Former MLW Champion, Shane Strickland, will be finishing up with the company next month. There is rumored interest from WWE for Strickland as well. WWE is expected to announce several new signings in January and Strickland could potentially be one of them.
According to a report from PW Insider, Strickland’s last shows with MLW will be the 2-night Fusion tapings in Miami on December 13th to 14th.
WWE’s interest in Strickland was first reported in August. “Shane Strickland is another name (WWE) are looking at and will be coming in for a future look,” Dave Meltzer wrote this summer. Low-Ki defeated Strickland for the MLW World title just weeks before the report was published on July 12th.
Shane Strickland To WWE?
The 30-year-old Strickland’s first breakthrough in wrestling came as a member of the CZW roster in 2012. He later joined the Lucha Underground roster under the name “Killshot” in 2015. While in Lucha Underground, he took part in a well-reviewed angle with AR Fox that culminated in a Weapons of Mass Destruction match.
In 2018, Strickland has debuted for MLW, AAA, and EVOLVE earlier this year. He’s a former CZW Champion, MLW Champion, EVOLVE Champion, and was ranked #221 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated this year.
Strickland faced Low-Ki in a rematch for the MLW title at MLW: Fightland. The match will air in the coming weeks on Fusion.
Jim Ross announced recently his contract with AXS TV is up and he’s currently unable to negotiate a new one. JR mentioned that neither NJPW nor AXS TV played a role in him not signing a new deal to call NJPW.
He sent out the following Tweet today to provide further details on his departure from the network.
To clarify the speculation, my departure from @AXSTV had zero to do with @njpwglobal or @mcuban’s network.
“To clarify the speculation, my departure from @AXSTV had zero to do with @njpwglobal or @mcuban’s network. My contract ends at years end and I was unable to legally negotiate a new arrangement. #ItsJustBusiness#NeverSayNever”
Jim Ross Contract Situation in 2019
JR originally addressed his contract situation this week on his podcast.
“It’s a tough week for me with AXS TV,” Ross said. “I’m here (in Los Angeles), going to do my last three shows for them (yesterday). That will take us through the end of the year on our Friday night slot on Mark Cuban’s network.”
He then explained that his contract with WWE extends until the end of March. It seems likely then that he would be unable to negotiate a new deal with AXS or NJPW until that time.
“My shows will run through the end of the year, that’s when my contract will be expiring. So then, I have a contract with WWE that will end at the end of March,” Ross continued.
JR has consistently said he has plenty of options available to him and that 2019 should be an interesting year for the business.
“And then we’ll see where things go. I have a lot of options, a lot of opportunities. I’m very blessed with everything that’s happened.”
Tama Tonga doesn’t hold much back. In the midst of all the turmoil surrounding Becky Lynch’s recent concussion, Tama managed to get in his comments to both Lynch and Nia Jax.
First, Tama offered a sign of respect to “The Man”:
Tama Tonga will be competing in New Japan Pro Wrestling’s World Tag League from November 17th to December 9th. There has been a slight change of format this year. Teams will be combined into one big group as opposed to two separate ones. This format was used for the debut of the Super Junior Tag League earlier this year.
3x former Impact X-Division Champion, Trevor Lee, has departed Impact Wrestling. According to a report from PW Insider, there is interested from WWE in bringing him in as well.
“Former Impact Wrestling X-Division and Tag Team Champion Trevor Lee, 25 years old, has departed the promotion,” reported PW Insider. “Lee gave notice to the promotion that he was finishing up. We have confirmed with several sources there is WWE interest in bringing Lee into the WWE NXT system.”
Trevor Lee WWE Bound?
25-year-old Trevor Lee is from Cameron, North Carolina. He was trained by two famous brothers from the area, Matt & Jeff Hardy when he was still only a teenager.
After wrestling on the independents, Lee would align with another North Carolina wrestling name, Gregory Helms, as part of “the Helms Dynasty” in 2016. In the summer of 2017, he then formed “the Cult of Lee” in Impact Wrestling. He served as a mentor of sorts for Caleb Konley.
Lee is also the son of Tracey Caddell, a wrestler/promoter who helped form OMEGA with Matt Hardy. Unfortunately, Caddell passed away earlier this year.
Update: Trevor Lee tweeted the following on Friday afternoon in response to reports that he is leaving Impact Wrestling.
Impact Wrestling presented their first show from the Las Vegas tapings last night. Right out of the bat it looks as though we’ve got our two top matches for the Homecoming PPV in January.
Here are the top 9 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 11/15
Brian Cage is Cashing In Option C, Will Challenge For World Title At Homecoming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHYndfb9qGM
Brian Cage (c) defeated Sami Callihan
In the main event last night, X-Division Champion, Brian Cage, pinned challenger Sami Callihan after delivering Weapon-X. In shocking fashion, Cage would then announce after the match that he is cashing in “Option C”; he’s turning in the X-division title for a shot at the world championship. He wants his shot at the Homecoming pay-per-view in Nashville on January 6. At the moment, this would mean he would face Johnny Impact, should Johnny still be champion come that time.
Dark Allie Debuts
Su Yung defeated Heather Monroe
Last week, Allie accepted James Mitchell’s offer to help her “heal”. Allie had left her soul in the undead realm when she went to rescue Keira Hogan at Bound For Glory. This week, Keira Hogan came out to stop Su Yung from a post-match beat down on her opponent when “Dark Allie” arrived and confronted Hogan.
A new Darker Allie has emerged. Gone is the bouncy, bubbly, bunny Impact Wrestling fans once Knew. Allie left the ring area along with Su Yung as Keira Hogan lay beaten on the mat.
Tessa Blanchard vs Taya Valkyrie III Will Take Place At Homecoming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW4ZWFt6MVc
Tessa Blanchard defeated Ray Lyn
Blanchard may have defeated Valkyrie at Bound For Glory but it was not without controversy. Had the referee not been out of position when Valkyrie delivered the Road To Valhalla, things could have worked out differently that night.
Then in a rematch at Final Hour, Blanchard saved her title by getting herself disqualified. This week Taya revealed she spoke to Impact management and they made the third installment of this rivalry official for Homecoming.
Killer Kross Offered To Protect Johnny Impact
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nOoCoROsdg
Johnny Impact defeated Matt Sydal
One week after Johnny Impact successfully defended his Impact World Championship against Killer Kross, the two would be face to face in the ring again. Johnny defeated Matt Sydal in a non-title match this week and Kross confronted him after the match.
Kross offered his services to Johnny, saying if he needed his back watch, he’d be there. Johnny turned down his request, however, and said he didn’t trust the offer.
Eddie Edwards Has Priors, Dragged Away By Orderlies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tHe374zvzU
Moose baited Eddie Edwards this week. He said if Edwards tried to attack him again, he’d simply turn him into the authorities. Moose noted that Eddie has “priors” so a third strike could send him to prison for 20 years.
Edwards couldn’t resist going after his rival, however, even as Alisha Edwards screamed for him not to. 3 men in orderlies dragged Edwards away after injecting something into his neck.
Tommy Dreamer Doesn’t Like Eli Drake’s Skinny Jeans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzWLXxRsRjs
In what was the second promo directed at skinny-jean millennials this week, Tommy Dreamer cut a promo on Eli Drake this week. Drake was cutting a promo saying he was going to get rid of hardcore wrestling when Dreamer appeared.
It looked as though Dreamer and Drake were going to have an impromptu match but ultimately Drake decided to roll of the ring and go to the back instead.
Konnan Turns Down LAX Vs Lucha Bros Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKaxjkxlccM
LAX defeated Fallah Bah & KM
LAX told Konnan this week that they want to defend their tag-team titles against the Lucha Bros, Pentagon and Fenix. Konnan, however, said it wasn’t the right time for that match and abruptly left the conversation. This is the second week in a row Santana and Ortiz has had an awkward discussion in the back regarding Konnan’s involvement with both teams.
In a scene reminiscent from that 70s show, members of the Rascalz were re-introduced to Impact Wrestling fans. Zachary Wentz, Trey Miguel, and Dezmond Xavier have impressed independent wrestling fans everywhere they have gone and also put in strong performances at the Impact tapings in Toronto this summer. They announced they have a match in two weeks.
Scarlett Bordeaux Turns Her Attention To The Impact Referees
Scarlett Bordeaux focussed her attention on the Impact Wrestling referees this week. Don Callis also noted that Bordeaux has brought in outside help to vet some of the submissions she receives for her open global talent search.
Quick Results:
Tessa Blanchard defeated Ray Lyn
LAX defeated Fallah Bah & KM
Johnny Impact defeated Matt Sydal
Su Yung defeated Heather Monroe
X-Division Championship
Brian Cage (c) defeated Sami Callihan
Enzo Amore was filmed getting kicked off a Delta flight recently before take-off. Evidently, Enzo had been vaping onboard the plane. Another passenger filmed Enzo being ejected from the flight. Naturally, the person couldn’t resist asking the former Cruiserweight Champion “how you doing?”
Enzo looked back and gave the guy a smile after he said it. TMZ posted the video which you can view in the player below:
In an update to this story, Enzo has now said he was not vaping. He explained the situation in the video below:
What is Enzo Amore Doing Now?
Enzo Amore has said he’ll never wrestle again after his release from WWE. He is now focussed on his music career. Now just going under the name Real1, Enzo has announced a big show coming up in just 3 days.
I’m going-going back-back to Cali-Cali … COME SEE ME DOG. 11.19.18. meet & greet. new merch. comedy. And… NEW MUSIC!
Comedy and new music is being advertised for the event.
Earlier this year, Enzo told TMZ he was working on “a ton of television content right now” and is “sitting on a lot of interesting things right now.”
Enzo has also announced his debut album will be titled “Rosemary’s Baby”. He also told TMZ there isn’t enough money in the world to get him back in a wrestling ring.
“There ain’t nobody who’s got enough money to put me back in the ring, kid,” Amore said. “Not unless it’s ‘Creed 3’ dog and I’m fighting [Adonis Creed].”
Ronda Rousey cut a memorable promo on Becky Lynch this past week on Raw. In whats been dubbed the “Millennium Man” promo, Rousey laced into the SmackDown Women’s Champion for being an avocado-toast eating snowflake. It seems some of that material came may have been inspired by none other than Paul Heyman.
Rousey keeps a YouTube channel where she uploads a weekly video blog. In latest video (filmed on Sunday), the Baddest Woman on the Planet revealed that she was getting ready to meet with Heyman to work on ideas for Raw.
“After a long, I don’t even know how long flight, I’m going to chill out and finally get to Kansas City,” Rousey said on the video. “And then meet up with Paul Heyman and we’ll go over some ideas for tomorrow. Then Raw’s tomorrow!”
Opinion: The prospect of Ronda Rousey and Paul Heyman working together in any capacity is intriguing. Heyman’s aptitude for professional wrestling is unrivaled and countless performers have credited him with enhancing the trajectory of their careers. One has to wonder what Paul Heyman’s future holds once Brock Lesnar finishes up with WWE. Some fans might love the idea of Rousey being a Paul Heyman Girl, but the real money is in Paul Heyman guiding a slew of challengers to rid WWE of Ronda Rousey once and for all.
Rousey & Becky Lynch’s Trash Talk
“Becky, you are so hypersensitive,” Rousey said on Monday’s Raw from Kansas City. “You aren’t just the man, you are the millennial man. You are the skinny jeans wearing, V-neck sporting, avocado toast munching, winged-shoe wearing, millennial man, with a bubble-wrapped ego and a porcelain self-perception. Someone needs to tell the man that I am not Charlotte Flair, Raw is not Smackdown, and being offended doesn’t make you right.”
Lynch responded to Rousey on social media. The Man tweeted, “When you’re babbling on about avocados, I’m main-eventing my show AND your show. Did you hear that last night, Ronda? That’s the sound they make when The Man comes around.”
Impact Wrestling will present its first show from their Las Vegas tapings tonight. The promotion held tapings at Sam’s Town Casino from November 11th to 13th.
Impact Wrestling 11/15 Preview
X-Division Championship – Brian Cage (c) vs Sami Callihan
Previously on Impact Wrestling, Brian Cage traveled to Ohio to confront Sami Callihan. Cage was greeted by Callihan’s numerous Ohio-based minions. Tonight, the X-Division title is on the line, however. Callihan is the only man in Impact Wrestling to ever pin Cage, if he does as such tonight he’ll be the new X-Division Champion.
Johnny Impact vs Matt Sydal – Non-Title
Johnny Impact’s World Championship won’t be on the line in his match with Matt Sydal tonight. If Sydal comes out victorious, however, he’ll likely put himself in title contention. We are just over 7 weeks until the Homecoming PPV in Nashville and somebody will likely be declared the new #1 contender in the coming weeks.
Johnny suggested he might be stretching himself a little thin recently on Impact Press Pass. He’s already had to fend off Fenix and Killer Kross since winning the title and a match against Matt Sydal isn’t any easier.
Tessa Blanchard In Single’s Action
The Knockouts Champion will also be in action tonight. Her opponent for tonight’s non-title match has yet to be announced, however. Blanchard still has unfinished business with Taya Valkyrie. She lost to Taya previously via DQ in a rematch from Bound For Glory. At some point, Blanchard will have to defend the title once more against Valkyrie.
Eli Drake Has Requested Time On Impact Wrestling Tonight
Last week, Eli Drake attacked Joseph Park. Drake said he doesn’t like the hardcore wrestling style Abyss was famous for. He especially didn’t appreciate Abyss attacking him at Bound For Glory.
Tonight, Drake has requested time to speak and explain his actions.
Vince McMahon is said to know which match he wants to main event WrestleMania this year. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, the current planned main event for WrestleMania 35 is Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey.
“Right now the plan is for Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch to headline WrestleMania,” wrote Dave Meltzer. He would continue to say the decision was made after Lynch suffered a concussion Monday. The injury will prevent Lynch from competing on Sunday but likely allows WWE to move the match to their premiere event of the year.
“The next day, both Vince McMahon and Rousey decided that the best course of action was to do the match at WrestleMania,” Meltzer continued. “Rousey and Lynch immediately went at it hard on social media, even though Rousey’s new opponent on the PPV is Charlotte Flair.”
WWE considered doing Ronda vs Charlotte Flair as the main event of WM35 earlier this year. At the time, there were concerns about Ronda’s ability, however.
“Rousey vs. Flair was talked about after last year’s Mania, and at the time there were questions about Rousey headlining such a big show as a single with her level of experience,” Meltzer continued. “There is far less doubt about that now.”
WrestleMania 35 Main Event & Top Matches
This last month has seen a lot of shakeup at the top of WWE’s roster. Roman Reigns will not be involved in WrestleMania this year either. He had previously been in the main event of the last 4 WrestleManias.
Barring an extremely rapid recovery, Triple H will probably not be back for WrestleMania either. His torn pec suffered at Crown Jewel will likely prevent a potential match with Batista taking place.
It is believed Brock Lesnar is signed through WrestleMania. Current speculation holds he will not face Braun Strowman at the event, however.
Don Callis and Impact Wrestling would love to bring in some of the top-talent from NJPW to their promotion. While it’s likely some in-roads have been made with Callis serving as English color commentator, it appears NJPW still isn’t budging. NJPW has talent sharing agreements in place with ROH & CMLL and apparently, they aren’t adding more North American promotions to the fold.
“(NJPW) didn’t use guys like Brian Cage and John Morrison because they were Impact guys,” Dave Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer. “And stopped some of their own talent from working Impact.”
There have been rumblings in the past that some members of the NJPW roster were upset they weren’t allowed to work for Impact but who those wrestlers are is unconfirmed. As for Brian Cage and Johnny Impact, they were both said to be interested in working for the promotion but NJPW decided against it due to their status with Impact.
Don Callis Wants Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho In Impact Wrestling
The new management regime for Impact has been working in 2018 to clear the bad name left by the previous one. This includes a botched excursion between NJPW and Impact which saw Kazuchika Okada largely wasted by the former TNA Wrestling.
At a Slammiversary press conference in Toronto earlier this year, Callis said to me he’d love to bring both Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho to his promotion.
“There’s a young Canadian kid I like, we’d love to sign him, his name is Kenny Omega,” Callis said. “Another is Chris Jericho.”
Cody Rhodes hasn’t participated in a G-1 tournament, or tournament of any kind for that matter, since arriving in NJPW in early 2017. His first match for the promotion was at Wrestle Kingdom 11 when he defeated Juice Robinson inside the Tokyo Dome. He did the same thing at Fighting Spirit Unleashed but an undaunted Juice recently challenged Cody to a third match as well.
Cody’s contract with Ring of Honor is said to be up and he doesn’t have a deal in place with NJPW. He’s always competed for NJPW as part of their talent-sharing agreement with ROH. As he heads to free agency, however, Cody appears motivated to stay with NJPW despite potentially leaving ROH.
“Cody outright said that he wants to work more New Japan in 2019,” Dave Meltzer wrote. Although Meltzer doesn’t list his source, the report reads as though he was talking directly to Cody.
“He’s already said doing a G-1 is something he wants to do, but last year his filming “Arrow” made that impossible,” Meltzer continued. “But he wants to do more than just the big shows like he did in 2018 with the idea that he wants to improve as a wrestler, and you want to improve as a wrestler, New Japan is the place to work.”
It sounds as though Cody wanted to send a message to NJPW management through the Observer but that is only speculation.
Where is Cody Going To Wrestle In 2019?
If Cody is saying he wants to wrestle in NJPW next year, he’s not going to WWE, although he has already stated as much. It’s likely he’s not happy with contract negotiations with ROH if he is lobbying to stay in NJPW despite leaving the promotion they have a talent-sharing agreement with.
2 of the 3 members of SCU have reportedly not signed contracts offered to them by Ring of Honor. Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels will both be free agents at the end of the year if they don’t re-sign according to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
“Add Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian to the list of those who haven’t signed new deals for 2019 after being offered contracts,” Dave Meltzer wrote. “Daniels just indicated that he hasn’t made any decision yet. I don’t think any regular on Being the Elite has signed a new deal, although Flip Gordon just signed a two-year ROH contract and Marty Scurll has months left.”
Ring of Honor Free Agency Period
ROH frequently structures their contracts so they end after Final Battle. This year the event will take place on December 14th. In the case of Marty Scurll, however, he is reported to have signed a contract extension which takes him through the G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden. This means ROH will have to lock-up several of their wrestlers to deals before the MSG show in April.
At the moment, Kazarian and Scorpio Sky are the promotion’s tag-team champions. They successfully defended those titles against the Super Smash Bros at the Global Wars: Toronto show.
On one of the most notable Smackdown episodes in some time, Daniel Bryan won the WWE Championship last night. He also turned heel in the process.
According to a report from Wrestling Observer, the decision was made to put the title on him before Becky Lynch was injured. As for Bryan’s heel turn, that is something he has personally been pushing for recently. The decision was not made to pull the trigger on it until yesterday, however.
Daniel Bryan Heel Turn, WWE Championship Win
“It’s a complicated story,” Dave Meltzer said. “Daniel Bryan himself has been pushing the idea of going heel just because his booking as a babyface with the Miz – it’s counter-productive.”
“For whatever the reason, I don’t know the reason but it was over the weekend, Vince changed plans and wanted to go with Brock Lesnar against Daniel Bryan,” Meltzer continued. “So this is before the Becky Lynch injury but the heel turn was decided this afternoon. It was basically Vince going ‘let’s do it all in one day and get the biggest impact.'”
Based on this report, the WWE title switch was decided independently of Becky’s injury. Bryan’s heel turn was decided the day of Smackdown. He had evidently been pushing for the turn in recent months, however.
The heel turn and title change led to a heel vs heel Champion vs Champion match Survivor Series.
It’s been a particularly eventful last few days in wrestling. In another update to this ongoing saga, Becky Lynch has just sent a message to Nia Jax on Twitter. Her comments were made in response to a post of Nia’s from earlier today.
“You gave me your best sucker punch, but I got back up to destroy your whole roster. They won’t let me fight, but I’ll get back up from that too. It’s what I do. So enjoy your one free shot, because as bad as my memory is now, I haven’t forgotten you, bitch.”
A Quick Recap Of Today’s Events
A lot has happened today so a quick review might be in order.
“Unfortunately, now everyone knows if someone hauls off and punches you for real, your face implodes,” Rousey wrote. “I suggest you keep practicing your tough guy’s faces in the mirror, should be very effective physical therapy.
It’s perhaps a little odd that Rousey pointed out people don’t get punched for real in WWE during a kayfabe style post but that’s wrestling.
Then there were reports from backstage that Nia Jax has heat with the roster for what happened.
WWE presents the final episode of NXT before Takeover: WarGames tonight. Also, 205 Live will air their final show before Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali clash for the Cruiserweight title at Survivor Series.
NXT 11/14 Preview
The main event of tonight’s NXT will determine which team gains the advantage at WarGames. Literally, the winner of tonight’s match will see their team gain the advantage in terms of which team has a competitor enter 3rd, 5th, and 7th, giving them the numbers advantage at 3 different intervals during the match.
Kyle O’Reilly vs TBD
The Undisputed Era have already announced that Kyle O’Reilly will be their representative in the WarGames advantage match tonight. The team of the War Raiders, Pete Dunne, and Ricochet still have to nominate a competitor.
Mia Yim vs Bianca Belair
Mia Yim has a chance to skyrocket to the top of NXT’s women’s division tonight. She is going to be taking on the undefeated Bianca Belair in single’s action. A win here for Bianca, would further solidify her as a top-tier competitor who should likely be inline for a title shot soon.
Lacey Evans in Single’s Competition
Another match in the increasingly stacked women’s division tonight sees Lacey evidence in singles competition. Per opponent hasn’t been announced which likely means they are enhancement talent. Evans has picked up wins recently over Dakota Kai and Candice LeRae. As with Belair, Evans seems to be just one or two big wins away from a title shot.
205 Live 11/14 Preview
Only only one match has been announced tonight’s 205 Live. Tonight’s episode will also be the go home show before the cruiserweight title match at Survivor Series between Mustafa Ali and Buddy Murphy, however. It’s likely there will be a segment involving champion and challenger tonight.
Lio Rush vs Cedric Alexander
Lio Rush has a chance to jump to the top of the cruiserweight division tonight. He will take on former cruiserweight champion Cedric Alexander. Rush is undefeated in singles matches so far in the cruiserweight division. The only blemish on his record thus far was losing out in a fatal 5-way match which was ultimately won by Tony Nese. A win could put Rush in title contention. Similarly, a win for Alexander would put him back on track to getting a rematch with a man who beat him for the title in Australia.
Former WWE Intercontinental Champion jumped to defend Nia Jax from an online attack recently. Journalist, Bryan Alvarez made a comment regarding Nia Jax and the injury suffered to Becky Lynch on Monday night. Ryback then offered up his opinion in response.
Well, there you go. That was not an inadvertent elbow. She punched her right in the face. I don't want anyone to lose their job, but at the very least Nia needs to be sent back to developmental for awhile. This isn't the first, second or even third time this has happened. https://t.co/ZoVhC4buSL
Shut the fuck up. Who the hell are you to make a statement like that? You’re a fucking mark and your shit opinion is the reason a lot of people spew hate onto wrestlers. You’re a pussy who can’t do it, so you criticize those who can. Mistakes happen, your parents understand that https://t.co/zuhQt7Sbwx
While Ryback was critical of Alvarez for offering a critique on a wrestler’s performance, Alvarez is a professional wrestler himself. He offered up the following in response to Ryback’s comments: “I started wrestling in the mid-90s. In over 1,000 matches with everyone from Buddy Wayne to Lance Storm to Rock & Roll Express and Los Villanos and Larry Sweeney and Jack Evans and everyone else, I never hurt anyone, ever. Pretty sure I’m qualified to give my opinion on working.”
Bryan Alvarez Wrestling Career
Alvarez has recently come out of retirement this year as well. In July, he teamed up with MLW’s “Filthy” Tom Lawlor in a losing effort to the legendary Rock N Roll Express.
Most recently, Alvarez defeated “Mr. Fun Size” Marko Stunt at Big Trouble In Little Crown Point for Powerbomb.TV.
Back in 2010, Alvarez defeated a wrestler by the name of “The Ideal Canadian” to qualify for TCW’s Can-Am title tournament. Unconfirmed rumors suggest the man Alvarez beat was actually Lance Storm.
Posted November 14th, 2018 in News, WWE. Tagged: Ryback.
Lana was involved in the Smackdown vs Raw women’s division melee on Raw Monday night. A fan on Twitter noted that at one point, Lana stopped her attack on Dana Brooke on the outside. Lana responded to the fan by noting several distractions she was experiencing at the time.
I saw blood on Dana’s face so I stopped from hitting her & also was being told to get a doctor and ref because of what just had happened to Becky. We are out there fighting to win but not out there to legitimately hurt one another. https://t.co/El0T8PlmZz
“I saw blood on Dana’s face so I stopped from hitting her & also was being told to get a doctor and ref because of what just had happened to Becky. We are out there fighting to win but not out there to legitimately hurt one another.”
Preach girl! You totally checked on me as an athlete is trained to do here in this profession .. and told officials! Haters gunna hate but never could take 2 steps in our shoes knowing what we have to do! People are idiots
Raw vs Smackdown Melee and Becky Lynch’s “Broken Face”
WWE reported that Becky Lynch suffered a concussion and broken face during the melee as a result of a punch from Nia Jax. Upon researching, facial fractures are a legitimate medical diagnosis and refer to any broken bone in the face. Unlike other bones, however, facial breaks are said to heal much quicker and return to normal in weeks as opposed to months. The more serious condition Becky is dealing with is her concussion.
WWE is cautious with concussion injuries, which have also sidelined Alexa Bliss for the time being. Bliss is reportedly being sidelined at the moment due to suffering multiple concussions in a short span of time.
Daniel Bryan won the WWE Championship last night on a notable episode of Smackdown Live! In one night, several of the top matches for Survivor Series 2018 were changed, all with just 5 days to go before the event.
Not only did Bryan win the WWE Championship in a match only announced that same night, but he also turned heel in the process. Bryan low-blowed Styles with the referee out of position moments before hitting him with a running knee to pick up the win. When cameras attempted to catch up with Bryan backstage, however, he was not offering up any explanation for his actions.
While Bryan wouldn’t answer any questions, he did pose for his WWE Championship photo session:
Daniel Bryan Beats AJ Styles, Wins WWE Championship
AJ Styles’ WWE Championship reign finishes at 1 year and 6 days. He defended the title 13x successfully on WWE programming (not including house shows). This is Bryan’s 4th run with the title. He has only held the title for a combined 66 days, however. He has twice had to vacate the belt and also lost it in quick succession to Randy Orton at SummerSlam 2013.
Bryan also formerly held the now retired World Heavyweight Championship in WWE once. Bryan held that title for 105 days before losing it to Sheamus at WrestleMania that year.
In what could be a major blow to a hot angle, Becky Lynch has reportedly suffered a concussion and could miss Survivor Series. Fightful is reporting they have been informed Becky Lynch has suffered a mild concussion and has been pulled from Sunday’s match against Ronda Rousey.
“I’m waiting to hear from WWE officially, but I was told she’s not cleared right now for competition,” noted Dave Meltzer. “Fightful story is probably accurate but all we’ve heard is bout in jeopardy.”
WWE has yet to comment on the situation. If Lynch has been pulled from the show, they will need to address it tonight on Smackdown.
Becky Lynch Suffered A Concussion On Raw?
Lynch was busted open during the Raw vs Smackdown women’s roster melee to close out Raw last night. There are reports she may have taken an elbow to the nose from Nia Jax, however we cannot confirm that is what caused her injury.
WWE social media has been promoting the Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey Survivor Series match all day, however. They posted the following video of Lynch chewing out a reporter for wearing a Ronda Rousey jacket into an interview:
“I don’t know if you know this,” Lynch started. “Or if you’ve done any work coming into this interview, to interview the champ but I actually have a big match against Ronda Rousey. I think it’s a little bit disrespectful and unprofessional to come in wearing a Ronda Rousey jacket. So if you actually want to do this interview maybe go out there, take your jacket off and come back in.”
Hurricane Helms and Cody Hall were involved in a social media beef earlier today. Things started innocently enough when Hall expressed he isn’t a fan of comic books or super-heroes.
Am I the only one who never liked superheroes and comics?
Normally, little would come from this. Comic icon Stan Lee died yesterday, however, likely meaning the topic is a sensitive one for some.
Hurricane Helms vs Cody Hall Via Twitter
Helms then offered advice for Hall, telling him he should delete his account. At this point, the two men realized they share the same move in their arsenal. Hall commented on his chokeslam versus Helms’.
Hall then brought up a time when his father paid for Hurricane’s lunch, which seems nice of the legendary Scott Hall.
I remember when we had a tag match, my dad paid for your lunch before the show , you didn’t even say than you after. Guess you don’t get paid too much.
It should be noted that at this point even most of each guy’s Twitter followers stopped chiming in and just allowed the two to have their own public conversation.
Exactly. I tagged with you my third match, you gave me no advice, only cared about doing your pose and chokeslam spot, and hustled a free lunch and didn’t even say thank you. I couldn’t be less off a mark for you. Don’t @ me
Helms then disputed Hall’s claims he offered no advice during the match.
Well the crowd had to pop for something. ????? Also, I gave you no advice? I put that match together to hide your greenness. If you didn’t learn from that, then that’s on you.
Somebody finally at this point decided the conversation should go into DMs. Evidently, Hall disagreed with this, however.
Wow. You type this cool guy response at the same time you DM me. Really….. green me was way more impressive than some guy clinging to comedy and face paint to find a spot in the business.
Hall then offered up the following when Hurricane responded that he had at least found a spot in the wrestling business.
You were a jabroni and you know it. Your only anyone because you were around when wrestling was hot, and you know. Your lucky the rock had a match with you, that’s all I even remember of you, you know it. Go do a shoot interview on how I picked on you. You got nothing left.
Becky Lynch attacked Ronda Rousey on Raw last night. In 5 days arguably the two hottest acts in wrestling will collide one-on-one at Survivor Series.
Earlier this month the WWE was in the UK. While there, Becky was involved in an altercation during a planned sit-down interview. The reporter arrived wearing a Ronda Rousey jacket and Becky did not take kindly to this.
WWE recently posted video of the altercation to their YouTube channel:
Becky Lynch Offended By Reporter’s Ronda Rousey Jacket
Lynch originally questioned the reporter who noted that her Ronda Rousey sweater was official WWE merchandise.
“I don’t know if you know this,” Lynch started. “Or if you’ve done any work coming into this interview, to interview the champ but I actually have a big match against Ronda Rousey. I think it’s a little bit disrespectful and unprofessional to come in wearing a Ronda Rousey jacket. So if you actually want to do this interview maybe go out there, take your jacket off and come back in.”
Lynch will take on Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series in a Champion vs Champion match. Lynch won the title back at Hell in a Cell from Charlotte Flair and defended it successfully against Flair at Evolution.
Becky Lynch has recently responded to Ronda Rousey’s promo from last night on Raw. Rousey took aim at Lynch’s sensitivity and compared her to stereotypes of the millennial generation.
“Becky, you are so hypersensitive,” Rousey said last night. “You aren’t just the man, you are the millennial man. You are the skinny jeans wearing, V-neck sporting, avocado toast munching, winged-shoe wearing, millennial man, with a bubble-wrapped ego and a porcelain self-perception. Someone needs to tell the man that I am not Charlotte Flair, Raw is not Smackdown, and being offended doesn’t make you right.”
Becky has since offered up the following response on Twitter:
“When you’re babbling on about avocados, I’m main-eventing my show AND your show. Did you hear that last night, Ronda? That’s the sound they make when The Man comes around.”
Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series
For the second year in a row, WWE will run a Champions vs Champions theme at Survivor Series. To a casual observer, this would seem like the biggest night of the year for WWE as it would determine the best of the best. Last year, Charlotte Flair defeated Alexa Bliss in the women’s Champion vs Champion match, arguably making her the top woman wrestler in WWE of the year in storyline.
Tonight’s episode of Smackdown will emanate from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO. It will be the go-home show for Sunday’s Survivor Series.
Smackdown 11/13 Preview
No matches have been confirmed thus far for Smackdown. Normally, there are at least 2 confirmed matches but tonight the show appears to be a bit more open-ended. Much like Raw sometimes is, tonight will all be matches which were not announced ahead of time.
4 segments have been confirmed, however.
Reaction To Becky Lynch’s Invasion
Becky Lynch invaded Raw last night to get at Ronda Rousey before Sunday. Shortly after, the entire Smackdown women’s team (with a few others) hit the ring for a pre-Survivor Series Raw vs Smackdown melee.
Will the Raw roster show up in St. Louis like the Smackdown roster did last night?
Can Daniel Bryan and the Miz Get On The Same Page?
Daniel Bryan and the Miz are co-captains of the Smackdown men’s Survivor Series team. Last week, the two longtime rivals actually started to get along as they named Shane McMahon, Rey Mysterio, and Samoa Joe as their 3 teammates. Tonight, we’ll find out if Miz and Bryan can continue to put their differences aside for the sake of brand superiority.
Will Charlotte Flair Captain Team Smackdown?
Last week on Smackdown, Charlotte Flair did not come out for the introductions of Team Smackdown. This allowed Mandy Rose to get some promo time as she ran down the rest of the team. Flair was involved in the Smackdown vs Raw melee to close out Raw last night, however. Does that mean Charlotte has reconsidered and will be on the team? We’ll likely find out tonight.
Smackdown Tag-Team Division Finalizes Survivor Series Team
Last week, the Usos defeated the New Day to earn the captaincy for their team on Sunday. They quickly picked New Day as the first confirmed members of their team. Tonight, we will find out who will join them on the Smackdown tag-team Survivor Series team.
Brock Lesnar re-gained the Universal Championship at Crown Jewel. He defeated Braun Strowman in a match which was originally to involve Roman Reigns. Lesnar had help from Baron Corbin, however. The Raw authority figure hit Strowman in the back of the head with the title belt before the match. This allowed Lesnar to pick up the win after delivering multiple F-5s to his injured opponent.
According to a recent report from Wrestling Observer Radio, Lesnar vs Strowman III (Brock beat Strowman at No Mercy 2017 as well) will not happen at WrestleMania, however.
“I was told directly that Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman is not going to happen at WrestleMania,” Dave Meltzer said. There are only so many dates Lesnar’s schedule is open for the match to take place, however. If WrestleMania is not the date, it begs the question of when is.
When Will Brock Lesnar vs Braun Strowman II Take Place?
Unless something changes, the match won’t take place at the TLC PPV either.
“Right now Lesnar’s not booked in San Jose (TLC) which is the December PPV,” Meltzer continued.
With WrestleMania and TLC ruled out for Strowman vs Lesnar III, it leads the Royal Rumble as a likely date for the match. Another possibility is WWE would hold off on the match until after WrestleMania but that would likely mean another round of contract negotiations with Lesnar. A still further possibility is Lesnar vs Strowman happens sometime in between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania.
Last night, Stephanie McMahon told Braun Strowman that if he captains the Raw Survivor Series team to victory he will get another title shot. Lesnar will face AJ Styles on Sunday.
Alexa Bliss missed Evolution and will not compete at Survivor Series either due to injury. On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer radio, Dave Meltzer reported WWE officials are being cautious with her return as she has suffered multiple concussions in a short period of time.
“The situation is there’s been a lot of talk going on with her,” Meltzer said. “So it was not just a concussion, she’s actually had multiple concussions in a short period of time.”
Bliss hasn’t wrestled since an October 19 house show. She teamed with Mickie James that night in a losing effort to Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax. There were reports after the show that Bliss may have suffered either a concussion or a broken nose.
“So that’s why they’re so cautious with her right now,” Meltzer continued.
Alexa Bliss On Ronda Rousey’s Title Reign Thus Far
Bliss had the following to say recently on Ronda Rousey’s title reign thus far.
“I am absolutely impressed, Bliss said. “She does really well at her facial expressions, which I appreciate because I am really big on facial expressions. It is really easy to appreciate the fact that you know she has been hit before, and you know that pain, you have that emotional connection to her one way or another when you watch her perform. I was very impressed with her match against Nia Jax, and also her match at WrestleMania with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, it was just awesome. I am very proud of her and it’ll be fun to see where things go with that.”