Chris Jericho has said that when he was growing up, he used to dream of forming a tag-team with Owen Hart. Jericho even attended the Hart brothers school in Calgary along with Lance Storm when he started his training. Jericho took part in an interview with Sportskeeda recently to promote the UK airing of the Dark Side of the Ring episode focused on Owen. During the discussion, Jericho said he’s never felt it would be right for Owen to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
“I never thought Owen should go in the Hall of Fame it’s just not right. I think anybody who had any problems with that should watch it and will understand where the family’s coming from.”
Jericho continued to say that Owen’s contributions to the wrestling business can be celebrated outside of WWE.
“His influence doesn’t go away and it shouldn’t be minimized but if (Martha) doesn’t want to do that through the WWE system, I totally get that,” Jericho continued. He then said he’d like to see Martha Hart do something to honor Owen in AEW.
“I’d love to see (Martha) do something with AEW. I think the spirit of Owen Hart lives on in AEW for sure.”
Jericho would continue to talk about having been influenced by Owen and that it’s important for his contributions to wrestling to be remembered.
“I’m very much influenced by Owen Hart. So I think that, whether it’s New Japan or AEW, I think it’s important for Owen to be remembered by his fans and by the people that he influenced, myself included.”
John Cena has donated $1 million to the Black Lives Matter Foundation. The donation is part of a $3 million donation made by K-Pop band BTS and their fans.
The music group donated $1 million, which was then matched by their fans’ fundraising efforts. Cena matched that gift with another million to bring the total donation to $3 million from this effort.
On Tuesday, Cena tweeted the following inspirational words:
Change is never easy because it takes us admitting that our efforts and methods may be flawed to a point of severe distortion. Be brave and open minded in these moments. Welcome ideas and limit excuses. Change is uncomfortable but can yield much more joy for all in the long run.
While not confirmed, Cena is thought to be responsible for a large donation made to a GoFundMe for Shad Gaspard’s family. The name attached to the donation read “CTC RIP” which many recognized as the acronym used during the brief period when Cena and Cryme Tyme were allies in WWE.
JTG would later say that he was 99% sure the large donation was made by Cena.
“There was a donation for $40,000 and they said that the person donated the money was ‘CTC RIP’ and CTC was a faction between Cryme Tyme and John Cena and it was 2008,” JTG said on Lillian Garcia’s podcast. “It was one also one of the most fun I’ve ever had at the WWE was teaming with Cena.”
John Cena Make-A-Wish
Cena has also taken part in more Make-A-Wish experiences than any other person in history. Last year, he became the first person to take part in over 600 Make-A-Wish experiences.
The tag team of Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne collectively known as the Broserweights had become a fan favourite but their pairing came to an abrupt end due to COVID-19.
The former UFC star recently had an interview with TalkSport, where he discussed a number of things and also revealed the original plans for their tag team.
Riddle revealed that their pairing was originally not supposed to last for long but they were kept together because the fans loved them and they were working well together:
“Bro, all my eggs were in that Broserweight basket, I’ll be honest, they put us together and we formed a team and I don’t think we were supposed to last more than a couple of weeks.
But the fans loved us, we were working really well together and me and Pete get along pretty well” said Matt Riddle “we have pretty good minds for wrestling. Be it on the indies or NXT/WWE, we had it going on and we had a history.”
The Broserweights were originally put together for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in January but they ended up sticking together after winning the tournament and the duo went on to win the NXT Tag Team Championships in February.
However, Pete Dunne ended up being stuck in UK due to coronavirus related travel restrictions. WWE then made Timothy Thatcher the temporary partner for Riddle. They lost the NXT titles to Imperium in May and Matt was called to the main roster.
During the interview, the former NXT star also talked about his main roster debut on SmackDown and Matt Riddle said that the real money would have been in him attacking Kurt Angle. You can check out his comments at this link.
The recent twitter feud between the former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa and Randy Orton have given fans hope of seeing a match between these two in near future.
However, the latest reports on the matter suggest that this dream match is not going to take place in the foreseeable future as it’s not in the cards right now.
Bryan Alvarez discussed the exchange between Orton and Ciampa on Wrestling Observer Live and he reported that the tweets were not setting up a match between the two.
The exchange could be a shoot or something the two stars organised themselves but it was not set up by the company and they are not part of any creative plans.
This does not necessarily mean that Tommaso Ciampa is not headed to the main roster but the tweets between the two WWE stars are not an indication of the things to come.
Randy Orton is currently scheduled to face Edge in a match at Backlash and there is no news on if the company is planning to continue this feud after the upcoming PPV.
On the other hand, Ciampa lost to Karrion Kross in a short match at NXT Takeover: In Your House PPV this past Sunday night and there have been rumors about a possible main roster call up for him after this bout.
Austin Aries is a star who frequently finds himself in a controversial situation and one such controversy that made a lot of headlines was his departure from Impact Wrestling in 2018.
The former Impact World Champion recently appeared on the In The Room podcast where he talked about things like the diminishing kayfabe in the wrestling business and more.
Talking about his controversial departure from the company formerly known as TNA, Aries confirmed that things did not go as planned and his stint with the company was actually supposed to continue after Bound For Glory:
“It was never intended for me, the way I walked out at Bound for Glory, that was not supposed to be the last that you saw me [there]. That was never the intention, I certainly wouldn’t be trying to create a bunch of controversy for no payoff.
Did it come off exactly as I envisioned in my head before hand? Probably not. Could I have done a couple of things that still would have maybe gotten the point across, without maybe taking on some of the criticism that I’ve seen? Potentially.”
For those who don’t know, the then Impact World Champion Austin Aries was scheduled to defend his title against Johnny Impact at the Bound For Glory PPV in October 2018.
However, their feud blurred the line between a work and a shoot and the two stars started taking personal shots at each other on Twitter.
Their rivalry culminated with a match at the PPV where Aries dropped the title to the now John Morrison but Austin no-sold the finish right after the bell rang and left the arena. This turned out to be his final Impact appearance.
FTR finally made their AEW debuts after months of rumours and speculations last month but the duo have apparently not signed a contract with the company just yet.
The former WWE stars recently appeared on The Experience podcast of Jim Cornette where they talked about their feud with The Young Bucks which has been going on since 2016.
During the interview, the former tag champs talked about their status with the company and FTR revealed that they are currently on a handshake deal with the promotion:
“So, we’re negotiating still, we have a short-term, almost handshake deal, because they want to get this thing [match with the Young Bucks] done finally, because it’s been talked about for so many years. So, we’re not under any long-term obligation with anybody.”
FTR then also talked about their relationship with the company president Tony Khan, saying that the AEW official has full trust in them and this is why he is allowing them to appear on their shows on a handshake deal.
The duo formerly known as the Revival made their first AEW appearance during the May 27 episode of Dynamite and they are set to make their in ring debut for the company against The Butcher and The Blade this Wednesday night.
WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair wants to have a big family one day. For now, she wants to focus on her career in the ring and eventually on the big screen.
Charlotte appeared on Better Together with Maria Menounos this week and talked about her plans to start a family with Andrade. He would be ready to have children soon, but she questions if it’s the right time. “I just, I don’t know, when’s the right time? Am I selling myself short not trying to reach for bigger things,” she asked.
“Of course, I think about it, because of my age. But, being able to face Trish Stratus at SummerSlam, and seeing her as a mother of two. And being consider the Greatest of All Time and have the best match on the show, makes me see, you don’t need to worry about when and why and where.”
She continued, “I definitely do [want kids]. I want the whole fairytale. I want three kids. Four Kids. I want all of it. It’s just, I don’t know how. This isn’t just it now, and then I go have kids! I really want to try to be an action figure in a movie, but I don’t know how to write it.”
Charlotte Flair Talks Hollywood Plans
Part of the reason Charlotte avoided appearing on reality shows like Total Divas is because she wanted to keep the door open for a serious career in Hollywood. The exposure would help Andrade build his brand, so maybe they will consider it in a few years.
When asked if she had a dream movie role in mind, Charlotte revealed she recently watched all of the Marvel movies in order and has a character she could see herself playing.
“I just finished all the Marvels in order! It took 3 weeks. After watching the last 22, if I was playing a bad guy, I’d love to be Thor’s sister, Hela, and have a whole film telling her story.”
Other topics discussed include regretting not getting into wrestling at a younger age, the most common misconception about her and more.
Watch & listen to Charlotte Flair on Better Together with Maria Menounos:
WWE Hall of Famer Adam ‘Edge’ Copeland is set to star in a new action thriller, Money Plane.
Money Plane is about professional thief with $40 million in debt. With his family’s life on the line, he must commit one final heist – rob a futuristic airborne casino filled with the world’s most dangerous criminals.
The tag line on the movie poster calls it, ‘An explosive casino heist in the sky.’
Edge plays the lead character, Jack Reese. The cast also features Denise Richards, Kelsey Grammer, Joey Lawrence, Thomas Jane, Katrina Norman and Patrick Lamont Jr.
Money Plane is written and directed by Andrew Lawrence. The film is scheduled to be rebased on digital and on-demand on July 10, 2020.
As seen in the official trailer, Edge is shown kicking all sorts of ass, getting friendly with co-star Denise Richards and preparing to jump out of a plane.
https://youtu.be/XMaH2pKheH0
Edge has had a recurring role on the series Vikings, which airs on the History channel.
The 46-year-old grappler retired from active competition back in 2011 due to cervical spinal stenosis. He made a shocking return at the 2020 Royal Rumble after a 9-year hiatus. He is scheduled to face Randy Orton this weekend at WWE Backlash, a rematch from their singles bout at WrestleMania.
WWE is touting that Sunday’s match between Edge and Orton will be the greatest pro wrestling match of all time. The match has already been taped in advance. During a recent interview, Edge revealed that he has mixed feelings about WWE setting expectations so high with the lofty marketing.
Here is the official movie poster for Money Plane:
Viewership data is in for Monday’s WWE RAW and Friday’s SmackDown. Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
RAW Viewership
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.737 million viewers, which is up from the 1.728 million viewers last week.
SmackDown averaged 1.984 million viewers on FOX in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. This is down from the 2.170 million viewers that the show did for the previous week’s episode of SmackDown.
The show averaged 1.935 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was down from the 2.150 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
The first hour drew 1.962 million viewers while the second hour did 1.908 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.143 million viewers while the second hour did 2.157 million viewers.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.50 rating in the 18-49 demos, down from the 0.60 rating as last week’s show.
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Heartbreak Kid took part in an NXT Takeover: In Your House themed episode of the WWE Network show. HBK discussed a number of topics from his career both in and out of the ring.
One of the points that Shawn Michaels addressed was NXT Champion Adam Cole. The leader of the Undisputed Era faction has had fans and critics alike drawing comparisons between NXT’s Champion and HBK.
Shawn Michaels on Adam Cole
“I certainly see what everybody is talking about” Shawn Michaels would say; discussing how alike he and Cole are/were as performers. “He’s unbelievably talented, he’s charismatic. And so yes, I do, I see…I certainly see the comparisons.”
Shawn Michaels would then talk about how ‘flattering’ it is being compared to a talent such as Adam Cole. “I’m always flattered by that, Adam is an absolutely fabulous dude. He’s an incredible champion, he has carried the banner of NXT and the NXT Championship in a way that is going to be tough to match.”
HBK elaborated further, saying “especially from just being a pro and being there for everything and doing everything as a Champion. It’s already been impressive how long he stayed there [on top] but you gotta wonder when that shoe is gonna drop and when that luck is gonna run out.”
Adam Cole would defend his NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream at the Takeover: In Your House event this past weekend. Cole was successful in the Backlot Brawl match, hitting a Panama Sunrise onto a huge stack of chairs to defeat Dream.
Do you see the comparisons between Shawn Michaels and Adam Cole? Let us know in the comments
Big E, Xavier Woods, and Kofi Kingston spoke about racial injustice this week on The New Day: Feel The Power podcast. During the discussion, all 3 members of the group noted the emotional impact current events have had on them.
“I haven’t been able to get this out of my mind and it’s really weighed heavy on me,” Big E said on the show. “I think it’s been a hard few months for so many of us. When Shad passed, when Hana Kimura passed, I kept imagining myself in the water. For some reason, I just kept putting myself in Shad’s position. I don’t know if he knew his son got to safety, I don’t know what his last thoughts were when he died. With Hana, the stuff that was going through her mind when she took her life.”
Big E Talks Racial Injustice
Big E continued to talk about the empathy he has been feeling for others during what has been a very difficult time both in wrestling and the world at large.
“I just keep putting myself in George Floyd’s position when I saw him be murdered like that,” he continued. “To have a man put his knee on his neck like that, man, I don’t know how you don’t feel empathy for a man like that who was accused of passing a counterfeit $20 bill. He didn’t deserve to die like that and we cannot be okay with murdering us, you just can’t be okay with it because it’s not the first time and it’s not the second time. I’ve seen and heard these stories from my parents and their parents and their parents before them. I cannot accept living in a country where this is acceptable.”
“I can’t stop imagining myself in their shoes, in that position. This man had a daughter, he had people who loved him, he had people who cared about him. Same thing with Ahmaud Arbery,” Big E continued.
Kofi Kingston On Racial Injustice
“That’s the scariest thing about all these situations is that it could very well have been any of us,” Kofi said. “Seeing the video of Ahmaud Arbery, he was just going for a run in his neighborhood. I’ve recently just started running around in my neighborhood.”
“No one should have to live like that,” he continued. “Constantly looking over their shoulder in fear or worrying that harm may come but the reality of the world that we live in today is that it is possible.”
“It’s very refreshing in a sense to see that so many people who are not African-American coming to the aid and really wanting to know what they can do,” Kofi continued. “White America wants to know what they can do because I feel like these images specifically, watching this, seeing this with your own eyes and knowing that it’s real and that it’s actually happening and it’s not hearsay.”
“Seeing that makes it very real and it’s not just for us, it’s for anybody that witnesses it.”
“I feel like this situation is just hitting a little bit differently. I feel like we are hopefully on the cusp of something turning around because we are not the only ones who have had enough. It feels good to have White America listening, you know what I’m saying? As opposed to talking about the semantics of Kaepernick protesting and talking about it being about the flag.”
Velveteen Dream was defeated by Adam Cole in a Last Chance Backlot Brawl at NXT Takeover: In Your House this past weekend.
One of the stipulations to the match was that if Dream failed to win the title, he could no longer challenge for it while Cole is the champion. His loss has led some to speculate whether Velveteen Dream could be getting called up to the main roster soon.
According to comments made on Wrestling Observer Radio, however, Dream will not be debuting on either RAW or Smackdown anytime soon.
“Velveteen Dream is not coming up,” Dave Meltzer said bluntly. “I was pretty much told that’s not happening now. Someday, of course, it will happen but it’s not in the plans today.”
Velveteen Dream In WWE
Patrick Clark Jr. was signed to WWE in 2015 after participating in the 6th season of Tough Enough. In 2017, Clark would debut his Prince-inspired gimmick of the Velveteen Dream. Since then, the 25-year-old won the 2017 NXT Feud of the Year award for his angle with Aleister Black.
Dream is a former 1x NXT North American Champion as well. He defeated Johnny Gargano for the belt on the January 30th, 2019 edition of NXT. Dream held the title for 231 days before dropping it to Roderick Strong.
There have been lots of rumours about the WWE status of Adam Cole recently but latest reports suggest that he is going to stay with the company for a long time.
Britt Baker had recently appeared on the AEW Unrestricted podcast and mentioned the NXT Champion’s history with the Elite. She also hoped that things will come a full circle soon and the NXT star will join AEW in near future.
Some reports that came out after this claimed that Cole’s current WWE contract is going to expire soon, fuelling the rumours about his future with the company.
However, PWInsider provided some updates on his contract recently and the site claims that the current champion has 18 months left on his current deal with the promotion.
The fact that Adam Cole retained the NXT Championship over Velveteen Dream in the Last Chance Backlot Brawl during the NXT TakeOver: In Your House special also indicates that WWE still has plans for the Undisputed Era leader.
This means that the current NXT Champion Adam Cole will not be leaving WWE anytime soon and while we may see him in AEW somewhere down the line, he still has plenty of time left in his current WWE run.
WWE has announced a match between Randy Orton and Edge for the upcoming Backlash PPV and the bout is one of the most heavily promoted matches for the show.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer recently provided some updates on the match and he revealed that the fight between these two veterans has already been taped.
WWE has been promoting this collision as the “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” and the taped match was described to be “really, really good”
Meltzer further added that it was “two very smart workers working very hard to have the smartest match they possibly could under the circumstances.”
Though the reports of other parts of Backlash being taped are false and the rest of the PPV is expected to be broadcasted live from the Performance Center this Sunday.
Taping this match in advance gives the company a week to do some post-match editing and help the bout live up to the marketing tagline of being the greatest wrestling match.
Edge faced Randy Orton in a last man standing match at WrestleMania 36 from Performance Center which was his first singles match in over 8 years after his surprise in-ring return at Royal Rumble earlier this year.
However, the bout received criticism from fans for its slow pace and after this; Orton challenged Edge to a “straight-up wrestling match” at Backlash earlier last month.
MVP is an internationally known pro wrestler due to his stints with WWE. However, he wasn’t always on a clear path to success and there is a troubled past behind the current achievements of the former US Champion.
The wrestling star joined a gang when he was 12 years old and spent over nine years in prison for armed robbery and kidnapping when he was only 16.
Though WWE still gave him an opportunity for redemption and during his recent appearance on Chasing Glory podcast, MVP revealed what Vince McMahon said to him upon his hiring:
“When I got to the WWE, I was given an opportunity that society wouldn’t give me. Society wouldn’t give me an opportunity to make minimum wage, Vince McMahon said, ‘Yeah, you did some bad things, but everybody here gets an opportunity. You’ve earned an opportunity.’
He gave me an opportunity to become an internationally known professional wrestling superstar.” said MVP “With that came social redemption.”
The WWE star continued by mentioning how he still gets negative comments regarding his past actions but he has served his time in prison and he is a changed man.
MVP originally joined WWE in 2005 and stayed with the promotion till 2010. He returned to the company during Royal Rumble earlier this year and he has been working as a backstage producer and on-screen talent for the promotion since then.
On May 25th, the Japanese government lifted the nationwide state of emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic. New Japan Pro-Wrestling has announced their plans to return to conducting live wrestling events over the next month. To ensure minimal risk of virus propagation, NJPW has been conducting antibody testing on wrestlers, crew, trainers, and other live event staff, and preparation of venues has begun.
The last NJPW event took place on February 26th in Okinawa, Japan. New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s first live event following the end of Japan’s COVID-19 state of emergency will be an empty arena event on June 15th, called the NJPW Together Special. In all, eleven events have been scheduled, including a rescheduled New Japan Cup and Dominion.
The New Japan Cup participants have changed to accommodate international travel restrictions caused by the pandemic. The majority of participants who live overseas have been replaced. As such, the 32-man New Japan Cup, usually a heavyweights-only tournament, now includes a number of NJPW’s junior heavyweight wrestlers. Also, it has been announced that, as previously, Tetsuya Naito will defend both his IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental championships against the winner of the New Japan Cup.
All events will be streamed live on NJPW World. NJPW has also announced that their Summer Struggle 2020 tour, originally scheduled to take place from July 11 to July 19, has been cancelled.
NJPW Event Schedule
June 15: NJPW Together Project Special
Matches unknown
June 16: New Japan Cup 2020 First Round (empty arena)
Togi Makabe vs. Yota Tsuji
Tomohiro Ishii vs. El Desperado
Toru Yano vs. Jado
Tomoaki Honma vs. Hiromu Takahashi
Unknown “special match”
June 17: New Japan Cup 2020 First Round (empty arena)
Kazuchika Okada vs. Gedo
Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki
Yuya Uemura vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Gabriel Kidd vs. Taiji Ishimori
Unknown “special match”
June 22: New Japan Cup 2020 First Round (empty arena)
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taichi
Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. SANADA
SHO vs. Shingo Takagi
Unknown “special match”
June 23: New Japan Cup 2020 First Round (empty arena)
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. YOSHI-HASHI
YOH vs. BUSHI
Satoshi Kojima vs. EVIL
Hirooki Goto vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Unknown “special match”
June 24: New Japan Cup 2020 Second Round (empty arena)
Four New Japan Cup second round matches
Unknown “special match”
July 1: New Japan Cup 2020 Second Round (empty arena)
Four New Japan Cup second round matches
Unknown “special match”
July 2: New Japan Cup 2020 Quarterfinals (empty arena)
Four New Japan Cup quarterfinal matches
Unknown “special match”
July 3: New Japan Cup 2020 Semifinals (empty arena)
Two New Japan Cup semifinal matches
Two unknown “special matches”
July 11: New Japan Cup 2020 Final (Osaka-jo Hall, Osaka, one third capacity attendees)
New Japan Cup 2020 Final match
July 12: Dominion (Osaka-jo Hall, Osaka, one third capacity attendees)
It’s been a while since WWE made the decision to produce shows without an audience due to coronavirus threats but now Triple H is teasing a change in this situation.
A fan posted a selfie in front of the Full Sail University before last night’s NXT Takeover event and he mentioned how he misses being part of the WWE shows.
The WWE Vice President interestingly responded to this tweet from the fan and Triple H teased the return of the audience with just one word in his reply:
The governor of Florida had announced plans for the reopening of the state earlier last month which included the order to allow sporting events to be produced with 25% of the arena capacity.
WWE has also recently eased up their restrictions a bit and started allowing development talents to be used as audience for the shows from the Performance Center.
Since the government is moving forward with their re-opening plans, it’s believed that companies like AEW and WWE could be allowed to have fans in attendance very soon.
This advancement, coupled with the tweet from Triple H has given some hope to the fans, however, we will still have to wait for a timeline to be exactly sure from when can we see the fans return to the wrestling shows.
The June 8th edition of WWE RAW aired from the Performance Center in Orlando. It was the final episode of RAW before WWE Backlash this Sunday night. Edge joined Christian for an episode of The Peep Show and Asuka battled Charlotte Flair in the main event.
RAW Results (6/8)
Charlotte & Asuka def. The IIconics, Sasha Banks & Bayley
Humberto Carrillo & Aleister Black def. Murphy & Austin Theory
Andrade def. Kevin Owens & Angel Garza to earn a shot at US Title
Lashley & MVP def. Viking Raiders
Charlotte def. Asuka
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
Charlotte Attacked Asuka
Asuka was set to face Charlotte Flair tonight but Sasha Banks and Bayley interrupted. Bayley told the booing crowd that they should be thanking her for bringing star quality to RAW. Sasha and Bayley bragged about winning the Women’s Tag Team Championships before Asuka cut them off.
The IIconics then interrupted and said that everyone wants to see them face Bliss & Cross, Sasha Banks & Bayley in a Triple Threat Match at Backlash. Bayley and Banks attacked Flair and Asuka. Asuka and Charlotte battled back and sent them out of the ring. This then led to a Triple Threat match between the three teams. It was announced that Flair and Asuka will still compete against each other later tonight.
Match Recap: The IIconics and the Women’s Tag Team Champions battled to start the match off. Kay and Royce isolated Bayley and took turns beating her down. Charlotte forced a tag and stomped on Bayley. The fans started a “we want Asuka!” chant and Flair got pissed off.
Asuka tagged in and hit the Hip Attack on Bayley that sent her flying off the ring apron. Asuka beat Banks down as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, The IIconics were in control and had Asuka isolated in the corner. Charlotte tagged in and regained control of the match. Asuka tagged herself in and Charlotte got pissed off again. Charlotte quickly tagged herself back in and told Asuka to watch how it is done. Flair made her way to the top rope but Asuka tagged back in and applied the Asuka Lock on Billie Kay for the submission victory.
After the match, Charlotte and Asuka had a staredown in the middle of the ring. Asuka raised the title in Charlotte’s face and Flair responded with a Clothesline. Charlotte then raised the RAW Women’s Championship while saying that Asuka has never defeated her.
Rollins Invited Mysterio & Dominik To RAW Next Week
Seth Rollins came down to the announce table and asked Byron Saxton to give him his headset. Rollins stated that he didn’t want to miss the satellite interview with Rey Mysterio.
Mysterio said that he saw his doctor and that things were looking good but the possibility for further damage to his eye is there. Rey added that he didn’t know when he was going to compete but then delivered a warning to Seth.
Rey warned Seth that he was going to pay for what he put his family through and that he is going to kick his ass. Rollins claimed that Rey was spreading misinformation and that he gave Mysterio the chance to walk away as a legend.
Seth invited Rey and Dominik to come to RAW next week so that he can prove that Mysterio’s sacrifice was for the greater good. Mysterio stated that Rollins only wants him at RAW next week because he is not cleared. Rollins said that wasn’t true but his explanation was cut short by a kick from Aleister Black out of nowhere. Aleister Black and Humberto Carrillo then defeated Murphy and Austin Theory in a Tag Team match.
After the match, Rey Mysterio’s music hit but Rollins came down the entrance ramp his a mask on. Theory and Murphy then attacked Black and Carrillo from behind. Murphy leveled Humberto with a knee to the face and then Rollins hit Black with the Stomp.
Christian returned to RAW for an episode of the Peep Show. Christian invited Edge down to the ring ahead of the “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” against Randy Orton this Sunday at Backlash.
Christian claimed that it looked like Edge was running on fumes, which prompted a “you still got it!” chant from the crowd. He then insulted Edge some more by saying Edge couldn’t even have the greatest wrestling match ever in his prime.
Edge noted that he hasn’t been in a traditional wrestling match for 9 years and now it is being labeled as the greatest ever. Christian claimed that Edge was making excuses and brought up his late mother. Christian said that she was there for all his big matches and will be there for this one even if Edge thinks she is not.
Edge got up and started Christian down. Christian smiled and said that was what he was looking for. Christian added that he believes in Edge and that he can defeat Randy Orton in the greatest wrestling match ever at Backlash.
Randy Orton interrupted from the jumbotron and told them both to shut up. Orton vowed to embarrass Edge at Backlash and send him back to his wife & daughters. Randy claimed that the redemption of Edge was over at Backlash. Edge stated that it is not and walked backstage.
Opinion: Christian was phenomenal during this promo. Orton & Edge had amazing promos leading up to their underwhelming WrestleMania match. I hope this one delivers at Backlash. The “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” tagline is putting a hell of a lot of pressure on Edge and Orton.
Andrade Will Face Apollo Crews At Backlash For The US Title
Anrade, Kevin Owens, and Angel Garza battled in a Triple Threat match tonight to determine the #1 contender for the United States Championship. Before the match, Crews said he was excited to defend the title against the winner at Backlash.
Match Recap: Owens got some revenge and attacked Garza and Andrade during their entrance. Owens was fired up in the ring and shouted “bring it on!” as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Garza and Andrade beat Owens down but didn’t seem to be on the same page as Zelina Vega was ringside. Angel ripped off his pants to reveal his tights and continued to beat Owens down with Andrade.
Andrade hit a Suplex and went for the cover but Garza broke it up. The two started shoving each other and Zelina tried to get in between them but they accidentally knocked her down. They stop fighting with each other and check on Vega as RAW went to another break.
Zelina Vega was helped to the back by WWE medical staff during the break. Owens lifted up Andrade and hit Garza with a Senton while Andrade was on his back. Owens hit a Frog Splash but Andrade kicked out. Andrade hit Owens with a Dropkick and then started trading punches with Garza.
Angel Garza went for the Wing Clipper but Owens countered into a Stunner. Andrade then hit Owens with a Dropkick and pinned Garza for the victory. Andrade will face Apollo Crews for the United States Championship at Backlash.
McIntyre Sent A Message To Lashley Heading Into Backlash
MVP hosted another edition of the VIP Lounge tonight. MVP said his guest had the most devastating move in WWE and introduced Bobby Lashley. Drew McIntyre immediately interrupted and continued to raise the WWE Championship around in the ring as MVP tried to talk.
McIntyre joked that MVP must have been talking about him and his Claymore Kick. MVP said he was talking about Lashley and the Full Nelson. Drew claimed that he was still feeling the Full Nelson from last week but MVP has taken several Claymores as of late. MVP stated that this was part of his business plan and that Lashley will win the WWE Championship at Backlash.
Drew set up for the Claymore but Lashley got in the ring. McIntyre hit MVP with a Glasgow Kiss before Viking Raiders interrupted. Lashley & MVP then defeated Viking Raiders after Lashley locked in the Full Nelson on Erik. McIntyre & Street Profits looked on from ringside during the match. After the match, McIntyre hit Lashley with the Claymore as he had the Full Nelson locked in on Ivar. Lashley got knocked out of the ring but landed on his feet after the Claymore. McIntyre shouted that it is going to be a war at Backlash to end the segment.
Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley & Sasha Banks joined commentary for the Asuka versus Charlotte match.
Match Recap: Charlotte controlled the action early and slammed Asuka into the ring apron. Flair continued to beat Asuka down and mocked the crowd for booing her. Asuka battled back and hit the Hip Attack against the barricade. Charlotte slammed Asuka into the plexiglass before the action returned to the ring. The IIConics attacked Banks and Bayley from behind and slammed Bayley on the announce table as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Bayley, Banks, and The IIconics were banned from ringside. Asuka hit Flair with a Hip Attack and went for an Arm Bar but Charlotte unloaded several elbows to Asuka’s face. Charlotte followed it up with a Headlock in the middle of the ring as the crowd got behind Asuka.
Asuka broke free but Charlotte knocked her back down with a knee to the face. Asuka battled back with a Dropkick off the second rope. Charlotte went for a boot to the face but Asuka avoided it and hit a German Suplex.
The RAW Women’s Champion hit another Hip Attack that knocked Flair out of the ring. Charlotte hit a Moonsault off the barricade and then slammed Asuka’s left knee onto the ring post a few times.
Charlotte connected with a big boot and went for the cover but Asuka kicked out at two. Flair went for the Figure Four but Asuka blocked it. Charlotte then went for the Spear but Asuka countered with a knee to the face. Charlotte connected with the Spear and went for the cover but Asuka kicked out at two. Nia Jax came down to the ring for the distraction and Charlotte capitalized with a big kick to the face for the pinfall victory. It looked like Asuka kicked out right as the referee’s hand hit the canvas. After the match, Nia Jax planted Asuka with a Samoan Drop to end the show.
Opinion: Charlotte and Asuka had a terrific match tonight. I know Nia Jax had to interfere to hype the RAW Women’s Championship match at Backlash, but it sucked that we didn’t get a proper finish to a 30 minute match. I don’t have any interest in Nia Jax vs. Asuka at Backlash. I just hope they keep the belt on Asuka and as far away as possible from Nia Jax. Overall, this week’s RAW was a decent show. There wasn’t much that happened tonight that got me excited for Backlash this weekend.
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Backlash PPV.
During Monday’s episode of RAW, Kevin Owens, Angel Garza, and Andrade faced off in a Triple Threat #1 Contender’s Match to determine who would be next line for a shot at the United States Championship.
As seen on the show, Andrade ended up winning the contest to become the new #1 contender. As a result, Andrade will challenge Apollo Crews for the United States Championship at Backlash.
WWE presents the Backlash pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 14, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center that will air on the WWE Network.
Updated WWE Backlash Card
Edge vs. Randy Orton – Singles Match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman vs. The Miz & John Morrison – Handicap Match
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Nia Jax
Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus – Singles Match
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. The IIconics – Title Triple Threat Match
WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews vs. Andrade
One WWE star decided to share quite an interesting video on social media.
That star is Tamina, who has been absent from WWE television since her loss last month to Bayley at Money in the Bank.
The SmackDown star took to Twitter where she shared a promo that featured her inside of a mental hospital in order to get over how her character has been pushed to the brink.
She’s in a straight jacket and sitting on the floor. This is where she screamed, “Ten years, I have given my life to you. And for what? Nothing!”
In her original post, which has been deleted, she wrote in the caption, “After my devastating loss at #MITB and 10 years of being used and abused it has finally happened…”The Trepidation.”
In the middle of the video, she is quoted by stating, “A person can only take so much before they crack,” but admits “I have never been more alive in all my life.”
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on whether she is slated to debut this new persona on television or if she did this on her own as a way to show off a character idea she has.
An interesting report has surfaced online regarding the status of Charlotte Flair in WWE NXT.
Of course, Flair dropped the NXT Women’s Championship to Io Shirai, who pinned Rhea Ripley to win the title, in the headliner of Sunday’s NXT Takeover: In Your House event.
After the match, fans speculated that since Flair didn’t take the pinfall, she could be headed towards a singles program with the new champion. However, that’s not the case, according to a report by Wrestling Inc.
Per their report, Flair is actually done with NXT for the time being. With Flair exiting from NXT, it appears that WWE will be going towards a program for the new champion with Ripley.
The fallout from this event and what’s next for Shirai will take place on Wednesday’s episode of NXT on the USA network.
Triple H addressed the outcome of this contest on the post-event media call.
This is where he noted that Flair has always been a RAW talent, but noted that she’s worked all three brands as of late. Triple H also said that the finish was done for a long term storyline.
WWE went back to a brief program with Asuka for Flair on Monday’s episode of RAW.
Tommaso Ciampa and Randy Orton had an interesting Twitter exchange in the fallout of last night’s NXT In Your House event. Orton took to Twitter and gave what could be interpreted as a sarcastic complement to last night’s show.
“Heard #WWENXT#TakeoverInYourHouse was great! Slappin my leg for you guys. Sincerely #legslap,” Orton Tweeted.
A wrestler slapping their leg to make a striking move sound good is sometimes looked down upon amongst some wrestlers.
Former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa offered a reply to Orton’s comments.
“My daughter has been having trouble sleeping. Luckily I found a remedy. Randy Orton matches. Better than NyQuil. Sincerely #AnEntireLockerRoomWhoBustedTheirAsses,” Ciampa Tweeted in reply.
Orton fired back with another dig at Ciampa and the NXT brand:
Looks like I hurt the feelings of the self appointed lockeroom leader of a wrestling school. Let me know what time #legslap class starts so I can take my game to the next level. https://t.co/c2ECCKL44f
Randy Orton will take on Edge at Backlash on Sunday. The match is being billed as “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.” According to comments Edge recently made to ESPN, he was surprised by the way the match is being billed.
“I just laughed because I didn’t think it was serious,” Edge said. “Then I realized fairly quickly it was. Then my reaction was, is this wise, because anytime you say something the greatest ever beforehand, you’re setting yourself up for failure. And I don’t ever want to think that way. I need to think the opposite of that, I can’t control the court of public opinion. I need to do and be proud of the work that I put in.”
Keith Lee defeated Johnny Gargano last night at NXT In Your House. Following the show, Triple H was asked about the possibility of Keith Lee one day winning a World Championship during the post-event media call.
“Look, it certainly wouldn’t shock me, right? I mean Keith has every tool,” Triple H said.
Triple H continued to praise Lee on the call.
“Such a great guy. Hard-working, humble, just wants to deliver,” he described Lee. “Great human being, locker room leader, everything you could want. An ultimate pro, right? He’s just the kind of guy you want to work hard for and you want to deliver for him.”
Finally, Triple H confirmed that he too is enthusiastic about the idea of Keith Lee being a future World Champion.
“Again, I love working with him,” he continued. “You say ‘Keith Lee, world champion’ and if you ask me what my opinion is I say ‘Hell yeah!'”
Keith Lee signed with WWE in 2018. He was awarded the NXT Breakout Star of the Year award in 2019. Lee defeated Roderick Strong for the NXT North American Championship on January 22nd, 2020. He is the 6th person to hold the title in its 2-year history.
Edge vs Randy Orton at Backlash this weekend is being billed as “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.” This has led lots of wrestling fans to wonder what exactly WWE has planned for Backlash. Edge was recently interviewed by ESPN and said that when he first heard his match with Orton being billed that way, he didn’t think it was serious.
“I just laughed because I didn’t think it was serious,” Edge said. “Then I realized fairly quickly it was. Then my reaction was, is this wise, because anytime you say something the greatest ever beforehand, you’re setting yourself up for failure. And I don’t ever want to think that way. I need to think the opposite of that, I can’t control the court of public opinion. I need to do and be proud of the work that I put in.”
“All I can do is take it as if this is all just a bonus and in a weird way, a compliment. Or it’s a giant rib. I don’t know.”
Edge continued to say that he would have preferred the match not be billed in such a way.
“Would I have preferred they not billed it as that? Absolutely. But I also know there are times where heels get dug in the sand and there’s no changing it.”
Edge and Orton met at WrestleMania in a Last Man Standing match that went all over the WWE Performance Center. For Backlash, however, Orton challenged Edge to a traditional wrestling match.
Kurt Angle recently served as the referee for Matt Riddle’s match against Timothy Thatcher on NXT. Following Thatcher’s victory over Riddle, Kurt Angle then announced on Smackdown that Riddle would soon debut for the blue brand on Friday nights. In a recent interview with Talk Sport, Riddle recently revealed a booking idea he had for a storyline involving himself and Kurt Angle.
It had recently been revealed that WWE offered Angle the role of managing Riddle but the Original Bro feels the big money would have been with him turning on Angle.
“You know what crossed my mind originally [with Kurt Angle]? There’s the management thing, but then like in my head – and maybe this is just greedy me – in my head, when I see Kurt Angle, even if I like him and I’m friendly with him, I know the money is in beating up Kurt Angle,” Riddle said.
Riddle felt that the storyline could have been him turning on Angle after Angle costed him his match against Thatcher.
“I was really hoping he was going to cost me the cage match and then the Bro was going to snap and beat up Kurt Angle! Some deadlift Germans to an Olympic gold medallist from the Stallion? You telling me everybody at home wouldn’t be like ‘no he didn’t just dump him on his head!’ – because that’s what I do! It would have been crazy.”
Riddle also talked about how he could get revenge on King Corbin for retiring Angle and that could be a storyline he works on Smackdown.
