The Riott Squad are evidently not impressed that Bobby Roode interrupted their segment with Charlotte Flair last night. Things were looking as though they were about to get physical with the 3 Riott Squad members alone in the ring with the Smackdown Women’s Champion but Bobby Roode’s music hit and the situation de-escalated quickly. Roode and Charlotte are also tag-team partners in the Mixed-Match Challenge tournament.
Roode was coming out to work the commentary booth for the match between Jinder Mahal and Randy Orton but the Riott Squad did not take kindly to the interruption. Liv Morgan, in particular, has promised that if it happens again she will rip all the sequins off his robe.
Charlotte Flair will defend her Smackdown Women’s Championship against Ruby Riott on Sunday. It is also worth noting that Asuka has yet to declare which champion she will face at WrestleMania, so this match could have WrestleMania implications.
The 27-year-old Riott has been on the main roster since November. She started her pro-career in 2010 and eventually signed with WWE in 2016.
John Cena is doing some promotional work for Nickelodeon today in New York’s Time Square. He will be hosting the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards later this month. Earlier today, the art for the TMNT character he will be voicing in the fall was released as well.
Despite his busy schedule, Cena had time to answer questions regarding potential opponents for him at this year’s WrestleMania. Sports Illustrated caught up to him at the event.
Cena had this to say in regards to recent rumors Rey Mysterio will be his WrestleMania opponent, “Rey Mysterio is great,” said Cena. “I’ll say that, and that’s what I can say about Rey.”
John Cena on WrestleMania 34 Opponent
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, however, Mysterio tore his biceps this weekend. If the diagnosis turns out to be correct, Mysterio could miss WrestleMania.
“I have never asked for a WrestleMania opponent,” said Cena when pressed further about other potential Mania opponents. “If you look at what I’ve done in my WrestleMania entirety, from coming out at Safeco Field in a sweat suit rapping to two cardboard cutouts, to working with established superstars to working with rookies, to being fortunate enough to use the platform to ask a beautiful young lady to marry me.”
During the interview, Cena even hinted it is possible he missed WrestleMania altogether this year.
“What a great story it would be for me to miss and have to buy a ticket,” said Cena. “The year doesn’t stop at WrestleMania, we do Raw the next night. Now imagine if this stalwart, this statue of the WWE now has to look inside himself and ask, ‘Do I still have it?’ after being left out of the biggest show of the year.”
Tonight’s edition of NXT is a taped show from Center Stage in Atlanta, GA. In addition to the Dusty Rhodes Classic beginning, only one other match has been announced for tonight’s show.
Matches and Segments Announced For Tonight
Dusty Rhodes Classic Tournament (1st Round) Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar) vs. TM61 (Shane Thorne & Nick Miller)
The 8-team single-elimination tournament begins tonight with a rematch of the finals from 2016. AOP defeated TM61 last time at Takeover: Toronto while Paul Elleriing hung in a shark cage above the ring.
The winners of this match will take on the winners of Heavy Machinery vs the Street Profits in the semi-finals.
Aleister Black vs Killian Dain
These two will clash in what is essentially a title-eliminator match.
3 weeks ago, Black was seemingly going to announce he wanted to challenge for the NXT title but Dain interrupted his promo.
John Cena will be hosting the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards on March 24th, 2018. Nickelodeon has also revealed the art for Cena’s character in the upcoming animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Movie. Cena will be voicing the character of Baron Draxum.
John Cena in “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”
The Ninja Turtles brand has crossed-over with WWE in the past as well. Kevin Nash once played the role of “Super Shredder” in “TMNT 2: Secret of the Ooze”. Similarly, Sheamus once played the role of Rocksteady in 2016’s version of a Ninja Turtles movie.
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is expected to be released in September.
Eddie Edwards defeated Sami Callihan this week on Impact Wrestling but was attacked after the match by his opponent. During the post-match beatdown, Callihan placed a folding chair on top of Edwards and struck it with a baseball bat. The bat grazed the chair and then struck Edwards in the head.
This is exclusive behind the scenes footage of @TheEddieEdwards moments after @TheSamiCallihan brutally struck him in the face with a baseball bat. It includes alternate angles of the incident that weren't seen last night and is tough to watch. pic.twitter.com/RdxAWM6DMG
Eddie Edwards spoke to TMZ Sports about the incident:
Edwards suffered a broken nose and orbital bone.
Jim Cornette was not impressed and expressed as much below:
OK, I just saw this for the first time– @TheEddieEdwards should have beat the shit out of this stupid fuck–he set it up shoddy, was careless with his shitty swing & they shouldn't have been doing it to begin with. Who the fuck "trained" @TheSamiCallihan ? I'm fucking hot. https://t.co/lpTIqxca29
Ring of Honor returns to the Hammerstein Ballroom tomorrow night. The show will be the first Ring of Honor live event to air on their new streaming service, Honor Club.
The event will also build to the promotion’s next PPV and 16th Anniversary show on March 9th from Las Vegas. The company will then hold a set of TV tapings the next day in Vegas before heading to New Orleans for SuperCard of Honor XII on April 7th.
ROH Manhattan Mayhem Lineup
Tenille Dashwood & Deonna Purrazzo vs. Sumie Sakai & Jenny Rose
Kenny King and Fans choice (options: MCMG, Best Friends, Briscoes, Coast 2 Coast, the Kingdom) vs the Beer City Bruiser, Silas Young, and Brian Milonas
Dalton Castle & Volador Jr. vs. Jay Lethal & Ultimo Guerrero
Punishment Martinez vs. Soberano Jr.
Flip Gordon vs. “The American Nightmare” Cody (fans choose the stipulation: lumberjack match, 2 out of 3 falls match, or if Gordon beats Cody, he is booked on “all in”)
Marty Scurll, Hangman Page, and the Young Bucks vs SoCal Uncensored and Shane Taylor (members from each team enter at 2-minute intervals)
Next week, Impact Wrestling will present “Cross Roads”, a free-for-view special edition of their weekly show on POP.
4 championship matches have been confirmed for the show as well as a tag-team match featuring oVe taking on Lashley and Eddie Edwards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3YEa0Q9pGI
Impact Wrestling’s Cross Roads
Impact World Championship
Austin Aries (c) vs. Johnny Impact
Title vs Title
Taiji Ishimori (X-Division Champion) vs. Matt Sydal (Grand Champion)
Tag Team Championships
LAX (c) vs. the Cult of Lee
Knockouts Championship
Laurel Van Ness (c) vs. Allie
oVe vs. Lashley and Edwards
Following Cross Roads, Impact will be building towards their Aprill 22nd PPV from Orlando. The company will hold their next set of TV tapings the following week.
This is the final show until “Crossroads” next week where Austin Aries will defend the Impact World Championship against Johnny Impact. Several segments tonight could set up further matches for next week’s Crossroads show as well.
THIS THURSDAY is the final stop on the way to Crossroads as Eddie Edwards faces Sami Callihan in the main event, Ishimori answers Sydal's challenge, Kongo Kong gets Joseph Park in the ring rather than Abyss, and Laurel Van Ness marries a title belt. #IMPACTonPoppic.twitter.com/dCSEzH3Y8T
Jimmy Jacobs is trying to get Joseph Park to morph back into Abyss.
Taiji Ishimori will answer Matt Sydal’s challenge
Laurel Van Ness Commitment Ceremony to the Knockouts Title?
Braxton Sutter vs El Jijo El Fantasma
In addition to the upcoming show on POP tonight, Impact will be hitting the road with Destiny Wrestling this Sunday for a show which will air on Twitch March 9th.
When Shinsuke Nakamura was with New Japan Pro Wrestling he was part of the CHAOS faction. Will Ospreay is now a member of the same faction and reacted to a tweet from his former stablemate.
Bro have you not seen all the titles…we just need you to win the big one.
— Will Ospreay • ????????? (@WillOspreay) March 1, 2018
CHAOS vs Bullet Club
After winning the Royal Rumble, Shinsuke Nakamura will challenge the WWE champion at WrestleMania. Who the WWE champion is will be determined in a 6-way match at Fastlane.
Should AJ Styles retain his title at Fastlane, it would set up a rematch between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura. The last time they met was in the semi-main event of WrestleKingdom 10. Nakamura defeated AJ Styles to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship that night.
Both Keith Lee and WALTER are believed to have been offered WWE contracts recently, though this has not been made official and all parties are keeping quiet publicly.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, however, both performers have been offered spots at the Performance Center starting in May but it is unknown if WALTER will accept. Lee is expected to accept WWE’s offer.
WALTER
Billed at 6ft4 and 310lbs, WALTER is one of the larger heavyweights in Europe. He was born in Vienna and is the head trainer for WXW.
North American fans have seen him in PWG and EVOLVE as of late.
It is not known if Walter will accept WWE’s offer. He has plenty of ties to the European wrestling scene and the report from the Observer suggested he may not be willing to move to Orlando.
Keith Lee
Lee has been wrestling in WWN since leaving Ring of Honor. He’s also performed for the Crash in Mexico and at PWG shows. According to the report from the Observer, Lee is expected to accept WWE’s offer and will report to the Performance Center in May.
While this hasn’t been made official, it is believed that Big Show’s current contract with WWE is up and his in-ring career is over.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated last year, Big Show mentioned his contract is up at the end of February 2018. At the time, Show said he had no plans to continue wrestling after. He hasn’t made any comments since then indicating his plans have changed.
Big Show Retirement Plans
“No last matches, no fanfare, just ride off into the sunset and disappear,” said Big Show said. “That’s more my style. I’ll find something else to do that is inspiring—and let these new kids take the business and the reigns and let them build the future. I wish them all luck. Everything changes. We’ve got a great group of talent that deserves the spotlight.”
With today being the last day of February, unless something has changed which has not been talked about, today is the last day of Big Show’s in-ring career.
Big Show continued to mention what may be next in his career. “I may work in some sort of ambassador capacity for WWE. I’m going to try to pursue a course with this Jetsons cartoon. I’ve pestered Seth Green, who is like the cartoon king, to get me some more cartoons. I’ll try to do some more films, and that’s my transition. I’ve had a great career and I’m really thankful for everyone I’ve worked with, but everything comes to an end.”
His last match was September 4th, 2017, a loss to the Braun Strowman inside a steel cage on Raw. He mentioned in a later interview he had hip surgery not long after.
Tonight’s episode of NXT is a taped show from Center Stage in Atlanta, GA. The company held a set of TV tapings in the location on February 1st, 2018.
2 matches and 1 segment have been announced for the show thus far.
NXT Announced Matches and Segments
Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler
This is a rematch from the finals of the Mae Young Classic.
Baszler had attacked Sane during an NXT appearance in December, taking her out of action for awhile.
Sane returned 2 weeks ago and attacked Baszler during her title rematch with Ember Moon.
Tyler Bate vs. the Velveteen Dream
Velveteen Dream has been critical of independent wrestlers on social media recently. It’s not clear if this angle will work its way onto NXT programming or not, however.
Dream most recently defeated Kasius Ohno at Takeover and No Way Jose in single’s action last week.
Bate has dropped his last 3 televised matches to Pete Dunne, Roderick Strong, and TJP.
Andrade “Cien” Almas Segment
Now that Almas has twice beaten former #1 contender, Johnny Gargano, and ended his NXT career, it’s time to find out what is next for the NXT champion.
WWE.com is advertising a segment involving Almas tonight could bring us closer to answering that question.
Rusev has not wrestled on Smackdown since Shane McMahon “duly noted” the live crowd’s “Rusev Day” chants on the February 6th show. Later that night, Rusev lost a United States Championship match to Bobby Roode.
While Rusev did appear on Smackdown last night, he did not wrestle a match and is not currently in a program which could lead to WrestleMania.
Both Rusev and Lana chimed in on Rusev not having a match last night:
So Jonny boy can come out of nowhere and get a match vs AJ for a spot at #Fastlane but i can’t even get a match on #SDLive Land of opportunity my #RusevDay
Rusev and Lana’s win in the Mixed Match Challenge 2 weeks ago was the 1st win for Lana on the WWE main roster. The real-life couple wore matching outfits for their match as well. It could be WWE is looking at finally pairing the two of them back up together on Smackdown as well.
Since October, Billy Corgan’s National Wrestling Alliance has been developing their own characters and storylines. Much of what the company has been doing in 2018 has centered around new NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Nick Aldis, and his crusade to defend the title 20x in a 60 day period.
The events surrounding the NWA are documented weekly through the promotion’s “10 Pounds of Gold” YouTube series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt250SjxGb4
New NWA Trademarks Filed
According to a report from PWInsider, Billy Corgan’s production company, Lightning One, has applied for a new trademark. The trademarked name is “the Dumont Network”, sometimes referred to as “the Forgotten Network”.
From 1946-1956, the Dumont Network was the 3rd network on the air along with NBC and CBS. It was also the first network to air professional wrestling. The filing of this particular trademark fits with Corgan’s interest in returning to the glory years of the NWA.
Posted February 28th, 2018 in News, NWA. Tagged: NWA.
Smackdown, the Mixed Match Challenge, and 205 Live tonight will emanate from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
5 matches spread out between the 3 shows have been announced for tonight.
Matches and Segments Confirmed For Smackdown:
John Cena Segment
Cena announced on Raw last night that he is heading to Smackdown to attempt to find a path to WrestleMania.
Ruby Riott vs. Naomi
The Riott Squad defeated the team of Flair, Lynch, and Naomi last week, earning Ruby Riott a title shot at Fastlane.
According to WWE.com, Riott called out Naomi for this match tonight.
Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin
2 members of the Fatal 5-way match at Fastlane go one-on-one.
Zayn has told Owens he would lay down for him in the 5-way match, so perhaps that will play into things here.
Corbin lost to AJ Styles last week.
The Usos and New Day Segment
New Day earned a title opportunity at Fastlane by defeating Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin last week.
This week they renew their long rivalry with the Usos. A rivalry which has resulted in a Hell in a Cell match, a rap battle, and several title changes.
Mixed Match Challenge:
The first quarter-final of the tournament takes place tonight.
Asuka and the Miz vs. Sasha Banks and Finn Balor
205 Live Tonight
The cruiserweight championship tournament also begins its 2nd round tonight.
Impact Wrestling’s Allie, formerly Cherry Bomb, has opened up recently regarding her struggles with anxiety and depression. Real name, Laura Dennis, Allie mentioned she has been dealing with the conditions since childhood.
“For most of my life, anxiety and depression have had a huge toll on me,” she said. “Even when I was going through it all at the time, I didn’t realize that I was depressed. I could feel it, but I didn’t know what it really was for a long time.”
Allie continued to mention possible root causes of her depression, “I lost my father when I was 12… very young. That was one of the things that triggered my depression,” she recalled. “Flash forward a few years later, and a very, very close friend of mine committed suicide. That just kind of pushed me further down that hole that I was in.”
Allie in Impact Wrestling
Allie continued to mention her condition led to an eating disorder when she was 20-years-old. Finally, a friend of hers suggested she seek help.
“I hadn’t really thought seriously about counseling, but I’m thankful that someone cared enough to say something. I don’t know where I would be today if I hadn’t finally opened up and talked to someone.”
Allie says she is now speaking up in the hopes that others will seek help. “A lot of people won’t talk about depression and anxiety, especially young people because they feel like they will be judged for it,” Allie said. “I feel like it’s my responsibility as someone who has suffered from it, and who has a platform, to discuss it.”
Since Impact Wrestling’s new management team took over, several changes have been taking place in the promotion. One of the most noticeable changes is their attitude towards freelance wrestlers and independent wrestling promotions.
Impact Wrestling is looking to partner with other promotions to hold joint events and exchange talent. In March, Impact will be partnering with Border City Wrestling and Destiny for events which will air on Twitch TV.
Impact’s management team has just reached an agreement with women’s wrestling promotion, RISE.
The press release from RISE indicates Impact Wrestling will be working with them on a seminar series in May, with at least one RISE performer earning a chance to compete on Impact television.
At Elimination Chamber 2018, Sasha Banks once again turned on Bayley, knocking her off a chamber pod. Banks also eliminated Bayley from the Royal Rumble in January.
On last nights edition of Monday Night Raw, however, Bayley got a measure of revenge against her friend. Bayley short-armed a tag attempt from Banks during a 6-person tag match.
Bayley commented on her actions to WWE.com:
Sasha Banks versus Bayley at WrestleMania
As Banks and Bayley move from former friends to bitter rivals, one has to wonder if a match between them will occur at WrestleMania. With less than 6 weeks to go until WrestleMania, spots on the card are filling up fast.
Sasha Banks also popped up in the comments section of the following post by Bayley, commenting on how Bayley has not returned her calls.
While Booker T and Corey Graves may have admitted their recent backstage heat was not legitimate, that didn’t stop an “altercation” occurring backstage last night.
2018’s Elimination Chamber was the first time the two have been on a show together since Booker’s comments on his radio show. Graves posted a photo of the backstage altercation between the two on his Instagram account.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfo1EAHDb6T/
Booker T Vs Corey Graves
Last month, Booker T threatened Corey Graves on his radio show and many fans took his comments seriously. Booker would later admit he was just “working” the fans. He would also say he was relieved to no longer be on the Raw announce team.
Graves would later be a guest on Booker’s radio show. The two joked about the serious reactions on the internet to Booker’s comments.
WWE has announced Jarrius “JJ” Robertson will receive the 4th annual Warrior Award.
The Warrior award is presented annually to “an individual who has exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of Ultimate Warrior.”
Jarius was diagnosed with a rare chronic liver disease and has undergone dozens of surgeries. He spends much of his time encouraging others to become organ donors.
Connor Michalek, Joan Lunden, and Eric LeGrand are the first 3 winners of the award.
Jarrius “JJ” Robertson and Stephanie McMahon React
“Being honored by WWE means the world to me. I feel very blessed,” stated Robertson.
“Jarrius has shown immeasurable amounts of courage, strength and positivity during the hardest of times. His infectious smile and personality light up any room, with no one the wiser of the pain he could have been enduring at any given moment,” said Stephanie McMahon. “His determination to help others fight their toughest battles and his work to bring awareness to organ donation make him a true Warrior and the perfect recipient of this year’s award in his hometown of New Orleans.”
Former UFC heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez, attended last night’s Elimination Chamber. Many other UFC fighters who live in Las Vegas also attended the show as well, including Daniel Cormier and Michael Chiesa.
Velasquez, however, has an interesting history with two members of the Monday Night Raw roster. He defeated Brock Lesnar for the UFC heavyweight championship at UFC 121 and also defeated Ronda Rousey’s husband, Travis Browne, at UFC 200. Velasquez’s victory over Browne took place in the same building as Elimination Chamber.
The last time Cain Velasquez fought was the summer of 2016. He’s only fought twice since 2014. Injuries have plagued the former champion. Many feel that when he is healthy, he is the best heavyweight in the world. Unfortunately, he is healthy so infrequently these days this point becomes less relevant every day that goes by.
Cain was scheduled to face Fabricio Werdum at UFC 207 in December of 2016 but it fell through. Prior to the bout, Velasquez revealed in an interview he uses CBD to treat pain. He also revealed several injuries he was dealing with during the interview resulting in the Nevada State Athletic Commission denying him clearance to compete.
The Young Bucks interrupted the Golden Lovers’ post-match celebration in Tokyo on Saturday and now a match between the two teams has been scheduled for March 25, 2018, in Long Beach California.
The final moments of ROH’s Honor Rising night 2 show saw the Bucks take issue with Kenny Omega referring to the Golden Lovers as the greatest tag-team in the world. The Bucks also announced they were moving up to heavyweight. This had been teased on earlier episodes of “Being the Elite” and may have been goaded on by Cody.
Two other matches are confirmed thus far for Long Beach.
Impact Wrestling tonight is a taped show from the Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida. Tonight’s show is the 4th to come out of the company’s tapings held the second week of January.
Impact recently released plans to return to Orlando in April. Impact Wrestling plans on hosting their first “Redemption” pay-per-view on the 22nd, followed by a series of TV tapings to run that same week.
Redemption isn't just the name of our next PPV, its a mission statement. We're not asking for redemption, we plan to earn it – little by little every week. Jump on board now because we're creating something special. Thanks for watching, we'll see you next week. #IMPACTonPoppic.twitter.com/rIokdF4AKC
It’s been an interesting few months for Cody. The 32-year-old has been engaged in one of the more unique storylines in wrestling with Kenny Omega and has been working on organizing a show in a 10,000 seat arena for September.
He has also taken the time to comment publicly on gun issues and the potential mild irony of him doing so while also claiming to be the leader of Bullet Club.
Bullet Club leader, handgun owner, rifle owner…I'm all those things.
BUT I'd gladly take part in gun safety courses/do a mental evaluation/and register ANNUALLY. Those types of common sense regulations plus bans on a great many semi & fully automatic guns is what we need. https://t.co/IEuVVJyI2n
Cody has subtly referred to himself as the leader of Bullet Club multiple times throughout his angle with Kenny Omega. He has changed the bio on his Twitter profile page so that it lists him as leader of the faction. This despite no other Bullet Club member recognizing him as such.
I love America. There's no better place. It's disappointing the only voices that get heard on this topic are extreme "ban all" or "my rights to bear arms"…I think most Americans want sensible new policy in place. Genuine common sense gun reform. https://t.co/gcDnjhzsOc
Last May it was reported that 27-year-old, Io Shirai, had signed with WWE. The next month, however, Shirai’s medical examination with the company revealed a neck injury and her offer was rescinded. It is also believed the medical examination revealed a minor heart ailment as well.
Shirai’s doctors in Japan are willing to clear her to perform but evidently, WWE doctors are not. Since her experience with WWE, Shirai has returned to Stardom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKFpuWEHRW8
Io Shirai Turns Down Women of Honor Opportunity
According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Shirai turned down a chance to be in ROH’s Women of Honor tournament due to feeling as though it could hurt her chances of going to WWE someday. Other Stardom wrestlers, such as Mayu Iwatani and HZK will be participating.
WWE has told prospective recruits in the past that they prefer performers who have not wrestled on a national TV program, such as Ring of Honor has. They have made several exceptions to this rule in recent years, however.
Should this report prove correct, it would mean Shirai is of the belief WWE doctors could potentially clear her somewhere down the line.