Archive for April, 2017

Sami Zayn Frustrated After Loss, Jinder Mahal Confident He Can Defeat Randy Orton (Videos)

Sami Zayn Frustrated After Another Loss On SmackDown

Last night on WWE SmackDown, Sami Zayn competed in a Six-Pack Challenge. The winner of that match would become the #1 contender for the WWE Championship. Sami Zayn was about to hit the Helluva Kick on Jinder Mahal but the Bollywood Boyz appeared and grabbed his legs from behind him. Jinder Mahal then won the match and Sami Zayn came up short yet again. WWE has uploaded a new backstage interview with Zayn after his latest loss and Zayn was visibly frustrated. Zayn stated that he was really angry and heartbroken about coming in second place again.

Jinder Mahal Confident He Will Defeat Randy Orton

Jinder Mahal appeared on Talking Smack last night after WWE SmackDown. Mahal said that he heard the boos from the crowd when he won the match. Mahal also stated that when he wins the WWE Championship he will become the new American Dream. Jinder was asked about Randy Orton and Mahal claimed that Orton should be worried. Mahal claimed that he could see fear in Orton’s eyes and that he is going to take the WWE Championship away from him.

Posted April 19th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: , .

WWE SmackDown Recap & Reaction (4/18)

Charlotte kicked off this week’s episode of SmackDown. Charlotte stated that she has already lost her patience with Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon. Charlotte demanded a SmackDown Women’s Championship match. Smackdown Women’s Champion Naomi came down to the ring and made fun of Charlotte for begging for a match. Naomi then stated that the match will happen right now and leveled Charlotte. Naomi knocked Charlotte out of the ring and a referee then sprinted to the ring and actively tried to prevent Charlotte from getting back in the ring for some reason.

Shane McMahon then made a match between Naomi and Charlotte for later tonight. If Charlotte wins, she is the number one contender and will face Naomi again next week for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. Charlotte and Naomi then brawled for a bit. Charlotte threw Naomi out of the ring and celebrated with the Smackdown Women’s Championship. Naomi then got back in the ring and threw Charlotte out and raised up her title.

Reaction: Charlotte made a reference to the new Fast & Furious movie and it was one of the worst lines I’ve ever heard. Whoever came up with “I’m fastly getting furious” needs to go sit in a dark room for a while and reevaluate things. Other than that line, I enjoyed this promo and the mini-brawl between Naomi and Charlotte.

Natalya, Carmella, James Ellsworth and Tamina Snuka were all backstage and pissed off at Shane McMahon. Natalya thought it was ridiculous that Charlotte is already in the title picture on SmackDown. Natalya then said that she had an idea and instructed Carmella, Ellsworth and Snuka to follow her to discuss things.

Six-Pack Challenge To Determine #1 Contender For WWE Championship: Luke Harper vs Sami Zayn vs Erick Rowan vs Mojo Rawley vs Dolph Ziggler vs Jinder Mahal

Harper connected with a big boot to Ziggler for a two count. SmackDown quickly went to a commercial break right after the match started. When SmackDown returned, Mojo delivered a Superplex to Ziggler, Harper hit a Superplex on Rowan and Zayn Powerbombed Mahal off the top rope. Zayn went for the Helluva Kick on Ziggler but Dolph hit him with a Superkick. Rowan Powerbombed Harper and then collided with Mahal and both Superstars fell to the mat.

Mojo leveled Mahal with a shoulder tackle and he fell out of the ring. Zayn knocked Mojo out of the ring and then Harper knocked Zayn out of the ring. Harper then leaped out of the ring and hit Jinder Mahal with a Suicide Dive. Harper then hit another Suicide Dive onto both Mojo and Zayn. Back in the ring, Rowan hit Ziggler with a big boot for a two count. Rowan then Powerbombed Ziggler onto everyone outside the ring.

Rowan brought Zayn back in the ring and went for a pinfall but Zayn kicked out at two. SmackDown went to another commercial break after Rowan launched Sami out of the ring. When SmackDown returned, Mojo Rawley was in control of the match. He hit Ziggler with a Splash in the corner. Dolph fought back but Mojo slammed him to the mat. Mojo leveled Rawley with a running punch and then Jinder through Mojo out of the ring. Jinder went for the pinfall but Sami Zayn broke it up.

Harper and Rowan then traded punches in the ring. Ziggler hit Rowan with a Zig Zag for a two count. The crowd started to chant “this is awesome!” as Ziggler connected with a Dropkick to Harper. Harper responded by hitting a Powerbomb on Ziggler for a two count. Jinder slammed Harper into the steel steps outside the ring. Mahal then charged at Zayn in the ring but Sami got out of the way and Mahal slammed into the ring post. Sami then Moonsaulted onto Mojo outside the ring.

Back in the ring, Sami Zayn hit Jinder Mahal with an Exploder Suplex. Zayn was about to go for the Helluva Kick but the Bollywood Boys appeared and grabbed Sami’s legs from behind. Jinder Mahal then slammed Zayn to the mat for the victory.

After the match, Mahal cut a promo bashing Americans for not accepting diversity. Mahal stated that Americans will now have no choice but to accept Mahal as the next WWE Champion. Randy Orton then came down to the ring and congratulated Mahal on winning the match. Orton said that Mahal’s prize won’t be the WWE Championship, it will be an RKO.

Orton then mentioned Bray Wyatt and the House of Horrors match that they will have at WWE Payback. Bray Wyatt then appeared on the Jumbotron and said that he is going to inflict pain on Orton at Payback. Wyatt then stated that Orton will not walk out of the House of Horrors match and then he told Orton to run and that was the end of the promo.

Winner & New #1 Contender For WWE Championship: Jinder Mahal 

Reaction: I did not expect Jinder Mahal to win this match at all. I don’t think anyone did. Jinder cut a solid promo after the match as well. It is a little tiresome that every heel Superstar that is not American automatically has to be this anti-American guy that shouts in another language. I don’t have a problem with the gimmick, I’m just tired of seeing it over and over again. Hopefully Mahal can bring something new to the table and actually piss off the crowd, rather than just get them to unenthusiastically chant “USA!”.

I cannot stand how WWE is booking the WWE Championship match between Orton and Wyatt at Payback. It feels like a total afterthought. Randy Orton confronted Jinder Mahal tonight and then a minute later he was talking about his match with Bray Wyatt. As for Bray Wyatt, he cut another ominous promo about fear and pain. It is stunning how WWE has made a character that was so interesting a few months ago into a  complete bore. Nothing Bray Wyatt says matters if he continues to lose matches. This has been the issue the entire time he has been in WWE.

AJ Styles was interviewed backstage about being the number one contender for the United States Championship. Baron Corbin quickly interrupted and it led to a match between Styles and Corbin later tonight.

Charlotte was shown backstage and stumbled upon Ellsworth, Carmella, Tamina Snuka and Natalya. Natalya welcomed Charlotte to SmackDown. Ellsworth then sarcastically said it was an honor to be in the presence of greatest. Natalya then purposely bumped into Charlotte as she tried to walk past her.

Naomi vs Charlotte

Charlotte started off the match in control and stomped on Naomi in the corner. Carmella, Natalya, Ellsworth and Tamina were shown watching the match backstage. Charlotte beat the hell out of Naomi for the next several minutes and taunted her the entire time. Charlotte applied a Chinlock but Naomi battled out of it and hit a Leg Drop for a two count. Charlotte and Naomi traded chops and kicks. Naomi then hit Charlotte with a series of kicks and knocked her to the mat. SmackDown went to a commercial break with Superstars on the floor outside the ring.

When SmackDown returned. Charlotte was once again in control of the match. Ellsworth, Carmella, Snuka and Natalya were once again shown backstage watching the match. All four of them had zero expression on their face while watching the match backstage. It was as if they weren’t aware the camera was on this time. Naomi hit a series of punches to Charlotte and then followed it up with a Clothesline. Naomi hit a Crossbody off the top rope for a two count. Naomi went for the Rear View but Charlotte booted Naomi in the back. Charlotte then hit Natural Selection and now has a shot at the Smackdown Women’s Championship next week. After the match, Charlotte was shown walking backstage and she stumbled upon the viewing party of Ellsworth, Carmella, Snuka and Natalya. Charlotte winked and screamed “woo!” and walked away.

Winner: Charlotte

Reaction: Charlotte and Naomi had a decent match tonight. I’m just going to assume that Natalya’s plan will come to fruition next week. WWE seems to like having Superstars defeat Champions in non-title matches to earn a title match. I’d rather see a tournament, or Charlotte face Becky Lynch or any woman on the SmackDown roster to earn the title match. I don’t understand the point of having Superstars that hold titles lose matches regularly on television. I also don’t like how we just watched Charlotte versus Naomi tonight and now we are getting the same match again next week. Granted, next week’s match is for the Smackdown Women’s Championship so it will be a bit more exciting.

American Alpha vs The Shining Stars

American Alpha was in control of this match in the beginning. Primo and Epico eventually isolated Gable and spent a few minutes taking turns beating him down. Jordan was tagged in and the momentum turned once again.  Epico and Primo then hit Jordan with a cheap shot while the referee was distracted for the victory.

Winners: The Shining Stars

Face Of America Open Challenge: Kevin Owens vs Gary Gandy 

Owens won the match easily with a Pop-Up Powerbomb. After the match, Owens demanded that all the lazy citizens of the United States put the hot dog down and listen to him. Owens stated that he will remain the face of America as long as he is the United States Champion. Owens then joined the commentary table for the main event.

Winner: Kevin Owens

Reaction: *cracks open a Budweiser and screams “AMERICA!” at screen*

Baron Corbin vs AJ Styles

The crowd chanted “AJ Styles!” as the bell rang. Corbin threw Styles out of the ring and then followed him out there. Corbin slammed AJ’s head off the ring apron and SmackDown went to a commercial break. When SmackDown returned, Corbin was still in control. Corbin lost momentum when he charged at Styles in the corner and missed and smashed into the ring post. That seems to happen to Corbin in every single match.

Styles hit Corbin with a Pele Kick. Corbin battled back and hit a Backbreaker for a two count. Corbin charged at Styles in the corner but Styles booted him in the face and applied the Calf Crusher in the middle of the ring. Corbin hit the Deep Six for a two count and became frustrated when Styles kicked out. The action spilled out of the ring and Corbin launched Styles into Owens at the announcer’s table. Styles then hit a Phenomenal Forearm on Corbin and sent him over the barricade. Styles then got back in the ring right before the referee counted to ten.

Winner via Count Out: AJ Styles

Reaction: The main event was a decent match, but overall I wasn’t a fan of this week’s episode of SmackDown. I think Jinder Mahal as the #1 contender can be interesting in the next few weeks. However, if it turns into Randy Orton carrying around an American flag and stereotypical garbage, I won’t be that interested anymore. The Six-Pack Challenge match was very entertaining, but the rest of this week’s episode of SmackDown was pretty forgettable.

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

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, WWE.

WWE SmackDown Results & Live Discussion (4/18)

The April 18th edition of WWE SmackDown aired live from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY. This was the first episode of SmackDown since last week’s Superstar Shake-up.

– Charlotte comes out to the ring to kick off SmackDown to comaplain about how Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan are treating her. She makes a joke about the new Fast & Furious movie, and says she’s the best star in WWE today. This brings out Naomi who says she’ll give Charlotte what she wants: A Women’s Title shot. Naomi says they’re going to do it right here and right now, then lays out Charlotte with a right hand. A referee tries to separate them and Naomi dropkicks Charlotte out to the floor at ringside. Shane McMahon comes out and makes a match between them. Shane says Charlotte has to earn her spot here on SmackDown, and if she beats Naomi tonight she’ll get a Title match next week. This will happen later tonight. We go to the announcers at ringside, but then Charlotte tackles Naomi in the ring and pummels on her. Naomi fights back and throws Charlotte out of the ring again.

– Backstage we see Natalya complaining to Shane that Charlotte is getting better treatment than her. Shane tells Natalya she’ll have to make her own opportunities. Carmella and Ellsworth interrupt next, and they also complain about Charlotte. Tamina interrupts next, and the women all get into a war of words. Natalya tells them to shut up and that this is all Charlotte’s fault. Natalya tells the ladies that management already has their minds made up, and invites them to go talk in private away from Shane.

– Jinder Mahal def. Luke Harper, Dolph Ziggler, Eric Rowan, Mojo Rawley, Sami Zayn: This one is the Six-Pack Challenge to determine the #1 contender for the WWE Championship after Payback. All six men start brawling off the opening bell with several of them spilling out to ringside, leaving Harper and Rowan alone in the ring. The former & current Wyatt disciples go at it in the ring until Harper hits a senton bomb on Rowan. Sami Zayn and Jinder Mahal make their way back in the ring and Zayn hits a Blue Thunder Bomb on Mahal for a near-fall. Ziggler hits a superkick on both Zayn and Harper, but Harper comes right back with a lariat on Ziggler. Harper follows up with a powerbomb on Zayn. Mojo and Jinder start going at it until things spill outside, then Harper hits a suicide dive on Jinder on the floor. Harper then climbs back in the ring and hits another suicide dive on both Zayn and Rawley. Eric Rowan gets his second wind and starts laying out his opponents left and right. Mojo gets back in the ring and drops Rowan, then hits a splash on Ziggler in the corner. Ziggler fights back with an elbow and attempts a cross-body ff the middle rope, but Mojo reverses into a gorilla press slam. Mojo hits a running forearm on Ziggler, but Jinder throws Mojo outside and steals the pin on Ziggler. Zayn breaks up the pin and starts working on Mahal. Mahal sends Zayn rolling outside with a flying knee to the face. Rowan drops Jinder with a variation of the Rock Bottom, then turns his attention to Harper. Ziggler hits the Zig Zag on Harper from behind but only gets a two count. Harper drops Ziggler, but then Jinder pulls Harper outside and throws him into the ring steps. Zayn hits a suicide dive on Harper, then a springboard moonsault on Rowan. Sami gears up for the Heluva Kick on Jinder, but some unknown men in white shirts grab Zayn by the legs. Zayn breaks free, but Jinder capitalizes on the distraction with a half-nelson suplex for the win. This one was an all-out brawl and got “this is awesome” chants from the crowd.

– Jinder cuts a promo after the match saying the fans hate him because he doesn’t fit the image of an “all-American,” he’s better educated than them, wealthier than them, and says that Americans can’t handle diversity. Jinder says he will be the next WWE Champion. Randy Orton’s music hits and the current Champion makes his way down the ramp. Orton gets on the mic and congratulates Jinder, but says the only prize he will get is an RKO. Orton turns his attention from Jinder to address Bray Wyatt, and is quickly interrupted by a video of Wyatt on the big screen. Bray shows highlights of Orton burning down his property, and says he’s going to make Orton feels his pain in their House of Horrors match.

– We see a video promoting The New Day “coming soon” to SmackDown.

– They air a video highlighting Shinsuke Nakamura’s career in NXT, including matches against Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn.

– AJ Styles does an interview backstage about Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho, but he’s quickly interrupted by Baron Corbin. AJ brings up that he won in a match against Corbin last week. Corbin reminds him that it wasn’t him that he pinned. AJ says he’ll win again tonight, this time against Corbin. Corbin accepts, and tells AJ “just remember, you asked for this.”

– Charlotte is walking backstage when she runs into Tamina, Natalya, Carmella and Ellsworth. They sarcastically welcome her to SmackDown, and Natalya bumps into her when she walks by.

– Charlotte def. Naomi: Charlotte takes control early on. They exchange submission holds until Naomi drops Charlotte with a double leg take down and they exchange rollup pin attempts. Charlotte gets Naomi in a headscissors choke and tries to keep the Champion grounded. Naomi comes back with a headscissor take down and follows up with a leg drop. Charlotte hits some chops on Naomi and Naomi strikes back with a series of kicks for a two count. Charlotte misses a knee drop and shortly after Naomi hits a dropkick and a facebuster. The Champion hits a cross-body off the top for a near-fall on Charlotte. Naomi sets up for the Rear View, but Charlotte sees it coming and stops short, then follows up with the Natural Selection for the win after a competitive match. Charlotte will now have a shot at Naomi’s Women’s Championship next Tuesday night.

– American Alpha is shown backstage getting ready to come out to the ring.

– Charlotte is shown walking backstage and she runs into the group of Tamina, Natalya, Carmella and Ellsworth again. This time Charlotte just gives a “Woo” and walks away.

– The Shining Stars def. American Alpha: The Shining Stars use an illegal double team behind the ref’s back early on to get an advantage over Gable. The Stars take turns working on Gable and wearing him down. Epico hits a double-underhook gut buster on Gable, then goes into a chin lock. Gable fires up and gets the tag to Jordan who cleans house. Jordan hits a belly to belly overhead suplex on Epico then a big splash in the corner. Jordan follows up with a Northern Lights suplex, but Primo breaks up the pin. Gable comes in but the referee tells him to get out, and The Shining Stars use the distraction for another cheap shot for the win. The Stars quickly escape up the ramp, and Jordan and Gable look angry about the loss.

– We see a video promoting Lana coming to SmackDown soon.

– Tye Dillinger does an interview backstage where he is asked why the fans have welcomed him with such open arms. He says he has a couple ideas why, but has a video package for us that will explain it better. We go to a video showing his WWE debut and some clips from his matches in NXT. We go back to the interview where Dillinger says that’s why he’s the perfect ten, and walks off.

– Kevin Owens’ open challenge: Owens takes the microphone from the announcer during the introduction and does it himself. He reminds the fans that he’s their U.S. Champion from Quebec, Canada. Owens tells the jobber in the ring with him to introduce himself, and he says he’s Gary Candy from Louisville, which gets a hometown pop. The bell rings and Owens immediately beats down the jobber in the corner and stomps a mud hole in him. Owens whips him off the ropes and hits the pop-up powerbomb for the quick win. JBL calls Owens an American hero and “the face of America.” Owens cuts another anti-American promo at ringside, and says that neither Chris Jericho or AJ Styles will take his U.S. Title away from him.

– AJ Styles def. Baron Corbin via count out: Kevin Owens is on commentary for this one. AJ works on Corbin with leg kicks early on. Corbin comes back with an elbow to the face that sends AJ down to the mat. Corbin throws AJ outside and follows him out. Corbin picks up AJ on his shoulders and drops him face-first onto the corner of the ring apron. Corbin beats down AJ at ringside some more, briefly getting distracted by Kevin Owens. Back in the ring, Corbin stomps on Styles in the corner until the referee backs him off. AJ and Corbin trade chops and elbows until Corbin misses a spear in the corner and crashes into the ring post. AJ works on Corbin with some kicks then hits a Pele Kick that drops Corbin. Styles hits a flying forearm smash in the corner, then a flying elbow onto Corbin on the mat for a two count. AJ goes for the Styles Clash, but Corbin gets out and hits a chokeslam onto his knee for a near-fall. AJ gets Corbin in the Calf Crusher but Corbin reaches the ropes to break the hold. AJ charges at Corbin and Corbin catches him with a Deep Six for another two count. AJ hits a forearm shot on Corbin that sends him down to the floor at ringside, then he follows up with a knee to the face at ringside. AJ sets up for a Styles Clash at ringside, but Corbin reverses into a back body drop that sends AJ flying into Kevin Owens. Corbin goes for the End of Days on the floor at ringside, but AJ gets out and kicks Corbin in the face. AJ hops up on the ring apron and jumps off with a flying forearm that sends Corbin falling over the fan barricade. AJ rolls back in the ring and the referee counts out Corbin, who is still in the crowd. Owens regains consciousness at ringside and he doesn’t look happy. AJ celebrates his victory in the ring as SmackDown goes off the air.

Posted April 18th, 2017 in WWE.

Mike Bennett & Maria Kanellis Reportedly WWE Bound

Pro wrestling power couple Mike Bennett and wife Maria Kanellis are set to join WWE soon, according to a report by Wade Keller at PWTorch.com.

Although WWE is in the process of beefing up the NXT roster with talent like Drew Galloway, Kassius Ohno and Aleister Black Keller’s report states that “The Miracle” and Maria will be joining SmackDown Live.

Aside from winding down their independent bookings, the couple has been turning down guest spots on multiple podcast, another indication that they could be WWE-bound.

With news that SmackDown Live’s Kevin Owens is rebooting the ‘United States Champion Open Challenge’ – we can’t think of a better opportunity for the Bennetts to make a big splash on the main roster.

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: , .

WWE RAW Viewership Against NBA Playoffs

This week’s WWE RAW drew 3.346 million viewers, down slightly last week’s 3.429 million viewers. RAW featured Big Show vs. Braun Strowman in the main event, fallout from last week’s Superstar Shakeup and more.

Here is this week’s hourly breakdown courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

  • Hour 1: 3.405 million viewers
  • Hour 2: 3.469 million viewers
  • Hour 3: 3.165 million viewers

RAW was #3 in viewership and #5 in the 18-49 demographic on cable this week. The two NBA Playoff games on TNT topped the night in viewership and the 18-49 demo.

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, WWE.

Lineups Announced For WWE’s Upcoming European Tour

WWE has announced the matches for three of the dates on their upcoming European tour that kicks off on May 3rd in Italy. As reported previously the Hardy Boys will be part of the tour as the ban on Jeff Hardy entering the United Kingdom has now been lifted. Other notable inclusions to the tour include Shinsuke Nakamura and newly signed NXT star Aleister Black.

The currently scheduled matches are as follows:

May 3rd in Rome at Palalottomatica

  • Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
  • Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
  • Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe
  • The Miz vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose
  • Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. RAW Tag Team Champions The Hardys
  • Alexa Bliss vs. Emma vs. Mickie James vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax vs. RAW Women’s Champion Bayley
  • Appearances by Austin Aries, WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville, Goldust, R-Truth and more

May 6th at Plaza Toros Valencia in Valencia:

  • AJ Styles vs. WWE Champion Randy Orton
  • Sami Zayn vs. WWE United States Champion Kevin Owens
  • American Alpha vs. The Shining Stars vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos
  • Carmella vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Charlotte Flair vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi
  • Appearances by Shinsuke Nakamura, Luke Harper, Dolph Ziggler, Tyler Breeze, Fandango and more

May 13th at Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands:

  • Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
  • Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
  • Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe
  • The Miz vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose
  • Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. RAW Tag Team Champions The Hardys
  • Alexa Bliss vs. Emma vs. Mickie James vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax vs. RAW Women’s Champion Bayley
  • Aleister Black vs. Austin Aries vs. WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville
  • Appearances by Goldust, R-Truth and more

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: , .

NJPW Stars Announced for Ring of Honor War of the Worlds Tour

Ring of Honor has announced the first few New Japan Pro Wrestling stars that will be appearing as part of the War of The Worlds tour starting May 7th in Toronto, Ontario. The performers currently signed to appear are:

  • KUSHIDA
  • Tetsuya Naito
  • EVIL
  • NEVER Openweight Champion – Hirooki Goto

The following Ring of Honor stars have also been announced for the tour:

  • ROH WORLD CHAMPION Christopher Daniels
  • ROH WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION Marty Scurll
  • ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson)
  • ROH WORLD 6-MAN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS  Bully Ray, Mark & Jay Briscoe
  • Cody
  • Will Ospreay
  • Dalton Castle
  • Jay Lethal
Ring of Honor released the following press release for the NJPW/ROH super shows:
“For the fourth-consecutive year, the stars of Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling will do battle with and against one another on the War of the Worlds Tour! Titles will be contested and dream matches realized as all of your favorite stars from ROH and NJPW do battle in Toronto, Dearborn, New York City, and Philadelphia! With the relationship between ROH and NJPW stronger than ever, tickets have moved fast and these events will sell out.”

 

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, NJPW, ROH. Tagged: , .

Impact Wrestling & AAA To Run Co-Branded Events This Year

A press conference was held in Mexico earlier today to reveal details of Impact Wrestling’s alliance with the Lucha Libre AAA promotion. In addition to AAA talent working Slammiversary 2017 in July and Impact talent working TripleMania XXV in August, the two organizations intend to launch co-branded live event tours in the fall.

Here’s the official press release, including quotes from Impact Wrestling Chief Creative Officer Jeff Jarrett and Dorian Roldan, AAA’s Executive VP of Enterprise Development:

IMPACT Wrestling Unveils Details for Cross-Promotion, Co-Branded Events and Distribution with Lucha Libre AAA

TORONTO | NASHVILLE | MEXICO CITY – IMPACT Wrestling, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., today unveiled details about the landmark alliance announced last month with Promociones Antonio Peña S.A. de C.V., the owner of Lucha Libre AAA, Mexico’s preeminent professional wrestling organization founded in 1992.

The alliance coincides with a mutual milestone, as this year marks the 15th anniversary of IMPACT Wrestling and 25th anniversary of Lucha Libre AAA.

“This is an exciting time of celebration for both IMPACT Wrestling and AAA Lucha Libre,” said Ed Nordholm, president of IMPACT Wrestling. “By combining our efforts on talent, touring and distribution, we will increase the global footprint of our respective companies and create the best product for our passionate fan bases.”

The previously announced talent exchange between the organizations will kick into full gear on July 2 when IMPACT Wrestling presents Slammiversary 2017 from The IMPACT Zone in Orlando, Florida. The blockbuster pay-per-view event will showcase top talent from the high-flying AAA roster.

Meanwhile, AAA will present its 25th Anniversary Triplemania XXV on August 26, 2017 in Mexico City. The annual extravaganza will feature top IMPACT Wrestling stars Bobby Lashley, Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards, and an IMPACT championship belt will be defended on Mexican soil.

The two organizations also intend to launch co-branded live tours in the fall.

In addition to these cross-promotional initiatives, Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp. will work with Lucha Libre AAA to expand the distribution of Fight Network, the world’s premier combat sports channel and home of IMPACT Wrestling in Canada. AAA will also facilitate distribution of IMPACT Wrestling in new territories throughout Latin America and South America, while Anthem will facilitate the expansion of the Lucha Libre AAA footprint through Fight Network’s diverse distribution channels.

“The best way to celebrate these 25 years of uninterrupted work is sharing with all of you the news that we presented today – our alliance with IMPACT Wrestling and the announcement of our international tour that includes not only the North American stops that we will complete with IMPACT Wrestling but also countries like Colombia and Japan, in addition to other activities that will help us to celebrate this important anniversary,” said Dorian Roldan, Executive VP of Enterprise Development for AAA.

Jeff Jarrett, Chief Creative Officer of IMPACT Wrestling, added: “I am excited to see the stars of IMPACT Wrestling and AAA on both anniversary shows and eager to start the co-branded live events as we continue to build promotional bridges on a global basis.”

For more information, please visit www.impactwrestling.com.

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, TNA.

Jack Gallagher Giving “Gentleman Lessons”

The cruiserweight division seems big on teaching lessons at the moment.

Jack Gallagher recently announced that he will be providing weekly written lessons to his fans on how to be a “gentleman”. Each week, seemingly for 13 weeks, Gallagher will provide one rule of being a gentleman. He unveiled rule #13 recently:

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

“Gentleman” Jack Gallagher

Gallagher has become one of the bright spots for WWE’s revamped cruiserweight division. While 205 Live has produced some entertaining shows as of late, viewership of the program is said to be low on the WWE Network.

On Raw last night, Gallagher dropped a match to former CW champion TJ Perkins. The now-heel Perkins capitalized on Gallagher’s distraction with Neville and Aries at ringside to score the win.

TJ Perkins vs. Austin Aries has been announced for tonight’s 205 Live.

 

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

Return Of US Title “Open Challenges” Tonight On Smackdown

WWE.com announced earlier today that Kevin Owens plans on issuing a “Face of America Open Challenge” tonight on Smackdown. This despite Owens already having a scheduled title defence at Payback versus Chris Jericho and another pending against AJ Styles.

John Cena popularized such open challenges during his run with the US championship in 2015.

US Championship Contenders

Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, and even Shinsuke Nakamura could all find themselves competing for this title later in the year. Mojo Rawley is someone WWE has pushed up the card as of late as well. Additionally, Rusev will be returning from injury later in the year and has a long history with the belt.

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

Jim Cornette Interview: Changing His Mind About Triple H, Making Peace With Bischoff During WM33 Wekend

Legendary manager Jim Cornette returned to the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast this week to discuss his unexpected return to the WWE during WrestleMania weekend, inducting the Rock N’ Roll Express into the WWE Hall of Fame, burying the hatchet with certain people and turning the corner on previous views he has had regarding members of WWE management. Here are some highlights of what Jim Cornette said about:

Mending fences with Eric Bischoff as part of WWE’s Table For 3: 

“Eric did not remember why we had only spoken once in twenty-four years. At the top of the Table For 3 I reminded him of that and we did a little jousting back and fourth and then we got onto other topics and Michael (Hayes) was an excellent moderator. We talked for an hour and a half and I understand that that program goes about half of that time so I don’t know if it is going to be a two parter or I don’t know if it is going to be cut up or what and I really don’t know when it is going to air. There was some tension but at the end Eric and I managed to bond over our mutual hatred for the biggest idiot in the history of wrestling, Vince Russo. So the enemy of my enemy is my friend and Eric and I were able to come to a agreement regardless of what we thought of each other in the past neither one of us begins to be as big of a sh*t-stain as Vince Russo is. We bonded over that.”

Are there anymore WWE Network projects in his future: 

“There is and we didn’t go into this thing saying okay we are just going to do this once and never again and that I’m not going to speak to you people after this. If Connecticut was closer to Louisville I’m sure there would be a lot more things I’d be open to. I don’t know if they wan to pay me as much money as it would take to get me to drive to f*cking Connecticut on a regular basis. I don’t fly. Not only do I not fly United Airlines, I don’t fly any airlines because you don’t have any rights in an airport anymore and I don’t like being in a metal death-tube five miles in the air with some drunken f*ck that has probably had a fight with his wife and is now in charge of my life. If something was to come up there are two things I enjoy and that is going back and examining and talking about the old footage of when wrestling was actually wrestling and training the next generation which I did in OVW for quite some time (John Cena, Randy Orton are a legacy of that). If it is something to do with that than yes I am entirely open, not saying we are going to do it and I’m not saying we are not. I’m open to the suggestion and to be honest there is nothing I am going to be doing full time for anyone but myself.”

What is it about the Undertaker that made him have such great longevity: 

“Where do I start? Who else is drawing that much money? Who else has had that many great matches over that long a period of time? Who else has never brought bad publicity either in the ring or outside the ring? Who else has been a locker room leader and a true professional? Who else has never sh*t on the wrestling business by going out and doing asinine childish things or curtain calls or exposing the business? By any measure or any yard stick you can use, The Undertaker has been not only a true professional but an incredible gate attraction and made money for himself and everybody he has ever worked for or worked with. That right there if you can’t respect The Undertaker than you don’t respect anybody ever in wrestling.”

Will we ever see anyone like The Undertaker again?

“I think it is going to be tough. Especially with unfortunately the way that things have gone and the styles of work these days and the things that the guys are expecting to do I don’t know how anybodies body will hold up for twenty-seven years again.”

His impressions of what WWE and Triple H have done to change aspects of its wrestling presentation:

“I’ll tell you this. I didn’t like Triple H for fifth-teen years because of the curtain call. I thought he was a piece of sh*t for exposing the business along with his butt-buddies. He was the junior member at the time and Michaels and Nash were the ring leaders and Ramon (Hall) but by the same token now Triple H and remember when I said the enemy of my enemy is my friend? Triple H is now responsible for NXT which is the most pro wrestling like, pro wrestling promotion on a big budget level in the world today so people can change and things change. I would be a stubborn prick (which of course, I am) but I’d be a stubborn prick if I didn’t say well he may have done some bullsh*t before but now guys like The Revival wouldn’t have a chance, The Revival is the best tag team in wrestling and I love The Briscoes in Ring of Honor and I was huge fans of Chris Hero (Kassius Ohno) and Claudio Castagnoli (Cesaro) when they were the Kings of Wrestling. I thought they were the modern day version of the Midnight Express but right now The Revival is the best tag team in wrestling and NXT has the best pro wrestling presentation of big budget wrestling, Ring of Honor being a close second in the business.”

“When I walked into the TV hotel in Orlando at first I saw Ric Flair than I saw Sting, I saw The Rock N Roll Express and I’m like “my God, it is a Crockett pay per view”. In the same weekend Jim Ross, Kurt Angle and Jim Cornette return to WWE television. This is like the bizarro world, I don’t know what to think anymore.”

Ten years ago, would Jim Cornette have stayed with the WWE if they had this current model in place: 

“No, I would have gone to NXT (laughing). I still wouldn’t want to be on the main roster and I’m definitely not going overseas except for an obscene amount of money (which I’ve been paid a couple of times) to go to England. I would have been interested in NXT because that is why I was interested in OVW and that is why I was interested in Ring of Honor. I wanted to impart some wisdom and also preserve and perpetuate professional wrestling instead of sports entertainment. I’ve always over the last fifth-teen years been more interested in the new talent and training guys  to get over for the new generation than I can about ringing everything I can out of the previous generation. I would have definitely been interested in working with NXT because myself, Jim Ross and Danny Davis invented the developmental program in the first place.”

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

Former WWE Superstar Rosey (Matt Anoa’i) Passes Away

Former WWE Superstar Matt “Rosey” Anoa’i passed away on Monday at the age of 47. He was the older brother to RAW Superstar Roman Reigns. No word yet on what led to the former WWE Tag Team Champion passing but he was hospitalized due to congestive heart failure back in 2014.

Matt Anoa’i worked for WWE around 2002-2003 as part of the 3-Minute Warning tag team along with Jamal (Umaga). Rosey later worked as a ‘Super Hero In Training’ and tagged with The Hurricane.

Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Matt Anoa’i.

The Anoa’i family shared the following statement with WWE.com:

“The Anoa’i family is mourning the loss of Sika’s son, Matt aka Rosey, due to an untimely death.

We want to let his fans know that he loved them and the wrestling world so much. In his passing, he left three beautiful young children and a heartbroken family. Please respect the privacy of his children and family as they mourn the loss of this kind, loving, gentle man, who was a father, son, brother and a superhero to us all.

Our family appreciates your prayers and continued support during this very difficult time.”

https://twitter.com/ebischoff/status/854351855186362369

https://twitter.com/mlw/status/854350139615571968

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, WWE.

Update On Matt & Jeff Hardy’s Broken Universe Coming to WWE

We’ve got an update on Matt and Jeff Hardy’s “Broken” characters. Since returning to WWE at WrestleMania, the Hardys have been wrestling under their real names with some subtle references to the broken universe. Their legal battle with Impact Wrestling parent company Anthem is still ongoing, but WWE is working on bringing the Broken Universe to RAW.

According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE is in talks with Impact Wrestling parent company Anthem to secure the rights for the Broken characters. Meltzer said,

“The plan is to do the Broken character. The delay is that they’ve gotta work out the deal [with Anthem] and the deal is not worked out … The goal is to work out a deal.”

Whether WWE licenses the rights to the Broken characters or outright acquires the trademarks, a deal is being worked on.

There is still a lot of excitement surrounding Matt and Jeff Hardy back in WWE, but WWE is aware their current gimmick will grow tired soon and the main storytelling potential lies with the Broken Universe.

Matt Hardy has been incorporating aspects of his various gimmicks in his current  character, referencing “Matt Facts” on Twitter but also using the Broken Matt accent and talking about deleting people.

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: , .

Slow-Motion Video Of RAW Ring Collapse, Who Will Beat Lesnar Poll, Charlotte

– WWE.com is running a poll asking fans which RAW Superstar will be the one to hand Universal Champion Brock Lesnar his next defeat. As of this writing, Braun Strowman is in the lead with 28% of the vote, followed by Roman Reigns (25%), Finn Balor (16%) and Goldberg (9%).

– Charlotte Flair tweeted the following prior to Monday’s RAW. The former RAW Women’s Champion was traded to SmackDown last week as part of the Superstar Shake-Up.

– As a result of the ring implosion angle from the end of RAW, there was no post-show dark match main event. WWE posted this slow-motion video of the ring collapsing after Braun Strowman’s giant-sized superplex to the Big Show.

Braun Strowman had this to say on Twitter after RAW. Strowman faces Roman Reigns at WWE Payback on Sunday, April 30th (Updated Card).

https://twitter.com/BraunStrowman/status/854178157427126272

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

SmackDown Live Preview (4/18): Six-Pack Challenge To Determine #1 Contender

The April 18th edition of WWE SmackDown airs live tonight from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY, and will be the first episode of SmackDown since last week’s Superstar Shake-up.

WWE announced that SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan booked a Six-Pack Challenge for tonight’s show to determine who will become the #1 contender for the WWE Championship after Payback on 4/30. Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, Sami Zayn, Jinder Mahal, Mojo Rawley and Dolph Zigger are the participants in the six-man match.

Randy Orton defends his WWE Championship against Bray Wyatt in a “House of Horrors match” at WWE’s Payback pay-per-view on April 30th, and the winner will have to defend the WWE Title against the winner of tonight’s Six-Pack Challenge.

Join us at 8 PM ET tonight for live SmackDown coverage and discussion.

https://twitter.com/RunningAlexC/status/854299909243248640

https://twitter.com/BillKauff/status/854309599171805184

  • Discussion: Who do you think will win tonight’s Six-Pack Challenge and become the #1 contender for the WWE Championship?

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, WWE.

Updated Card For WWE Payback (4/30)

Following Monday’s episode of RAW, the following is the updated card for WWE Payback:

House of Horrors Match for the WWE Championship
– Randy Orton defends against Bray Wyatt

WWE United States Championship Match
– Kevin Owens defends against Chris Jericho

WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match
– Neville defends against Austin Aries

RAW Tag Team Championship Match
– The Hardy Boyz defend against Cesaro and Sheamus

– Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe

– Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

WWE Payback takes place on Sunday, April 30th from San Jose, California.

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

Matt Hardy Relates With Ring From Last Night

Last night on Raw, WWE pulled the “collapsing ring” gimmick. The angle has occurred less than a handful of times in WWE history, and even requires 3 stored finishers in WWE 2K17 to execute (!!).

Raw’s ending seemed to resonate with returning tag team champion Matt Hardy. He issued the following statement on Twitter:

Is Matt Hardy Completely Fixed?

Shortly after WrestleMania 33, Matt Hardy appeared on Raw Talk and ditched the #Broken mannerisms he had developed on the indies and in Impact. He would state on Twitter that the team’s successful expedition of gold has contained his condition. From time to time, he appears to be making subtle references to the character both on-camera and via social media.

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

Dash Wilder Injury Update, Statement Regarding His Fractured Jaw

WWE confirmed on Monday that Dash Wilder of the Revival suffered a fractured jaw over the weekend. He’s expected to be out of action for approximately 2 months and will have his jaw wired shut for the next several weeks.

Wilder issued the following statement on Monday regarding his condition:

This is far from the end for The Revival. It’s just a lucky “break” for every other tag team on Monday Night Raw. An eight week reprieve. It’s gonna take more than a mouth that’s wired shut to keep us from being the greatest tag team of all time. If it were up to me we’d be out there every night fighting and making money. Even with some metal hardware holding my jaw together we are the best tag team on the planet. It’s just a matter of time before the only metal hardware The Revival has are the Raw tag team titles.

#TopGuys
#MondayNightRevival

Scott Dawson also released the following statement:

https://twitter.com/ScottDawsonWWE/status/854134342129471488

Dash Wilder retweeted this photo from Friday’s NXT live event, which saw The Revival face Shinsuke Nakamura and Hideo Itami during the Revival’s “NXT farewell” tour.

https://twitter.com/sophvas/status/854190551251402752

Raw’s Tag Team Division

The Revival had defeated New Day on Raw two weeks in a row to start their main card careers. Raw’s tag team division is fairly stacked at the moment however.

Sheamus & Cesaro will challenge the Hardys at Payback, and just lower in the division are Anderson and Gallows who defeated Enzo and Cass last night. Below them in the division are The Golden Truth, who were beaten up by Braun Strowman this week.

It looks like the Revival were going to debut new T-shirts had it night been for Wilder’s injury:

https://twitter.com/ScottDawsonWWE/status/854036436231782401

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

Finn Balor Returns After Mild Concussion, Shelton Benjamin Not Signed to WWE

– Shelton Benjamin noted on Twitter that he is not currently under contract and was not under contract last year when WWE advertised he was coming to SmackDown. Promos began airing for Benjamin’s WWE return last fall, but his routine medical examinations prior to being offered a contract revealed a torn rotator cuff that has kept him out ever since. Shelton Benjamin is now a free agent, an indication that he might not be returning to WWE as expected.

Back in November, he wrote:

– Finn Balor returned to action last night on RAW, answering an open challenge from Curt Hawkins. Balor made Hawkins ‘face the facts’ just one week after suffering a concussion.

Balor was medically cleared to compete on Monday, so luckily the concussion was a mild one. So mild in fact that Balor tweeted this just prior to RAW:

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: , .

Finn Balor Tweets Support for OTT’s Scrappermania Event, Young Bucks Tout Successful UK Tour

Finn Balor took to Twitter during Over The Top (OTT) Wrestling’s Scrappermania Event to show support for the Irish based promotion that he called home for many years.

One of the main draws of the Scrappermania show was The Young Bucks who touted their huge successes over the weekend as part of their UK tour with Kenny Omega. This included the latest show of their ‘Being The Elite’ series featuring WWE UK Competitors Tyler Bate, Trent Seven and Pete Dunne

https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/854012292807114752

https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/853645037791571969

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News. Tagged: , , , , , , .

WWE RAW Fallout: Crowd Chants “Thank You Big Show”, Referee John Cone On His Fall Out Of The Ring

WWE Universe Chants “Thank You Big Show” After His Match With Braun Strowman

Last night on WWE RAW, Braun Strowman faced off against Big Show in the main event. Big Show connected with a Chokeslam and a KO Punch but Strowman was able to kick out of both of them. Strowman lifted Big Show up on his shoulders and planted him with a Running Powerslam but Big Show kicked out at two. The match ended with a bang as both gigantic Superstars climbed up the turnbuckle. Strowman hoisted Big Show up and hit a massive Superplex and the ring collapsed. WWE RAW went off the air with Strowman standing tall in what was left of the ring.

WWE has uploaded a couple of videos of what went down after RAW concluded. Big Show was shown exiting the collapsed ring as the crowd chanted “thank you Big Show!”. Big Show has made it known that Wrestlemania 33 was his final Wrestlemania. It is not known when he will call it a career, but last night’s crowd showed him a lot of respect. Big Show acknowledged the crowd just before he stepped backstage.

John Cone Tumbles Out Of The Collapsed Ring

Big Show and Braun Strowman were not the only ones caught in the carnage of the ring collapsing. WWE referee John Cone took one hell of a fall when the ring imploded. Cone was leaning up against the ropes when Strowman and Big Show fell to the canvas. The ring posts caved in and the ring imploded. Thus, there was nothing for Cone to lean on anymore and he tumbled to the floor.

https://twitter.com/ReneeYoungWWE/status/854170464545058820

WWE has uploaded a backstage interview with referee John Cone. Cone was holding his neck throughout the interview and described how he tumbled out of the ring. A trainer then applied ice to his neck as Cone grimaced in pain.

Posted April 18th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: , .

WWE RAW Recap & Reaction (4/17)

Braun Strowman came down to the ring and cut a promo to kick off WWE RAW. Strowman claimed that Roman Reigns was now out of the way and that he was going to prove to himself to the world. RAW GM Kurt Angle came down to the ring and informed Strowman that he has done enough damage and gave him the night off. Strowman demanded competition and told Angle that he better give it to him or else. Angle asked Strowman “or else what?” and Strowman got right in Angle’s face. Strowman then walked away after the stare down.

Chris Jericho vs Samoa Joe

Seth Rollins joined commentary for the match. Jericho landed a Crossbody off the top turnbuckle for a two count.  Jericho hit a Dropkick that sent Joe out of the ring and RAW went to a commercial break. The match went back and forth for the next few minutes. Jericho hit a Lionsault for a two count. Jericho then applied the Walls of Jericho but Joe was able to reverse it into a sleeper hold. Jericho kicked off the turnbuckle to try to get out of the hold, but Joe rolled through and locked in the Coquina Clutch for the victory.

After the match, Joe grabbed the microphone and called out Rollins. Joe stated that at first, he just attacked Rollins because it was just business. It was what Triple H wanted him to do. Joe stated that things are now personal because of what Rollins did to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at Wrestlemania 33. Rollins agreed that their rivalry is now personal and stated that “Payback is a bitch”. Rollins and Joe will face off at WWE Payback later this month.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Reaction: The match between Joe and Jericho was solid. I thought the promo after the match between Rollins and Joe was good as well. I think this match has the potential to be awesome and I cannot wait to see it at WWE Payback.

Gallows and Anderson walked past The Drifter backstage. Braun Strowman attacked Goldust and R-Truth backstage. Agents and producers eventually broke things up but not before Strowman launched R-Truth into a laundry cart.

Gallows & Anderson vs Enzo & Cass

The match started out back and forth. Big Cass planted Anderson with the Empire Elbow. Enzo was then gearing up for the Bada Boom Shakalaka on Anderson but Gallows broke it up. Cass then connected with a big boot to Gallows and both Superstars fell out of the ring. Enzo then climbed to the top turnbuckle and leaped onto Anderson but Anderson caught him. Anderson then threw Enzo into the turnbuckle and pinned him for the win.

Winners: Gallows & Anderson

Mix TV w/ Dean Ambrose

The Miz and Maryse came down to the ring. Miz was about to introduce Ambrose but his music hit before he was able to. Ambrose joined The Miz in the ring. Ambrose called for a truce because RAW was in Ohio and both are from that state. The Miz wasn’t having it and scolded Ambrose for thinking that this was a joke. Ambrose responded by making fun of Miz’s outfit. Miz then Ambrose doesn’t care about anything and poked fun at his hair. The Miz suggested that Ambrose start sporting a fanny pack. Miz also bragged about how he and Maryse look and stated that he puts effort into his looks because he wants to look like a WWE Superstar, while Ambrose just wants to look like a “rassler”.

Ambrose agreed that he doesn’t care about his looks or “his brand”. Ambrose stated that too many WWE Superstars worry about their brands and what they tweet. Ambrose claimed to love getting black eyes and spitting up his own teeth. Ambrose then bragged about taking the Intercontinental Championship from The Miz back when they were a part of the SmackDown roster. Maryse then chimed in and called Ambrose a “dirty little street rat”.

Ambrose took off his jacket and placed the IC Title on a chair in the ring. Maryse hit Ambrose with her high heel but Ambrose shrugged it off. The Miz tried to attack Ambrose but Dean got the upper-hand. The Miz and Maryse then retreated as Ambrose stood tall in the ring.

Reaction: This segment was entertaining. Having said that, I’m not really looking forward to another feud between Ambrose and The Miz. They had a solid feud on SmackDown recently. I was under the impression that the Superstar Shake-Up was designed to create new and exciting feuds. This feud certainly doesn’t fall into that category. The best part of The Miz and Ambrose feud on SmackDown was when Renee Young got involved. The feud became personal for a moment and then WWE completely abandoned that.

The only real positive I can take from this is that Ambrose is mildly entertaining again. I’m not sure if everyone agrees, but I thought Ambrose had gotten very stale on SmackDown. His feud with Baron Corbin was very boring in my opinion. There were also weeks where their feud wasn’t even featured on SmackDown. The Miz is a solid heel and hopefully he can bring out the best in Ambrose again.

Braun Strowman was shown dragging Kalisto around backstage. People were pleading with Strowman to stop but he didn’t listen. Strowman stated that Roman Reigns is garbage and so is Kaliso. Strowman then put Kalisto in a trash bin. Big Show then appeared and shoved Strowman to the floor. Big Show told Strowman to pick on someone his own size and walked away.

TJ Perkins vs Jack Gallagher

Before the match started, Neville came down to the ring and stared at Gallagher. Neville then looked at Perkins and sat ringside. The match was about start but Austin Aries’ music hits. Aries come down to the ring and stated that he was hear for the viewing party. Aries then took a seat right beside Neville. Perkins started out the match in control and dabbed. Gallagher then took momentum of the match and did a dab of his own. Perkins then sent Gallagher out of the ring and RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Gallagher opened up his umbrella and climbed to the top rope. Gallagher leaped onto Perkins outside the ring with the umbrella. Perkins then shoved Gallagher into Aries outside the ring. The action returned to the ring and Aries hopped up on the ring apron. Neville tripped up Aries and Aries fell to the ring apron. The referee was distracted by this and Perkins hit Gallagher with a cheap shot. Perkins then leveled Gallagher with the Detonation Kick for the victory.

Winner: TJ Perkins

Reaction: Perkins is simply much better as a heel. 205 Live is reportedly struggling on the WWE Network. It hasn’t really picked up any momentum since the show made it’s debut. There is usually solid wrestling matches on 205 Live but there aren’t any performers that have really connected with the WWE Universe besides Neville and Aries. Gallagher is entertaining and Mustafa Ali has a lot of potential. The only way 205 Live will be a success is if WWE finds more Superstars that the WWE Universe cares about. The best way to do that is provide quality matches and storylines on RAW every week.

Titus O’Neil approached Apollo Crews backstage and congratulated him on expecting his first child. O’Neil than made a pitch to have Crews join the “Titus Brand” and Crews didn’t seem too interested.

The Hardy Boyz were interviewed backstage by Mike Rome. Matt Hardy claimed that the Superstars in WWE are the most athletic performers they have ever faced. Cesaro and Sheamus interrupted. Cesaro welcomed both Matt and Jeff back to WWE. Sheamus said that is going to be an honor to take back the RAW Tag Team Championships at Payback. Cesaro then apologized for Sheamus’ comments and the two walked away. Matt Hardy smiled and stated that it is great to be back in WWE.

Fatal 4-Way for #1 Contender to RAW Women’s Championship: Sasha Banks vs Nia Jax vs Alexa Bliss vs Mickie James

Nia dominated the match early as Bayley was shown watching the match backstage. RAW went to a commercial break after Sasha Banks leaped onto everyone outside the ring. When RAW returned, Nia was back in control and slammed everyone to the mat. Bayley was once again shown backstage as Nia had a submission hold applied to Mickie James. Nia then controlled the next couple of minutes of the match and went to pin Mickie James but Sasha broke up the pinfall.

Nia lifted Mickie by her neck and once again applied a submission hold. Mickie reversed it into an Arm Bar and wrestled Nia to the mat. Nia once again battled back but was eventually knocked out of the ring. Sasha went for the Bank Statement but Nia dragged her out of the ring. Bliss punched Mickie in the face and she fell on top of Nia outside the ring. Back in the ring, Bliss and Banks battled. Alexa shouted “this is my division now” but Sasha immediately applied the Bank Statement. Mickie got back in the ring and broke up the hold.

Alexa rolled out of the ring as Mickie and Sasha traded punches. Mickie got the upper-hand and climbed to the top turnbuckle. Sasha got back up and joined her on the top turnbuckle. Nia then got back in the ring and lifted Sasha Banks onto her shoulders. Nia then slammed Sasha into Mickie and Mickie fell out of the ring. Nia then planted Sasha with the Samoan Drop. Nia was going for the pinfall but Alexa Dropkicked her out of the ring. Bliss then pinned Banks and is now the #1 contender to Bayley’s RAW Women’s Championship.

Winner & #1 Contender: Alexa Bliss

Reaction: I thought this match was very good. Alexa Bliss can hopefully put on a great feud with Bayley because their characters are complete opposites. Nia Jax looked good in this match as well.

Big Show was interviewed backstage and was asked about attacking Strowman earlier in the night. Big Show claimed that Strowman needed to feel intimidated and stated that tonight he will give Strowman a taste of his own medicine.

Finn Balor vs Curt Hawkins

Balor dominated the match and quickly hit the Coupe De Grace for the victory.

Winner: Finn Balor

Chris Jericho was interviewed backstage about his loss to Samoa Joe. Jericho called Mike Rome “Tom” and stated that Samoa Joe is a tremendous athlete. Jericho claimed he was still distracted by his rematch with Kevin Owens at WWE Payback. Jericho said that Owens is not the face of America because Owens’ face is ugly. Jericho stated that America deserves better and stated that he should be the face of America. Jericho then yelled “frame it in man!” as the camera zoomed in on his face. Jericho said that he is looking forward to defeating Owens at Payback for the United States Championship. If Jericho wins at Payback he will join the SmackDown roster. Jericho was about to add Mike Rome to the list but The Drifter walked by them while playing the guitar. Jericho then added The Drifter (Elias Samson) to the list.

Bray Wyatt then appeared on the Jumbotron and cut a promo about Randy Orton and their WWE Championship match at Payback. Wyatt said that he harnesses fear and that fear lives within his house of horse. Wyatt said that he knew Orton was scared and that he could “smell it”. Wyatt said that he will fly Orton up to the heavens and right before they reach the light he will drop Orton down into the abyss. Wyatt claimed that Orton’s pain will fuel him at Payback. Wyatt stated that his house of horrors will forever be the nightmare at the end of Orton’s dreams.

Reaction: Bray Wyatt is great at cutting promos but it doesn’t mean anything if he continues to lose matches. It seems obvious that Wyatt is going to lose at Payback so that the WWE Championship will remain on SmackDown. I also think it is bizarre that WWE is already mentioning that Balor and Wyatt will have after Payback. As of now, there is a WWE Championship match at Payback that seems predictable and Finn Balor is wrestling Jinder Mahal and Curt Hawkins to kill time until the Raw after Payback.

Dana Brooke and Alicia Fox were backstage watching last week’s 205 Live on a tablet. Alicia Fox was showing a video of her getting embarrassed last week on 205 Live. Emma then appeared and claimed that Dana Brooke was making fun of Fox all week. Fox then flipped out and stated that she didn’t want to be friends with Dana anymore. Fox then walked away and Dana Brooke accused Emma of lying. Emma is apparently still annoyed that Dana Brooke didn’t want to be her sidekick.

Jeff Hardy vs Cesaro

Matt Hardy and Sheamus were ringside for this match. Hardy controlled the beginning of the match and leaped off the ring apron onto Cesaro outside the ring. Back in the ring, Cesaro slammed Hardy to the mat and Jeff rolled out of the ring. Cesaro followed him and connected with an uppercut. The action returned to the ring and Hardy climbed to the top rope. Cesaro rolled out of the ring and RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Cesaro once again launched Jeff Hardy out of the ring. The match once again returned to the ring and Cesaro applied a Chinlock. Hardy fought out of the hold and hit Cesaro with a Clothesline. Cesaro responded by hitting an uppercut for a two count. Jeff hit an inverted Atomic Drop and followed it up with a Dropkick to Cesaro’s face. Jeff went for the Twist of Fate but Cesaro reversed it into an uppercut for a two count. Cesaro then connected with a springboard uppercut for a two count.

Hardy knocked Cesaro to the mat and climbed to the top turnbuckle. Cesaro got back up and hit Jeff with an uppercut and joined him on the top rope. Cesaro went for a Superplex but Jeff blocked it and hung him up on the top rope. Hardy then leaped off the top rope and connected with a Dropkick. Jeff connected with a Twist of Fate and followed it up with a Swanton Bomb for the victory. After the match, the two teams shook hands.

Winner: Jeff Hardy 

Reaction: It really is awesome to have the Hardy Boyz back on RAW. I enjoyed this match and am definitely looking forward to the RAW Tag Team Championship match at Payback.

Heath Slater and Rhyno were interviewed backstage. Rhyno was eating cheez whiz and crackers. Slater was saying that he was happy to be on RAW but became frightened when Braun Strowman walked by. Rhyno dropped his plate of crackers and Strowman walked right by them.

Braun Strowman vs Big Show

Strowman confronted Big Show on the entrance ramp and they traded punches. Strowman threw Big Show into the barricade. Big Show then launched Strowman into the steel steps and then into the barricade. Big Show then hit a Baseball Slide on Strowman and once again threw him into the steel steps. Strowman connected with a Dropkick for a two count. Strowman then hit two Arm Drags and went for a Body Slam but Big Show blocked it. Big Show then lifted Strowman and slammed him to the mat. Big Show went for a Chokeslam but Strowman blocked it and planted Big Show with a massive Suplex.

Strowman went for the Running Powerslam but Big Show avoided it and launched Strowman into the turnbuckle. Big Show then hit a Splash on Strowman while he was up against the turnbuckle. Big Show then planted Strowman with a Chokeslam but Braun kicked out at two. Big Show went for the KO Punch but Strowman ducked under it and planted Big Show with the Running Powerslam for a two count. Strowman then climbed to the top rope but Big Show got back up and met him there. Strowman connected with a couple jabs to the chest and Big Show fell crotch-first onto the top rope.

Braun then leaped off of the second punch but Big Show hit him with the KO Punch but Strowman kicked out at two. Big Show then climbed to the top rope but Strowman met him there. Braun hit a Superplex on Big Show and the ring imploded. The referee flew out of the ring as it collapses. The entire crowd chanted “yes!” as Strowman got to his feet. Strowman then celebrated in the ring and his music hit.

Reaction: This match was much more entertaining than I thought it would be. The ring collapsing spot will never get old. I could watch the referee bouncing out of the ring over and over again.

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

Posted April 17th, 2017 in News, WWE.

Natalya Reveals Battle with Eating Disorder

WWE Superstar Natalya is the latest guest on Lilian Garcia’s Making Their Way to the Ring podcast. In an intimate discussion about her legendary career, Natalya reveals how she had once had an eating disorder and how wrestling helped to cure her, how Total Divas has taught her how to be vulnerable, as well as speaks on her uncle Brett Hart’s cancer, and what it’s like being a member of the Hart family, in this exclusive interview.

 Here are some highlights they sent in:

Natalya reveals her eating disorder: “Its funny because Alexa Bliss talked about having an eating disorder and stuff and I actually-this is the first time I’ve ever talked about this: Nattie exclusive, but I had an eating disorder when I was eighteen and um, it lasted for about, I mean they say it never really goes away, but um it spanned the course of about three years and I went from a hundred and sixty pounds, in the course of two months after my uncle Owen died-the summer that my uncle died, I lost forty pounds in two months. And my family was really scared and I remember being very angry at them and thinking like ‘Why are they confronting me? They should be happy, I look great’. I didn’t realize it until years later how crazy and scary I looked losing that much weight. I was wearing kids clothes and it was a really hard time for me, but I was reeling from the tragedy of my uncle passing away and how that affected my family and also I think because my Dad wasn’t a part of my life because he was working, and busy, and gone.” she went on to explain her reasons saying “I don’t know if this is the right way of putting this, but my eating disorder was a lot about control. I couldn’t control anything else that was going on in my life, but I could control what I ate.”

How Wrestling helped Natalya recover: “It’s a little bit liberating and I actually talked to Alexa Bliss about it when she came forward and said she had gone through this I said ‘I just give you so much credit because it takes a lot of courage to talk about it’. You know, since that happened I just never ever shared that publicly with anyone. It was just something I just didn’t want to have to relive but then I also thought you know, again now that Alexa has talked about her situation it made me really respect her more. Because it like, no we can actually raise awareness and help teach young girls that going through something like this is very common-it’s actually becoming a lot more common with body image. It’s something lots of people go through, whether it’s bulimia, or anorexia, or binge-eating disorder.” Specifically, she went on to say “Me getting into wrestling helped cure that eating disorder and I never looked back. Once I fell in love with wrestling I just realized-especially with the help of TJ because TJ was my very first trainer, I wanted to do that and I wasn’t going to let food hold me back and so slowly I started to kind of reintroduce myself to food and I did put on some weight because once you go from starving yourself to eating you do gain weight. I’d gotten a little heavier, but I was happier and I was happier because I was pursuing a passion which was wrestling.”

Natalya learning how to be vulnerable through Total Divas: “There was a time, especially in WWE where I felt like it was never going to be my time and before I got picked to do Total Divas I was actually going back to school on the side doing online classes. I was thinking about getting into law and it really interested me. Then you know I had gone to Rwanda and did this four day retreat with the United Nations Foundation, we visited two refugee camps, over thirty thousand refugees and it was this life-changing trip.” she continued, “So I got home and that week Triple H pulls me aside and says, ‘Nattie, we picked you to be a part of Total Divas and it’s this new show that we’re doing and it’s gonna document you and a few other girls and your lives and in and out of the ring and it’s very special, blah, blah, blah, blah’. I was so blown away by Triple H asking me to be a part of it and I was just like ‘Wow this is just incredible. I’m just getting this new opportunity and it was the greatest opportunity for me that I could have at that moment and I’ve been on the show since the very beginning. For four years, six full seasons, and it’s been the opportunity of a lifetime. I’ve loved it, but it’s also taught me which is what I was saying before, what it is to be vulnerable. That what people really connect with is you laughing, crying, showing people that you’re not perfect, opening up and saying ‘You know what I’m human and I make mistakes. We fall down and we get back up’”, Natalya goes on to reveal, “I really opened myself up to being vulnerable on that show and I felt like when I went up to induct Beth at the Hall of Fame this past week, I was like, I felt like all that Total Divas vulnerability helped me on that stage where I could just be like totally vulnerable and I even at one point choked up and started crying onstage when I was talking about my uncle Owen and people just said that I had them in, people just said ‘You and Beth had me in tears’. I feel like people want to be let in you know, but not everyone will let you in, not everyone knows how to do that, but I feel like I learned that that’s okay.” 

Natalya on her uncle Bret Hart going through cancer: “He’s completely healed from cancer, but you know cancer, I’ll forever, forever be indebted and grateful to Bret for coming to be by my side at that pay per view after WrestleMania, um dealing with just having beaten cancer. He had just had surgery like a couple months prior, not even like two months like six weeks and he didn’t feel good at all.” she continued, “He was by my side for that match and he didn’t feel good because he was still recovering but he was there for me and I will always remember that and I think really last year he’s just been getting his sea legs back because it was a lot what he endured and it was very scary for him. And I can tell he was really scared by everything, mentally, physically, it scared him so much. You know cancer really doesn’t run in our family. Our family doesn’t really that much of a history with it and so Bret really wanted to use his situation with cancer as a platform to help others that are going through the same thing and so what’s funny is that once Bret announced that he had cancer there was a surge and they did a story on it actually in the paper and on the news. There was a surge, thousands of men across the province of Alberta, where Bret lives, went to get checked for prostate cancer. And they did a special on it on the news saying it was Bret Hart that helped raise so much awareness by coming forward about his cancer.”

Natalya on being a part of the Hart family: “I think as I’ve grown older I realized just how special my family is. When you’re young you kind of take it for granted and you don’t realize when your uncles are Bret ‘the Hitman’ Hart and Owen Hart, the British Bulldog, my Dad’s on TV, and my grandfather’s you know, now a WWE Hall of Famer, Stu Hart. When I was around them when I was a little kid, they were just my uncles. They were just you know, just my dad, it’s just my grandpa. And then as I’ve grown older I’ve realized that my family is extremely special and really iconic in this wild wonderful world of WWE. Now I realize just how special they are and I’m very very proud of them. But I also admire the fact that we’ve been able to go through hell and come out alive.”

ABOUT THE SHOW:

For 15 years, Lilian Garcia worked with some of the best athletes in the world, the WWE Superstars. They put their bodies on the line 300+ days a year to entertain us. She loves and respects them so much, yet… she realized she didn’t know anything about them, their lives and the obstacles they broke through to get into professional wrestling! Lilian Garcia: Making Their Way To The Ring is a platform for Superstars, past, present and future, to share their story and the journey of what it takes to be a Superstar in this business. The conversations will be Real, Raw and Inspiring; offering the viewer a genuine connection to the person behind the performer. Lilian Garcia: Making Their Way To The Ring will leave you cheering and rooting for that star’s life and dreams!

Posted April 17th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

WWE RAW Results & Live Discussion (4/17)

The April 17th episode of WWE RAW was the first episode after the Superstar Shake-up, and aired live on the USA Network from the Schottenstein Center Columbus, Ohio.

– RAW opens up with a video highlighting Braun Strowman’s attack on Roman Reigns last week, and then Braun Strowman comes out to the ring with a mic. Strowman cuts a promo about how proud he is that he injured Reigns last week and put him out of action, which gets a big pop from the crowd. Strowman says now that Roman is out of his way, he’s going to tear through the entire locker room and prove himself to the world. Kurt Angle’s music hits and the Olympic gold medalist comes out to the ring. Kurt asks Strowman what else he has to prove after flipping over a “freakin’ ambulance” with Roman Reigns inside. Kurt tells Braun that he’ll have a match against Roman at the Payback pay-per-view. Kurt says Strowman has done enough damage, and he can take tonight off. Strowman says he wants more competition tonight, or else. Angle asks “or else what?” and Strowman gets in Angle’s face briefly before walking off.

– Samoa Joe def. Chris Jericho: Seth Rollins is on commentary for this one as he faces Joe at Payback. Jericho makes his entrance in his light-up scarf. Joe starts off with a flurry of right hands and knees to the face of Y2J. Jericho comes back with a springboard dropkick that drops Joe. Joe hits a series of kicks on Jericho, and Jericho lays into Joe with chops to the chest. Jericho hits an axe handle off the top, but Joe comes right back with a spinning powerslam. Jericho dodges a senton splash and follows up with a Lionsault for a two count. Jericho charges at Joe in the corner, but Joe catches him and plants him with a Rock Bottom. Joe misses a senton splash off the middle rope, and Jericho puts Joe in the Walls of Jericho. Joe reverses and gets Jericho in a sleeper. Jericho kicks off of the turnbuckle to reverse the sleeper into a pin, but Joe rolls through and locks Jericho in the Coquina Clutch for the win.

– After the match, Samoa Joe grabs the mic and cuts a promo on Seth Rollins. Joe remembers Rollins’ screams of pain when he made his debut, and that was just business with his boss Triple H. Joe says now it’s personal because of what Rollins did to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Rollins agrees that their issue is personal, and tells Joe that Payback is a bitch.

– Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are seen walking backstage, right past The Drifter from NXT. We also see Goldust and R Truth walking, but Braun Strowman suddenly attacks them out of nowhere. Strowman throws Goldust through a fenced area, then kicks R-Truth into a laundry bin. Fit Finlay, Jamie Knoble and others run in to chase off Strowman and check on Goldust and Truth.

– Back from commercial, a referee approaches Strowman in the locker room and asks him to leave. Strowman says he’ll leave when he wants to, and backs the referee down.

– Gallows and Anderson are in the ring with mics. Anderson says that since Strowman gave Golden Truth the United Airlines treatment backstage, they need new opponents tonight. They demand that Kurt Angle sends them some more nerds to beat up right now.

– Gallows & Anderson def. Enzo & Cass: The action goes out to ringside early on, where Cass uses Enzo like a human bowling ball and throws him into Gallows and Anderson. Back in the ring, Gallows grabs Enzo by the foot and then Anderson hits a running kick to the head of Enzo. Anderson and Gallows continue to work on Enzo, keeping him grounded and away from Big Cass. Gallows works on Enzo’s arm and hits a DDT for a two count before tagging Anderson back in. Anderson hits a knee drop on Enzo before going back to working on Enzo’s left arm. Anderson hits a spinebuster on Enzo for another near-fall. Gallows tags back in, but Enzo comes back with a flying DDT off the middle rope. Enzo almost gets the tag to Cass, but Anderson intercepts it just in time. Anderson misses a kick in the corner and this time Enzo is able to get the tag. Big Cass comes in and hits a running clothesline and side slam on Anderson. Cass follows up with an elbow drop and a big boot. Cass tags in Enzo and throws him off the top rpe onto Gallows. Cass boots Gallows to the outside and falls out with him. Enzo comes off the middle rope but Anderson catches him and slams him into the turnbuckle awkwardly. Anderson rolls up Enzo with a fist full of tights for the win.

– The Miz and Maryse are out to the ring for a Miz TV segment. The Miz starts introducing his segment, but he’s very quickly interrupted by Dean Ambrose. Ambrose makes fun of The Miz’s suit and shoes, and The Miz fires back saying he dresses the part because he respects what a WWE Superstar is. Miz says Ambrose is a disgrace to WWE Superstars and he makes them look like “just wrasslers.” The Miz tells Ambrose he may as well put on a fanny pack and Zumbas and “set us back 30 years.” Miz calls Ambrose lazy and complacent. Ambrose says he doesn’t care about image and what people think about him. Ambrose says he does it because he loves to fight and bleed, and that’s why he beat The Miz for the Intercontinental Title. Maryse and The Miz have some more words for Ambrose and call him a joke. Ambrose takes his jacket off and tackles The Miz then starts pummeling on him. Maryse throws a microphone at Ambrose to distract him, and the Miz attacks from behind. Ambrose tries to get Miz in the Dirty Deeds, but The Miz escapes and retreats up the ramp.

– Backstage we see Braun Strowman dragging Kalisto along the floor by his arm. Strowman says that Roman Reigns is garbage, and now he is too, and he throws Kalisto in a dumpster. Strowman starts to walk off, but The Big Show comes out of nowhere and tackles him into the wall. Big Show tells Strowman to pick on someone his own size and walks off. Back from commercial, it’s announced that Kurt Angle has booked Strowman in a match against Big Show later tonight.

– TJ Perkins def. Jack Gallagher: Before the match, it’s announced that Neville will be making a “special appearance” and the Cruiserweight Champion comes out to the ring before the mach. Neville looks at both TJ and Jack in the ring, then takes a seat at ringside with his Cruiserweight Title. Before the match, Austin Aries’ music hits too and he comes out next. Aries says he didn’t know there was going to be a special viewing party for this match, but he’s inviting himself. Aries sits right next to Neville at ringside and eats a banana. Neville moves his chair away from Aries on the other side of the ring. Gallagher gets some offense in early on, but Perkins dodges a spear and Gallagher falls hard out to ringside. Back in the ring, Perkins takes control with some kicks and a suplex. Gallagher stops Perkins’ offense with a headbutt that sends Perkins rolling outside, then Gallagher grabs his umbrella. Gallagher goes up top and comes flying off with a splash with his unfolded umbrella on Perkins at ringside. Perkins shoves Gallagher into Aries and Aries is hurt. Aries gets fired up, but Neville drops Aries from behind. Meanwhile in the ring, Perkins soccer kicks Gallagher in the face when he’s getting in the ring, then hits the Detonation Kick for the win.

– Titus O’Neal approaches Apollo Crews in the locker room to welcome him to RAW. Titus tries to tempt Apollo to work with “The Titus Brand,” but Crews doesn’t seem interested and walsk away.

– Matt and Jeff Hardy do a brief interview backstage about how excited they are to be back with WWE, but they’re quickly interrupted by Sheamus and Cesaro. They wish Jeff good luck in his match against Cesaro later tonight.

– Alexa Bliss def. Mickie James, Nia Jax, Sasha Banks: Nia Jax starts off in control and dominates until Mickie and Sasha knock Nia outside. Mickie and Sasha go at it in the ring until Nia pulls Mickie outside, then Sasha hit a suicide dive onto both of them at ringside. Back in the ring, Nia slams Alexa Bliss, then slams Sasha and Mickie ontop of her. We get a look at Bayley backstage watching on a monitor. Nia dominates the next few moments of the match. Alexa goes up top, but when she sees that Nia saw her and is heading her way, Alexa retreats down to ringside. Nia turns her attention to Mickie and Sasha, but she misses a splash inthe corner and Mickie sends her outside. Mickie goes for a DDT on Alexa, but Sasha breaks it up with a kick. Sasha tees off on Mickie and Sasha with kicks and knees until Nia pulls Sasha outside. Mickie mounts a comeback until Nia knocks her off the top rope down to ringside. Nia hits the Samoan Drop on Sasha, but Alexa Bliss comes out of nowhere and knocks Nia outside then steals the pin on Sasha for the win.

– The Big Show is backstage to answer some questions about why he tackled Braun Strowman earlier. Big Show says Strowman needs to know what it feels like to be bullied, and that’s what’s going to happen in their match tonight.

– Finn Balor def. Curt Hawkins: This one is the result of an open challenge to the back by Hawkins. Balor hits the Sling Blade early on and follows up with a running dropkick. Balor follows up with the Coup De Grace for the win after a very short squash match.

– Chris Jericho does an interview backstage about his loss to Samoa Joe earlier tonight. Jericho says Joe is one of the best competitors he’s faced, but he admits he was distracted with his rematch against Kevin Owens at Payback. Jericho says the “friends of Jericho” have followed him to every show he’s been on, from Velocity to Nitro. Jericho gives the interviewer a hard time about his name, then goes to put him on the list for not knowing his own name. The Drifter interrupts by walking by with his guitar, so Jericho puts him on the list instead of the announcer.

– Bray Wyatt cuts a promo about his upcoming House of Horrors match against Randy Orton. Wyatt finishes up by saying “it always burns down here” before telling Orton to run.

– Emma approaches Dana Brooke and Alicia Fox in the locker room and stirs up some drama between them. Alicia gets in Dana’s face then walks off.

– Jeff Hardy def. Cesaro: Matt Hardy and Sheamus are at ringside for this one. Cole points out that this is Jeff’s first singles match on RAW in over 8 years. Hardy takes things out to ringside early on and hits a splash on Cesaro off the apron. Back in the ring, Jeff goes up top but Cesaro gets out of the way. Cesaro throws Jeff out to ringside and Jeff starts selling his shoulder. Back in the ring, Jeff hits a short-arm clothesline but Cesaro comes right back with a running European uppercut for a two count. Jeff hits an inverted atomic drop and goes for the Twist of Fate, but Cesaro escapes and hits two European uppercuts. Cesaro goes for the swing but Hardy kicks his way out. Hardy goes to the top rope and Cesaro stops him with another European uppercut. Cesaro climbs up and attempts a superplex, but Hardy reverses and crotches him on the top rope. Hardy hits a missile dropkick off the top onto Cesaro that sends Cesaro out to ringside. Back in the ring, Hardy hits the Whisper In The Wind on Cesaro for a two count. Cesaro dodges a dropkick and attempts a Neutralizer, but Jeff escapes and hits the Twist of Fate. Jeff goes up to the top rope and hits the Swanton Bomb for the win. The Hardy brothers shake hands with Cesaro and Sheamus before they go backstage.

– Heath Slater and Rhyno are doing an interview backstage when Braun Strowman walks by and they get spooked. We see Big Show walking elsewhere in the arena, and his match with Strowman is up next.

– Braun Strowman vs. The Big Show – No Contest: Strowman charges at Big Show during his entrance and they brawl around ringside. They finally get in the ring and the opening bell rings. Big Show knocks Strowman outside and follows up with a baseball slide, then throws Strowman into the ring steps. Back in the ring. Strowman hits a running dropkick on Big Show for a two count. Big Show gets Strowman in an arm lock, but Strowman kicks up from the ground to his feet and hits an arm drag on Big Show. Strowman hits another arm drag, then they struggle to power slam each other. Big Show ends up getting the upper hand in the power struggle and he successfully powerslams Strowman. Big Show goes for a chokeslam but Strowman blocks it and hits a vertical suplex. Strowman continues to work on Big Show with punches and headbutts. Big Show reverses a running powerslam and hits a splash on Strowman in the corner. Big Show sits Strowman on the top turnbuckle, but Strowman punches him away. Strowman comes flying off the middle rope and Big Show catches him with a chokeslam for a two count. Strowman dodges a knockout punch and hits a running powerslam on Big Show for a two count. Strowman goes up to the top turnbuckle again, but this time Big Show stops him and headbutts him. Big Show climbs all the way up to the very top rope, but Strowman knocks him off and crotches him on the top rope. Big Show falls down into the ring, and Strowman is recovering on the turnbuckle. Strowman stands up on the middle rope and comes flying off, but Strowman hits him with the Knockout Punch in mid-air for a two count. Big Show climbs to the top rope, but Strowman runs up and stops him. Strowman is on the middle rope and Big Show is on the top rope, and Strowman superplexes Big Show off. The ring breaks and collapses on the impact of the superplex. The referee took a pretty nasty bump out to the floor when the ring broke. Additional referees and trainers check on Big Show and Strowman in the ring. Strowman gets to his feet and raises his hands in the air as his music plays. There was no bell and this one appears to be ruled a no contest.

Posted April 17th, 2017 in WWE.

Dash Wilder Reportedly Out For Months With A Broken Jaw

Dash Wilder of The Revival will be out of action for months after recently suffering a broken jaw, according to an exclusive report at Pro Wrestling Sheet.

The injury took place over the weekend, but it’s unknown if Wilder’s jaw was broken during a match. Early estimates have him on the sidelines until early July.

Bobby Roode replaced Dash Wilder at Saturday’s NXT live event from Concord, NC. They lost to Shinsuke Nakamura & Tye Dillinger in the main event in a match that had been billed as the Revival’s NXT farewell.

Dash Wilder and his partner Scott Dawson made their main roster debuts on WWE RAW the night after WrestleMania 33. The duo made a big impact upon their arrival, scoring a win over The New Day and unleashing a vicious attack on Kofi Kingston that [storyline] put him out of action with an ankle injury.

Posted April 17th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: .

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