– Last night at WWE’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view (PPV) event, Ronda Rousey returned to WWE TV to sign her RAW contract. She was joined in the ring by WWE COO Triple H, RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon, and RAW General Manager Kurt Angle.
Angle then revealed some brash comments Triple H and McMahon made about Rousey, leading to “The Rowdy One” putting “The Game” through a table. Rousey recently took to Twitter to react to her rocky contract signing:
– Seth Rollins came up short in the Men’s Elimination Chamber match last night after being eliminated by Braun Strowman. The winner of the match would go on to WrestleMania 34 to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title. Rollins’ Shield brother, Roman Reigns, wound up winning the match after hitting Strowman with a few Spears to eliminate him last. Rollins took to Twitter to comment on not getting the job done inside of the structure:
Sometimes it’s just not enough. Thank you Vegas. #WWEChamber
– You may have noticed that the crowd in Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena seemed a little distracted during Ronda Rousey’s RAW contract signing at the WWE’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view (PPV). It turns out that a fan was actually arrested by security in the crowd after a fight broke out. You can check out the video of a fan being arrested by security, and a fan’s explanation of what happened on Twitter here below:
– Although he didn’t emerge victorious from the match, Braun Strowman put on quite the performance inside the Men’s Elimination Chamber match last night. “The Monster Among Men” eliminated every competitor from the match – except for the bout’s eventual winner, Roman Reigns. It looks like Strowman actually broke a record in his losing effort last night. He now holds the record for most eliminations in an Elimination Chamber match in WWE history:
.@BraunStrowman is now the ONLY Superstar in @WWE history to eliminate four other competitors in a #WWEChamber Match.
At last night’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view (PPV) event, former NXT Women’s Champion Asuka extended her undefeated streak by defeating Nia Jax in singles action. Had Jax won the bout she would be added to the RAW Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania 34, which could also include “The Empress Of Tomorrow” as she has yet to choose which title she wants to go after following her victory in the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match.
Asuka was originally rumored to be facing SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania, however, a recent report from PWInsider suggests that Asuka will be taking on Alexa Bliss at WrestleMania for the RAW Women’s Championship instead. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter had previously reported that Asuka was slated to face Charlotte Flair while Nia Jax challenged Alexa Bliss for the RAW Women’s strap. This was the reason WWE added the stipulation to the Royal Rumble match of the winner being allowed to choose which title they want to go after.
It’s possible that WWE has changed their minds and will now have Asuka challenge Bliss at WrestleMania, leaving a ton of options open for what they can do with Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34 instead.
On last night’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view (PPV) former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey made her return to WWE TV. Rousey made her WWE debut last month after the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match. She came out to the ring to confront Rumble winner Asuka, RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, and SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair. Rousey pointed at the WrestleMania 34 sign and indicated her intentions to wrestle at the event.
After finishing up a film project she was working on in Columbia, Rousey returned to WWE TV in Las Vegas last night to sign her RAW contract. She was joined by WWE COO Triple H, RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon, and RAW General Manager Kurt Angle. Things got ugly when Rousey found out Triple H and Stephanie McMahon’s true feelings about “The Rowdy One,” thanks to some comments from Kurt Angle. Rousey ended up putting Triple H through a table and eating a slap from Stephanie. McMahon retreated from the ring before Rousey could retaliate.
For the past several months its been rumored that Rousey will be teaming with a mystery partner against the team of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 34. The Rock was originally WWE’s top pick to partner with Rousey, however, after yesterday’s segment it seems like WWE is going with Kurt Angle instead. PWInsider reports that the company is looking to book Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon for “The Showcase Of The Immortals.”
To add to that, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reports that WWE is attempting to book Rousey and McMahon’s feud similar to the way “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Vince McMahon’s storyline was put together – a baby face going up against a heel authoritative figure. It should be interesting to see how this plays out as we lead up to WrestleMania in April from New Orleans.
With WrestleMania 34 around the corner some big change-ups to the roster can be expected after “The Show Of Shows.” This could include another possible Superstar Shake-Up. That means top Superstars could be getting ready to switch brands, and per a report from Wrestling Observer Newsletter, that could include Seth Rollins and WWE Champion AJ Styles switching brands.
This is in an effort to freshen up potential feuds and matches on RAW and SmackDown Live. It’s believed backstage that Roman Reigns has primarily run through all the top contenders on RAW at the moment, so bringing over some new faces for him to feud with would be integral for him to have a good run as Universal Champion. With Styles going to RAW it would leave a big hole in the SmackDown Live roster, thus the reason to move Rollins over to Tuesday nights.
It would also be consistent with the new push he has been receiving from WWE brass as of late. Rollins would continue to be built up as the face of SmackDown. If WWE does do this it will take place by way of the rumored draft after WrestleMania. This weekend Rollins will be part of the first-ever Seven-Man Elimination Chamber match. The winner will go on to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34.
Styles is scheduled to defend his WWE Title in a Fatal Five-Way against Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, and Dolph Ziggler. That will take place at WWE’s Fastlane pay-per-view (PPV) event next month on March 11th.
One-half of the SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions, The Usos, Jimmy Uso recently did an interview with The Mirror. Below are some of the highlights:
Lots has been said about the reinvention of the Usos, a transformation that began in late 2016. It feels like you’ve perfected the entire package – your look, theme music, ring work and promos. It’s all come together. How much input do you have in that process, like adopting new ring gear or selecting a new entrance song?
“That’s all us. I mean it, when you see this whole reinvention, that is every bit of me and my brother. It’s so funny because the ring work has never changed. That’s always been there. Our gear, literally, we wear that outside of the ring. That’s how I dress. Even with the baseball cap, I’m always having a cap on. And I just felt it was me to wear a cap out there. It’s little stuff like that to make us, us. That’s what that was. That’s how people found out we were real and they followed that and they could adapt to that. Everything is us, from the gear to the black and white, baseball caps to the shoes – I wore those same shoes I do when I’m wrestling – I wore them at high school. I wore those same shoes in high school. So when I’m telling you that’s the Usos, that’s the Usos.
“As far as our ring music, we was dying to go and hop on that track. We heard John Cena on his entrance music, I remember The Rock being on his entrance music, I just thought that was really cool and added a whole lot more personality to them, personally. So what you see out there, that’s 100% The Usos.”
Your feud with the New Day last year was fantastic. At Fastlane we get to see you go at it again, in what could perhaps become a triple threat, with Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin. What do you think Gable and Benjamin bring to the table and how excited are you to get to renew this feud with The New Day and freshen it up ahead of WrestleMania?
“I don’t know man, to me I feel like that’s something you got to ask Shelton and Gable. Ha ha. I know what we’re bringing to the table. These other tag teams have got to bring everything they’ve got to table to get on our level. The New Day, that feud right there – classic. Classic man. There was a rap battle in there and I ain’t never seen a rap battle done that way in the WWE. Yeah I’ve seen John Cena spit a couple of freestyles to Kurt Angle and stuff like that, you remember when he was the Doctor Of Thuganomics? But I ain’t never seen a rap battle like that though. I just thought that was fun man.
“Shelton and Gable, they are a real technical tag team, but they are new together so they still got a whole lot to learn about each other. But Gable is lucky he has Shelton in his corner, because Shelton was a mentor of mine before I started – he trained me at Booker T’s school [in Houston, Texas]. Gable is in good hands, I can vouch for that. I’m actually anxious to see what happens to Shelton and Gable man because that tag team right there, is the tag team to look out for, definitely.”
You can read Jimmy Uso’s full interview with The Mirror by clicking this link here.
WWE Superstar Roman Reigns recently did an interview with ESPN to promote tomorrow night’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view (PPV). Reigns was asked for his thoughts on “The Monster Among Men” Braun Strowman and said that he believes he’s going to be a monster in WWE for many more years to come:
“He’s a monster. It’s for real. He’s a big strong dude that can move. He’s a good athlete, too. It’s very rare you see men who stand 6-8, 6-9-plus, and they have to hitch to do what we do. On top of all that, he’s not a big blockhead. He’s a smart guy with a decent head on his shoulders where I think he’s going to continue to progress and continue to learn because there’s so many different facets and nuances that we do in the ring. He’s definitely going to be a monster for us for many years to come.”
Reigns was then asked about his fellow Shield teammate Seth Rollins, who he called his brother in “many regards”:
“That’s my brother, in so many regards. Not only in character and TV world perspective, but in real life. We’ve gone through so much and we’ve seen each other progress and advance in life and it’s really cool where we’re at.”
As for his thoughts on inaugural WWE Universal Champion Finn Balor, Reigns believes he’s in the right spot in WWE and says he has a great story and background from his days in Japan:
“The cool thing about Finn, and a lot of the guys we have, but especially his story and just his background and the time he spent in Japan and the whole Bullet Club scene and everything, I would just say he’s an extremely deserving competitor, and he’s in the right spot. He’s in the right light.
“I’m extremely happy with his progression as a character, and as long as he can keep Finn Balor doing what he’s doing, the Demon is always going to be really cool. He’s definitely a journeyman, but I’m happy he’s continually escalating and evolving throughout this career.”
“The Big Dog” then offered his thoughts on WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz, who he called an “underrated workhorse”:
“He’s an underrated workhorse. I’m extremely proud of the job that he does representing the company. The crossover reach that he has, and his ability to maintain the relationship he has with MTV [is great]. I think he’s very underrated for the amount of work that he does and I’m grateful to have him in our locker room.”
You can check out Reigns’ full interview with ESPN by clicking this link here.
WWE Hall Of Famer and Monday Night RAW General Manager Kurt Angle recently participated in a live Q&A session on his official Facebook page. “The Olympic Hero” was asked about who was his most natural opponent to work with between Brock Lesnar, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and Triple H:
“All three were different but they were all exceptional. Brock was the best chemistry. Austin was the most intense. HHH had impeccable psychology. I enjoyed all of our matches. But Brock was easier to work with because of our backgrounds.”
Angle also revealed his pick for tomorrow’s Men’s Elimination Chamber match. The winner will go on to WrestleMania 34 to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. Angle is picking Finn Balor to walk out of the Chamber victorious:
“They’re all good enough for a title run. That’s tough. Cena needs it the least. I think Roman has proven to be the new face of WWE so I’m not sure he needs it. Braun is unbeatable so he seems to be in a good spot and doesn’t need title. Miz is the top heel and very established, so he doesn’t need title. Finn would be a good surprise.
“Elias is off to a great start, but most likely not ready for main event at WM…probably will be by next year. Seth could very well be the best on the roster. I’m a big fan of Seth. Another long title run is coming soon for him. So I’d say Finn Balor could very well rise out if this with a much NEEDED shot at the Universal Championship. My opinion only!”
He was then asked what his dream pay-per-view (PPV) would look like, and Angle said he’d like to see all Iron Man Matches:
“All Iron Man matches. 5 of them. Women’s. 205. Tag Team Championship. Intercontinental Championship. Universal Championship. All wrestling. No gimmicks. It would be long/boring after 2 or 3 matches, but if you really love wrestling, it would be incredible!”
– One-half of the SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions Jimmy Uso recently did an interview with Sportskeeda. Jimmy was asked about a potential singles career down the road and was also asked if he’d be open to having a match with his brother, Jey, at WrestleMania. Here’s what he had to say:
“I don’t know man, never really thought about it,” Uso said. “As far as going singles, it really hasn’t crossed my mind, because we have so much more left to do in the tag division. The Usos have so much more to give. People haven’t seen all of us. … Another dream match would be me vs. my brother at WrestleMania.
“I grew up watching Bret vs Owen in a cage match, and they beat the living hell out of each other. I thought it was really cool, what they did. And they’ve been doing that all their lives. That’s the same way I see us whenever we get the chance for that to happen. But as far as a singles run right now, we’re just concentrating on the tag division.”
– Last night former WWE Superstar Batista hung out with Chris Jericho, Christian, Natalya, Tyson Kidd, and Baron Corbin at an “80s Night” Walk To Cure Diabetes event. You can check out some photos here:
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss was recently interviewed on Oh Jezuz! of Power 98.3 to talk about several professional wrestling topics. “Little Miss Bliss” discussed getting called up to the main roster after her time in NXT:
“When I was drafted to SmackDown Live on the Superstar Draft, I wasn’t sure if I was ready for the main roster. I never had a TakeOver match, I had never held a title in NXT, a majority of my time in NXT was valeting and managing for Blake and Murphy. I wasn’t given a lot of on-screen time when it came to matches. So, I didn’t know if I was really ready.
“My first day on SmackDown, I believe I had a speaking segment and I went out and I decided if I was going to come in as an underwhelming draft pick, because let’s be honest, I was. No on was really excited to have me, because I didn’t do these amazing things in NXT! I decided to come in under the radar and kick down the door.”
The RAW Women’s Champ was then asked who her favorite wrestlers were growing up. She named WWE Hall Of Famer Trish Stratus and former World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio:
“Rey Mysterio and Trish Stratus. I loved watching Rey, because I was a gymnast, so watching his lucha style was very captivating to me and I found it very fascinating watching him flip around. And Trish, because you know, it’s Trish. Who doesn’t love her?”
Bliss also discussed getting less of the spotlight during her time in NXT because of all the focus being on The Four Horsewomen:
“All the focus at the time was on the Four Horsewomen. I was in there at the same time as the Four Horsewomen, but I wasn’t given that spotlight. I wasn’t the girl they chose to go with. Which is fine because if the Four Horsewomen were going to be the face of this ‘Women’s Evolution’ that’s amazing. I know I came in under the radar, I can be that person that evolves that evolution and that revolution and take it to the next step. Be that different kind of person, that different face then being with the Four Horsewomen. I could kind of make my own path.”
UFC Hall Of Famer and former WWE Superstar Dan Severn was recently interviewed on the Duke Loves Rassin Podcast to discuss several professional wrestling topics. Severn talked about his time in WWE and his belief that he was being greatly underutilized:
“It was great to know you made it to work for the number one company in the world, but by the same token, I was never utilized anywhere near my potential. Jim Cornette has done a number of interviews sticking up for me, explaining there were certain limitations that I have where I’m not that guy that is going to cut great promos. I am a guy that knows physical mechanics and can take care of business that way.
“I was the first wrestler ever to be non exclusive. At the time I was working for the WWE, I was working for the NWA, I was working for the UFC and I was not exclusive to any of them. There were days when I’d be on the road and have three different bags packed and have to remind myself what I am today, a pro wrestler or a MMA guy?”
Severn also discussed his thoughts on “The Chairman Of The Board” Vince McMahon:
“He will get away with whatever he think she can get away with. I was used really well in the beginning and when they realized they had no control mechanisms over me, that’s when creative started throwing me some crazy angles. I was first billed as a no-nonsense babyface that just took care of business and Jim Cornette was my mouthpiece. All of a sudden, they pitch me ideas when they want to tattoo a 666 on me, the mark of the beast, and all of these other crazy ideas.”
WWE Superstar Roman Reigns recently did an interview with Chuck Carroll of CBS Sports to promote this weekend’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view (PPV). Reigns was asked about his opportunity to punch his ticket to WrestleMania this weekend and challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship.
Reigns and Lesnar have unfinished business with one another as their WrestleMania 31 match was interrupted by Seth Rollins, who cashed in his Money In The Bank to win the WWE World Heavyweight Title:
“Yeah, we definitely have that. I think what puts validity behind this whole situation is we had a barnburner of a match. It’s one of my favorites that I’ve ever … Well, let me take that back. It’s not my favorite, because it didn’t feel good. But going back and seeing it and the outcome and the story and the reaction and just the rollercoaster ride that the crowd took with us, it was one of my finer days at work.
“There’s always gonna be that animosity to wanna finish the job. Not only towards Brock but towards Seth for interrupting that. The key is to be able to get to that point and deliver and capitalize. Hopefully I’ll get the shot. We gotta go through the Chamber on Sunday. We gotta make it out of that unscathed and then take a ride to Suplex City. It sounds a lot better than it really feels. Trust me.”
Reigns was also asked whether or not it’s harder for a minority to climb the ladder in WWE, or if it’s an even playing field nowadays:
“I think I’m a great example of that. I’m a multi-racial man. I don’t think it has anything to do with your color or your background. It’s the man that you are and what you stand for, and obviously the performer that you are. That’s one thing that Vince [McMahon] deeply wants to be embedded in his guys, in his superstars, that they’re good people. That’s one thing he’s always told me from the beginning is, “I don’t care if you’re the greatest wrestler in the world.
“I don’t care if you’re the most charismatic talker in the world, but I do care if you’re a good person and I think that’s all that matters.” When it comes down to it, it doesn’t matter what you look like, how big you are, what color your skin is or hair or eyes, if you’re a good person, you’re a good person.”
“The Big Dog” also commented on WWE dropping brand-exclusive PPV events going forward, starting with Backlash later this year:
“I think, like anything else, it has its pros and cons. It’s gonna increase the work schedule as far as pay-per-views, but if you don’t wanna perform in a pay-per-view, then what are you doing here? I think it’ll also keep storylines fresh. It’ll allow us to continue to dot all our “i’s” and cross all our “t’s” because we’ll have more weeks to continue those storylines and these rivalries, and we’ll be able to have more time to carry those out.”
Check out Reigns’ full interview with Chuck Carroll of CBS Sports by clicking this link here.
Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin, and Mark Henry all recently spoke with WWE.com to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Strowman described his first encounter with Henry and also revealed that Henry offered him a WWE tryout. “The Monster Among Men” had looked up to Henry in the strongman scene for quite some time:
“The first time was probably in 2012 at World’s Strongest Man. I’d been a huge fan of his for a long time and had met him a couple of times through my strongman endeavors over the years. To have him approach me and offer me a tryout with WWE was a dream come true. A lot if it was because I was really passionate about the strongman sport. I did a lot of things in a short amount of time that not many men were able to do.
“But I’ve always been a ham and a showman for crowds. I got to compete in front of a few thousand for strongman, so realizing that I could step over to WWE and have opportunities like I did at WrestleMania in Dallas to perform in front of 101,000 people — that was the big thing for me.”
Baron Corbin also discussed how Henry helped him in WWE during his early days with the company. Henry apparently saw something in Corbin and liked different aspects of his physique and ability inside the ring:
“He came in and thought I had something special. He told me I had a good look, the way I moved was good. He really helped mold me in those early days, which helped the evolution of who I am and what I do. When you have a guy of his caliber come to you and tell you they see something in you … if that doesn’t light a fire, nothing will.”
Henry himself commented on this and said he enjoys paying it forward and seeing his WWE recruits find success in their careers:
“I feel like I’m paying it forward. It feels good to be able to look at somebody and go, ‘Man, you’re me 22 years ago; you can do this!’ I find chunks of coal that have a glisten to them. They get to Orlando and [the WWE Performance Center coaches] start chipping away and chipping away. Next thing you know, ‘Mark, there’s a diamond under there. We’re going to polish it up.’ They do all that work.
“I appreciate the whole developmental process – coaching them, educating them and putting them out there to see if they can thrive. Every time I see Apollo, Braun or Bianca, Baron Corbin and other people I’ve helped foster, I gush. It gives a validation to my eye. I love it. There’s nothing like it.”
You can read Henry, Corbin, and Strowman’s full interviews on WWE.com by clicking here.
– While Dave Meltzer was discussing this week’s Mixed Match Challenge match on Wrestling Observer Radio, there was some speculation that Titus Worldwide could be over. Here’s what Meltzer had to say:
“I don’t know if Titus Worldwide is over but they certainly gave the impression that it could be. Apollo pretty much turned on Titus and Dana Brooke got destroyed by Nia Jax. We’ll have to see how that all plays out on RAW next Monday.”
Most angles from the Mixed Match Challenge don’t usually cary over into RAW or SmackDown, but Meltzer suggested this looks like a turn:
“He definitely didn’t turn badly on Titus but he definitely turned on him.”
Check out the segment here:
– Also on the mailbag portion of Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer was asked about the possibility of having an NXT match on the WrestleMania 34 card. Meltzer said that due to the fact NXT TakeOver happens the night before he doubts an NXT match or NXT Title match will be put on the Mania card:
“I seriously doubt it now. They aren’t going to have enough time for what they need to have. It’s going to be one of those 7-hour shows and an NXT show the night before anyways. I would really would be surprised if they did that. They may have someone from NXT in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal or something. If they have a Women’s Battle Royal, they may have a few NXT women in there as well. As far as NXT Championship matches, I would think no.”
With all expectations pointing towards Roman Reigns winning this weekend’s Elimination Chamber match, and going on to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania for the Universal Title, one question remains – what’s next for “The Monster Among Men” Braun Strowman?
This weekend’s pay-per-view (PPV) will see the first-ever Seven-Man Elimination Chamber match between Reigns, Seth Rollins, John Cena, Elias, Finn Balor, WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz, and Strowman. The winner will go on to challenge Lesnar at WrestleMania. A recent report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio suggests WWE is planning for a match between Strowman and The Miz at WrestleMania 34.
Meltzer said that the real story coming out of this Sunday will be the setup to Strowman vs. The Miz at Mania. Not much else was mentioned about the feud and it’s unclear if the Intercontinental Title will be on the line. Should Miz retain the strap heading into “The Show Of Shows,” however, it can be assumed it will be. Previous reports suggested a match between The Miz and Finn Balor could be in the works but those plans seem to have changed. Perhaps Balor can still find his way into the match and make it a Triple Threat for the Intercontinental Title at WrestleMania?
Regardless, it should be interesting to see how WWE books a feud between The Miz and Strowman coming out of the Elimination Chamber.
Discussion: What would you like to see WWE do with Strowman for WrestleMania this year? Do you think “The Monster Among Men” will win his first singles title at the event?
This past September WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt split from his wife Samantha after she reportedly learned that Wyatt had been cheating on her with WWE ring announcer JoJo Offerman. Wyatt and Samantha were college sweethearts and had been married five years before separating. The couple had two children together, aged six and four-years-old. Per a court order Wyatt was demanded to pay $14,735 per month in spousal support in addition to an upfront payment of $50,000 for legal expenses.
Apparently Wyatt has only been paying Samantha $6,000 per month, which is almost two-and-a-half times less than the court ordered. Daily Mail is reporting that Wyatt has apparently been spending the money he needs to pay Samantha on expensive gifts for JoJo. This claim comes from Samantha herself via Daily Mail, who reports Wyatt “spends much of his time” at JoJo’s apartment in Florida. Legal documents suggest Wyatt has spent more than $11,000 on “non-necessary” purchases since December 20, 2017.
Some items included on the list are $5,006.27 worth of miniature horses, food between the dates of 2/20 and 12/29, $533.93 worth of jewelry “not for his wife,” and hundreds of dollars spent at various locations such as a Miami bar, burlesque club E11even, Tootsie’s strip club, Stillwaters Tavern, and many more. Ray Rafool, Samantha’s attorney, claims Wyatt has a “reckless and dangerous mentality,” and says he needs to own up to his responsibilities:
“This really is just the tip of the iceberg,” Rafool told The Daily Mail. “He had already gone to Vegas and spent a lot of money at Nobu or one of the restaurants – substantial amounts of money. He’s told my client – it’s my money, not your money. It’s my money. That’s a dangerous and reckless mentality. It’s not accurate under the law and it’s not healthy for the family.”
Wyatt seemed to subtly respond to these reports online in a recent Tweet. Here’s what he had to say about the “lies”:
Ronda Rousey is scheduled to sign her RAW contract at Elimination Chamber on pay-per-view (PPV) this weekend. “The Rowdy One” made her WWE debut at the Royal Rumble last month following the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match. She made her way to the ring to confront Rumble winner Asuka, RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, and SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair.
After having her extended hand smacked away by Asuka, Rousey pointed to the WrestleMania 34 sign – indicating her intentions to wrestle at the event. Recently Rousey finished up filming her latest project in Columbia. She has now returned to the WWE Performance Center and has been working there this past Monday and Tuesday to prepare for her in-ring debut. Rousey was also at WWE’s Headquarters in Stanford, Connecticut on Wednesday.
It’s expected that Rousey will kick off her WrestleMania 34 feud this weekend at Elimination Chamber during her contract signing. Recent reports suggest WWE is eying a Mixed Tag Team match between Rousey and a mystery partner against the team of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Ideally WWE would like for Rousey’s partner to be The Rock. Other names being considered are WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle, SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon, and Seth Rollins.
WWE Superstar Luke Gallows recently took part in an international media call and talked about several professional wrestling topics. Gallows was asked about the segment between The Club (himself, Karl Anderson, and Finn Balor) and DX during RAW 25. Gallows was asked whether or not it was a passing of the torch kind of moment:
“It was a surreal moment for Karl [Anderson] and I. This is why we got into the business. This is why we do what we do. We grew up watching these guys and to share the ring with them, and for them to ‘pass the torch’ or whatever you want to call it. It was very symbolic for us. I have the picture up at home with all of us throwing up the ‘Too Sweet’ sign. I was very proud of that moment.”
Gallows was also asked to answer a rather difficult question – if he prefers having The Club with AJ Styles or Finn Balor:
“I think we are both unique, and both talented, but what I would rather have is a four-man faction with AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Finn Balor and myself. Add Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale while we are at it and let’s just take over the entire WWE once and for all.”
He then discussed what it’s like being back with WWE after working in Japan for the past few years:
“When Karl [Anderson] and I jumped the rail and made our debut on RAW in Los Angeles, California, we had some trepidation because we are very highly confident guys and we know that we are highly capable, but we didn’t know whether or not the WWE Universe knew who we were. So, when we jumped the rail and we heard that reaction and felt as though they were happy to see us, it felt like it was icing on the cake for what has been an incredible WWE run with more to come.”
– WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently did an interview with Sportskeeda and offered his thoughts on WWE signing Jeremy Borash. “Good Ole’ JR” says that WWE “hit a goldmine” by signing Borash:
“It’s another great hire,” Ross said. “I can’t tell you when WWE has made a cooler hire in any area quite frankly. He’s a great get. He can do a lot of things. He doesn’t even have to be on camera for example. His value, his worth in character creation and development, the production side, and he’s got great product knowledge.
“He’s has an insane work ethic; which I really admire. They hit the gold mine with him. I think he’s gonna be focusing on NXT stuff, so that is a great slot for him in my opinion.”
– SmackDown Live star Rusev recently took to Twitter to comment on being off WWE TV for the past few weeks. Here’s what he had to say:
Former WWE Superstar Wade Barrett recently did an interview with SPORTbible to talk about several professional wrestling topics. One topic of discussion was former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville and what it was like to work with him inside of the ring. In fact, Neville is one of Barrett’s favorite opponents of all time:
“Neville for sure is in my top three opponents of all-time. When I saw my name against him, it was almost like I knew I could go asleep during that match because everything he does is amazing. I think a lot of people look at Neville think, ‘Oh he’s that high-flying guy who does all the flips’, but literally everything he does, from even the most basic stuff, locking up, tying up, the way he moves around the ring; the way he reacts to anything I do to him and sells my stuff is always incredible, so, he’s one of the best in-ring guys ever.”
Barrett also explained how WWE doesn’t have enough space at the top of their card and how they misuse a lot of talent:
“They [WWE] misuse a lot of guys, there’s a lot of guys you could do more with but at the end of the day they pick the guys they want to go with and go with them. I don’t think they purposely sabotage, I think there are limited spots to be at the top of the card or the highlighted guys – there are probably seven or eight guys where it’s like, ‘Ok these are our main guys going forward for the next six to twelve months’ and they need to be the guys getting the biggest reactions, being involved in the biggest storylines and stuff like that.
“So if there’s a guy who is getting bigger reactions than them, then I think there is an attempt to, I’m sure, make that reaction transfer on to the guys they are going with – the guys they want to push. There are just a limited number of spots, that’s the issue. You can’t have everyone in those spots.”
You can read Barrett’s full interview with SPORTbible by clicking this link here.
– SmackDown Live Superstar Aiden English took to Instagram this week while WWE was in El Paso, TX to post a tribute to his father-in-law and WWE Hall Of Famer Eddie Guerrero. English is married to Shaul Guerrero, who is the daughter of Eddie and Vickie Guerrero:
“I’m not taking a selfie or snapping a picture of myself here…that’s because this isn’t about me. And honestly, it’s not really about you. It’s about what you’ve given me. Something you never knew you’d be doing. It’s about the greatest gift I’ve ever had in my life. The gift you and the woman I now get to call “mom” gave me is a blessing beyond words. And that’s what this is about. It’s about her. She fills my day with love, laughter, joy and endless support.
“She sees me as I am and takes it all in with full heart – a job not always so easy. And here we are tonight in hers and your hometown to do what you spent your whole life doing to raise and support her and the family. I’m working tonight to try to do the same for her and to do the same for our future family. Here’s to work. Here’s to home. Here’s to familia. And here’s to her.”
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– Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair recently posted a teaser video of some content he is working on with YouTuber Anwar Jibawi. Check it out:
As we’ve previously reported, Dolph Ziggler has signed a new two-year contract extension with WWE worth $1.5 million. This comes via a report from Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated. In a new report from Barrasso he revealed that Ziggler was previously making $1 million per year. WWE believes the extra half-a-million dollars is money well spent as they want to keep the 13-year veteran with the company.
For the past several months Ziggler has been rumored to possibly leave WWE, however, the company has always planned on re-signing him to a deal. The 37-year-old made the decision to stay with WWE as it better serves his brand. Also, WWE overpaying Ziggler indicates that they see him as an integral part of “the machine.” Ziggler is currently scheduled to face Baron Corbin, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at Fastlane on pay-per-view (PPV).
Ziggler recently won the WWE United States Championship at Clash Of Champions last year on PPV when he defeated Baron Corbin and Bobby Roode in a Triple Threat match. He vacated the title on the next episode of SmackDown Live before making his return to WWE TV several months later at the Royal Rumble. He entered at number 30 in the Men’s Royal Rumble match.
WWE has recently announced that, starting with their Backlash pay-per-view (PPV), they will no longer be holding brand-exclusive events. Previously the only events that RAW and SmackDown Superstars merged at were the big four: WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, and Survivor Series. WWE has also dropped two of its PPVs from its yearly lineup as well.
One reason for the switch is because live attendance has been doing rather poorly as of late. Ratings haven’t exactly been doing well either. For example, SmackDown Live’s October 31st episode saw a ridiculous 21% drop from the previous week. The show went from a 2.699 million viewer rating to a 2.119 million. A photo from this week’s SmackDown Live crowd showed that the attendance was absolutely terrible. Tons of seats were empty and a section of the arena was even tarped off:
Fastlane is coming up and the main event is scheduled to be a WWE Championship defense of AJ Styles against Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, and Baron Corbin. The winner of the match will go on to WrestleMania to face Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Title. It has also been announced that United States Champion Bobby Roode will defend his title against Randy Orton at the event as well.
– Now that Kaitlyn has returned to professional wrestling a lot of rumors have been floating around about a potential return to the WWE for the former Divas Champion. PWInsider is reporting that there is currently no sign that WWE will sign Kaitlyn back to a deal. It was noted that if Kaitlyn is back in professional wrestling she likely has bigger goals than just working the independent scene.
– NXT star The Velveteen Dream recently took to Twitter to shoot on “indy guys” coming into NXT and “taking up spots.” Here’s what he had to say:
This past Monday on RAW WWE opened up the show with a near-two hour Seven-Man Gauntlet match with names such as Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, John Cena, Elias, Finn Balor, WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz, and Braun Strowman. For a match that lasted nearly two hours it was actually pretty entertaining. Seth Rollins put on an amazing performance after lasting more than half of the match, and also earning two clean pinfall victories over WWE’s biggest stars – Roman Reigns and John Cena.
All seven men involved in the match will compete in the Elimination Chamber this weekend. The winner punches their ticket to WrestleMania 34 and will challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. PWInsider reports that Vince McMahon was actually the person who suggested the Gauntlet match for Monday Night RAW. This reportedly shocked a lot of people backstage because Vince suggested it “out of nowhere.” It’s said that he traditionally isn’t very high on these kinds of matches. After the plan was laid out Vince approved the length and presentation of the show.
Some fans actually believed that this was a Triple H suggestion given how different it was from usual plans. It turns out that Vince was the mastermind behind Monday’s Gauntlet match idea.