As Renee Young put it on Talking Smack last night, Brie Bella’s baby is “about to drop”. The impending birth is what caused Daniel Bryan to miss Smackdown last night.
Brie and Bryan’s pending baby girl has already been given the name “Birdie Joe”. The couple’s struggles to conceive had been documented on Total Divas and the E! Network.
Birdie Joe was originally due on April 30th, but it seems she is eager to come into the world a little early. Brie is past 38 weeks however, so even if the baby is early she would not be considered premature.
The cruiserweight division seems big on teaching lessons at the moment.
Jack Gallagher recently announced that he will be providing weekly written lessons to his fans on how to be a “gentleman”. Each week, seemingly for 13 weeks, Gallagher will provide one rule of being a gentleman. He unveiled rule #13 recently:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTAMTNFFOGM/
“Gentleman” Jack Gallagher
Gallagher has become one of the bright spots for WWE’s revamped cruiserweight division. While 205 Live has produced some entertaining shows as of late, viewership of the program is said to be low on the WWE Network.
On Raw last night, Gallagher dropped a match to former CW champion TJ Perkins. The now-heel Perkins capitalized on Gallagher’s distraction with Neville and Aries at ringside to score the win.
TJ Perkins vs. Austin Aries has been announced for tonight’s 205 Live.
WWE.com announced earlier today that Kevin Owens plans on issuing a “Face of America Open Challenge” tonight on Smackdown. This despite Owens already having a scheduled title defence at Payback versus Chris Jericho and another pending against AJ Styles.
John Cena popularized such open challenges during his run with the US championship in 2015.
US Championship Contenders
Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, and even Shinsuke Nakamura could all find themselves competing for this title later in the year. Mojo Rawley is someone WWE has pushed up the card as of late as well. Additionally, Rusev will be returning from injury later in the year and has a long history with the belt.
Last night on Raw, WWE pulled the “collapsing ring” gimmick. The angle has occurred less than a handful of times in WWE history, and even requires 3 stored finishers in WWE 2K17 to execute (!!).
Raw’s ending seemed to resonate with returning tag team champion Matt Hardy. He issued the following statement on Twitter:
Shortly after WrestleMania 33, Matt Hardy appeared on Raw Talk and ditched the #Broken mannerisms he had developed on the indies and in Impact. He would state on Twitter that the team’s successful expedition of gold has contained his condition. From time to time, he appears to be making subtle references to the character both on-camera and via social media.
44-year old George Murdoch is an occasional political commentator for Fox News. Wrestling fans are more familiar with Murdoch by either the name Tyrus or Brodus Clay however.
Recently Murdoch was a guest on a right-leaning political discussion show, offering his opinion on the recent attacks on Syria. President Trump authorized the use of missiles in response to the Syrian government’s recent use of chemical weapons on civilians. Such attacks are in defiance of the Geneva Protocol (an international treaty that outlaws the use of gases and chemical weapons).
When Murdoch isn’t backing up outspoken and polarizing figures on Fox News, he is the bodyguard for Eli Drake on Impact. Most recently, Tyrus was on the losing end of Impact’s 8-man tag main event last week.
Previously, Drake and Tyrus were knocked down a peg in Impact’s tag division after losing to Laredo Kid and Garza 2 weeks ago.
Posted April 17th, 2017 in News, TNA. Tagged: Tyrus.
According to David Heath, aka Gangrel, the former leader of the Brood was at one point considered to join the Wyatt family. Heath would also say it was Bray Wyatt himself who pushed for Gangrel’s WWE return.
In a recent interview the 48-year old talked about the possibility of a WWE return, the Brood in the Hall of Fame, and more.
On Bray Wyatt asking him to join the Wyatt Family:
“When I was talking to Bray he was saying he very much wanted me to come in but I think because of the name issue, WWE doesn’t own the name Gangrel, so things got shot down and stuff. It would have been fun”
On working the Hardyz and Edge and Christian:
“Awesome guys. All of them are awesome. Proud of them all. Christian, Edge, Matt, Jeff, just great guys. You couldn’t ask for a better group of people to want to be around and work with.”
On the Brood Potentially Going in the Hall of Fame:
“You already have Edge in there. Christian’s not in yet I don’t think. Maybe the Brood might go in one day, it’s hard to say.”
“The Brood it was great and cool while it lasted but I don’t know if we had a long enough tenure.”
Don’t plan on the New Day breaking up anytime soon, the group has consistently high merchandise sales, and that doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
WWEShop.com released limited edition New Day replica tag team championship belts to commemorate the team’s historic 483 day title reign. The belts reportedly sold out quickly.
After a 483 day title reign, it can be difficult to find things for a team to do. New Day recently dropped two straight to the main roster-debuting Revival, and then were drafted to Smackdown on Tuesday.
It’s unclear if New Day will debut immediately on Smackdown. There are indications the team might take a short sabbatical. Kofi’s injury should keep him out for at least a few weeks, and Big E seems to be planning a new side project.
I may be officiating weddings in LA April 20-22. Hit me if you're weird. MarriedbyBigE@gmail.com. I'm actually not joking. For once.
WWE posted the video below just recently, predicting 5 superstars who could win their first world championship in the not too distant future.
While the WWE.com division of the company operates without knowledge of future storylines or superstar pushes, their predictions still do carry some weight.
Who Does WWE.com Predict Are Future World Champions?
Don’t have time to watch the above video? I’ll save a few minutes.
Samoa Joe
The first superstar mentioned as a possible future world champion is Samoa Joe. It’s hard to argue this point, as Joe is a former NXT champion who has been protected since debuting on the main roster. Since coming to Raw Samoa Joe is 5-0 in singles matches, including wins over Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn (2x), Cesaro, and Chris Jericho.
Baron Corbin #2 on the list is Baron Corbin. There’s no doubt the company is high on Corbin, but considering he lost clean to Dean Ambrose at WM33 it’s not certain if the ceiling placed on him is lower than world champion level. Not sure about this pick, but it’s possible.
Sami Zayn
#3 on the list is Sami Zayn. This seems probable, but not certain. Should it happen it would the culmination of the ultimate underdog story, with Zayn finally accomplishing his dream. It wouldn’t be a long run, and he’d be pushed down the card immediately after as Vince would feel his character has nothing left to chase.
Shinsuke Nakamura
#4 is Shinsuke Nakamura. If a world champion run never happens for Nakamura in WWE, it would be shocking and upsetting for fans.
Cesaro The #5 entry on this list sounds more like wishful thinking more than anything else. Considering Vince McMahon’s statements regarding Cesaro and brass rings not too long ago, the company would most likely have to fully be under Triple H’s control for this to happen. Many fans hope it does someday however.
Rumours that WWE would like to bring back Alberto El Patron have been circulating lately, though it is doubtful Vince has been following Alberto’s numerous drunken periscope rants directed at his son-in-law.
Late last night Alberto and friends were out at La Cantanita in San Antonio (a bar/restaurant owned by El Patron), when somehow he was up singing with the band as the periscope stream started rolling.
Here is the link to the entire stream (about 4 minutes)
Alberto El Patron Periscope Highlights
Some of El Patron’s comments are a little hard to decipher, but here are the highlights:
“We are happy people, my wife and I. Some people was saying stupid stuff about us, and about me saying stuff about Triple H, Triple H you are a *expletive* p**sy, and I don’t have to be drunk to say this, you’re a pu**y”. You just married well, that’s all you did. You married well and you’re a p**sy. “
Alberto then returns to singing with the band for a moment as Paige awkwardly and silently appears in front of the camera.
“Come to La Cantanita and I’ll say it again. I don’t have to be drunk or sober. You’ve got a big nose and no balls”
Impact Wrestling Airdate: April 13th 2017 Orlando FL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPZOWaRBHag
1. Reno Scum vs. Laredo Kid and Garza Jr. (Crash) vs. Decay
Impact Wrestling has been placing a lot of emphasis on the tag team division as of late. We get a 3-way tag match to start off this edition of Impact. Reno Scum look to be the next tag team thrown into the title mix, as they pick up the win here by pinning Crazy Steve after a double foot stomp. At the end of the match Josh Mathews opted to just leave the commentary area. Winners: Reno Scum
* We get a backstage segment of Andrew Everett claiming he’s done enough to earn an X-division title shot. Gregory Helms interupts and says Everett has to wrestle in a fatal 4-way tonight. Everett challenges Helms to be in that match.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMvEeI3wvoM
Bruce Pritchard and EC3 Segment
Pritchard asks EC3 if when he tapped out against El Patron, did he tapout in the match or did he tap out to himself? He’s trying to motivate EC3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl6DyYqeH4Y
2. Sienna and KM vs. Braxton Sutter and Allie
Weird finish to this match as Allie hit Sienna with a crossbody, Sienna tripped over KM and Allie held her down for the pin. After the match Kongo Kong hit the ring. Kongo immediately went after Sutter and gave him a big Samoan drop. Sienna was seen controlling Kongo, and has some type of hold on the monster. Laurel Van Ness then hit the ring, still in her wedding dress. This distracted Allie which allowed Sienna to hit the AK-47. Despite looking like a wild beast from the deepest darkest jungles, Kongo Kong is actually 37-year old Steve Wilson from Michigan. He’s been competing on the indies since 2004 and is finally getting his big break. He had also been featured on Global Force Wrestling. Winners: Braxton Sutter and Allie
3. Rosemary vs. Santana Garett (non-title)
Rosemary, who took a decade long journey to get to a major promotion, sure has taken advantage of the opportunity Impact has provided her with. While the entire stable, and Bray Wyatt, need to tone down the maniacal laugh a little bit, Rosemary (Courtney Rush) has really embraced the character. Rosemary wins this showcase match over Garrett with Red Wedding. She then licked the belt. Her next title defence will be against ODB, though ODB didn’t make an appearance here. Winner: Rosemary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy3GkSNeHD8
4. Andrew Everett vs. Gregory Shane Helms vs. Suicide vs. Marshe Rocket
Helms was wrestling in street gear, as he was not prepared to wrestle in this match. After taking an inziguri from Everett, Helms spent the final moments of the match on the outside. Everett got the win by hitting the shooting star press on Rocket. Whether the win finally earns him an X-division title match against Trevor Lee still is not clear. After the match Helms and Lee attacked Everett. Winner: Andrew Everett
5. Davey Richards w/Angelina Love vs. DJZ
This match was of course filmed before DJZ suffered an injured colon that required surgery in Mexico City last week. DJZ got some offence, but for the most part this match was a showcase of Davey Richards. DJZ ended up tapping to the ankle lock. After the match Eddie Edwards ran to the ring but was stopped by security. Edward’s wife Alisha got in the ring and tackled Angelina Love while security was dealing with Eddie. Winner: Davey Richards via submission.
6. Team JB (El Patron, Matt Morgan, Chris Adonis , Magnus) vs. Team Mathews (Lashley, Bram, Eli Drake, Tyrus)
There was a lot of back and forth between JB and Josh at commentary during this match naturally. At one point Josh seemed to turn on the Pope as well. Finish of the match came when Matt Morgan hit Bram with the Carbon Footprint and Magnus followed with a flying elbow drop for the pin. Team JB wins, and I guess that means Mathews is gone? The whole Impact roster came out to celebrate and rub it into Mathews. Winners: Team JB (Magnus pinned Bram)
Ring of Honor TV
airdate: April 11th 2017 (on Fite App)
Las Vegas, NV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IKEkMbo4Qc
1. Punishment Martinez vs. Hanson (War Machine) Martinez turned on BJ Whitmer and Los Ingobernables recently, and is now flying solo. War Machine is on a roll, last week Raymond Rowe defeated Davey Boy Smith Jr. and recently in Japan they won the IWGP heavyweight tag team championships. Martinez has been on the receiving end of a push as well however.
After a back and forth match it looked like Hanson had things under control. He went to the top for a moonsault but Davey Boy Smith Jr. showed up on the stage and distracted him. That allowed Martinez to a hit a kick and the South-of-Heaven Chokeslam for the win. Winner: Punishment Martinez
** A short video segment of Hangman Page attacking Kazarian in the parking lot is shown
2. ROH 2017 Top Prospect Tournament Semi-Final #2 Curt Stallion vs. John Skyler Winner of this match goes on to face Josh “the Goods” Woods in the final. Winner of the tournament earns an ROH contract and a shot at the ROH TV title. Finish of this match came when Skyler countered a hurricanrana attempt into a flying fireman’s carry he calls the “Southern Salvation” for the pin. Winner: John Skyler (advances to finals)
** We cut to a backstage video of Adam Cole trying to reach out to the Young Bucks. Cole attempted to fire the Bucks from the Bullet Club the other week, however they told him he didn’t have the ability to do so. Cole said in the video he wants things to go back to normal. Speculation is that this is leading to a Bullet Club rift between Kenny Omega and Adam Cole.
3. 6-Man Tag Team Championship Match Bully Ray and the Briscoes vs. the Kingdom (c) Due to the injury to TK O’Ryan, Silas Young fills in for the Kingdom along with Matt Taven and Vincent Marseglia. Young has joined the Kingdom in return for he and the Beer City Bruiser (plus partner) receiving the next shot at the Kingdom.
Finish of the match came when Bully Ray received a hot tag and proceeded to take out all 3 members of the Kingdom. Both Briscoes lifted up Marseglia for the 3D and Bully covered him after for the pin.
After the match Taven and Silas Young argued on the outside, perhaps setting up an angle between the Kingdom and Silas & the Beer City Bruiser. Winners: Bully Ray and the Briscoes (new champions)
Next week there will be an 8-man tag team match with the winners facing off in a 4-way match. The winner of the 4-way will receive an ROH World Championship opportunity. The 8 competitors will be chosen by random draw.
Apparently anyone can apply for and receive a licence to marry people. This Boston Globe article goes into further detail about how many weddings are now being officiated by people who apply for one-day licenses to legally marry people.
Why would Big E want to do this? Big E’s manner of speaking and voice would make him a very entertaining addition to anyone’s wedding. Not a bad sidekick for 1/3 of the longest reigning WWE tag champs of all-time.
No word on if Big E has been contacted by Laurel Van Ness.
As reported here yesterday, Lana sent out two disturbing tweets alleging misconduct by TSA agents at Boston Logan Airport late Monday night. Lana contacted police regarding the incident and provided an update on Twitter last night.
I want to thank the American Police officer this am that helped resolve what I was put through today with TSA. Thank you
1. Aleister Black vs. Corey Hollis This match was so short that WWE didn’t bother to post highlights. Black stood stoically near the roopes and waited for his opponent to charge. When he did, Black hit him with a roundhouse head kick and pinned him. Then he sat cross-legged in the ring. Winner: Aleister Black
** Tye Dillinger came out and cut a promo about how even though he is now on the main roster, he has unfinished business with Eric Young. It was announced that Dillinger and Young will face each other in a steel cage match next week on NXT.
2. Team DIY vs Local Talents – Dylan Miley and Michael Blais This was interesting. DIY pick up the win, but Dylan Miley really made the most of his ring time here. Miley used several impressive power moves including a British Bulldog style vertical suplex and looked to be dominating Ciampa and Gargano. It was only when he tagged in Blais that DIY was able to get the advantage and hit a double shining wizard for the pin. After the match Miley attacked his partner, solidifying himself as someone for fans to take notice of. Winner: Team DIY
Later in the night Dylan Miley caught up with his tag team partner in the back to apologize. It was just an overreaction, I’m sure we won’t see anything like that from Miley again.
3. Ruby Riot vs. Kimberly Frankele As the match began, Nikki Cross from Sanity came out through the crowd and stared down Ruby. Finish of the match came when Riot hit a scissor kick and pinned Frankele. Cross and Riot continued to stare each other down after the match. WInner: Ruby Riot
4. Drew Mcintyre vs. Oney Lorcan Mcintyre picked his game up after being released from WWE and forced the company to give him another opportunity. Now he’s back with a gimmick more serious than he had with 3MB. Lorcan looked to get busted open on his forehead during this match. Mcintyre picked up the win after a reverse alabama slam and shining wizard. All four matches on NXT this week finished with head kicks. After the match Drew cut a promo saying he is targeting the NXT championship. Winner: Drew Mcyntire
Shinsuke Nakamura Farewell Address Nakamura debuted at NXT Takeover Dallas, a little over one year ago. He spent one WWE season in NXT, from WrestleMania to WrestleMania. On Smackdown he looks to be entering a program with Dolph Ziggler, which is a big opportunity for both.
Two performers on opposite ends of the spectrum, Lance Storm and Disco Inferno, debated the safety of worked forearms in pro-wrestling. The conversation stemmed from the brutal forearm delivered by Jinder Mahal to Finn Balor on Raw, putting the popular Irish star out of action with a concussion.
Forearms Too Risky? Lance Storm and Disco Inferno Debate
A popular technique in Japan is for wrestlers to forearm each other in the face as hard as possible. Disco Inferno believes the moves are too dangerous to be used, while Lance Storm simply feels wrestlers are not “working” their shots enough.
And here I am the only pro wrestler on the planet pointing out how unsafe forearms to the head are. Bring back working punches please
How do you know?? There were /are no concussion protocols. When you got your bell rung it WAS no big deal. THESE days we know it's trauma. https://t.co/SCHV4zYDxR
As a long time respected MMA commentator, Mauro Ranallo has plenty of friends who just so happened to be elite level mixed martial artists. Two of his friends are pioneers in the sport and UFC Hall of Famers: Bas Rutten and Pat Militech. Both fighters have commented on the ongoing JBL bullying accusations, and have stuck up for Mauro.
UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletich recently responded to a JBL tweet by basically calling him out.
I have a bone to pick with you regarding strong arming my boy, Mauro Ranallo. Let's have a man to man discussion, Johnny.
Another UFC Hall of Famer, Bas Rutten, hosts a podcast with Mauro that unfortunately has been on hiatus since he left Smackdown. Not long after the situation began Rutten let fans know on his Twitter that JBL was responsible.
he's the best, what are you talking about? THE BEST! Meaning, nobody is better! JBL? Haha, would love to meet him
Kendrick lost to Tozawa last week, and finally got taught a lesson himself. This week he is taking on the surging Mustafa Ali, who has set himself apart from others in the cruiserweight mid-card as of late. Kendrick locked Ali in the Captain’s Hook and the bell rang. Kendrick let go of the hold but Ali didn’t tap. Turns out Tozawa rang the bell on the outside.
Ali then turned the tables on Kendrick and hit the inverted 450 splash.
Tozawa then told Kendrick this was lesson #2: looks can be deceiving (he was dressed as the ring bell guy). For the second week in a row Tozawa beats Kendrick at his own game. Winner: Mustafa Ali
2. Rich Swann vs. Johnny Ocean
The newcomer Ocean got in a little bit of offence, though this was still a showcase match for Swann. He hits a roundhouse kick and the phoenix splash for the win.
Swann gets on the mic after the match and again takes credit for the gifts given to Alicia Fox. This brought out Noam Dar who went back and forth with Swann. This brought out Alicia Fox who snapped a solid Billy Madison reference when she mentioned she has noticed “you looking at me Swann!”. Fox had another gift in her hand that Dar tried to take credit for, but this gift turned out to shoot white powered all over Fox. Winner: Rich Swann
3. TJ Perkins vs. Gentleman Jack Gallagher
This was Perkins first match since embracing a new heel-ish attitude. The winner of the inaugural cruiserweight classic has grown frustrated in recent weeks as he continues to fall farther out of title contention. Perkins through Gallagher head first into the ring post, leading to a solid Fight Club movie reference by Corey Graves when he said “I am Jack’s complete state of unconsciousness”. After that Perkins hit the Detonation kick for the mild upset victory.
After the match Neville came to ringside and raised the hand of Perkins in an act that solidified TJP’s heel turn. Winner: TJ Perkins
CJ Perry, better known to wrestling fans as Lana, sent out two disturbing tweets early this morning alleging misconduct by TSA agents at the Boston Logan Airport.
The most inappropriate behavior @BostonLogan TSA is doing to me. I have never felt this violated in my entire life
Lana is far from the first person to claim sexual misconduct by TSA agents. In 2015, in an article for Time Magazine a former TSA agent claimed that groping was considered “business as usual” in the industry. Further articles have been published in the past about the impact TSA agents can have on those who are sexual assault survivors.
Lana directed her tweets to the airport, but it seems they have yet to reply publicly to Lana’s accusations, and possibly will never do so.
The Time Magazine article referenced above can be read here.
Posted April 12th, 2017 in News, WWE. Tagged: Lana.
Sasha Banks might be the newest member of the Smackdown roster, or she might just be teasing her fans on Instagram. The Boston native posted the following on her Instagram earlier tonight, leading to speculation that Banks is in Boston for Smackdown tonight.
With Alexa Bliss and Mickie James heading to Raw, Smackdown’s women’s division is currently depleted. All that remain are: Naomi, Becky Lynch, Carmella and Natalya (assuming Nikki Bella is gone for some time). The division is basically down to two heels and two babyfaces.
Some speculation has Peyton Royce and Billie Kay being called up to the main roster, and there could be other women moving from Raw tonight as well.
with Alexa Bliss and Mickie James leaving Smackdown for Raw, the women’s division on Tuesdays is down two heels. NXT women’s division standouts Billie Kay and Peyton Royce could potentially be called up to fill the void. Peyton Royce seems to like the idea at least, she sent out the following last night following Raw:
Royce and Kay have moved up to the top of NXT women’s division’s heel side, although it now appears Asuka might be turning heel as well.
24 year old Peyton Royce is a graduate of Lance Storm’s Wrestling Academy and native Australian. Royce was signed by WWE in 2015.
27 year old Billie Kay went to the same high school as Royce, though they are 3 years apart in age. Kay began wrestling for Shimmer and Pro Wrestling Alliance Australia in 2008. She was signed by WWE in 2015, as part of the same NXT class as Royce.
31 year old Aleister Black was previously known as Tommy End on the independent scene in Europe. The heavily tattooed Dutch prospect has a background in kickboxing, which is evident in his wrestling style.
Black made his NXT in-ring debut at Takeover: Orlando with an impressive victory over Andrade “Cien” Almas.
With Black now joining the European main roster tour, and having defeated Almas in his NXT debut, he’s off to a strong start. See what’s next for Aleister Black over the next several weeks in NXT:
While Ranallo has deleted all mentions of WWE on his Twitter profile, he did post one ominous tweet which might be a reference to his current situation with the company.
There is clearly something going on that neither WWE or Mauro Ranallo are talking about publicly. That Ranallo is ready to go back to work for Showtime, but has not made any statements regarding a return to WWE is significant.
Current speculation is that Ranallo’s departure was JBL-related. Considering the accusations in Justin Roberts’ book recently, this issue is more likely to get bigger than it is to go away.
NJPW has a big show early Sunday morning. Sakura Genesis begins at 3AM Sunday, with 5 scheduled championship matches. The event is being held in the Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Linda McMahon currently leads the Small Business Administration for the Federal government. She may have felt that politics would offer her an escape from pro-wrestling, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
She was recently peppered with some hard-hitting questions from Congressman Rod Blum, a former software engineer turned Republican Congressman.
The video is one of only four the Congressman has uploaded to his YouTube channel. He is clearly a fan.
Linda McMahon in Politics
Linda McMahon has twice run for a seat in the Senate, having done so in 2010 and 2012. It has been reported that the McMahon family has donated $5 million to the Donald Trump Foundation.
Mauro Ranallo fans were quick to notice that WWE is no longer listed on his Twitter profile. Ranallo now only lists that he works for Showtime Boxing, is a mental health advocate and has his “Combat Sports Carousel” podcast with Bas Rutten.
He posted the following quote to Twitter on April 5th:
Ranallo had also posted a tweet thanking people for their support, and mentioned his doctor telling him to stay off social media. That tweet however, seems to have been deleted.
JBL Bullying of Mauro Ranallo
Many are speculating that Ranallo’s sudden absence from WWE is due to hazing from John Bradshaw Layfield. As reported here earlier today, the recently released Justin Roberts book makes some harsh accusation towards JBL regarding bullying.