On the tenth episode of WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler’s podcast, Dinner With The King, Lawler discussed the current hot topic of WWE Champion Randy Orton ripping the indy wrestling scene. You can check out what he had to say here:

“I think that the problem Rip [Rogers] and Randy [Orton] have is what the young guys think they need to do to get noticed. It’s what the young guys do in these matches that bothers guys who have been in the business for a while. The young guys, like they said, they have a tendency to go out there and try to squeeze in every single move that they know. Every dive. Every flip. Every flop. Everything they can put in one 15-minute match. So in order to do that, if you are going to put all those moves in, you’re not going to have time to sell anything. It’s just going to be one move after another until the match is over.

“That is not the way wrestling became what it is today. Not what I think veterans look at and not what the business is supposed to be. It’s not that really entertaining for fans. I think that’s Rip’s and Randy’s point they are trying to make there.”

You can listen to the full episode of Dinner With The King here.

H/T to WrestlingINC for the transcribed quotes

WWE Monday Night RAW Tag Team Champions Matt and Jeff Hardy recently did an interview with The Sports Bible to talk about their return to the WWE and sitting atop the tag team division on RAW. During the interview, The Hardys were asked about possible singles careers moving forward, and you can check out what they had to say here:

Matt on a potential singles run:

“Speaking from my perspective, I think right now our goal, especially starting, coming back, being reintroduced to the WWE universe after being away for a substantial amount of time, really was to be a tag team – we became famous for being a tag team. I think down the road there will be a potential for both of us doing our own things; we’re both strong singles personalities in many ways, and I think as performers we’ve grown as we’ve got older; we’ve got smarter”

Matt’s dream matches for him and Jeff as singles competitors:

“Just for starters, if we get to where we need to be, I think ‘Broken’ Matt Hardy against Bray Wyatt would be an amazing deal, and you look at him [Jeff] – him vs Seth Rollins, him vs Finn Balor, either one of us vs Roman Reigns – there’s a lot of cool, interesting combinations of guys who became stars in the last five or six years that we’ve never worked against, it’s totally like a fresh slate. So there’s a lot of potential forces as singles competitors also.”

WWE Hall Of Famer and now-former General Manager of Monday Night RAW Mick Foley took to his official Facebook page to comment on Braun Strowman’s recent injury that is expected to keep him out for a few months. Foley noted that whenever the cameras weren’t rolling “The Monster Among Men” was always eager to learn:

“SAD NEWS FOR STROWMAN
I was very sorry to hear that an elbow injury could sideline Braun Strowman for as long as six months. He may have threatened me on a weekly basis when I was GM, but when the cameras were off, he was always eager to learn as much as he possibly could. I wish him a full and speedy recovery, and I hope I get to see that Strowman/Lesnar match at a later date. What do you think the future holds in store for Strowman?”

– The following matches are scheduled for tonight’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network, the ‘go-home’ show ahead of Saturday’s Saturday’s Takeover: Chicago event:

– Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford vs. Dylan Miley and HoHo Lun
– Drew McIntyre vs. Sean Maluta
– Kassius Ohno vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas

Plus, appearances there will be appearances from NXT Champion Bobby Roode and Hideo Itami.

– After Tuesday’s SmackDown & 205 Live tapings from Manchester, NH, Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Dolph Ziggler. The two will square off this Sunday at Backlash when Nakamura makes his main roster television debut.

https://twitter.com/prowrestlingbuz/status/864695246902484992

– Former WWE Champion Rob Van Dam will work the third annual Marijuana Policy Project Arm Wrestling Throwdown Championship event this Thursday in Washington, DC. The event takes place during the Marijuana Business Daily Spring Conference at the Gaylord Hotel & Convention Center. Tickets are $150 and proceeds go to MPP’s work to end marijuana prohibition. For more information, visit MPP.org.

– Roman Reigns tweeted the following endorsement for the Bulletproof Dojo, which is run by Luke Gallows and Joey Mercury in Barnesville, GA. Reigns has mentioned in interviews that he and The Shield received a lot of help from Mercury during their run and he’s talked about learning from Gallows on the road.

Learn from these good brothers!!! I did, look at me now!! #Future https://t.co/r23Yl9AoXn

— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) May 17, 2017

Sign up today! pic.twitter.com/kjJkhD7p9W

— “The Big LG” Doc Gallows (@The_BigLG) May 17, 2017

New Japan’s yearly Best of the Super Juniors tournament has now officially begun.

The Best of the Super Juniors (also known as BOSJ) is essentially the Junior Heavyweight version of the G1 Climax tournament that takes place in July. Competitors are split into two Blocks and must compete with every wrestler in their block round robin style. Points are awarded for victories and the eventual winners of the two groups face off in a final match to determine the winner.

Here are the results from Day 1 of the tournament:

A BLOCK Matches

TAKA Michinoku b. Jushin Thunder Liger – TAKA took his first win in the tournament after hitting the Heavy Killer #1

Ricochet b. Daichi – Ricochet took his first win of the tournament following the Shooting Star Press in just under 9 minutes

Marty Scurll b. Will Ospreay – ‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll took the win in his debut NJPW match after making Ospreay submit with the Crossface Chicken Wing

Dragon Lee b. Hiromu Takahashi – Lee takes the win over longtime rival Takahashi using the Phoenix Plex.

Tonight! Check the opening game of the #njbosj live on #njpwworld for FREE!!
?https://t.co/Tj7UBJ4PjP#njpw pic.twitter.com/Tu37JT6HAP

— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) May 16, 2017

B BLOCK Matches

Volador Jr b. Tiger Mask IV – Volador Jr took the win with an avalanche style Spanish fly in just under ten minutes 

ACH b. BUSHI – ACH takes the win in his first tournament match after hitting the Midnight Driver

El Desperado b. KUSHIDA – Desperado attacked KUSHIDA early and gained the win after hitting the Guitarra de Angel.

Ryusuke Taguchi b. Yoshinobu Kanemaru – Last year’s runner up Taguchi took the win with a small package

https://twitter.com/MartyScurll/status/864361191887429637

WWE Superstar and current No. 1-contender for the WWE Championship Jinder Mahal was recently a guest on fellow WWE Superstar Chris Jericho’s podcast, Talk Is Jericho.

Mahal discussed his recent push to the main event scene in the WWE and revealed that prior to his Six Pack Challenge on SmackDown Live; in which he defeated Mojo Rawley, Sami Zayn, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan and Dolph Ziggler to earn the right to challenge Randy Orton for the WWE Title, Vince McMahon made a big change to his character:

“So when I finished calling the match, one of the writers was like ‘hey Vince changed your promo’ and I was like ‘okay, bring it to me’ so they brought it to me and I had read the America comment and all that and I was like ‘ugh I like the old promo better.’ Like it was something like, ‘I tried being peaceful but nobody was listening but now I have all you guys’ attention, I just beat five of SmackDown’s very best and I did it all alone.’ Something like that, it was just a regular heel promo but the new one was like: ‘You Americans, this and that’ — I was like ugh I don’t like it, but Vince wrote it, it’s okay. But I did it and the reaction that I got I was like ‘ah man, Vince is a genius.’ He knows exactly what draws the most heat”

He also shared the interaction he had with Vince following his promo, and praised “The Chairman Of The Board” for his genius wrestling mind:

“It’s weird, he knows what’s going to draw the most heat. I didn’t see it at first but as soon as I heard the reaction — actually when I came back to I sat with Vince and he was like, because we went over time already and he was like, ‘forget about the time, let them boo even more before you start talking’ so I was like, okay.”

 H/T to GiveMeSport for the transcribed quotes

Early today, NJPW posted health updates for both Katsuyori Shibata, and Tomaki Honma.

Honma was injured in a match on March 3rd, after taking a DDT. He experienced temporary paralysis in both arms and legs. It is believed he injured his cervical vertebrae.

Shibata collapsed backstage after his April 9th IWGP heavyweight championship match with Kazuchika Okada. He was taken to hospital, where it is said his condition was initially life-threatening.

Shibata and Honma Health Updates

Honma is said to be recovering well, and has regained movement in both arms and legs. He is working on muscular rehabilitation and is exercising. He is able to go for light runs, which also sounds encouraging. It is currently not known when he will be discharged from hospital.

As for Shibata, the forthcoming information doesn’t offer much. He has no trouble walking or talking and has been transferred to the general ward of the hospital. NJPW stated that it is impossible to comment on the potential impacts of his injury. The full release can be read here.

Shibata is said to have suffered a subdural hematoma which required emergency surgery. The cause is suspected to be a combination of a hard head butt he took during the match and dehydration.

205 Live
May 16th 2017

1. Noam Dar w/Alicia Fox vs. Gran Metalik

We are shown a replay of Alicia Fox’s surprise victory over Sasha Banks this week on Raw. Banks had previously lost a controversial singles match to Banks 2 weeks prior, when replay seemed to show Fox’s shoulder was up before the 3-count.

Gran Metalik got the early advantage, sending Dar to the outside. Dar would use Alicia as a distraction to gain the advantage however. From there, Metalik would use several springboard moves, such as a moonsault to the outside and an elbow from the top rope. Dar would use mainly submission moves on the luchador when he got the advantage.

End of the match came when Dar kicked Metalik’s legs out from underneath him while he was going for a springboard move from the 2nd rope. Dar then hitting a running knee and got the pin.

Winner: Noam Dar

• The Brian Kendrick is interviewed backstage. It’s revealed he will face Akira Tozawa in a street fight in 2 weeks. Kendrick said that with a mind as crafty as his, it spells danger for Tozawa. Last week, Kendrick stomped on Tozawa’s head while it was under the steel steps. Kendrick says this street fight might be the end for Tozawa.

2. Mustafa Ali vs. Tony Nese

As Ali is making his entrance, Drew Gulak attacked him from behind. He told Ali he is going to make an example of him, and rammed him in his face. Gulak then held Ali in places as Nese gave him a running kick to the face.

Emblazoned by his new role model, Randy Orton, Gulak has declared 205 Live a “No Fly Zone”.

Result: No Contest (match never started)

• Rich Swann is interviewed backstage. He says he wants to get as far away from Noam Dar and Alicia Fox as he can. A delivery guy than arrives and gives Swann a package which looks similar to the ones which were given to Alicia Fox weeks earlier. Swann tells the guy the package is for Davairi.
• This leads to a debate between Jack Gallagher and Davairi over the package. Gallagher ends up calling him a scoundrel and walking away.
• Davairi opens up the package which is exploding powder that gets all over him. Tom Phillips thought this was just hilarious.

3. TJP vs. Austin Aries

The storyline here is that if TJP can injure Aries, and help Neville retain his title, then he will be awarded a title shot. So we’ll see if Neville is true to his word, though that’s rarely the case when one heel makes a promise to another.

Aries got dropkicked while straddling the ropes, and looked as though he got his knee twisted. TJP then spent the next part of the match working on Aries’ injured knee. He wrapped him in the kneebar and grabbed the ropes for leverage. Once the ref caught him on the ropes and separated them, Aries was able to counter the Detonation Kick into his Lance Chancery and got TJ to tap.

Winner: Austin Aries via submission

• After the match Neville attacked Aries from behind, focussing on his injured knee.
• Neville locked in a modified heel hook until Jack Gallagher made the save with his umbrella!

WWE’s initiative to scour the globe for the top talent continues to yield strong results. Io Shirai, arguably one of the top women’s wrestlers in the world, has accepted an offer to join with WWE [via Wrestling Observer]. The 27-year-old took part in a WWE tryout camp at the Performance Center back in March and recently finished up with Japan’s Stardom promotion.

Io Shirai appeared for Lucha Underground last year under the name Hitokiri as part of the Black Lotus Triad group. In this match from November 2016, Shirai wrestled Pentagon Dark  in a must-see match that includes Shirai jumping off the balcony.

Joining Io Shirai in WWE will be fellow stardom performer Kairi Hojo. Back in March, the Observer reported that Hojo signed a 3-year deal with WWE. She is expected to start training at the WWE Performance Center soon.

With WWE’s Women’s Tournament taking place this summer, you can bet Io Shirai and Kairi Hojo will be two of the 32 competitors involved.

Finally, WWE has reportedly signed independent wrestler Kennadi Brink [via SquareCircleSirens]. She has worked for various promotions including SHIMMER and MCW. Brink recently worked as a referee for a few NXT live events in Florida and will be joining WWE/NXT as a referee.

Impact Wrestling agent/performer Al Snow was arrested on Monday night in Winchester, KY but claims the whole thing was a misunderstanding stemming from a traffic stop two years ago and a typo.

The 53-year-old was arrested, charged with “failure to appear” and later released on $234 bond. He posted a series of tweets on Wednesday stating that he was pulled over two years ago and received tickets for a broken tail light and an expired insurance card.

Snow claims to have cleared it up, but a typo resulted in a bench warrant for him that he was unaware of and his subsequent arrest.

Here’s the message he posted on Twitter earlier today:

“To clear up my arrest, I had a ticket from 2 years ago,broken light & expired insurance ID card, took care of it but thanks to a typo.

There was a bench warrant for me I was completely unaware of, my car was having trouble 3 police approached and asked for ID and I was taken in and paid a 234 dollar fine and was released.

A typo resulted in my arrest, and now I’ve spent time in the big house lol Be careful I might just shank you lol.”

Following this week’s SmackDown Live, the card has been finalized for the SmackDown brand’s Backlash pay-per-view from Rosemont, Illinois.

It’s a strong line-up that has Jinder Mahal working his first WWE PPV main event, Shinsuke Nakamura wrestling his first television match on the main roster and an AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens US title match that’s sure to deliver.

Here’s the card for Sunday night:

– Randy Orton defends the WWE Championship against Jinder Mahal

– Kevin Owens defends the WWE United States Championship against AJ Styles

– The Usos defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Breezango

– Shinsuke Nakamura makes his SmackDown TV debut against Dolph Ziggler

– SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi teams with Charlotte and Becky Lynch to battle Natalya, Tamina and Carmella

– Sami Zayn challenges Baron Corbin

– Erick Rowan challenges Luke Harper

– Tye Dillinger and Aiden English go to war on the Kickoff Pre-show

Join us here this Sunday for our Live Coverage of WWE Backlash, which begins at 7pm Eastern with the Kickoff pre-show. Leave your Backlash Predictions below.

AJ Styles challenges Kevin Owens for the US title this Sunday at Backlash. As both have over a decade of experience, and competed all over the world, I thought it might be interesting to review their history against one another.

Kevin Steen vs. AJ Styles Outside WWE

Kevin Owens (then Kevin Steen) and AJ Styles competed against each other on the independent scene in 2005-06. Their main battles were in PWG, but they also met for a local Quebec City promotion, Elite Wrestling Revolution.

• AJ Styles & Kevin Steen defeated Christopher Daniels & Excess – January 8th 2005, Quebec City, Quebec – EWR
• Kevin Steen defeated AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels & El Generico – March 12th 205- PWG
• AJ Styles defeated Kevin Steen – 2-of-3 falls, May 8th 2005, EWR
• Kevin Steen defeated AJ Styles – Steen wins PWG title from AJ- August 5th 2005- PWG
• AJ Styles defeated Kevin Steen – 2nd round BOLA 2005 – September 4th 2005
• Kevin Steen defends PWG title successfully against AJ Styles, and Chris Bosh (not the basketball player) – PWG – October 14th 2005
• Joey Ryan defeated Kevin Steen, AJ Styles, and Chris Bosh- PWG – February 4th 2006

The two would meet twice in 2014 as well, for 2CW and Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore:

• AJ Styles defeated Kevin Steen – March 14th 2014- 2CW
• AJ Styles defeating Kevin Steen – June 7th 2014- House of Hardcore V

Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles in WWE

Kevin Owens and AJ Styles got reacquainted with each other on AJ Styles’ first night in WWE. Owens was responsible for eliminating AJ from the 2016 Royal Rumble, the night AJ debuted in WWE.

WWE match history (house shows not included):

• Kevin Owens defeated AJ Styles – Smackdown March 14th 2016
• Kevin Owens defeated AJ Styles – Raw March 21st 2016
• AJ Styles defeated Cesaro, Jericho, and Owens – Fatal 4-way – Raw April 4th 2016
• AJ Styles & Cesaro defeated Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens – Raw May 23rd 2016
• Kevin Owens defeated AJ Styles – MITB Qualifier – Raw November 20th 2016
• Kevin Owens, Jinder Mahal, & Corbin defeated Styles, Orton & Zayn – Smackdown May 9th 2017

NJPW and Ring of Honor star Will Ospreay recently sat down with ESPN to discuss a variety of topics including his ROH War of the Worlds match, his in ring style and the controversy with Randy Orton. Here are some excerpts:

On Jay White:

“Jay White is probably one of the most polite and down-to-earth guys I’ve ever met, He was brought up through the young lion New Japan Dojo, so he knows his stuff. He’s probably going to be the biggest star once he goes back to Japan. I consider him a friend, and I think he would even say, as well, that we were overwhelmed by the people and the kind of response we had with people saying that was probably the best match on the card, and some people were even saying it was probably match of the year. I was like, ‘Oh wow, that’s incredible.'”

On the injuries he sustained during his War of the Worlds match:

“I’m fine, my foot is killing me though,” My foot is so wrecked from the suicide dive, and he [Jay White] powerslammed me into the barricade. My foot wrapped across the barricade. It was the most painful thing ever. My back is all scratched up. My obliques are all cut up. That’s what this company is built on. It’s built on sacrifice. I’m happy to sacrifice my body if it means this place is going to get more recognition.”

On his in-ring style:

“I would like to show people that what I do is professional wrestling,” A lot of people give me a lot of stick — I’m cool, I can take it. Because my style is apparently not believable in a fight situation. Well, I’ve seen worse things, trust me on that. Ricochet says it best: Wrestling is an art form. I don’t bash people for doing death matches, but I love death matches. I’ve done one a while ago at Progress [Wrestling]. I loved it. I don’t mock the tech wrestling ’cause I can do it, but I don’t like it. But at the end of it, I still think it’s wrestling.”

On the ….dive controversy:

“I thought it was really funny. I do agree a bit, quite a lot of it. I do feel like wrestling has become very similar [in style], but just listen to that crowd from New York. It is that format, and everyone was going insane. I don’t know what to say but … dive.”

You can check out there full interview here.

Randy Orton Takes Photo With Drew Gulak

In case you missed it, Randy Orton caused a bit of a scene over the weekend on Twitter. Rip Rogers, head trainer for Ohio Valley Wrestling, posted a picture on Twitter of a message he received. The message was critical of independent wrestling and it’s reliance on high spots. Orton retweeted the message and simply added “…dive”.

…..dive https://t.co/3AclxV2jdb

— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) May 13, 2017

WWE Cruiserweight Superstar Drew Gulak posted a photo shortly after SmackDown went off the air. The photo was with Randy Orton and poked fun at the controversy over the tweet.

https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/864666234922700800

Erick Rowan Will Face Luke Harper At Backlash This Sunday

Erick Rowan joined SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon and Renee Young on this week’s episode of Talking Smack. Rowan wanted a match against Luke Harper. Rowan referred to Harper as “Lucas” and psychotically laughed at the mask he brought with him to Talking Smack. Shane McMahon then made the match official and Erick Rowan will face off against Luke Harper at Backlash.

Per #SDLive Commissioner @ShaneMcMahon, @ERICKROWAN will face his former brethren @LukeHarperWWE at #WWEBacklash! #TalkingSmack pic.twitter.com/3dlRpRtzsu

— WWE (@WWE) May 17, 2017

Here is the updated card for WWE Backlash this Sunday:

WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton (c) vs Jinder Mahal

United States Championship Match: Kevin Owens (c) vs AJ Styles

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos (c) vs Breezango

Naomi, Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch vs Natalya, Tamina Snuka & Carmella

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Dolph Ziggler

Erick Rowan vs Luke Harper

Kickoff Show: Tye Dillinger vs Aiden English

Rusev Doesn’t Show Up To SmackDown

Last week, Rusev posted the following video and said that he will be showing up at tonight’s episode of SmackDown to confront Shane McMahon and demand a title shot at the Money in the Bank PPV.

If you don't want to reply to me @shanemcmahon, I come to #SDLive to get my answer. #RusevReturn pic.twitter.com/Ddu6QOSDh6

— Miro (@ToBeMiro) May 9, 2017

As it turned out, Rusev did not appear on tonight’s SmackDown. Instead, Rusev attended the Nashville Predators NHL playoff game against the Anaheim Ducks.

Sorry #SmackDownLIVE I had to make the @PredsNHL game. See you when I see you.

— Miro (@ToBeMiro) May 17, 2017

John Cena Left Out Of SmackDown Opening Video

WWE has posted their new opening video for SmackDown Live. John Cena and Nikki Bella have both been removed from the video. Chris Jericho was included in the video even though he is currently touring with his band Fozzy.

Kevin Owens kicked off this week’s SmackDown with a Highlight Reel segment. Owens stated that he was the new host of the highlight reel since he destroyed Chris Jericho a two weeks ago. Owens said that Jericho will never be seen again in WWE. Footage was shown on the Jeritron 6000 of Owens smashing his head into the ring post while a chair was wrapped around his neck. Owens vowed to defeat AJ Styles this Sunday at Backlash in their United States Championship match.

Owens started introducing someone in French but AJ’s music cut him off. Styles came down to the entrance ramp with a microphone in his hand and made his way towards the ring. Styles bashed Owens for stealing Jericho’s show. AJ said that he was going to take the US Title from Owens at Backlash and bring the title back to the good ol’ USA. The crowd broke out in a “USA!” chant as Styles made his way up the steel steps.

Jinder Mahal interrupted and said that he was supposed the guest of Kevin Owens’ Highlight Reel. Owens scolded Styles for interrupting and called him a rude American. Mahal stated that he was going to capture the WWE Championship this Sunday at Backlash and highlights of Jinder beating down Orton last week. Mahal then began speaking in Punjabi and the crowd chanted “what?!”. Mahal then stated that he was going to defeat AJ Styles tonight on SmackDown. Owens once again guaranteed a victory over Styles at Backlash. AJ got in the ring and Kevin Owens retreated. Styles then told Mahal to get in the ring so they can begin the “AJ Styles Highlight Reel”.

Reaction: This promo was okay. I’m not sure if Jinder Mahal is under the weather or something, but this is two weeks in a row now that he was speaking very lightly into the microphone. I am hoping that Mahal and Orton have some kind of encounter tonight. The shock of Jinder becoming #1 contender has worn off for me and I’m now just looking for a reason to get excited for this match. As of now, I’m not really interested because I am just expecting Randy Orton’s incredibly boring WWE Championship reign to continue.

"Why don't you get in here, and we'll start the @AJStylesOrg #HighlightReel!" – AJ Styles battles @JinderMahal NEXT on #SDLive! pic.twitter.com/ooHutCtH9E

— WWE (@WWE) May 17, 2017

AJ Styles vs Jinder Mahal

Kevin Owens joined commentary for this match. AJ started out the match in control and connected with a couple of kicks. Mahal then caught Styles and threw him across the ring. Styles responded by connecting with a Dropkick to Mahal’s face and Jinder fell to the mat. Jinder connected with a chop to the throat of Styles and AJ fell down. Mahal then shoved his boot in AJ’s face and then stomped on him a few times.

AJ fought back and connected with a forearm to Mahal’s head. The “USA!” chants started again and Owens bashed the crowd on commentary. The Singh Brothers distracted Styles as AJ ran towards the ropes. Mahal capitalized and connected with a knee to AJ’s face for a two count as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

This face = READY for @RandyOrton THIS SUNDAY at #WWEBacklash! #SDLive @JinderMahal pic.twitter.com/gu4yj0wHyy

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 17, 2017

When SmackDown returned, Jinder was still in control of the match and had Styles in a Chin Lock. Jinder broke the hold and elbowed AJ in the face. Mahal hit a Dropkick for a two count. Jinder once again applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring. Styles got out of the hold but Mahal immediately knocked him back down to the mat. Jinder launched Styles into the turnbuckle and then went for a pinfall but AJ powered out at two.

Jinder perched AJ up on the top turnbuckle and then joined him up there. Mahal went for a Superplex but Styles escaped and slammed Mahal’s head into the turnbuckle. Jinder then leaped off the second turnbuckle but was met with a Dropkick from Styles in midair. Styles Dropkicked Jinder in the knee and then hit a forearm to the face for a two count.

Mahal connected with a kick to AJ’s head for a two count. Jinder missed a right hand and Styles connected with a Pele Kick. Jinder rolled out of the ring and Styles hit a Dropkick through the ropes. Back in the ring, Styles set up for the Phenomenal Forearm but the Singh Brothers distracted the referee. Kevin Owens then struck AJ Styles in the knee with the United States Championship. Mahal then hit the Khallas for the victory.

Winner: Jinder Mahal

Reaction: There is no denying that Jinder Mahal’s work in the ring has definitely improved and this match was just another example of it. I would just like to see him attack Orton before tonight’s episode of SmackDown is over.

Thanks to some very special help from The #NewFaceOfAmerica @FightOwensFight, @JinderMahal has DEFEATED @AJStylesOrg on #SDLive! pic.twitter.com/oj1OsG8uLt

— WWE (@WWE) May 17, 2017

Another episode of “Fashion Files” was shown starring Breezango. In this week’s episode, Breeze entered in disguise as a janitor. Fandango didn’t realize it was Breeze right away. Breeze then poked fun at Baron Corbin’s fashion. Breeze then stated that The Usos are scary and have incredible hair. Breeze then held up The Usos’ “Day One Ish” shirt and became confused as to what it meant. Breeze then went into a panic and said that Breeezango had no chance against them. Fandango slapped Breeze in the face and called him “Prince Pretty”. Breezango then stated that they will capture the SmackDown Tag Team Championships this Sunday and posed in a freeze frame just before they high-fived.

"Finally, OUR day one will be H!" – @MmmGorgeous and @WWEFandango on potentially defeating the @WWEUsos this Sunday at #WWEBacklash! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/k7NGOYrfHc

— WWE (@WWE) May 17, 2017

Orton was shown walking backstage and was stopped for an interview with Renee Young. Orton stated that people don’t like Jinder because he speaks differently, it is because he is an ass.

#TheViper @RandyOrton tells it like it is on why the @WWEUniverse doesn't like #TheMaharaja @JinderMahal… #SDLive pic.twitter.com/3VfDX0nWNT

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 17, 2017

Breezango vs The Colons

The Colons controlled the match early and took turns beating down Tyler Breeze. Fandango pleaded for a tag but Breeze was too busy getting his ass kicked. Fandango finally got in the match and knocked Epico to the mat. Breeze and Primo were Clotheslined out of the ring. Fandango planted Epico with the Falcon Arrow for the victory.

After the match, The Usos came down to the entrance ramp and taunted Breezango for trying to be funny 5 days before Backlash. The Usos then read Breezango their rights and stated that they were going to take them to trial at Backlash.

Winners: Breezango

Reaction: The Usos are terrific as heels and have cut entertaining promos on Breezango two weeks in a row. I’ve always been a fan of Tyler Breeze and wouldn’t mind seeing Breezango emerge from Backlash as the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions. I wouldn’t have a problem with The Usos retaining either. I’m just hoping that this match is given enough time this Sunday. Breezango might be a goofy team, but they actually work well together in the ring. Hopefully we get to see a solid match between these two teams this Sunday at Backlash.

The #SDLive #TagTeamChampions @WWEUsos just read #Breezango their RIGHTS just 5?? days before #WWEBacklash… pic.twitter.com/fe9sDXlmL1

— WWE (@WWE) May 17, 2017

SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon came down to the ring for the contract signing for the 6-woman tag match at Backlash. Carmella, Tamina Snuka, Natalya, James Ellsworth, Becky Lynch, Naomi and Charlotte join him in the ring. Natalya grabs the microphone and calls Becky, Charlotte and Naomi pathetic and signed the contract. Becky stated that she cannot wait to slap the Welcoming Committee’s faces this Sunday at Backlash and signed the contract. Naomi claimed that she was going to snatch her opponents bald at Backlash and that they should be focusing on setting up a hair appointment. Naomi then signed the contract.

Charlotte then signed the contract and pointed at Naomi’s Smackdown Women’s Championship and said that after Sunday The Queen is coming for her crown. Charlotte then signed the contract. Ellsworth then grabbed the microphone and quoted Vince McMahon by saying that Becky Lynch had no chance with him. Ellsworth stated that Charlotte may be The Queen, but Carmella is the Princess of Staten Island. Ellsworth then informed Charlotte that she also has no chance with him. Ellsworth then told Naomi that Carmella was going to take her title and her glow. Naomi went after Ellsworth but Carmella got in the way and slammed her head off the table. Shane McMahon put a stop to it. Shane then announced that Carmella will face Naomi next and SmackDown went to a commercial break.

.@realellsworth interrupts the #WWEBacklash 6-Woman Match Contract Signing to address some "unrequited feelings" on #SDLive… #Duh pic.twitter.com/kn44wD8hS6

— WWE (@WWE) May 17, 2017

Carmella vs Naomi

Carmella spent the beginning of the match trying to avoid Naomi by hanging onto the ropes. Naomi almost hit the Rear View but Ellsworth dragged Carmella out of the ring. The referee then tossed Ellsworth out and he left ringside. SmackDown went to a commercial break as Ellsworth was being kicked out.

REAR VIEW avoided, but @realellsworth gets TOSSED OUT by the official as a result! #SDLive @NaomiWWE @CarmellaWWE pic.twitter.com/1690c1fgmh

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 17, 2017

When SmackDown returned, Naomi was in control of the match and took a break to dance around. Eventually, all hell broke loose. Natalya and Tamina started brawling with Charlotte and Becky Lynch. Naomi then knocked Tamina Snuka out of the ring but this gave Carmella an opening. Carmella rolled Naomi up while grabbing her tights for leverage and won the match.

Winner: Carmella

Reaction: The contract signing was entertaining. If Ellsworth must be a part of every episode of SmackDown, I like him in this role much better than facing AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. I think the WWE writers find Ellsworth hilarious. I thought it was funny for a couple of weeks. However, I’ve had enough of lame chin jokes and Ellsworth segments. I would enjoy it more if I thought Ellsworth was advancing Carmella’s career or making her more hatable. Instead, it is just corny humor and nonsense every week. Overall, I have enjoyed this feud though. Charlotte has been giving off the impression that she is not all in with her team. It will be interesting to see how the match plays out this Sunday at Backlash.

The brawl is ON amongst the #WelcomingCommittee and @BeckyLynchWWE & @MsCharlotteWWE! #SDLive @NatbyNature @TaminaSnuka pic.twitter.com/udYBvrWuWJ

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 17, 2017

The #WelcomingCommittee is ALL SMILES as the chaos leads to @CarmellaWWE pinning #SDLive #WomensChampion @NaomiWWE once again! pic.twitter.com/jl0by8SMk7

— WWE (@WWE) May 17, 2017

Dolph Ziggler was backstage and stated that he was going to show a video of Shinsuke Nakamura’s WWE highlights. A message appeared on the screen that read “footage not found”. Ziggler said that Nakamura has done nothing in WWE and showed highlights of his own career. Ziggler claimed that he will end Nakamura’s WWE run before it begins this Sunday at Backlash.

Reaction: The build up to the match between Ziggler and Nakamura has been decent at best. Having said that, if you are a fan of professional wrestling you should be excited for this match. Both Ziggler and Nakamura are incredible in the ring and I cannot wait for their match at Backlash.

So goes the @ShinsukeN highlight reel, as provided by @HEELZiggler… #SDLive pic.twitter.com/1hDExWVjg1

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 17, 2017

Sami Zayn was interviewed backstage and announced that he has been granted a match with Baron Corbin at Backlash. Sami somehow believes that Corbin is afraid of him. Corbin then attacked Zayn from behind and beat him down.

"You should really learn to stay down…" – @BaronCorbinWWE has a message for his #WWEBacklash opponent @iLikeSamiZayn on #SDLive! pic.twitter.com/Q54naVJ1ft

— WWE (@WWE) May 17, 2017

Randy Orton vs Baron Corbin

Orton controlled the match early and applied a Chin Lock to Corbin. Orton went for the RKO early but Corbin blocked it. Orton then laughed at Corbin and Corbin got pissed off. Corbin leveled Orton with a Clothesline and taunted Orton as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

#RKO ALMOST outta nowhere… ? #SDLive @RandyOrton pic.twitter.com/vMXcUz8aAY

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 17, 2017

When SmackDown returned, Baron Corbin was still in control of the match. Corbin charged at Orton in the corner but Orton got out of the way and Corbin slammed into the ring post. Orton then dropped Corbin to the mat twice with a couple of Clotheslines and followed it up with a Powerslam. Corbin rolled to the ring apron but Orton followed him and planted him with the DDT as Corbin was hung up on the second rope. Orton posed for the crowd and they gave him a great reaction.

Orton slammed on the mat and set up for the RKO but Corbin blocked it. Corbin then connected with the Deep Six for a two count. Corbin charged at Orton and Orton once again got out of the way. Corbin slid out of the ring, got back in the ring and was greeted with an RKO from Orton. Orton then pinned Corbin for the victory.

After the match, Jinder Mahal came down to the entrance ramp with a microphone. Mahal stated that he will destroy Orton’s pride, body and future this Sunday at Backlash. The Singh Brothers then attacked Orton from behind. Orton launched both of the Singh Brothers out of the ring and punched Mahal before he could get in the ring. Orton was then setting up the Singh Brothers for a double DDT on the second rope but Mahal attacked Orton from behind. Mahal then hit the Khallas on Orton and posed with the WWE Championship as SmackDown went off the air.

Winner: Randy Orton

Reaction: Corbin and Orton had a decent match. I liked how the show ended with Mahal getting the best of Orton. I still don’t think Mahal has a chance of winning the WWE Championship this Sunday at Backlash. Overall, this week’s SmackDown was much better than last week’s episode. The build to Backlash wasn’t all that great, but there are some matches I’m very interested in watching.

What a STATEMENT as @JinderMahal lays out @RandyOrton with the #Khallas to send the ultimate message before #WWEBacklash! pic.twitter.com/u15jvLBrpG

— WWE (@WWE) May 17, 2017

What did you think of this week’s episode of SmackDown? Are you looking forward to Backlash this Sunday? Let us know in the comments below.

The May 16th, 2017 edition of WWE SmackDown aired live on the USA Network from the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, USA. This was the go-home episode for Sunday’s Backlash pay-per-view.

– Kevin Owens comes out to the ring to open up SmackDown with an edition of the “new and improved Highlight Reel” hosted by himself. Owens says Jericho will never ever be seen again after he beat him down last week. Owens the only list Jericho is on now is the injured list. Owens says he’s going to introduce his guest in French, as he is a French Canadian, but AJ Styles interrupts. AJ says Owens has been stealing Jericho’s gimmick for the last year, but Owens says he can do everything better than Jericho. AJ tells Owens that on Sunday he’s taking the U.S. Title belt back to the good ol’ USA, but they could get it on tonight instead. Jinder Mahal interrupts and says he was supposed to be guest on Owens’ Highlight Reel. Owens says Styles stole Jinder’s spot like a rude American. Jinder says on Sunday he’s going to beat Orton again, and shows a clip of himself beating Orton previously with the help of the Bollywood Boys. Jinder lays a Ghandi quote on AJ, then tells AJ that he’s going to lose twice this week — tonight to Jinder and on Sunday to Owens. AJ chases Owens out of the ring, then tells Jinder to get in the ring and start the “AJ Styles Highlight Reel.”

– Jinder Mahal def. AJ Styles: U.S. Champion Kevin Owens is on commentary for this one. Jinder starts off strong but AJ stops him in his tracks with a phenomenal dropkick to the head. Jinder stops AJ’s momentum with a shot to the throat, then slams him into the corner. Jinder lays into AJ with knee drops and throws him out to the apron. Jinder tries to suplex AJ in over the ropes, but AJ knocks Jinder back and leapfrogs over the top rope with a flying forearm to the head of Jinder. The Bollywood Boys distract AJ momentarily which allows Jinder to recover and hit a running knee to the face. Jinder takes AJ up top, but AJ knocks Jinder down. Jinder kicks AJ in the face, but AJ comes back with a dropkick and both men are down. They get up and AJ kicks Jinder’s leg out from under him. AJ follows up with a forearm shot to the face then picks up Jinder. Jinder takes AJ into the corner with some shoulder strikes then boots AJ in the face. AJ ducks an elbow and hits the Pele Kick on Jinder. AJ follows up with a flying forearm in the corner, then a fireman’s carry into a neckbreaker over his knee. Jinder rolls outside to recover and AJ hits a baseball slide kick through the ropes. Back in the ring, AJ sets up for a Phenomenal Forearm, but the Bollywood Boys distract the ref and Owens hits AJ in the knee from behind. AJ rolls in the ring selling a knee injury, and Jinder hits a Cobra Clutch slam for the win.

The #PhenomenalForearm can come from ANYWHERE…so @FightOwensFight must be paying close attention! #SDLive @AJStylesOrg pic.twitter.com/sjDLbf1o3W

— WWE (@WWE) May 17, 2017

Thanks to some very special help from The #NewFaceOfAmerica @FightOwensFight, @JinderMahal has DEFEATED @AJStylesOrg on #SDLive! pic.twitter.com/oj1OsG8uLt

— WWE (@WWE) May 17, 2017

– We see another Law & Order-inspired Fashion Files segment with Tyler Breeze and Fandango. This one features Breeze doing undercover work with a fake mustache and skullet.

– Randy Orton does an interview backstage where he the reason why people in America don’t like Jinder is because he’s an ass, not because he looks different.

– Breezango def. The Colons: The Colons trade frequent tags and control things against Breeze in the opening moments. Primo hits a running clothesline on Breeze in the corner, but then Breeze dodges a splash and kicks Primo in the head. Fandango and Epico tag in and Fandango drops him with a spinning heel kick. Fandango gets distracted by Primo at ringside and Epico rolls up Fandango with a fist full of tights for a near-fall. Fandango jumps up and hits a Falcon Arrow on Epico for the win. The Usos come out after the match and cut a promo on Breezango. The Usos say they make the rules, not the Fashion Police, and on Sunday they’re taking them to trial at Backlash. The Usos make some more law enforcement-related puns before leaving.

SURPRISE! @MmmGorgeous has been practicing his undercover work… #SDLive #FashionFiles pic.twitter.com/aZlhCO5PKE

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 17, 2017

– Becky and Naomi run into Charlotte backstage and they get ready to come out for a contract signing together next.

– SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon makes his entrance to the ring to oversee a contract signing for Sunday’s Women’s match at Backlash. Natalya, Tamina and Carmella with James Ellsworth come out together first. Charlotte, Becky and Naomi make individual entrances next. The women cut brief promos on each other and sign the contract, but then James Ellsworth steps forward. Ellsworth says Becky should stop longingly gazing at him, because in the words of Vince, she has no chance in Hell with Ellsworth. Ellsworth tells Charlotte she doesn’t have a shot with him either, and that Naomi needs to stop flapping her gums because Carmella is going to take her glow away. Naomi grabs Ellsworth by the collar and Carmella hits her. Naomi and Carmella get held back by their teammates, and Shane books a match between the two right now.

HERE COMES THE ???????????… #SDLive @shanemcmahon pic.twitter.com/t44GYrbQuk

— WWE (@WWE) May 17, 2017

– Naomi vs. Carmella: Ellsworth gets a little too close to the action early on and the referee ejects him from ringside before the match continues. Carmella and Naomi trade leg kicks back and forth until Naomi appears to get the upper hand. Naomi hits several unanswered kicks before the action spills out to ringside. Carmella hits a superkick on Naomi at ringside which leaves Naomi laying on the floor. Naomi rolls in the ring at the referee’s 8 count, and Carmella continues the offense. Naomi comes back with a kick, a flying clothesline, and then her trademark series of kicks. Naomi follows up with a jawbreaker then a kick to the head. Naomi goes up top but gets distracted by Tamina and Natalya. The ref ejects Tamina and Natalya both from ringside now. This leads to Tamina and Natalya brawling with Charlotte and Becky at ringside. Naomi and the ref are distracted by the brawling at ringside, which allows Carmella to roll up Naomi from behind for the win.

– Dolph Ziggler is in the locker room talking into the camera about Shinsuke Nakamura. Ziggler says he’s going to show some footage of the incredible things Nakamura has done, but then there’s no footage. Ziggler says Nakamura hasn’t done anything in WWE, but Ziggler has done everything in WWE. Ziggler rolls a highlight reel video of his career next. Back from the video, Ziggler says that he’s going to prove all of his doubters wrong by ending Nakamura’s WWE career before it even begins.

So goes the @ShinsukeN highlight reel, as provided by @HEELZiggler… #SDLive pic.twitter.com/1hDExWVjg1

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 17, 2017

– Sami Zayn does an interview backstage where he says he’s requested a rematch with Baron Corbin on Sunday. Sami says Corbin sees him as a threat because Corbin knows he can’t keep him down. Corbin then attacks Zayn from behind and tells him he better stay down on Sunday, or else he’ll put him down permanently.

– Randy Orton def. Baron Corbin: This one is a non-title match. Orton attempts and RKO early on but Corbin gets out. Corbin controls the opening moments until Orton grabs his hair to slam him down. Corbin fires up and comes back with strikes, then puts Orton in the corner and stomps a mud hole in him. Corbin dominates the news few moments and keeps Orton grounded. Corbin goes for a suplex but Orton fights back with elbows. Corbin charges at Orton, but Orton dodges him and Corbin crashes shoulder-first into the ring post. Corbin is hurt, and he turns around into a series of clotheslines from Orton. Orton hits a spinning powerslam, then Corbin rolls out to the apron. Orton DDT’s Corbin back into the ring over the middle rope. Orton goes for an RKO but Corbin shoves him off and hits the Deep Six for a two count. Orton throws Corbin outside and Corbin comes running back in. As soon as Corbin gets back in the ring Orton lays him out with an RKO for the three count.

– Jinder Mahal comes out after the bell and tells Orton to savor his time with the WWE Championship, because on Sunday Jinder is going to destroy Orton and take the Title belt. As Jinder is talking, The Bollywood Boys (Singh Brothers) attack Orton from behind. Orton fights them off, then as Jinder tries to get on the apron Orton kicks him off. The Singh Brothers try to come back in the ring, but Orton hooks them for a double DDT over the middle rope. Before Orton can hit the DDT, Mahal hits Orton from behind then the three heels beat down the Champion. Mahal hits the Cobra Clutch slam on Orton, then he grabs the WWE Title belt and holds it above his head in the ring as SmackDown goes off the air.

What a STATEMENT as @JinderMahal lays out @RandyOrton with the #Khallas to send the ultimate message before #WWEBacklash! pic.twitter.com/u15jvLBrpG

— WWE (@WWE) May 17, 2017

Join us on Sunday night for live WWE Backlash 2017 results and discussion!

WWE has announced a new match for the Backlash Kickoff show this Sunday. Renee Young broke the news earlier that Tye Dillinger will face Aiden English.

Backlash will be held in Rosemont, Ill, a suburb of Chicago, which is Aiden English’s hometown.

EXCLUSIVE: @WWEDillinger & @WWEDramaKing will clash during the #WWEBacklash Kickoff this Sunday, streaming LIVE on @WWENetwork! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/Pwt9JVU7H0

— WWE (@WWE) May 16, 2017

Tye Dillinger vs. Aiden English

Tye Dilinger is a new edition to the Smackdown Live roster. The 35-year old was originally signed to WWE in 2006, and briefly managed to crack the ECW brand’s roster in 2008-09 as Gavin Spears before he was released from the company.

In 2. He has been wrestling in NXT since 2013, until finally cracking the main roster again earlier this year.

29 year old Aiden English signed with WWE not long after graduation college in 2011. He started in WWE developmental in 2012.

Brie Bella is home resting after what was apparently a difficult birth. Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella welcomed Birdie Joe into their family earlier this month. Nikki Bella spoke with E! News regarding Brie’s experience giving birth recently:

 “She tried to go natural, and it was like eight or 10 hours into it had to get an epidural and then in the end had to get a C-section. Her abs were too tight! Go figure. Leave it to the WWE Superstar, abs too tight!”

Nikki continued to say the experience was not one she is interested in having for herself:

“Being with Brie in labour for 22 hours, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m fine not doing this, I think I’m okay.’ I saw a lot, and I can’t unsee that.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv1e5Y0tzI

Birdie Joe Danielson

According to Nikki Bella, the newborn already bears a striking resemblance to her father:

“Birdie is just so cute. She’s like her daddy. She is like 100 percent her dad, which is so cute.”

Bryan has been absent from social media since May 8th, as the couple prepared for the birth:

https://twitter.com/WWEDanielBryan/status/861632242220638210

WWE RAW drew under 3 million viewers for the third week in a row with last night’s episode from Newark, NJ. The episode drew 2.751 million viewers, up from last week’s 2017-low of 2.696 million viewers for a taped episode from the UK.

RAW featured The Miz vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose, Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt as the main matches. Wyatt vs. Rollins headlined the show.

Here is the hourly breakdown courtesy of Showbuzz Daily:

• Hour 1: 2.884 million viewers
• Hour 2: 2.724 million viewers
• Hour 3: 2.645 million viewers

The NBA Playoffs and related programming continue to top the charts as this week’s RAW was #5 in viewership and #5 in the 18-49 demographic.

Braun Strowman underwent elbow surgery last Thursday in Birmingham, Alabama. WWE.com noted that Strowman’s elbow was “shattered” by Roman Reigns last week on RAW and he’s expected to miss up to six months of action.

According to multiple sources, WWE’s timeframe for Strowman’s recovery is in fact exaggerated so he appears to be superhuman when he returns much sooner than expected. Strowman is still expected back in action within 2 months, as per initial reports.

The main event of WWE’s upcoming Extreme Rules will be a Fatal 5-Way match to determine the new #1 contender to RAW Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe and Bray Wyatt will battle at Extreme Rules to see who faces Brock Lesnar at July’s Great Balls of Fire PPV.

The original plan was for Strowman to face Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire, but we’re told that Strowman is now slated to work with Lesnar at SummerSlam in August.

Paul Heyman, the Advocate of RAW Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, made a surprise appearance at rapper Desiigner’s concert from the Playstation Theater last night in New York City.

The ‘Panda’ and ‘Timmy Turner’ performer is a self proclaimed Paul Heyman Guy and you can read more about that situation over at HeymanHustle.com.

Here’s the footage of Heyman introducing Desiigner to the rabid crowd on Monday night. If Paul Heyman is introducing you (see: Brock Lesnar, CM Punk), you’re doing something right!

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

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

Matt Wichlinski, the former Head Coach of Strength and Conditioning at WWE’s Performance Center, was the latest guest on The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling. Here are some highlights from the interview:

WWE’s developmental program evolving from FCW to NXT to the Performance Center:

“It was really tough when I first started. I actually started while they were still in Tampa. So I was in Tampa for the first three or four months before they came to Orlando at the “PC”. The building was still getting built out and we did not have a gym to go to so I tried my best to find a facility and I would go around town trying to find something and would go to places like the local Powerhouse Gym or to try taking the groups into a place would have cost an arm and a leg so I found a space that was perfect for us in the area where we were located.”

“In the time that it took to do all that in that month I would take the groups to a local park and they hated me for it. They thought I was the biggest assh*ole that didn’t know anything because I had them doing pull-ups and pushups and basic calisthenics in a park. I had a little Kia at the time and I would load it up (riding dirty) from the apartment to the park and I’d have some of the guys help me unload and they thought that it was stupid sh*t but with me I think lifting the sandbags and doing the kettle bell work and the pull ups and the dips and that stuff is some of the most important stuff for them but they wanted to be “getting a pump” and they felt goofy and they didn’t buy into any of it. There was a few guys that loved it and who would say; “Are we really getting paid to work out in the park and get some sun?” But for me it was not having any other options at the time as I was waiting to get a gym and maybe build some repoure and a relationship with people that I didn’t know.”

Earning the trust of WWE’s developmental talent:

“It was a really hard sell to get people to buy in and of course with the majority of them, they are there for a reason. They don’t hire people that look like absolute sh*t for the most part and 99 out of 100 people that they hire already have amazing looking bodies. The ‘divas” are coming in and most of them are like models if you look at them. The girls are already hot, the guys are all good looking studs and they are not bringing in clowns that we just have to mold from nothing. They are already 8s, 9s and 10s across the board thinking what is this guy going to teach me.”

Breaking through and getting talent to respond:

“The ones that I was able to help the most were the ones that were open minded and wanted to learn and they didn’t want to just do their own thing, they knew that there was something else that they could learn. Every day was like a sponge and these are some of the best athletes. Look at Chad Gable and Jason Jordan, they want to learn and they want your input when they are training. If they are doing some Olympic lifting and they want another eye and they are asking you. That is how you know you really helped somebody. There were other people that if they had their preference would just put their earphones on and just go in their own little world. Where that might be fine in some cases, you don’t do that at the “PC”. You can’t learn while you are drowning everything out and you have headphones on doing your own thing.”

Talent being opposed to some of his exercises:

“An obvious one would be Enzo Amore. He trained with Joe DeFranco for several years before he came into the “PC”. Joe DeFranco is Triple H’s personal trainer. Joe is an amazing guy and a brilliant strength coach and Enzo trained with him for a couple of years but he is a guy that just doesn’t listen very well. He has some decent athletic ability (he played college football) but he is very hard to coach. Not just in the gym but in the ring as well. In talking with his other coaches and he worked with all of the coaches (since he was there) for three or four years and Norman Smiley, Bill Demott and all of them thought he could be a real pain in the ass. Sometimes he can be awesome and other times he could be a pain in the ass. He’s one of those guys that thought he trained at DeFranco’s so he knows everything. I do a lot of things very similar and somewhat the same as what DeFranco does but certain things may be different and just because you did it one way, I’m asking you to do it different right now and if am asking you for a certain reason it’s because I want to see you do it this way because I am building to something else. Everyone that knows Enzo knows he is a hell of a character and a good guy but he can be a pain in the ass to work with sometimes, not all the time.”

“I know this for a fact. If you try and coach somebody and you tell them what to do 10 or 12 times and they don’t listen and they don’t fix it or they only fix it while you are right in front of their face. Even it is absolutely terrible technique they just feel comfortable in what they are doing. Charlotte was another one. Charlotte wasn’t necessarily a pain in the ass but because she is such a good athlete, Charlotte was not just the best female athlete but one of the best athletes there. She can do her flips and all that stuff but sometimes you’d want something specific from her and she would just not be in the mood and just do her own thing. What was I going to do with Charlotte? She was already an athlete as good as she needs to be. She’s very lean, very talented and sometimes you just have to know what battles to pick. The biggest issue was if you let one person slide (no matter how good) than other people start to slide.”

The structure of how to internally handle an issue and Triple H’s involvement:

“I didn’t just go texting Triple H saying “so and so” isn’t doing his push-ups. I would have to deal with it with all the coaches who have a weekly meeting and if it was something that could wait until the weekly meeting than you might want to bring it up. All the coaches know and you are all on the same page as to what is going on in the ring and what is going on in the gym or in the physical therapy room and what is going on behind the scenes with Ryan Katz as they do their promos or when Dusty was there.”

“Anything that was to come up it goes into your weekly reports so if it’s an issue that I can’t handle myself than yes you do bring it up. I brought it up to my boss, either Bill Demott or to Matt Bloom and share it with their coaches so that they knew to address it and that was everyone is on the same page. But it was never a main thing (with Enzo) where I wanted to dropkick his face and you’ve got to realize anytime you are in a position like that just look at what these guys are doing. They are being told what to do constantly so I can’t really blame them. I started calling him Sinatra towards the end and once he went up, I was just calling him Sinatra because he did it his way. A lot of s*hit he did was f*cking wrong. Blatantly wrong. Whether it was his selling or this or that but look at him now. He did it his way and he’s up there and making his money and he has got a hell of a life. He’s just laughing it up and having a great time so kudos to him. He was one of these guys that would kind of get away with doing things his way and it paid off for him. Somebody else may have gotten fired, who knows and I’m not trying to pick on him.”

Subscribe to The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling on iTunes, Podomatic, Player FM, Earpeeler and Tune In Radio. You can also follow them on Twitter @TwoManPowerTrip.

WWE has announced the main event for tonight’s episode of 205 Live. The show comes from Manchester, NH tonight after Smackdown Live.

JUST ANNOUNCED: @AustinAries faces @megatjp TOMORROW NIGHT on #205Live, immediately after #SDLive on @WWENetwork! #RAW pic.twitter.com/h51QaSPRtj

— WWE (@WWE) May 16, 2017

Austin Aries vs. TJP

At the moment, the storyline is that TJP (formerly TJ Perkins) is helping Neville retain his championship against the top good guys on the brand, Neville & Jack Gallagher. We’ve heard Neville tell TJP that he will earn a cruiserweight championship match if he continues to help him. Time will tell if TJP gets fed-up with waiting for Neville to grant him a championship opportunity however.

32-year old TJP is on a bit of a role, having won 3 of 4 on TV in May, including a singles win over Gallagher. His only loss this month was on Raw to Aries on May 1st in Sacramento.

As for the 39-year old Aries, he’s 1-1 on TV since defeating Neville via DQ at Payback. He defeated TJP on the May 1st Raw, but lost in the tag match last night.

Tonight’s episode of Smackdown Live take place from Manchester, NH and is the ‘go-home’ show ahead of WWE Backlash this Sunday. WWE is advertising two matches for the show:

• AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal

This match pits the two male singles title challengers at Backlash against one another. Jinder takes on Randy Orton for the WWE championship on Sunday, while AJ Styles challenges Kevin Owens for the US title.

• Randy Orton vs. Baron Corbin

As of this writing, Baron Corbin is not booked for a match at Backlash.

Updated Backlash Card

Ahead of tonight’s SmackDown, WWE has confirmed five matches for Sunday’s Backlash PPV:

• WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal
• SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. Breezango
• US Champion Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles
• Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch & Naomi vs. Carmella, Natalya and Tamina Snuka
• Dolph Ziggler vs. Shinsuke Nakamura