If there are many WWE fans who enjoyed the ending to the first ever women’s MITB match, they sure are quiet.
WWE’s Peter Rosenberg hosts this look at various fan reactions to the match:
The 2nd-Ever 1st-Ever Women’s Money in the Bank Match
With Daniel Bryan stripping Carmella of the briefcase on Tuesday night, it is not altogether clear if the match itself is being tossed out.
WWE could conceivably refer to this coming Smackdown’s MITB match do-over as still the first women’s MITB match. While this wouldn’t be true, such factual inaccuracies occur often in WWE’s official records.
Ring of Honor returns to PPV tonight from Lowell, MA.
The main event of the night features Cody attempting to win the ROH World Championship from Christopher Daniels. Cody feels he was cheated out of the title at the last PPV, as he had a figure-four locked on Lethal when Daniels hit Lethal with a moonsault and got the pin in a 3-way match.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qmoq5ygDmTM
Lineup for ROH Best in the World 2017
1. 8-Man Tag (losing stable must disband)
The Rebellion (Kenny King, Rhett Titus, Caprice Coleman & Shane Taylor) vs. Search and Destroy (Alex Shelly, Chris Sabin, Jay White, and Jonathan Gresham)
2. the Kingdom (Matt Taven and Vinny Marselglia) vs. Ultimo Guerrero and El Terrible
3. Strap Match
Frankie Kazarian vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)
4. Silas Young vs. Jay Lethal
5. ROH 6-Man Tag Team Championships
Bully Ray and the Briscoes vs. Dalton Castle and the Boys
6. ROH Tag Team Championships
the Young Bucks (c)(Bullet Club) vs. War Machine
7. ROH TV Championship
Kushida (c) vs. Marty Scurll (Bullet Club)
8. ROH World Championship
Christopher Daniels (c) vs. Cody (Bullet Club)
35-year old Maria Kanellis spent 6 years in WWE following her participation in the 2004 Diva Search. After spending some time training in OVW, she would eventually become the “Diva of the Year” in 2009.
Maria is also the last woman to pose for Playboy while employed by WWE.
WWE correspondant, Cathy Kelley, hosts the following video of reactions to Maria’s return from members of the WWE roster:
Maria and Mike Kanellis on Smackdown
The couple’s return at Money in the Bank was followed by a dark segment on this week’s Smackdown. The segment did not air on Smackdown, but was posted to WWE’s YouTube channel shortly after.
WWE champion, Jinder Mahal, recently conducted an interview with the Times of India. He spoke of what his run as WWE champion has been like so far, treatment from WWE fans, and more.
Jinder Mahal Interview Highlights
On being thought of as a “Main Event Guy”:
“Being seen as a “Main Event Guy” is my biggest challenge.”
“The viewers and the fans hesitate to see me as a main-event guy. That is a challenge, my biggest challenge.Right now, my goal is to change people’s perception and make them believe that I belong here, and that I deserve to be the champion.“
On his quick ascension to the top of WWE:
“I don’t think the ascension has been really quick. People saw the rise but didn’t get to see the hard work I put in on the independent circuit over the last few years after I was released by the WWE. That got me here and that counts too.“
On being seen as an Outsider in WWE:
“Definitely , as an Indian, I’m seen as an outsider, and definitely , the jeers come from that. But I enjoy it, I even encourage it. Whatever noise they make when I’m in the ring, it motivates me, drives me to do better. I enjoy those jibes so I’m not affected by that at all.“
On potentially defending the WWE championship in India:
“Oh! That would be great. It’s definitely a possibility. In fact, it is one of the goals that drives me to remain champion for a long time. I want to be WWE Champion by the time WWE returns to India to do a live show, so that I can face and beat guys like Randy Orton, John Cena, or AJ Styles in front of the Indian fans.“
Up until the Hardys WWE return at WrestleMania, arguably the two most talked about non-WWE wrestlers of the last year have been Matt Hardy and Kenny Omega.
Matt Hardy’s unique “Broken Universe” won over fans in 2016 and early 2017, while Kenny Omega’s popularity has exploded in the same time frame.
Recently Matt Hardy offered up his thoughts on Kenny Omega, when prompted by a fan on Twitter. He would also answer some other questions throughout a small Q&A session.
I think he's great. Love his work & personality. Outside of the @WWE's "Alexandria", he's a beacon of hard work & success in this industry. https://t.co/BptC8zR6HZ
On what has changed in WWE since his last run with the company:
I've grown exponentially as a man, matured. I've assimilated life. @WWE is more athlete-friendly, mainstream & global. We fit together well. https://t.co/8Xfn4wpCie
Kenny Omega is under contract to NJPW until January 5th 2018. Most NJPW talents sign one-year deals that expire after the annual Tokyo Dome show on January 4th. Omega stated that working with former tag-team partner Kota Ibushi factored into his decision to stay with NJPW this year.
Omega lost a widely praised match in the Tokyo Dome this year to Kazuchika Okada. A subsequent rematch between the two at Dominion recently, resulted in a 60 minute time limit draw.
Kenny Omega wil be entered into NJPW’s U.S championship tournament on the July 1st and 2nd shows in Los Angeles.
Hardcore Japanese wrestling legend, Mr. Pogo (Tetsuo Sekigawa), has died.
The official cause of death has been ruled a cerebral infarction that occurred during back surgery. He was 66 years old.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrHf7GgHk2c
Mr. Pogo’s Career
Mr. Pogo is best known for his time spent in the Japanese hardcore promotion, Frontier Martial Arts (FMW). He is a former 2x FMW Brass Knuckles World Champion.
FMW deathmatches in the early 90s are what many credit as being the inspiration for ECW’s eventual hardcore style.
Pogo would also wrestle in Canada, in Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling during the 70s and 80s. At one point Mr. Pogo held the promotion’s tag team titles with the Dynamite Kid (before losing them to Bret and Keith Hart) and the North American Heavyweight championship. He also wrestled in NWA’s Tri-State territory in the 80s.
He would spend the remaining years of his career freelancing while in semi-retirement.
Jinder Mahal has some competition. The Indian Express announced this morning that WWE Dubai tryout participant, Kavita Devi, has been signed to WWE.
Not only that, Devi will be making her promotional debut in the upcoming Mae Young Classic Tournament next month.
Kavita Devi
A former powerlifter, Devi was trained at the Great Khali’s school, and impressed WWE officials at her tryout in April.
When asked about her opportunity in the Mae Young Classic, Devi had this to say:
“I am honoured to be the first Indian woman to compete in WWE’s first ever women’s tournament. I hope to use this platform to inspire other Indian women with my performance and make India proud”.
The tournament is scheduled for July 13th and 14th from Full Sail University. 10 episodes will be released all at once (Netflix style) after filming has been completed.
WWE has made another move aimed at breaking into the Indian market, announcing a new weekly TV show to be broadcast in Hindi.
The show will feature highlights from Raw and Smackdown, as well as a social media segment where fans can interact with hosts. The latter feature most likely related to the area’s high rate of social media interaction with WWE content.
Press Release
SONY PICTURES NETWORKS INDIA (SPN) AND WWE® ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE NEW WEEKLY HINDI SHOW, WWE SUNDAY DHAMAAL
MUMBAI, India & STAMFORD, Conn. June 22, 2017 – Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) and WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced the launch of a new weekly show in Hindi, WWE Sunday Dhamaal, featuring the best action and family-friendly entertainment from WWE’s flagship programs Raw® and SmackDown® beginning this Sunday, June 25 from 6.00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Sony MAX, India’s number one movie channel.
WWE Sunday Dhamaal will be presented by well-known television personalities Salil Acharya and Madonna Tixeira and include exclusive features giving Indian fans a unique, localized WWE experience beyond Raw and SmackDown each week.
Fans will be able to engage with WWE Sunday Dhamaal through social media in a segment called Debate of the Week. Viewers can share their opinions on Facebook and Twitter, and the best posts will be displayed on-air. The weekly show will also include trivia contests with chances to win WWE merchandise. WWE fans from the world of sports and Bollywood will also appear as special guests.
WWE Sunday Dhamaal replaces Raw Sunday Dhamaal and will air in Hindi on Sony MAX and in English on TEN 1 and TEN 1 HD on Sundays at 10:00 a.m.
“WWE fuels the most dedicated audience around the world and has a huge fan following,” said Mr. Neeraj Vyas, Senior EVP & Head, MAX cluster of channels and Channel SAB, SPN. “With Sony MAX’s mass appeal and wide reach, and with action entertainment gaining immense popularity among the audience, we made the decision to telecast WWE Sunday Dhamaal on the channel. WWE has had a long-standing connection with India, and we are sure the show will enjoy a good following.”
“We are excited to partner with Sony Pictures Networks India to bring our passionate fans new and localized content featuring all their favorite WWE Superstars,” said Mr. Sheetesh Srivastava, Vice President & General Manager, WWE India. “WWE Sunday Dhamaal gives our massive fan base in India a customized version of WWE’s blend of action-packed, family-friendly entertainment from Raw and SmackDown every week.”
WWE is planning to release the first 2 years worth of episodes of ECW’s relaunch. According to a report from WWE Network News, episodes from ECW which aired from 2006-2008 will be added to the Network shortly.
WWE’s ECW
WWE’s version of ECW was widely panned by fans of the original version. While the 2006 One Night Stand PPV was widely considered a success in terms of purchases and fan interest, the product flopped afterwards.
Rob Van Dam and Sabu would be arrested on marijuana possession charges not long after the re-launching. The incident resulted in WWE booking RVD to lose both the WWE and ECW world championships.
Following a disastrous December to Dismember PPV in late 2006, Paul Heyman and WWE parted ways. The brand continued downhill afterwards, and now you can relive it all on the WWE Network!
NXT this week featured a main event clash between strikers Aleister Black and Kassius Ohno. The episode also featured the return of Ember Moon from a shoulder injury.
NXT June 21st 2017 Full Sail University
1. Peyton Royce vs. Ember Moon
This was Moon’s first match back from a shoulder injury that kept her for challenging for the title at Takeover.
She was on offence when Peyton changed the tide by ramming her shoulder into the post.
Moon battled back and took out Kay on the outside before beating Royce with the Eclipse.
Winner: Ember Moon
2. Eric Young and Alexander Wolfe (Sanity) vs. the Ealy Brothers
No highlights of this match were posted.
While the Ealy brothers would get in a fair amount of offence, this was mainly a showcase match for Sanity.
Perhaps Young and Wolfe will be forming a tag team for the foreseeable future.
Winners: Sanity
3. Sonya Deville vs. Rachel Evers
Deville wrestles a very MMA based style, and this was evident here.
All of her striking is MMA focussed, and she won with a wrist-lock type submission.
Deville looks to be in line for a push in the NXT women’s division.
Winner: Sonya Deville
Bobby Roode and Roderick Strong Backstage Incident
Roode was doing a photo shoot when he started taunting Strong and his family who were passing through the area, leading to a fight.
4. Aleister Black vs. Kassius Ohno
This was an excellent back-and-forth match between two guys looking to move closer to an NXT title shot.
Ohno had gained the advantage with a flipping face-first suplex, but as he charged forward to deliver the discus forearm, Black counted with the Fade to Black roundhouse kick, and pinned him.
This week on Lucha Underground 4 matches in the Cueto Cup were featured. We are now halfway through the 1st round of the tournament.
Lucha Underground 203E23 June 21st 2017 Boyle Heights, Los Angeles
The first scene of the show was Fenix arriving to the Temple. He met ring announcer Melissa Santos, and it was established the two are in a romantic relationship.
Marty “the Moth” watched from a distance in an insane and jealous manner.
1. Cueto Cup (1st Round) Cage vs. Vinnie Massaro
Cage took off his murderous magical glove before the match started.
While Cage took most of the offence, Massaro got back into it with eye pokes and similar cheap manoeveurs.
While on offence Massaro spotted the glove and motioned towards it.
Cage cut him off before he could use it however, and then beat him with a Falcon Arrow/Brainbuster type move.
After the match, Cage put on the glove and beat Vinnie up with it, busting him wide open.
Winner: Cage
A promotional video for Johnny Mundo vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. is played, though we still don’t have an actual date for the match.
2. Cueto Cup (1st Round)
Marty “the Moth” Martinez (Moth Tribe) vs. Saltador (Rabbit Tribe)
Saltador is dressed in all checkers and uses a very trippy style, as all members of Rabbit tribe tend to do.
Marty won with a slam/codebreaker like move.
Winner: Marty Martinez
In the back, Paul London and another member of the Rabbit tribe get on their knees and bow to Mascarita Sagrada.
The Rabbit tribe say that now that Saltador is out of the tournament they are turning to Sagrada, apparently confusing him with a large rabbit. Sagrada just walks passed them.
In the back Marty is shown in a room full of pictures of Melissa Santos, when his sister, Mariposa, walks in.
Mariposa tells Marty that his infatuation with Santos has made him weak.
3. Cueto Cup (1st Round)
Pindar (Reptile Tribe) vs. Mascarita Sagrada
While Sagrada got in much of his offence, the size difference and frequent interference from Kobra Moon made the difference.
Pindar won with a modified power-bomb.
Winner: Pindar
4. Cueto Cup (1st Round)
Fenix vs. Mariposa (Moth Tribe)
If Mariposa had won this match she would have faced her own brother in the next round.
Fenix caught Mariposa going for a cross-body and turned it into the Fenix Driver for the pin.
After the match, Marty the Moth attacked Fenix, possibly because they meet next in the tournament, and possibly because Fenix is now with Melissa Santos.
Fenix ended up taking out both members of the Moth tribe, as Santos looked on impressed.
After appearing at Smackdown’s Money in the Bank PPV on Sunday night, Mike and Maria Kanellis were oddly absent from last night’s broadcast.
They weren’t absent from Smackdown however, the smitten newlyweds (married in 2014, close enough) actually filmed a segment during a commercial break last night.
WWE has since released video of the segment:
Mike and Maria Kanellis
Maria was discovered in the WWE Diva Search of 2004, and stayed with the company until 2010. The 35 year old performed for NJPW, ROH and Impact Wrestling during her time away from the company.
32 year old Mike Bennett performed for Ring of Honor from 2008 to 2015. He would also perform with NJPW from 2014 to 2015, even winning the IWGP heavyweight tag team championships along with Matt Taven.
Speculation is that Maria will be playing the role of the manipulative trouble-maker. Bennett will then be the love-sick husband she gets to do her dirty work.
NXT tonight will be main event’ed by two of the brand’s up and coming stars, Aleister Black and Kassius Ohno. Tonight’s episode was taped at Full Sail University, and the promotion has announced 3 matches which will air on tonight’s broadcast.
Ember Moon will also return to action tonight, as she takes on 1/2 of the Iconic Duo, Peyton Royce. Sonya Deville, who Royce and Billie Kay have used as muscle before, also returns to action against an opponent TBA.
It is looking as though the 2nd half of Lucha Underground’s 3rd season will centre heavily on the Cueto Cup and Mundo vs. Mysterio. The winners of each will then form the main event of Ultima Lucha 3.
The promotion has announced 3 tournament matches which will take place tonight, but additional matches could air as well.
Matches For Tonight’s Lucha Underground
Marty “the Moth” Martinez vs. Saltador (Rabbit Tribe)
This week’s episode of 205 Live was from Dayton Ohio, and featured former cruiserweight champion, Rich Swann, taking on the current King of the division, Neville.
205 Live June 20th 2017 Dayton, Ohio
1. Tony Nese vs. “Gentleman” Jack Gallagher
Tony Nese might be the next cruiserweight in line for a push. The 31-year old from New York pulled off a significant upset this week on former #1 contender, Jack Gallagher.
Gallagher threw Nese shoulder first into the post, causing a delay in the match. The referee checked on Nese, who looked to have been injured by the move. It was all a rouse however, and Nese caught Gallagher off guard as a result. Nese won with a running knee to the face.
Winner: Tony Nese
2. Mustafa Ali vs. Drew Gulak
Ali would prove to Gulak that he is more than just a high flyer in this match. Gulak would spend most of the match focussing on Ali’s elbow with submission holds.
Ali fought back, and looked to go for a …dive late in the match, but Gulak countered. Ali then countered his counter into a pinning combination however, and got the win.
After the match, Gulak was angry that Ali had used a technical wrestling move to beat him.
Winner: Mustafa Ali
3. Rich Swann vs. Neville (non-title match)
Akira Tozawa was at ringside, scouting Neville for a possible upcoming title match (most likely at Great Balls of Fire).
Swann looked to be in control of the match when he went for a Phoenix Splash. Neville got out of the way, applied the Rings of Saturn, and got the submission victory.
Afterwards, Neville and Swann stared each other down, previewing what will surely be Neville’s next title defence.
Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows are in something of a slump. The former Raw tag-team champions lost the titles at WrestleMania and have found little success since.
Anderson and Gallows are just 2W-7L on WWE television since WrestleMania. Their only wins have both come over Enzo and Cass, a team that has beaten them 3x in the same time period, including on the Payback Kickoff show.
Anderson & Gallows React to Last Night’s Loss
The frustration of their recent losing streak seems to be catching up with the former IWGP heavyweight tag team champions:
EXCLUSIVE: Think twice before asking @LukeGallowsWWE and @KarlAndersonWWE a "stupid" question about their loss on #RAW! pic.twitter.com/4Gi6FoGD4m
New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced the participants for this year’s G1 tournament.
For those unfamiliar with NJPW, the G1 is a round-robin tournament with wrestlers split into two blocks. The wrestler with the best record in each block meet in the tournament finals. The tournament winner will earn a title shot against the champion of their choosing at the Tokyo Dome show on January 4th.
G1 Climax 27 Participants
The tournament blocks will be announced on the 26th, and the tournament schedule on the 27th.
Real life couple, Carmella and Big Cass, have had a significant last two days.
On Sunday night, Carmella controversially won the first ever women’s Money in the Bank match. Then last night on Raw, Big Cass turned on longtime tag team partner Enzo Amore.
Carmella Comments on Big Cass’ Actions
Carmella, who debuted in NXT as Enzo and Cass’s hairdresser, seems to feel that Big Cass turning on Enzo is well overdue.
She had this to say on social media regarding last night’s segment:
WWE has made a habit of giving out championship belts to to championship-winning sports teams, but will also do so for those who they feel have earned the honour in other ways.
Off-duty police officer, Charlie Guenigault, received multiple stab wounds while helping to protect others during the recent London Bridge attacks. He was wearing a Sami Zayn t-shirt at the time. Since the attack, Guenigault has been recovering in hospital.
Charlie Guenigault Presented with WWE Championship
“The highest recognition a WWE Superstar can get is winning the WWE Championship. But this honour is also reserved for those in real life who go above and beyond.” – Paul Levesque
Triple H also had this to say regarding Guenigault’s actions on that day:
“To run in the direction of a scary situation that can’t even be described in words, to help others, for that to be your instinct to help others – that is a hero.
People say a lot of times that they watch WWE because these guys are like real-life superheroes. Well, Charlie is a real hero.”
Sami Zayn also sent Guenigault a personal video message which included the following message:
“You put yourself in the line of danger at a time when you really had no obligation to do so.
I can’t tell you how much respect I have for you. The fact you were wearing my shirt at the time really puts it into perspective for me.
Sami Zayn has always been the guy known to stand up to the bad guys, but you did it in the most horrific of circumstances.
Man, I’m just blown away, I really am.”
Guenigault had this to say regarding Triple H’s visit:
“It was an absolute pleasure to meet one of the greatest Superstars ever.
My comments when he first walked in the room are probably not suitable for a PG audience!”
Earlier this week, Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan sat down with NBC Sports to speak about fatherhood and the current state of WWE.
Bryan has been absent from WWE programming since early May as he and Brie prepared to welcome their first child. He is scheduled to return on tonight’s Smackdown to address the controversy in the women’s MITB match.
Daniel Bryan Interview Highlights
On how much fun it is to let loose on Talking Smack (on a scale of 1 to 10):
“I don’t really view it in a scale of 1-10. Sometimes when I’m talking about things that I know I shouldn’t be talking about [laughs] it raises those parts in your brain that excites you and makes you happy. For example, when I refer to James Ellsworth as “The Big Hog” I don’t think anyone really appreciates that other than me and some of the viewers. It makes me chuckle.
I consider a 10 as the happiest or the most fun that I have. A 10 would be doing something really fun with my wife and daughter. Just yesterday we went to a place to eat and Birdie was cooing and smiling and Brie and I were having a great time. That’s just the best. Talking Smack on its best day can get to like a six or a seven. Once you have this idea of where your true happiness lies, it changes your perspective.”
On WWE and Smackdown Having a Stale Product:
“I think a change of presentation is absolutely necessary. I think the way that we present our superstars probably needs to change. Years ago, [WWE] went through with this idea of having as much live stuff as possible on the shows, but I think when you watch say UFC for example, some of the things that are the most endearing, that make you care the most about the fighters are these backstage vignettes that show their real personality. You’ll see great fights that people will cheer maybe because they’re great fights, but the fights that have the most impact are the ones with fighters who people actually care about.”
On Smackdown Failing American Alpha:
“I think one of our failings on SmackDown Live was American Alpha. They’re great and on NXT they did all of these fun little interview segments with the two of them that got to show the people behind American Alpha. (They saw) who Chad Gable is, who Jason Jordan is. I’d like to do more of that kind of stuff.”
Maria once cost Gallows & Anderson the IWGP heavyweight tag team championships. They lost the titles to the Kingdom, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett, who were managed by Maria at the time.
The storyline, which was pretty out there by NJPW standards, was that Karl Anderson was so infatuated with Maria that he would never pay attention to his matches with the Kingdom.
News that Maria is once again in the same promotion as him has seemed to surprise Karl.
35 year old Maria Kanellis-Bennett was with WWE from 2004 to 2010. She was discovered in the 2004 Diva Search.
Maria is someone to keep an eye on. When she was in OVW she impressed Paul Heyman with her mind for the business, to the point that she is said to have been contributing booking ideas at the time.
Since leaving WWE, Maria has performed for NJPW, ROH and Impact. She most recently completed a degree in Sports, Entertainment, and Event Management, which seems relevant.
Last night at the Money in the Bank PPV, Tyler Breeze and Fandango’s segment had a distinctly 80s flare to it.
The team’s Fashion Files segment was based off the old “Miami Vice” television show from the decade, and included references to numerous wrestlers and angles which took place during that era.
Paul Heyman Reacts to Breezeango
Paul Heyman’s “Paul E Dangerously” character was referenced during the sketch, as Fandango used a large mobile phone. Heyman, as Dangerously, used a similar looking phone as part of his gimmick.
Live reports from Money in the Bank last night are stating that WWE U.S champion, Kevin Owens, required help to the back after last night’s main event. Fans in attendance are stating that Owens appeared to be favouring his leg.
While Owens did land on a ladder awkwardly at one point during the match, he does not seem to begin favouring his leg afterwards. At this point, the extent or causes of his injury is not known.
Possible Kevin Owens Injury
Owens’ possible injury was a topic of conversation on last night’s Wrestling Observer Radio, with Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez. So far, WWE has not responded to questions regarding the potential injury.
As is the case with most injuries, Owens will probably be reevaluated Tuesday at Smackdown.
WWE and Roman Reigns are promoting that Reigns will make a big announcement Monday. The belief is that what Roman has to say will impact his role at this year’s SummerSlam.
The comment “No everyone is going to like what I say”, doesn’t reveal too much, as there are always people who don’t like anything Roman has to say. The most likely scenario is that Roman requests a match with a “good guy”.
With John Cena being advertised as a “free agent”, one has to wonder if Roman’s announcement could have something to do with him.
The Hulk Hogan vs. Gawker lawsuit has had far-reaching legal consequences. The precedent set by the case is expected to impact the future of journalism and celebrity privacy.
Netflix will be releasing a documentary on the case, and have just released the first trailer for the move:
The Many Facets of Hulk Hogan vs. Gawker
The co-founder of Paypal, Peter Thief, helped bankroll the lawsuit against Gawker. The media company had previously released private information as well.
WWE cut ties with Hogan after the tapes were released, allowing Hogan to sue Gawker for lost revenue.
More information should be revealed in the upcoming documentary.