Nia Jax continues to speak out against body shaming and implies that women in the WWE locker room are guilty of the unfortunate behavior.
Nia tweeted a video of her running on a treadmill and said even though body shaming is wrong, she has accepted the fact that certain people will still attempt to make her feel bad for being a larger woman. She loves her body type, but shed some light on what she has to deal with from some of her peers in WWE.
“It sucks when you get it in your own backyard around people you’re changing in front of and trust with your body,” she said.
You can check out Nia’s full message about body shaming below:
I am subjected to body shaming & it’s something I have accepted. It sucks when you get it in your own backyard around people you’re changing in front of and trust with your body. I am a HEALTHY bigger woman, I LOVE MY BODY. Body shaming is WRONG! pic.twitter.com/RDeCogjlg9
Following her surprise return to television last week, Paige returns to the ring tonight when RAW invades Knoxville, Tennessee. The former Divas champion will team up with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville when they face the team of Sasha Banks, Mickie James and Bayley.
This will be Paige’s first match since July 2016. The former Divas Champion was out of action for over a year after undergoing neck surgery and exhaustive physical rehabilitation.
As noted earlier, Jason Jordan has answered Roman Reigns’ Intercontinental championship “Open Challenge.” WWE has yet to confirm Reigns vs. Jordan for RAW, but expect to see that match tonight as well.
Finally, ahead of tonight, WWE has uploaded this “5 things you need to know” before the broadcast. Join us here later tonight for our WWE RAW Live Coverage.
WWE.com caught up with Goldust, who returned as “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes at Saturday night’s WWE Starrcade one-night special event at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, to discuss the significance and importance of the event to him on a personal level.
Goldust discussed his late father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, being honored at the event and what it felt like to be at a Starrcade show for the first time-ever without his father.
Regarding the event itself as a whole, Goldust stated, “It was pretty special.” In discussing his father, Goldust replied, “It’s like when he was with me and Cody, and we fought The Shield, it was special. Every time I’ve been with him in the ring, it was special.”
Goldust continued, “But tonight, he wasn’t there, and it was very emotional for me. Standing behind the video wall, listening to the package they put out of dad and knowing all those promos by heart. Just listening to it was just ‘Wow, this is so surreal’ and it just brought it back. It’s been almost three years since he’s been gone and it was just incredible.”
Posted November 27th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: Goldust.
Former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre will be out of action for the remainder of the year after suffering an injury at NXT Takeover: WarGames earlier this month.
McIntyre dropped the gold to Andrade “Cien” Almas at Takeover, ending his 3-month reign. The Scottish Superstar suffered what’s believed to be a torn biceps during that match. Should McIntyre require surgery to repair the tear, typical recovery time for that procedure is four to six months.
He tweeted the following on Monday afternoon, promising to return better than ever in 2018.
Tonight’s edition of WWE RAW takes place from Knoxville, Tennessee at the Thompson-Boling Arena. We hope our readers in the United States had a good Thanksgiving weekend.
Survivor Series is in the books and the RAW brand has a rare 2-month gap until its next pay-per-view event – the co-branded Royal Rumble on January 28th from Philadelphia.
– Last week, Roman Reigns defeated The Miz to become the new Intercontinental Champion. Since his win, Reigns has issued an open challenge for anybody to step up if they want his title. Who will answer Reigns’ open challenge tonight?
– Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose continue their quest to reclaim the RAW tag team titles from The Bar.
– After the return of Paige and her new sidekicks Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, the rampage of this new trio continues.
– Braun Strowman seeks retribution against Kane.
Join us here later tonight for our WWE RAW Live Coverage.
Wherever I am, consider it My Yard. So if you want my title… …all you have to do is step up. #Rawpic.twitter.com/jjJaklC5fF
– There is a rumor going around that WWE has instructed ring announcer Greg Hamilton to stop adding a pause after he says, “one fall” during his match introductions. Even though the “one fall” bit has become a staple of his routine, the belief is that WWE officials only want the ring announcers focusing on getting the wrestlers over, not themselves.
– After pinning John Cena at Survivor Series during the RAW vs. SmackDown team elimination match, RAW General Manager Kurt Angle is teasing a potential singles match with the 16-time world champion.
Responding to a photo of Angle and Cena from Survivor Series with the caption, “Things always come full circle,” Angle tweeted:
“Full circle. Nobody can deny these two are among the very best. Question is, will it occur again in a one on one??? We will see. @JohnCenahttps://t.co/zxBBzhofz4
– Earlier this week, Dave Meltzer reported that Vince McMahon decided to scrap the planned Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor match at the Royal Rumble because Balor is not ‘over’ enough to be a believable challenger to Lesnar.
Balor tweeted the following on Wednesday, emphasizing the letters O-V-E-R in “forever.”
WWE Studios has announced that The Miz, Shawn Michaels and Becky Lynch will star in the upcoming film, “The Marine 6: Close Quarters.”
WWE® STUDIOS AND SONY PICTURES WORLDWIDE ACQUISITIONS TO PARTNER ON THE MARINE 6: CLOSE QUARTERS
Starring WWE Superstars The Miz® and Becky Lynch™, and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels®
Burbank, Calif. (November 22, 2017) – WWE Studios and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) today announced that the two studios will partner again to release the upcoming action film The Marine 6: Close Quarters, directed by James Nunn (The Marine 5: Battleground, Eliminators). The film will feature WWE Superstars The Miz and Becky Lynch, and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, and is set to begin production on Monday, November 27 in London.
When Jake Carter (The Miz) and fellow Marine Luke Trapper (Shawn Michaels) stumble upon a kidnapped girl being held prisoner by a dangerous gang of international criminals, they find themselves in the crosshairs as they try to save the girl and bring her kidnappers to justice.
“The Marine series continues to deliver action-packed entertainment to our fans, and we are excited to partner again with Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and director James Nunn to bring The Marine 6: Close Quarters to a global audience” said Michael Luisi, President of WWE Studios. “The motion picture debut of the talented Becky Lynch and the addition of Shawn Michaels to the series, alongside The Miz, is sure to bring the excitement and action to the next level.”
The film is written by Craig Walendziak.
Posted November 22nd, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: The Miz.
WWE will hold 14 pay-per-views in 2018, down from 16 this year.
There are some notable changes to the PPV schedule. In addition to the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series, next year’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view will also be a co-branded event featuring Superstars from both RAW and SmackDown.
We know a lot of fans will be upset about this, but Great Balls of Fire has been removed from the calendar. No Mercy is also No More. Additionally, several shows are moving to different months and will be presented by a different brand than in 2017.
Overall, the schedule calls for 5 co-branded events, 5 RAW shows and 4 SmackDown shows. Here is the updated WWE PPV Calendar for 2018, courtesy of Dave Scherer:
Event
Date
City
Royal Rumble
January 28
Philadelphia, PA
Elimination Chamber (Raw)
February 25
Las Vegas, NV
Fast Lane (SD)
March 11
Columbus, OH
WrestleMania 34
April 8
New Orleans, LA
Backlash (Raw)
May 6
Newark, NJ
Payback (SD)
May 27
Baltimore, MD
Money In The Bank
June 17
Chicago, IL
Battleground (Raw)
July 15
Pittsburgh, PA
Summerslam
August 19
Brooklyn, NY
Extreme Rules (Raw)
Septmeber 16
San Antonio, TX
Hell In A Cell (SD)
September 30
Nashville, TN
WWE TLC (Raw)
October 21
Boston, MA
Survivor Series
November 18
Los Angeles, CA
Clash Of Champions (SD)
December 16
San Jose, CA
With Money in the Bank featuring Superstars from both RAW and SmackDown, it will be interesting to see how the MITB matches are handled. This year’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view was a SmackDown show and saw the first-ever Women’s Money in the Bank match. Four MITB matches (RAW Men’s & Women’s, SmackDown Men’s & Women’s) seems excessive, so a more likely scenario would be Superstars from both brands competing in two MITB matches (Men’s & Women’s).
MLW Never Say Never is just weeks away (12/7), but Major League Wrestling has already announced their next show. MLW Zero Hour is coming to Orlando on Thursday, January 11th. Here’s the official announcement:
MLW ANNOUNCES JANUARY 11TH WRESTLING EVENT FOR ORLANDO
ORLANDO – Mark it down on your calendar! Major League Wrestling® (“MLW”) will be back in the New Year!
This morning on the Steve Austin Show, MLW CEO Court Bauer broke the news that MLW will promote a January 11th event called MLW: Zero Hour in Orlando at Gilt Nightclub.
MLW can confirm that Matt Riddle will be back in action. More grapplers and matches will be announced in the coming weeks at www.MLW.com.
An exclusive arena only pre-sale for January 11th will be available to all ticket holders in attendance at MLW: Never Say Never on December 7th in Orlando.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public at www.MLWTickets.com Monday morning December 11th at 11am ET.
Ticket prices range from $15-$45 with a limited number of “Golden Ticket” VIP Packages also available.
MLW: Zero Hour is an all ages event.
MLW: Zero Hour will be available within 72 hours of the event occurring on December 7th with Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini calling the action. Learn more about MLW.tv at: http://www.MLW.tv.
Posted November 21st, 2017 in MLW, News. Tagged: MLW.
With Survivor Series in the books, WWE’s next pay-per-view offering will be Clash of Champions on Sunday, December 17th. The main event for the show is rumored to be WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal.
WWE has announced several more items for tonight’s SmackDown. In addition to the Bludgeon Brothers making their TV debuts/returns against the Hype Bros, new SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte will square off against former champion Natalya.
SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon will kick off tonight’s broadcast. In addition to addressing team blue coming up short at Survivor Series, there’s a good chance he’ll also confirm the Clash of Champions main event.
Join us here later tonight for our WWE SmackDown Live Coverage.
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 3,074,000 viewers, up from last week’s 3,031,000.
RAW featured fallout from Survivor Series, Kurt Angle confronting Triple H about turning on him the previous night, Paige returning along with NXT stars Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns capturing the Intercontinental Championship from The Miz in the main event.
Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
Hour 1: 3,244,000
Hour 2: 3,194,000
Hour 3: 2,785,000
Catch up on the Top 10 Moments from this week’s RAW:
WWE sent out a press release on Monday announcing full details for the annual post-WrestleMania European tour:
WWE and the Superstars from SmackDown LIVE and Raw return to Europe in May 2018, to embark on a tour that includes WWE Live Events in Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Switzerland and Austria, from 10 May through 20 May. Tickets to WWE Live in Vienna, Austria, are available now, with all other European Tour Live Events – presented in partnership with Live Nation – available on Friday, 24 November, at the local times listed below.
See AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Charlotte Flair, The New Day, Naomi, Kevin Owens, Jinder Mahal and many more,* when the Superstars of SmackDown deliver unforgettable sports-entertainment action starting in Germany from 10 May through 12 May. Next, WWE Live makes its debut in the Czech Republic on 13 May before returning to Hungary for the first time in three years on 14 May. SmackDown’s Superstars then conclude their portion of the tour with a return to Germany on 20 May.
Fans attending WWE Live in Switzerland on Wednesday, 16 May, and Austria on Thursday, 17 May, will see their favorite Raw Superstars, including Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, Finn Bálor, Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, Asuka, Cesaro, Sheamus and more.*
Be part of the WWE Live action this May. Get your tickets at the links below.
WWE LIVE EUROPEAN TOUR DATES FOR MAY 2018 (presented by Live Nation)
Tickets available starting 24 November, 10 a.m. local time, at www.eventim.de and www.ticketmaster.de
Thursday, 10 May: König Pilsener Arena, Oberhausen
Friday, 11 May: Volkswagen Halle, Braunschweig
Saturday, 12 May: ÖVB Arena, Bremen
Sunday, 20 May: Olympiahalle, Munich
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Sunday, 13 May: O2 Arena, Prague | Tickets available starting 24 November, 9 a.m. local time, at www.ticketportal.vz
HUNGARY:
Monday, 14 May: Papp László Budapest Sportaréna, Budapest | Tickets available starting 24 November, 9 a.m. local time, atwww.ticketpro.hu and www.livenation.hu
SWITZERLAND:
Wednesday, 16 May: Geneva Arena, Geneva | Tickets available starting 24 November, 10 a.m. local time, at www.ticketcorner.ch
AUSTRIA:
Thursday, 17 May: Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna | Tickets available now at www.ticketmaster.at
*Talent referenced and depicted above are subject to change.
The long-rumored Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor feud won’t be happening. For months, there have been reports that Balor was lined up to be Brock Lesnar’s next big challenger. The match was tentatively planned for January’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, but Dave Meltzer reports that Vince McMahon made the call on Monday morning to go in a different direction.
In the main event of Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view, Balor was the first member of Team RAW to be eliminated. Meltzer stated on Wrestling Observer Radio,
“Vince McMahon felt that Finn Balor wasn’t over enough. I think obviously he decided even before, with how that match was laid out. Finn Balor wasn’t put in that match to shine.”
The following night on RAW, Balor lost clean to Samoa Joe, getting choked out by Joe’s Coquina Clutch. If it wasn’t clear after Survivor Series that Balor wasn’t being protected for a Universal title feud, it was pretty clear after RAW.
Balor is still one of the top stars on RAW and one of the best workers in the company. He was WWE’s first Universal Champion and has a built-in storyline to be a contender for that title. Balor was injured by Seth Rollins in the very match he won to become champion at SummerSlam 2016 and was forced to surrender the gold the following night on RAW. Unfortunately, the decision has been made that Balor is not a credible opponent for Lesnar at this time.
WWE has yet to decide who will challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at the Rumble, which takes place on January 28th from Philadelphia.
Major League Wrestling announced several more matches for the upcoming Never Say Never live event, scheduled for Thursday, December 7th from Orlando, FL.
Laurel Van Ness (aka Chelsea Green) of Impact Wrestling will make her MLW debut against the Santana Garrett. Also debuting on 12/7 is risking prospect Sammy Guevera vs. Jason Cade.
Here’s the updated card for the show:
Matt Riddle vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor
No DQ: Shane Strickland & John Hennigan vs. Jimmy Havoc & Darby Allin
MVP vs. Brody King
Santana Garrett vs. Laurel Van Ness
Joey Ryan vs. MJF
Sammy Guevara vs. Jason Cade
Jimmy Yuta vs. Vandal Ortagun
Mike Parrow vs. Saieve Al Sabah
Seth Petruzelli, Barrington Hughes are also confirmed to appear. Tickets are still available for MLW Never Say Never at GILT Nightclub in Orlando over at Eventbrite.com.
Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini will be calling the action once again for MLW at Never Say Never. The show will be available for online streaming (within 72 hours of the event) over at MLW.tv.
On Monday, MLW announced they landed another big sponsorship for the upcoming show. Never Say Never will be presented by the “Flatout 4: Total Insanity” video game. More info available at the link below:
https://twitter.com/mlw/status/932683018464120833
Posted November 21st, 2017 in MLW, News. Tagged: MLW.
– Paige is reportedly backstage at tonight’s RAW from Houston, Texas. She has been medically cleared to return and was also backstage at last week’s show.
– In addition to Survivor Series fallout and Triple H turning on RAW General Manager Kurt Angle last night, the following matches are scheduled for tonight:
Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor.
Jason Jordan vs. Braun Strowman.
WWE uploaded this video of Joe hyping his match against Balor, who he calls a selfish punk:
– After attacking Shane McMahona at Survivor Series, WWE is teasing that Sami Zayn and Kevin Ownes could be headed to RAW.
Not happy with their assigned match at Survivor Series, SmackDown’s Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens voice their displeasure with Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon backstage at Survivor Series 2017.
WWE sent in the following press release on Monday announcing that this year’s Tribute to the Troops special will be taped on Tuesday, 12/5 from Naval Base San Diego. The show will air as a two-hour special the following Thursday, 12/14, on the USA Network.
WWETHANKS AMERICA’S ARMED FORCES WITH 15TH ANNUAL TRIBUTE TO THE TROOPS CELEBRATION
STAMFORD, Conn. and San Diego, CA., November 20, 2017 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that the 15th annual WWE Tribute to the Troops event will be held on Tuesday, December 5 at Naval Base San Diego with a two-hour special airing Thursday, December 14 at 8/7C on USA Network.
WWE began Tribute to the Troops in 2003 as a way to honor our servicemen and women and their families, and today it is considered TV’s most patriotic and heartwarming show of the year. In the tradition of Bob Hope, WWE brings together the best of sports, entertainment and pop culture with celebrity appearances and performances from music’s most popular acts.
While in San Diego, WWE Superstars will spend time giving back to military personnel and their families. Activities include a Be a STAR® bullying prevention rally, as well as hospital visits and military outreach initiatives at various installations including Naval Base San Diego, Naval Air Station North Island and San Diego Naval Medical Center.
“We are thrilled to welcome WWE for their 15th annual Tribute to the Troops celebration continuing what has become a great tradition during the holiday season,” said San Diego Naval Base Commanding Officer, Charles Womack. “The servicemen and women of San Diego could not be more excited, and look forward to participating in this inspirational event.”
“It is a privilege to honor our servicemen and women for their commitment and sacrifice to our nation,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “Tribute to the Troops is our most meaningful show of the year and we are proud to continue the tradition at Naval Base San Diego.”
On the latest episode of the E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, WWE Hall Of Famer Edge commented on WWE’s decision to have AJ Styles capture the WWE Championship from Jinder Mahal last week on SmackDown.
An 11-time World Champion in his own right, Edge gave some insight on why he thinks WWE booking the title change for SmackDown instead of a big PPV.
“It’s pretty cool,” Edge admitted. “It feels a little hot-shotted. I’m not going to lie, after the buildup of Jinder and everything. I just kind of assumed [the title change] would be at ‘Mania.”
Additionally, “The Rated-R Superstar” speculated about the real reason why WWE may have booked the title change when they did.
“I think there [are] probably a few factors that go in. I think USA [Network] was debuting a new TV series after. And while some of you may scoff and say, ‘WWE wouldn’t change their business for that,’ yes, they would. The Shooter was debuting and they stacked the 900th episode of SmackDown. That’s why I was there. That’s why Taker was there. They’ll do those things because they’re on the USA Network and USA Network asks for a favor, so they’ll do them a favor.”
WrestleMania 33 this past April from Orlando added $181.5 million to the Central Florida economy. The Orlando Sentinel has published findings from an independent study released today by WWE and the office of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.
“The number actually exceeded our expectations,” Dyer said. “We went in expecting $130 to 150 million based on prior years. But $181 million is huge for our community and it really shows that WrestleMania has been one of our significant events in Central Florida.”
79% of fans who attended the week-long festivities came from outside Central Florida. Fans from all 50 states were on hand, as well as people from 62 countries across the world.
One of the most noteworthy stats from the report was that visitors from outside of the Central Orlando area averaged 5.6 nights at local hotels.
John Saboor, WWE’s Executive Vice President of Special Events (and former President of the Central Florida Sports Commission), said, “The length of stay is disproportionately larger than our other major event contemporaries and that was one of the most dramatic increases in the study.”
Out of town fans spending so much time in the WrestleMania host city and contributing such a large amount of money to the local economy will bolster WWE’s negotiating leverage when fielding bids from future prospective host cities.
WrestleMania 24 from Orlando back in 2008 brought $50 million to the local economy, but that included only WrestleMania, RAW and a smaller fan festival.
This weekend, WWE presents the 31st annual Survivor Series event from Houston, Texas. WWE is going all-in with a RAW vs. SmackDown brand supremacy theme this year, with every match on the main card featuring Superstars from opposing brands squaring off.
Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen drastic changes made to the top matches. AJ Styles dethroned Jinder Mahal to become the new WWE Champion last week. In turn, he bumped Mahal out of the main event and earned the right to face the most dangerous Superstar on the roster, Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.
Sheamus and Cesaro recently captured the RAW tag team championships, altering previously announced Shield vs. Usos tag match and setting up The Shield vs. The New Day. Additionally, Kurt Angle, John Cena and Triple H have been added to the men’s RAW vs. SmackDown team elimination match, adding some big-time star power to that match.
A show that a lot of fans were indifferent towards is now must-see. Ahead of Sunday’s pay-per-view, here are 5 things we’re looking out for at WWE Survivor Series.
Which Brand Reigns Supreme
Following the Brand Extension that took place in July 2016, last year’s Survivor Series featured three RAW vs. SmackDown matches. Team RAW was victorious in the Women’s 5-on-5 match as well as the 10-on-10 tag team elimination match. Team SmackDown won the 5-on-5 men’s match, with Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt being the last two men standing for their team. RAW got the upper hand last year, but SmackDown won the higher-profile match.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAGFPtCMFAE
This year’s Survivor Series features 7 inter-brand matches, including:
Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles (Universal Champion vs. WWE Champion)
Men’s 5-on-5 Team Elimination Match
Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya (Women’s Champion vs. Women’s Champion)
Women’s 5-on-5 Team Elimination Match
The Bar vs. The Usos (Tag Champs vs. Tag Champs)
The Miz vs. Baron Corbin (IC Champion vs. US Champion)
The Shield vs. The New Day
While there is nothing at stake in the battle of the brands (the 30th Royal Rumble spot would have been a good prize), reigning supreme at Survivor Series would give the RAW or SmackDown authority figures sufficient bragging rights.
We predict that RAW will get the edge and win 4 out of the 7 matches. Going by what we feel is most likely to occur, we say Brock Lesnar defeats AJ Styles (more on that later), the Women’s Team RAW defeats the Women’s Team SmackDown (more on that later), The Shield isn’t losing their first big 6-man tag match and Alexa Bliss is portrayed much stronger than Natalya. That leaves the men’s Team SmackDown, The Usos and Baron Corbin picking up wins, so it’s not too one-sided.
How Brock Lesnar Is Protected
It’s no secret that WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is on a long-term collision course with Roman Reigns that will most likely culminate at WrestleMania 34.
Had Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal actually occurred, any outcome other than Lesnar completely annihilating the Modern Day Maharajah would have been a tough sell. Thankfully, the wrestling gods smiled down upon us and not only put the WWE Championship on AJ Styles, but also gave us the Lesnar vs. Styles dream match would have otherwise been left to fantasy booking.
Lesnar vs. Styles has the makings of a classic. Lesnar is still entirely capable of delivering when it counts, but he’s drawn criticism for some uninspired matches that rely on the limited ‘Suplex City’ formula. Good thing he’ll be working with the best wrestler in the company on Sunday.
This is the match we are most looking forward to at Survivor Series, but the need to keep Lesnar strong headed into WrestleMania season (is it almost December already) tells us that he’ll be standing tall when all is said and done.
Asuka’s Role In The Women’s 5-on-5
Asuka has finally arrived on the main roster. The undefeated former NXT Women’s Champion is instantly a threat to every woman on the RAW brand, especially RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss.
However, for whatever reason, her positioning on RAW has been somewhat lackluster thus far. After two surprisingly-competitive matches against Emma, WWE has gotten things back on track by featuring her in short matches against ‘local competitors’ on RAW.
Survivor Series is the perfect opportunity to unleash Asuka. Let her dominate and eliminate several women on Team SmackDown. A strong showing against the likes of Charlotte and Becky Lynch would re-establish Asuka as the most dangerous woman on either brand. Heck, take it a step farther and show her RAW teammates being fearful of what they have to deal with on Monday nights.
Asuka is going to raise hell at Survivor Series, which is why we’re picking the Women’s Team RAW to be victorious.
Carmella Cashing In
Carmella has held the Women’s Money in the Bank briefcase since June. Since then, she’s been a dark cloud hanging over SmackDown’s women’s division, waiting for the perfect moment to cash in.
Tuesday’s SmackDown saw Charlotte capture the SmackDown Women’s Championship in her home town. In doing so, she moves into the Women’s Champion vs. Champion match at Survivor Series.
Win, lose or draw, SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte will be vulnerable after battling Alexa Bliss. A cash-in was probably more likely with Natalya as champion – but it’s still something to be on alert for.
Superstars Not Booked On The Show
Survivor Series is a stacked show with all hands on deck. Even with several tag matches (including a 6-man tag and the two 5-on-5 traditional team elimination matches), there are still several prominent Superstars without advertised matches, including:
Jinder Mahal
Kevin Owens
Sami Zayn
Rusev
Matt Hardy
Dolph Ziggler
Jason Jordan
Elias
With so many big names on the sidelines for one of WWE’s biggest shows of the year, don’t be surprised to see some outside interference from at least one of them.
[td_smart_list_end]
Discussion: Hit up the comments section and let us know what you’ll be looking out for this Sunday at WWE Survivor Series.
Former ECW Champion and WWE Superstar Justin Credible says he is clean and sober thanks to WWE’s wellness program and vows to come back better than ever in 2018.
Credible (PJ Polaco) says the last year of his life has been filled with ups and downs. His battle with addiction is well documented. When he retired last October, Credible says he was not the same person that fans remembered him as. He vows to redeem himself not just in the eyes of fans, but also his peers.
Justin Credible posted the following message on Twitter on Tuesday morning:
“When I retired from pro wrestling I honestly didn’t think I would miss it all that much. The last year of my life has been full of ups and downs. Most of them public. My struggles with addiction have been well documented. I’m pleased to say that TODAY i’m clean and sober.
Through the amazing help of the WWE wellness program I am able to live a life I never thought possible with gratitude love and compassion. I also want to say that when I retired October 16, 2015, I was not the person that you remember as Justin Credible.
What I’m basically trying to say is 2018 is going to be the year that I redeem myself. Not only in the eyes of the fans but of my peers. I gave this business everything and in return I got lost along the way as so many do. This is [not] some gimmick to try to get bookings.
If for no other reason I just want to show everyone that with the love and support from the fans & WWE Wellness program anyone can battle their demons and come back better than ever. Stay tuned……”
Tonight’s edition of WWE RAW takes place from Atlanta, Georgia at the Philips Arena.
The top item advertised for the show is the return of Roman Reigns, who has been out of action due to illness. The Shield is rumored to be facing New Day this Sunday at Survivor Series.
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar will also be on hand to address AJ Styles winning the WWE Championship last week on SmackDown. How will Lesnar react to AJ Styles being his new Survivor Series opponent?
Other top items to keep an eye on:
– The triple threat match featuring Bayley vs. Mickey James vs. Dana Brooke to determine the final member of RAW’s women’s team. Will the final member be one of them, or someone we haven’t seen on television in a while?
– How will the RAW roster react to the news of John Cena being named as the fifth man for Team SmackDown?
Join us here tonight for our WWE RAW Live Coverage
After RAW goes off the air, a new edition of WWE 24 premieres on the WWE Network spotlighting Bill Goldberg.
Next month, WWE heads to India for live events in New Dehli on Friday, December 8th and Saturday, December 9th at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
Although Jinder Mahal is no longer the defending WWE Champion, the Modern Day Maharajah will still be a big focus of the shows. He’s expected to get a hero’s welcome, but fans may be conflicted about who to cheer for when Mahal steps in the ring.
In a video posted on Twitter on Saturday night, Triple H said fans have asked him ‘a million times’ if he’ll be wrestling in India. Indeed, he will and his opponent will be Jinder Mahal.
Triple H vs. Jinder Mahal will take place on the December 9th card and The Game is is touting it as “the biggest match in India’s history.”
Triple H just has one question for Jinder Mahal and the fans of India. “Are you ready?”
– Earlier this week video game journalist Dan Ryckert challenged SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan to take the #OneChipChallenge. For those who are unfamiliar, the challenge involves eating a Paqui tortilla chip, which is made with very spicy ghost pepper and California Reaper peppers. Bryan joked, “If I can’t handle it, I’m not a real man.”
Both men ate a chip and the results were hilarious. Daniel Bryan sat there cool and comfortable while Ryckert lost it, coughing in pain and in disbelief that Bryan was unfazed. Bryan refused a drink of [dairy free] Muscle Milk afterwards said he felt so good that he did a cartwheel on the table they were sitting at. Check out the video:
– Longtime WWE timekeeper Mark Yeaton tweeted the following on Friday, noting that he “doesn’t miss that place at all” after leaving the company 3 years ago.
News broke on Friday that Lucha Underground has been confirmed for a fourth season. El Rey sent in a press release providing more details about season 4, including production beginning in Los Angeles in early 2018.
“Lucha Underground has been a remarkable series for El Rey Network. We have aired 105 episodes since its debut in 2014, hosted a live event at the SXSW film festival as well as in markets across the Southwest, and the series was the first TV show to screen theatrically using 4dx technology. Further, filming each episode in front of a live audience has given devoted fans the opportunity to engage and closley connect with the show,”, commented Tibbets. “I am as excited as ‘The Believers’ – Lucha Underground’s rabid fanbase – that the series is coming back for another action-packed season.”
“This series has captivated an audience that is passionate about wrestling and we are excited to continue bringing Lucha Underground into their homes each week.” said Mark Burnett, MGM’s President Televison Group & Digital. “The action in the ring and the storylines around our luchadores remain unique and continue to surprise fans every episode.”
Ancient tradition, extraordinary athleticism, and a flare for theatrics combine in El ReyNetwork’s wrestling series, Lucha Underground. The riveting original series introduces American audiences to the high-flying aerial maneuvers, slingshot moves, dramatic masks, intricate, rapid-fire wrestling combinations and the distinctive techniques of lucha libre, one of Mexico’s most popular sports. Fans have a ringside seat as masked villains and heroes face off to battle for wrestling supremacy. The series provides enthusiastic viewers with an incredibly visceral and explosive experience with a focus on the artistry, originality, intense action and over-the-top characters that has come to define this phenomenal fan-favorite.
Lucha Underground is produced by MGM Television in association with FactoryMade and AG Studios for El Rey Network. Executive producers are Burnett (Survivor, Shark Tank, The Voice); filmmaker and El Rey Network co-founder Robert Rodriguez; Eric Van Wagenen (who is also the showrunner) and Brian Edwards of MGM; Dorian Roldán from Lucha Libre AAA; Alejandro Garcia and Antonio Cué Sánchez-Navarro; FactoryMade and El Rey Network co-founders John Fogelman and Cristina Patwa; and Skip Chaisson of El Rey Network. The series airs on El Rey Network and is distributed internationally by MGM.
Following the Brand Extension that took place in July 2016, last year’s Survivor Series featured three RAW vs. SmackDown matches. Team RAW was victorious in the Women’s 5-on-5 match as well as the 10-on-10 tag team elimination match. Team SmackDown won the 5-on-5 men’s match, with Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt being the last two men standing for their team. RAW got the upper hand last year, but SmackDown won the higher-profile match.
