Former WWE/TNA/ROH Superstar Austin Aries will be making his way to the UK in December exclusively for IPW:UK. Aries’ opponent for this special one off appearance has finally been announced and it will be former PROGRESS World Champion Mark Haskins.
Haskins is widely regarded as one of the most underrated talents on the UK scene and he recently appeared for PWG as part of their All Star weekend. This high profile bout will help raise his stock even further.
Also announced for this event are IPW:UK Champion Moose, Jimmy Havoc and Abyss.
On last night’s (Mon. October 23, 2017) episode of Monday Night RAW, former WWE Universal Champion Finn Balor accepted Kane’s open challenge after attacking The Shield and AJ Styles. To many fans’ surprise, Kane wound up winning the match after hitting Balor with three Chokeslams. WWE seems to be building Kane up for a feud with “The Monster Among Men” Braun Strowman.
Per a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, after asking around backstage at WWE it seems as though those who usually defend Vince McMahon’s decisions had no explanation as to why Kane went over on Balor:
“There is no explanation, there is no defense, he [Vince] just whiffed”
Meltzer was critical of WWE’s decision himself, questioning why Kane had to go over on Balor of all people available in the locker room. This slows down Balor’s momentum as he approaches a likely feud with Brock Lesnar in a few months.
WWE Monday Night RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss recently did an interview with The New York Post to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. Bliss opened up about her battle with anorexia, becoming the RAW Women’s Champ, and earning the respect of her fellow competitors in the locker room. You can check out the highlights here:
Her battle with anorexia:
“Oh gosh, I was a completely different person. It controls you and it consumes you in so many different ways. I remember my mom sitting me down and telling me I was in the hospital and she was like, ‘You are probably going to die from this’ because the doctors were telling her 1 in 4 people die from it and I was going to be that one because my body wasn’t responding. My heart wasn’t responding.
“Everything was just going downhill and I didn’t see it. Your brain doesn’t see it. I remember being in the hospital and not knowing why. That is why I try to be so open about it because people going through it, it consumes them and you tell them it doesn’t have to. You can move past your eating disorder and not let it have control over your life anymore.”
Becoming RAW Women’s Champ:
“It’s been an amazing journey that I’ve had with WWE. I always think about the first day I came to FCW at the time. I remember walking in and I had sparkly-sequence UGG boots on, sparkly-sequence jacket on and matching sequence backpack. The head instructor, Bill Dumont, goes. ‘What are you?’ I was just like, ‘I’m Lexi.’ I didn’t know what else to say. You could probably see me from space. I was very just like not knowing anything and watching the girls on the first day. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, they are so good.’ That day I didn’t think I would ever be able to get to their level and to have the opportunity to be champion has been absolutely incredible.”
Earning the respect of her fellow competitors in the locker room:
“Oh god, I don’t know if I still have it now. It’s one thing coming in, not being a part of the indies stuff like that and doing well. It’s another to now be part of the indies and be champ. It’s an ongoing thing, but the girls that I work with now are amazing. When I came up to SmackDown I was super nervous. I never really worked with these girls before. I have to say, the group of women I was drafted with to “SmackDown Live” were the most welcoming and most amazing women I’ve ever worked with.”
You can check out Bliss’ full interview with The New York Post by clicking here.
Last night on RAW, General Manager Kurt Angle confirmed several big RAW vs. SmackDown matches for next month’s Survivor Series, including the Champion vs. Champion main event between Brock Lesnar and Jinder Mahal. Later in the show, Brock Lesnar’s advocate Paul Heyman delivered a masterful promo formally accepted Mahal’s challenge on his client’s behalf.
Following up on a report from PWInsider, Wrestling Observer Radio confirms WWE in fact planning to add a special guest referee for the match. John Cena was a name that was mentioned as a possibility and Bryan Alvarez noted that would make sense in order to set up a feud between Cena and Mahal down the road.
Other names have floated around, however, the job will most likely go to Cena because the other names being considered most likely don’t want to work the match. Bryan Alvarez speculated that Goldberg or Undertaker could fill the role, but Dave Meltzer shot that idea down because both men have already feuded with Lesnar and he doesn’t see them back in WWE any time soon.
With Jinder Mahal being a questionable opponent for The Beast, the dynamic of a guest referee would add some much needed intrigue to the match. Mahal is on record saying that he wants to face John Cena at WrestleMania, so Cena refereeing his match against Lesnar could be used as a vehicle to set up that eventual showdown.
Discussion: Who would you like to see as the Special Guest Referee for Lesnar vs. Mahal?
Kevin Owens left the SmackDown brand’s weekend tour of Argentina and Chile early to attend to a family issue at home.
Owens thanked fans for their support, noting, “I’m not sick. I’m not hurt. My family needed me home. Thank you to WWE & the fans in Argentina & Chile for their support and understanding.”
On Tuesday morning, Owens’ wife Karina posted the following on Instagram, stating that things are OK now after one of the toughest weeks of their life.
Whatever the issue was, it’s a relief to learn that everything is alright with the Steen family.
“Thank you all for the kind messages asking if everything was alright. It was one of the toughest weeks of our lives but we are ok now. This guy travelled half way around the world to get back to us and I don’t know what I would have done without him. Best husband and dad we could ever ask for ?”
The Bullet Club has extended a formal invitation to the McMahon family to attend Ring of Honor’s upcoming live event from San Antonio, Texas on Friday, November 17th.
Cody Rhodes, Marty Scurll and The Young Bucks mocked WWE for booking a show in the same city as their ‘Survival of the Fittest’ San Antonio event, accusing them of piggybacking off the success of the Bullet Club.
WWE announced last week that the San Antonio show will feature NXT Champion Drew McIntyre defending against Adam Cole in the main event, with Shawn Michaels serving as special guest referee.
They noted that WWE rarely acknowledges other companies, but ROH appears to have caught their attention. Cody says WWE has stolen his father’s ideas, with Scurll noting that they even ripped off his signature umbrella (for 205 Live star Jack Gallagher).
After first proposing that the McMahons could get free tickets, the rescinded that offer and said any McMahon family member is welcome to a 10% discount off an ROH ticket that night – upon showing photo ID.
Tickets are now available for ROH’s Survival of the Fittest event from San Antonio at ROHWrestling.com.
The Miz is currently tied up in a feud with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose’s makeshift Shield which featured Kurt Angle in an explosive TLC main event that saw Braun Strowman leave in a dumpster truck. On the following RAW, Rollins and Ambrose took on the Intercontinental Champion’s team with SmackDown Live’s AJ Styles filling in for the absent Roman Reigns.
Unfortunately, the IC title itself is yet again being misused and lacking in development or growth. The positive aspect is that The Miz is a great heel and has done some fantastic work on Miz TV and with Kurt Angle on the build up to Sunday’s TLC, however he hasn’t taken his title anywhere and it has become stale, predictable, and boring.
The card for Survivor Series has been announced, and it seems that the IC title isn’t going anywhere as a match up between The Miz and Baron Corbin is set to feature alongside all other respective title champions. So, in no particular order, here are 5 superstars who would elevate the Intercontinental Championship after Survivor Series:
Finn Balor
Finn Balor has been floating in the WWE Universe for too long. He needs something to solidify himself and provide a purpose. Finn is also a prime example of a superstar who could be deemed “above” the level of the IC title, therefore enabling him to raise it up.
It is clear that the WWE creative team rate Finn; he is a former NXT Champion, and was the first Universal Champion. Unfortunately he has had to deal with injuries which resulted in him taking a back seat to everyone else. Apart from being stuck in a feud with Bray Wyatt, which started when Bray moved to RAW in April! That’s almost a 6 month on and off feud.
After a 4* match against AJ Styles at TLC it is clear that Finn Balor would give the Intercontinental Championship the boost it so desperately needs.
Bray Wyatt
In complete and direct contrast to Finn Balor, Bray Wyatt would without a doubt turn the IC title on it’s head. Bray had a brief stint as WWE Champion which ended all too suddenly against Randy Orton at WrestleMania.
Since moving to RAW, Bray has been lacking direction and specific purpose while working on and off with Finn. Furthermore, the Eater of Worlds has been struck with a viral illness that kept him away from his match with The Demon at TLC. On his return, Bray could certainly provide an alternative approach to being Intercontinental Champion, almost the complete opposite to The Miz’s shiny Hollywood appearance.
I’m not going to add Sister Abigail as a separate entrant on this list, but it’s worth mentioning that Bray’s alter-ego could also be used effectively in the Intercontinental scene. Imagine having Sister Abigail featured on Miz TV during the build up to Bray’s reign. Absolutely bizarre.
Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy could open up the Intercontinental Championship to new avenues. He would be perfect as a transitional champion to enable other superstars to get involved in the title picture.
Matt has already revealed that a change is coming to his WWE character, so why not use this opportunity to bring some change to the IC title as well?
It has been noted previously that Jeff Hardy is more valuable to WWE in terms of champion material but while his brother is recovering from surgery, Matt could be the perfect superstar to bring new life to the Intercontinental Championship.
Check out his match against Braun Strowman and the Torando DDT he worked in against The Monster Among Men.
Jason Jordan
Jason Jordan should have won the IC title from The Miz when the opportunity was there. Unfortunately the explosive athlete that was given a huge push as Kurt Angle’s son has now faded into the mid card territory. If Jordan could transfer his brute strength into a heel position, he could easily dominate in the ring.
Check out what he was able to do with the likes of John Cena. Of course there was only going to be 1 winner, but Jordan was still able to demonstrate his pure talent.
Samoa Joe
It is important to note that Samoa Joe is due back soon – very soon. Before encountering knee problems, Joe was facing the likes of Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, and Roman Reigns. Therefore it is easy to see how The Destroyer could pose a legitimate dominance over the Intercontinental Championship scene as he builds himself back up into the unstoppable force demonstrated here:
Although Samoa Joe managed to get a rare clean win over Roman Reigns, Wrestlemania speculation is to have the Big Dog take on Brock Lesnar, which means Joe will be looking for an angle of his own.
Like most of the names on this list, it seems like some superstars would be demoted to working the Intercontinental Championship, however it’s all about raising the title beyond that of its current position. While Samoa Joe appears to have WWE Champion and Universal Champion in his future, he would also make a fantastic dominant Intercontinental Champion too.
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live and 205 Live will broadcast from the BMO Harris Bank Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The hype for Survivor Series continues following SmackDown’s invasion of RAW last night.
Top matches advertised for SmackDown include United States Champion Baron Corbin vs. Sin Cara, AJ Styles vs. Sunil Singh and 8-man tag team action featuring New Day and The Usos vs. Rusev, Aiden English, Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin.
The show will also feature the return of Shane McMahon and the latest edition of Fashion Files.
WWE 205 Live will see Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore vs. Kalisto.
Join us here later tonight for our WWE SmackDown Live Coverage!
ESPN sent in a press release to promote the upcoming ’30 For 30′ documentary on WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, which premieres two weeks from today, Tuesday, November 7th. You can watch the official trailer below:
ESPN Films’ Ric Flair 30 for 30 “Nature Boy” Premieres November 7
ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 documentary “Nature Boy,” on wrestling legend Ric Flair, will premiere on Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN. Director Rory Karpf (“I Hate Christian Laettner,” “The Book of Manning”) will take an inside look at Flair’s story, including his triumphs, his tragedies, and his pivotal role in turning pro wrestling into mainstream sports entertainment.
Real or Fake? It’s a question that’s long shadowed professional wrestling. But for one of the industry’s most legendary performers, there’s never been any separation between the ring and the world around it. His story starts in the Midwest, when a young Richard Fliehr set his sights on rising to stardom in a unique world, and decided to do anything necessary to get to where he wanted. A character was born, along with a singular desire “to be the man,” and a drive that made him as popular and polarizing as any figure ever to step into the ring. The success took a considerable toll – on his body, and on his wives and children – and in 2013 came a tragic postscript. But today, Flair remains as defiant as ever, proud of his legacy, eager to remain in the spotlight. This is the story of a man, a character, and their unbreakable connection.
“This film was basically borne out of working with Rory Karpf on our ‘I Hate Christian Laettner’ documentary,” says 30 for 30 Executive Producer John Dahl. “Rory interviewed Ric for his take on sports villains and wanted to do a film on him next. After watching that interview for the Laettner film, we were convinced that Ric would be a fascinating subject to explore for our first feature-length 30 for 30 on a pro wrestler.”
“Nature Boy” features two in-depth conversations between Karpf and Flair over a 16-month span, surrounded by interviews with those closest to the man himself; including Triple H, Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat, Baby Doll, Tully Blanchard, The Undertaker, Arn Anderson, Shawn Michaels, Sting and Road Warrior Animal as well as his first wife, Leslie Jacobs, and children along with others who know Flair best.
“I grew up a huge wrestling fan in the 1980s and I was captivated by Ric Flair,” says director Rory Karpf. “It’s been a personally rewarding experience to tell the story of arguably the greatest wrestler of all time. Ric’s story transcends the wrestling business, and my hope is that it will appeal to wrestling and non-wrestling fans alike.”
Advance press screeners will be available upon request. Follow 30 for 30 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and join the conversation with hashtag #NatureBoy.
During his recent appearance on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast, former WCW President Eric Bischoff commented on WWE reviving classic WCW events.
It’s been 16 years since the demise of WCW, but Starrcade and WarGames are both returning next month. Bischoff thinks it’s great that a whole new generation of fans will learn to appreciate the legacies of these events.
“Everything changes with time and WWE owns that intellectual property; as we see on the WWE Network that they are monetizing it on the WWE Network and exposing that content, which quite honestly, there are wrestling fans now that had never heard of WCW, or Starrcade, or War Games.
They were too young or weren’t wrestling fans at the time; so there are a whole new generation of fans that are becoming familiar with sports entertainment, at least WCW’s role in it that hadn’t heard of it before, so it only makes sense to expand the ability to monetize it as many ways as possible. I mean, I think it’s great and happy to see it.
War Games and Starrcade was Dusty Rhodes, not Eric Bischoff or Ted Turner, but Dusty Rhodes; so new fans to see it and learn about it, and understand that legacy, I think it’s a wonderful thing.”
As noted, SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon led the blue brand roster in an invasion of RAW last night to set up the big RAW vs. SmackDown matches at the November 19th Survivor Series pay-per-view last night.
Below are several post-show Twitter reactions, including new videos from The New Day, Becky Lynch, Dolph Ziggler, Zack Ryder, AJ Styles, Mojo Rawley and WWE United States Champion Baron Corbin:
– Below is video of Asuka talking to the WWE reporter after her Monday night debut on last night’s RAW, which saw her defeat Emma. The Empress of Tomorrow says WWE TLC was fun, this win on RAW was fun and beating Emma was fun.
– WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore was unable to cut a promo on last night’s RAW as he lost his voice over the weekend, which he noted in his promo at WWE TLC on Sunday. Drew Gulak spoke for Enzo on RAW and the storyline is that he has a vocal chord injury. As noted, Enzo will defend the title on tonight’s WWE 205 Live as Kalisto gets his rematch.
– WWE posted this promo for their new Zombie action figures from Mattel:
– Below is a new preview for the WWE 24 special on Bill Goldberg that premieres on the WWE Network Monday, November 13th after RAW goes off the air that night:
– No word yet on when Braun Strowman will be back on RAW but he did not appear this week to sell the attack from Kane at WWE TLC. Michael Cole noted on commentary that The Monster Among Men could be out of action for several weeks or months but it’s likely that he returns next Monday night to set up the planned Braun vs. Kane match at WWE Survivor Series on November 19th.
– As noted, WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman appeared on this week’s RAW to accept the Survivor Series challenge from WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. Heyman’s promo took a shot at The Singh Brothers for stealing his shtick to stand behind Jinder and introduce him each week. The Singh Brothers took to Twitter and tweeted the following in response to Heyman’s promo:
– While RAW General Manager Kurt Angle confirmed WWE Champion Jinder Mahal vs. WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar for Survivor Series during his opening promo on this week’s RAW, Paul Heyman and Lesnar still appeared in the ring later on to officially accept the challenge. The Beast and The Modern Day Maharaja will face off at the November 19th Survivor Series pay-per-view in a non-title match. Below is video from the segment with Heyman and Lesnar:
– John Cena, Brie Bella, mom Kathy and Maryse were in the crowd for Monday’s Dancing With The Stars episode on ABC. Nikki Bella received a season-high 36 score for her Argentine Tango performance on Movie Night with partner Artem Chigvintsev. After surviving another elimination, Nikki and Artem will now dance next twice next Monday night for a Halloween-themed episode that features team dances. WWE announced the following on this week’s performance:
Nikki Bella brings a romantic tango to the “Dancing with the Stars” ballroom
Nikki Bella isn’t hanging up her dancing shoes just yet! The Superstar is still in the hunt for the Mirror Ball Trophy on “Dancing with the Stars” after an Argentine Tango on Movie Night of Season 25 of ABC’s reality hit.
Nikki received a 36 out of 40 for the foreign film-influenced tango with professional partner Artem Chigvintsev, bringing a dreamy, French twist to the ballroom, as John Cena, Brie Bella, Maryse and mom Kathy watched from the audience.
“That was so romantic, what you would expect from a foreign film, from a foreign language – the language of love,” guest judge Shania Twain said of the dance, which was done to a French song. “That was beautiful, very elegant.”
Judge Bruno Tonioli agreed: “You just presented a little side of yourself that you should explore. It was like a French perfume, intriguing, like it never leaves your mind.”
After the judges’ scores and comments, Nikki and Artem were informed early on Monday’s episode that they were safe from elimination!
Nikki still needs your votes to stay in the running for The Mirror Ball Trophy. Call to vote for Nikki toll-free at 1-800-868-3409. (Save this number, as it will be Nikki and Artem’s number to dial each week!) Note, only your first nine votes count, and phonelines stay open for only 60 minutes after the finish of “Dancing with the Stars” in your local time zone. You can also vote nine times online at dwtsvote.abc.go.com.
See Nikki dance twice next Monday when “Dancing with the Stars” returns to ABC at 8/7 C for a special Halloween-theme episode, including team dances.
– As noted, SmackDown Women’s Champion Natalya vs. RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss is now official for the Survivor Series pay-per-view. Natalya made the following post-RAW tweet in response to the in-ring promo from Bliss:
– After making her main roster debut at Sunday’s WWE TLC pay-per-view, Asuka remains undefeated after picking up another win over Emma in her Monday night debut on tonight’s RAW, which was a rematch from TLC. Below is video from that match:
– Kalisto will receive his rematch from new WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore on this week’s WWE 205 Live episode.
– The closing segment of tonight’s WWE RAW in Green Bay was supposed to have General Manager Kurt Angle announce the 5 male Superstars that would represent the red brand in the men’s 5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match at the November pay-per-view. SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon appeared instead and brought about a dozen SmackDown Superstars with him, including SmackDown Women’s Champion Natalya and WWE United States Champion Baron Corbin. The blue brand then ran wild through the backstage area, taking out several RAW Superstars to send a message ahead of the big Survivor Series pay-per-view. Below are photos and videos from the angle:
WWE RAW aired live from the Resch Center in Green Bay, WI. It was the first episode of RAW following WWE TLC 2017 last night. Here are 10 takeaways from this week’s episode of WWE RAW:
Survivor Series’ Card Is Lackluster So Far
WWE Survivor Series
RAW GM Kurt Angle came down to the ring to kick off this week’s episode of RAW. The crowd chanted “you still got it!”. Angle officially announced the following matches for Survivor Series:
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal vs Universal Champion Brock Lesnar
RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs SmackDown Women’s Champion Natalya
RAW Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose vs SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos
Intercontinental Champion The Miz vs United States Champion Baron Corbin
Survivor Series will be RAW vs SmackDown themed and I think that is something that has been missing from the WWE product recently. I enjoy when the brands are competing against each other and calling each other out on their respective shows. When Asuka announced that she was leaving NXT and heading to the main roster, NXT GM William Regal said that he had “begun negotiating with RAW GM Kurt Angle and SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan”. I would love to see storylines that feature RAW and SmackDown trying to lure Superstars to their brand.
As for Survivor Series’ card, there is not a lot that interests me so far. The Miz versus Baron Corbin is a bizarre matchup as they are both heels. The same can be said about Alexa Bliss versus Natalya. I would like to believe that Brock Lesnar will simply dismantle Jinder Mahal, but I’ve thought Mahal was going to lose every match and I’ve pretty much been incorrect about all of them. Out of the announced matches thus far, I’m most intrigued by Ambrose & Rollins versus The Usos. The Usos have been excellent on SmackDown as of late and I could see that match going either way.
Kurt Angle announced that SmackDown Superstar AJ Styles decided to stay another night on the RAW brand and will be teaming up with Ambrose and Rollings against The Miz and The Bar.
Match recap: The Bar isolated Ambrose in the ring to start off the match. Ambrose eventually escaped and tagged in Seth Rollins. The crowd chanted for AJ Styles and Rollins obliged and tagged AJ in. Styles booted Cesaro in the face and then hopped up on the ring apron. The Miz charged at Styles but AJ noticed him coming and Miz cowered away. Cesaro then used the distraction to his advantage and knocked AJ out of the ring. The action returned to the ring and Cesaro tagged in The Miz. The Miz took his time and started taunting AJ. Styles connected with a Jawbreaker onto Miz.
Sheamus and Cesaro sprinted across the ring and knocked Ambrose and Rollins off the ring apron. Ambrose, Rollins and Styles then cleaned house and leaped onto The Miz and The Bar as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, The Bar were in control and teamed up and booted Ambrose in the midsection. The crowd chanted “you look stupid” at Sheamus as he had Ambrose in a Chin Lock. Dean battled to his feet but Sheamus stopped his momentum with a couple of knees to his ribs. Cesaro was then tagged in he quickly applied another Chin Lock to Ambrose. The resiliant Ambrose broke free and planted Cesaro with a Suplex. Cesaro ambled his way to the corner and tagged in Sheamus. Ambrose greeted Sheamus with a Lunatic Lariat and slowly made his way to the corner.
Seth Rollins was tagged in and he connected with a Slingblade to The Miz. Rollins then knocked Cesaro off the ring apron and followed it up with a Blockbuster off the second rope to Miz. Rollins hit the Falcon Arrow and then a brawl broke out in the ring. The Miz and Rollins were the two Superstars left in the ring and Miz hit a DDT as RAW once again went to a break. When RAW returned, the action had spilled out of the ring and Ambrose threw Sheamus into the crowd. Ambrose leaped off the barricade and cracked Sheamus in the face. Back in the ring, Cesaro tagged himself in and Rollins leaped across the ring to tag in Styles. AJ connected with an Ushigoroshi onto Cesaro for a two count.
The Miz tried to get back into the ring but Ambrose pulled him off the ring apron. Cesaro hit AJ with a massive uppercut but Rollins broke up the cover. Sheamus charged at Seth but Rollins dodged him and Sheamus crashed into the ring post. Rollins and Ambrose hit dueling Suicide Dives onto Sheamus and The Miz outside the ring. Back in the ring, AJ Styles connected with the Phenomenal Forearm to Cesaro for the pinfall victory. After the match, Kane came down to the ring and attacked Rollins and Ambrose. Kane then launched Styles out of the ring and The Bar and The Miz attacked Rollins and Ambrose from behind. The Miz and The Bar then exited the ring as Kane’s entrance music played and Kane stood tall in the ring. Winners: AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins
I want to see AJ Styles versus Cesaro as soon as possible. We got a tiny glimpse of it tonight when the two Superstars went head-to-head during this bout. RAW’s roster is obviously down a few key Superstars due to illness, so it makes sense that AJ Styles stuck around for another night. This match was absolutely terrific and it cannot be overstated how valuable AJ Styles is to the WWE.
Finn Balor Can Defeat AJ Styles, But He Cannot Defeat A 50-Year-Old Kane
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Kane cut a promo on Braun Strowman after he beatdown Styles, Rollins and Ambrose. During the promo, Michael Cole announced that Braun Strowman will be out for some time after
Promo: Kane said that he has heard about all of Strowman’s accomplishments and said that he had to see it for himself. Kane stated that what he saw was a pile of trash. He added that he put Strowman where he belonged last night in the back of a garbage truck. Kane said that he saw fear in Strowman’s eyes and stated that he has and will always be RAW’s only monster. Kane mocked Strowman and said that he wanted competition or else. Finn Balor answered the challenge and came down to the ring as RAW went to a commercial break.
Match recap: Balor connected with a flurry of kicks to start off the match but Kane shrugged them off and knocked Finn out of the ring. Finn got back into the ring and was sent into the turnbuckle by Kane. Balor escaped to the ring apron and connected with a kick to Kane’s face. Kane responded by delivering a boot to Finn’s chin and Balor crashed to the canvas.
Kane persisted with his attack and connected with a Body Slam a two count. Balor knocked Kane out of the ring and punted his head from the ring apron. Kane was unfazed and lifted up Balor and drove him into the ring apron. The action returned to the ring and Kane hit a massive Side Slam but Balor kicked out at two. Finn battled to his feet but Kane launched him into the turnbuckle. Kane hit a Backbreaker and then bent Balor’s body over his knee.
Finn escaped and rolled out of the ring but Kane followed him out there. Balor tripped up Kane and Kane fell face-first onto the steel steps. Back in the ring, Balor connected with a Slingblade and then Dropkicked Kane into the corner. Finn went for the Coup de Grace but Kane got up and grabbed Balor by the throat. Kane delivered a massive Chokeslam and then grabbed Finn by the throat once again. Kane delivered two more Chokeslams for the pinfall victory. Winner: Kane
I’m having a hard time seeing Kane as this dominant monster once again. The last thing I remember about Kane is him dominating “The Milkman” on SmackDown.
It also hasn’t been explained why Kane is all of the sudden on the RAW roster even though he was drafted to the blue brand. I find it extremely inconsistent that Balor defeated AJ Styles last night at TLC, only to lose to a 50-year-old Kane tonight on RAW. I also thought Braun Strowman was passed facing older Superstars on the main roster. He defeated the Big Show in their feud, why does he now have to go through Kane? That is if Braun Strowman even returns on RAW soon. The announcers made it seem like Strowman will be gone for a long time after being compacted in a garbage truck.
Asuka made her main-roster debut last night at WWE TLC 2017 and faced Emma. Many were shocked that Asuka didn’t dominate the match. Emma faced Asuka again tonight on RAW.
Match recap: Emma completely dominated Asuka for the first several minutes of the match again. Asuka finally fought back and connected with a Dropkick off the second rope. Asuka then connected with a series of strikes and followed it up with a release German Suplex. Asuka then connected with the Hip Attack for a two count. Emma booted Asuka into the turnbuckle and then went for a roll-up but Asuka reversed it into the Asuka Lock for the submission victory. Winner: Asuka
I don’t understand what WWE is doing with Asuka on the main roster. They are making her seem beatable. The majority of the people that watch WWE RAW do not tune into NXT on Wednesday nights. They keep mentioning Asuka’s undefeated streak, but they are not booking her as dominant on RAW. Yes, she has defeated Emma twice in a row, but they shouldn’t have been competitive matches. Emma has been wasting away on RAW for a long time now, it simply does not make sense for her to be a challenge for Asuka right now.
Alexa Bliss picked up a victory over Mickie James last night at TLC and came down to the ring for a promo. Alexa dissed Mickie James again and said that she felt disrespected by the fans. Bliss said that Balor and Styles can stare into each other’s eyes for “like 10 minutes” and the crowd eats up. Alexa asked why the fans don’t give her enough credit and wondered if it because she was not old like Mickie James. Alexa then called the crowd sheep and said that she is going to say a chant slowly so the crowd can repeat it back to her. Alexa chanted “you deserve it!” and the crowd booed. Alexa once again demanded respect from the crowd but the y continued booing. Mickie James came down to the ring with a smile on her face as Alexa looked pissed off in the ring. Mickie then booted Alexa in the face and connected with a DDT. Mickie then grabbed the microphone and said “Alexa, you do deserve it”.
I’ve really enjoyed this feud so far and I thought Mickie and Alexa had one of the better matches at WWE TLC 2017 last night. Bliss taunted the crowd and Mickie James and got a DDT for her troubles. Survivor Series is four weeks away, so I’m guessing this feud will continue for a bit and I’m absolutely fine with that.
The Feud Between Jason Jordan & Elias Is Uninteresting
Elias performed a song but was interrupted by persistent scratching noises. Elias thought it was technical difficulties, but it turned out to be Jason Jordan. Jason interrupted Elias’ concert several times last night at TLC and then defeated him via a roll-up in their match last night. Elias got his rematch with Jordan tonight on RAW.
Match recap: Elias controlled the first few minutes of the match before RAW went to a commercial break. When RAW returned, Elias was still in control but Jordan quickly captured the momentum. Jordan knocked Elias out of the ring and charged at him near the timekeeper’s area. Elias grabbed his guitar and smashed him over the arm with it and was disqualified. Winner via DQ: Jason Jordan
I didn’t find it funny when Jason Jordan interrupted Elias’ concert last night by throwing groceries at him twice. The crowd gave a decent reaction when Elias hit Jordan with the guitar tonight, but the fact remains that there are no stakes at all in this feud. They are just fighting because neither Superstar has anything else to do right now and it is nearly impossible to get invested in this feud. The guitar shot was stiff as hell and Jordan’s arm looked a bit messed up after he was hit by it.
Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman Laughed At Jinder Mahal
Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman
Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman came down to the ring to address Jinder Mahal challenging Lesnar to a match at Survivor Series. Heyman said that Mahal has barely survived his matches against Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura. Heyman noted that Mahal is also up all night worrying about AJ Styles coming to take his title.
Heyman boasted about Lesnar’s domination on the RAW brand and how he has run through all of his opponents since capturing the Universal Championship. Heyman said that he doesn’t trash-talk Lesnar’s opponents because you have to be a real man to challenge Brock Lesnar. Heyman poked fun at Mahal and the Singh Brothers and said that Mahal isn’t a worthy champion.
Paul Heyman said that Lesnar isn’t defending the honor of RAW at Survivor Series. Heyman added that “any brand that brags Brock Lesnar is the flagship brand and the number one place to be in WWE”. Heyman claimed that Brock Lesnar was going to take Jinder Mahal to Suplex City at Survivor Series and accepted the challenge on Lesnar’s behalf. Heyman and Brock Lesnar then exited the ring and made their way backstage.
This was an excellent promo by Paul Heyman here. I was hoping that Heyman would tear down Jinder Mahal and that is exactly what happened tonight. The only issue I have is that there is no way Jinder Mahal can provide an adequate response tomorrow night on SmackDown because he is so terrible at promos.
Alicia Fox Is The Captain Of The RAW Women’s Team At Survivor Series
WWE Superstar Alicia Fox
RAW GM Kurt Angle announced that Alicia Fox, Sasha Banks and Bayley will compete in a match to determine the captain for the RAW Women’s team at Survivor Series.
Match recap: Fox controlled the match early and knocked Bayley out of the ring. Sasha conncted with a kick to Fox’s face and Bayley came back int he ring. Bayley got back into the ring and connected with a double Dropkick that knocked Alicia out of the ring. Fox got back into the ring and Bayley and Sasha once again teamed up and knocked her out of the ring. Alicia once again tried to get in the ring but Bayley and Sasha Dropkicked her back to the floor as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Sasha Banks was in control and launched Alicia Fox into the turnbuckle as Bayley was on the floor outside the ring. Banks climbed up to the top turnbuckle but Fox got back to her feet and slapped Sasha in the face. Bayley got back in the ring as Fox was setting Banks up for the Superplex. Bayley then Powerbombed Fox as she hit the Superplex onto Banks off the top rope.
Fox booted Bayley in the face for a two count. Alicia then shouted “I don’t want to play this game” and then grabbed the bell and started ringing it. The referee told her that Alicia cannot just end the match whenever she wants and Fox got back in the ring. Bayley hit her with the Bayley to Belly but Banks broke up the pinfall.
Bayley then knocked Alicia out of the ring and slammed Sasha to the mat. Fox then hit Bayley with Bayley to Belly and then booted Bayley out of the ring. Alicia then charged at Sasha but Sasha countered it into the Bank Statement. Alicia broke free and then threw Sasha into Bayley who was standing on the ring apron. Fox then pinned Sasha Banks for the victory and is now the captain of the RAW Women’s Team at WWE Survivor Series. Alicia Fox then celebrated with members of the Green Bay Packers that were sitting ringside. Winner: Alicia Fox
This match was solid and this will definitely be interesting as we head towards Survivor Series in four weeks. Crazy Alicia Fox is entertaining, and both Bayley and Sasha Banks aren’t exactly electric when it comes to cutting a promo. I think that this may lead to some funny segments with Alicia Fox as the team leader on the next few episodes of RAW. Having said that, it could just as easily wind up being a train wreck.
Enzo Amore came down to the ring with Drew Gulak, Ariya Daivari, Noam Dar and Tony Nese. All five Superstars danced with Enzo on the entrance ramp. Drew Gulak grabbed the microphone while holding a clipboard. Gulak said that he had a prepared statement on behalf of Enzo Amore because Enzo has lost his voice. Gulak said that Kalisto was a bigger letdown than the Green Bay Packers and the crowd booed and then broke out in a “Go Pack Go!” chant.
Enzo, Gulak, Nese, Daivari and Dar then faced Kalisto, Gran Metalik, Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali.
Match recap: Kalisto wanted Enzo to get in the ring to start off the match. Enzo didn’t accept the challenge and avoided get in the ring. “Team Lucha” cleaned house and knocked “Team Zo Train” out of the ring as RAW went to a commercial break. When RAW returned, Team Zo Train was in control and had Rich Swann isolated in the corner.
Swann and Daivari battled in the ring as a brawl broke out ringside between the rest of the Superstars in the match. Enzo avoided the brawl and started shouting at his teammates to get up. Daivari tagged in Enzo and then Kalisto was tagged in. Enzo tried to avoid him but Kalisto caught him with a kick. Kalisto went for the cover but Gulak and Nese broke it up. Enzo then connected with a DDT off the second rope but the cover was once again broken up. Alexander and Ali leaped onto Nese and Gulak outside the ring. Metalik and Ali then leaped onto Dar and Daivari. Back in the ring, Kalisto connected with the Salida del Sol on Enzo for the victory. Winners: Kalisto, Mustafa Ali, Gran Metalik, Rich Swann & Cedric Alexander
Kalisto will get his rematch for the Cruiserweight Championship tomorrow night on 205 Live. I think WWE is committed to making Enzo as annoying as possible so people tune into 205 Live. I doubt that it will work, but I don’t see Kalisto winning the Cruiserweight Championship back tomorrow night. This match was entertaining for what it was, but I am beyond tired of the constant 6+ man tag matches on RAW with the Cruiserweight division. It is not building up any of the Superstars and allowing the WWE Universe to see their personalities and become invested in them.
SmackDown Fired The First Shot At RAW Ahead Of Survivor Series
RAW GM Kurt Angle came down to the ring to announce the RAW Men’s Team for WWE Survivor Series. Before Angle could make his announcement, SmackDown GM Shane McMahon interrupted and came through the crowd with members of the SmackDown roster and surrounded Kurt Angle outside the ring.
Shane McMahon entered the ring and grabbed a microphone as the crowd chanted “Nakamura!”. Kurt Angle stared at Shane with a bewildered look on his face as Shane walked towards him. Shane said “under siege” and dropped the microphone. Angle then left the ring and walked backstage. Shane then instructed the blue team to “go get him” and the SmackDown roster headed backstage.
The SmackDown roster then attacked Apollo Crews and Titus O’Neil backstage and beat them down. Baron Corbin then attacked a helpless intern as the SmackDown roster cheered him on. Goldust, Rhyno and poor Curt Hawkins were next to suffer the wrath of the SmackDown roster. Jason Jordan and Matt Hardy then got their asses kicked by the SmackDown roster.
Gallows and Anderson and Elias were the next victims as they were attacked out of nowhere in their locker room. Bayley, Sasha, Mickie and Alicia were then attacked by the SmackDown women’s division. Charlotte was not present during the attack. The camera then cut back to Shane McMahon who was being booed by the crowd.
Rollins and Ambrose attacked members of the SmackDown roster with chairs but they were vastly outnumbered and promptly got their asses kicked. Corbin and Rusev then dragged Kurt Angle back to the ring. Shane McMahon had a menacing look on his face as he once again stared at Kurt Angle. Shane said that he wanted Angle to bring his gold medal and what is left of the RAW roster and they are going to finish what they started. Shane added “oh it’s true, it’s damn true” and then exited with his troops through the crowd.
I thought this was great. It will make the next few weeks of RAW and SmackDown very interesting heading into Survivor Series. I’m not sold on many of the matches on the card right now, but the 5v5 matches between the men and women of both brands should be great. I hope that RAW responds tomorrow night on SmackDown and we get a terrific build to Survivor Series last month. WWE has had a problem with building up their PPVs, but they are off to a great start with Survivor Series in my opinion.
Following Monday’s edition of RAW, the card for next month’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view has taken shape. The theme for the event is RAW vs. SmackDown, with each brand’s top champions squaring off with one another and two team elimination matches (men’s and women’s) announced.
Here is the updated card:
RAW vs. SmackDown
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. WWE Champion Jinder Mahal
RAW vs. SmackDown
WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz vs. WWE United States Champion Baron Corbin
RAW vs. SmackDown
RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Natalya
RAW vs. SmackDown
RAW Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos
5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match
Male Superstars TBA
5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match
Alicia Fox (Team Captain), Sasha Banks, Bayley and TBA vs. Carmella, Becky Lynch, Tamina Snuka and TBA
Survivor Series takes place on November 19th from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
– WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz will be playing a game of WWE 2K18 against musician Zakk Wylde at the Loudwire Music Awards tomorrow night in Los Angeles at The Novo. As noted, Chris Jericho will be hosting the first-ever Loudwire Music Awards, which will air on AXS TV at 7pm PT. Below is a promo for The Miz vs. Zakk Wylde:
– WWE taped the following matches tonight in Green Bay for this week’s Main Event episode:
* Matt Hardy vs. Curt Hawkins
* Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. Titus O’Neil and Apollo Crews
– As noted, The Rock tweeted WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle before Angle’s ring return at last night’s WWE TLC pay-per-view. The RAW General Manager replied this afternoon, as you can see below:
Congrats to my good bud @RealKurtAngle and his return tonight to a @WWE ring. Special athlete and great human being. Have FUN brotha #WWETLC
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels will square off against Johnny Gargano at NXT Takeover: WarGames in a contest to determine which one of them has better abs.
HBK proposed they both train to see who can get in the best shape by Takeover. At the show, they’ll compare abs to determine the winner.
Michaels noted that at 52, he’s not wrestling anymore and needs something to work for.
He posted a video on Monday night explaining the challenge to Gargano:
Michaels has been working as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center and will be a special guest referee for NXT Champion Drew McIntyre’s title defense against Adam Cole at an NXT live event from San Antonio that takes place the night before.
NXT Takeover: WarGames takes place on Saturday night, November 18th from Houston, Texas during Survivor Series weekend.
At the start of Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, General Manager Kurt Angle hit the ring and announced several big matches for next month’s RAW vs. SmackDown Survivor Series pay-per-view.
Survivor Series will feature four inter-brand Champion vs. Champion matches and two inter-brand team elimination matches.
We already knew the main event, which will see WWE Champion Jinder Mahal vs. WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. It’s rumored that John Cena will be added to the match as a special guest referee.
Angle announced three more non-title Champion vs. Champion matches:
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has posted a new blog entry over at his official website where he gives his thoughts on various topics. Here are the highlights:
AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor:
“Enjoyed watching WWE TLC on the WWE Network from my home in Norman. The last two bouts were, as they were designed to be, the proper show closers. AJ vs The Demon was the best match of the night and one that I am somewhat sure that we will see again some day as it’s simply too good to not feature again when it can receive a more structured and timely creative build.”
Rumored Survivor Series card:
“From the rumor mill, IF Rollins/Ambrose face the Usos at Survivor Series in Houston NOV 19, I fully expect that match to blow most of the card away no matter what else is booked. You heard it here first. Those two teams have the ability to re-create the tag team scene in WWE and make tag team wrestling as in vouge as WWE has done with the women grapplers. Based on what I have heard the Survivor Series card is going to be loaded with RAW vs SDLIve bouts that should facilitate the talents to have some fresh bouts with new people which always seems to make things better.”
Jeff Jarrett being gone from Impact Wrestling:
“Troubling to hear that Impact Wrestling has severed ties with co-founder Jeff Jarrett within the past few hours. Jeff had taken a leave of absence, which generally isn’t a good news sort of thing, and then was permanently separated from Anthem the now parent company of Impact wrestling. I am pulling for Impact, their talents and personnel in a big way but as long as they have a weak USA TV clearance, any success that they may have in the future likely will be limited. If they can create some new stars and produce solid TV shows, who knows in this wacky world of TV with so many options for a company to utilize including digital. In the meanwhile, I hope that Jeff Jarrett resurfaces as he’s expected to do. Jeff is a wrestling lifer, like me, and this is what he loves and knows best. Regarding any other issues that may or may not be prevalent, I can only hope that all these issues are remedied in a timely manner for Jeff and all involved.”
The October 23rd, 2017 edition of WWE RAW aired live from the Resch Center in Green Bay, WI, and was the first episode after TLC 2017.
– Tonight’s broadcast opens with highlights from last night’s TLC pay-per-view main event.
– RAW GM and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle comes out to the ring to kick off RAW. Angle thanks the fans as they chant “You still got it.” Angle talks about writing a new chapter in his career last night, and it was a dream come true. Angle says last night was great, but now we’re facing tonight. He announces several RAW vs. SmackDown matches for Survivor Series: US Champion Baron Corbin vs. Intercontinental Champion The Miz; SmackDown Women’s Champion Natalya vs. RAW Women’s Champ Alexa Bliss; and SmackDown Tag Champs The Usos vs. RAW Tag Champs Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose. Angle also announces that there will be two traditional Survivor Series tag matches: and eight-man match and an eight-woman match. Before Angle can wrap up and leave, he gets interrupted by The Miz. Miz says he’s so sick of Angle, and demands that Angle resign after TLC last night. Angle brushes him off and says he’s going to his office, but Miz stops him and the Miztourage surrounds Angle. Rollins and Ambrose come out for the save to back up Angle before anything happens. Miz accuses The Shield of being sell-outs and sucking up to the bosses. Miz says the numbers are still in his favor, but Angle says he’s got a trick up his sleeve: SmackDown’s AJ Styles. Styles’ music hits and he comes out to the ring as Angle leaves.
– AJ Styles, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro, Sheamus and The Miz: Sheamus and Rollins start off this one and go back and forth until Ambrose and Cesaro tag in. The heels turn it around on Ambrose until Rollins tags back in. Rollins drops Cesaro and keeps him grounded as fans chant for AJ Styles. Styles tags in next and works over Cesaro in the corner with strikes. Cesaro comes back when he trips up Styles on the apron and dumps him outside. AJ rolls back in as Cesaro tags in The Miz and they double team the Phenomenal One. Rollins pulls Cesaro outside and throws him into the fan barricade as Ambrose and Sheamus start brawling in the ring. The babyfaces clear the ring and then hit suicide dives in tandem onto their opponents on the ringside floor. Back in the ring, Cesaro mounts a comeback against Ambrose. Sheamus tags in and they double team Ambrose in the corner. Ambrose fires up but Sheamus is able to escape a Dirty Deeds attempt. Ambrose hits a lariat and both men are down. Miz and Rollins tag in and Rollins hits a springboard clothesline on Miz. Rollins clears Sheamus and Cesaro off the apron, then hits a Blockbuster on Miz. Rollins hits a Falcon Arrow on Miz but Sheamus breaks up the pin. Styles comes in and hits the Pele kick on Sheamus, then Cesaro boots AJ in the face. Ambrose clotheslines Cesaro, then Miz kicks Ambrose down. Rollins dumps Sheamus to the outside, then Miz kicks Rollins from behind and hits a DDT for a two count. Miz and Rollins continue to go at it in the ring until The Miz throws him out to ringside. Ambrose stops The Bar from attacking Rollins at ringside. Ambrose throws Sheamus into the timekeeper’s area, then jumps off the barrier onto Sheamus in the crowd. Back in the ring, Cesaro throws Miz in the ring after Rollins rolls back in. Cesaro tags himself in on Miz, and Rollins tags in AJ. AJ cleans house and hits the fireman’s carry backbreaker on Cesaro for a two count. Everyone runs in the ring and The Shield members throw Sheamus and Miz out to ringside. Ambrose and Rollins hit suicide dives onto Sheamus and Miz at ringside, while in the ring AJ hits the Phenomenal Forearm on Cesaro. AJ pins and scores the three count.
Winners: AJ Styles, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose
– As AJ and the Shield celebrate their win, the lights go out and Kane comes out. Kane walks down to the ring and starts brawling with both the babyfaces. The Miz and The Bar hit the ring to help Kane beat down the winners. Kane chokeslams Rollins before leaving, as some fans chant for Roman Reigns.
– We see a graphic promoting Asuka’s Monday Night RAW debut later tonight.
– Back from commercial, Kane is still waiting in the ring. Kane gets on the mic and says he kept hearing stories about Braun Strowman wanting competition. He says he heard Strowman bragging about surviving and ambulance crash and breaking Big Show and Roman Reigns. Kane says he wanted to see what all the hype was about, but all he saw on Sunday was a pile of trash. Kane says Braun was afraid of him, and that he is the only true monster of RAW. Kane says now that Braun is gone, he wants competition, or else. Finn Balor’s music hits and he comes out to the ring.
– Kane vs. Finn Balor: As the opening bell sounds, Cole mentions that Braun Strowman may be out of action for several weeks or months. Kane throws Balor out to the floor early on, but he comes right back in and takes the fight to Kane. Kane sends him into the corner but Balor fights back with kicks. Balor gets fired up but Kane shuts him down with a big boot to the face. Balor comes back with a dropkick that sends Kane to ringside. Balor goes to follow Kane outside but Kane catches him and slams him into the barride and then the apron. Back in the ring, Kane whips Balor hard into the corner and stomps on him. Balor rolls outside for a breather and KAne follows him out. Balor drops Kane into the steel steps then rolls back in the ring. As Kane crawls back in the ring, Balor unloads on him with kicks. Balor hits the Slingblade on Kane then goes up top, but then Kane sets up. Kane grabs Balor by the throat but Balor escapes. Kane grabs Balor again and this time he successfully hits the chokeslam. Kane hits a second chokeslam, and then a third chokeslam. Kane covers for the three count.
Winner: Kane
– Kurt Angle is backstage on his phone when Shane McMahon knocks on the door and walks in. Angle hugs Shane and calls him a crazy son of a b**ch. Shane says he’s still healing from Hell In A Cell, and mentions how good Angle looked at TLC. Angle thanks Shane for letting him borrow AJ Styles, then they discuss Survivor Series. Shane feels that Kurt is out of line for a comment made about SmackDown, and Shane says the blue brand will destroy the red brand at Survivor Series.
– Asuka vs. Emma: This one is a rematch from last night’s TLC PPV and marks Asuka’s first match on RAW. The opening bell rings and the women brawl up against the ropes. The ref breaks them up and Emma hits a cheap shot kick. Asuka answers with kicks of her own and an armbar. Emma reaches the ropes to break the hold, then Asuka knocks Emma down to the ringside floor. Back in the ring, Emma sends Asuka into the ring post and follows up with strikes. Asuka fires up and hits a German suplex, then a hip attack. Emma tries to fight back and rolls up Asuka with a handful of tights, but Asuka kicks out at two. Asuka grabs Emma and applis the Asuka Lock for the win via submission. Asuka celebrates her win as we go to replays.
Winner: Asuka
– RAW Women’s Champ Alexa Bliss is backstage walking towards the gorilla position.
– Alexa Bliss comes out to the ring and cuts a promo about beating “leader of the old folks home” Mickie James last night. She said Mickie is in the past, and she’s ready to talk about Survivor Series. Bliss says she will disable the cat lady Natalya at Survivor Series. Bliss cuts a promo on the fans for not appreciating her enough and wants them to show more respect for her. Bliss says the fans are jealous of her, and says the people of the Midwest are slow. She says she deserves their respect and continues trashing the fans until Mickie James runs out. Mickie hits the ring and decks Bliss then hits a DDT. Mickie takes the rope and says Bliss deserved that.
– Kurt Angle is backstage watching the show on a monitor when Sasha Banks and Bayley walk in and interrupt. Alicia Fox interrupts next and demands that she is in the Survivor Series tag match. Angle says he’s going to book a triple threat match, where the winner will be Team Captain for the RAW women’s team at the pay-per-view.
– Elias is shown walking through the arena with his guitar.
– Elias comes out to the ring for a song. Elias talks about how Jason Jordan kept interrupting him last night, but tonight he’ll perform uninterrupted. Elias starts singing but has some technical issues. Elias stops the songs and warns the audio technicians that he’s coming for them. Jason Jordan’s music hits, and we have a match.
– Jason Jordan vs. Elias: The opening bell rings for this TLC rematch and Elias unloads on Jordan with right hands. Elias backs Jordan into the corner and keeps the pressure on him. Jordan finally starts to mount a comeback but Elias takes him back to the corner with chops to the chest. Jordan fights his way out of the corner and hits a side suplex on Elias. Jordan hits a belly to belly suplex that sends Elias rolling outside. Jordan brawls with Elias at ringside and throws Elias into the fan barricade. Jordan repeatedly rams Elias into the barricade in front of some Green Bay Packers in the front row. Jordan charges towards Elias, but Elias grabs his guitar up off the floor and smashes it over Jordan’s head. The ref calls for the DQ as Elias walks away. Medics check on Jordan at ringside as we see a replay.
– WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar comes out to the stage with Paul Heyman, and they make their way down to the ring. We see a recap of WWE Champion Jinder Mahal challenging Lesnar for a match at Survivor Series. Lesnar and Heyman laugh at the footage, and Heyman does his introduction for Lesnar. Heyman says Jinder has barely survived his challenges from Orton and Nakamura, while Lesnar has destroyed the best heavyweight roster in WWE history. Heyman says everyone wants to talk trash these days, and he’s the best trash talker there is. Heyman says he doesn’t trash Lesnar’s opponents though because anyone who is willing to face Lesnar must be a real man. He says he didn’t trash any of Lesnar’s other opponents, but he will trash Jinder. He calls Jinder the “make-believe Maharaja” and says the Singh Brothers stole his introduction gimmick. Heyman says Jinder is not Lesnar’s equal and isn’t a worthy WWE Champion. He says when fans think of WWE Champions they think of Bruno, Hulk, Savage, Flair, HHH, Michaels, Cena, and Lesnar — not Jinder. Heyman says Lesnar makes RAW the #1 brand and the flagship show. He adds that at Survivor Series, Jinder will be going to Suplex City — but that’s not the only bad news. He says the last time a SmackDown star got in the ring with Lesnar they had to stop the match. He says Lesnar breaks the rules of the PG Era, and he has no problem accepting Jinder’s challenge for Survivor Series. Lesnar’s music hits again and they head to the back.
– Kalisto does an interview backstage about his match last night. He says physically he feels fine, but it is his dream to be Champion. Kalisto says it would be different if he lost to someone he respects, but he lost to Enzo. He says he’s getting a rematch on 205 Live tomorrow. Gran Metalik, Cedric Alexander, Rich Swan, and Mustafa Ali walk in and they take part in a “lucha” chant.
– Still to come: Kurt Angle has another Survivor Series announcement.
– Sasha Banks vs. Bayley vs. Alicia Fox: The winner of this one will be the team captain for the women’s match at Survivor Series. The opening bell sounds and Fox starts off strong, taking down both Bayley and Banks. Fox focuses on Bayley and Sasha takes her out from behind. Fox fights off Banks, then hits a Northern Lights suplex on Bayley for a two count. Fox then gives a Nothern Lights suplex to Sasha for another two count. Sasha fights her way up but Fox decks her with a forearm shot. Fox then fights off Bayley and throws her to the outside. Sasha grabs Fox and takes her into the corner for some kicks. Bayley runs back in the ring and joins Sasha in a double dropkick on Fox, sending Fox out to the floor. Fox throws a temper tantrum at ringside before rolling back in the ring. She charges at Bayley and Sasha, but they throw her outside again. Fox tries to climb back in, but they dropkick her off the apron. Sasha takes control of the match and hands out knee strikes to both opponents. Fox mounts a comeback and takes Sasha up to the top turnbuckle for a superplex attempt. Bayley runs in and interrupts the superplex, powerbombing Fox down and also sending Sasha flying down to the mat. Bayley lays into Fox with knee strikes. Fox comes back and drops Bayley with a kick. Fox rolls outside and walks to the timekeeper area to repeatedly ring the bell. Fox rolls back in the ring and icks Sasha away. Bayley runs over and rolls up Fox from behind ofr a two count. Bayley hits the belly to belly suplex on Fox for a two count as Banks breaks up the pin. Banks and Bayley start going at it in the middle of the ring now. Fox interrupts and suplexes Bayley. Sasha hits the Banks Statement, but Fox reaches the ropes to break the hold. Fox bumps Sasha into Bayley hard, then Fox rolls up Bayley for the three count. Afer the match, Alicia celebrates and kisses the referee.
Winner: Alicia Fox
– Enzo Amore, Drew Gulak, Noam Dar, Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese vs. Kalisto, Gran Metalik, Mustafa Ali, Rich Swann and Cedric Alexander: Before the match, Gulak mentions his powerpoint presentation being cut, and he reads a statement for Enzo because he has a vocal cord injury. Kalisto and Daivari start off, but Kalisto wants to get his hands on Enzo. They tease tagging in Enzo, but decie against it and just taunt Kalisto. Kalisto unloads with kicks on Daivari until Daivari tags in Nese. Metalik tags in and goes at it with Nese and hits a missile dropkick. Dar and Daivari run in, but Swann and Alexander stop them short. Kalisto charges at Enzo but Enzo retreats to the outside. Kalisto appears to go for a suicide dive, but Gulak stops him. Team Kalisto knocks Gulak off the apron with superkicks, and all of he heels are now regrouping at ringside. Back in the ring, Dar takes control of Swann and then tags in Gulak. The heels beat down Swann in their corner and keep him grounded. Daivari tags in and collides with Swann with a crossbody and both men are down. A big brawl breaks out at ringside now, minus Enzo who is watching from the apron. Swann boots Daivari in the head, then Daivari tags in Enzo when Enzo isn’t looking. Swann tags Kalisto and Kalisto is locked in on Enzo. Enzo begs Kalisto to take it easy on him, then they charge each other. Kalisto ducks a shot from Enzo and fires back with kicks. Enzo hits up hitting a tornado DDT for a two count. The heels all get dumped out to ringside and Swann and Ali hit suicide dives in tandem on them. Metalik and Cedric then go flying out of the ring onto their opponents on the floor. Back in the ring, Kalisto hits the Salida Del Sol on Enzo for the three count.
Winners: Kalisto, Gran Metalik, Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali
– Kurt Angle is backstage walking towards the gorilla position.
– RAW GM Kurt Angle makes his way out to the ring to talk about Survivor Series. He is quickly interrupted by Shane McMahon and the bulk of the SmackDown roster behind him, walking down towards the ring through the crowd. The New Day, Becky Lynch, WWE United States Champion Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, Zack Ryder, Mojo Rawley, Shinsuke Nakamura, Chad Gable, Shelton Benjamin, SmackDown Women’s Champion Natalya, Carmella, Bobby Roode, Tamina Snuka, Tye Dillinger, Rusev, and AJ Styles are among the wrestlers with Shane, now surrounding the ring. Shane gets in the ring and Kurt’s Survivor Series announcement will have to wait, because RAW is now “under siege.” We see the backstage area where the SmckDown roster is now walking through the hallways. Shane tells the SmackDown stars to “go get ’em,” and they charge up the ramp towards he backstage area. Kurt Angle follows with a concerned look on his face. The first people they see are Apollo Crews and Titus O’Neil, so they attack them. The SmackDown stars in blue shirts make their way through the locker rooms, beating down every RAW star in their path and destroying property and equipment. The SmackDown women start brawling with the RAW women in the locker room as well. We see Shane nodding in approval in the ring as the SmackDown roster swarms Ambrose and Rollins next. The blue mob grabs Angle and carries him back out towards the ring now. They bring Angle in front of Shane, and Shane tells Angle to bring his gold medal and what’s left of RAW to finish what they started. The SmackDown wrestlers surround the ring and hit their hands on the apron as Shane’s music hits, then they all make their exit through the crowd. Angle looks on as RAW goes off the air.
WWE Survivor Series is just four weeks away, taking place on Sunday night, November 19th from Houston, Texas. WWE ran a promo video during TLC confirming that Survivor Series will feature a RAW vs. SmackDown Live theme.
The main event will see WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. According to PWInsider, John Cena is expected to serve as the special guest referee for this match. But that won’t be the only inter-brand match scheduled for the show.
Survivor Series will feature several traditional ‘team elimination’ matches, including a men’s match and a women’s match. SmackDown Live commissioner Shane McMahon is backstage at RAW and is expected to address the ‘RAW vs. SmackDown’ matches tonight.
There will also be a 5-on-5 match featuring Cruiserweights. It will reportedly feature Team Captain Enzo Amore, Tony Nese, Drew Gulak, Noam Dar and Ariya Daivari taking on Team Captain Kalisto, Sin Cara, Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali.
The card will also feature:
– RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Natalya
– Intercontinental champion The Miz vs. United States champion Baron Corbin
– RAW Tag Team champions Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose vs. Smackdown Tag Team champions The Usos
Earlier today, Impact Wrestling announced that they’ve officially ended their business relationship with Jeff Jarrett and Global Force Wrestling.
Impact Wrestling announced today that it has terminated its business relationship with Jeff Jarrett and Global Force Entertainment Inc., effective immediately.
When asked for a statement regarding this news, Jarrett told WrestleZone, “Anthem is out of money.” Impact Wrestling has denied that claim with a statement of their own:
“That statement is inaccurate. Anthem and IMPACT Wrestling are looking forward to a successful 6-day tour in Ottawa, Nov. 5-10, and much more.”
No word yet on what’s next for Jeff Jarrett. The Impact Wrestling founder was scheduled to appear at two shows for Real Canadian Wrestling over the weekend. He made Friday night’s show from Calgary, but missed Saturday’s event from Edmonton.
PROGRESS has announced the main event for this Sunday’s Chapter 56 event ‘La Danse Macabre.’ PROGRESS World Champion Travis Banks will be defending his title against International standout Keith Lee. Travis Banks captured the PROGRESS Title at Chapter 55 from Pete Dunne and this will be his first defence.
This bout will be a rematch from earlier in the year, Lee was successful on that occasion but now with the stakes raised even higher will the #CCK and South Pacific Power Trip member Banks find a way to overcome the physically intimidating Keith Lee?