While the match card for Money In The Bank is pretty stacked already, many believed there is still space for a couple of more matches and the company has now announced a new bout for the show.
As seen this Monday Night on Raw, Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins interrupted Elias’ musical performance and went on to have a title match with the former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal.
This match ended in a disqualification and after the bout, Elias came out of nowhere and attacked the Champion, smashing his guitar into Rollins’ back.
This feud which started on Raw continued afterward. After the show, Seth had a twitter exchange with the Drifter which culminated with the former Shield Member agreeing to defend his title at the upcoming PPV:
Broken guitars don’t get the last word. If Elias wanted to come for the man, he’s got a mouth full of canvas coming to him. #FightingChampion#MITB
This is the 9th match which has been announced officially for the upcoming show but with the expected change to the PPV runtime, there shouldn’t be a problem in fitting this bout into the card.
After the latest announcement here is the updated match card for the upcoming Money In The Bank PPV:
Updated Money In The Bank Match Card
Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Braun Strowman vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Rusev vs. Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Roode vs. Samoa Joe vs. A Member Of New Day
Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Ember Moon vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Lana vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks
WWE Championship Last Man Standing Match: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship: The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows
Raw Women’s Championship: Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Carmella vs. Asuka
Intercontinental Championship: Seth Rollins vs. Elias
Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal
Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn
WWE Money In The Bank will take place from Rosemont, Illinois on June 17th.
Tonight on Impact Wrestling’s “Under Pressure” Tessa Blanchard will take on Madison Rayne. Blanchard made her debut with the company at the Redemption PPV on April 22nd, 2018 and let the rest of the division know she plans on cutting in line to the top of the card.
Blanchard defeated up-and-comer Kiera Hogan on a recent episode of Impact. She then opted to continue the beating on her opponent after the match. Rayne then ran in to make the save.
Blanchard is someone the company appears to be high on. The Knockouts division has added several new talents recently but none with as much potential as the 22-year-old Blanchard.
She recently took part in an Impact Wrestling media teleconference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zlhgATPs2E
Tessa Blanchard Interview Highlights
“Things are about to get very, very, interesting” Tessa Blanchard on what is next for her in Impact Wrestling.
During the call, Blanchard was asked about her father’s history with the 4 Horseman and what influence he has had on her career.
“I have huge respect for the 4 Horsemen, all bias aside,” Blanchard said of her father’s old faction. “I think my Dad and Arn were one of the greatest tag-teams of all time.”
Blanchard would say that her father’s era of professional wrestling is one she studies often. The gritty and more realistic approach to wrestling from Tully Blanchard’s era in the 4 Horseman is something which appeals to the younger Blanchard.
“I watch that era of professional wrestling for inspiration and to study tape,” Blanchard continued to say. “I want to portray that style through my work.”
Blanchard was also asked about recent media reports that she was broken-hearted when she wasn’t signed to WWE after her tryout in 2014. She clarified that she believes everything happens for a reason and she does not believe she would be the wrestler she is today if she had signed with WWE 4 years ago.
“These life experiences, these personal experiences through wrestling, if I was signed on (with WWE), my entire path would be different,” she said. “I’m very blessed for things to have played out the way they have.”
Blanchard also revealed she broke her collarbone while wrestling in Lucha Underground. She otherwise praised the company, talent, and how they treated her, however.
WWE has announced a new match that will take place at NXT TakeOver: Chicago II.
On Thursday, May 31st, 2018, the sports entertainment company officially announced that a singles match between Ricochet and The Velveteen Dream would go down at this upcoming event. Aleister Black vs. Lars Sullivan for the NXT Title will headline this show.
The NXT TakeOver: Chicago II event takes place on Saturday, June 16, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena and will air on the WWE Network. Here is the updated card:
Former WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz recently did an interview with SPORTbible to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Miz first talked about how fans make too big a deal out of WWE records:
“I feel like I have done so much in WWE that we just make up stuff now! It’s like, ‘I’ve had more combined days than every superstar besides one to be the Intercontinental champion!’ Is it cool? Sure. Do we make a bigger deal of it now, with social media? Absolutely.
“I wouldn’t even be able to tell you unless people tell me on the internet, ‘Hey, guess what – you have x amount of combined days until you are beating Pedro Morales for the longest-reigning Intercontinental champion, or, ‘You need one more reign to tie Chris Jericho!’ I think you guys care about it a little bit more than I do.”
Miz then offered his thoughts on how current Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins is doing as the strap’s holder:
“I think Seth is doing a fantastic job with the Intercontinental championship. He’s had it for maybe a month and has probably defended it more times than I have in the past year! He’s on a hot-streak right now.
“His song says ‘Burn it down!’ and every time he goes out there that’s exactly what he tries to do. He elevates superstars every time they are in the ring; I saw a match with Mojo Rawley and it was the best match I have ever seen Mojo in, in his entire career.
“That just shows you not only how good Mojo is, he was able to showcase, but how good Seth Rollins really is. I don’t think he can elevate it any more than I already have but I think he’ll keep it at that same level.”
You can read The Miz’s full interview with SPORTbible by clicking this link here.
Former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre the guest of WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross on the latest edition of The Jim Ross Report podcast.
During the discussion, McIntyre gave some advice to the WWE roster and commented on whether or not he believes there are any leaders left in the locker room.
McIntyre’s Advice To The WWE Locker Room
As someone who had a run with WWE, was released, improved himself on the independent scene and ultimately returned in a better position, McIntyre had some advice for the WWE roster – especially talent who are frustrated with their roles.
“Don’t blame creative. Don’t sit there with a boo-boo face, you figure out the story and you tell the story cause there’s a lot of people waiting in NXT to take your spot if you’re not willing to step up on Raw. There are the guys, but there is certainly room for more growth. The things I’m saying, there’s a lot of truth to what I’m saying and that’s probably why people are feeling them, probably why they are saying ‘when Drew talks I can kinda feel it’ cause it’s real, because I do believe what I’m saying. I did get released, it was the best thing to happen to me because I finally got reunited with that fire, that passion. I had to sink or swim.
I understand that Raw is the best show in the world, the best product in the world. We have five hours of Raw and Smackdown every week and as good as a lot of it is, there is a lot of filler in there and there is a lot guys just sitting around. They don’t have the passion it is as simple as that. I can say it because I was that guy. I’m disappointed in myself, I wasn’t working my ass off to get to the top, I wasn’t preparing myself in the gym, I wasn’t pitching stories, I wasn’t trying to be a better performer.”
“I think people forget that are in WWE and they become complacent. It just makes me sick because you’ve seen the independent scene right now, you know how much talent is there is out there. I was the NXT Champion I know how much talent is there. They’ve got the fire in their eyes their ready to take their spots and I’m there to make sure that Monday Night Raw is all killer. We don’t any need filler anymore. It all trickles down from the top. Like the whole industry, Monday Night Raw needs to be killer from top to bottom and right now, there’s room for improvement and I’m there to be the wake-up call that it needs.”
What are your thoughts on his encouraging comments?
(H/T to WrestleZone for the transcribed quotes)
McIntyre’s Path Since Leaving WWE In 2014
Following his first run with WWE that ended with his departure in 2014, McIntyre went back to the indy scene as well as competed in Impact Wrestling where he proved to people that he was someone to keep an eye on and reformed his career.
He re-signed with the sports entertainment company in April 2017 and joined developmental brand NXT. He went on to win the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III by defeating Bobby Roode. This marks the first time that a Superstar won the NXT Title in his TakeOver in-ring debut. He suffered a torn bicep back in November 2017 at an NXT TakeOver event where he lost the title to Andre Almas.
After rehabbing, he came back better than ever and was called up to the main roster earlier this year and was placed on the flagship show of the sports entertainment company, Monday Night RAW. He’s been paired with Dolph Ziggler in recent weeks.
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is currently not scheduled to defend his title at the Money In The Bank (MITB) or Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV). The Beast hasn’t been seen since retaining his title against Roman Reigns inside a Steel Cage in Saudi Arabia at the Greatest Royal Rumble.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the current plans is to have Lesnar defend his title at SummerSlam next on August 19th in Brooklyn. He is currently scheduled to headline the event, but that’s not set in stone. It’ also unknown who his opponent will be.
As for his pending return to the UFC, there’s an interesting way of finding out what the status of his future in mixed martial arts (MMA) will be. If Lesnar were to return to the UFC, a fight at the promotion’s New Year’s Eve event would be the target date.
Lesnar would have to re-enter the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug testing pool by June 30th for this to be possible. If he hasn’t re-entered the drug testing pool by then, a return to the UFC anytime soon is unlikely.
The Beast must provide six months worth of clean testing before being allowed to return to the Octagon. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more…
For the best MMA coverage available please visit our sister site at MMANews.com!
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently took to his podcast, The Ross Report, to offer his thoughts on what’s going on in the word of professional wrestling today. On the subject of this past Monday’s episode of RAW, Ross discussed two stars who he thinks have potential to be main event heels in the company.
Good Ole’ JR named former ECW Champion Bobby Lashley and former NXT Champion Bobby Roode as the two stars with the biggest heel potentials:
“Their persona makes me think heel first. And so sometimes when the average Joe, like me or you, look at somebody and we think “villain” it’s hard to get us to change our opinion of that personality, but I think in the long run, there’s money in Bobby Lashley and Bobby Roode both as main event-level heels in WWE.”
You can listen to Ross on The Ross Report by clicking this link here.
Major League Wrestling has announced that a 40-participant Battle Riot match will headline the July 19th MLW FUSION taping from New York City. According to a press release sent in by MLW, the Battle Riot match is described as:
“A mash-up of a battle royal, royal rumble and anything goes street fight, this super-sized main event will feature 40 wrestlers with new participants entering the ring every 60 seconds.”
MLW is teasing surprises, legends and “WTF” entrants. Eliminations occur via pinfall, submission or by throwing an individual over the top rope.
The winner receives a shot at the MLW World Heavyweight Championship any place, any time – similar to WWE’s Money in the Bank contracts.
Participants for the first-ever Battle Riot match will be announced starting next week.
MLW CEO Court Bauer says, “We’re going to stack the undercard.You got to when you come to NYC.This is going to be our biggest show ever in sheer numbers, matches and star power.”
If you’re in the New York City area, this is a can’t miss event. Visit MLWTickets.com for more information.
The WWE continues to search far and wide to add to their already stacked roster, and it looks like the professional wrestling juggernaut has signed yet another star.
Squared Circle Sirens is reporting that that WWE has signed Deonna Purrazzo to a developmental deal. Purrazzo had previously signed a six month deal with Ring Of Honor (ROH) but decided to opt out to make her way to WWE.
She’s set to head to the WWE Performance Center in the next few weeks. Purrazzo has been competing since 2013 and has done work for promotions such as ROH, Stardom and TNA.
Not to mention she has been used a few times on WWE NXT, was an alternate for the Mae Young Classic Tournament, and was used in a segment with Alexa Bliss back in 2016. Bliss was the SmackDown Live Women’s Champion at the time, and attacked Purrazzo – who was being used as an enhancement talent for Bliss to beat down.
There’s no doubt that Braun Strowman is one of the hottest properties in WWE today. The Monster Among Men has connected with the WWE Universe like WWE wished Roman Reigns would have. He’s got it all – the look, the physique, the shocking feats of strength, the promo ability – he’s even got a catchphrase (‘get these hands’) that’s moving a lot of merchandise.
WWE brass seems to be so high on him, rewarding his work with prominent positioning on big cards and a recent Greatest Royal Rumble victory. Another larger than life athlete, the Big Show, has been a mentor of sorts to Braun Strowman and is concerned he could fall victim to pitfall he experienced in his own career.
Big Show was a recent guest on the Steve Austin Show podcast and cautioned that Strowman needs to be careful not to rely on comedy too heavily. “I think with Braun, he’s got the unique ability to do some things that are entertaining and fun, but let’s not overdo it,” Show said.
“That happened a lot with me in WWE in the beginning that because I can do impersonations because I had comedic timing, we would do too much of it and by the time we were done, ‘Okay, we’ve lost The Giant gimmick. Okay, let’s turn him heel, he’ll kill everybody, and we’ll start over again, so now we can start drawing money with him.’”
WWE’s brand of comedy is very hit-or-miss (to put it kindly) and Big Show is right that Strowman should be careful not to let his character get too goofy. He’s got the potential to be a main event player for years to come – let’s just hope we don’t meet Braun’s sisters any time soon.
Big Show has been out of action since undergoing hip surgery last September. He told Austin that he was training for an in-ring return at the Greatest Royal Rumble, but experienced health complications that have delayed that plan.
You can listen to the full episode of Big Show on the Steve Austin Show podcast over at PodcastOne.com.
Earlier this week on SmackDown Live, a Triple Threat match took place to determine the final participant in the men’s Money In The Bank (MITB) Ladder match next month in Chicago.
Samoa Joe, Daniel Bryan and Big Cass battled it out for the opportunity. In the end, it was Joe who emerged victorious and earned his spot at MITB. Many fans were disappointed that it wasn’t Bryan who earned his way into the match.
It turns out there’s a good reason WWE decided to hold Bryan out of the match. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the reason the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion is being held out of the MITB match is because Ladder matches increase the probability of neck injuries and concussions.
WWE’s primary focus seems to be keeping Bryan healthy. In addition to this, it looks like the feud between Bryan and Cass will continue on as a match between them has already been advertised for the Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV).
Discussion: What are your thoughts on Bryan being left out of the MITB Ladder match?
Money in the Bank is WWE’s next pay-per-view offering (and still several weeks away), but the official website for Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena is advertising two matches for July’s Extreme Rules event.
Plans could certainly change by the time Extreme Rules takes place on July 15th, but the PPG Paints Arena site lists the following matches for the event:
Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman & Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn Jinder Mahal.
Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass
Extreme Rules was first introduced back in 2009, making this year the 10th installment. As the name implies, the events typically feature multiple stipulations matches involving weapons and no disqualifications.
The main event of last year’s show saw Samoa Joe defeat Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt in a Fatal 5-Way Extreme Rules match to determine the #1 contender for the WWE Universal Championship. Joe would go on to face Brock Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire, with Lesnar retaining in a hard fought match.
The Undertaker is considered an old school guy who is known to maintain the Kayfabe in public, meaning that the Dead Man has no personal social media account even in today’s age.
While there is an Official Facebook page on his name, it’s used by the WWE social media staff for promotion instead of being used by the Last Outlaw himself.
Though now it appears that the former World Champion may have finally joined Instagram as a verified account of Taker has emerged recently and it’s also followed by his wife Michelle McCool.
The Insta handle @Undertaker features only one post at the time which is a photo of the Attitude Era Star captioned ‘Dead Man’ and it can be seen below:
It appears that top Indie Star Keith Lee will be starting with WWE soon as he is finishing up his Indie commitments. Lee had his farewell bout for the Beyond Wrestling Promotion this past weekend.
Keith wrestled in an intergender match against Mia Yim and lost the bout. Following his loss, the Indie star thanked everyone, saying that he hopes they will support him in what he does next.
Below is a video featuring the highlight from his farewell match for the promotion:
Impact Wrestling presents a branded episode tonight titled “Under Pressure”. The matches taped for tonight’s show will be the last to air from the company’s tapings held in Orlando this April.
After tonight’s show, the company heads to Windsor for 2 days of television tapings on Friday and Saturday. They will be in Mississauga on Sunday for a One Night Only PPV in collaboration with Santino Marella’s Destiny Wrestling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R97ZEWhHBsk
Impact Wrestling Under Pressure Confirmed Matches
Brian Cage vs Dezmond Xavier
Recently on Impact Wrestling, Brian Cage has been shown wrestling in Japan, Australia, and Canada. Tonight he will return to Impact to face Dezmond Xavier.
Scott Steiner vs Eli Drake
The former tag team champions appear to blame one another for their losing the belts to Z&E. Steiner accidentally hit Drake in the head with a chair to cost their team their titles. Tonight they will go one-on-one with each other at Impact Wrestling’s Under Pressure.
Tessa Blanchard vs Madison Rayne
Madison Rayne has returned to pro-wrestling. She saved Kiera Hogan from suffering a post-match beatdown at the hands of Blanchard on a previous episode but tonight she will have to face the 3rd generation star herself.
Knockouts Championship Allie (c) vs Su Yung
In recent weeks, we have seen Allie adopt a new and darker persona. After watching her friend, Rosemary, be locked in a coffin by the devious Su Yung, Allie appears to have gone unstable.
Yung’s army of undead bridesmaids may also be in attendance, however.
Impact Wrestling World Championship Pentagon Jr. (c) vs Austin Aries
Following the departure of Alberto El Patron, Pentagon and his brother Fenix found themselves in an Impact World Championship match at Redemption on April 22nd. Pentagon came out the victor but has yet to have his one-on-one rematch with former champion Austin Aries.
Aries will get his chance to add more gold to his belt collection tonight and avenge his title loss at Redemption.
Married couple, Renee Young and Dean Ambrose, live in Las Vegas. They have both been seen supporting the NHL’s expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights franchise this season as well. The Golden Knights have made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals and both Young and Ambrose were there in person for game 2 last night.
Rather than sit in private box, however, the pair spent a portion of the evening riding atop the arena’s Zamboni.
Wrestling fans in attendance for the game made note of their appearance. Ambrose appears to have grown in a beard and gotten a haircut too.
Ambrose has been out with a triceps injury since December. Although this hasn’t been confirmed, speculation is there have been several setbacks in his recovery.
Kurt Angle addressed Ambrose’s extended stay on the DL during a Q and A session on his Facebook page last month.
“LISTEN EVERYONE. Dean is healing nicely. He will be back soon!!!!! I get this question every week. I know how popular he is but asking me when he will return will not make him return any sooner than he can. He will be back soon. Promise.”
At the time of his injury, Ambrose was taking part in the Shield reunion storyline. In Ambrose’s absence, Roman Reigns has gone back into single’s action and Seth Rollins has since won the Intercontinental Championship.
The 16 Time World Champion John Cena was pushed as the top star of WWE after Brock Lesnar left the promotion to pursue a career in NFL and the rest is history.
However, even before this, the company showed faith in Cena and not too long after his debut he had become an important part of the SmackDown Brand.
WWE recently released a clip from the upcoming episode of Something Else To Wrestle With podcast which is scheduled to air on WWE Network later this week.
In the clip, the host Bruce Prichard talked about the early push of John and recalled a match from the early days of his career where he teamed up with Undertaker to defeat the team of Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho.
Revealing the backstage reaction to his push, Prichard who is a former WWE writer and producer revealed that it was met with jealousy by some people because Cena was put in a program immediately after his arrival and he was on TV as soon as he got there.
Continuing on the topic, Bruce revealed that there was a lot of rumbling from the people backstage but the fact that the audience was getting behind him made the difference.
While his early push was nothing compared to what was waiting for John in his career later on, the fact that the audience got behind him in his early days probably worked as a foundation for Cena and it presumably is the reason why Officials later put him in the place originally intended for Brock Lesnar.
You can check out the video released by WWE below:
We noted before how the NXT Champion Aleister Black was expected to defend his title against Lars Sullivan at the upcoming NXT Takeover: Chicago II event.
This match was made official during the latest episode of NXT when Lars interrupted the title holder during a promo.
Sullivan went on to hit him with a Freak Accident after revealing that the General Manager William Regal has announced him as the new #1 Contender for the title.
The show also saw Johnny Gargano submitting his signed contract for the upcoming street fight against former partner Tommaso Ciampa at the upcoming special.
While Ciampa didn’t do the same publicly, WWE.com later confirmed that this match is now official for the upcoming event from Chicago next month.
Several other matches like Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream and Nikki Cross vs. Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s Championship were also teased but they are yet to be announced officially.
After the latest episode of NXT, here is the updated match card for the upcoming show:
NXT Championship Match: Lars Sullivan vs. Aleister Black
NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan vs. Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly
Street Fight: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano
NXT TakeOver: Chicago II will take place on June 16th, a day before Money In The Bank. You can check out a full review of the NXT episode here.
The New Day was expected to reveal which member of their team will compete at the upcoming Money In The Bank match during the Miz TV segment on SmackDown Live last week.
However, instead of it, the segment ended with the trio throwing pancakes at the A-Lister after which the Miz was put in a match with Big E by General Manager Paige.
These events made many believe that the company will hold off this announcement up until the PPV itself, though now it appears that we know who will be the final participant of the upcoming Ladder match after Samoa Joe’s victory this week.
During the latest episode of PwinsiderElite Audio, Mike Johnson revealed that according to backstage talk, Big E is going to be the New Day member representing their team at the upcoming bout.
It’s worth mentioning here that recently it was reported that the Officials are considering E for a singles push in near future and the upcoming PPV could be the start of it.
Whether or not it means the former NXT Champion will win the bout remains unknown, but after these reports, we can expect him to put on a good performance during the Ladder match next month.
WWE Money In The Bank will take place on June 17th from Rosemont, Illinois. You can check out an updated match card for the event here.
Posted May 31st, 2018 in News, WWE. Tagged: Big E.
The first ever Women’s Royal Rumble featured a number of surprise entrances and one of the most exciting parts of the match was the return of Attitude Era Star Trish Stratus.
During a recent interview with The Niagara Falls Review, Trish talked about many things including her start in the modeling business and more.
While discussing her appearance at the Women’s Royal Rumble, Stratus revealed that she was contacted by WWE on December 26th, about a month before the event.
Continuing on the topic, Trish recalled how she contacted a friend to set up a practice ring after receiving the offer because the Hall Of Famer wanted to make sure that she can pull it off before saying yes to the company:
“I called a friend of mine in Toronto — whenever there’s a TV show or production that needs a ring, he’s the guy — and I said, ‘Can we get a ring set up? I might have an opportunity, and before I say yes to them, I have to make sure I can still do this.'”
Apart from this Trish Stratus also talked about her debut in 2000, how the Rock was the hardest working guy in the company back then and more. You can check out her full interview here.
While being in the WWE Hall Of Fame is considered a big thing, it’s also criticised by people time and again, especially because it has no criteria for choosing and no physical Hall Of Fame building either.
During a recent interview with WrestlingInc, Wrestling Legend Scott Steiner talked about this issue again and blasted the company for the same.
Steiner questioned how one can call it a legit Hall Of Fame when it doesn’t even exist and compared it to going into a grocery store which has no food.
Continuing on the topic, the Impact Wrestling Star said that it boggles his mind when people care about being in the Hall Of Fame and claimed that it’s a joke:
“It boggles my mind that people care about being in the Hall of Fame when it doesn’t even exist. It is such a freaking joke it drives me crazy. I don’t give a f**k. The Hall of Fame doesn’t exist, You can’t visit it. I get so sick of talking about it because it is so stupid.”
Later in the interview, Scott was also asked about him possibly going into the HOF and replying to it the former WWE Star said that like anything else the company will have to pay him to get inducted since they get paid to air the show.
You can check out the full interview of Scott Steiner in the video below:
Lars Sullivan Caught Black Mass & Sent A Message To Aleister Black
Photo Credit: @WWE on Twitter
NXT Champion Aleister Black came down to the ring and said that winning the title has been life changing. Black stated that he only needs one shot to make his opponents fade to black. Lars Sullivan interrupted and joined Black in the ring.
Lars announced that NXT GM William Regal has made him Black’s first challenger. Sullivan complimented Aleister for making his opponents fade to black for 16 years. Lars added that Black hasn’t faced anyone like him because there is nobody like him. Sullivan vowed to take everything Black has worked his entire life for and become the new NXT Champion.
Sullivan said that Black knows that he cannot do anything about it. Lars dropped the microphone and grabbed Black by the throat. Aleister escaped and tried to hit Sullivan with Black Mass. Lars caught him and Aleister was shocked. Sullivan then planted Black with the Freak Accident and posed with the NXT Championship over Aleister Black. Aleister Black will defend the NXT Championship against Lars Sullivan at NXT TakeOver: Chicago.
War Raiders (Hanson & Rowe) faced George Hickson & Cody Vincent tonight on NXT. Hickson ran right at Rowe to start off the match and quickly got his ass kicked. Hanson tagged in and continued to beatdown Hickson in the corner. Hanson threw Hickson to the corner and Vincent tagged in.
Hanson leveled Vincent with a Clothesline and then Rowe tagged back in. Rowe hit a flurry of jabs in the corner and planted him with a Suplex. Hanson hit a Bronco Buster on Vincent in the corner and Rowe tagged in. Rowe kneed Hickson in the face and Hanson got back in the ring. Rowe lifted Hickson in the air and Hanson leveled him with a springboard Clothesline.
Rowe got back in as Hanson climbed up to the top rope. Rowe lifted up Hickson up and Hanson connected with a Leg Drop off the top rope for the pinfall victory.
EC3 battled Fabian Aichner tonight on NXT. Aichner and EC3 locked up to start off the match. EC3 threw Fabian to the corner and clubbed him in the chest. Aichner battled back and hit a loud chop and then followed it up with an elbow to the face. Fabian planted EC3 with a Gutwrench Suplex for a one count. EC3 battled back and knocked Fabian out of the ring.
EC3 followed Aichner to the outside. Johnny Gargano showed up in the crowd and marched to the announce table. Gargano grabbed the microphone and shouted that he is holding a signed contract for a Street Fight against Ciampa at NXT TakeOver: Chicago. Gargano then marched back through the crowd as the crowd cheered.
EC3 was pissed off that Gargano just interrupted his match and took his eye of Aichner. Fabian capitalized with a Crossbody off the top rope. Aichner quickly brought EC3 back into the ring and went for the cover, but EC3 kicked out at two. EC3 shouted in anger and planted Aichner with the One Percenter Fireman’s Carry Neckbreaker for the pinfall victory.
Ricochet Defeated Chris Dijak & Then Was Confronted By Velveteen Dream
Photo Credit: @WWENXT on Twitter
Ricochet faced Chris Dijak tonight on NXT. Dijak missed with a big boot and Ricochet immediately went on the attack. Ricochet beatdown Dijak in the corner and followed it up with a Dropkick that sent Dijak tumbling out of the ring. Dijak caught Ricochet when he went for a Suicide Dive and Chokeslammed Ricochet onto the ring apron.
Dijak hit a springboard Elbow Drop for a two count. Dijak missed with a Moonsault off the top and Ricochet took advantage with an axe kick to the face. Ricochet showed off his strength with an impressive Suplex on the much larger Dijak. Ricochet climbed to the top rope and hit a 630 Splash for the pinfall victory. This match was short but it was very entertaining. Dijak made a great impression in his first match in NXT.
After the match, Ricochet cut a promo. Ricochet said that Velveteen Dream is one of the most entertaining Superstars that has ever walked through NXT and he can basically do it all. Ricochet stated that the spotlight shows who you really are and last week Dream revealed how much of a punk he really is.
Dream interrupted and said that last week was their spotlight and it showed that he can do anything better than Ricochet. Ricochet called Dream a coward for standing on the entrance ramp and asked him to come down to the ring. Dream came down to the ringside area and told Ricochet that he will see him in Chicago. Dream added that when the spotlight hits Ricochet’s beautiful face, he will know that anything he can do, the Dream can do better.
Ricochet then flipped out of the ring like a ninja and landed right in front of Velveteen Dream. Ricochet simply said “show me” as Velveteen retreated.
Anything @KingRicochet can do, @VelveteenWWE can do better?
Shayna Baszler Retained, Nikki Cross Stole Her Title
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Shayna Baszler defended her NXT Women’s Championship against Dakota Kai in the main event of this week’s episode of NXT. Baszler backed Kai into the corner and taunted her while doing so. Shayna then stomped on Kai’s left leg a few times and continued to taunt her as the crowd chanted “Shayna is gonna kill you!”.
Kai cowered in the corner as Baszler continued to kick her. Baszler brought Kai into the middle of the ring and started twisting her leg. Kai finally battled back with a couple of kicks, but Baszler brutally stomped on Kai’s ankle.
Baszler continued to taunt Kai and Dakota connected with a right hand. Shayna once again knocked Kai to the canvas and applied an Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring. Dakota crawled towards the bottom rope, but Shayna dragged her back to the middle of the ring. Kai battled through the pain and grabbed the rope. Baszler broke the hold, brought her back to the middle of the ring and applied the Ankle Lock again.
Kai escaped with a kick to the face and unloaded a series of punches to her face. Dakota booted Baszler in the face and connected with two running kicks to Shayna’s face in the corner. Baszler was able to quickly battle back and locked in the Kirifuda Clutch for the submission victory.
After the match, a very bizarre and entertaining encounter happened. Shayna locked in the Kirifuda Clutch once again in the middle of the ring. Nikki Cross sprinted to the ring and psychotically screamed in the ring for Baszler to fight her. Shayna looked shook in the corner as Cross challenged her. Shayna slowly walked across the ring and retreated up the ramp. Nikki Cross ran after her and stole the NXT Women’s Championship. Cross dared Baszler to come and get it and laid it at her feet.
Shayna got into the ring to grab the title and Cross grabbed the belt once more. Nikki Cross wanted a match against Shayna Baszler tonight and asked Dakota Kai to be the referee. Shayna went to grab her belt once again and Cross planted her with The Purge. Kai counted to three and Cross celebrated as if she won the title. Cross then celebrated in the crowd and hugged fans in the front row. Nikki then posed on the entrance ramp with a grin on her face as Bazler was pissed off in the ring.
John Cena has addressed his loss to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34.
As seen at WrestleMania 34 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on the WWE Network back in April, The Undertaker did, in fact, accept Cena’s challenge to a match after weeks of speculation that it may not happen as The Deadman was last seen on TV at this point back in January.
Before the match started, the referee ran down to the ring and told Cena something which made him upset. Cena got out of the ring, the lights went off and Elias walked out instead of The Undertaker. Elias walked down to the ring while cutting a promo. Cena ended up hitting an AA to Elias. Then a spotlight hit the ring with Taker’s hat and jacket with a lightning bolt hitting it. Lights got out then back on with the hat and jacket gone. The gong hit and Taker’s music played. Taker came out as his deadman gimmick instead of the rumored biker gimmick. Taker won the match in very quick fashion.
Cena recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated where he talked about the match as well as gave some praise to The Miz, who beat Cena for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 27. “I did not do well in this match. My ‘WrestleMania Moment’ was to spend the time in the crowd and not do well in a very short performance, but I loved it because it got the job done. The focus was not me, the focus was someone else. Often times, we look at things so selfishly, asking, ‘What’s in it for me?’ Well, what was in it for me was the chance to reintroduce a WWE icon. I had to stretch the suspension of disbelief to its breaking point to do it, but it was awesome. Every single week, the crowd would chant at the top of its lungs and no one thought I would be sitting in the crowd at WrestleMania, but I was able to do that. I was able to go out and be handily defeated in three minutes and bring back an icon. “That is a message to any performer who is complaining about their spot or that, creatively, they have nothing going for them. I’ve been first, I’ve been in the middle, I’ve been last. I just want to go out there and do something. There are a few performers who share my ideology, with The Miz being one of them. That’s why he is skyrocketing into a new bracket as we speak, and I can’t wait to see what he does next week. But there is also a lot of disdain and complacency. You should be happy with any sort of role, even if it is getting your tail kicked in.”
Cena continued by commenting on the build to his WrestleMania 34 match against Taker by stating, “I loved it, I truly did, and I loved it for so many reasons. Our job is to entertain the audience, so that’s number one. The story was amazingly unbelievable to the public, with a healthy, marquee superstar admitting, ‘Hey, WrestleMania spots are earned. I’ve been on a losing streak, I’ve exhausted every option, so I shouldn’t go to WrestleMania, especially with the flux of new talent.’ But the fans, thinking they know that John Cena is a WWE staple and that I didn’t have another project that same day, thought there was no way I wouldn’t have had a match. Even if people did or didn’t attach themselves to the story, I liked the fact that people still remained interested.”
The sports entertainment company is not advertising Cena for any upcoming events. He was last seen when he beat Triple H in the opening match on the main card of the Greatest Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in April.
What are your thoughts on Cena’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
Former World Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Champion, David Arquette, has announced he is returning to pro-wrestling.
Arquette held the title from April 25th, 2000 to May 7th, 2000. He won the title from Diamond Dallas Page during a tag-team match in which he and Page were partners and defeated Jeff Jarrett and Eric Bischoff. The stipulation in the match had been whoever scored the pinfall also won the title.
Arquette then lost the title to Jeff Jarrett at Slamboree 2000. The match was a triple threat against DDP and Jarrett inside a triple-tiered cage. Arquette turned on Page during the match and helped Jarrett win the title. He donated everything he earned from WCW to the families of Owen Hart and Brian Pillman. Arquette is said to be a nice guy and a huge wrestling fan.
Now it appears Arquette is ready to return to pro-wrestling. He made the announcement during an appearance on the Wendy Williams Show, though it’s not altogether clear when/if fans can expect to see the 46-year-old booked on any upcoming wrestling shows.
“I’d like to announce my return to professional wrestling!” Arquette proclaimed.
“I was promoting a movie I did called Ready to Rumble and it just so happened that I won the championship,” Arquette said. “(Fans) blamed me for ruining WCW, it’s no longer around and maybe I did have something to do with it.”
Arquette appears to have adopted a new gimmick as well. His new name is David “the Magic Man” Arquette.
“For 18 years, I’ve been trolled on the internet,” he continued. “And I just want to bring some respect back to my name!”
Check out his appearance on the Wendy Williams Show below:
WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin recently talked to The Big Show on an episode of his podcast, The Steve Austin Show, to talk about several professional wrestling topics. During their conversation, Show revealed that he actually advised former WWE Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston not to do the New Day gimmick with Big E and Xavier Woods.
He said he told Kingston he didn’t need to drag himself down with “a couple of NXT idiots right now.”:
“When Kofi told me he was doing that New Day gimmick, I pulled Kofi to the side about four feet from Xavier Woods and Big E and asked him, ‘what the hell are you doing?'” Big Show recalled, “because [Austin] know[s] how [he] would talk to me about business and Taker would talk to me about business.
“I’ve learned and I’ve passed that along to guys that I help. And I’m not polite about it. I’m blunt, direct, and to-the-point. When it comes to business, it’s serious. Do you know what I mean? So I pull Kofi about four feet to the side and [ask], ‘so what are you doing with these two numb nuts’ and he goes, ‘yeah, it’s a thing’ and I said, ‘damn, Kofi, you were Intercontinental Champion [and] you’re on your way to having a run with the big strap.
“You don’t need to drag yourself down with a couple of NXT idiots right now. You’re really probably going to hurt yourself. You’re pulling yourself out of that world title run. The Intercontinental Championship is a pretty big deal. You keep yourself in that loop and you’ll get a shot at the big one.’ He goes, ‘naw, I appreciate it, Show, but we’ve got a good thing going here.’ I said, ‘alright, man. I’m just telling you that running around with these two idiots isn’t going to help you get over.'”
A few weeks later, after seeing the three in action, Show admitted that his initial perceptions were wrong:
“I said, ‘forget every damn thing I said. What you guy’s’ve got is absolute friggin magic. I love it. Forget every damn thing I said.'” Big Show shared, “Woods loves that story. I call Woods my son now. I’ve adopted him as one of my wrestling sons, so he’s one of my sons now.”
You can listen to The Big Show on The Steve Austin Show by clicking this link here.
In recent weeks, there has been some mild controversy over Vince Russo being specifically excluded from Starrcast. Another podcast host has now fired shots at Cody for how Starrcast is being organized as well.
The producers of the podcast “Wrestling Soup” are booked for Starrcast despite the fact the hosts have been critical of Cody in the past. Cody used their inclusion at Starrcast recently in a Tweet.
I'm not barring people like @WrestlingSoup from an event because they don't like me/disagree with my body-of-work. All In is for everybody. Glad to get them a payday
"The Cody Rhodes Show" on the other hand is the following week & its only for genuine Trek' fans and husky lovers https://t.co/beYkt6iYES
Cody then clarified that talent at Starrcast are being given an opportunity to earn new fans.
Opportunity I suppose. If I was to tally up all my expenses for a single show versus my payday, you'd be quite surprised(rentals, hotels, gym/hair/tan, gear). The chance for more exposure and to grow your brand. To go from a couple hundred fans to thousands is what draws me.
“Cody, this is the same scam that promoters (music, wrestling, etc) have ran for YEARS,” Wrestling Soup’s host said in a Tweet. “It’s an intangible promise therefore basically a lie. I was respecting your hustle till you said “I’m trying to get people paydays” and just NOW you denied making people pay. Wtf man?”
“I’m not seeing your argument,” Cody responded. “No scam ha. I’m not the operations manager of Starrcast, but ill personally refund any expense your team/brand has incurred or I’ll refund you and have somebody else take the spot. All In is meant to be fun, that’s all!”
Are Cody and the Young Bucks Teasing CM Punk Will Be At All-In?
Another fan then accused Cody and the Bucks from attempting to profit off of the talent booked for Starrcast. He also addressed the idea that CM Punk was involved in producing All-In.
Punk isn't related to our event or Starrcast ha. Charging?! Whaaaaa ha
With the latest Star Wars movies in theaters, Cody recently ranked every Star Wars movie from best to worst. Cody is a noted Star Wars fan.
1- Empire
2- Last Jedi
3- Force awakens
4- Return Of the Jedi
5- Revenge of the Sith
6- New Hope
7- Solo
8- Clone Wars
9- Phantom Menace
10- Rogue one
11- Rebels
12- Attack of the clones
Cody most recently competed on Ring of Honor’s Honor United tour. After defeating Kenny King in London, it was revealed Cody will challenge for the ROH Championship before All-In. If Cody holds the ROH World Championship come September 1st, his match for the NWA World Heavyweight belt will be a title vs title match.
