Ember Moon recently talked with TV INSIDER about Thursday’s Tribute To The Troops special that will air on the USA Network this week among other topics including the growth of the WWE women’s division.
This is where she stated that once she decided it was time to join WWE, part of the factor in her decision came down to things changing as women started stealing the show with every opportunity they have and the upward swing of momentum for women taking advantage every time they get into the ring. They want to inspire fans.
The former NXT Women’s Champion continued by stating that there a lot of women on the indy scene ho have been wrestling forever and how they were told they would never be in WWE. However, that has changed.
Moon brought up the WWE Evolution pay-per-view event where she was quoted by stating, “It was absolutely phenomenal. I’m getting goosebumps talking about it because it’s such an amazing time to be a woman in wrestling…We had a ladies’ night at Evolution and told all the guys to follow that. Going from that and TLC and knowing we are going into another Royal Rumble, it’s all about baby steps getting to that first women’s main event at WrestleMania.”
The WWE star also talked about being called up after a successful run in NXT to make her main debut on Monday Night RAW on the April 9, 2018 episode, which was the night after WrestleMania 34 and how she feels her first year on the main roster has gone.
“I think one of my favorite things is being in Money in the Bank this year. I didn’t win, but it was always something I’ve wanted to do,” she said. “It was awesome because it was my first Pay-Per-View being on Raw. I feel like there are so many more things I want to do here and more people I want to wrestle. I got to team with Ronda Rousey. I got to work with Alexa Bliss … It’s been a long ride, but I feel it has gone by way too fast. There are too many moments. I can sit here and talk about them forever.”
Jim Ross has made headlines recently with his thoughts on WWE’s creative team, and the perception that the Raw brand is without a top babyface. On a recent episode of the Jim Ross Report podcast, JR says that if given the chance, Seth Rollins could very well be the breakout babyface that the company desperately needs.
However, Ross is quick to point out that no matter how good his work is, Rollins will need the full weight of a push to solidify him.
“Rollins is really good. He’s better than really good. He’s great. Seth Rollins is a great wrestler,” Ross said. “Rollins could be ‘The Guy’ there. But it’s going to take a combined effort, including by him.”
“When the company makes a firm commitment to get behind him at every turn in the road, so they’ve got their next Cena on site, then we’ll see Seth continue to go up the ladder and finally reside in that promised land of legitimate, Wrestlemania-level, year-in, year-out main eventers.”
Jim Ross On Seth Rollins’s Push
Ross adds that he does not see the WWE currently pushing Rollins to that level.
“I can tell you, there’s fundamental issues with their lack of judgment or continuity,” Ross said. “I don’t feel the commitment that Rollins is our next guy.”
Ross goes on to speculate as to why that might be. “Are they just waiting for Roman Reigns to come back after he’s kicked leukemia’s ass? Are they just waiting for Braun Strowman to get back in the picture?”
Regardless of the thought process, Ross believes that Rollins deserves the chance to prove himself. “I think the thing to do is to give this guy the chance to be The Guy.”
Do you agree with JR? Could Seth Rollins be The Guy?
When quoting this transcript, please credit SEScoops.com. This transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Charly Caruso appeared as a guest on a recent episode of Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia, and discussed her journey to WWE. During their conversation, Caruso also opened up about her new role with ESPN, as well as her personal life.
Her path to WWE began with a trip to Smackdown in her hometown of Indianapolis. “I was with a friend of mine who was a huge WWE fan, and he had backstage passes,” she said.
She had some familiarity with wrestling, and describes herself as something of a lapsed fan. “Growing up, I was really into it. For a couple year span, at the height of the attitude era, I loved it.”
After working as a journalist in West Virginia and Indiana, she was between jobs at the time. When she spotted WWE’s head of talent relations Mark Carrano, Caruso saw an opportunity.
“I recognized him from Total Divas,” she said. “So, I just approached him. I was like ‘Hey, I’m a sports broadcaster, can I pass along my reel?’ I heard nothing for a couple of months, so I reached out to him again,” she said.
“He asked me to resend it, he saw it, and passed it along to Michael Cole. From there, he told me they wanted me to come in and audition.”
She aced the audition, but had already verbally committed to a job as a sports anchor in Washington. She backtracked, and chose to go to WWE. “I totally made the right choice,” she said.
Charly Caruso’s Personal Life
With a busy career and a crazy travel schedule, Caruso says that finding time for a relationship is not always easy, particularly being based in New York.
“Trying to date now, in this era, especially in New York City, is a trip,” she said. “We’re all so focused on ourselves. We’re career-driven. We’re trying to get where we want to be, so relationships take a back seat.”
Her ESPN Role
While maintaining her position with WWE, Caruso took on another job with ESPN this year.
“Right now, I’m just a part-time employee,” she said. “Depending on the week, I’m usually off from WWE on Thursday and Friday and the weekends, so there’s some time in there.”
Caruso says that the opportunity to add another high-profile job has made her incredibly busy, but that she relishes the chance to get back to her sports roots.
“I’ve been talking with ESPN for a while now,” she said. “Sports is my background, they had a need, and the stars just kind of aligned. The two jobs go hand in hand so perfectly.”
She stopped short of saying that a full-time job with ESPN is her ultimate career goal, but she certainly is open to the idea.
“Who knows? I could one day be hosting a show on the Travel channel. Whatever opportunities I’m presented with, I’ll definitely evaluate. But as for right now, if I can keep up with doing WWE and ESPN, this is, right now, the perfect scenario for me.”
Caruso also discusses growing up with divorced parents, studying abroad, and growing up as an athlete. You can check out the full interview below.
When quoting this transcript, please credit SEScoops.com. This transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.
As head of talent relations, Jim Ross and his team were responsible for signing John Cena to WWE nearly two decades ago. Now, Cena’s transition to Hollywood is in full effect with Bumblebee set to open next week.
On a recent edition of The Jim Ross Report podcast, JR comments on Cena’s starring role in the Bumblebee film, and his success both in Hollywood and wrestling. “He has really found himself in that world,” Ross said. “I’m so proud of him.”
That hardly comes as a surprise to Ross, who says that Cena’s work ethic is one of a kind.
“I don’t think our team ever signed anybody that was as relentless with their work ethic as John Cena,” Ross said.
“And as the years went on, that work ethic was unrelenting. It never slowed down. He is as dedicated now to the things he’s involved in as he physically or mentally could be.”
John Cena’s WWE Return
Cena is set to return to WWE with a series of live event appearances later this month, and Ross says that Cena’s return to WWE television is not far off.
“John will be back on Raw on January 7,” Ross said. “It will be very interesting how he’s positioned on that show…”
“They need a hero on that show, really, really bad. An over star… His presence is sorely needed right now.”
When quoting this transcript, please credit SEScoops.com. This transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.
The McMahon Family opened up last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW from the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. WWE advertised Vince McMahon’s return to RAW to shake things up on Monday nights. He was joined by Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, and Shane McMahon. They announced that they’d all be taking control of RAW and SmackDown Live.
All four admitted that they have not been doing their job at giving fans the best entertainment possible. In turn, there will be new things coming to WWE, which include new Superstars (NXT call-ups). The news certainly came as a surprise to Paige, who is currently the General Manager of SmackDown Live. She took to Twitter to react to the news shortly after the announcement:
Paige is currently medically barred from competing as an in-ring talent for WWE due to injury. She has been working as the General Manager of Tuesday nights to maintain a regular role on WWE TV. It’s unclear what impact the new direction WWE will be taking has on Paige’s role. As it stands, Monday Night RAW does not have a General Manager, as the McMahons are in control for the time being.
What do you think this all means for Paige’s role as SmackDown Live GM going forward?
Posted December 18th, 2018 in News, WWE. Tagged: Paige.
New Japan Pro Wrestling were recently featured in Japan’s largest English language newspaper publication. The Japan Times ran an article looking at the ongoing of New Japan in recent years. Several stars of the promotion were interviewed including Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Tanahashi discussed several on point topics, most notably the recent ‘defections’ to the West and WWE. The article mentions that New Japan are the ‘number 2’ promotion in the world. The article also states that NJPW “often struggles to retain its top stars. With defections to World Wrestling Entertainment an appealing option for up-and-coming wrestlers.” Tanahashi mentioned when asked about the recent moves that “If a wrestler or two leaves, there’s tons of others that are looking to fill the spots available. It’s been this way from the beginning, so there’s little point worrying about it.”
Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Hangman Page soon likely leaving the independent scene. There are huge opportunities for up and coming talent. New Japan has seen the recent rise of the likes of Juice Robinson, Jay White and the newer young lions like Shota Umino and Toa Henare. We have posted several reports this year on the success of New Japan’s move into more western territories. There are also recent reports that New Japan are looking to bring back some formerly featured stars such as Shinsuke Nakamura, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows.
WWE fans in attendance for last night’s Monday Night RAW got to see a lot of wrestling. Monday Night RAW broadcasted live, as usual, yesterday from the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California on USA Network. However, once the show went off-air, WWE taped next week’s episode of RAW due to the holidays.
Tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live will be the same, with next week’s episode being filmed afterward as well. Last night, those at the Golden 1 Center had over six hours of professional wrestling to take in. It’s no surprise that not all fans were able to sit through it all. In fact, Wrestling Inc. is reporting that fans began to leave around the main event of next week’s episode taping.
That match was between Seth Rollins and Baron Corbin. Of course, this is understandable considering it was a weeknight and fans had school and work the next day. For next week’s RAW spoilers, click here.
What do you think about WWE taping back-to-back RAWs last night?
Earlier this year, Hiroshi Tanahashi voiced his criticism of Kenny Omega’s in-ring style. The G1 Climax 28 winner said that only the last 5 minutes of a Kenny Omega match matter because there is no story to them.
He said Omega’s matches are “like watching a movie with no Kishotenketsu (dramatic arc of traditional Japanese narratives).”
Omega recently responded in an interview with Rolling Stone Japan. NJPW commentator, Chris Charlton, provided the translation.
“To suggest that mine is a style that isn’t New Japan is a big problem,” Omega said. “It’s saying Tanahashi’s style, the style that presents himself as the ace, is the only style that’s correct.”
Omega then takes a shot at his Wrestling Kingdom 13 challenger.
“I absolutely understand and respect that Tanahashi did so much to pull NJPW out of the dark ages,” Omega continued. “Recently, the ones that have brought us to this awesome level have been Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, and of course, the best bout machine, Kenny Omega.”
Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship Reign
Omega defeated Kazuchika Okada to win the title in a best 2-of-3 falls, no time-limit match in Osaka, Japan on June 6th, 2018. He followed up the win at NJPW Dominion by defeating Cody in his first title defense at the G1 Special in San Francisco. Omega then defeated rival, Tomohiro Ishii, at Destruction in Hiroshima in September. In his latest defense, he defeated Cody and Kota Ibushi in a triple threat match at King of Pro Wrestling.
On yesterday’s episode of Monday Night RAW, the show was opened up by an announcement from The McMahon Family. Triple H, Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, and Shane McMahon all shared the ring. The four said that changes would be coming to WWE and deemed the WWE Universe the new “Authority.”
Those changes previously mentioned will include new Superstars. That can only mean NXT call-ups. While NXT star Lars Sullivan has been teased to make his main roster debut for weeks now, several more names recently joined him. WWE is now advertising EC3, Heavy Machinery, Lacey Evens, and Nikki Cross to join the main roster soon.
These NXT stars took to Twitter during the show to react to the news. Here’s what they had to say:
“My brother @WWEDozovic and I have been living the #STEAKSandWEIGHTS life together for 2 and half years. We formed the unit #HeavyMachinery and the goal for us was always #Raw or #SmackDown. The Blue Collar Boys are hungry and we’re coming to eat!”
“Where oh where will Nikki go?! Hehe or haha? Red or blue? Blue or red? Big blue sky or shiny red red gem? To a galaxy or a universe hehehe haha follow the yellow brick road OH MY”
The NWA has booked David Arquette to appear on their pop-up event on January 5th in Clarksville, TN. NWA World Champion, Nick Aldis, is scheduled to defend his title against James Storm at the event.
We are pleased to announce that @DavidArquette will be appearing and wrestling at #NWAPopUp on January 5, 2019 in Clarksville, TN.
The announcement specifically mentions Arquette will be wrestling at the event. NWA regular, Jocephus, later replied “This is very interesting. I have an idea…”, indicating he’d be interested in facing Arquette.
Arquette’s booking has evidently led to his detractors voicing their criticism. He responded to them in a series of Tweets.
“I love all the hate I’m getting here. It baffles me that these people can love wrestling just like I do but I’m a joke in their eyes. That’s why I’m doing what I’m doing. 8 months of training. Two surgeries, 3 broken ribs, traveling across the US, getting…”
His Tweets continued:
“Stiffed by promoters, helping shine a light on talent I believe in that aren’t getting recognized, doing little things I won’t mention to give back to both wrestling and individual wrestlers and I’m the asshole? Wrestling is for the people and by the people…”
“I may have grown up in Hollywood but I’m not some stuck up punk. I had and opportunity to be a part of WCW when I was in my 20’s to travel with some of my heroes in the ring and I took it. I’m done apologizing. Now I just want to kick some ass so any of you bitches have a…”
“Problem with me I’ll see you in Tennessee or wherever I’m wrestling and we can settle it like men.”
NWA Pop Up Event
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Nick Aldis (c) vs James Storm
NWA Women’s World Heavyweight Championship
Jazz (c) vs Allie
NWA National Heavyweight Championship
Willie Mack (c) vs Matt Cross
WWE has confirmed a segment for tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live. It will be the blue brand’s first show since this past weekend’s Tables Ladders and Chairs (TLC) pay-per-view (PPV). At the event, Asuka captured the SDL Women’s Title from Becky Lynch. “The Empress Of Tomorrow” won the first-ever Women’s TLC match against Lynch and Charlotte Flair.
Their bout main evented the PPV. Towards the end of the match, RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey came out to the ring and tipped over a ladder holding Lynch and Flair. This was likely in retaliation for Flair beating down Rousey after their match at Survivor Series. Rousey has also been bickering with Lynch on social media for the past several weeks. The interference allowed Asuka to climb the ladder and retrieve the SDL Women’s Title.
Now, Asuka will have a “coronation” segment on tonight’s episode of SDL to celebrate her victory. WWE made the announcement official on their Twitter page earlier this morning:
It’s likely that Flair and Lynch also address Rousey’s interference in their match over the weekend as well. A match involving the three has been rumored for quite some time now, and could happen as soon as WrestleMania 35 in New Jersey.
What did you think of Asuka’s SDL Women’s Title win over the weekend?
Posted December 18th, 2018 in News, WWE. Tagged: Asuka.
Lars Sullivan decided to have some fun at the expense of Shane McMahon when he pointed out how much the son of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was sweating during the opening segment of this week’s RAW for the McMahon family segment with Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H.
Shane did his entrance during the segment and which includes him dancing all the way to the ring. WWE has already confirmed that Sullivan will be included in the batch of several WWE NXT stars who are making their way up to the main roster.
Sullivan wrote, “What a beautiful family moment to kick off #raw. You think Shane sweats a lot? Wait until you see this FREAK of nature. LARS SULLIVAN is coming very soon. I look forward to introducing you all to my brand of belligerence. :)”
Former WWE RAW Women’s Champion Nia Jax was absent from not only this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW but also the taping for next week’s show that was taped from Sacramento, CA.
A fan brought this up on Twitter which led to Jax responding by writing, “Yup!!! At least you know the drill mama needs some R&R. Keep tweeting about it, it’ll get you nowhere, but I’m surrrre it’ll make you feel better.”
WWE Shares Dark Segment Footage With McMahon Family
WWE has released footage of the dark segment featuring Vince McMahon, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Shane McMahon alongside Baron Corbin. If you recall, the opening promo was split into two different segments.
After the first segment, WWE cut to a commercial break where the McMahon family promised a “fresh start” for both RAW and SmackDown Live. This is when Corbin interrupted them. In the break, Corbin brought up how the ratings have been down and the fans being vocal through the power of social media. WWE’s YouTube channel posted the footage of this segment here:
Confirmed Matches For Next Week’s RAW
WWE has announced several matches for next week’s episode of RAW on the USA Network, which was taped on Monday night and will air as part of the Christmas Eve edition of the show. You can read the full spoilers for the show here.Here are the matches:
RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Natalya
Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor vs. Dolph Ziggler in a Triple Threat Match
Elias vs. Bobby Lashley in a Miracle on 34th Street Fight
Tonight’s episode of Smackdown will emanate from the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Smackdown is under new management as well. Last night on Raw, the McMahon family announced they will be taking control of both Raw and Smackdown.
Smackdown General Manager, Paige, reacted to the news:
On Sunday, Asuka climbed the ladder and grabbed the Smackdown Women’s Championship title. Tonight on Smackdown, the era of Asuka begins. Will there be someone from the Smackdown women’s division who wants to end her title reign quickly, however? We could find out more about what is in store for Asuka and her title reign as we head towards the Royal Rumble tonight.
Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair Respond To Ronda Rousey’s Actions On Sunday
Ronda Rousey cost both Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair the Smackdown Women’s title on Sunday. While it’s not yet clear what will be in store for that two former friends as WWE heads into the Royal Rumble, tonight both will respond to Rousey’s actions from Sunday.
Will Daniel Bryan Introduce A New Strap For The WWE Championship?
Daniel Bryan promised that if he could defeat AJ styles at TLC on Sunday that he would replace the strap on the WWE championship. According to Bryan, he wants to introduce a new sustainable strap. Bryan evidently realized on Sunday the strap for the title is made of leather and leather comes from cows which create methane and contribute to global warming when mass-bred through factory farming.
Will Bryan follow through on his promise? If so, what will the strap be made out of? Will he mistakenly refer to it as a belt? We could find out the answers to these questions tonight on Smackdown.
Who Will Be Next For The Bar?
The Bar defeated arguably two of the best teams in WWE history on Sunday. In a triple threat match, they defeated both New Day and the Usos. Just like that, new title contenders will need to be determined in the Smackdown tag team division. We could find out tonight what is next in store for Sheamus and Cesaro tonight.
Sami Zayn is on his way back to WWE according to a hype video which aired last night on Raw. Zayn has been on the shelf since June. He underwent double-shoulder surgery this summer and was estimated to be out for 8 months.
Based on the video which aired last night, however, Zayn’s return could be coming sooner than originally expected. He posted the following to Twitter in response to his pending return:
During this time off, I've been working on becoming a better person, and letting go of a lot of toxic elements that come with egotism & ambition.
But I just watched that teaser for my return on #Raw and remembered how good I am at pro wrestling. I actually forgot how great I am.
“During this time off, I’ve been working on becoming a better person, and letting go of a lot of toxic elements that come with egotism & ambition. But I just watched that teaser for my return on #Raw and remembered how good I am at pro wrestling. I actually forgot how great I am.”
Zayn had been dealing with shoulder problems for some time when it was finally decided this summer he’d take time off to deal with it.
“I was apprehensive [at WWE Money in the Bank], but it was still manageable,” Zayn explained to Sports Illustrated this summer. “It’s just so weird how you get so used to what we do: I could go in there and wrestle main events on Live Events for 25-30 minutes, but I couldn’t really get the sheets off me in bed. It’s weird how that works. Your body just adapts. And I guess my body’s used to being in the ring and that kind of punishment.”
Big Cass and Enzo Amore were both released from WWE this year. Cass had been with the company since 2011. Enzo joined the following year in 2012. Their team was split up in 2017 and evidently, their friendship also ended shortly after.
The once-popular tag-team has reconciled, however. Enzo posted the following to his Instagram account recently:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrgR4QPF8eC/
Cass can’t be seen in the video but it’s pretty clear it’s his voice.
Big Cass Suffers A Seizure/ Enzo Responds
Cass suffered a medical event at a House of Hardcore event last week. It was his second booking with Tommy Dreamer’s promotion. Cass suffered a seizure during intermission and was taken to a local hospital. Dreamer let the fans know during the show that he’d been with Cass all day and the seizure wasn’t due to any illicit drugs.
After news of Cass’ seizure spread, Enzo posted the following:
Enzo has said he will never wrestle again, choosing instead to focus on a rap career. Cass has appeared on other independent shows in addition to his bookings with Dreamer’s House of Hardcore promotion. There would likely be quite a few indy promotions who would book the tag-team if they decided to reunite.
Posted December 18th, 2018 in News. Tagged: Big Cass.
Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) will be hosting their final event of the year this Sunday at The Garage in Glasgow, Scotland. Brush Another Goose is already shaping up and there are some top bouts confirmed. ICW Fight Club will be running monthly throughout 2019 with shows planned at The Garage, their next big PPV event will be the annual Square Go! on February 24th.
Here’s the full card for the event this Sunday:
Kenny Williams vs Wolfgang
Viper vs Little Miss Roxxy
Joe Coffey vs Liam Thomson
Joe Hendry vs BT Gunn
ICW Tag Team Championship Match – P.O.D vs Kinky Party
Aaron Echo vs Kez Evans
Mark Coffey will be in Action
ICW World Heavyweight Champion Lionheart will be in action
ICW recently held their biggest event of the year in Fear & Loathing XI. The card featured some top international names including 205 Live’s Noam Dar, NXT UK’s Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven and James Storm. You can check out the full results for that show here.
PROGRESS has announced that the new EVOLVE Champion will be heading to the UK next year. Austin Theory will be taking part in the March 9th/10th weekender in Birmingham, England. Chapter 85: Progro.Naut will be taking place on Saturday 9th and Chapter 86: Corrupted Harmony on Sunday 10th.
Theory became the new EVOLVE Champion at last weekend’s EVOLVE 117 event. Austin defeated both Fabian Aichner and Roderick Strong to win the belt. Theory pinned Aichner after hitting the Ataxia. after the match Theory took the microphone and declared that “EVOLVE is Theory.” The new champion also fired Priscilla Kelly as his manager. Darby Allin appeared and brawled with Theory until he escaped to the back.
The working relationship between WWE and EVOLVE has long been publicised. WWE’s ties to PROGRESS are also now more in the limelight than ever before, with PROGRESS co-owner Jim Smallman apparently being groomed to run the NXT UK territory. Theory heading over to the UK might well be an opportunity to get him working with NXT UK Superstars and get more seasoning before moving up to NXT in either North American or the United Kingdom.
[livelist button-title=”You Have Updates Available” max-per-page=”10″][live id=”nk51bh” data-sort-time=”1545106712885″]The December 24th edition of WWE RAW was taped on the night of the 17th at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. [/live]
[live id=”wwtlu” data-sort-time=”1545106725487″]- RAW will kick off with a 34th Street Fight between Elias and Bobby Lashley. Elias comes out and plays a Christmas-themed song insulting Lashley and Lio Rush. Lashley comes out to interrupt, and our opening bout gets underway. [/live]
[live id=”swyuq2″ data-sort-time=”1545107333866″]- Elias def. Bobby Lashley: During the match, Lashley opens a present and dumps Lego bricks all over the mat. Lashley goes to throw Elias on to the Lego, but Elias reverses and slams Lashley on to them. Elias takes a violin out of a box and smashes it on Lashley for the win. Elias pours egg nog on Lio Rush after the match.[/live]
[live id=”xesywi” data-sort-time=”1545108527459″]- Bobby Roode & Chad Gable (c) def. The Revival: This one was for the RAW Tag Titles. The Champions retained with roll-up pin, in a match that got good reviews from fans in attendance. [/live]
[live id=”cwtzm” data-sort-time=”1545109834216″]- Drew McIntyre does an interview saying he intends to win the Royal Rumble.
– Finn Balor def. Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre: Finn won this three-way dance with the Coup De Grace on Ziggler. After the match, McIntyre gets back in the ring, but Ziggler gives him the Zig Zag.
[/live]
[live id=”9xczcx” data-sort-time=”1545109847945″]- Sasha Banks, Ember Moon, & Bayley def. Alicia Fox, Dana Brooke, & Mickie James: After the match, The Riott Squad attacks the winners.[/live]
[live id=”odjbo6″ data-sort-time=”1545110922543″]- Paul Heyman comes out to the ring and gets on the mic. Heyman talks about his client Brock Lesnar, and then he sings a Christmas carol about Lesnar beating Braun Strowman at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Braun Strowman comes out to interrupt. Braun doesn’t have the sling on his shoulder anymore, and he talks some trash to Heyman about what he’s going to do to Lesnar, before sending Heyman away. [/live]
[live id=”pfholm” data-sort-time=”1545111599271″]- Ronda Rousey def. Natalya: Ronda retained her RAW Women’s Title in this one with the arm bar.[/live]
[live id=”msijkb” data-sort-time=”1545111808206″]- Heath Slater def. Jinder Mahal: Rhyno runs in wearing a Santa costume and hits the Gore on Jinder. [/live]
[live id=”38tc3″ data-sort-time=”1545112952350″]- Seth Rollins def. Baron Corbin: Rollins scores the win with the curb stomp. Fan reports noted that some in attendance started leaving before the end of the show, as it has been a long day at the Golden 1 Center for fans with two RAW tapings back to back. [/live]
The December 17th episode of WWE RAW aired live from the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
The McMahons Are Taking Back RAW & SmackDown
Vince McMahon kicked off this week’s episode of RAW. Vince noted that RAW has been on the air for 25 years and the reason for their success is that they have changed with the times. McMahon admitted that he cannot do it all himself anymore and introduced Commissioner Stephanie McMahon down to the ring.
COO Triple H joined the party and shared a hug with Vince and Stephanie. SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon then came down to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. Stephanie told the crowd that they have been doing a terrible job at listening to their audience.
Stephanie claimed that they are off to a fresh start. Triple H announced that the four of them will be taking back WWE RAW. Shane said that the same goes for SmackDown and that they are going to empower their Superstars. Triple H claimed that they were going to give the fans what they want. Triple H stated that the crowd was now “The Authority”.
I’m skeptical that they will actually change the show but we will see how this goes. I’m not interested in seeing more of the McMahons on RAW or SmackDown at all. At the end of the day, this was just 20-minutes of empty promises with very little detail on how RAW and SmackDown are actually going to change going forward.
The New Era Of RAW Began With The Same Thing We Saw Last Night
Baron Corbin interrupted The McMahons and the crowd booed every single time he tried to speak. Corbin claimed that he should still be the permanent GM of RAW. Triple H said that Corbin can become the RAW GM if he defeats Kurt Angle right now. Stephanie announced that Heath Slater will be the special referee for the match.
Corbin controlled the match early but Triple H announced that it was now a Handicap match. Gable, Roode, and Crews came down to the ring and beat the hell out of Corbin. Heath Slater removed the padding from the turnbuckle as Shane McMahon interrupted. Shane announced that this match was now No DQ. Everyone then beat the hell out Corbin with chairs and then Kurt hit the Angle Slam for the pinfall victory.
Triple H stated at the beginning of the show that fans will now see new superstars and new matchups. WWE then started off this “new era” of new Superstars and exciting matchups with the same Corbin segment we saw last night at TLC. Brilliant.
Seth Rollins Attacked Dean Ambrose
Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose came down to the ring and boasted about his victory last night at TLC. Ambrose claimed that Rollins choked last night and failed all of his fans. Ambrose claimed that he was just getting started and vowed to take Rollins’ career and throw it in the gutter where it belongs.
Dean demanded that Rollins come down to the ring and tell everyone that he was right and Seth was wrong. Seth didn’t show up and Ambrose called him a coward. Ambrose issued an open challenge for the IC Title and Tyler Breeze accepted. Breeze controlled the match early and connected with a Superkick for a near fall. Dean Ambrose then quickly hit the Dirty Deeds for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Ambrose went on another rant about Seth Rollins and how he didn’t show up tonight. Seth Rollins was dressed as one of Ambrose’s security team and attacked him from behind.
Rollins was later interviewed backstage and called last night a disaster. Rollins added that he heard the crowd last night and that he has to own that. Seth stated that he is going to right the ship and that starts with him ending Dean Ambrose.
It was nice to see Tyler Breeze on RAW, even though this match didn’t really do anything for him. I simply do not enjoy this version of Dean Ambrose at all and I’ve completely lost interest in this storyline. I wish that Rollins would invoke his rematch clause next week and end this feud.
Cross, Sullivan, Evans, EC3 & Heavy Machinery Are Coming To The Main Roster
During tonight’s episode of RAW, Lacey Evans, Lars Sullivan, Heavy Machinery, Nikki Cross, and EC3 were announced as “on their way to WWE” in a vignette.
If you haven’t been watching NXT, you have really been missing out. It is the best show that WWE airs on a weekly basis. However, one of the best talents from NXT, Andrade “Cien” Almas, has been completely wasted on SmackDown since joining the main roster.
Heavy Machinery is an awesome tag team and could be a great addition to either RAW or SmackDown’s tag team division. I thought the same would have been true about SAnitY, but they have barely been featured on SmackDown since getting called. I just hope that every one of them gets an actual chance to succeed on the main roster when they arrive.
Lucha House Party, The B-Team, The Revival, and The Authors of Pain battled in a Fatal 4-Way tag team match tonight on RAW. The winner of the match would be guaranteed a future shot at the RAW Tag Team Championships. The Revival won the match after hitting the Shatter Machine on Bo Dallas.
The Revival is one of the best teams WWE has to offer and hopefully, they finally get a chance on the main roster. They’ve lost a couple of matches to Lucha House Party recently because they were distracted by pinatas, so it is difficult to take them seriously right away.
The fan that only watches the main roster views them as a joke and it probably seems random that they are suddenly vying for the RAW Tag Team Championships. It makes sense to people that watched their run in NXT and know how great they are.
Natalya Will Face Rousey Next Week For The Title
Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey came down to the ring to a mixed reaction. Rousey interfered in the women’s TLC match last night and cost Charlotte and Becky Lynch the match. Rousey said that she wasn’t here to explain her actions last night, she was here to define what a real champion is.
Ronda stated that a real champion is the best that the human race has to offer and lives for the challenge. The crowd chanted “Becky!” as Rousey smirked in the ring. Rousey offered up an open challenge for the RAW Women’s Championship. The entire women’s locker room was then shown arguing backstage.
Stephanie McMahon interrupted and brought the women’s division down to the entrance ramp. Stephanie announced an 8-woman Gauntlet Match and the winner would earn a shot at the RAW Women’s Championship next week. The final two Superstars in the match were Natalya and Sasha Banks. Natalya locked in the Sharpshooter for the submission victory. After the match, Rousey came down to the ring and shook Natalya’s hand.
The Gauntlet Match pretty much took up the final hour of tonight’s RAW. It was an entertaining match and Rousey vs. Natalya next week should be solid. I would have liked to see Banks square off against Rousey next week. Tonight’s RAW was bizarre to watch and it is impossible to judge if WWE is actually listening to their audience now after one show. If you just look at what is being advertised for next week’s show, it is hard to believe that RAW has changed.
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey has a new #1 contender for her title.
As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw in Sacramento, CA at the Golden 1 Center on the USA Network, WWE held a gauntlet match with several competitors in order to determine who would be next in line for the strap. In the match, Natalya won by beating Bayley, Alicia Fox, Sasha Banks, Mickie James, Ember Moon, Ruby Riott, and Dana Brooke.
The finish of the match saw Natalya beat Banks with the sharpshooter. After the contest, Rousey came down to the ring to have a staredown with Natalya then they hugged it out in the ring to close the broadcast.
Now, Rousey will defend the title against Natalya on next Monday’s show. WWE holds next week’s show in Sacramento, CA as it will be a taped show due it falling on Christmas Eve.
As of this writing, no other matches for RAW have been announced, but with it being a taped show, we should have spoilers and non-spoiler match listing from the taping posted on the home page shortly.
Rousey successfully retained her title over Nia Jax at Sunday’s WWE TLC pay-per-view event in San Jose, California.
Another injured WWE superstar has been confirmed by the WWE as someone who is slated to return. During Monday’s episode of RAW, the company confirmed that former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens would be returning to in-ring action soon.
Just like with Sami Zayn, WWE did not reveal the exact date that he’d be returning to competition. You can see the graphic that WWE sent out here:
Owens has been sidelined due to him suffering a knee injury and getting surgery. Originally, the internal fear is that he could be out for 8 months, which would’ve projected his return timeframe to be anytime from February to June of 2019. However, he’s right on course for an earlier return than originally projected.
Owens was last seen in action when WWE officials decided to book him wat the Super Show-Down event where he teamed with Elias in a losing effort against Bobby Lashley and John Cena.
Moving along, his last match came the following night on Monday Night RAW once he lost to Lashley, who after the match attacked him. This allowed WWE to write him off of television and storylines in order for him to get surgery. It will be interesting to see what WWE has in store for him.
Bray Wyatt is known for his cryptic messages on his official Twitter account but his latest tweets have fans speculating as to what his motivation behind it was all about. On Monday night, Wyatt posted the following:
“I’m not a God, I never was. I’m sorry I said it, I was wrong. I know the true God now and all his power. I feel that I am forgiven for all the wickedness I have caused. My soul is clean now. My mind is clear. I see what I did wrong, what was done to me. They took it all.”
WWE RAW Tag Team Champions Bobby Roode and Chad Gable have new opponents in place. During this week’s RAW, WWE held a match in order to determine who would be next in line to challenge for the straps.
This is when The Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson) defeated The B-Team (Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel), AOP (Akam & Rezar) and Lucha House Party (Lince Dorado & Kalisto). As of this writing, there’s no word yet on when this title match will take place but it’s likely scheduled to go down at the Royal Rumble.
Former WWE and ECW Champion Rob Van Dam, also known as RVD, had fans talking after a recent post that was sent out on his official Twitter account.
RVD caught the attention of one fan asking on the social media platform where he has been as of late considering the last match that he worked was back in March 2018 against Penta El Zero M at the PCW ULTRA Tuff Luck event. This is when he responded by stating that fans will hear from him soon.
Van Dam gained his mainstream popularity by 1998 when he won the ECW World Television Championship, which he held for a record 700 days. RVD’s latest run with WWE was from June of 2013 through August of 2014. He made a one-off appearance at the 2014 Slammy Awards to present the Slammy Award for Extreme Moment of the Year.
At his advancing age and for his mind, RVD has decided to work a selective number of dates on the independent scene. It appears that he’s just enjoying his life after putting together a successful career.
Popular WWE NXT superstar Velveteen Dream has made one thing perfectly clear, which is the fact that he wants to be on the WWE main roster whether that means to be featured on Monday Night RAW or SmackDown Live.
During this week’s episode of RAW, he took to his official Twitter account to request WWE fans to demand that he be called up from NXT to the main roster. This comes fresh off the news that several NXT stars would be called up to the roster and the promises made during the opening segment of RAW involving the McMahon family (Triple H, Vince, Shane & Stephanie McMahon) in order to shake up the current product that is presented on a weekly bases.
Dream wrote in his social media posts that it’s not Vince’s call who gets called up to the main roster, it’s the fans. He is encouraging fans to “spam” WWEs Twitter accounts with the hashtag #CallDREAMUp.
According to him, it doesn’t matter if he gets called up to Raw or SmackDown. If you’re entertaining, you’re entertaining. “If UR entertaining ur entertaining,” he wrote. “I don’t need writers and I don’t need a lot of time. A superstar should bleed through ur TV. And not when someone’s producing it. Give Me The Red Light And It’s #DREAMOn Any Night.”
