The United States Championship has changed hands several times in the last few weeks and the multiple title changes have been the subject of many rumors as of late.

It all started when AJ Styles beat Kevin Owens for the US title at a WWE Live Event from Madison Square Garden, though at that point everything looked fine.

The controversy began when Owens defeated Styles at the Battleground PPV and won the Championship back in the title rematch whose finish was noted to be very obscure.

The belt changed hands once again two nights later on SmackDown when AJ won triple threat match against Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho, who had returned to WWE for one night.

Due to this back and forth with the title and the controversial finish of the Battleground match, many wondered if Kevin was really supposed to win at the PPV or they botched the finish.

During his recent appearance on Busted Open Radio, Jericho cleared the air about the whole situation and he revealed that Owens was not scheduled to win the title at the PPV confirming that they screwed up the ending of their match:

“The idea was for me to work with AJ on Tuesday, and do nothing with Kevin. And then the match happened on the Sunday and they legitimately screwed it up, it happens sometimes – the finish didn’t work… whatever happened.”

Later Chris Jericho also noted that they changed the scheduled match between him and AJ Styles at SmackDown into a triple threat involving Kevin Owens so they could put the title back on the former WWE Champion.

Thankfully despite the botch, everything played out well in the end and due to the botch, we got to see a great Triple Threat match at SmackDown which otherwise was not in plans.

Quotes via Cagesideseats

Chris Jericho continues to do the media rounds to promote the release of his new book, ‘No Is a Four-Letter Word: How I Failed Spelling but Succeeded in Life.’

• Buy Chris Jericho’s New Book Now from Amazon.com

During an interview with Sports Illustrated, WWE’s first-ever Undisputed Champion commented on the possibility of UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor appearing in a WWE ring one day. Jericho is convinced it will happen and says McGregor’s recent opponent Floyd Mayweather showed how it could work.

“Conor comes out of [his fight with Floyd Mayweather] looking like 100 million bucks, and Floyd retires 50-0. So will Conor McGregor end up in WWE? I think it’s a no-brainer. It might not be this year or the year after that because there’s a lot of money that you got to spend to get him in there, but a guy that yappy that knows the concept of cutting a wrestling promo — same with Floyd.”

Both Mayweather and McGregor have built their loyal audience of fans by utilizing pro wrestling tactics to hype up their fights. Jericho says it’s really up to Conor McGregor and added that he expects Ronda Rousey is int he same boat.

“That’s why Floyd did WWE, because he got a lot of his stuff from WWE ideas – so I think Conor will end up there. It’s just a matter of when he wants to. I also think Ronda Rousey will end up there one way or another as well.”

Chris Jericho recently appeared as a guest on Busted Open Radio and said he thinks it was a good idea for WWE to move Enzo Amore to the Cruiserweight division and 205 Live.

“He’s one of those guys that personality-wise he’s very bulletproof because he’s so over-the-top and he’s got such a good rap,” said Jericho. “But where else is he gonna go in the headlining position, in the heavyweight division on RAW? I think it was a great move because I don’t know what else you would do with him if you didn’t stick him in there unless he was just gonna be a manager or a commentator.”

The former Undisputed Champion explaining why he thinks WWE was smart to bring Enzo to 205 Live. Jericho thinks Enzo is a perfect fit for the Cruiserweight division and the show will benefit because he will bring more viewers to the show.

“He fits that vibe size-wise and more importantly he’s gonna bring eyeballs and attention,” said Jericho. “And people will actually pay attention to the matches that he’s in.”

Jericho also revealed some advice he gave to Cruiserweight Champion Neville, who might get the chance to work with Enzo Amore in the near future.

“I told Neville this months ago, I said, ‘There’s gonna come a time when you’re gonna have to make him look good, that’s the job of guys like you and me. It doesn’t matter if he’s good. That’s not his responsibility, that’s yours now,’” Jericho said. “Neville’s gonna have to do anything he can to make that match work the same way that all the great workers in time do that.”

Check out the complete episode of Busted Open Radio featuring the Chris Jericho interview here:

On Tuesday’s SmackDown Live, Shelton Benjamin returned to action in a tag team match with his new partner, Chad Gable. The duo defeated The Ascension in what was Shelton Benjamin’s first match in a WWE ring since 2010.

After the match, Benjamin and Gable were interviewed backstage for this SmackDown Live Fallout video. Benjamin said “without a doubt,” they put the other SmackDown tag teams on notice. They’re here for one reason – to be tag team champions. They will not stop, rest or relent until the achieve their goal.

Chad Gable hyped up Shelton Benjamin’s experience and even though Jason Jordan moved to the RAW brand, he now has a partner that has been to the top of the mountain before. He likened himself to a sponge and said he’s ready to learn from the collegiate wrestling star.

Shelton Benjamin also tweeted after the show, revealing that it was a tough road back to WWE full of physical and mental challenges. According to him, the warm reception from the WWE Universe made it all worth it.

The road back tough. Full of physical/mental high/lows. To hear the roar of the @WWEUniverse tonight made it all worth It.

— Shelton J. Benjamin (@Sheltyb803) August 30, 2017

Triple H recently spoke with Josh Barnett of USA Today’s For The Win to promote the Mae Young Classic. During the interview, he talked about various topics including if the tournament will lead to an all women’s brand and more. Here are the highlights:

If the tournament will lead to an all women’s brand:

“Never say never; you could end up there… We’re experimenting with a lot of different things as far as programming. But the women are a lot different. With the women, you hopefully have opportunities for a lot of these women to beef up the roster on RAW, Smackdown, NXT, and while it’s still a work in progress, we have the intention to be in the United Kingdom as well.

“We want the women to have the same opportunity as the men to be everywhere. You don’t need a separate show, as long as opportunities are everywhere. It makes it feel like less than for them.”

Selecting the competitors:

“We thought we could probably do this with 16 women who were very elite and upper deck. As we started to dig and watch more footage, there were more women. I realized I can do this with 32 who are really solid and high quality. We picked the 32, and it was hard to make the decision of who should go in and who shouldn’t it.”

You can read the entire interview here.

Lucha Libre AAA Director of Talent Vampiro has commented on the incident between Rosemary and Sexy Star at Saturday night’s TripleMania XXV event.

Vampiro says the situation “will be dealt with very ethically and professionally.” Lucha Libre AAA will issue an official statement soon and Vampiro invited Dave Meltzer to contact him directly for information about the incident instead of speaking to “stooges” in the business who pass along information with their own agendas in mind.

Vampiro posted the following message on Facebook:

About TRIPLEMANIA 25

First , check out the picture of the entrance we had.

And second , thank you to all the fans , and friends that were with us , it was intense, it was great , it was once in a life time.

I will say that I have had one of the best moments ever in my career, when I surprised all the finalists of the aaa llave de la Gloria talent search with contracts in AAA, and they are the first generation of the new AAA school I will be running, I am very excited about this opportunity , as I feel I have a lot to give , as a teacher or simply as someone who will empower the next generation to find there way …

THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL AAA PAGE, ITS MY PERSONAL PAGE

I WILL NOT SPEAK ON BEHALF OF AAA HERE , UNLESS IT IS AUTHORIZED CORRECTLY , MY JOB IS TO HELP …. NOT BECOME AN EGOMANIAC AND GET INVOLVED IN ONLINE DRAMA .

Now, this is my personal
Page,
Where I talk about my life and things I do in business ….

Online training

Krav Maga

Wrestling , music etc.

I most certainly can say a lot about what happened Saturday night,

But here is my point of view.

It is unfair and illogical that I use my personal page to speak about things that are directly involving the company I work for.

There are way to many people in my industry who believe there own hype and get carried away on social media.

As and executive , my personal page is not where company business will be talked about.

I can hype a show and push my own stuff, but I don’t want to be like all the other people in power in my industry and manipulate things for my own
Purposes.

As far as my own personal business and news , I will certainly use Facebook.

But in no way shape or form should an executive abuse his power.

The situation that is making its rounds , will be dealt with very ethically and profesionaly.

There will be a official communication soon.

I only would like to take advantage of this and say one thing.

I have met Dave Meltzer 5 times I think , and he was always cordial to me in person.

I jab a lot at the wrestling observer.
I do think it’s quite an important newsletter , but I can see from something’s that are written, are sooooooo far off from the actual truth.

There are a lot of the boys who stooge, or kiss all the dirt sheets asses , and well, I can see … that the information printed is far from accurate.

I will extend the invitation to Dave Meltzer to contact me directly and not go through his normal stooges and ass kissers , that if he has any legit questions , reach out and I will answer them all.

This is not an official AAA page, so, I won’t address things here .

All of you , all of the fans , haters as well, are so compassionate and , I thank you for that .

I have learned that no matter what, no matter what you say, or do, someone is gonna hate everything about you….

I get that and, fans, and haters have every right to say what they want , I respect it all and I am thankful for it .

You all , good and bad , make our world go round, and without you, we would not be here…

If you need to know, my personal and profesional way of thinking are one and the same.

I believe in having a spiritual balance in your life in order to have peace in your heart.

I have a life outside of wrestling and I am
Constantly learning and growing as a person.

I hope I can continue to entertain and influence you.

Karma is always there , live your life, don’t get caught up in someone else’s drama.

My good friend and teacher Terry Taylor taught me … your either part of the problem, or part of the solution , not much more that that made sense to me at the time…

And today, it means more than ever!

Thank you for supporting me, and
Thank you for supporting AAA and Lucha Underground

Global Force star Rosemary posted has provided another update on her health after the incident with Sexy Star at Saturday night’s AAA TripleMania XXV event.

In recent days, Rosemary has received a ton of support from the pro wrestling community, with Sexy Star being unanimously chastised and losing bookings over her unprofessional conduct.

Rosemary posted the following message on Twitter on Tuesday night:

This will be the last I will say on the matter before we go back to our regularly scheduled demonic possession. What happened has happened and its been too much time already spent in the mortal realm as it is.

My injury is thankfully less severe than anticipated (and certainly much less than has been reported some places). Strained tricep/bicep with swelling around the area. Returning to the ring will come when the doc is happy with my strength and range of motion, but I am optimistic that time lost will be minimal.

Can we all take one thing from this entire messy situation: that no matter what is going on in our personal lives, we need to take CARE of each other out there, and I’m not just talking about in the ring. And if you screw up (and we all do), own up to it. Let’s stop making excuses and take accountability for our actions.

Thank you so much to everyone who reached out and checked in on me; I haven’t even been able to read them all yet. With such an outpouring of love and positivity from people, I would like to pay that forward and turn a positive light on what came out of this weekend of wrestling: Eddie Edwards made history when he won the GHC Heavyweight title at NOAH, becoming the first gaijin to do so, and both DJZ and Andrew Everett had INCREDIBLE showings while tagging at Triplemania after both recently having surgeries. So let’s try to put some positive energies back into this world of professional wrestling that I love so much and move on from this.

All right, Demon. The meat-sac is yours.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated senior writer Dan Murphy was Jim Ross’ guest on this week’s Ross Report podcast. During the discussion, Murphy revealed the Top 10 wrestlers on this year’s annual PWI 500 list, which covers the period of June 2016-17.

The top spot on this year’s PWI 500 went to IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, the ‘ace’ of New Japan Pro Wrestling. Eight of the Top 10 spots were awarded to WWE Superstars this year, with IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega cracking the top 5 as the other NJPW star in the Top 10.

1. Kazuchika Okada
2. AJ Styles
3. Kevin Owens
4. Roman Reigns
5. Kenny Omega
6. Shinsuke Nakamura
7. Dean Ambrose
8. Samoa Joe
9. Bobby Roode
10. The Miz

In topping this year’s list, Kazuchika Okada becomes the first-ever Japanese wrestler to rank #1 in the PWI 500 and the first wrestler to not be from WWE, WCW or TNA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly_ToWK1BuQ

Here’s the Top 50:

1. Kazuchida Okada
2. AJ Styles
3. Kevin Owens
4. Roman Reigns
5. Kenny Omega
6. Nakamura
7. Dean Ambrose
8. Samoa Joe
9. Bobby Roode.
10. The Miz
11. Neville
12. Naito
13. Randy Orton
14. Adam Cole
15. Bray Wyatt
16. Seth Rollins
17. Christopher Daniels
18. Bobby Lashley
19. John Cena
20. Kushida
21. Will Osprey
22. Chris Jericho
23. Shibata
24. Johnny Mundo
25. Brock Lesnar
26. Zack Sabre Jr
27. Eddie Edwards
28. Finn Balor
29. Pete Dunne
30. Jinder Mahal
31. Marty Scrull
32. Dolph Ziggler
33. Cody Rhodes
34. Braun Strouman
35. TJ Perkins
36. EC3
37. Alberto El Patron
38. Kyle O Reilly
39. Hiroshi Tanahashi
40. Nick Jackson
41. Sami Zayn
42. Matt Jackson
43. Mark Haskins
44. Rusev
45. Matt Hardy
46. Ricochet
47. Yamato
48. Hiromu Takahashi
49. Baron Corbin
50. Tyler Bate

The segment between John Cena and Roman Reigns this past Monday Night on Raw was one of the most memorable contract signings in recent WWE history, especially due to its unscripted nature.

During their promos both the stars said things which you normally wouldn’t expect to hear on WWE programming. However, it also made people wonder how much of their promos were scripted and if they were pre-approved.

During the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio Dave Meltzer talked about the contract signing segment between the two and cleared this doubt of people.

According to Meltzer, both Cena and Reigns’ promos were almost entirely scripted and everything controversial said by both the stars was pre approved.

Though it’s worth mentioning here that at one point during the promo Reigns appeared to have genuinely forgotten his lines and John masterfully played it by saying “it’s called a promo, if you wanna be on top you gotta learn how to do them”

While not confirmed, it was probably the only unscripted part of the whole segment which was filled with some very interesting and offensive lines.

Roman Reigns is now scheduled to face John Cena at the upcoming No Mercy PPV on September 24th and it’d be interesting to see how the company will follow the build-up for this match after their confrontation on Raw.

IGN’s WWE 2K18 Roster Reveal series is back with Part 3, hosted by Corey Graves and Renee Young. This week’s installment features special guest Kevin Owens and reveals 42 more playable characters. We’ve also got a new batch of high-resolution screenshots.

WWE 2K18 will be available for PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch on Tuesday, October 17th. Fans who order the Deluxe Edition get the game early on Friday, October 13th.

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New Screenshots:

[vc_images_carousel images=”156586,156587,156588,156589,156590,156591,156593,156594″ img_size=”full” onclick=”link_no”]

WWE 2K18 Roster Reveal: Week 3
(Click Here to view previously announced playable characters)

1. Akam
2. Alexa Bliss
3. Apollo Crews
4. Asuka
5. Big Cass
6. Carmella
7. Cedric Alexander
8. Chad Gable
9. Chris Jericho
10. Dana Brooke
11. Dash Wilder
12. Finn Bálor
13. Jason Jordan
14. Jimmy Garvin
15. Johnny Gargano
16. Kevin Owens
17. Lex Luger
18. Macho Man Randy Savage
19. Michael P.S. Hayes
20. Mick Foley
21. Miss Jacqueline
22. Mr. Perfect
23. Neville
24. Nia Jax
25. Nick Miller
26. Razor Ramon
27. Rezar
28. Ric Flair
29. Rick Martel
30. Rick Rude
31. Ricky The Dragon Steamboat
32. Rikishi
33. Roderick Strong
34. Rusev
35. Samoa Joe
36. Scott Dawson
37. Shane Thorne
38. TJ Perkins
39. Tommaso Ciampa
40. Tye Dillinger
41. Vader

Kevin Owens on not getting his rematch for the Universal Championship

Kevin Owens noted last night on SmackDown that he became Universal Champion one year ago and then started to complain about not having the United States Championship anymore on SmackDown. Owens lost the Universal Championship to Goldberg at WWE Fastlane leading into WrestleMania 33 and never received a rematch for the title.

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/902641169649291265

Shinsuke Nakamura on his debut, getting an RKO 15 years later

On last night’s episode of SmackDown, Shinsuke Nakamura teamed up with Randy Orton to face WWE Champion Jinder Mahal and Rusev. Orton and Nakamura were victorious and the two celebrated in the ring. Orton then planted Nakamura with an RKO out of nowhere. Randy Orton will face Shinsuke Nakamura next week on SmackDown. The winner of that match will go on to face Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship.

Nakamura tweeted out today that he made his debut 15 years ago in Japan. He followed it up with a GIF of him getting an RKO last night as SmackDown went off the air.

#Aug29th …15 years ago today in Japan. Shinsuke Nakamura debut at Nihon Budokan.

— Shinsuke Nakamura (@ShinsukeN) August 30, 2017

Then 15 years later tonight,I ate this … #RKO pic.twitter.com/A4rxJH7zLW

— Shinsuke Nakamura (@ShinsukeN) August 30, 2017

• Shelton Benjamin comments on his WWE return

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated the question-and-answer section at his official website, JRsBarBQ.com, fielding questions from wrestling fans on a wide-variety of topics. Here are some of the highlights of what JR said about:

Calling the first-ever Inferno Match between Kane and The Undertaker at WWE Unforgiven 1998 and who he would rather see Paul Heyman with — Braun Strowman or Shinsuke Nakamura:

“The Inferno match was HOT at ringside to say the least. Heyman isn’t leving Lesnar nor is he going go absorb another talent to manage at this time, I’m thinking. Nakamura needs to continue to refine his English and Strowman doesn’t need a ‘manager’ IMO.”

How one would go about getting backstage at a WWE live event if they had a legitimate reason but no pre-approved access:

“You might contact the venue and ask them to relay your story to the WWE market rep who’s promoting your event. I think WWE has a public service or community service department that might also be able to help. You’lll have to do some leg work to contact the right people as I am way out of the corporate loop these days to help you more.”

Differences between WWE live event and televised matches and if talent feels perceived pressure to work a different style on camera:

“Obviously, time restraints and limitations affect how the talents perform on TV as opposed to not having those stringent issues at the live events.”

Shinsuke Nakamura recently stating that he often travels alone or with one of the Mexican wrestlers while on the road with WWE and if he should travel with a veteran to help make him feel like part of the team, and to help get him over:

“I likely would advise Shinsuke to travel with someone who can help him with his English in basic conversations but at the end of the day Nakamura has to be content with his travel arrangements as they are omnipresent.”

What he feels could be done to help boost ratings on the struggling 205 Live show:

“The talents on 205 Live need to find more time on either RAW or SDLIve to expose their skills to more people in hopes that those viewers will follow these talents to the WWE Network for the broadcast.”

How he feels former NXT Women’s Champion Asuka will fare on the WWE main roster:

“Asuka is a star and will kill it at the next level without question.”

Visit JRsBarBQ.com to read the full blog  You can also listen to JR’s Ross Report podcast every week at PodcastOne.com.

Charlotte Flair has provided another update on her father, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair. Backstage at Tuesday’s SmackDown Live, Charlotte told Renee Young that it’s been a very difficult two weeks. Her father is a fighter and joked that The Nature Boy has nine lives. She thanked everybody for their support.

• @RicFlair Tweets: Naitch WILL Be Back!

She added that Ric Flair has a long road ahead of him and won’t be back next week strutting. That said, she wouldn’t be at SmackDown if she didn’t think everything was ok, but WWE is where she belongs and she’s glad to be back. Being with her friends again and traveling with Becky Lynch, seeing Tyler Breeze, New Day and AJ Styles is helping her out a lot. She missed her routine and life on the road and it’s great to be back knowing Ric’s health is improving.

You can watch the interview here:

– With their match official for next month’s RAW-brand No Mercy pay-per-view, WWE.com is running a poll asking fans if they think Roman Roman Reigns can fill John Cena’s shoes. As of this writing, 70% of fans say “No. No one will ever be able to replace John Cena” with only 30% saying, “Yes. The Big Dog is the guy now.”

– The following is confirmed for tonight’ episode of NXT on the WWE Network:

• Drew McIntyre’s first appearance NXT champion.
• Bobby Roode vs. Roderick Strong.
• Ruby Riot vs. Peyton Royce.
• Heavy Machinery in action.

Plus, there will be appearances from new NXT Tag Team Champions Sanity, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish, NXT General Manager William Regal and more.

It’s a known fact that WWE has banned several moves they consider ‘too dangerous’ for their programming and when AJ Styles first came to the company many believed that his Styles Clash would result in WWE Superstars being injured.

It was reported that Vince McMahon found out about a botched Styles Clash which broke Yoshi Tatsu’s neck and he was said to be concerned about it being used on WWE Programming.

At one point Styles didn’t use the move for long which started rumors that WWE has banned it and AJ himself had to clear that it wasn’t the case. Now it appears Chris Jericho played a part in getting the move ‘unbanned’ from the company.

During his recent appearance on 107.7 The Bone with Baby Huey & Bimbo Jimbo, Jericho talked about the time AJ first came to WWE and revealed that Styles Clash was unofficially banned because of rumors of people getting hurt about it:

“He had this finishing move called the Styles Clash which was kind of unofficially banned in the WWE because there was rumors that people had gotten hurt from it and all that sort of thing, but I knew it was a great move.”

Continuing on the topic Chris said that he let Styles use the move in their matches and eventually he reached Mr. McMahon and told the boss that AJ should use that move to which he replied positively, ending the unspoken ban:

“Eventually I went to Vince and said “Did you see that move that AJ Did?” Never using the words the Styles Clash because I knew…that name is taboo.  So, I said you know that move where he picks me up and dumps me on my face?…He should use that as a finish!” [and McMahon said] ‘Yes, absolutely use it as a finish’.”

Apart from this Chris Jericho also talked about his recent WWE run and more.

Quotes via 411mania

We noted before how Xavier Woods of the New Day suffered a knee injury during a SmackDown Brand Live Event from Texarkana, AK this past Monday night.

Woods was involved in a tag team match with Kofi Kinston against The Usos and he suffered the injury when he was performing a jumping DDT during the closing moments of the bout.

At that time it was not known how severe the damage was and how long it could keep him out of action, though now the SmackDown Star has revealed the details on his injury.

Xavier recently posted a video from his Youtube Channel UpUpDownDown in which he is seen playing Wind Jammers with Becky Lynch and Renee Young.

During the video, he also talked about his injury and revealed that he has an MCL sprain. Upon hearing this Becky said that she suffered a similar injury recently and it shouldn’t take a long time to heal, as noted by Wrestlinginc.

While Woods didn’t disclose whether it’s a grade-1 or grade-2 injury, grade-2 which is more severe of the two takes about 2 to 4 weeks to heal so he is not expected to stay out of action for very long.

You can watch the video posted by Xavier Woods below, his comments about the injury come around the 9-minute mark:

The Singh Brothers and Jinder Mahal came down to the ring to kick off this week’s episode of SmackDown. Jinder complained about being disrespected by Americans and went on to say that he was made to look like a fool last week by Shinsuke Nakamura. Mahal claimed that he is no fool and that he is the best WWE Champion of all time. Jinder stated that Nakamura must pay for what happened last week and Samir and Sunil Singh apologized for letting Nakamura get to Mahal last week on SmackDown.

The Singh Brothers then offered to kiss Mahal’s feet on behalf of India. As they lean in for the smooch, Nakamura’s music hits. Shinsuke comes down to the ring and pushes the Singh Brothers aside and started brawling with Ziggler. The Singh Brothers then grab Nakamura’s legs and Jinder Mahal booted Shinsuke in the face. All three started to beatdown Nakamura but Randy Orton came down to the ring for the save.

Rusev then came down to the ring and kicked Orton in the face. Jinder Mahal then planted Nakamura with the Khallas and then celebrated with the WWE Championship. Mahal and Rusev will face Orton and Nakamura later tonight. It was also announced shortly after that Randy Orton will face Shinsuke Nakamura next week. The winner of that match will get a shot at the WWE Championship.

Reaction: I thought the match between Shinsuke Nakamura and Jinder Mahal at SummerSlam was very boring. I’ve already seen Orton versus Mahal several times recently and all of those matches sucked as well. I am not entertained at all with the storylines surrounding the WWE Championship right now.

This is one way to apologize to the #ModernDayMaharaja… #SDLive @SinghBrosWWE @JinderMahal pic.twitter.com/6YKmixOQdX

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) August 30, 2017

NEXT WEEK: The #KingOfStrongStyle @ShinsukeN and #TheViper @RandyOrton will compete for an opportunity at the #WWEChampionship on #SDLive! pic.twitter.com/NHW6LOpz9w

— WWE (@WWE) August 30, 2017

Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin vs The Ascension

Gable and Viktor started off the match. Gable leveled Viktor with a Clothesline and then followed it up with a knee to the chest. Benjamin was then tagged in and he got a great reaction from the crowd. Benjamin planted Viktor with a Suplex and tagged Gable back into the match. Gable then spent the next couple of minutes trapped in the ring as Konnor and Viktor took turns beating him down. Shelton Benjamin was finally tagged back in and he cleaned house. Gable launched Konnor out of the ring and then shoved Viktor towards Shelton. Benjamin connected with a Facebuster onto Viktor for the pinfall victory.

Winners: Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin

Reaction: This was a quick match but Shelton Benjamin looked good in his return to WWE. I hope this team works out because SmackDown needs more viable teams in the tag division.

READY, WILLING, GOLD STANDARD! @WWEGable and @Sheltyb803 pick up the victory in their FIRST tag team match! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/vvDp9RyWev

— WWE (@WWE) August 30, 2017

Renee Young interviewed Baron Corbin backstage. Corbin said that he was sick of everyone asking “where is your briefcase?”. Corbin stated that he is going to take the United States title away from AJ Styles tonight.

.@BaronCorbinWWE looks to "cash in" on an opportunity tonight. Will he be answering @AJStylesOrg's #USOpenChallenge? #SDLive pic.twitter.com/M1LTqvg8WT

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) August 30, 2017

AJ Styles came down to the ring for the United States Open Challenge. Tye Dillinger’s music hits and Dillinger makes his way down the entrance ramp. Baron Corbin confronted him on the stage and the two started arguing. Dillinger eventually made his way to the ring after shoving Corbin aside.

United States Championship: AJ Styles vs Tye Dillinger

Dillinger got in a little offense to start off the match and went for the Tye Breaker but AJ blocked it. AJ then quickly locked in the Calf Crusher for the easy victory.

After the match, Corbin threw Dillinger into the barricade. Corbin then tried to attack Styles but AJ was ready and hit him with a forearm to the face. Styles then raised the United States Championship as Corbin threw a tantrum ringside.

Winner & Still United States Champion: AJ Styles

.@AJStylesOrg might have defeated @WWEDillinger, but he still has @BaronCorbinWWE to worry about… #SDLive #USOpenChallenge pic.twitter.com/YLdEWubs49

— WWE (@WWE) August 30, 2017

Jinder Mahal approached Rusev backstage. Jinder said that it was great that the nations of India and Bulgaria are teaming up to crush Shinsuke Nakamura and Jinder Mahal. Rusev stated that he is not Mahal’s friend and that he came to SmackDown to win a title. Rusev then said that after tonight’s match, he is coming after Mahal’s WWE Championship.

Bobby Roode vs Mike Kanellis

Roode controlled the entire match and connected with the Glorious DDT for the quick victory.

Winner: Bobby Roode

"TWO weeks, TWO emphatic victories!" – @ByronSaxton

With a #GLORIOUS #DDT, @REALBobbyRoode defeats @RealMikeBennett on #SDLive! pic.twitter.com/jx3vscqnOH

— WWE (@WWE) August 30, 2017

Aiden English came down to the ring to perform a song. Kevin Owens quickly interrupted and stated that none of these hillbillies in the crowd will comprehend English’s song. Owens then asked for English to leave the ring and Aiden obliged. Owens then went on to complain about Shane McMahon being the referee in last week’s US Championship match.

Owens said that this would never happen on RAW because Stephanie McMahon would never abuse her power like Shane McMahon does. Owens called Shane McMahon and ego maniac and Shane McMahon came down to the entrance ramp. Owens said that here is Shane McMahon to take all the spotlight away from the talent and place it upon himself.

Shane explained that Owens picked Baron Corbin to be the referee last week. Corbin was extremely biased and that caused Shane to come down to the ring. Corbin then left the ring and threw his referee shirt at Shane McMahon. Shane stated that Owens lost the match last week fair and square. Shane said that everyone is sick and tired of listening to Owens complain. Shane then told Owens to leave the ring and for Aiden English to get back into the ring because he has a match against Sami Zayn.

Sami Zayn vs Aiden English

Kevin Owens joined commentary for the match. Owens scolded Byron Saxton for a minute and then said that he was sick of referees not being able to do their job. Owens then got into the ring and took the shirt of the referee in the ring. Owens put on the referee shirt and hit Sami Zayn with a Pop-Up Powerbomb. Owens then instructed English to pin Zayn and Owens counted to three. Owens then threw the shirt at the referee ringside after the match.

Winner: Aiden English

Reaction: Kevin Owens ripping Byron Saxton on commentary is always hilarious. Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon are currently one of the only storylines I find moderately interesting on SmackDown right now.

So, @FightOwensFight is the referee now… Okay!#SDLive @SamiZayn @WWEDramaKing pic.twitter.com/6ZaiNj8oLC

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) August 30, 2017

.@FightOwensFight just stomped all over "@shanemcmahon's playground" as he gives @WWEDramaKing a "quick victory" on #SDLive. pic.twitter.com/xN9oqrqWoP

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) August 30, 2017

Shane McMahon was interviewed backstage. Shane said that he was pissed off at what Kevin Owens just did. Shane said that the match did not count and that Sami Zayn did not lose that match. Shane also revealed that Owens has already left the arena and that Shane was going to do the same himself.

Dolph Ziggler was interviewed backstage. Ziggler was supposed to return to the ring this week but Ziggler stated that will not happen. Ziggler was asked why he felt the need for a change and Dolph proceeded to go on a rant about always being overlooked. Ziggler said that maybe he will come down to the ring on a motorcycle with a guitar and that hopefully people would finally notice him. Ziggler mocked John Cena’s “you can’t see me motion”. Ziggler threw out the idea of putting paint on his face because when Finn Balor does it people seem to forget that he is a charisma vacuum. Dolph said that he will return to the ring next week and provide all flash and no substance.

Reaction: I have no idea where this is going. I’m guessing that Ziggler is going to keep doing this for a couple more weeks before he finally gets into the ring. Whatever this leads to, I just don’t see things working out for Ziggler anymore. I hope I’m wrong but I think it is asking a lot of the WWE Universe to believe in Dolph Ziggler again.

Is that MOCKERY, @HEELZiggler? #SDLive pic.twitter.com/lEWb9dpPEm

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) August 30, 2017

If "all flash, no substance" is what you want, that's EXACTLY what you'll get from @HEELZiggler next week! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/NaFBlAA4dZ

— WWE (@WWE) August 30, 2017

The Usos vs New Day (Winner Picks Stipulation For Tag Title Match)

Xavier Woods came down to the ring with a knee brace on. Woods has a sprained MCL and will miss about a month of in-ring action. SmackDown went to a break before the match started. When SmackDown returned, Big E was trapped in the ring. He finally was able to tag in Kofi who cleaned house. Big E got Superkicked in the face and he fell to the floor. Jimmy Uso then rolled Kofi up while grabbing his tights for the pinfall victory. The Usos will now pick the stipulation for when they defend the titles against New Day.

Winners: The Usos

Reaction: The theme of the night seems to be quick matches. The Usos now get to pick the stipulation for the rematch. I’ve enjoyed this feud for the most part and I think these two teams work well together. I will be interested in the match no matter what the stipulation is.

ADVANTAGE: @WWEUsos

The #SDLive #TagTeamChampions will pick the stipulation for the upcoming #SDLive #TagTeamTitles Match! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/9MVGc74txl

— WWE (@WWE) August 30, 2017

Ellsworth and Carmella were backstage. Ellsworth apologized for screwing up Carmella’s plan to cash in last week on SmackDown. Natalya showed up and it was announced that she will be facing Carmella next week on SmackDown. Natalya warned Carmella that if she ever cashed in her MITB contract on her, she will make her the Baron Corbin of the women’s division.

Carmella told Natalya to keep the SmackDown Women’s Championship shiny for her and then left with Ellsworth. Naomi then interrupted and said that she will be getting her rematch for the SmackDown Women’s Championship in two weeks on SmackDown. Naomi then made a couple of meow noises to Natalya then walked away.

"If you ever try to cash in on ME, I'll make you the @BaronCorbinWWE of the Women's Division!" – @NatByNature to @CarmellaWWE #SDLive pic.twitter.com/h6Q1UpviHd

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) August 30, 2017

Tamina vs Tina Stock

Tamina dominated and won the match with ease as Lana shouted ringside with a microphone. After the match, Lana raised Tamina’s hand and photographers came into the ring to take pictures of Lana and Tamina. Lana had a giant grin on her face and Tamina didn’t seem pleased.

Winner: Tamina

This is only the beginning for @TaminaSnuka and @LanaWWE… #SDLive pic.twitter.com/vB71jTdw5X

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) August 30, 2017

Another episode of Fashion Files was shown. Breezango put on a friendship bracelet. Breeze then shut the lights out and put on his blacklight. There were arrows on boxes that led to a sign that said “Two B or not Two B”.

"All aboard the FRIEND SHIP, party of two!" – @WWEFandango#FashionFiles #SDLive @mmmgorgeous pic.twitter.com/j2qy4i4S9k

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) August 30, 2017

Shinsuke Nakamura & Randy Orton vs Rusev & Jinder Mahal

Orton and Nakamura attacked Rusev and Mahal before the match as SmackDown went to commercial break. When SmackDown returned, Nakamura was trapped in the ring. Shinsuke eventually tagged in Orton and he cleaned house. The Singh Brothers hopped up on the ring apron and distracted Orton. Mahal capitalized and beatdown Orton. Mahal and Rusev then isolated Orton in the ring for the next few minutes.

Rusev connected with a kick to Orton’s face for a two count. Mahal was then tagged in and he hit a knee to Orton’s chest for another two count. Orton finally got to the corner to tag in Nakamura. Rusev was also tagged back in the match. Rusev missed with a right hand and Nakamura locked in an Arm Bar. Mahal then broke it up and Orton went to plant him with the DDT between the ropes but Mahal fell off the ropes. Orton then hit Mahal with a DDT and Jinder rolled out of the ring. Shinsuke then hit Rusev with the Kinshasa for the victory.

After the match, Orton and Mahal shared a laugh and celebrated in the ring. Orton then hit an RKO out of nowhere on Nakamura and then posed in the corner as SmackDown went off the air.

Winners: Shinsuke Nakamura & Randy Orton

Reaction: I’m sure the DDT spot with Mahal on the ropes will make it’s way to Botchamania soon. I was glad Orton hit Nakamura with the RKO because at least something exciting happened on tonight’s show. Orton versus Nakamura next week should be a decent match and I’m looking forward to it. The problem is that the winner of that match has to go on to face Jinder Mahal, which is guaranteed to be a mediocre match at best.

Overall, SmackDown was pretty boring this week in my opinion. I find RAW to be the much more entertaining show than SmackDown recently. There was a significant portion of last year where I thought SmackDown was putting on way better shows than RAW every week. That has completely reversed and SmackDown now feels formulaic and boring.

… because you NEVER know when #TheViper will STRIKE!#SDLive @RandyOrton @ShinsukeN pic.twitter.com/mm66ZyzioQ

— WWE (@WWE) August 30, 2017

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

Emma recently spoke with FOX Sports Australia to promote WWE’s upcoming live events in Australia and New Zealand. During the interview, she talked about various topics including her return to action following an injury she suffered earlier this year and more. Here are the highlights:

Her goals in WWE:

“It’s important to have goals and there’s still so much more I want to achieve. I’ve never had a championship. The biggest goal there is, is to be women’s champion. I am the first Australian woman on the WWE roster, that in itself is huge and to kind of broadcast that to the world and put that label on it adds that much more credibility to the title. Things like getting my face on the side of a truck, getting merchandise, there’s all kinds of things I’m yet to accomplish that are on my list.”

Returning from injury:

“I try to go (to the gym) five days a week. I judge it by how my body feels. For instance, I might lift for three days and feel worn out so I’ll do a recovery day the next day and make sure I do some cardio and stretching and sit in the sauna rather than lift heavy. Injuries are always going to happen, it comes with the job but it does remind me to take better care of myself and to rehab even when things start to feel better. The other things like massage or getting stretched out, doing the extra things in the gym to make sure my body is recovering properly.”

You can read the entire interview here.

The August 29th, 2017 edition of WWE SmackDown aired live from the Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, AR.

– The Singh Brothers come out to the stage to kick off SmackDown and they introduce WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. The Modern Day Maharaja hits the ring with a mic and tells the crowd that he will be displaying his superior skills for them tonight. In the main event tonight, Mahal teams up with his old partner Rusev to take on the team of Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura. Jinder says that he’s a representative of the continent of Asia and he’s tired of being disrespected by Americans, which prompts a USA chant. Mahal says he was made to look like a fool by Nakamura, but he is no fool, he is the best of the best and your WWE Champion. Mahal says someone must pay for what happened last week, which prompts the Singh Brothers to interrupt and apologize to the Maharaja. The Singh Brothers apologize on behalf of the entire continent of Asia, and they apologize to the WWE Champion for failing him. They tell Mahal that their ignorance last week allowed Nakamura to lay a finger on Mahal, but they vow that Nakamura will never touch Mahal again. The Singh Brothers say on behalf of the nation of India, they want to kiss the feet of the WWE Champion. The Singh Brothers get down on the mat and are about to voluntarily join the “kiss my boots” club, but before they make contact Nakamura’s music hits and he interrupts. Nakamura comes in to the ring and pushes the Singh Brothers aside then he starts brawling with Jinder. The Singh Brothers grab Nakamura’s feet so he can’t move then Jinder boots Nakamura in the face. All three men start beating on Nakamura while he’s down until Orton runs in for the save. Orton cleans house until Rusev runs in and boots Orton in the face. Jinder picks up Nakamura and drops him with the Khallas. Jinder holds up his WWE Title as the heels make their way backstage.

– AJ Styles’ U.S. Title Open Challenge will resume later tonight. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin are shown backstage walking towards the gorilla position for their first match as a tag team up next.

– Orton vs. Nakamura is announced for next week, and the winner will get a future shot at Mahal’s WWE Title.

– Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin def. The Ascension: Gable starts off against Viktor and turns him inside out with a clothesline early on. He drops Viktor with a knee to the midsection, then he tags in Shelton Benjamin. Benjamin puts the boots to Viktor then hits a double underhook suplex. Shelton tags in Chad and throws Viktor to him for a belly to belly overhead suplex. Konnor pulls Gable outside behind the ref’s back and The Ascension double teams Gable to get control of the match. Konnor and Viktor use frequent tags to keep the pressure on Gable back in the ring. Gable tries to make the tag but Konnor stops him and hits a spinebuster for a two count. Viktor tags back in and puts the boots to Gable. Gable and Vitkor trade chops to the chest until Viktor backs him into the corner with elbows to the face. Konnor tags in and talks some trash to Shelton, then he misses a spear on Gable in the corner. Shelton gets the tag and cleans house then hits a back body drop on Viktor. Shelton hits a spinning heel kick on Konnor, then leapfrogs over the top rope and kicks Viktor in the face. Shelton comes off the top with a flying clothesline on Viktor for a two count. Gable throws Konnor outside, then throws Viktor to Shelton for a facebuster for the win.

– Baron Corbin does an interview backstage where he says he’s sick of people asking him “where’s your briefcase?” because he doesn’t live in the past like the WWE Universe. Corbin says he’s going to take down AJ Styles tonight and will be leaving SmackDown tonight as the new United States Champion.

– AJ Styles comes out to the ring and announces that he’s reopening the U.S. Title Open Challenge. Tye Dillinger comes out to accept, but Baron Corbin stops him on the ramp to complain that he wanted the open challenge tonight. Corbin and Tye brawl around until until Tye drops him from the apron, then the open challenge begins.

– AJ Styles def. Tye Dillinger: AJ and Tye both start off fired up and Tye blocks the Phenomenal Forearm early on. Tye goes for the Tye-breaker but AJ escapes and locks on the Calf Crusher for the win after a short match.

– After the match, Corbin freaks out at ringside and AJ knocks him off the apron with a forearm.

– Jinder Mahal approaches Rusev backstage and tells him how great it is that their nations India and Bulgaria are teaming up to crush Nakamura and Orton. Rusev tells Jinder he’s not his friend, and says he came to SmackDown for one reason – to be a champion. Rusev says after tonight, he’s coming for the WWE Title, then he walks off. Jinder does not look pleased.

– Bobby Roode def. Mike Kanellis: Roode takes down Mike early on, but Mike comes back with a flurry of strikes. Roode and Mike trade punches and chops until Roode hits a running forearm shot to the face. Roode hits a Blockbuster off the middle rope, then a spinebuster and the Glorious DDT for the win.

– Aiden English is in the ring for a song, but he quickly gets interrupted by Kevin Owens and English leaves the ring. Owens gets on the mic and shows a replay from last week, then he complains about how Shane McMahon treated him last week. Owens says he wanted Corbin to stay as referee, but Shane had to come down and take another opportunity away from the talent. Shane comes out and explains that Corbin was leaving the ring last week and threw his ref shirt in Shane’s face, so Shane resumed the ref duties so the match could finish. Shane says that Owens lost to AJ plain and simple, and Owens is not happy. Shane tells Owens to leave and let English back in the ring because English has a match scheduled. Owens leaves and sits down at the announce table next to JBL.

– Aiden English def. Sami Zayn: English gets in some offense early on, but Zayn quickly dumps him outside and hits a suicide dive on him. Back in the ring, Zayn continues working on English. Owens freaks out on commentary and says the ref isn’t doing his job, so he’s now taking over the ref duties. Owens takes the ref’s shirt off and puts it on himself, then says he’s the ref now. Zayn asks Owens what he’s doing, then English knocks down Zayn from behind. Owens throws Zayn off the ropes and hits the Pop Up Powerbomb, then allows English to pin Zayn for the three count. The bell rings and Owens raises English’s hand, then throws the shirt back to the real ref at ringside.

– Shane McMahon does an interview backstage where he says English’s victory will not count, and he’s not happy with Owen’s actions in that match. McMahon says Zayn’s loss will be off the records, then he gets ready to leave the arena.

– Dolph Ziggler does an interview backstage where he complains that he was the best athlete in sports entertainment for years and was overlooked year after year, and now he has nothing to show for it. Ziggler says fans get distracted by fancy jackets and lights, and he asks what Cena’s “you can’t see me” hand gesture even means. Ziggler says there’s a guy who comes out to the ring with a guitar on RAW, so he’ll have to come down to the ring in a motorcycle with a double necked guitar to get attention. Ziggler jokes that he might come down to ther ing in a four-wheeler like Stone Cold and drink beers to get attention. Ziggler says he will reveal more of his plans next week.

– The Usos def. The New Day: Big E and Kofi Kingston are in this one. The Usos use frequent tags to get the upper hand on Big E early on, but Big E fires up and comes back then tags in Kofi. Kofi hits a suicide dive onto both Usos at ringside, then Xavier comes over with the trombone to celebrate. Big E misses a splash and the Usos take control. Kofi comes in again and hits a flying knee on Jey, then a series of kicks. Kofi hits a jumping clothesline on Jey and follows up with the boom leg drop. Kofi misses the Trouble In Paradise and Jey hits a kick. Kofi comes back with a spinning crossbody for a two count. Jimmy and Big E run in, and Jimmy hits a superkick on Big E. Kofi kicks Jimmy to the outside, then Kofi puts Jey in a dragon sleeper. Jimmy gets the blind tag and rolls up Kofi with a handful of tights for the win. The Usos run up the ramp with their Tag Titles and hold them up.

– James Ellsworth and Carmella do an interview backstage and get interrupted by Natalya. Natalya tells Carmella to keep her pet Ellsworth on a leash, and if she ever tries to cash in on her, Natalya will make Carmella the “Baron Corbin of the women’s division.” Natalya says she’ll take on Carmella next week, and Carmella seems to accept. Naomi walks in next and tells Natalya she has a difficult two weeks ahead, because in two weeks Naomi gets her rematch for the Title.

– “Season two” of The Fashion Files with Tyler Breeze and Fandango is coming up next.

– Lana is in the ring and she introduces Tamina. Tamina has a local wrestler in the ring waiting for her.

– Tamina def. Tina Stock: Just seconds after the opening bell, Lana gets on the mic at ringside and starts yelling “Tamina crush.” Tamina throws her jobber into the corner and hits a series of headbutts, then follows up with a superkick for the win. Lana and Tamina celebrate the win in the ring after the match, and two photographers get in the ring to take pictures.

– In the new episode of The Fashion Files, Breeze and Fandango briefly discuss going on vacation, but decide against it because “crime never takes a vacation.” They look at some new “technology” including friendship bracelets. They find some evidence that says “to be or not to be,” which they decide leads them to Aiden English, who they will presumably talk to in the next episode.

– Shinsuke Nakamura & Randy Orton def. Jinder Mahal & Rusev: The action starts before the bell here as both teams start brawling as soon as they hit the ring. The fight spills out to ringside where Nakamura throws Mahal into the fan barricade, and Orton throws Rusev into the barricade on the other side of the ring. Back in the ring, the opening bell rings and Rusev and Jinder double team Nakamura to get in control early on. Orton gets the hot tag and beats down Jinder. He takes Jinder outside for a back suplex onto the fan barricade, then in the ring he DDTs the Champion off the middle rope. The Singh Brothers get on the apron to distract the ref, which leads to Rusev and Jinder double teaming Orton and throwing him into the ring post. Rusev tags in and continues the offense on Orton. He hits a spinning heel kick for a two count before tagging Jinder back in. The Champion hits a knee drop on Orton then puts him in a chin lock. Mahal goes for a spear in the corner but Orton dodges and Jinder crashes into the ring post. Nakamura and Rusev tag in, and Nakamura starts off with a big boot on Rusev. Nakamura follows up with a series of kicks. Nakamura hits some knee strikes on Rusev for a two count. Nakamura goes for a suplex but Rusev elbows his way out. Nakamura puts Rusev in an armbar but Jinder breaks it up. Orton DDTs Jinder, then Nakamura hits a flying knee on Rusev. Nakamura follows up with the Kinshasa on Rusev or the win. Orton and Nakamura celebrate their win after the bell, but then Orton drops his partner with an RKO out of nowhere. Orton poses on the turnbuckle as SmackDown goes off the air.

Former WCW President Eric Bischoff has released yet another episode of his podcast, Bischoff On Wrestling, where he spoke on his days as the head of WWE’s biggest competitor of all time. In his latest episode, Bischoff details how scared he was when former WCW World Tag Team Champion Buff Bagwell broke his neck inside the WCW ring during a match on WCW Thunder in 1998. Here’s what he had to say:

“The only thing I remember about Judy Bagwell was when Mark (Buff Bagwell) broke his neck in the ring. I think we were somewhere in South Carolina and it was pretty serious. When Mark broke his neck he was in the ring for a long time not moving. That was one of the first times that I was really scared for someone. I had gotten to know Mark, we weren’t good buddies or anything like that, but there was something lovable about him. He’s just like that obnoxious kid in school that you really didn’t want to hang out with but in a group of people he was pretty fun. Mark was like that for me.

“He wasn’t a guy that we’d go out and have dinner with. He’s not someone I’d jump on my motorcycle with and ride up into the mountain with. In the right environment he was fun to be around, in small doses. There were parts of Mark that I really, genuinely liked. When he broke his neck I was really, really fearful for him and what might have happened to him. I remember I went to the hospital and stayed in the room with him for awhile when it was pretty serious and his Mom, Judy, was there. She obviously loved her son very much. She was very upset and that’s all I remember about Judy Bagwell.”

H/T WrestleZone for the transcriptions

WWE has not officially announced any matches for tonight’s SmackDown Live from Little Rock, Arkansas, but PWInsider is reporting several matches and segments for the show.

In a tag team main event featuring four of SmackDown’s top stars, Shinsuke Nakamura and Randy Orton will team up against WWE Champion Jinder Mahal and Rusev.

WWE Tag Team champions The Usos will defend against Big E and Kofi Kingston of The New Day. As noted earlier, Xavier Woods is undergoing a medical evaluation backstage to determine the extent of the knee injury he suffered at Monday night’s SmackDown live event (Video).

The Phenomenal AJ Styles will issue a United States Championship Open Challenge.

Finally, there’s some talk that Carmella will tease a Money in the Bank cash in on SmackDown Women’s Champion Natalya.

After Smackdown goes off the air, 205 Live on the WWE Network will see Brian Kendrick vs. Jack Gallagher in a No DQ match and a six-man tag featuring Drew Gulak, Tony Nese & Noam Dar vs. Enzo Amore, Gran Metalik & Cedric Alexander.

Ahead of tonight’s shows, check out WWE’s “5 Things You Need To Know Before SmackDown Live” –

Monday’s RAW from Memphis averaged 3.304 million viewers, down from last week’s post-SummerSlam edition, which did 3.404 million.

The show featured Alexa Bliss recapturing the RAW Women’s Championship from Sasha Banks (only to be attacked by Nia Jax afterwards), an appearance by Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman and the memorable No Mercy contract signing between John Cena and Roman Reigns

Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

• Hour 1: 3.384
• Hour 2: 3.364
• Hour 3: 3.163

RAW was the most-viewed show on cable for the evening, ahead of the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC and Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News.

Ex-WWE official Bruce Prichard took to his podcast, Something To Wrestle With, to discuss the rise of Paul Heyman in the WWE. During the show Prichard discussed why Heyman was removed as head-writer of SmackDown, his dislike for John Cena’s early rapper gimmick, Heyman aligning himself with Brock Lesnar, and how The McMahons offended Heymen when he visited their vacation home. Here are the highlights:

Removing Paul Heyman as head-writer of SmackDown:

“He didn’t make deadlines. He’d be late for Vince’s meetings. It was a combination of things that Paul was almost begging to be off of the team and begging to just be a talent and not have to worry about writing the show from week-to-week because writing the show from week-to-week also came with heat.” Prichard recalled, “Paul argued at every chance he got! Paul and Vince were oil and water and Paul just didn’t know when to quit!

“You would think it was over, and then you’d get [imitating Heyman], ‘allow me one more volley, sir.’ There had to just be some point when Vince said, ‘I’m done. No more. I’m done. I don’t want to see him anymore. I don’t want to hear him anymore. I don’t want him on the plane anymore. I don’t want him in the writers’ meeting anymore. I’m done.’ As far as having a five-year no-cut contract, I don’t know of anybody that had a no-cut contract at any time.”

Disliking John Cena’s rapper gimmick:

“To quote Paul Heyman, ‘you put the rap gimmick on Cena and you will kill John Cena’s career. Paul felt that the rap gimmick was going to be the death knell of John Cena and that it would stereotype him and pigeonhole him and he would never be able to work his way out of it. Hated the idea, went to Cena and told Cena, ‘they’re killing your career’, ‘don’t do it’, ‘it’s going to be bad’. And [Heyman] went to Vince and told Vince it’s going to kill [Cena] and the fact that Paul petitioned so hard against it probably helped Vince [decide], ‘yeah, let’s try it.’ And I think it worked out alright for him.”

Aligning himself with Brock Lesnar:

“Overall, I’m going to say him aligning himself with Brock Lesnar is without a doubt one of the most genius things Paul ever did for himself and Paul did for Brock Lesnar. They’ve done very well by each other.”

Being offended by the McMahons when Stephanie offered the writers cash to go get lunch, and when Linda offered Heyman water from their dispensary: 

“We were downstairs deciding where to go and they had suggested this really nice restaurant down the road and Paul is like, ‘I guess we’re not good enough to eat in the family domicile! We’re just the help. Send the help out to get lunch. Send a few dollars their way and send them away to get their own lunch while we dine on fine cuisine prepared by the chef and have the staff wait on us!’” Prichard recalled, “so everybody except Paul and Dave Lagana went to this nice restaurant, little Italian place down the street, great food, a little pricey, but we weren’t paying for it! Paul and David go to Burger King and just pocket the rest of the money! Just classic Paul.”

“Linda just makes the comment, ‘so guys, there’s this water dispensary here – the water is ice cold. It’s all filtered and good, so you don’t have to keep going in to get a bunch of bottles of water. There [are] cups here, big cups, and everything, or just refill your water bottle, whatever you need, whatever is faster, easier, better, whatever, and you’re not having 50 water bottles all over the place.’ Well, Heyman took exception to that! [Imitating Heyman] ‘I guess we’re not good enough to drink their water. I will just bring my own water from now on, so for the rest of the trip, Paul brought like a big bottle of water, which normally he never would have drank, but because he was told, and he wasn’t told, ‘don’t drink our water’, it was just, ‘hey, there’s this other water over here.’ ‘I will bring my own water. Thank you, ma’am.’”

You can listen to the full “Paul Heyman in WWE” episode of Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard here:

WWE Mae Young Classic competitor Lacey Evans recently spoke to USA Today For The Win to promote the tournament’s release on the WWE Network. During their conversation Lacey discussed her rough upbringing, being selected to participate in the tournament, and her father’s passing after a drug overdose just two months before her WWE tryout. Here are the highlights:

Being chosen to participate in the Mae Young Classic tournament:

“It means more than I can even explain. It is the first-ever women’s tournament that WWE has had and there were only select spots… There’s only 32 worldwide to represent what being a hardworking woman is and to be able to show what we’re capable of. I was so blessed and excited.”

Her rough upbringing:

“It was a rough life growing up between the addiction and depression and the suicide attempts that came later. My family was dealing with a lot of things. I was stuck in the middle of it. All I knew is what I didn’t want to become when I became older. I guess I had good role models in a bad way. That made me work extra hard and keep my mind focused.”

Her father passing from an overdose just months before her WWE tryout:

“My father overdosed two months before my WWE tryout… My biggest thing, and he didn’t make it. He didn’t make it to any graduation I’ve ever had. Not high school. Not college. Not the Marine Corps. I’ve done big things and he never made it to one.”

You can check out Evans’ full interview with USA Today For The Win here.

WWE sent in the following press release on Tuesday announcing that John Cena and actress Kat Dennings (“2 Broke Girls”) have signed on to do voice work for a new animated “outer space adventure comedy” series “Dallas & Robo” that will air on YouTube Red next year.

JOHN CENA & KAT DENNINGS LEND THEIR VOICES TO THE ALL-NEW ANIMATED SERIES “DALLAS & ROBO”

Outer Space Adventure Comedy From the Producers of “Robot Chicken” Coming to YouTube Red in 2018

LOS ANGELES – August 29, 2017 – YouTube Red continues to add some of the biggest names in Hollywood to its all-star comedy roster. On a packed slate showcasing inventive new Originals, comes DALLAS & ROBO — a hilarious animated space adventure and buddy-comedy from the producers behind Robot Chicken. The YouTube Red series features the voices of 16-time WWE champion John Cena (“Trainwreck,” “Sisters”) and Kat Dennings (“2 Broke Girls,” “Thor”).

DALLAS & ROBO centers around sassy space-trucker “Dallas” (Kat Dennings) and self-proclaimed warrior-poet ”Robo” (John Cena) who have to navigate their way around cannibal bikers, rival space truckers, and vending machine burritos as they try to make a buck in the seedy world of interplanetary big rigging.

Rounding out the all-star voice cast are Jane Lynch, Dana Snyder, Giancarlo Esposito, Clancy Brown, Bree Williamson, Nat Faxon, Taran Killam and Milana Vayntraub.

The eight episode series will be produced by Shadowmachine (“Robot Chicken,” “BoJack Horseman”). Mike Roberts (“Final Space”) is the creator of the series and also serves as an executive producer. Matt Mariska (“Robot Chicken”) and Andy Sipes (“Archer”) serve as writers and executive producers. John Cena also serves as an executive producer. DALLAS & ROBO will debut exclusively on YouTube Red in 2018.

“With Kat Dennings and John Cena bringing these animated characters to life, I have no doubt viewers are going to have fun watching this imaginative, new outer space comedy from Shadowmachine,” said Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Original Content, YouTube.

WWE is a recognized leader in global entertainment and has an engaged fanbase that includes WWE’s YouTube channel with over 17.4 million subscribers. In 2017, John Cena was among the top 100 most-viewed celebrities on YouTube.

“I’m thrilled to join Kat and the rest of this fantastic voice cast for Dallas and Robo,” said John Cena. “The writing for this series is flat-out funny and very creative, and I’m really looking forward to being a part of such a unique, entertaining project.”

John Cena is represented by ICM Partners. Mike Roberts is represented by Kailey Marsh Media at Verve and Tom Hunter Law. Matt Mariska and Andy Sipes are represented by Ari Lubet at 3 Arts Entertainment.

YouTube Red is a subscription that gives you access to YouTube Red Original movies and series, a premium music service and an uninterrupted experience across YouTube. YouTube Red is currently available in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Korea.