyed. Rollins then called Foley a fool for trusting Stephanie McMahon.

Nia Jax vs Alicia Fox

Nia Jax absolutely destroyed Alicia Fox. Jax was swinging Foxx around by her head and then Speared her through the barricade outside the ring. The officials wound up attending to Alicia Fox as Nia Jax simply walked away.

The New Day came out and cut a promo. They went to roll footage of The Club last week and The Old Day. The crowd got restless and The New Day claimed that they were just kidding and that they burned the footage of that skit. The Club then interrupted and called the Baltimore crowd stupid.

Gallows & Anderson vs Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston

Gallows and Anderson actually controlled most of this match. They were beating down Kofi Kingston until Kingston finally was able to tag in Woods. Xavier Woods got in some offense but it was only a matter of time before The Club took over the match again. Kingston went to jump onto Gallows from the top rope but Gallows kicked him while he was in the air. Anderson and Gallows hit The Magic Killer on Xavier Woods for the pinfall victory.

Winners: Gallows and Anderson

Reaction: The promo this week featuring The Club and The New Day was much better than the one last week. Still, I’m not that interested in their match at Clash of Champions. If The Club suddenly becomes a dominant team again and stops cutting cartoonish promos, I will be interested again. Gallows and Anderson looked solid on tonight’s episode of Raw, but next week they could look like goofballs again.

Jack Swagger vs Jinder Mahal

Jinder Mahal cut a promo about he found inner peace. Jack Swagger came down to the ring to a decent reaction from the crowd. Jinder Mahal defeated Swagger in a relatively short match.

Winner: Jinder Mahal

Reaction: This was nauseating. The crowd broke out in a “USA!” chant because of Jinder Mahal’s inner peace monologue. I find angles like this to uncreative and boring. The entire show has been very bad so far and it is going up against Monday Night Football.

Enzo Amore vs Epico

Enzo Amore was looking like he was going to win. He went to Suplex Epico into the ring from the apron. Primo grabbed Enzo’s feet and Epico fell on top of him. Primo then held down Enzo’s legs so he couldn’t kick out and the referee didn’t notice.

Winner: Epico

Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens

If Roman Reigns wins this match, he will be added to the WWE Universal Championship match at Clash of Champions. Before the match, Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens had a confrontation backstage. Kevin Owens claimed that Rollins was just jealous that Triple H thought he was better than him. Mick Foley then broke the argument up and told Owens to head to the ring. Mick Foley once again warned Rollins to not get involved in the match. If Rollins gets involved, Foley stated that there would be consequences.

Owens and Reigns battled outside the ring in the beginning of this match. When the action spilled back to the ring, Owens got the upper-hand. Owens hit a Senton on Reigns but Roman kicked out at two. Kevin Owens sent Reigns into the ring post outside the ring. When Raw returned from a commercial break, Kevin Owens had Reigns locked in a Chinlock. Reigns battled back but went to dive onto Owens in the corner and Owens got out of the way. Reigns went flying into the ring post. Owens then sent Reigns into the steel stairs outside the ring.

The referee called for the bell when Seth Rollins ran down and attacked Kevin Owens from behind. Mick Foley came out and screamed at Rollins. Foley then ordered the match to be restarted. This gave Reigns enough time to recover and he took control of the match once it restarted.

Reigns hit Owens with a Samoan Drop but Owens kicked out at two. Reigns went for a Superplex but Kevin Owens bit Reigns and he let go. Roman Reigns went for the Superplex again but Owens reversed it into a Fisherman’s Suplex of his own. Reigns kicked out at two. Owens then hit a Frog Splash but Reigns once again kicked out.  Owens went for the Cannonball but Reigns rolled out of the way. Reigns went for the Spear but Owens blocked it. Reigns then hit the Superman Punch but Owens kicked out at the last second. Owens hit Reigns with a Superkick and followed it up with two Cannonballs to Reigns. Owens went for the Pop-Up Powerbomb but Reigns countered into a Powerbomb of his own. Kevin Owens kicked out at two. Rusev then ran down to the ring and Roman Reigns hit him with a Superman Punch. Owens then shoved Reigns into the ropes and hit the Pop-Up Powerbomb for the victory. The main event at Clash of Champions is Seth Rollins versus Kevin Owens. Rusev attacked Roman Reigns after the match. Rusev locked in The Accolade on Reigns to close the show.

Reaction: The main-event was very good but the rest of this show was incredibly boring.  On a positive note, the card for Clash of Champions is looking pretty good.

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

WWE Clash Of Champions: Updated Card For 9/25

Following Monday’s RAW, here is the updated card for the upcoming WWE Clash of Champions pay-per-view:

– WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins

– RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks

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

– Sami Zayn vs. Chris Jericho

Based on the conclusion of RAW’s main event, expect to see Rusev vs. Roman Reigns for the United States Championship added soon.

Clash of Champions takes place on Sunday, September 25th from Indianapolis, Indiana.

Vince McMahon Injured, Undergoing Surgery

WWE announced on Monday evening that company Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon sustained an injury while training. He will require surgery for the undisclosed injury.

WWE.com reports that Vince McMahon will be back in the office at WWE Headquarters on Wednesday.

The 71-year-old is still an avid bodybuilder and will probably be back in the gym faster than John Cena returns from a bicep tear.

Get well soon, Mr. McMahon!

Heath Slater To Sign New WWE SmackDown Contract

After winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championship with Rhyno at WWE Backlash last night, Heath Slater will finally get his SmackDown contract this week. WWE just announced that Slater will sign the contract on tomorrow’s SmackDown episode.:

Heath Slater’s wife, Beulah, and their seven kids were rocking in the single-wide this past Sunday when Slater & Rhyno defeated The Usos to become the first SmackDown Tag Team Champions at Backlash. The victory not only positioned the odd couple as the duo to beat on Team Blue, but also finally secured Slater a SmackDown LIVE contract — a contract The One Man Band will sign this Tuesday night!

Tune in to SmackDown Live tomorrow night to for Heath Slater’s contract signing.

WWE RAW Results & Live Discussion (9/12)

The September 12, 2016 edition of of WWE Monday Night RAW aired live on the USA Network from the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, MD.

– Mick Foley comes out to start the show and talks about how he thinks RAW has the best women’s wrestling on TV today. And on that note, he brings out the RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte and her sidekick Dana Brooke. Charlotte says that her mentorship of Dana is over, and Dana apologizes. Foley interrupts and says that’s not why he brought her out, but rather to discuss a title defense. With that, Sasha interrupts and says she’s the real face of WWE and will take the title back at the Clash Of Champions. Bayley interrupts to say that she believes she should have a title shot since she beat Charlotte last week. Dana chimes in, and Charlotte tells her if she talks again tonight she’ll slap the taste out of Dana’s mouth. Foley says tonight we’ll see Sasha vs. Bayley, and the winner takes Charlotte at the pay-per-view. Charlotte says this is Dana’s fault, but Dana has had enough and slaps Charlotte across the face. With that, Foley adds Dana to Bayley vs. Sasha tonight, and it’s up next.

Sasha Banks def. Bayley & Dana Brooke: After focusing much of their attention on Dana Brooke in the opening minutes, Bayley and Sasha finally throw Dana to the outside and square off with each other. After a couple minutes of back and forth action, Dana pulls Sasha outside and slams her into the ring apron. Sasha is still selling her bad back. Dana turns her attention to Bayley back in the ring, but Sasha breaks up a Fireman’s Carry attempt with a rollup for a 2 count. Sasha, still selling her back, hits a double knee strike on Dana for another 2. Bayley hits a cross body off the top on Sasha for another near-fall. Dana throws Bayley to the outside, then Sasha hits a backstabber on Dana and goes into the Banks Statement. Bayley breaks it up and hits the belly to belly suplex on Dana. Sasha breaks up the pin and rolls up Bayley for the win.

– Backstage, Dana Brooke apologizes to Charlotte. Charlotte tells her to shut up and get her bags.

– The Shining Stars are backstage trying to sell R-Truth on a vacation package to Puerto Rico. R-Truth says he’ll sign up, but Goldust interrupts and ruins the sale. Enzo and Cass show up and call the Shining Stars haters and con-men. The Shining Stars say they’re just two honest businessmen trying to share their country with the world. Enzo and Cass challenge them to a match tonight, and they accept.

– Kevin Owens is in the back being interviewed about his upcoming match against Roman Reigns. Owens says Rollins is jealous of him, and that Reigns doesn’t even belong in the same ring as him. He says Mick Foley was never on the same level as his “mentor” Triple H. Owens says he’ll leave Clash of Champions with his belt. Jericho walks on screen and tells the interviewer that Sami Zayn will be his guest on the Highlight Reel tonight.

Bo Dallas def. Brandon Scott: Dallas cuts a promo before the match about “believing in Bo.” Scott gets in a little offense, but Bo quickly shuts him down with a spinning powerslam and a backbreaker. We get a “let’s go jobber” chant from the crowd. Bo hits a spinning reverse DDT for the win in a very short squash match.

– Jericho comes out for the Highlight Reel next. Jericho explains that Foley pulled Kevin Owens from the Reel tonight to wrestle Roman Reigns, so he has to settle with “the lowest of the low,” Sami Zayn. Jericho makes fun of Zayn for being “dumped” by Owens as his best friend, and now Jericho is Owens’ best friend. Zayn says if Jericho believes that Owens is his friend, then he truly is a stupid idiot. Jericho says Zayn and all of the heathens in the crowd are disrespectful and jealous. Zayn says “the gift of Jericho” is a crappy gift. Zayn says Jericho sounds ridiculous these days, and that him and Owens got into the business because of how Jericho used to be, along with Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero. Zayn says nowadays Jericho is just Kevin Owens’ bitch. Jericho says he just got a text from Kevin Owens, and proceeds to smash his phone over Zayn’s head. He hits the Codebreaker on Zayn and leaves.

Cesaro vs. Sheamus: Before the match, we see footage of Cesaro beating Sheamus at a house show. Sheamus gets distracted by the crowd and Cesaro hits a big clothesline for a two-count early on. Sheamus comes back with a series of spears in the corner, but shortly after Cesaro hits a running European uppercut and sends Sheamus outside. Cesaro comes off the apron with a splash that drops Sheamus at ringside, and follows up with another running European uppercut. Back in the ring, Sheamus hits a backbreaker and continues to work the lower back of Cesaro. Cesaro fights out of a superplex attempt and hits a cross body off the top for a near-fall on Sheamus. They go back and forth trading European uppercuts until Cesaro gets the upper hand and hits a series of them. Cesaro isn’t able to hit the Neutralizer, but he does get Sheamus in a Sharpshooter. Sheamus escapes, but Cesaro drops him again and swings him. He only gets one rotation due to his back injury, and Sheamus hops up and hits the Irish Curse backbreaker for a two count. Cesaro evades a Celtic Cross and rolls up Sheamus. Cesaro puts his feet on the ropes for leverage and gets the pinfall victory over Sheamus. Sheamus now has 3 wins and Cesaro has 2 in their best of 7 series.

– Seth Rollins is in the back complaining to Mick Foley about him giving Roman Reigns a shot at Owens. Foley says it was the fair thing to do, but Rollins disagrees. Rollins keeps complaining and Foley snaps, and makes Rollins promise he won’t interfere in Reigns vs. Owens tonight. Rollins calls Foley a fool and walks away.

– After we come back from commercial, Michael Cole announces that Sami Zayn vs. Chris Jericho has been booked for Clash Of Champions.

Nia Jax vs. Alicia Fox – No contest: Nia controls the opening minutes of the match both inside and outside the ring. She throws Alicia by the hair into the fan barricade, then onto the floor. Nia spears Alicia through the barricade by the timekeeper’s area. The referees stop the match after checking on Alicia and no winner is declared.

– The New Day is out next. They trash Gallows & Anderson’s segment last week with the New Day impersonators. Gallows and Anderson come out and cut a promo on The New Day, and a tag match is up next.

Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson def. Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods: the New Day members get in lots of offense early on, including a springboard splash off the top rope by Kofi onto Gallows. Gallows throws Kofi outside and Anderson drops him. Anderson throws Kofi back in the ring and Gallows hits a big boot and a series of elbow drops for a two count. Anderson gets the tag and hits another kick to the face of Kofi. Anderson hits a spinebuster for a near-fall on Kofi. Gallows kicks Kofi out of the ring to the floor as the heels keep control of the match. Xavier gets the hot tag, but eventually his momentum gets slowed down by Anderson and they exchange right hands. Xavier comes back with a kick and a tornado DDT. He goes up top and hits a flying elbow drop on Anderson for two. Kofi comes off the top but Gallows stops him with a boot in mid-air. Gallows and Anderson hit the Magic Killer on Xavier for the win.

– Roman Reigns cuts a promo in the back about wanting to get to Clash of Champions to win the Universal Title, and in order to do that he has to beat Owens tonight.

– Jinder Mahal comes out to the ring to cut a promo about feeling hate and rage towards everyone. He starts speaking in a foreign language, then in English says he’s let go of his hate and found inner peace. Jack Swagger interrupts, and we have a match.

Jinder Mahal def. Jack Swagger: Mahal controls the opening minutes of the match and takes things to the outside. Back in the ring, Jinder gets Jack in a chin lock, but Swagger escapes and hits a back body drop. Swagger hits a couple clotheslines and a spinebuster. Swagger misses a Swagger Bomb and Jinder comes back with a neckbreaker for the win.

– Backstage, Swagger is asked about his RAW contract expiring soon. Swagger has no comment and walks away.

Epico vs. Enzo Amore: Epico dominates the opening moments, but Enzo comes back with a tornado DDT. At ringside, Big Cass drops Primo with a big boot, so Epico hits a suicide dive on Cass. Enzo comes off the top rope and hits a splash on Epico on the floor. Back in the ring, Epico reverses a suplex and pins Enzo. Primo holds down Enzo’s feet from the floor so he’s unable to kick out, and Epico gets the pinfall victory.

– Seth Rollins confronts Kevin Owens in the back. Owens replies saying that Roman Reigns won’t have a chance at beating him, and says Reigns did all the work for Rollins in The Shield. Owens says Rollins is just bitter that Triple H realized Owens is better. Owens says Rollins has done since he returned is fail, while Owens won the Universal Title on his first shot. Mick Foley interrupts and tells Owens his match is up right now. Foley tells Rollins if he interferes tonight there will be consequences.

Kevin Owens def. Roman Reigns: Owens rolls outside when the bell sounds and Reigns follows him out. They brawl around ringside with Reigns getting the upper hand. Back in the ring, Owens mounts a comeback and drops Reigns with an elbow to the face. Owens puts Reigns in a chin lock and Reigns fights out with a back suplex. Reigns hits a short arm clothesline that sends Owens rolling out to ringside. Reigns comes flying off the ring steps but Owens catches him with a superkick then throws him into the ring post. Back in the ring, Owens keeps Reigns grounded with a chin lock. Reigns gets up and misses a spear, instead crashing into the ring post. Owens throws Reigns around at ringside, then Rollins attacks Owens from behind. Rollins beats down Owens on the ramp. Mick Foley and Fit Finlay come out to break it up. Foley yells at Rollins, Rollins replies saying he does what he wants. Foley sends Rollins away, then restarts the match. Owens throws Reigns into the ring steps, then rolls him back in the ring. Reigns and Owens trade right hands, then Reigns drops him with a clothesline. Reigns blocks a superkick attempt and hits a Samoan drop for a near-fall. Reigns sets up Owens on the top turnbuckle and goes for a superplex, but Owens bites him and throws him off. Reigns goes for another one, but Owens reverses it into a brainbuster off the middle rope or a 2 count. Owens goes back up top and hits a frogsplash for another 2 count. Owens superkicks Reigns into the corner and goes for the cannonball but Reigns moves. Owens blocks a spear attempt, but Reigns comes back with a Superman punch for another near-fall. Owens comes back with a superkick, and this time does hit the cannonball. He hits a second one and goes for the pop up powerbomb, but Reigns gets out and hits a powerbomb of his own for 2. Rusev runs out but Reigns Superman punches him off the apron. Reigns turns around into a pop up powerbomb from Owens for a three count.

– After the match, Rusev drops Reigns with a superkick then pummels him with right hands. Rusev puts Reigns in the Accolade then stands over his body as RAW goes off the air.

Update On Luke Harper’s Return, Latest From Rusev & Lana’s Honeymoon (Photos)

– Luke Harper is back at the WWE Performance Center this week as he tries to get cleared to return to the ring. Harper spent all of last week at the Performance Center doing rehab work.

– WWE United States Champion Rusev and wife Lana are scheduled to return to WWE action at the 9/24 house show in Chicago. They are then scheduled for the 9/25 Clash of Champions pay-per-view in Chicago but we have not heard confirmation on Rusev defending. Rusev was not joking when he tweeted about having a 20+ day honeymoon. Here’s the latest from their honeymoon:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKQnSIgg6o8/?taken-by=thelanawwe

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKRPuoDg2Rc/?taken-by=thelanawwe

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKJ8CK1ABiq/?taken-by=thelanawwe

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKJZZI1APn3/?taken-by=thelanawwe

Roman Reigns Arrives For RAW, German Athlete At The WWE PC, WWE MSG News

– AJ Styles, John Cena, Dean Ambrose, Becky Lynch, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, The Miz, Maryse, Dolph Ziggler and Naomi have been announced for the Monday, 12/26 WWE house show from MSG in NYC. Tickets go on sale Saturday, 9/24.

– German athlete Tim Wiese reported to the WWE Performance Center to begin training over the weekend. Triple H tweeted the following on Wiese today:

– Roman Reigns has arrived for tonight’s RAW in Baltimore and says he feels phenomenal and ready to go after wrapping a rough international tour this weekend. WWE posted this video of Reigns arriving as he prepares to face Kevin Owens tonight:

Alberto El Patron vs. Rey Mysterio Announced

Mexican wrestling legends Alberto El Patron and Rey Mysterio Jr. will square off on October 12th in Yakima, WA at the Sun Valley Sundome. The match is being promoted by upstart lucha libre promotion Lucha Ilimitado.

Tickets are now available at TicketsWest.com. For more information, visit LuchaIlimitado.com.

CM Punk’s UFC 203 Pay Revealed

https://youtu.be/5sXkzaE3OG4

The Ohio Athletic Commission has released details on fighter pay for this past weekend’s UFC 203 event from Cleveland.

CM Punk earned a flat $500,000 for his MMA debut this past Saturday night at UFC 203. He was not eligible for a performance bonus. Punk’s opponent Mickey Gall, who made short-work of the former WWE Superstar, earned $15,000 to appear and a $15,000 bonus for winning.

It’s likely that CM Punk will also get a piece of the pay-per-view revenue. MMA insider Front Row Brian speculates Punk earned a rate for every PPV buy over 250,000. Under this scenario, Punk getting $2.50 on a show that did 500,000 buys would yield him an additional $625,000.

Saturday night’s Google Trends reveal that interest was high for this show. UFC 203 was the top trend for Saturday with over 1 million searches. CM Punk was not in the Top 20 search topics for the day.

UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic earned $600,000 for his successful title defense, while Alistair Overeem, who got knocked out cold by the Cleveland native, took home $800,000.

Bo Dallas: Video Of His Public Intoxication Arrest

TMZ Sports has released the police body cam footage of Bo Dallas’ public intoxication arrest from 8/26 at a Dallas, TX airport.

After being kicked off his flight for yelling at the flight crew, police found him at a terminal after receiving complaints about his condition. According to the police report, he “demonstrated very poor dexterity” and smelled of alcohol. When asked how much he was drinking, he told cops he wasn’t really planning on driving that night. As you can see from the video, he’s slurring his speech, dropping things and doesn’t seem fit to fly. While loading him into the police vehicle, an officer can be heard saying, “He’s a wrestler. He’s been cooperative, but he’s a strong boy.”

Bo Dallas was not suspended by WWE for the incident. He was back in action last week on RAW, where he won a quick match against an enhancement talent. He was overseas this weekend for WWE’s live event from Shanghai, where he lost to the debuting Tian Bin (formerly Bin Wang).

Backstage News On Randy Orton’s Concussion

CsJ2mnhUIAA_NaZ

Multiple sources have indicated Randy Orton was kept off last night’s WWE Backlash PPV due to concussion-related symptoms. Following the massacre by Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, Orton was diagnosed with a concussion — in addition to the 10 staples he required to close the nasty gash on his head. Since then, Orton has been undergoing Impact concussion tests. He’s passed some, but not enough to the point where WWE’s medical staff was willing to medically clear him to compete.

As expected, WWE ran an injury angle at Backlash where Bray Wyatt attacked him backstage. Wyatt injured Orton’s leg on the show and there was no mention of a concussion. Orton would later appear during Bray Wyatt’s match with Kane and delivered an RKO to Wyatt. The fact that WWE is letting Orton get physical indicates they are optimistic he will get cleared sooner than later.

Randy Orton hasn’t wrestled since SummerSlam, but is scheduled to have a rematch against Lesnar in less than two weeks at WWE’s 9/24 live event from Chicago.

Bella Twins’ New Lingerie Company Moving Forward, Renee Young Reacts To Dean’s Loss, More

– Ticket sales for last week’s WWE live event from Shanghai, China were disappointing, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. The Manila, Philippines show drew well. You can see video and results from the WWE Shanghai show here.

– WWE officials have high expectations for Cruiserweight Classic competitor Jack Gallagher, who has been signed for the new RAW cruiserweight division.

– Renee Young wasn’t thrilled with the outcome of last night’s Backlash main event. It’s not secret that she’s in a relationship with Dean Ambrose. She had this to say about AJ Styles’ WWE World Championship win:

https://twitter.com/ReneeYoungWWE/status/775161357071216640

– The Bella Twins recently launched their Birdiebee lingerie brand. Birdbiee’s Instagram bio @BirdeeBrand describes itself as, “A pay it forward brand that represents feminine health & women’s empowerment. We make panties with a purpose.” Nikki and Brie took part in the company’s first video shoot last week.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKFJXInBF3f/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKFGqfCBYog/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKFIJuuBdl3/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKFLxfjh9GR/

AJ Styles & Becky Lynch React To Their Title Wins (Videos), WWE No Mercy Promo

– AJ Styles and Becky Lynch won big at Sunday night’s Backlash PPV, both winning their first championships in WWE and becoming the new faces of the SmackDown brand. WWE caught up with both of them backstage at the show. Styles delivered a low blow to Dean Ambrose before putting him away with the Styles Clash, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter that he bent the rules en route to capturing the WWE World Championship. At the end of the day, he’s got the gold and he’s in the history books.

After becoming the first SmackDown Women’s Champion, Becky Lyncg still can’t believe her girlhood dream has come true.

– WWE has released the first promo for the SmackDown brand’s next pay-per-view, No Mercy (10/9).

The Latest On Paige’s WWE Status, Clash Of Champions Women’s Title Match Scrapped?

CsHoCF6UsAAeNRy

– It looks like the Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Women’s Championship match might not be taking place at Clash of Champions after all. WWE’s website staff was recently told to remove all references to the SummerSlam rematch, according to f4wonline.com. Charlotte is still featured on some of the PPV artwork, but the match has been pulled from the Clash of Champions event page.

Last week on RAW during Sasha’s “bad news” promo, she told Dana Brooke, “Let [Charlotte] know that at Clash of Champions, that title is coming back to me.” Charlotte responded:

The WWE website’s RAW results from last week now states Charlotte “might have to contend with a fully-healthy Boss at Clash of Champions.” We should know more on the status of the bout after tonight’s RAW. It’s worth noting that Sasha did wrestle against Charlotte during last week’s overseas tour, losing each match to the champion.

– Now that Alberto Del Rio is officially gone  from WWE and taking bookings elsewhere, a few people behind the scenes in WWE have pointed out that Paige is currently in the same situation that AJ Lee was facing when CM Punk left the company. It appeared at one point last week that Paige was on her way out. She has retained legal representation, but she is still under contract.  It’s a developing story that we will stay on top of – but the big difference between Paige and AJ Lee’s situations is that Del Rio left on good terms while Punk certainly did not.

NJPW: Road to Destruction Results (9/11/16)

Here are the results for New Japan’s Road to Destruction event in Shizuoka:

Henare b Hirai Kawato – Henare takes the submission win with a single leg crab

Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima b. David Finlay & Teruaki Kanemitsu – Tenzan locks in the Anaconda Vice  on Kanemitsu to secure the submission victory for his team

Katsuyori Shibata, Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & Tiger Mask IV b. Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Yoshitatsu & Captain New Japan – Nagata hits the Exploder of Justice on Captain New Japan to secure the win

Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Chase Owens b. Hirooki Goto, Rocky Romero & Barreta – Tonga hits the Gunstun on Romero for the win

Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI b. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, KUSHIDA & Ryusuke Taguchi  – Naito hits the Destino on Juice Robinson to take the pinfall victory for his team

Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI b. Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi – YOSHI-HASHI hits the Karma on Yujiro to take the pinfall victory in the main event

What Happened After Backlash, Update On Tyson Kidd’s WWE Status, Gargano Talks

– There was no dark match or segment after WWE Backlash went off the air last night in Richmond. After new WWE World Champion AJ Styles left, Dean Ambrose walked to the back while his music played.

– In regards to reports on Tyson Kidd’s WWE contract expiring, MLW Radio says those reports are incorrect. They tweeted the following this weekend, revealing that WWE renewed Kidd’s deal months ago. Kidd has been out of action for more than 1 year with a neck injury.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/774319455903944704

– Johnny Gargano spoke with the WWE website to discuss his EVOLVE farewell events from this weekend and commented on coming to the main roster for the RAW cruiserweight division later this month:

“I was actually at my bachelor party when the clip aired on Raw. My phone started blowing up with people saying they saw me. As a wrestling fan, Raw’s the flagship, what we tune into every single week. When you think of wrestling, you think of Raw. To think that there’s going to be guys like me, and when I say that, I mean the cruiserweights — I’ve known a lot of them and wrestled them before WWE. These guys are like me, they were told through their entire career that they were too small and would never make it or be on Monday Night Raw. For all of us to be coming there together is super cool. We’re all excited to show the world what we can do. There’s a New Era in WWE, and we’re going to prove that.”

WWE Confirms New Coach, Inside The WWE PC Combine, Former Star At WWE HQ

– Former WWE Hardcore Champion Terri Runnels was at WWE HQ last week to film material for future WWE Network programming.

– In the video below, WWE Strength & Conditioning Coach Sean Hayes taking us inside the recent WWE Performance Center Combine:

– Speaking of the WWE Performance Center, WWE confirmed that Scotty 2 Hotty has been hired as a full-time coach. They announced the following:

Scotty 2 Hotty joins WWE Performance Center as a coach

The WWE Performance Center coaching staff has added another former champion to the team.

Attitude Era favorite Scotty 2 Hotty — aka, Scott Taylor— began coaching NXT recruits full-time this week in Orlando, Florida. A former WWE Tag Team and Light Heavyweight Champion, Taylor visited the Performance Center as a guest coach in June, and has competed in WWE and NXT as recently as 2014.

Famous for his outstretched hair and crowd-pleasing “Worm” taunt, Taylor became one of the most popular WWE Superstars of The Attitude Era, teaming regularly with Too Cool partner Grandmaster Sexay and WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi.

He joins another former teammate at the Performance Center in the form of Head Coach Matt Bloom. Bloom and Taylor partnered in 2001-2002, while Bloom competed under the moniker of the “Hip Hop Hippo” Albert.