British born New Japan star Zack Sabre Jr today beat Hiroshi Tanahashi to become the first ever UK born winner of the New Japan Cup and the first Gaijin to win the illustrious trophy in 12 years.

ZSJ will now go on to challenge IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada in the main event of the upcoming Sakura Genesis event, he becomes the first British born challenger to the title since William/Steven Regal back in April 1995.

Several stars and colleagues of Sabre’s from the UK wrestling scene were quick to offer their congratulations to the man being touted as the ‘best technical wrestler in the world.’ Check out some of the tweets below which feature comments from PROGRESS, Rev Pro, ICW, IPW:UK and OTT stars:

https://twitter.com/IPWUK/status/976442627204767744

https://twitter.com/Travis_BanksPW/status/976380967245041665

https://twitter.com/ZackGibson01/status/976421656343310336

Nice one @zacksabrejr. Great stuff. https://t.co/Y40SlXM267

— Jim Smallman – ????????? (@jimsmallman) March 21, 2018

.@zacksabrejr is the man, simple as. Incredible showing the last few weeks. Congrats. ? #njcup #njpw

— JD McDonagh (@jd_mcdonagh) March 21, 2018

The champ champ! Congratulations Zack Sabre Jr. #NJCUP #NewJapanWorld pic.twitter.com/pkklHeK7UV

— Revolution Pro (@RevProUK) March 21, 2018

UK based promotion 5 Star Wrestling has confirmed that they will no longer be hosting events in the United Kingdom, they have subsequently lost their weekly Thursday night slot on Freesports, a channel which was available on Freeview, FreeSat, Sky and virtually available on every television set in England.

Opinion: There were a myriad of problems surrounding the 5 Star project since the outset, the company had booked a slew of shows in arenas across England that they found it difficult to fill and sadly poor promotion and management appears to have sent the company to an early grave. There were a number of extremely talented UK stars such as Joey Axl, Nathan Cruz and Zack Gibson who have now lost a weekly slot on UK television through no fault of their own and that is a great shame. Hopefully a company can rise from the ashes and start to build a true following for a mainstream wrestling promotion as there certainly is scope to do so.

https://twitter.com/5StarWrestling/status/976163945869344768

Daniel Bryan is over the moon after being cleared to return to active competition inside the WWE ring.

Yesterday (March 20), it was announced that Bryan is cleared to return to the ring. Bryan is the current SmackDown Live general manager and was given the spot due to being on the shelf following a history of concussions. Bryan was thrown right into the fire, being on the receiving end of a beatdown from Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.

Before last night’s episode of SmackDown Live aired, WWE filmed a video where Bryan talks about embracing the journey to making his in-ring return. Just when things seemed impossible, Bryan was willed to keep fighting in large part to his wife Brie Bella.

Bryan gave some words of encouragement to those looking to fulfill their dreams:

“If you have this dream, you fight for it. And you keep fighting for it and you keep fighting for it and then it may never come true. It might not, but it’s never the end-game. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey … It’s interesting because I’ve thought about this moment so much like in the last six months. ‘What would actually happen if you did get cleared?’ And it still seemed like an impossibility.”

Ronda Rousey is in the unfortunate situation where she doesn’t have much room for error.

The former UFC women’s champion inked a deal to join WWE back in January and made her debut at the Royal Rumble before disappearing off television for several weeks to finish filming a movie in Colombia.

When she returned, Rousey was immediately paired with Kurt Angle over the course of three weeks where she “signed” her contract at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view and then in the two subsequent weeks on Raw, she appeared to set up her WrestleMania 34 match.

Now Rousey will make her in ring debut at the biggest event of the year when she teams with Angle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a mixed tag team match. With Rousey’s return to television, WWE also promoted that she would be appearing at every Monday Night Raw between Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 34.

There’s only one problem — Rousey has been completely absent from live television the past two weeks outside of a vignette that was shown this past Monday night that talked about her journey from the UFC to joining WWE.

As it turns out, Rousey actually was in Dallas for Raw but she didn’t make any appearance during the live broadcast, but instead came out for a non-televised “dark” segment where she addressed the crowd and then had an incredibly awkward spot with Dana Brooke.

Now no one is going to accuse Dana Brooke of being the best worker in the company but the sequence of moves with Rousey — from the poorly blocked punch to Brooke literally jumping into Rousey’s arms to help her with a suplex — was just terrible execution. She’s only been training for her in-ring debut for a handful of months, so it’s going to take a long time before she’s pulling off moves with fluidity like watching Charlotte Flair take on Sasha Banks.

It seems rather obvious that WWE is giving Rousey a chance to learn on the job with a segment like she had with Dana Brooke this past week, but then that also begs the question — will she truly be ready for WrestleMania in three weeks time?

It’s easy to point at past celebrity appearances for WrestleMania matches — from Mike Tyson to Floyd Mayweather and even President Donald Trump — to know that WWE isn’t exactly banking on them suddenly transforming into A.J. Styles overnight. By that same account, no one expected Kurt Angle or Brock Lesnar to suddenly pick up the business in a matter of days when they first joined the WWE universe.

The difference with both Angle and Lesnar as high level athletes who transitioned into WWE is that they had time to develop in promotions away from the bright lights. Angle worked matches in several developmental promotions before finally being eased into a role on television. Lesnar famously teamed up with Shelton Benjamin as a tag team in Ohio Valley Wrestling and spent two years working in a developmental league before finally being called up to the main WWE roster.

Even fellow UFC veteran Shayna Baszler, who counts Rousey as one of her best friends, spent several years working her way up through the independent circuit before she was given a shot in WWE as part of the “Mae Young Classic” and now she’s still developing as part of the NXT roster.

Meanwhile, Rousey will have none of those luxuries as she prepares for her first match on the biggest stage possible at WrestleMania 34. Chances are Rousey won’t be expected to carry much of the match — what’s more likely is Stephanie McMahon will shy away from Rousey the entire match leaving the bulk of the work to Triple H and Angle. By the end, Rousey will likely find her way into get the tap out and the victory as she officially kicks off her WWE career.

That being said, Rousey’s spots thus far in WWE have been tough to watch.

Her mic work has a lot of room for improvement, but that will come over time. She has an undeniable presence about her, despite the limited emotive range we’ve seen thus far (either a huge grin or her ominous ‘murder face’). Add to that, she’s been awkward with the pair of slams that she’s landed on Stephanie and Dana Brooke in her two more physical altercations in the ring.

The toughest part about those sequences is that no first time wrestler would be expected to pull off those moves flawlessly — but 99.9-percent of first time wrestlers aren’t doing that in front of thousands of people with millions more watching at home on television.

Ronda Rousey making her WWE debut in front of a jam-packed stadium will do big business and draw mainstream headlines. At the end of the day, that’s what this is all about.

However, her room for error as a worker under this bright spotlight is virtually non-existent and the reality is that’s not fair, because it takes years to develop into a good worker. Unfortunately because Rousey undoubtedly signed a lucrative contract to work for WWE, she won’t have the luxury of spending two years working the independent circuit before finally joining the main roster.

It’s a catch 22 situation, but is Rousey being set up for success or failure?

Only time will tell but with three weeks remaining until WrestleMania 34, Rousey will be jumping from the frying pan in the fire in quick fashion and at that point it’s sink or swim.

When it comes to the reaction from savvy professional wrestling fans, there is no third direction.

Are you excited to see Ronda Rousey make her professional wrestling debut at WrestleMania 34 and what do you expect? Sound off in the comments and let us know 

As we’ve noted, WWE Champion AJ Styles was a part of an international media call to promote WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans next month. “The Phenomenal One” is scheduled to defend his WWE Title against 2018 Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura, which is considered by many to be a “dream match.” Styles was asked if he thinks he and Nakamura’s match could go on last and main event the show:

“As far as the main event goes, I can tell you which match is gonna steal the show,” Styles said. “You could either put Shinsuke Nakamura on last, and AJ Styles last, or you could have that [be] the only match people remember, because we’re gonna tear the house down.

“That’s what we do. We have the talent to be able to do that, and that’s what people are expecting. So, whether or not it is the main event, it will be a main event match.”

SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan was recently cleared to return to in-ring competition by the WWE. Styles was asked about a potential match against Bryan, which fans have been itching for ever since news broke that Bryan had been cleared. Styles said he’d love to step into the ring with Bryan and believes they can put on an ‘unbelievable’ match:

“If ever the opportunity for him and I to get in the ring together, I think it would be an unbelievable match,” said Styles. “It’d be fun.”

Styles was then asked about the rumors that he could be moved to Monday Night RAW by way of the WWE Draft. While he admitted it would be fun to be in The Club with Finn Balor, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson; Styles said he has no intentions of losing the WWE Title and can’t imagine WWE sending the WWE Champ to RAW:

“I think it would be cool if we all were in The Club together,” said Styles. “Who knows if that will ever happen, but it would definitely be fun. But, as far as moving to Raw, I don’t plan on losing to Shinsuke Nakamura, and I can’t imagine [WWE] would make the champ go to Raw.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Mojo Rawley Wants Another Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal Trophy

Mojo Rawley is gunning for another WrestleMania moment. At last year’s mega event, Rawley scored an upset win to capture the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy. Rawley eliminated Jinder Mahal with some help from New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Back in those days, Rawley lived by the “Hype or Die” motto. These days, he takes a more serious approach. Of course, that is when he’s actually featured on an episode of SmackDown Live. Rawley took to Twitter to make it clear that he’s going for another trophy:

https://twitter.com/MojoRawleyWWE/status/976260355709132802

WWE’s Top 10 SmackDown Live Moments (March 20)

Last night’s episode of SmackDown Live was supposed to be a celebration. The brand’s general manager Daniel Bryan had finally been cleared to wrestle earlier that day. After years of sitting on the sidelines, Bryan said he didn’t know when he’d wrestle again but that he is officially active once again.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn crashed the party in the most sadistic way. Bryan fired Owens and Zayn for their attack on commissioner Shane McMahon last week. Owens and Zayn responded by ambushing Bryan. The assault was capped off when Owens powerbombed Bryan on the ring apron.

You can see that segment and more in this week’s top 10 SmackDown Live moments below:

– On last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, General Manager Daniel Bryan fired both Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for their assault on Commissioner Shane McMahon last week. After Bryan fired them Owens and Zayn brutally beat down Bryan as well, causing the former WWE World Heavyweight Champ to be carted out on a stretcher. To sell Bryan firing Owens and Zayn, WWE has removed their profiles from WWE.com

– Speaking of Owens and Zayn, Sami recently took to Twitter to comment on he and Owens beating down Bryan on SmackDown. Zayn sarcastically welcomed Bryan back (referring to Bryan recently being cleared to compete inside the ring again) and said he hopes he can live with his decision to fire the two best wrestlers alive:

Welcome back @WWEDanielBryan. Hope you can live with yourself after firing two of the best wrestlers alive (and two guys you've known for 14 years).

That is, once you're discharged from the hospital.

— Sami Zayn (@SamiZayn) March 21, 2018

– NXT Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas recently made an appearance on the Mexican morning show Sale El Sol. The interview is in Spanish but if you’d like to give it a view you can check it out here:

WWE Champion AJ Styles recently participated in an international media call to promote WrestleMania 34 and his dream match against Shinsuke Nakamura at the event. Styles discussed whether or not he believes this match is the biggest of his career, and also talked what it was like working with Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series. You can check out the highlights here:

You’ve been in 2 WrestleManias so far, but this looks to be the biggest one yet. Do you consider this to be the biggest match of your career, and what have you learnt the most from the past two WrestleMania experiences?

“I do think this is the biggest match of my career. I think this is the match that most people want to see. We’re doing it at WrestleMania, so it doesn’t get much bigger than that. I’ve learned that it’s huge, for one. Thousands of thousands of people are at a show. Just take it all in. Don’t rush to the ring. I don’t do a lot of things right, but my first WrestleMania, I took it all in and I think that’s the one thing, I’m, going to do every time I get the opportunity. It’s just not to rush to the ring, but just to take it all in and enjoy the ride.”

What was it like working a physical style match-up with Brock Lesnar? How do you feel you were able to bring out the best performance of his career in many years?

“I think that it’s something he’s always capable of. It’s all up to him if he wants to do it. I think he and I put on a spectacular match and it was a good opportunity for me to be in the ring with Brock Lesnar. It was an exciting match, one that one kind of expected but at the same time didn’t know what to expect. I think it was a great match and I’m very proud of that match.”

You can read some more form Styles’ participation in the media call by clicking this link here.

Earlier this week RAW commentator Corey Graves took a shot at Taz with a Tweet that he has since deleted, saying:

“Insecurity is a bad color on you @OfficialTAZ, shoulda stuck to orange and black.”

Taz issued out his own response to Graves and claimed to have absolutely no idea what Graves was talking about:

“I have no clue what you are talking about. PS: Tough to be insecure when I’m the happiest I’ve been ever professional for past 3 + years & I always stick to ORANGE & BLACK.”

https://twitter.com/OfficialTAZ/status/975973597792612352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

It remains unclear what Graves’ issue is with Taz, however, it has been speculated that it could be due to Taz’s recent comments on Chris Jericho’s podcast, Talk Is Jericho. Taz said the biggest problem with WWE commentary right now is that there is nobody in the booth with high-level in-ring experience:

“The first thing, if you are a color commentator, not play-by-play, so if you are a former pro wrestler, and I learned this from Vince McMahon; you have to take your ego and what you did because it is not about you, it is a humbling job. I put over more guys as a commentator than as a worker, but you have to take your ego, and put it behind the curtain as Vince McMahon told me. You have to be able to, the key is you have to put your agenda and ego aside and keep it in the Gorilla position,” Taz said in the interview with Jericho. “You can’t bring it to the announce desk.

“I am someone that believes that as a former world champion and as a color commentator. That is not a knock on any current color commentator, but I believe in the guys that have been to the dance, drawn some money and know what it takes to have a title. It is a big deal to have that responsibility, as you know, and it is a big deal. I believe, and I know that it is going to sound negative on those that weren’t world champions; Corey Graves was a former tag team champion in NXT.

“Byron Saxton barely worked, so that to me jumps out. I believe in that. You can’t tell me as a fan, if I have never been a wrestler, you can’t tell me what it is like to be a world champion if you have never done it; I’m sorry,” Taz continued. “I hope for the best of those guys, and no disrespect to those guys. I met Corey Graves, and he seems like a great guy, but that is my opinion. You need some legitimate sea legs under you as a professional wrestler, I really believe that. I think putting your ego and checking it, and having the chops to talk obviously.”

You can listen to Taz’s full interview on Talk Is Jericho by clicking this link here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXeLdcm2weY

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Impact Wrestling play-by-play announcer Josh Mathews recently spoke with Sportskeeda.com to talk about various topics. During the interview, he was asked about Jeremy Borash’s departure from the promotion.

This is a significant loss for Impact Wrestling since Borash was a major part of the company behind the scenes since its founding in 2002.

At the time of his reported departure, there was speculation if Borash would work with Matt Hardy as he was also considered to be one of the creative forces behind the “Broken” segments in Impact Wrestling.

Borash has reportedly been placed in NXT, which is overseen by Triple H, and even worked as a producer for the recent Ultimate Deletion match between Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt that aired on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Dallas, Texas at the American Airlines Center on the USA Network.

“My immediate reaction was that I was happy for him. I don’t remember who called me in the morning to tell me that we had to do a change in our VO schedule and that Sonjay was coming in. I was happy for JB. I’ve talked to JB a few times since then. And I’m happy for him.

But I’m also happy for Impact because JB leaving opened up an opportunity for Sonjay Dutt to come along and show everyone his skills as a colour commentator. And I think he’s done an outstanding job thus far. And it’s only really been just the beginning. Wrestling commentary is hard because you have to be dialled into every storyline that’s happening on Impact.

Not only the storylines that are happening but all the shows in California, shows in Canada, WrestleCon, Twitch, GWN. Sonjay has a good idea of what’s happening. That translates each and every week on Impact.”

You can read the entire interview here.

Reaction to this Monday’s “Ultimate Deletion” has had wide-ranging impacts. Clips of the match have been pulling in great numbers on social media and have even garnered some mainstream publicity.

TMZ reporters recently caught up with Hardy who appears to be riding high at the moment. He mentioned that his Woken Universe was never supposed to make it to WWE but now that it has, he will DELETE Vince McMahon if he did not enjoy the Ultimate Deletion.

Matt Hardy “I Will Delete Vince McMahon If He Didn’t Like My Ultimate Deletion”

Mick Foley also appeared via split-screen during the interview and gave his feedback on the Ultimate Deletion. Foley said he spent some time thinking about how Vince McMahon likely felt about the match.

Matt Hardy responded to “the Dude who Loves” and mentioned he hasn’t yet spoken to Vince McMahon about the segment but says his Woken Warriors loved it.

Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling will be going head-to-head at WrestleCon over WrestleMania weekend in New Orleans. Earlier today, Impact Wrestling announced the main event for the show as Austin Aries & Fenix vs Alberto El Patron & Pentagon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ry8l_Xq6iQ

Lucha Underground vs Impact Wrestling Lineup (April 6th, 2018)

• Impact World Tag Team Championships
  LAX (c) vs. Killshot & the Mack
• I Quit Match
  Eddie Edwards vs. Jeremiah Crane (Sami Callihan’s LU character)
• Andrew Everett, DJZ, & Dezmond Xavier vs. King Cuerno, Aerostar, & Drago
• Austin Aries & Fenix vs. Alberto El Patron & Pentagon

Limited tickets are still available for the April 6th show at 9PM.

Both Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground announced changes to their wrestler contracts recently. Lucha Underground has relaxed the exclusivity clauses in their deals, allowing talent to work elsewhere from Lucha Underground. This had previously been an issue for the company when Ricochet voiced his frustration with his contract publicly.

Impact Wrestling has come under new management with NJPW color commentator, Don Callis, playing a key role. Callis announced the company would be allowing talent to keep ownership of all gimmicks created on their programming moving forward.

Former WWE/WCW World Heavyweight Champion Bill Goldberg recently spoke with The Washington Post to promote his appearance on “The Goldbergs” on ABC this Wednesday night.

Goldberg has had quite the career in professional wrestling. Make no mistake about it, he was the top star of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) at the peak of the Monday Night Wars. While under contract with WCW between 1997 and 2001, Goldberg rose to fame in WCW with a lengthy undefeated streak in singles competition from 1997 to 1998, which was considered the longest winning streak in professional wrestling.

After twelve years away from the WWE, he returned to WWE in 2016 and headlined Survivor Series against Brock Lesnar, and Fastlane against Kevin Owens where he won the WWE Universal Championship.

He lost the title to Lesnar at WrestleMania 34 in Orlando, Florida. He was last seen on WWE television the night after Mania on Raw. In this interview, he was asked about his latest WWE run and potentially doing it one more time.

“The angle was real and it was touching and it was true. I kind of left it all out there. It was a cleansing experience,” Goldberg said. “I owe it all to Vince McMahon and Brock Lesnar. They gave me the opportunity to be one of the coolest dads in the world and they didn’t have to do that.”

“Do I want to roll the dice again? I don’t know,” Goldberg said. “I’ll quote one of the most famous movies that I was ever in, ‘Santa’s Slay’: It ain’t over ‘til I say it’s over.”

He was also asked being inducted into the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame class.“Thankfully for the people that didn’t forget about me, they welcomed me with open arms,” Goldberg said.

Following the New Japan Cup finals, we now know what the main event of Sakura Genesis will be.

Earlier today (March 21), the New Japan Cup finals took place. The two men fighting for the trophy and a title shot of their choosing were Hiroshi Tanahashi and Zack Sabre Jr. Going into the bout, they were 1-1 against each other. Sabre Jr. broke the tie by submitting NJPW’s “Ace” and becoming the second foreign New Japan Cup winner.

Following the victory, this transpired:

???????????? ?????????????NEW JAPAN CUP?????
4.1???????IWGP????????!!
3.21??????????????????????????https://t.co/DN2PmYZUOi #njcup #njpw pic.twitter.com/E1cZevxwMD

— ?????????????? (@njpw1972) March 21, 2018

Sabre Jr. said he was going after Kazuchika Okada’s IWGP Heavyweight title. This is a fresh challenge for Okada as he hasn’t competed against Sabre Jr. yet. Sabre Jr. has beaten a bevy of top-level NJPW talent on his way to a title opportunity.

The first man Sabre Jr. got past in the New Japan Cup was Tetsuya Naito. Sabre Jr. submitted Naito, who appears to be on his way to an Intercontinental title clash with Suzuki-Gun leader Minoru Suzuki. The submission specialist then put away Kota Ibushi, followed by SANADA in the same fashion.

The fact that Sabre Jr. submitted Tanahashi means that he put away two former IWGP Heavyweight champions in just one tournament. We’ll find out if he can end Okada’s historic reign on April 1.

The 2018 New Japan Cup finals have concluded.

Hiroshi Tanahashi and Zack Sabre Jr. fought through some stiff competition to make it to the finals, which took place inside Ao-re Nagaoka in Niigata, Japan. Going into the finals, many fans were on the fence. Would Tanahashi renew his rivalry with Kazuchika Okada or potentially get revenge on Minoru Suzuki? Would Sabre Jr. pose a new threat to the IWGP Heavyweight champion?

In the end, it was Sabre Jr. who emerged as the New Japan Cup 2018 winner. He was able to submit Tanahashi just over the 34-minute mark. After the match, Sabre Jr. said he’s going after Okada’s gold at Sakura Genesis on April 1.

Check out the rest of the results below:

Singles Match: Shota Umino def. Tetsuhiro Yagi

Singles Match: Taichi def. Tomoyuki Oka

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Bad Luck Fale, Tanga Loa, & Yujiro Takahashi def. Togi Makabe, Michael Elgin, & Toa Henare

Tag Team Match: Killer Elite Squad def. Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano

Tag Team Match: Juice Robinson & David Finlay def. Hiroki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi

Eight-Man Tag Team Match: Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi, & Bushi def. Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado, & Takashi Iizuka

Tag Team Match: Kazuchika Okada & Chuckie T. def. Kota Ibushi & Chase Owens

New Japan Cup Finals Match: Zack Sabre Jr. def. Hiroshi Tanahashi

– Last night in the semi-finals of the Mixed Match Challenge, Team Little Big (Braun Strowman and RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss) were defeated by The Miz and Asuka. During the match there was a moment in which Strowman caught Bliss after she was bumped off the apron. For a second it looked like they were about to kiss before they realized they were still in a match and Bliss needed to get back in the ring before getting counted out.

In a post-match interview with Strowman and Bliss they were asked about the kiss that almost happened. Strowman said he hopes it can actually happen now, and just as they try one more time, a fan comes in and asks Bliss for her autograph. “The Monster Among Men” gets frustrated and bolts off:

– On last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, the first episode after General Manager Daniel Bryan was cleared for an in-ring return, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn attacked Bryan after firing them for attacking Shane McMahon on last week’s episode of SmackDown. McMahon broke his silence on the matter via Twitter:

On a night that should have been one of @WWEDanielBryan's finest…Sami & KO proved they are vile, spineless cowards. Neither of them belong in @WWE and #SDLive…I just hope this didn’t set back Daniel’s in-ring return even further.

— Shane McMahon (@shanemcmahon) March 21, 2018

– WWE.com has officially added Trent Seven to the NXT roster page after he has made several appearances on the program over the past year. Seven participated in the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament.

After his first marriage dissolved back in 2012, longtime WWE Superstar John Cena didn’t know if he ever wanted to get married again. Cena then began dating fellow Superstar Nikki Bella for several years before changing his mind on the matter and proposing to her live in the middle of the ring at WrestleMania 33 last year. The pair are currently engaged and have yet to officially tie the knot due to both their hectic schedules.

Another big issue for Cena was his refusal to have kids, something Bella desperately wanted based on her comments on Total Divas on E! back in 2014. Cena recently made an appearance on Good Morning Britain to promote his upcoming film, Blockers, in which Cena plays a parent who teams up with another group of parents in attempt to stop their children form losing their virginity on prom night. It turns out the role has changed Cena’s mind a bit about having children:

“Especially in something like [Blockers], because the story is about these parents doing what they think is right to try to protect their children,” said Cena. “But the story is also about being confident as a parent, being confident in your children that you have done well, and they also are doing well.

“And the bond between parent and child can be a wonderful thing, even through some pretty tough situations. So, it absolutely has made me consider being a parent more.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

– The 50-man “Greatest Royal Rumble” event scheduled for April 27th from Saudi Arabia has been confirmed to be a WWE Network special. If you are a WWE Network subscriber and attempt to cancel your account, WWE lists the upcoming Network specials that you’ll be missing out on – and the Greatest Royal Rumble is listed.

The WWE Network will be showing the Greatest Royal Rumble. If you attempt to cancel your subscription, this message appears. pic.twitter.com/ZnJvM1I8bz

— HeelByNature.com (@HeelByNatureYT) March 21, 2018

WWE announced earlier this week that the Greatest Royal Rumble event will feature 7 championship matches. Top stars advertised for the show include John Cena, Triple H, Roman Reigns, AJ Styles and Randy Orton. The Undertaker and Chris Jericho are also rumored for the show.

– On last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, WWE Champion AJ Styles was sitting ringside for Shinsuke Nakamura’s match against Rusev. After the match Aiden English and Rusev attacked Nakamura, and while Styles was taking his time getting ready to jump in and help out, the Japanese star rallied back and was able to fend the pair off himself.

Several fans pointed out that WWE botched the on-screen graphic that appeared when Styles was introduced. He was correctly listed as WWE Champion, however an image of the Untied States Championship was depicted.

Aj styles is now u.s. champion. #Botch @Maffewgregg pic.twitter.com/ExAJ4zeL3e

— jv (@johnathanvolk) March 21, 2018

Newsweek.com has published an interview with Bruce Prichard of the wildly popular Something To Wrestle podcast. Here are some highlights:

Prichard told Phillip Martinez from Newsweek that he’s really looking forward to WresetleMania, especially the top few matches. As a longtime member of Vince McMahon’s inner circle, Prichard has seen it all when it comes to booking WrestleMania main events. When asked about WWE’s portrayal of Brock Lesnar in the Universal Championship match at WM34, Prichard says WWE has done the right thing by limiting Lesnar’s exposure and keeping him as a special attraction.

“It depends on your perspective,” Prichard said. “In a situation where Brock is champion, he’s coming in for a certain number of days doing what he does, and when he comes in, he draws people. People are interested in what he does. So from my point of view, not having to overexpose the talent is a great thing. People become complacent and used to the talent. When you’re only getting them every once in a while, that adds to the talent’s mystique… Whether it’s Brock’s idea or WWE’s idea, I think it’s a good one for a big draw to only be seen in a limited way.”

Regarding the WWE Championship match between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, Prichard compared Styles success to that of a rookie Kurt Angle. He also praised Nakamura, who has gotten over with the WWE Universe on work rate and charisma without speaking much English.

John Cena’s role at WrestleMania has not been made official as of this writing, but it seems like the 16-time world champion is headed for showdown with The Undertaker. Prichard said fans love The Undertaker so much that he could wrestle several more years and people would eat it up. The Undertaker’s physical ailments are well-documented, but Prichard revealed that he saw the Dead Man several months ago and he looked to be in great physical shape.

“I saw him recently, around Thanksgiving, and I haven’t seen him look that good in 10-15 years … He was skipping up steps and looked great.”

There’s a lot more to the interview, which you can check out at Newsweek.com.

WrestleMania takes place in just over two weeks, yet top star John Cena is still without an opponent for the biggest show of the year.

Cena has been on a mission to secure The Undertaker’s opponent. So far, he’s yet get a response. After failing to punch his ticket to WrestleMania in the Elimination Chamber and at Fastlane, Cena once again threw out the challenge to “The Deadman.” Cena called out The Undertaker once again this past week on RAW, but that brought out Kane, who delivered a chokeslam. They’ll square off next week on RAW.

As per a rumor at Cageside Seats, WWE might wait until the “go-home” addition of RAW prior to WrestleMania to make the Cena vs. Undertaker match official.

It seems like a questionable decision to wait until the last minute to confirm one of the most high-profile matches on the WrestleMania card, but the lineup is already stacked, so WWE must be confident that fans are already sold on the event. Seriously, look at this lineup:

• Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns
• Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H & Stephanie McMahon
• WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
• Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn (Daniel Bryan & Shane likely to be added)
• SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka
• Intercontinental Champion The Miz vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor
• US Champion Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal vs. Bobby Roode
• Mustafa Ali vs. Cedric Alexander to crown a new Cruiserweight Champion
• Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
• The first-ever WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal Match
• Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Braun Strowman and a partner of his choosing
• Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax

John Cena vs. The Undertaker is a huge match that fans have wanted to see for years. Granted, it would have been a hotter match 3 years ago, but it’s historic nonetheless. At this point, Cena vs. Taker would be the icing on the cake of an already-stacked event.

Tonight’s episode of NXT is a taped show from Full Sail University. It is the first show back in Full Sail since the set of tapings held at Center Stage in Atlanta.

3 matches and 1 segment have been confirmed for tonight’s show.

NXT Confirmed Matches

• Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
  Roderick Strong & ?? vs Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch
  • Roderick Strong and a mystery opponent will take on Lorcan and Burch. Strong’s team is replacing Moustache Mountain who was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to an injury to Tyler Bate.
• Kassius Ohno vs Adam Cole
  • Both guys could use a win here.
  • Cole just challenged Pete Dunne unsuccessfully and Ohno just dropped a match to the Velveteen Dream at Takeover: Philadelphia.
• Tommaso Ciampa Segment
  • For two weeks in a row, Ciampa has appeared in front of a live NXT crowd and said nothing as the fans cheered for Johnny Gargano.
  • Ciampa is expected to make an appearance tonight and we’ll just have to wait and see if he does the same thing again.
• Ember Moon vs. Aliyah (non-title)
  • Ember Moon will have Shayna Baszler in the back of her mind during this match. Moon will defend her title against the Queen of Spades at Takeover: New Orleans.
  • As for Aliyah, the 23-year-old from Toronto finds herself in the biggest match of her career tonight. It will be her 11th singles match on NXT television dating back to April 2nd, 2016. She is 1-10 in those matches. Her only victory was over Billy Kay on September 15th, 2016.

WWE announced their doctors have cleared Daniel Bryan to return to in-ring competition for the first time in two years. Reaction to the news has reverberated around the pro-wrestling world.

“A wonderful day for all of us who are close to Brian.” – John Cena

John Cena is the latest to comment on Bryan’s return. He spoke to TMZ Reporters recently.

John Cena on Daniel Bryan Return

“From a fan’s perspective, I think it’s wonderful because they all want to see him and know what he’s capable of” – John Cena

Daniel Bryan and John Cena are essentially brothers-in-law, as Cena will soon marry Nikki Bella and Bryan is married to Brie Bella. Cena speaks of him as a family member.

“From a family perspective, I’ve had a chance to talk with Brian (Danielson) at great length about his passion for wrestling. It is what he was born to do and I know deep down how feels about it.”

Last night on 205 Live, the second semi-final match in the cruiserweight championship tournament took place. Drew Gulak and Mustafa Ali squared off in last 205 Live’s main event from the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, TX.

205 Live Results

• Hideo Itami (w/ Akira Tozawa) vs Lince Dorado (w/ Lucha House Party) – no contest
  • Itami and Gran Metalik got at each other on the outside and a brawl started between the Lucha House Party (Dorado, Kalisto, Metalik) and Itami & Akira Tozawa.

• TJP defeated Kenneth Johnson
  • This was a squash match for TJP.
  • A selfie video featuring TJP stating his case for a title shot was shown as well.

• Mustafa Ali defeated Drew Gulak
  • With the win, Mustafa Ali will face Cedric Alexander at WrestleMania for the cruiserweight championship.

Michael Cole explained to the viewers that a loss in a tag team match would mean that Asuka’s streak would come to an end. Bliss and Asuka started off the match. Alexa Bliss wanted absolutely nothing to do with Asuka and quickly tagged in Strowman. The Miz didn’t want anything to do with Strowman either and tagged Asuka back into the match. Bliss once again tagged in Braun and Strowman demanded that The Miz get in the ring so that he could “get these hands!”. The Miz got himself pumped up and made it seem like he was going to battle Braun, but he made the wise decision and tagged Asuka back into the ring.

Alexa Bliss locked up with Asuka for a moment and then thought better of battling the Empress of Tomorrow and tagged out of the match again. The Miz started mocking Alexa Bliss and got a Dropkick to the face courtesy of Braun Strowman. Braun slammed The Miz to the mat and went for the cover as Asuka shouted that she didn’t want her streak to end. Thankfully, Asuka was able to break up the cover just in time to keep her streak intact. Asuka then knocked Alexa Bliss off the apron and she landed right into Braun Strowman’s arms. These two just might go all the way, in the tournament that is.

Here we go again… #WWEMMC @AlexaBliss_WWE @BraunStrowman @mikethemiz @WWEAsuka pic.twitter.com/u4l0WiDO81

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

Braun got back into the ring and he was pissed off. Strowman took out his anger on The Miz by throwing him into the turnbuckle like he was nothing. Braun stomped on The Miz’s back and then picked him up for a Powerslam. The Miz was able to wiggle free and then started to chop the big man down with kicks to his knees. Braun quickly battled back and knocked The Miz on his ass. Bliss called Strowman over to the corner and grabbed him by his beard. It appeared that Alexa was leaning in for a smooch but The Miz interrupted. This just pissed off Strowman even more and he wound up running at The Miz and they both crashed through the barricade outside the ring.

SPEED + PAIN + BARRICADE = one MONSTROUS COLLISION#WWEMMC @BraunStrowman @mikethemiz @AlexaBliss_WWE @WWEAsuka pic.twitter.com/fzHwpWl5np

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

Back in the ring, Asuka beat the hell out of Bliss with a series of kicks. Asuka followed it up with a knee to the face and went for the pin but Bliss was able to kick out at two. Asuka then locked in the Asuka Lock in the middle of the ring and the RAW Women’s Champion had no choice but to submit.

Asuka and The Miz advanced to the finals of the Mixed Match Challenge. Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss were eliminated. The fans voted Finn Balor & Sasha Banks back into the Mixed Match Challenge. They will battle Charlotte & Bobby Roode next week.

You VOTED and @FinnBalor & @SashaBanksWWE will get a SECOND CHANCE when they compete against @REALBobbyRoode & @MsCharlotteWWE NEXT WEEK on #WWEMMC! pic.twitter.com/VJMe7CvUzM

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgkZUjygKqs/?hl=en&taken-by=wwe

You can check out this week’s episode of the Mixed Match Challenge by clicking here.

The March 20th, 2018 episode of WWE Smackdown aired live from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:

Daniel Bryan Announced His Return In An Emotional Speech

This week’s episode kicked off with a montage of Daniel Bryan’s retirement speech from two years ago. It was announced earlier today that Daniel Bryan has been cleared by WWE to return to in-ring action.

SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan came down to the ring to a great reaction from the Dallas crowd. The entire crowd chanted “yes!” as Bryan entered the ring. Bryan stood in the ring as the crowd chanted “Daniel Bryan!”. Daniel thanked the crowd and brought up what happened to Shane McMahon. Bryan stated that he will address that situation, but Owens and Zayn were not here yet.

Bryan said that being forced to retire two years was one of the hardest days of his life, but he focused on being grateful. Bryan stated that he had a lot to be grateful for, including his family, friends and the best fans in the world. Daniel choked up a bit when he brought up his wife. Bryan said that Brie told him to fight for his dreams and that she was the one who encouraged him to start going to see specialists. A “thank you Brie!” chant broke out in the crowd as Bryan continued.

Daniel said that when he got angry about not being in the ring, he wasn’t just grateful, he started fighting. Bryan added that every hard thing seems impossible until it becomes real. Bryan said that over the past few months he asked WWE to look at his case again and that every doctor he saw cleared him. The crowd chanted “yes!” again as Bryan added started thanking the WWE and their doctors.

Bryan said that he was grateful that WWE was willing to give his case a second look. Daniel thanked everyone here and everyone watching at home for supporting him this entire time. Bryan noted that the crowd always chanted for him every week he has come down to the ring as the SmackDown GM. Bryan once again got choked up and thanked Brie for supporting him over the past two years.

Daniel changed his tune and said “now on to the fun stuff”. Bryan stated that he doesn’t know when or where he will get back in the ring and the crowd started to chant “WrestleMania!” and the cameras cut to the WrestleMania sign hanging above the ring. Bryan asked the crowd if WrestleMania sounded like a good idea and another “yes!” chant broke out. Bryan said that he doesn’t know for sure if that will happen, but added that he will compete in a WWE ring again and the crowd chanted “yes!” as Bryan’s music hit.

Hmmmm….. #WrestleMania #DanielBryanReturns @WWEDanielBryan #SDLive pic.twitter.com/s60HXEN5Uj

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

#SDLive General Manager @WWEDanielBryan had some amazing help on his long road to being cleared for in-ring action, and it came from his wife Brie @BellaTwins! pic.twitter.com/BNfPUwNjQt

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

Bryan was shown walking backstage following his promo. He told referee Charles Robinson to send Zayn and Owens to his office when they arrive. Dolph Ziggler showed up and stated that he cannot wait to defeat Daniel Bryan in the ring. Bryan said that he can certainly try and Ziggler walked away.

Opinion: Daniel Bryan’s story in WWE has been nothing short of amazing. His rise to the top was organic and seeing him being forced to give it up was truly heartbreaking. Bryan became one of the most popular WWE Superstars of all-time because the fans wanted him to be. They catapulted him to the top and everything culminated when he won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 30 in New Orleans.

It is surreal that he is going to get back in the ring. I simply cannot wait to see it. There was a time that I fell out of love with watching wrestling and Daniel Bryan was one of the Superstars that drew me back in. I was captivated by his battle with The Authority and couldn’t wait until he finally won the title. Bryan defeated John Cena at SummerSlam 2013, but Randy Orton instantly cashed in following the match. Triple H was the special referee for that match and delivered a Pedigree to Bryan following his victory. I was so pissed off after that much, but I knew it was going to lead to something even better. We all witnessed that moment at WrestleMania 30, when Bryan defeated Triple H to kick off the show and went on to win the title again in a Triple Threat match against Randy Orton and Batista.

There are plenty folks, much like myself, that have been frustrated with the WWE product as of late. They were excited for the new SmackDown with Bryan as the GM and Shane McMahon as the Commissioner. SmackDown hasn’t lived up to expectations, but Bryan’s return to the ring will no doubt bring a new level of excitement to the WWE product. He left a void in WWE after he was forced to retire. Now that he is back, I cannot put into words how pumped I am to see Bryan get inside the ring again as a wrestler. I knew he would wrestle again, I was just convinced that it was going to be in ROH, NJPW or any other promotion besides WWE. I cannot wait to see how this plays out leading up until WrestleMania 34. Also, the list of Superstars that Daniel Bryan could bring the house down with in WWE is endless. Daniel Bryan returning to the ring is the jolt that the WWE product needed and I’m just so excited to see it.

Shinsuke Nakamura Didn’t Need Help From AJ Styles

Shinsuke Nakamura faced Rusev in a Fastlane rematch tonight on SmackDown. WWE Champion AJ Styles and Aiden English were ringside for the match. Nakamura and Rusev traded kicks to start off the match. Rusev tossed Nakamura to the corner and connected with a couple of kicks to Shinsuke’s legs. Rusev followed it up with a spinning kick to the face for a two count as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Shinsuke connected with a kick that knocked Rusev to the mat. Nakamura booted Rusev in the chest and followed it up with a leaping kick to the side of his head. Shinsuke draped Rusev across the top rope and blasted him with a knee to the ribs. Shinsuke went for the Kinshasa but Rusev dodged it and booted Nakamura in the face for a two count. Nakamura locked in an Arm Bar and transitioned into a roll-up for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Aiden English and Rusev beatdown Shinsuke Nakamura. AJ Styles watched for a moment from his chair next to the announce table. Styles got up to help but Nakamura had already fought English and Rusev off and knocked them out of the ring. Nakamura smirked at AJ and then posed in the ring.

.@ShinsukeN is on a ROLL as he gets the victory over @RusevBUL… but is @AJStylesOrg happy about it? #SDLive pic.twitter.com/OkIVbvBQLe

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

Shinsuke Nakamura approached AJ Styles backstage. Nakamura told Styles that he didn’t need his help tonight and AJ said that he was aware. Nakamura once again added that he will defeat AJ Styles with a knee to the face at WrestleMania 34.

“You should have more confidence. But yes, I will beat you at #WrestleMania, KNEE to FACE!” – @ShinsukeN

The pressure is on @AJStylesOrg… #SDLive pic.twitter.com/uAnyjmN6iE

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

Shinsuke Nakamura picked up another victory tonight and then fought off Rusev and Aiden English before AJ Styles could assist him. Nakamura helped out AJ Styles last week when he was attacked by Rusev and Aiden English. Styles approached Nakamura backstage and said that he didn’t need Nakamura’s help. Shinsuke stated that he will be there to help AJ up until WrestleMania, where he vowed to take AJ’s WWE Championship with a knee to the face. The storyline has been pretty straight forward so far. Nakamura has showed up the WWE Champion, but that wont mean a thing when the two Superstars battle at WrestleMania 34.

Carmella Almost Cashed In Her MITB Contract 

Photo Credit: WWE.com

Charlotte faced Natalya tonight on SmackDown. Charlotte shouted “woo!” right after the bell rang and the crowd chanted along. Natalya told the crowd to shut up and quickly got knocked to the canvas. Natalya tried to roll-up Charlotte but Charlotte kicked out at two. The crowd chanted “woo!” and Natalya once again told them to shut up.

Charlotte slammed Natalya to the mat for two. Charlotte wrapped her legs around Natalya and slammed her to the canvas a few times. Charlotte went for the cover again but Natalya kicked out. Natalya connected with a couple of punches and told the crowd to shut up again. Charlotte connected with a Neckbreaker and then booted Natalya out of the ring. Charlotte strutted in the middle of the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Natalya was back in control and had Charlotte in an Abdominal Stretch. Charlotte escaped and booted Natalya in the face. Charlotte charged at Natalya in the corner but Natalya was ready and slammed Charlotte into the turnbuckle. Natalya posed in the ring before stomping on Charlotte several times in the corner. The referee told Natalya to stop, she obliged and then told the referee to shut up.

Charlotte sprung to her feet and leveled Natalya with a Clothesline. Charlotte followed it up with a couple of chops as the crowd chanted “woo!” at impact. Charlotte slung Natalya into the turnbuckle and then dropped her with another Clothesline. Charlotte planted Natalya with a Fall Away Slam, but Natalya grabbed her arm and slammed her into the bottom turnbuckle. Charlotte got back up and connected with a big boot. Charlotte followed it up with a Backbreaker and then slammed Natalya’s face into the top turnbuckle.

Charlotte climbed up to the top rope but Natalya got back up, lifted her up onto her shoulders, spun her around a couple of times before planting her with a massive Powerbomb for a two count. Natalya locked in the Sharpshooter in the center of the ring and Charlotte screamed in pain. Charlotte crawled to the bottom rope and broke the hold. Natalya bounced Charlotte’s neck into the second rope and followed it up with a Discus Lariat for two.

Natalya booted Charlotte out of the ring and charged after her. Charlotte was ready and connected with a Spear outside the ring. Charlotte rolled Natalya back into the ring and locked into the Figure Four. Natalya and Charlotte rolled a couple of times and Charlotte maintained the hold as Natalya was dangling over the ring apron. Charlotte broke the hold and climbed to the top but Natalya joined her and punched her in the face. Natalya planted Charlotte with an awesome Superplex and both Superstars crashed to the canvas.

Carmella’s music hit and Carmella sprinted to the ring with a referee. Carmella handed over her briefcase but the bell didn’t ring before Charlotte booted her in the face. Natalya capitalized on the distraction and rolled Charlotte up for the pinfall victory. Since the bell never rang for the second match, Carmella still has not officially cashed in her MITB briefcase.

A THUNDEROUS #Powerbomb by @NatByNature, but a resilient @MsCharlotteWWE POWERS OUT! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/VEoIzeoH4X

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

Is #MsMITB @CarmellaWWE CASHING IN?!?!?!??!?!??!?!#SDLive @MsCharlotteWWE pic.twitter.com/2KfO5r6YYi

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

An unsuccessful cash-in for @CarmellaWWE…

A VICTORY for @NatByNature…

An upsetting loss for @MsCharlotteWWE… #SDLive pic.twitter.com/NvYEuUnhZM

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

The Bludgeon Brothers Got The Better Of The Usos Again

Jimmy Uso faced Harper from the Bludgeon Brothers tonight on SmackDown. Before the match, The Usos came down to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. The Usos thanked the crowd for the love and then went over their match against New Day at WWE Fastlane. The Bludgeon Brothers interfered in that match and beat everyone down. Jimmy and Jey claimed that the Bludgeon Brothers weren’t after the titles, they just wanted to injure them.

The Usos raised the titles and shouted that they are still here with the titles. Jimmy and Jey said that all they know how to do is be the best damn tag team WWE has ever seen. Jimmy and Jey said that the Bludgeon Brothers were not going to take their WrestleMania moment from them and welcomed the Bludgeon Brothers to The Uso Penitentiary. The Bludgeon Brothers made their way down to the ring as SmackDown went to a break.

"All we know how to do is be the BEST tag team the @WWE has EVER SEEN!" @WWEUsos are HOLDING DOWN the #SDLive Tag Team Division! pic.twitter.com/yVHamBQjwS

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

Sounds like The #BludgeonBrothers have officially been WELCOMED to the #UsoPenitentiary!#SDLive @WWEUsos pic.twitter.com/bTSdxDgk3u

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

When SmackDown returned, Harper was in control of Jimmy Uso and had him trapped in the corner of the ring. Harper chopped Jimmy across the chest and Jimmy responded with a chop of his own. Harper connected with an elbow to the face and then went for a big boot but Jimmy ducked it. Harper went tumbling out of the ring and Jimmy followed him. Jimmy tripped Harper and he crashed into the ring apron. Jimmy went for a Suicide Dive but Rowan hopped up on the apron. Jimmy booted Rowan off the apron and Rowan tried to get into the ring.

While the referee was distracted, Jey Uso connected with a Superkick to Harper. Jimmy Uso connected with a Superkick to Harper as well and went for the cover but Harper kicked out. Harper slammed Jimmy’s head into the ring post and followed it up with a massive Clothesline for the pinfall victory. Jey Uso dragged Jimmy out of the ring after the match to avoid another attack from the Bludgeon Brothers.

A real life NIGHTMARE come true as The #BludgeonBrothers' @LukeHarperWWE puts away Jimmy @WWEUsos. #SDLive @ERICKROWAN pic.twitter.com/wSiJIhuKAB

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

Jinder Mahal Ran Away From Orton & Roode

Jinder Mahal came down to the ring with Sunil Singh. It was announced earlier today that Jinder Mahal will join the United States Championship match at WrestleMania 34. Randy Orton will defend his title against Mahal and Bobby Roode in a Triple Threat match.

Mahal called the crown hypocrites for booing him and boasted about his physique. Mahal stated that he could be the biggest movie star in Bollywood, but he decided to become a great wrestler. Jinder said that the crowd should be worshipping the ground that he walks on.

Bobby Roode interrupted and came down to the ring with a microphone. Roode stated that Mahal was the only hypocrite in the arena. Bobby added that Mahal doesn’t deserve any respect and that the only thing he deserves at WrestleMania 34 is for Roode to pin him and get his U.S. Championship back. Roode went to say it is going to be absolutely glorious, but was interrupted by Randy Orton.

United States Champion Randy Orton came down to the ring. Orton immediately told Jinder Mahal to shut up. Orton said that Mahal isn’t considered one of the greatest champions of all-time because he relies on Sunil to win matches. Mahal went to charge at Orton but shoved Sunil towards Orton instead. Mahal rolled out of the ring as Orton dropped Sunil with a DDT. Orton geared up for an RKO, but Roode got in the way and planted Sunil with a Glorious DDT. Orton went for an RKO on Roode, but Bobby was ready and blocked it. Roode went for the Glorious DDT on Orton, but Orton was able to escape. Mahal pointed at the WrestleMania sign from the entrance ramp as Roode and Orton stood in the ring.

The GLORIOUS @REALBobbyRoode has had about enough of listening to The #ModernDayMaharaja @JinderMahal! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/8aRwiwN5Zn

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

"You don't understand why nobody respects you… without the help of your little stooge, YOU SUCK!" – @RandyOrton to @JinderMahal on #SDLive

? ? ? pic.twitter.com/oK8wMf4PQM

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 21, 2018

Who will strike first? #SDLive #WrestleMania @REALBobbyRoode @JinderMahal @RandyOrton pic.twitter.com/qmL3Hn1UOU

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

It was announced that Bobby Roode & Randy Orton will face Jinder Mahal and Sunil Singh next week on SmackDown in a tag match.

Opinion: This doesn’t feel like a big match at all. There is absolutely nothign going for it. Bobby Roode is just another guy on the main roster right now and I hate saying that. He is capable of so much more, but is stuck in this generic character right now. I’d only want him to get the title back if he were to turn heel. Randy Orton is pretty bland as a face as well, so I wouldn’t care if he lost the title at WrestleMania 34. We’ve already seen Jinder Mahal defeat Randy Orton several times and Mahal also defeated Bobby Roode recently on SmackDown.

Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn Brutally Attacked Daniel Bryan After He Fired Them

Daniel Bryan was alerted backstage that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn arrived towards the end of the show. Bryan said that he will meet them in the ring and walked away. Bryan came down to the ring and asked that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn come down to the ring. Owens and Zayn came down to the ring with smiles on their faces and clapped for Bryan.

Owens got into the ring and hugged Bryan. Sami hugged Bryan as well. Kevin Owens said that they didn’t plan on being here tonight, but they got the notification that Daniel Bryan was cleared to return to the ring. Zayn added that they wouldn’t miss this for the world and noted that Bryan has been their biggest supporter since day one. Zayn brought up Shane McMahon’s personal vendetta and how Bryan was always fair during that. Sami said that Bryan being cleared to return is just an example of good things happening to good people. Sami added that Sami Zayn, Kevin OWens and Daniel Bryan sounds like a “dream team” and the crowd chanted “no!”.

Daniel Bryan stated that he appreciated that, but said that is not why he brought them out there. Bryan then rolled footage of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens beating down Shane McMahon last week on SmackDown. Owens laughed into the microphone as the clip ended and Sami told him to stop. Daniel asked them if they thought it was funny, Owens admitted they got carried away a bit. Sami added that Shane McMahon kind of deserved it. Bryan stated that this was a big deal.

Bryan said from the bottom of his heart that Owens and Zayn was two of the best performers of this generation. Daniel admitted that Shane was right when he said he was living vicariously through them. Bryan stated that what they did last week was more than getting a little carried away, they assaulted their boss. Daniel added that he didn’t understand why they did it because they already won because Shane stepped away and gave them a singles match at WrestleMania.

Daniel said that he didn’t get it and added that he really didn’t want to have to do this. Bryan stated that he had been fired from this company twice and that he came back a better man. Daniel then fired Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Bryan added that this doesn’t mean that they are gone forever, it just means that they are gone for now. Bryan extended his hand for a handshake and Sami shook his hand. Owens shook Bryan’s hand as well and then Bryan dropped the microphone.

Kevin Owens knocked Bryan to the mat and Sami climbed on top of him and started punching him. Bryan started to fight back and drove Owens to the corner and hit a few Yes Kicks. Bryan connected with a couple of Dropkicks to Owens and Zayn in the corner. The crowd got on their feet and chanted “yes!” as Bryan booted Owens in the chest. Zayn attacked Bryan from behind and knocked him tot he canvas.

Sami held Bryan up and Owens Superkicked him in the face. Owens propped Bryan up in the corner and Zayn delivered a Helluva Kick. The crowd chanted “you suck!” as Zayn and Owens stood over Bryan. Owens screamed in anger as Bryan tried to get back up. Owens punched Bryan in the face and then Sami threw him out of the ring. Owens then Powerbombed Bryan on the ring apron and Daniel fell to the floor outside the ring. A stretcher was wheeled down to the ring as the crowd chanted “Daniel Bryan!”. SmackDown went off the air with Kevin Owens still screaming on the entrance ramp as Bryan was loaded onto the stretcher.

#SDLive General Manager @WWEDanielBryan seems to have more FIGHT in him than ever, but the now-FIRED @FightOwensFight & @SamiZayn may have just extinguished it… pic.twitter.com/GhUMf8MTNx

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

Is @WWEDanielBryan's in-ring return in jeopardy after a VICIOUS attack from @FightOwensFight & @SamiZayn? #SDLive pic.twitter.com/fvtf06Lmid

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018

Opinion: It looks like we are going to get Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon versus Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 34 and I am all for it. The crowd reaction when Bryan hit the Yes Kicks was absolutely amazing. WrestleMania 34 just got a hell of a lot more interesting now that Daniel Bryan will most likely be on the card.

The YES! Kicks are BACK!!!!#SDLive #YesYesYes #DanielBryanReturns @WWEDanielBryan @FightOwensFight @SamiZayn pic.twitter.com/cJT8vYC64A

— WWE (@WWE) March 21, 2018