The Shield’s return on RAW last night really took a lot of WWE fans by surprise.

Roman Reigns was defending his Universal Championship against Finn Balor in the night’s main event. In the middle of the match, Braun Strowman hit the ring with his Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase. He intended to cash-in on the match’s winner.

Reigns was able to pick up the win on a distracted Balor, after hitting him with a Spear. Strowman then got into the ring and downed Reigns with a big boot to the chest. Just before the referee could ring the bell to begin the match, The Shield’s music hit.

Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, dressed in their old Shield gear, came out to Reigns’ aid. The trio attacked Strowman and hit him with a Triple Powerbomb through the announce table. For the time being, it looks like The Shield is back together.

Reigns took to Twitter shortly after the show to comment on The Shield’s reunion:

You act like you forgot? #OurShow #MyYard #Raw

— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) August 21, 2018

Another interesting note, The Shield’s old Twitter account has resurfaced again. It had been two years since their last Tweet – until today. The account retweeted and commented on WWE’s photo of the trio’s reunion last night:

??? https://t.co/nDhqArQzff

— The Shield (@TheShieldWWE) August 21, 2018

Discussion: What do you think about The Shield’s return on RAW last night? What do you make of their Twitter account resurfacing? And how long do you see the reunion lasting? Sound off in the comments below!

Grammy-nominated rapper Wale joins the commentary team for tonight’s edition of 205 Live on the WWE Network.  Wale will call the action alongside Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness and Percy Watson. At this time, it’s unclear if this is a one-off appearance.

Wale is a longtime WWE fan. Fans might remember the Washington D.C. native hosted a rap battle between The Usos and The New Day last year (video below).

For the past 4 years, Wale and MLW have hosted WaleMania, the official kickoff party for WrestleMania weekend. WaleMania V is scheduled for Thursday, April 4th, 2019.

Tonight’s edition of 205 Live will feature Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese vs the Lucha House Party and Noam Dar vs TJP.

Wale hosts Rap Battle between The New Day and The Usos (2017): 

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently took to his podcast, The Ross Report, to comment on several professional wrestling topics.

“Good Ole’ JR” offered his thoughts on the recent return of Dean Ambrose. “The Lunatic Fringe” made his comeback on the go-home episode of RAW to SummerSlam. Ambrose was ringside for Seth Rollins’ Intercontinental Title match with Dolph Ziggler.

Ziggler had Drew McIntyre in his corner, so Ambrose accompanied Rollins to even the odds. Many were speculating that Ambrose would turn heel on Rollins at SummerSlam. However, that never took place. Rollins emerged victorious and left Summer Slam as the new Intercontinental Champion.

In fact, the following night on RAW, Rollins and Ambrose reunited The Shield to come to Roman Reigns’ aid. They stopped Braun Strowman from cashing-in his Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase on “The Big Dog” for the Universal Title.

Ross Wants Dean Ambrose To Turn Heel

Ross mentioned that Ambrose has looked great upon his return. He offered that he thinks he’d be more valuable to the company as a heel at this point, however:

“I thought Dean looked great. I like his shorter haircut. A guy kind of being follicly-challenged and they’re trying to mask it with longer hair that is unruly or will go here, there, and yonder to cover up a [bald] spot, it’s not real flattering to you.

“I thought his haircut was spot on. I thought the beard was spot on. Obviously, Ambrose has trained religiously to heal and to get bigger, better, and stronger. And really, my hat’s off to him for that.

“But I can tell you, he certainly carried himself like a villain. I felt he is going to be a villain, or a heel, or as Jim Cornette would say, ‘he’s a heel, Goddammit!’ To me, he looks like a heel.

“Now, the welcome back pop was what it was and deservedly so, but I just see him being able to be a big time player more as a heel than as a fan favorite in WWE right now. And we’ll see.” Ross added, “I still think he could be most valuable for WWE right now, seemingly how the roster is outlined, as a villain.”

Discussion: What do you make of Ross’ comments about Ambrose being more valuable to WWE as a heel right now? Let us know in the comments!

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

WWE Superstar Carmella participated in a roundtable for the European media this past weekend to promote SummerSlam. “The Princess Of Statin Island” was asked who her best friend in WWE is.

Carmella revealed that Bayley is her best friend in WWE, as they came up together in NXT and still talk frequently. She’s admittedly disappointed, however, that they’re currently on different brands:

“Bayley’s my best friend,” Carmella said. “For sure, yeah. We’ve been friends since NXT and um – it sucks cause she’s on Raw and I’m on SmackDown but we still talk every single day and she’s one of my really good friends.”

The interviewer followed up by asking Carmella about tag teaming. She was asked who her ideal tag team partner would be – from WWE’s past or present. Having already worked with him in the Mixed Match Challenge, Carmella named Big E.

She explained that she had a lot of fun working with Big E for the Mixed Match Challenge. Carmella also said she loves pancakes and The New Day:

“If I could have any tag team partner, I would pick Big E. Because we were partners for the Mixed Match Challenge and we had so much fun, and I love pancakes, and he’s just the best. And I love The new Day – so I would pick Big E.”

Discussion: What do you think about Carmella naming Bayley as her best friend in WWE? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

On last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW, Stephanie McMahon ordered Kurt Angle to go on a forced vacation from RAW.

As a result, she named Baron Corbin as the acting General Manager of Monday Nights. McMahon hosted a segment to congratulate Ronda Rousey on winning the RAW Women’s Championship.

Rousey would subsequently put McMahon in an armbar during the angle. Backstage, Angle came to check on McMahon, who was being tended to by medical personnel. McMahon blamed Angle for not being out there to control the madness. Corbin then suggested Angle doesn’t have a grasp on his roster.

McMahon subsequently made the decision to order Angle to a forced vacation from RAW. Shortly after the show, Angle took to Instagram to react to the news. He posted the following:

“I’m really sorry that I won’t be on Monday Night Raw for a little while, I enjoyed every minute of it with the WWEUniverse.

“I was told by @stephaniemcmahon that I need a vacation. I don’t know if it’s temporary or permanent, I Hope I will be back sooner than later. Thank you WWEUniverse. Much Love.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bmubm_7BOvL/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_loading_state_control

Angle As RAW General Manager

Angle was brought back to WWE last year to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame. Shortly after WrestleMania, he was announced as the new General Manager of Monday Night RAW. Since being appointed GM, however, Angle has had his respective run-ins with “The Authority.”

The former WWE Champion has feuded with Triple H several times. He also partnered up with Rousey to take on “The Game” and McMahon in a Mixed Tag Team match at WrestleMania 34.

Discussion: What do you think about Angle being sent on a forced vacation from RAW? What do you expect from Corbin as acting General Manager in the coming weeks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

The world of Lucha Libre has lost a legend today. Villano III, real name Arturo Díaz Mendoza, passed away today at 66 years old. His death is believed to have been from a cerebral infarction.

Villano III, one of the greatest stars of LLI (UWA), has passed away today. pic.twitter.com/8x8GXbvWTw

— luchablog (@luchablog) August 21, 2018

“Villano III, one of the greatest stars of LLI (UWA), has passed away today.”

Villano III’s career began in the 1970s for the Universal Wrestling Association. His older brothers had already been wrestling professionally for a few years and his father, Ray Mendoza, had been a successful luchador already in his career. He leaves behind two sons, who wrestle as Villano’s IV and V.

Villano III has passed away, the son of the late Ray Mendoza, and one of the biggest Lucha Libre performers of the past four decades.

— John Pollock (@iamjohnpollock) August 21, 2018

“Villano III has passed away, the son of the late Ray Mendoza, and one of the biggest Lucha Libre performers of the past four decades.”

Villano III

In 2000, Villano III won the Wrestling Observer’s prestigious Match of the Year award for his bout versus Atlantis in Mexico City. His retirement match in 2015, however, earned Worst Match Of The Year as well. This was on the ill-fated TripleMania show which suffered from numerous production glitches.

Villano III won the WWC heavyweight championship on two occasions in Puerto Rico. He won the CMLL world light heavyweight championship once as well. Along with his sons, he held the AAA America’s Trios Championships twice.

WWE Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura recently did an interview with The Gorilla Position to promote SummerSlam this past weekend. During their discussion, Nakamura opened up about once getting yelled at backstage in WWE for hitting a botched move on John Cena.

The scorning came after Nakamura and Cena’s match on SmackDown Live last year in August. A number one contender’s spot was on the line in the match. The winner would go on to face Jinder Mahal for the WWE Title at SummerSlam last year.

Thankfully, Cena stepped in to take some of the heat off Nakamura and cooled things down:

“Uh – I don’t know if I can tell that or not,” Nakamura said. “Some people were upset backstage – not John Cena – but someone. They were so pissed off at me, ‘Why did you do that?!’

“I thought “Oh my career is finished today.” But everybody came to support me, even John Cena, ‘it’s not his fault, it’s my fault’ Yeah, what a good man.

“So not everybody has a chance to wrestle with John Cena now. So I felt good in the ring with John Cena. Also, I never was the villain in the ring, so if I had the chance I want to wrestle against him again. Maybe we can create something better than before.”

Discussion: What do you make of Nakamura getting yelled at backstage after hitting a botched move on John Cena? And what do you think about Cena stepping in to defend Nakamura? Let us know in the comments below!

WWE Superstar Finn Balor recently did an interview with Sky Sports. During the interview, Balor defended Roman Reigns against the recent criticism he has been under from the professional wrestling community.

Balor noted that Reigns is one of the hardest working athletes in the company. He also said Reigns is extremely polite and is willing to help out anybody:

“I don’t get it, He’s probably one of the hardest working people in WWE, he looks great, he’s professional, a great talker and behind everything, a great person.”

“He’s great behind the scenes, he will help you with anything you want and he’s always polite. He was great to me when I first came into WWE and he continues to help me today. I can’t speak of anything but greatness for Roman Reigns, he’s one of the all-time greats.

“I think it’s monkey do as monkey see and people are easily led. They might read what one person has written in a newsletter, decide that person’s right, and then jump on the bandwagon.

“That’s what’s happened with Roman. People are very fickle – I remember when The Shield were doing their thing and everyone was behind Roman; he was the coolest guy in The Shield. Opinions change in this business and they forget the past but Roman ain’t sweating it.”

Reigns vs. Balor

Last night Reigns and Balor actually main evented Monday Night RAW. Reigns won the Universal Championship at SummerSlam over the weekend. He defeated Brock Lesnar in the show’s main event.

The following night, Reigns opened the show and declared he wanted to give Finn Balor the Universal Title rematch he never received. Balor and Reigns put on a great match, but when it was all said and done, “The Big Dog” left Brooklyn with the title.

Discussion: What do you make of Balor defending Reigns? Let us know in the comments!

A SmackDown Live Superstar has had their challenge accepted for tonight’s show.

Earlier today in New York, Naomi made an appearance with her husband, Jimmy Uso, at a Tapout event. WWE filmed a video of Naomi for their Twitter account. In the video, Naomi issued out a challenge towards Peyton Royce:

.@NaomiWWE challenges Peyton Royce to a match TONIGHT on #SDLive from her @Tapout signing in #NYC! How do you respond @PeytonRoyceWWE?? @WWEUsos @TapoutFitness pic.twitter.com/pVKx9vlQMS

— WWE (@WWE) August 21, 2018

Royce responded to Naomi’s call-out on Twitter. The IIconic accepted the former SDL Women’s Champion’s challenge and vowed to embarrass her. Here’s her response:

https://twitter.com/PeytonRoyceWWE/status/1031959002593280000

Tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live goes down live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Also on tap for tonight’s SmackDown is an interview with WWE Champion AJ Styles.

He will explain his actions at SummerSlam, in which he attacked Samoa Joe during their match. Styles hit Joe with a steel chair and got himself disqualified.

Becky Lynch also has some explaining to do. She attacked her longtime best-friend Charlotte Flair after Flair won the SmackDown Live Women’s Title at SummerSlam. Flair bested Lynch and Carmella in a Triple Threat match for the strap.

It was initially believed to be a singles match between Lynch and Carmella, but Charlotte was inserted upon her return from injury.

Also, The New Day will challenge SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers, and Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy will open the show.

Discussion: What are you expecting from tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live? Let us know in the comments!

We have some more information on Brock Lesnar not appearing on RAW last night.

At SummerSlam over the weekend, Lesnar dropped the Universal Title to Roman Reigns. Before the match even started, Braun Strowman came out to the ring with his Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase. He warned he’d cash-in on the winner of the match afterwards.

In the middle of the match Lesnar became distracted by Strowman’s presence at ringside. He exited the ring and attacked Strowman with an F5, a beatdown with the MITB briefcase and a steel chair.

Upon entering the ring again, Reigns delivered a final Spear to put Lesnar down for the three count and the title. While it was expected that Lesnar would drop the title at SummerSlam, it was also expected he’d appear on RAW the next night.

Lesnar had been advertised for last night’s episode of RAW from the Barclays Center for the past several weeks:

JUST ANNOUNCED: @WWE Universal Champion @BrockLesnar will appear LIVE in Brooklyn for Monday Night RAW on 8/20! pic.twitter.com/ySJN29RFan

— Barclays Center (@barclayscenter) July 16, 2018

According to a report from PWInsider, Lesnar was not there at any point in the day as he flew home after SummerSlam ended on Sunday. There is currently no news on when Lesnar will return to WWE.

Lesnar’s UFC Return

It will likely happen after his expected return to the UFC. UFC President Dana White has announced Lesnar will challenge heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier for the title next.

Due to Lesnar’s past failed United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug tests, he must deliver six months worth of clean testing before being eligible to fight again. There was a segment on RAW last night with Paul Heyman pitching to Kurt Angle to allow Lesnar his rematch for the Universal Title at the Hell In A Cell (HIAC) PPV.

However, Angle shot that idea down and said it would be a long time before Lesnar gets his rematch. With Baron Corbin being appointed the new interim General Manager of RAW recently, however, that could change.

Discussion: What do you make of Lesnar missing RAW last night? When do you think he’ll get his rematch? And will he return before the year’s end? Sound off in the comments!

Monday’s post-SummerSlam edition of WWE RAW from Brooklyn, New York averaged 3.096 million viewers, up from 2.825 million the previous week. Here is the hourly viewership breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

• Hour 1: 3.110 million viewers
• Hour 2: 3.241 million viewers
• Hour 3: 2.936 million viewers

RAW was a stacked show featuring SummerSlam fallout, including appearances from new Universal Champion Roman Reigns and new RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey. Reigns battled Finn Balor in the main event, which culminated with Braun Strowman almost cashing in Money in the Bank and a surprise reunion of The Shield.

Also on the show, Ronda Rousey got physical with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H cut an in-ring promo hyping his upcoming match against The Undertaker at WWE Super Show-Down. Check out our 11 Takeaways from RAW (8.20).

RAW was the third most-watched show on cable television for the night behind MTV’s Video Music Awards (3.341 million viewers combined, based on the MTV and VH1 feeds) and Hannity on FOX News (3.237 million viewers).

Watch: Top 10 Moments from Monday’s RAW (8.20.18)

Chris Jericho believes match quality is overrated. To him, what sells a match or colors how it is perceived is the characters involved.

“I’m gonna go on record here,” Jericho said on a recent episode of his podcast. “Guess what guys? Great matches don’t matter. Here’s the secret to wrestling: personalities and character. That’s all that matters.”

Jericho expressed similar sentiment earlier this year during an appearance on Busted Open radio:

Chris Jericho on Dangerous Wrestling and Will Ospreay

Jericho would continue to use Will Ospreay as an example of what he means. Ospreay is often referred to as the next Dynamite Kid. In one respect, this is a compliment considering the success Tom Billington had. From another perspective, however, being the next Dynamite Kid could also mean a shortened career and limited mobility inlater life.

“People were predicting he’s gonna be the next Dynamite Kid,” Jericho said of Ospreay. “I called him on the phone and said, ‘dude you do not want to be the next Dynamite Kid. I want you to be around when you’re 47 just like me kicking ass. Stop doing stupid moves that don’t mean anything.'”

According to Jericho, he and Ospreay had a productive conversation and the popular junior heavyweight has toned down his style since.

Jericho also recalled the story of meeting Nick Bockwinkle at a TV taping in 1992. Bockwinkle, Jericho recalled, had a similar attitude to him that he now has given to Ospreay.

“I remember Nick Bockwinkle told me back in like 1992, at a TV taping in Winnipeg when he was there as a color commentator, ‘you do too much’.”

Braun Strowman Warns The Shield

As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center on the USA Network, The Shield (WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose) reunited. Ambrose and Rollins prevented Braun Strowman from cashing in his Money in the Bank title shot on Reigns following his win over Finn Balor.

After the match, Strowman took to his official Twitter account where he sent out the following warning to the group by writing, “I’ve destroyed you all by myself before. All three of you have started a war you can’t finish. That title is MINE!!! #BreakTheShield #Raw.”

https://twitter.com/BraunStrowman/status/1031745682217074688

NXT Events

On Monday, August 20, 2018), Triple H took to his official Twitter account to announce several upcoming NXT live events.

The black-and-yellow brand will do a three-day tour starting on Thursday, Oct. 11, at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. The other events take place at Landers Center in Southaven, Miss Friday, Oct. 12, and finishing up on Saturday, Oct. 13, when NXT makes its debut at the Owensboro Sportscenter in Owensboro, Ky.

NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, NXT Women’s Champion Kairi Sane, Undisputed ERA, Ricochet, Johnny Gargano, EC3, Velveteen Dream, Bianca Belair are all advertised for the show.

Tickets for the events go on sale at NXTtickets.com starting this Friday.

With #NXTTakeOver: Brooklyn behind us, @WWENXT #NXTRoadTrip hits:#NXTSaintCharles 10/11#NXTSouthaven 10/12#NXTOwensboro 10/13

Tickets are available THIS Friday at 10am local at https://t.co/pcQU3cSnfR. #WeAreNXT pic.twitter.com/o73Nb3PdsD

— Triple H (@TripleH) August 20, 2018

History will be made this weekend when WWE crowns the first-ever NXT Women’s Champion. The qualifying matches to determine the inaugural champion will take this Saturday and Sunday from Birmingham, United Kingdom at the NEC Birmingham.

The combatants battling to become the inaugural champion will include Toni Storm, Jinny, Isla Dawn, Millie McKenzie, Nina Samuels, Dakota Kai, Rhea Ripley and Xia Brookside.

It should be noted that WWE’s original announcement for October’s all-women’s Evolution pay-per-view advertised that the RAW, SmackDown, and NXT Women’s Titles would be defended at this show. The Nassau Coliseum website mentioned an NXT UK Women’s Title bout for the show, so we could see this new championship defended on October 28th.

WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven, Noam Dar, Mark Andrews, Zack Gibson, Toni Storm, Joe Coffey, Jinny, and Charlie Morgan are also advertised for this weekend’s tapings.

What are your thoughts on this title being introduced and potentially defended at the upcoming WWE Evolution pay-per-view event?

This weekend in Birmingham at the #NXTUK tapings, @WWEUK Champion @PeteDunneYxB & @Tyler_Bate will battle @m_coffey90 & @WolfgangYoung in tag team action, and you can get tickets NOW! https://t.co/W3YhaxNES9 pic.twitter.com/7CaMdr36Z5

— NXT UK (@NXTUK) August 21, 2018

Former WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss has opened up on how she found out that she would be facing a WWE Hall of Famer at the Evolution show.

Over the weekend, the company made it official by announcing that Bliss would take on Trish Stratus at the first-ever all-women’s Evolution pay-per-view event. WWE has released this video of Bliss talking about the match, which was recorded prior to her losing the RAW Women’s Title to Ronda Rousey at Sunday’s (August 19, 2018) WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view event in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center on the WWE Network.

“I found out like everyone else did on Twitter, Bliss said. She continued by stating that it was pretty cool and really exciting as she was surprised by it because she loves Stratus as she watched her growing up.

She added that she’s really excited to have this chance as she wasn’t able to compete in the Women’s Royal Rumble match in January at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.

The Evolution pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, October 28, 2018 in Long Island, New York at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and will air on the WWE Network.

What are your thoughts on this match? Sound off in the comment section.

Ring of Honor has announced the dates and locations for the Global Wars tour that kicks off later this year. The Baltimore-based promotion will be holding this annual tour with both ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling stars just like they have done in previous years.

The tour kicks off on November 7th in Lewiston, Maine, Androscoggin Bank Colisee and concludes on November 11th in Toronto, Ontario at Mattamy Athletic Centre.

As of this writing, the promotion has yet to reveal any talent for the shows but did note that they would be making announcements regarding talent and match announcements in the coming months as the tour gets closer through their official website and social media accounts. Here are the dates and locations:

November 7 – Lewiston, Maine, Androscoggin Bank Colisee

November 8 -Lowell, Massachusetts at Memorial Auditorium

November 9 – Buffalo, New York at Buffalo RiverWorks

November 11 – Toronto, Ontario at Mattamy Athletic Centre

What was announced was that the four shows will stream live on HonorClub. Tickets go on sale August 29 for HonorClub members, and August 31 for the general public. It was also mentioned that the “Global Wars events could play a significant role for both companies” heading into the co-promoted G1 Supercard event at Madison Square Garden in New York City on April 6, 2019.

#GlobalWars returns to North America!

Tickets on sale W 8/29 for #HonorClub & F 8/31 for general public!

W 11/7 — Lewiston, ME
Th 11/8 — Lowell, MA
F 11/9 — Buffalo, NY
Su 11/11 — Toronto, ON

More Info: https://t.co/FaLXgK4D5j / #ROHApp pic.twitter.com/BP2AtOwOkT

— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) August 20, 2018

In the meantime, the promotion is gearing up for their next big event. Ring of Honor is slated to hold their Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view event at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, September 28, 2018. The event will air on traditional PPV outlets and the FITE TV app. The promotion will be announcing more matches in the coming weeks.

WWE is back in the Barclay’s Center tonight for Smackdown and 205 Live. 4 matches have been booked for the two shows as well as several segments stemming from Sunday’s Summerslam.

Smackdown Preview 8/21

Smackdown Tag Team Championships
No Disqualification
The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs New Day

New Day defeated the Bludgeon Brothers on Sunday via disqualification. The match result means BB keep the titles but will have to defend them again tonight.

General Manager Paige has made this match a No DQ rules bout, meaning the mallet blows which caused a disqualification on Sunday are perfectly legal tonight.

Rowan is believed to have suffered a torn bicep on Sunday so his status for the match is unclear. Big E was the one who took the mallet shot on Sunday and is probably injured in storyline. Woods is also likely banged up after delivering a flying elbow drop from the top turnbuckle to the outside.

Jeff Hardy vs Randy Orton

Sunday at Summerslam, Randy Orton walked to the ring following Nakamura’s victory over Hardy. Then Orton just turned around and went to the back. Tonight Hardy and Orton will go one-on-one.

Orton resents Hardy for being a crowd favorite when he feels he should receive that level of respect from fans.

How Nakamura and his US title factor into things here remains unclear.

Becky Lynch Explains Her Actions

Becky Lynch attacked her longtime friend Charlotte Flair following the triple threat match for the Smackdown Women’s Championship at Summerslam. The match had originally been scheduled as Lynch versus Carmela one-on-one for the title. Flair was only added after returning to Smackdown recently.

Lynch’s bitterness towards her friend for inserting herself into the title match was evident. She took the opportunity to attack Flair after she had won the title and again yesterday at a house show event.

Tonight, Lynch will explain her actions for anyone who can’t understand them already.

AJ Styles Exclusive Interview

Samoa Joe defeated AJ styles via disqualification on Sunday night. Joe had gotten under the champion’s skin for repeatedly insinuating his family is upset he’s on the road so much.

Tonight, AJ will give an exclusive interview and answer questions regarding his actions from two nights ago. Samoa Joe will likely be on-hand and could demand another shot at the WWE Championship as well.

What’s Next For the Miz and Daniel Bryan?

The Miz will likely want to gloat about his victory over Daniel Bryan and promote his reality series tonight. Bryan was seething after his controversial loss to Miz on Sunday. Maryse passed Miz a foreign object during the match which he then used to defeat his rival.

205 Live 8/21

Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese vs the Lucha House Party

Workout buddies, Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese will form a tag-team tonight. They will take on Kalisto and Lince Dorado. The 3rd member of the Lucha House Party, Grand Metalik, has been dealing with Visa problems lately. He could be back tonight but he’s not scheduled for this match.

Noam Dar vs TJP

This will be the rubber match between these two. Noam Dar defeated TJP a few weeks ago in his return to the division. TJP evened the series between them just two weeks ago, however.

Tonight, either Dar or TJP move closer to a cruiserweight title shot and the other moves farther away from one.

During Sunday’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view, Luke Gallows announced on Twitter that he and fellow Superstar Nia Jax are dating. WWE broadcaster Renee Young congratulated the couple and wrestling fans seemed to relish at this romantic pairing.

It almost seemed too good to be true. The idea of Gallows being romantic. The possibility of his courtship unfolding on a future season of Total Divas.  Well, it now seems like we got worked and this whole love affair was a big ruse.

Just 24 hours after announcing that he was one half of WWE’s hottest new couple, Luke Gallows dropped a bombshell on Twitter. Citing the rigors of ‘high profile relationships,’ Gallows broke the news during Raw that his wild fling with Jax was just a #onedayrelationship.

The rigors of high profile relationships are grueling, it’s with a heavy heart that I have to announce that @NiaJaxWWE & I have mutually decided to part ways. Thank you for respecting our privacy during these trying times. #onedayrelationship #sadday

— “The Big LG” Doc Gallows (@The_BigLG) August 21, 2018

Nia Jax seems distraught and tweeted that she “cant handle” the situation right now.

I can’t handle this right now https://t.co/MUDbt5kfwS

— Lina Fanene (@LinaFanene) August 21, 2018

We’ll keep you posted if these two love birds ever link up again. You know how these volatile relationships can be.  Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Roman Reigns may have been trying to reestablish a competitive WWE Universal title scene during last night’s Raw, but that doesn’t mean SmackDown LIVE! has slowed down since SummerSlam.

At Monday night’s SmackDown live event from Atlantic City, Charlotte Flair successfully defended her SmackDown Women’s championship against former champ, Carmella. Post-match, however, she would be attacked from behind by an irate Becky Lynch.

Fans in attendance noted that although Becky Lynch was the heel during the altercation, the crowd cheered the onslaught doled out onto Charlotte Flair.

https://youtu.be/J3rM2DmXnhw

It’s not surprising to see the WWE Universe’s support for Becky continue after SummerSlam. On Sunday, she snapped after having a victory taken from her in the closing moments of the SmackDown Women’s championship triple threat match.

Becky Lynch, having locked in her finishing move, the Dis-arm-her, onto Carmella was seconds away from victory when Flair came from behind and executed the Natural Selection, pinning her friend for the three count.

Becky Balboa

Becky Lynch has been on a tear through the women’s division for months, picking up victories to prove her worth and clawing her way back to the top of the division.

Flair, who only recently returned from time away from the ring on July 31st, was immediately granted an opportunity into a championship match at SummerSlam, providing she could defeat Carmella. Which she did.

This development left Lynch bewildered, given the arduous journey she has been forced to undergo to obtain a spot against the champ.

With this as context, it is unsurprising for Becky to hold a simmering, subconscious grudge that finally boiled over this past Sunday.

Her mission was to earn herself an opportunity, to get herself back into the main event, and to win the title. What she didn’t count on was her best friend interjecting herself into the situation and taking that moment away from her.

Lass-Kicker Connection

The fact that WWE wants to try and sell this story from the other side is perplexing. It makes no narrative sense for Charlotte to be portrayed as the heroine.

The outcome, however, hasn’t connected in the way that the WWE hoped, with fans rallying behind Becky.

It will be interesting to see how the story develops, and where the WWE lean into from a character perspective.

This is a great opportunity to develop both characters and, if done right, Becky will be right back in the main event scene – assuming they don’t mimic the frenemies angle unfolding on Raw between Bayley and Sasha Banks.

As new details regarding the death of Brian Christopher are becoming known, what exactly happened is becoming less clear.

An affidavit filed last week is stating that inmate Danterriaus Jones committed identity fraud concerning Christopher’s information. Jones made several phone calls from prison using Christopher’s information before Christopher’s death. He used Christopher’s social security number which is required for outgoing prison phone calls. One of the calls is believed to have taken place on July 28th, the day before Christopher died.

Jones is believed to have called the Lawler family and said Brian had been assaulted and had a concussion. The next day when Christopher was being transported for medical care, Jones then called members of his own family.

Jones is being charged with identity theft but lawyers believe this is being done in an attempt to discredit potential future testimony from him. It is possible Jones would testify he was told to notify the Lawler family that Brian had been assaulted in prison the day before he died.

“If you’re skeptical, you might think that there’s a witness in the Hardeman County Jail that someone is attempting to discredit,” Lawler lawyer Ted Hamson said. “That’s one scenario that makes sense.”

The Lawler family has stated they doubt Christopher died via suicide. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is currently looking into the matter.

Private investigators have also raised concerns regarding the evidence in the case. The lack of ligature marks around the neck has been raised by experts.

Brian Christopher Death Investigation

In addition to attempting to contact the Lawler family, Jones did use Christopher’s identity to make calls to his own family, which is likely what is leading to the charge.

“At some point, Brian clearly gave this guy his PIN number,” Hansom continued. “He (Lawler) told him to call his family and let Jerry know what was going on. All that is consistent. After Brian was transported to the Med, this guy attempted to contact his own family to tell them what was going on. But again, nobody has complained about it.”

Pentagon and Fenix missed an indy event Friday night in California. The promoter who booked them for the show appears unsure about the reasons he was given for their last-minute cancellation.

Pro Wrestling Revolution was only able to notify fans a few hours before bell-time that neither Pentagon nor Fenix would be attending the show. PWR owner, Gabriel Ramirez, posted the following on the matter:

I really didn't want to have this happen, but it is what it is.

I am getting texts, and DM about Pentagón 0M and why he was not at Pro Wrestling Revolution – King City, August 18thand asking if he is was or ever was… https://t.co/1NyeYQqsyR

— PWRevolution (@PWRevolution) August 20, 2018

“Pentagón 0M told me he hurt is back in Naucalpa,” Ramirez wrote on Facebook. “When we spoke he was at a chiropractor getting adjusted and then called me to tell me that the doctor told him he needed to rest his body for 4 days.”

Ramirez then said he offered to pay Pentagon to come to the event and not wrestle but Pentagon said the flight would be too much on his back. He continued to say Pentagon sent him a clip from the match where he was injured which can be viewed through this link.

It is being said that both brothers then wrestled a match in Mexico Sunday night but I can’t find an official record of this match.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwyKhrgDCw0&frags=pl%2Cwn

Did The Lucha Bros No-Show An Event on Friday Night?

News that the Lucha Bros may have skipped out on a booking comes on the heels of rumors the brothers could be jumping ship to WWE in 2019. The Lucha Bros have told promoters that dates which they had previously committed to in 2019 are now in question.

As it concerns their status with Major League Wrestling, the brothers were pulled from an upcoming October event amid the rumors. In terms of their Lucha Underground contracts, the brothers are believed to be able to opt-out after the current season finishes airing. Their relationship with Impact Wrestling appears unaffected by the rumors, however. The brothers are booked for a key match at Bound for Glory and played a big role in the tapings held last week.

There’s one man that is immediately synonymous with the city that ‘All In’ will be broadcasting from come September 1st. Chicago, for many wrestling fans, equals CM Punk.

Punk is scheduled for a meet and greet appearance the day before the show, in association with the ‘All In’ event, but has not been announced as an actual participant for the event despite being made a “real offer” to compete.

“Mythical” Punk

During a recent interview with WrestlingInc, Cody Rhodes spoke about Punk’s “mythical” presence and what he would bring to All In.

“Yes, I mean I talked to [Punk] just vaguely,” Rhodes said. “He even at one point said ‘nobody’s asked me — hey here’s how much we’ll pay you and here’s who you’ll wrestle.’

He went on to say, “Matt [Jackson] actually made a full offer or full pitch for his services and I think Punk is focused on the Mixed Martial Arts element of his career. One of the reasons we didn’t first come out and say, ‘here’s who we want you to wrestle,’ because I think we just wanted him to be a part of the event for a lot of fans, he’s captured their imagination even with the amount of time he’s been gone. He has a mythical presence to them. I thought it would be good for him to connect with them, but that’s me, you know?”

“Nobody owns Punk but Punk,” Cody remarked, “so if he wants to do Mixed Martial Arts, go for it. He was always very nice to me and helpful to me in OVW. I always looked at ‘All In’ with the perspective that it’s about the present and future of the industry and not really about cheap pops, even though I’m sure they’ll be plenty of those on the show. Matt had reached out to [Punk] and made him a real offer. I think Punk is set on not being part of it.”

So, you could say, that Punk was only partially in? CM Punk is currently signed to the UFC, where he has a record of 0-2.

For more information, visit our All In news page. 

‘All In’ is just a week and change away at this point in time, and things are starting to heat up, with every competitor involved across the eclectic card doing all they can to hype their matchups at every opportunity.

‘Arrow’ star, Stephen Amell, and ‘The Fallen Angel’ Christopher Daniels, are two men in particular who are using social media and the reach of the astoundingly popular web series, Being The Elite, to great effect, allowing their bout to gain traction in places that professional wrestling may not normally garner attention.

Amell recently took to Twitter to highlight the training regime that he has undergone for the match:

https://twitter.com/StephenAmell/status/1029963365441921024

In Being The Elite, episode #116, Christopher Daniels responded, cutting a captivating, single take promo from the back of the Ring Of Honor tour bus during the recent Honor ReUnited tour.

He compares the acting careers between himself and Amell, as well as their in-ring experience, before capping it off with an emphatic statement, claiming when it is all done, Christopher Daniels will lean over him and, in a clear voice, say:

“Stephen, you have failed this city. Fade to black. The end. Roll credits.”

Shots Fired

It didn’t take long for Amell to harness his social media presence to fire back:

https://twitter.com/StephenAmell/status/1031710761054158848

When speaking about this match previously, Christopher Daniels has had this to say:

“It is a different style match for me. It’s a challenge,” he said. “I feel like I’ve prided myself on being able to adapt to the strengths and weaknesses of any opponent I’ve been able to face. Stephen in terms of wrestling specifically, he is very untrained. But he is an accomplished athlete and a fan growing up.”

He continues, “That basically lends itself to an easier time for me than when WCW did it with Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone or Jay Leno. Stephen Amell is probably the best pure athlete and wrestling fan that has ever dabbled in professional wrestling. I challenge anyone to find someone better suited for it than him. I’m going into this with a lot of expectations. I think it’s going to surprise people how well it’s going to go.”

The star of ‘Arrow’ first appeared in a bout at Summerslam 2015 alongside Neville against Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes (then Stardust). Amell also performed as part of the Bullet Club in a match against Flip Gordon, Scorpio Sky & The Addiction last November’s during ROH Survival of The Fittest PPV.

‘All In’ will be live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, September 1st.

• NWA World Heavyweight Championship: (C) Nick Aldis vs. Cody Rhodes
• ROH World Championship: (C) Jay Lethal vs. TBD (Winner of The Over Budget Battle Royale)
• Kazuchika Okada vs. Marty Scurll
• Adam Page vs. Joey Janela
• Rey Mysterio, Bandido and Fenix vs. The Young Bucks and Kota Ibushi
• Stephen Amell vs. Christopher Daniels
• Madison Rayne vs. Tessa Blanchard vs. Britt Baker vs. Chelsea Green

All In: Zero Hour Pre-Show

• The Over Budget Battle Royale (Winner will face Jay Lethal for ROH Title): Jordynne Grace, Moose, Rocky Romero, Colt Cabana, Ethan Page, and TBA
• The Briscoes vs. Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky

General Manager Paige has announced a number of interesting matches and segments for the special ‘SummerSlam follow up’ episode of SmackDown Live.

The first segment which has been announced for the show will see the WWE Champion AJ Styles apologizing for his actions during his SummerSlam match with Samoa Joe.

A #NoDQ championship rematch, a highly-anticipated battle, an exclusive interview, AND an explanation…

It will ALL go down on #SDLive TOMORROW NIGHT at 8/7c on @USA_Network! pic.twitter.com/gUMUJCwPwa

— WWE (@WWE) August 21, 2018

The second segment will see the Inaugural SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch explaining why she attacked Charlotte Flair after their triple threat match at the PPV.

When it comes to matches, Jeff Hardy has been announced to face the former World Champion Randy Orton in the opening bout of the night.

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/1031732996880191491?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

However, the most interesting announcement coming from the General Manager is the announcement of a SummerSlam rematch for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.

The Championship match will see the New Day challenging the title holders Bludgeon Brothers and it’s going to be a No Disqualification bout.

What’s worth mentioning here is that Erick Rowan of the Bludgeon Brothers reportedly suffered an injury during his SummerSlam match and he didn’t appear on the SmackDown Live event the night after.

With the announced title bout, a lot of people are speculating that WWE could be planning a title change to give the former Wyatt Family member some time off.

Though whether these speculations turn out to be true will only be revealed this Tuesday night on SmackDown Live and we’ll have to tune in to the show to find out.

For the surprise of many, the trio of Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins collectively known as the Shield reunited on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

Roman had just defeated Finn Balor in a one on one match and as the Universal Champion was trying to get up on his feet after the bout, Braun Strowman entered the arena.

Braun laid out Reigns with a big boot and afterward, made his intentions of cashing in his Money In The Bank contract clear by handing out the briefcase to the referee.

However, before the bell rang, Ambrose and Rollins came out to the aid of Roman and the trio then went on to attack Strowman.

The segment ended with The Shield delivering a triple powerbomb to the former Wyatt Family member and then celebrating at the ringside with their signature Pose.

After the show went off air, WWE posted the following video where Shield is shown to continue their celebration as they make their way back to the stage and Braun Strowman is trying to recover from the attack:

No word yet on what we can expect from the Shield reunion or where this storyline will lead us but we’ll keep you posted.