SEScoops

Author: Eric Lynch

  • WWE Elimination Chamber Results & Live Discussion (2/12)

    WWE’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view aired live on January 12th from the the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, AZ.

    – The new square-shaped Elimination Chamber cage is hanging above the ring as WWE Elimination Chamber 2017 kicks off.

    – Becky Lynch def. Mickie James: They start off with a collar-and-elbow tie-up and they both fall out to ringside still locked in the tie-up. They break it up and head back in the ring, where Becky sends Mickie back out to ringside with a kick. Becky follows up with a flying forearm out of the ring onto Mickie at ringside. Back in the ring, Mickie comes back with a DDT for a two count. James continues working on Becky with submission holds and keeps her grounded. Becky comes back and hits a missile dropkick off the top turnbuckle for a two count, then Mickie comes back with a kick to the head for a two count of her own. Becky reverses a DDT and attempts the Dis-arm-her. Mickie escapes the submission, but Becky rolls her back up into a pin for the three count.

    – Carmella and James Ellsworth are sitting in the sky box at the top of the arena together. An interviewer asks Carmella about Becky’s win, and Carmella says the wrong woman won. Ellsworth takes a break from eating popcorn to agree.

    – Apollo Crews & Kalisto def. Dolph Ziggler: Ziggler attacks Kalisto from behind during his entrance. It’s just Crews and Ziggler in the ring when the opening bell rings, and Mauro says this is a singles match now because Kalisto is injured. Crews gets in some offense early on, but Ziggler takes over and keeps Crews grounded with a headlock. Crews fights his way up to his feet, but Ziggler drops him with a neckbreaker. Kalisto walks back out to the ring selling a back injury. Ziggler gets distracted and Crews comes back with a kick to the head. Kalisto comes in and hits a series of kicks on Ziggler, then Crews hits a spinning sit-out powerbomb on Ziggler for the win. After the match, Ziggler beats down Crews and Kalisto. Ziggler puts Crews’ ankle in a folding steel chair then stomps on it a couple times.

    – Tag Team Turmoil: Slater and Rhyno will be starting off against The Fashion Police. Every time a team is eliminated, a new team will enter. After some solid back and forth action in the opening minutes, Slater drops Fandango with a spinning heel kick then Rhyno comes in off a blind tag and hits the Gore to eliminate Fandango and Breeze. The Vaudevillains are in next, and they get eliminated shortly after when Slater hits an underhook DDT on Aiden English. The Usos enter next, and they unload offense on Slater and Rhyno. Jey Uso comes in off a blind tag and drops Slater with a superkick to eliminate him and Rhyno. American Alpha is out next, and The Usos meet them on the entrance ramp and they brawl around ringside. Back in the ring, American Alpha unloads on both Usos with suplexes. Gable hits a flying cross body off the top on Jey for a two count. The Usos comes back with some double team offense and they control the next few minutes. American Alpha goes for a Steiner Brothers-style top rope bulldog on Jimmy, but he gets out. Jimmy drops Jordan with a superkick, but then Gable comes up behind Jimmy and rolls him up for the elimination. The Usos beat down American Alpha before they leave. The Ascension is out to the ring next, while American Alpha is still recovering from their beat-down. The Ascension hits the Fall of Man on Jordan, but Gable break up the pin. The Ascension continues to beat down American Alpha until Jordan hits a belly to belly overhead suplex on Viktor. Gable tags in and they hit the Grand Amplitude on Viktor for the win. Winners: American Alpha

    – Nikki Bella vs. Natalya – Double count out: Natalya slaps Nikki across the face to start things off. Nikki attempts an arm bar an a knee bar, but Natalya controls the majority of the opening moments of the match. Natalya rolls outside and Nikki drops her with a clothesline off the apron. Natalya throws Nikki into the ring post, then back inside the ring she hits a snap vertical suplex. Natalya starts working on the left knee of Nikki as she starts trying to soften her up for a Sharpshooter. Nikki comes back with some kicks, a forearm shot, and a spinebuster for a near-fall. Nikkie springboards off the middle rope with a kick to the head of Natalya for another two count. They go up to the top turnbuckle and Nataya hits a superplex on Nikki. Natalya puts Nikki in the Sharpshooter, but Nikki reverses it into an STF. Natalya reaches the ropes to break the hold, then she throws Nikki out to ringside. They brawl around ringside until the referee counts them both out. After the bell, Natalya continues beating down Nikki then heads to the back. Before Natalya reaches the curtain, Nikki chases her down and spears her. The referee pulls them apart and Natalya runs backstage.

    – Randy Orton def. Luke Harper: Harper drops Orton with a running shoulder block early on, and Ortons rolls outside to regroup. Harper follows Orton outside and beats him down around ringside. Back in the ring, Harper hits a dropkick on Orton then climbs to the top rope. Orton hits Harper with a right hand that knocks him off the turnbuckle down to the floor at ringside. Orton back suplexes Harper onto the announce table and Harper rolls back onto the announcers. Back in the ring, Orton continues beating down Harper until Harper comes back with a forearm to the face. Harper leapfrogs in from the apron with a swanton bomb on Orton, then hits a big boot for a two count. Harper throws Orton outside and hits a suicide dive on him, then back suplexes him onto the announce table. Back in the ring, Orton crotches Harper on the top turnbuckle then hits a top rope superplex. Orton follows up with a draping DDT, but Harper comes back with two superkicks. Harper pins for a two count. Orton attempts an RKO, but Harper pushes him off and does a sit-out powerbomb for another two count on Orton. They exchange a series of right hands until Harper attempts a lariat. Orton blocks the lariat, and hits an RKO on Harper for the win.

    – Nikki Bella is doing an interview backstage when she gets attacked by Natalya. They brawl around the backstage area until referees separate them.

    –Naomi def. Alexa Bliss: Alexa Bliss controls the majority of the match, but gets visibly frustrated that she’s unable to put away Naomi. Naomi comes back with a kick to the head and a blockbuster, but is only able to get a two count. Alexa hits a snap DDT for a two count of her own. Naomi comes back with a split legged moonsault off the top, but Alexa reverses into a pin. The referee sees Naomi’s leg on the rope and breaks the pin. Alexa comes off the top but Naomi blocks it with her legs. Naomi goes back up top and successfully hits the split legged moonsault for the win, and Naomi is now the new SmackDown Women’s Champ. Naomi cuts a promo after the match where the fans chant “you deserve it,” and the new champion gets emotional.

    – Elimination Chamber Match: WWE Champion John Cena and AJ Styles will start things off. Cena hits a running shoulder block early on that drops AJ. AJ comes back with some kicks, and a torture rack that he spins around into a powerbomb for a two count. AJ goes for a Styles Clash, but Cena gets out and hits the “Code Red” sunset flip powerbomb on Styles. Cena has styles on the ground when the next entrant is released from his pod: Dean Ambrose. Ambrose drops Cena with a lariat then takes him outside the ring and throws him into the cage. Ambrose back drops Styles onto the floor outside the ring and he lands hard. Ambrose climbs on top of the pod and goes flying off of it onto Cena with an elbow. Back in the ring, Ambrose has Styles in a hammerlock, then Cena comes from behind Ambrose and German suplexes both of them. Styles comes back and drops Cena with a Pele kick, then Ambrose drops Styles with a lariat. The next entrant to enter the chamber is: Bray Wyatt. Wyatt drops Ambrose then throws Styles into the side of the cage. AJ comes back and lays Wyatt across the middle rope and hits a leg drop to the back of his head. AJ and Cena brawl on the cage floor, then AJ starts climbing. Cena follows AJ up the wall of the cage and start punching each other until Cena falls down to the floor. AJ climbs over to the top of a pod, and he’s met there by Dean Ambrose. Ambrose and Styles fight on top of the pod until Ambrose leaps down to fight with Wyatt. Wyatt gets the upper hand on Ambrose and works on him in the ring. Styles climbs from the pod to the turnbuckle, and ends up on top of Wyatt. Ambrose then powerbombs Wyatt off the turnbuckle and sends Styles flying as a result. The next entrant is released: Baron Corbin. Corbin comes in and hits the Deep Six on Ambrose almost immediately. Corbin drops Wyatt outside the ring, then brawls with Ambrose up against the cage. The Miz is the final entrant, and when his pod opens up Cobrin is standing in the ring waiting for him. Corbin stares down The Miz, and doesn’t see Dean Ambrose coming up behind him. Ambrose rolls up Corbin from behind for the three count to eliminate Corbin. After his elimination, Corbin throws Ambrose through the wall of a pod. Corbin continues beating down Amborse, and hits the End of Days. Corbin finally leaves the ring, and The Miz runs in the ring and pins Ambrose for the elimination. It’s now down to Miz, Cena, AJ, and Bray. The Miz hits a series of kicks on Cena and Bray, then does the same to AJ. The Miz hits a running dropkick on Bray, Cena and AJ all in separate corners. The Miz hits a Skull Crushing Finale on Bray on the floor outside the ring. The Miz goes for a flying cross body on Cena in the ring, but Cena catches him and hits the Attitude Adjustment to eliminate The Miz. AJ and Bray start to team up against Cena, but they quickly turn against each other. Cena drops them both and hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle on both of them. Cena hits the Attitude Adjustment on Wyatt, then he attempts one on Styles. AJ escapes and hits the Styles Clash on Cena for a two count. AJ goes for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Cena ducks it and hits the Attitude Adjustment for a two count. Cena climbs to the top of a pod and jumps off with a splash onto both Bray and AJ. Cena goes for an Attitude Adjustment on Bray, but Bray escapes it and hits the Sister Abigail for the elimination on Cena. It’s down to Bray and AJ, and one of them will be the new WWE Champion tonight. After some competitive back and forth action, Bray attempts a Sister Abigail on AJ which AJ escapes. AJ hits a series of strikes, but Bray comes back with a lariat for a two count. AJ comes back with a Pele kick and a running knee to the face. AJ follows up with a springboard 450 splash on Bray for a two count. AJ comes off the top rope for a Phenomenal Forearm, but Bray catches him and hits the Sister Abigail for the win. Bray Wyatt celebrates with his WWE Championship in the ring, and Randy Orton comes out to the stage and watches. Winner and new WWE Champion: Bray Wyatt


    https://twitter.com/WWE/status/830991085455290369

  • Mick Foley Releasing New Book In Late 2017

    Mick Foley Releasing New Book In Late 2017

    A new book from Mick Foley will be hitting shelves later this year. The WWE Hall of Famer and bestselling author is working on Saint Mick, which is scheduled to be released in time for Christmas 2017.

    The book takes readers inside the world of people who play Santa Claus around the holiday season, and inside Mick’s increasing Santa-related work since retiring from wrestling.

    Foley’s work has placed on the New York Times bestsellers list multiple times, and he’s best known for his ongoing series of memoirs which he writes without the aid of a ghostwriter.

    Polis Books issued the below press release this weekend:

    SAINT MICK by #1 New York Times bestselling author and WWE Hall-of-Famer Mick Foley to be published Holiday 2017 by Polis Books
    Polis Books is proud to announce the upcoming publication of Saint Mick by beloved author and wrestler Mick Foley. Jason Pinter at Polis acquired World rights for publication in October 2017. Featuring many never-before-seen photos, Saint Mick is part jolly memoir, part whimsical ode to a lifetime love affair with Christmas, and part tribute to the power of finding the best part of oneself in the unlikeliest of places. After a lifetime of putting his body on the line to entertain his dozens (and dozens!) of fans, the Hardcore Legend is paying the price—physically and emotionally. When the final bell on Mick’s career tolls—in a neurologist’s office rather than the ring—the future is far from merry and bright. Until hope and redemption come when Mick is given the chance to become Santa Claus—not dress up, not pretend, but become Santa.

    Mick takes us inside the secret world of the Santa subculture, where “real-bearded Santas” and “traditional” or “mystical” Santas are often at odds as to who makes the better red-suited ambassadors. Along the way, Mick worries that he will be excommunicated from the Santa world for everything from his Santa character being run over on Christmas Eve on television, his intentional breaking of “The Santa Claus Oath” by promising toys to families in need, to his participation in a controversial Santa Claus documentary. Mick learns valuable lessons about the real power and responsibility of the red suit, and that success as Santa comes not by appearing in front of millions on TV, but by touching hearts and creating “Santa moments” for the young and the young at heart.

    Mick Foley is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a WWE Hall of Famer, and the author of numerous books for children. He has appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Good Morning America, Fox News, and The Today Show. He was featured in a story on ABC’s World News Tonight for his work as an online volunteer with RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization. Foley was also recognized for his work with RAINN at the famous “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear” – where he was awarded the Medal of Reasonableness from Daily Show host Jon Stewart. Follow him at @RealMickFoley.

  • Vince McMahon On Brand Extension: “It’s Working Exactly Like We Thought It Would”

    Vince McMahon On Brand Extension: “It’s Working Exactly Like We Thought It Would”

    During Thursday’s fourth-quarter earnings call, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon discussed his company’s brand extension, which saw WWE’s roster split between RAW and SmackDown in July. McMahon believes the brand extension has been a big success, and he teased more talent jumping from one brand to the other.

    “It’s working extremely well, it’s working exactly like we thought it would,” McMahon said. “There is some crossover, which is what we wanted. But at the same time, we’re introducing new viewers.

    “You have fresh talent coming from one brand to the next,” he continued. “So in essence, if you haven’t seen a Roman Reigns on SmackDown, then when he does – if and when he does – then that’s really a big thing. It freshens up talent, and it gives us a much longer range in terms of the use of those talents and the IP that goes with them.”

    On the topic of creating new stars, McMahon says the company runs more live events under the brand extension and that gives them more time to groom talent.

    “If you have only one show, or two shows with the same talent, it’s difficult to create new stars because the tendency is to keep the larger talent on top all the time,” McMahon said. “So it allows other stars to climb the ladder of success.”

  • Jim Ross Says WWE Should Give Samoa Joe A Universal Title Run, Talks Strowman

    Jim Ross Says WWE Should Give Samoa Joe A Universal Title Run, Talks Strowman

    In a recent blog entry on JRsBarBQ.com, WWE Hall of Famer sang the praises of Samoa Joe. Joe recently moved from NXT to RAW, and Ross says the former TNA Champion is one of his favorite talents in the wrestling business. J.R. wrote that Joe’s appearances on RAW have been impressive so far, and offered an idea of how he would creatively handle Joe’s character.

    “Goldberg vs Lesnar at [WrestleMania 33] for Universal Title, Lesnar wins, Lesnar is the Champ until [he meets Samoa Joe],” Ross suggested. “Builds to a Kevin Owens versus Samoa Joe rivalry around the title that could be epic.”

    Ross is also impressed with how WWE has been building up Braun Strowman on RAW. The former VP of Talent Relations says Strowman’s size and agility can’t be manufactured, and he feels the company will have to make creative sacrifices with other characters to “protect” Strowman from on-air losses.

    “I think WWE will [get Strowman over], but much of that is up to the talent to seize this moment and focus completely on improving his fundamental, bell to bell, skill set and continuing to grasp the ‘feel’ for the business,” Ross wrote. “At times, Strowman reminds me of Big Bubba Rogers when he first burst upon the scene. Big Bubba was made to be very special thanks to Dusty Rhodes booking. I like Strowman’s chances.”

    You can read Ross’ entire blog entry at JRsBarBQ.com.

  • Laila Ali Comments On Hulk Hogan’s Claim She Saved His Life

    Laila Ali Comments On Hulk Hogan’s Claim She Saved His Life

    Laila Ali, former professional boxer and the daughter of Muhammad Ali, recently opened up about Hulk Hogan’s claim that a phone call from her stopped him from committing suicide in 2007. This week on The Tomorrow Show Ali said she found out about Hogan’s claim when a friend called her after seeing him say it on TV.

    “I haven’t talked to him since so I’m like, ‘wow, I saved your life and you don’t even call me!” Ali told The Tomorrow Show. “I haven’t talked to him since that whole story broke. We didn’t have a big relationship, but I’m saying if you’re going to say it publicly you should’ve maybe said something to me because I had no idea he was about to say anything. But it’s not a big deal, what can I say? I can’t say much, I’m glad I saved his life. Love you Hulk!”

    During a promotional tour for his 2009 book My Life Outside The Ring, Hogan said after his divorce he spent two days “sitting in the bathroom with a gun and a bottle of rum.” He told Meredith Vieira on NBC’s Today that Ali’s voice saved his life.

    “All of a sudden the phone rang, and it was Laila,” Hogan recalled on Today. “She said, ‘Hey, what’s going on? You’re on the set. You’re all depressed. We’re worried about you. You going to be OK?’” Hogan said, which also was recounted in his book, My Life Outside the Ring. “She called with no agenda, just to say hi and check on me. It snapped me out of it. At that moment I switched gears. I got sick and tired of being sick and tired. Her voice saved my life, it really did.”

    You can watch Ali’s full interview here.

  • Update On WWE’s “All-New” Elimination Chamber Structure

    Update On WWE’s “All-New” Elimination Chamber Structure

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2IRoCDR7hw

    On SmackDown this week WWE referred to having an “all-new” Elimination Chamber structure for Sunday’s pay-per-view. In an update on this, sources who’ve seen the modifications to the cage reportedly confirmed that we are in store for a new look on Sunday. Bryan Alvarez reported on Wrestling Observer Live that changes have been made to the structure, but it won’t necessarily be “all-new.”

    In a January 2015 interview Stephanie McMahon said WWE was dropping the Elimination Chamber concept because the large structure was a logistics nightmare in most arenas. McMahon said the structure weighs nearly 10 tons and is very difficult to hang from the ceilings.

    Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view will see John Cena enter the structure to defend his WWE Championship against AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, The Miz, Baron Corbin, and Bray Wyatt. We’ll have real-time Elimination Chamber results and discussion on Sunday evening right here on SEScoops.com and the SEScoops app.

  • Vince McMahon Comments On Goldberg’s Involvement In WrestleMania 33

    Vince McMahon Comments On Goldberg’s Involvement In WrestleMania 33

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_WVM8FUXiM

    WWE Chairman Vince McMahon took part in a conference call this morning to discuss the company’s fourth quarter earnings results. McMahon commented on WWE’s momentum leading into April 2nd’s WrestleMania pay-per-view and compared this year’s WrestleMania push to last year’s.

    A caller told Vince he feels this year’s WrestleMania has more interest than last year’s, and pointed to the majority of WWE’s roster being healthy and Goldberg being back. McMahon seemed to disagree with his point about Goldberg, and told the caller he doesn’t believe there’s one talent that makes the “big wheel keep on turning.” Vince agreed that there is “more momentum” this year, but feels it’s a result of the execution of WWE’s storylines and shifts in momentum between pay-per-views.

    McMahon also agreed with the caller’s first point, and partly credited the momentum with the company having less injuries on their roster now than during last year’s WrestleMania season.

    • Discussion: Do you have more interest in this year’s WrestleMania than last year’s? Comment with your thoughts below!
  • WWE SmackDown Results & Discussion (2/7)

    WWE SmackDown Results & Discussion (2/7)

    The February 7th edition of SmackDown was the go-home show before Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, and it aired live on the USA Network from Keyarena in Seattle, WA.

    – Daniel Bryan comes out to open the show and he cuts a promo for his home state crowd in Washington. Bryan says he’s going to be a father soon, and on that note The Miz comes out to steal the spotlight. The Miz cuts a promo on Bryan for not being able to wrestle anymore, and tells him to go be a stay-at-home dad. Baron Corbin, Dean Ambrose, and AJ Styles all interrupt, and they argue over who will leave Elimination Chamber with the WWE Championship. Daniel Bryan says he wants a preview tonight, and he sets up a Fatal Four Way may between them. “And by the way, that match starts now!”

    – Baron Corbin def AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, The Miz: Maryse is at ringside for this one. Ambrose gets lots of offense in on everyone in the opening moments. Ambrose knocks Styles off the top rope during a Phenomenal Forearm attempt, then Corbin pulls Ambrose out to ringside and lays him out. Back in the ring, Corbin goes to work on both The Miz and AJ. AJ and The Miz set up for a double superplex on Ambrose, then Corbin comes up behind them and powerbombs them all off the turnbuckle. The Miz hits some kicks on Corbin, but Corbin quickly comes back with the Deep Six on Miz. Styles lays out Corbin with the Pele Kick, then attempts a Styles Clash on The Miz — but The Miz gets out and knees styles in the face. Ambrose gets his second wind and lays out Ambrose and The Miz, then hits a suicide dive onto Corbin at ringside. Ambrose throws his three opponents around ringside, then slams Corbin into the ring post before throwing him back in the ring. Ambrose hits an elbow off the top on Corbin and pins, but Styles breaks it up. Styles ducks a lariat from Ambrose and springboards off the middle rope for his patented moonsault into a reverse DDT. Styles pins but Miz breaks it up. Styles drops The Miz and hits the Phenomenal Forearm on him, but Maryse pulls The Miz out to ringside after so he can’t be pinned. Styles turns around into the End Of Days from Corbin, and Corbin pins for the win.

    – Tom Phillips does an interview via satellite with Nikki Bella and Natalya. Natalya ends up saying Cena is going to leave Nikki for someone better, and Nikki storms off screen.

    – Apollo Crews def. Dolph Ziggler: Ziggler gets lots of offense in early on and sets up for a superkick, but Crews ducks and rolls Ziggler up in a small package for the win after a very short match. Ziggler beats down Crews after the match then grabs a steel chair. Ziggler gives Crews two shots with the chair before Kalisto makes the save. Kalisto drops Ziggler with some kicks and attempts the Salida Del Sol, but Ziggler blocks it and crotches him on the top rope. Ziggler hits Kalisto with the chair while he’s on the rope, then hits Crews with the chair again before leaving.

    – We see Dolph Ziggler backstage and then Daniel Bryan confronts him. Ziggler says he could beat Crews and Kalisto at the same time, so Bryan books them in a handicap match at Elimination Chamber and walks off.

    – Mickie James & Alexa Bliss come out to the ring, followed by Becky Lynch & Naomi to sign the contracts for their match at Elimination Chamber. Mickie James cuts a promo on Becky and takes credit for what the Women’s Division is now. Mickie says she’s going to reinvent herself at Elimination Chamber and destroy Becky. Alexa talks some trash to Naomi, and Naomi’s had enough so she kicks Alexa in the head. Alexa and Mickie get thrown out to ringside, and Naomi hits a suicide dive on them. Naomi and Becky stand in the ring while Alexa and Mickie retreat up the ramp.

    – Luke Harper is backstage in a room with a red light, and he cuts a promo on Randy Orton. He says Orton took his family from him, and he’s going to get revenge.

    – The Vaudevillains, The Usos, & The Ascension def. American Alpha, Breezango, and Rhyno & Heath Slater: The heels control the majority of the match until Rhyno gets the hot tag and hits a spinebuster on Konnor of the Ascension. His teammates break up the pin, and the aprons clear into the ring and everyone starts brawling. When the dust settles it’s down to American Alpha and The Vaudevillains, with American Alpha hitting a couple belly to belly overhead suplexes on them. Gable then hits a suicide dive onto the heels at ringside. Back in the ring, Rhyno gores Konnor, but then Viktor comes off the top with a knee to the face of Rhyno for the win.

    – John Cena def. Randy Orton: This is a non-title match, and Bray Wyatt is at ringside. It’s all Orton in the opening minutes as he beats down Cena around the ring. Cena starts getting some momentum when he dumps Orton out to ringside and slams him into the ring steps, but Orton comes back with a back suplex onto the announce table. Orton throws Cena back in the ring, where Cena starts fighting back with right hands. Cena hits a back suplex then the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena follows up with an Attitude Adjustment, but Orton kicks out at the two count. Cena goes up to the top rope, but as he reaches the top Orton grabs his head and DDTs him down to the mat. Orton hits an RKO but Cena kicks out at two. Cena and Orton both unsuccessfully attempt their finishers again, which leaders to the ref getting knocked out. Cena puts Orton in the STF and he taps, but the ref never sees it. Wyatt runs in and beats down Cena. Cena clotheslines Orton out of the ring, but then Wyatt drops Cena with the Sister Abigail. Wyatt is the last man in the ring, then Luke Harper runs out and confronts him. Harper hits a spinning lariat on Wyatt and he falls out of the ring. Orton sneaks back in the ring and goes for an RKO on Harper, but Harper pushes Orton away and Cena hits Orton with the Attitude Adjustment. Cena pins and gets the three count. Cena celebrates in the ring as Harper looks on from ringside.

  • WWE RAW Results & Discussion (2/6)

    WWE RAW Results & Discussion (2/6)

    The February 6th edition of WWE RAW takes place at the Moda Center in Portland, OR.

    – Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon are in the ring to start off RAW. Foley introduces Samoa Joe, but he’s not happy about it. Joe comes out, and Stephanie “corrects” Foley and gives Joe and more enthusiastic introduction. They announce that they’re about to sign Joe, but Stephanie gets in Foley’s face about his attitude first. Joe grabs the mic next and cuts a promo on Foley, then says he’s putting the whole RAW roster on notice. Joe says “the destroyer has arrived” and no one can stop him. Joe signs his contract, then Roman Reigns comes out to interrupt. Reigns says if Joe doesn’t shut his mouth, he’s going to shut it for him. Foley books Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe for later tonight. Foley tells them to have a nice day, and Joe heads to the back with Stephanie.

    – Nia Jax def. Charlotte: Nia controls the opening minutes of the match and keeps Bayley grounded. Nia continues to overpower Bayley until Bayley comes back with some kicks and a flying knee in the corner. Bayley follows up with some elbows, but Nia blocks one then drops Bayley with a clothesline. Things go to the outside where Bayley pushes Nia into the ring post. Bayley rolls back in the ring and starts counting out Nia, but Charlotte runs in and distracts the referee. Bayley beats down Charlotte, then Nia comes in and hits a Samoan Drop on Bayley for the win.

    – Braun Strowman def. Four jobbers: This one is a four-on-one handicap match. Strowman drops all four jobbers with right hands early on. He continues the offense with running splashes in the corner, then one of the jobbers leaves the ring and runs to the back. Strowman hits a vertical suplex on one, then some repeated strikes to the head of another. Strowman hits a running powerslam on the other remaining jobber, then stacks them on top of each other and pins them for the win. After the match, Strowman cuts a promo on Foley for not giving him competition, and he says he’s coming to find Foley.

    – We go backstage where Strowman finds Foley. Strowman demands more competition, so Foley gives him a match against Roman Reigns at Fastlane in four weeks. Strowman seems pleased with this, and walks away.

    – Akira Tozawa def. Drew Gulak: After some chain wrestling early on, they start trading chops to the chest then Tozawa starts working on Gulak with kicks. Tozawa hits a hurricanrana that sends Gulak to the apron, then he forearms him out to ringside. Tozawa hits a flying headbutt through the ropes to the outside, then back in the ring he hits a knee to the face for two. Tozawa hits a series of kicks then a German suplex for the win. Brian Kendrick comes out and shakes the winner’s hand.

    – Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho are out to the ring next. Chris Jericho repeatedly mentions that he is the “greatest of all time,” and complains about people calling Tom Brady the greatest. Jericho adds Brady to “the list,” then teases that Jericho and Owens will have a “best friend vs. best friend” match at WrestleMania. Owens says it would be the biggest main event in WrestleMania history, but that he’s not sure he can fight his best friend. Goldberg’s music hits and the former WCW Champion makes his way to the ring. Goldberg tells them to either get out of his way and let him speak, or fight him two-on-one right now. Owens and Jericho give Goldberg the spotlight. Goldberg accepts Brock Lesnar’s challenge for WrestleMania 33 in Orlando. Owens interrupts and says Goldberg vs. Lesnar would be a perfect under-card match because Owens and Jericho will be the true main event. Goldberg gets in Owens’ face and mentions that he doesn’t have an opponent for Fastlane yet. Goldberg challenges Owens to a match at Fastlane for his Universal Title, then Jericho interrupts. Jericho says Goldberg can’t come down and make his own matches, and people who do that get put on “the list.” Goldberg takes Jericho’s list and writes his name on it himself. Jericho says he never liked Goldberg, then accepts Goldberg’s challenge on Owens’ behalf — which Owens isn’t happy about. Goldberg says Owens and his Universal Title are next. Goldberg heads to the back while Owens yells at Jericho for accepting the challenge for him.

    – We go backstage where Owens cuts a promo on Jericho for getting him in a match against Goldberg. Jericho says he’s always helped Owens win before, and he will this time too, but Owens still isn’t pleased.

    – Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson def. Cesaro & Sheamus via DQ: Enzo and Cass are on commentary for this one. Sheamus and Cesaro team up on Anderson early on with a running Senton immediately followed by a double foot stomp. Anderson and Gallows come back and work over Cesaro until Sheamus gets the hot tag and cleans house. Sheamus hits a series of running splashes in the corner then goes for a rolling Senton, but Anderson gets out. Sheamus knocks Anderson to the apron and hits the Ten Beats Of The Bodhrán on him. Gallows and Cesaro run in and Cesaro lays him out with a series of headbutts and uppercuts. Gallows goes outside and knocks out Enzo with a boot to the face, then Big Cass drops Gallows with another kick. The referee calls for the disqualification, so there will be no title change.

    – The New Day def. The Shining Stars: Woods and Big E control the opening minutes of the match until The Stars get a double team move in on Woods after a blind tag. Epico continues working on Woods, and drops him with a vertical suplex. Primo gets the tag and hits a dropkick on Woods followed up by a splash off the middle rope. Primo hits a spear on Woods in the corner then attempts a superplex, but Woods knocks him down. Woods comes off the top rope with a missile dropkick on Primo. Big E and Epico get the tags and Big E hits a series of three belly to belly suplexes. Big E follows up with a running splash. Xavier hits a DDT on Primo, then tags in. Big E and Xavier hit the Midnight Hour for the win.

    – Chris Jericho does an interview backstage where he says he and Kevin Owens are just having a minor disagreement. Kevin Owens interrupts and tells Jericho he’s right and that Jericho has always had his back in the past. Owens tells Jericho he has his back tonight in his U.S. Title defense against Sami Zayn, and they hug.

    – We see a video package highlighting The Rock & Roll Express’ career and promoting their induction into the Hall of Fame this year.

    – Chris Jericho (c) def. Sami Zayn: Jericho’s U.S. Title is on the line in this one. Zayn controls the majority of the opening moments of the match, and he sets up Jericho for the Heluva Kick early on. Jericho rolls to the outside, but Zayn drops him with a suicide dive to the floor. Back in the ring, Zayn hits some chops to the chest but he misses a dropkick. Jericho follows up with a Lionsault for a two count. Jericho goes for the Codebreaker, but Zayn counters into a t-bone suplex. Jericho ducks a big boot, but Zayn gets him with a Blue Thunder bomb. Zayn goes for a tornado DDT, but Jericho throws Zayn off of him and gets him in the Walls of Jericho. Zayn reaches the ropes to break the hold, then Jericho distracts the referee while Owens superkicks Zayn from ringside. Zayn turns around into a Codebreaker from Jericho for the three count. Jericho celebrates his victory with Owens after the bell.

    – Backstage, Charlotte cuts a promo on Sasha Banks and says that while Sasha is injured, she is making history.

    – Austin Aries is in the ring and he introduces Neville. Aries informs Neville that there will be a five-way #1 contendership match on 205 Live tomorrow. Neville says no matter who wins, they will have to pay respect to him. Cedic Alexander, Noam Dar, Jack Gallagher, Tony Neese and TJ Perkins all interrupt. Perkins says he’ll win the Cruiserweight Title again, then he drops Tony Neese. All of the cruiserweights start brawling which leads to a series of dives out of the ring onto others on the floor.

    – TJ Perkins, Cedric Alexander and Jack Gallagher def. Neville, Noam Dar and Tony Neese: The previous segment leads to a six-man tag. A couple minutes into the match, Dar steals a tag from Neville, and this leads to Neville abandonning his team and heading up the ramp. TJ Perkins hits the Detonation Kick on Neese, then Alexander and Dar tag in. Alexander hits the Lumbar Check shortly after for the win.

    – Backstage, Jericho tells Owens that they should host a Festival of Friendship to show everyone how great their friendship is. Jericho’s Festival of Friendship will apparently take place on RAW next week.

    – Samoa Joe def. Roman Reigns: Joe attacks Reigns from behind on the entrance ramp before the bell. Joe beats Reigns down at ringside and hits a Senton splash on Reigns on the floor. Reigns gets back in the ring and the referee calls for the opening bell. Reigns gets in some offense, but Joe hits the Pele Kick to regain control of things. Joe hits a series of strikes and an elbow drop for a two count. Joe hits a snap suplex, but Reigns starts fighting back with right hands. Reigns goes for a Samoan Drop but Joe elbows his way out of it. Reigns hits a series of clotheslines then a big boot. Joe comes back with an inverted atomic drop, a big boot of his own, then a running Senton splash for a two count. Joe sits Reigns down in the corner and goes for a running boot to the face, but Reigns gets up and catches Joe with a Samoan Drop for a two count. Reigns follows up with a Superman Punch, and he sets up for another, but Braun Strowman runs in. Strowman gets on the apron and Reigns punches him off. Joe sneaks up behind Reigns after the distraction from Strowman with a kick and a side suplex for the win. Strowman hits a running powerslam on Reigns after the match. Strowman takes Reigns out to ringside and hits him with the ring steps, then he hits a running powerslam through the fan barricade.

  • WWE SmackDown Results & Discussion (1/31)

    WWE SmackDown Results & Discussion (1/31)

    The first episode of WWE SmackDown since the Royal Rumble aired on January 31st from the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, TX.

    – SmackDown kicks off with AJ Styles, Shane McMahon, and Daniel Bryan backstage watching the highlights from last night’s Royal Rumble. Dean Ambrose walks in and tells AJ they have some unfinished business they should settle tonight. AJ declines, but Shane jumps in and sets up a match between them for later tonight.

    – John Cena comes out to the ring to cut a promo. Cena says he was wrong about AJ Styles, and says Styles is an elite performer who brings out the best in him. Cena says he’s the champ again, and whoever wants some can come get some. This brings out Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton. Wyatt says he intends to leave the Elimination Chamber as the WWE Champion. Wyatt and Orton walk down to the ring and surround Cena, then the lights cut off. When the lights come back on, Luke Harper is in the ring and he’s standing beside Cena. When Cena sees Harper is on his side, he gets excited, and Orton and Wyatt retreat. Shane McMahon comes out and makes it officially a tag match, and it’s up next.

    – Randy Orton & Bray Wyatt def. John Cena & Luke Harper: Harper starts things off and takes control of the match. Harper starts beating down Orton at ringside, but doesn’t touch Bray. Harper back suplexes Orton onto the announce table, then throws him back in the ring. Harper gets in the ring and gets nose to nose with Harper. Harper backs off and tags in Cena. Cena looks confused but enters the ring and starts going back and forth with Wyatt. Orton tags in and takes Cena out to ringside, where he drops him on the announce table. Back in the ring, Orton hits Cena with the draping DDT. Wyatt tags back in and continues working on Cena. Cena rolls away from a Senton drop, then Orton tags back in. Cena comes back with a series of shoulder blocks on Orton, then he hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Orton escapes an Attitude Adjustment and hits the backstabber on Cena. Harper runs in but so does Wyatt and he stands between Harper and Orton. Harper drops Orton anyways. Wyatt goes to give Harper the Sister Abigail, but Harper gets out and sets Wyatt up for one. Harper sees Orton getting up, so he drops him with a big boot, and turns around into a Sister Abigail from Wyatt. Orton then hits an RKO on Cena for the win.

    – Carmella vs. Unnamed Jobber: James Ellsworth comes out to the stage to introduce Carmella before her entrance. Mauro mentions the jobber’s name once, but they don’t display it on the screen. She hits some elbows on Carmella, but after some assistance from Ellsworth, Carmella locks her in the Code of Silence for the win.

    – Dolph Ziggler def. Kalisto: We see Apollo Crews backstage keeping an eye on this match on a monitor. Kalisto gets in some offense, but Ziggler puts him away with a superkick for the win after a short match. He tries to rip off Kalisto’s mask after the match, but Crews comes out for the save.

    – Becky Lynch and Naomi are backstage talking about how they’re teaming up tonight to take out some mutual enemies: Alexa Bliss and Mickie James.

    – Becky Lynch & Naomi def. Alexa Bliss & Mickie James: After some back and forth action in the opening minutes, Becky takes control of the match against Mickie. Becky hits a series of elbows and a t-bone suplex for a two count. Becky goes up top, but after a distraction from Alexa, Mickie knocks her off the turnbuckle and hits a boot to the face. Mickie stays in control of the match for several minutes with the help of Alexa on the apron, then Mickie hits a hurricanrana for a two count. Alexa gets the tag and continues working on Becky until Becky gets the hot tag to Naomi. Naomi comes in with a springboard cross body on Alexa, then she knocks Mickie off the apron. Naomi continues working on Alexa then hits a series of kicks. Mickie and Becky hit the ring and Becky takes her out to ringside. Meanwhile in the ring, Naomi hits a kick to the head of Alexa then a split legged moonsault for the win.

    – American Alpha is backstage where they complain about having no competition, and announce their intentions to head to the ring and issue an open challenge to the entire SmackDown roster. After the commercial break, they head out to the ring and are met by The Usos, The Ascension, The Fashion Police, The Vaudevillains, and Heath Slater & Rhyno. All hell breaks loose all over ringside with all of the teams brawling with each other. Slater and Rhyno are the last two standing in the ring with American Alpha, but everyone backs off.

    – Daniel Bryan is backstage, where Natalya is accompanied by security guards. Natalya complains that she doesn’t feel safe at work anymore because of Nikki Bella. Nikki shows up and starts arguing with Natalya until Bryan yells at them to stop. Bryan sets up a match between them for Elimination Chamber.

    – AJ Styles def. Dean Ambrose: This one is a non-title match, with The Miz and Maryse on commentary. Ambrose dominates the opening moments of the match, until Styles dodges a spear in the corner and sends Ambrose into the ring post. Baron Corbin comes out and joins the commentary table, and the distraction allows AJ to take control with a flying forearm in the corner. Styles hits the Pele kick, but Ambrose comes right back with the Lunatic Lariat. Corbin and The Miz start getting into it at ringside, which distracts Ambrose and he goes out to drop The Miz. Back in the ring, AJ hits the Styles Clash on Ambrose for the win. After the bell, Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale on Ambrose, and Corbin hits the Deep Six on Miz. AJ Styles is shown retreating up the ramp as SmackDown goes off the air.

  • WWE RAW Results & Discussion (1/30)

    WWE RAW Results & Discussion (1/30)

    The first episode of RAW since the Royal Rumble aired live on January 30th from the Laredo Energy Arena in Laredo, Texas.

    – Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho come out with the Universal and U.S. Championship belts to open up RAW. Owens cuts a promo about his victory at Royal Rumble, and complains about Mick Foley trying to set him up to fail. Owens thanks Jericho for his help in his match last ight, with no mention of Strowman. They start putting over Jericho for lasting 61-minutes in the Royal Rumble last night, then Braun Strowman interrupts. Strowman gets in the ring and threatens to break Owens in half unless he gives him a Universal Title match tonight. Mick Foley comes out to the stage in a green plaid suit and makes the match for later tonight, despite Owens pleading with him.

    – Sami Zayn def. Chris Jericho: This one is a non-title match. Zayn controls the opening moments of the match until Jericho hits a springboard dropkick that knocks Zayn out to ringside. They brawl around ringside until Zayn hits a springboard moonsault off the fan barricade onto Jericho on the floor. Back in the ring, Jericho takes control of the match and hits a Frankensteiner off the top on Zayn. Jericho taunts the fans and Zayn rolls him up behind for two. Zayn hits the Blue Thunder Bomb for another two count. Zayn avoids a Wall of Jericho attempt and hits a tornado DDT on Jericho. Jericho ducks a Heluva Kick and locks Zayn in the Walls of Jericho. Zayn reaches the ropes and comes back with a t-bone suplex into the corner. Sami follows up with the Heluva Kick for the win.

    – Cesaro and Sheamus are arguing backstage when Bayley interrupts and tries to cheer them up with a group hug. Gallows, Anderson and Charlotte interrupt them, and call them nerds and failures.

    – Backstage, Kevin Owens pleads with Stephanie McMahon to cancel his match against Braun Strowman tonight. She indicates that she’ll look into it.

    – Tony Nese def. Mustafa Ali: Tony Nese gets a near-fall early with a big running clothesline. Ali comes back with a clothesline of his own and an elbow to the head. He follows up with a kick to the head and a neckbreaker on Nese for a two count. Ali follows up with a spinning heel kick then goes to the top rope. Nese knocks him down and Ali falls on his head in the ring. Nese sits Ali down in the corner and hits a running knee to the face for the win. After the match, Austin Aries goes to interview Nese but just insults him about having no charisma. Nese says he doesn’t have to answer questions from his critics and leaves.

    – Seth Rollins comes out to the ring to address Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Stephanie comes out and says Triple H isn’t there tonight because he’s afraid of what he might do to Rollins. Stephanie demands an apology from Rollins, but Rollins declines and calls Triple H a coward. Rollins keeps talking trash to Stephanie until she snaps, and she says that she lied and Triple H really is on his way to the arena.

    – Sheamus, Cesaro & Bayley def. Gallows, Anderson & Charlotte: Anderson hits a spinebuster on Cesaro early on for a two count. Gallows and Sheamus tag in and Sheamus takes control until Charlotte hits him from behind. Cesaro tags in and he clears the ring with Sheamus. Cesaro hits a suicide plancha onto Gallows and Anderson at ringside, while Bayley hits the belly to belly suplex on Charlotte in the ring for the win after a short match.

    – We go backstage where Stephanie chews out Foley for booking Rollins in a match against Strowman tonight. Foley says he’s doing his job, and accuses Foley of being behind Triple H’s music mysteriously playing last week. Foley tells her not to treat him like he’s stupid. Stephanie gives her word that Triple H will be here tonight. Foley says he wants to keep his word and deliver Owens vs. Strowman tonight, and Stephanie doesn’t object.

    – Neville comes out to the ring and talks about winning the Cruiserweight Title last night. Rich Swann interrupts and they end up brawling. Neville hits a series of kicks, but Swann comes back with some kicks of his own and Neville heads retreating to the back.

    – Braun Strowman def. Kevin Owens via DQ: Chris Jericho sits at the commentary table for this one, and Braun Strowman notices him there on his way to the ring. Strowman chokeslams Jericho through the announce table before the match. Strowman finally makes it to the ring for the formal ring introductions for this Universal Title match. It’s all Strowman in the opening minutes, and he takes things out to ringside. Strowman misses a clothesline and crashes into the fan barricade. Owens hits a running cannonball on Strowman up against the fan barricade. Back in the ring, Owens hits a kick and a running senton, then a frogsplash off the top rope for a two count. Owens kicks Strowman in the face then goes back up to the top rope. Strowman grabs Owens off the turnbuckle and hits a running powerslam. Roman Reigns comes out to the ring and hits a superman punch on Strowman, and the referee calls for the bell. Reigns throws Strowman to the outside then hits another Superman punch. Reigns jumps off the ring steps with a spear on Strowman at ringside. Reigns gets in the ring and hits Owens with a spear too.

    – A black Chevy Suburban pulls up backstage and Brock Lesnar gets out with Paul Heyman. Lesnar and Heyman come out to the ring next, and Heyman has a mic. Heyman admits that Goldberg had Lesnar’s number, and draws comparisons to Hogan having Andre’s number, and Holly Holm having Ronda Rousey’s number. Heyman then talks about how Lesnar had The Undertaker’s number, John Cena’s number, and Kurt Angle’s number. Heyman says every time he talks about Lesnar someone brings up Goldberg, so he must be eliminated. Heyman says Lesnar will challenge Goldberg one final time at WrestleMania in April and he’ll end Goldberg’s legacy.

    – Nia Jax def. Sasha Banks: Nia is in control of the opening minutes of the match. Nia takes Sasha outside and gets her in a full nelson, then rag-dolls her into the ring post. Back in the ring, Nia targets Sasha’s bad knee. Someone off-camera rings the bell and the referee looks confused. Apparently the match is over, and Nia continues working on the knee. Bayley comes out for the save and chases off Nia.

    – We see Bayley backstage helping Sasha into the trainer’s office.

    – Enzo and Cass def. Rusev and Jinder Mahal: Enzo and Cass cut promos on the heels before the match. This one is under Tornado Tag rules, so all four men are legal at all times. Enzo and Cass clear the ring early on and Enzo goes for a suicide dive on Rusev and Mahal outside, but they catch Enzo and slam him into the fan barricade. Rusev and Mahal focus their attention on Cass next and take turns beating him down around ringside. Back in the ring, the heels keep working on Enzo and keep him grounded. Cass recovers and hits a splash on rusev in the corner then throws Jinder to the outside. Cass powerslams Rusev then hits the Empire Elbow, but Jinder breaks up the pin. Enzo throws Mahal outside, then Enzo and Cass hit the Bada Boom on Rusev for the win.

    – We see a limo pulling up backstage, and Triple H gets out. HHH comes out to the ring and begins cutting a promo on Seth Rollins. He says he handed the world to Rollins, and Rollins spit in his face. He says Rollins is a huge failure and let him down. Triple H says he never came out to confront Rollins because Stephanie advised him not to, and he’s been busy trying to create the next Seth Rollins out of someone in NXT. HHH says he’s done trying to be professional and he’s going to go old school on Rollins, and he calls him out to the ring. Seth Rollins comes out, but before he can get in the ring, Samoa Joe blindsides Rollins and beats him down all over ringside. Joe throws Rollins in the ring as Triple H heads backstage. Rollins tries to fight back, with Joe drops him with a kick to the head then hits three senton drops. Joe locks Rollins in the coquina clutch until he passes out, then RAW goes off the air.

  • WWE Royal Rumble 2017 Results & Discussion (1/29)

    WWE Royal Rumble 2017 Results & Discussion (1/29)

    The 2017 WWE Royal Rumble took place on January 29th at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX.

    Kickoff Show

    – Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch & Naomi def. Alexa Bliss, Mickie James & Natalya: Natalya slaps Nikki across the face to start off the match then tags in Bliss. After some brief back-and-forth action, Becky Lynch gets the tag and hits a series of clotheslines on the heels. Becky hits a suicide dive to the outside on Natalya, then Mickie James lays out Lynch by the fan barricade. Back in the ring, Naomi gets the hot tag and hits a series of clotheslines and kicks for a two count on Bliss. After a series of run-ins, Naomi hits a kick to the head of Bliss and follows up with a split legged moonsault for the win.

    – Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows def. Sheamus and Cesaro: The RAW Tag Team Titles are on the line in this one. Cesaro scores a couple of near-falls on Anderson early on. Sheamus tags in and continues the offense on Anderson. Anderson finally comes back with a big boot and tags in Gallows. This leads to Cesaro and Sheamus double-teaming Gallows with uppcuts, but Gallows comes back with some big boots. Sheamus gets some offense in on Gallows, but Anderson takes him out. Anderson tags in but he walks into an uppercut from Cesaro, then Cesaro follows up with a 619. Cesaro hits the swing on Anderson, then puts him in the Sharpshooter. Gallows hits a big boot to break it up. Sheamus comes in and Gallows and Anderson hit the Magic Killer on him. After some confusion with a ref bump, Anderson rolls up Cesaro from behind and grabs the tights for the win. Gallows and Anderson are the new RAW Tag Champs!

    – Nia Jax def. Sasha Banks: Banks gets some offense in early on, but Jax quickly gains control of the match. Banks hits the double knees off the turnbuckle to try and mount a comeback, but she appears to re-injure her knee. Nia hits a pop-up Samoan Drop for the win after a short match.

    Royal Rumble 2017:

    – Shawn Michaels comes out immediately before the show to welcome his hometown crowd to Royal Rumble. Michael Cole welcomes us to Royal Rumble 2017 and announces the attendance at the Alamodome as more than 52,000.

    – Charlotte (c) def. Bayley: Charlotte’s RAW Women’s Championship is on the line in this one. After some back and forth action early on, Bayley takes over with a stunner off the middle rope. Charlotte falls to the outside, and Bayley follows up with a hurricana to the floor. Bayley goes up top and hits a splash down onto Charlotte on the floor. Back in the ring, Bayley hits a flying elbow drop off the top rope for a near-fall. Charlotte comes back and locks Bayley in the Figure Eight briefly before Bayley reaches the ropes. Charlotte goes up top and goes for a moonsault, but Bayley gets her knees up to block it for a two count. Charlotte knocks Bayley out to the apron and follows up with the Natural Selection on the corner of the ring apron. Charlotte rolls Bayley back in the ring and scores the three count to retain the RAW Women’s Title.

    – Kevin Owens def. Roman Reigns: Owens’ Universal Title is on the line for this one. Owens and Jericho beat down Reigns to kick things off, and eventually Reigns comes back and forcefully puts Jericho into the cage. Reigns locks the cage door, and the cage with Jericho inside is raised high above the ring. Reigns and Owens start brawling at ringside and they brawl all through the crowd. Owens takes control and sits Reigns up against the fan barricade. Owens hits a running cannonball on Reigns against the barricade, then starts making a pyramid of unfolded chairs at ringside. Back in the ring, Owens hits Reigns with a chair, but Reigns comes back with a series of clotheslines. Jericho throws some brass knuckles down to Owens and Owens drops Reigns. Owens goes to powerbomb Reigns into an unfolded steel chair, but Reigns gets out and hits a Samoan Drop on Owens onto the chair. They start brawling on the turnbuckle, and Reigns knocks Owens down through the pyramid of unfolded chairs at ringside. Reigns powerbombs Owens through the announce table, then throws him in the ring. Reigns sets up for a Superman punch, but Braun Strowman comes out of nowhere and pulls Reigns outside. Strowman chokeslams Reigns onto the announce table but the table doesn’t break, and it looked like it hurt Reigns pretty bad. Strowman throws Reigns into the ring and Owens pins him for the win.

    – Neville def. Rich Swann: Austin Aries is on commentary for this one. After some back and forth action early on, Swann hits a suicide plancha on Neville at ringside. Back in the ring, Neville takes control and drops Swann with a snap suplex. Neville follows up with a running suplex in the corner for a two count. After some brawling around ringside, things go back in the ring where Neville climbs to the top rope. Neville goes for a splash, but Swann catches him in mid-air with a kick to the face. Swann throws Neville outside and somersaults onto him on the floor from the turnbuckle. Back in the ring, Swann pummels Neville then hits a kick to the head for a two count. Swann follows up with another boot to the head and a tadpole splash for a two count. Swann and Neville exchange spinning heel kicks, then Neville attempts a German suplex. Swann rolls out of the suplex attempt then kicks Neville in the face for a two count. Swann goes up top, but Neville grabs him and superplexes him off. Neville locks Swann in the Rings of Saturn for the win via submission. Neville is now the new Cruiserweight champion.

    – John Cena def. AJ Styles: AJ Styles’ World Title is on the line in this one. AJ controls the opening moments of the match. Cena attempts an Attitude Adjustment, but AJ gets out and drops him with the Pele Kick. AJ follows up with a Frankenteiner and a forearm to the face. Cena comes back with a facebuster and a back suplex, and he sets up for the Five Knuckle Shuffle. AJ rolls out of the way and kicks Cena, then hits a German suplex into a Falcon Arrow. Cena comes back with a running lariat and the Five Knuckle Shuffle, then he takes AJ up to the top rope. AJ slides between Cena’s legs and gets him in the torture rack, then spins him around into a powerbomb for a two count. AJ misses a Phenomenal Forearm attempt, and Cena hits him with the Attitude Adjustment for a two count. Cena hits another running lariat for another two count. Cena goes for another running lariat, but AJ ducks and drops him with the Pele kick. AJ follows up with the Phenomenal Forearm for a two count. Cena hits an electric chair drop and goes for the Attitude Adjustment, but AJ gets out and puts him in the calf crusher. They duel with submission holds, and AJ ends up getting Cena in the STF. Cena gets out and puts Styles in the Figure Four. AJ gets out and puts Cena in an armbar. Cena pulls up AJ while in the armbar and powerbombs him down. Cena comes flying off the top rope but AJ ducks him and hits the Styles Clash for a two count. Styles springboards off the top rope with a 450 splash, but Cena blocks it with his knees. Cena hits the Code Red on AJ for a two count. AJ grabs Cena and hits a fireman’s carry onto his knee, but Cena comes back with The Big Ending on AJ for another two count. Cena sets up AJ on the top rope and hits an Attitude Adjustment off the middle rope for a two count. Cena goes for another AA, but Styles gets out and hits the Styles Clash. AJ goes for the Phenomenal Forearm, but AJ catches him and hits the AA. Cena picks him up and hits the AA once again for the win. John Cena is now a 16-time World Champion.

    – 30-Man Royal Rumble Match: Big Cass comes out as entrant #1 and Jericho is #2. Kalisto is #3. Kalisto works on both Jericho and Cass with a series of kicks. Cass stops him with a running knee then after a brief exchange he drops him with a big boot. Mojo Rawley comes in at #4 and drops Kalisto with a running shoulder block. Jack Gallagher is in at #5 and starts hitting people with his umbrella until Jericho drops him. Jericho takes a minute to taunt the crowd and Gallagher takes the opportunity to hit him below the belt with the umbrella. Mark Henry is in at #6 and he eliminates Gallagher. Strowman eliminates Mojo and Cass, then he eliminates Kalisto by throwing him out ontop of them. Strowman eliminates Mark Henry next, and Jericho is out hiding at ringside. Sami Zayn is out next at #8 and he starts going at it with Strowman. Strowman slows things down with a big clothesline to Zayn. The Big Show is out next at #9 and he starts going at it with Strowman. Big Show hits a chokeslam on Strowman, but Strowman quickly comes back and throws Big Show outside for the elimination. Tye Dillinger is out at #10. Dillinger and Zayn take turns hitting Strowman. They attempt to suplex Strowman, but he reverses it and suplexes them both. James Ellsworth is out next at #11, with Carmella. Ellsworth waits at ringside because he doesn’t want to get in with Strowman. Zayn and Dillinger try to eliminate Strowman, but he hangs on. Strowman shoulder blocks Zayn and Dillinger down while Ellsworth and Jericho are both waiting at ringside. Dean Ambrose is out at #12, and he throws Ellsworth into the ring alone with Strowman. Strowman clotheslines him down, then chokeslams him to the outside and Ellsworth lands right on his hip on the floor at ringside. Ambrose hits the ring and goes at it with Strowman. Baron Corbin is out at #13, while Strowman eliminates Dillinger. Ambrose hits a missile dropkick off the turnbuckle on Strowman, then Sami Zayn hits the Heluva Kick on him, then Baron Corbin clotheslines Strowman outside for the elimination. Kofi Kingston is out at #14, and The Miz is out at #15. Corbin drops The Miz with a Deep Six, but then Kofi drops Corbin with a Trouble In Paradise. Sheamus is out at #16 and he starts dropping people, then hits a series of punches of The Miz’s chest. Sheamus drops Jericho with the Brogue Kick. Big E is out at #17, and Cesaro is out next. Cesaro starts swinging everyone one by one, but he grabs Sheamus and hesitates and Sami Zayn superkicks him. Xavier woods is out at #20. Xavier and Kofi take turns kicking Sheamus then Big E hits the big splash on Sheamus. Bray Wyatt is out next at #21 and Apollo Crews is out at #22. Sheamus and Cesaro clothesline all three New Day members outside. Sheamus tries to eliminate Cesaro next, but Chris Jericho sneaks in and eliminates both of them. Randy Orton is out #23, and he hits Sami Zayn with an RKO out of nowhere. Orton and Wyatt start teaming up to work on the other competitors. Dolph Ziggler is out at #24 and he starts dropping people with superkicks. Luke Harper is out at #25 and he starts working on Crews and eliminates him. Harper and Orton lock eyes, and Wyatt gets between them. Harper drops Wyatt with a clothesline out of nowhere, then he drops Orton with a big boot. Harper grabs Wyattand goes for the Sister Abigail on Bray, but Orton breaks it up with an RKO on Harper. Brock Lesnar is out next at #26. Lesnar eliminates Ziggler and Ambrose, and gives everyone else F-5’s. Enzo Amore is entrant #27, and Lesnar drops him with a clothesline immediately then eliminates him. Lesnar hits a series of release vertical suplexes on some of the other competitors in the ring. Goldberg is in at #28 and he immediately ducks a clothesline from Lesnar and spears him. Lesnar gets up and Goldberg clotheslines him to the outside for the elimination. Goldberg starts dropping people with clotheslines, then hits Sami Zayn with a Jackhammer. Wyatt and Orton start double teaming Goldberg, then Goldberg spears them both. The Undertaker is out at #29. The lights go out and when they come back on Undertaker is in the ring. Taker grabs Goldberg by the throat, but the other wrestlers break it up. Goldberg eliminates Rusev, then spears Undertaker. Goldberg eliminates Harper, then Undertaker comes up behind Goldberg and throws him out. The Undertaker starts handing out chokeslams to the other competitors. Roman Reigns enters at #30 and starts exchanging right hands with The Undertaker. Taker drops Reigns with a clothesline, then attempts a chokeslam but Reigns gets out and hits a Superman punch. Reigns goes for another Superman punch, but Taker catches him and chokeslams him. Taker eliminates Miz and Zayn next. Taker chokeslams Jericho next, then Reigns eliminates The Undertaker from behind. Jericho goes up to the top rope, but Reigns superman punches him down to ringside for the elimination. Wyatt and Orton gang up and start beating down Reigns. Orton drapes Reigns over the middle rope and DDTs him. Reigns gets out of a Sister Abigail and superman punches Orton and Wyatt. Reigns throws Wyatt outside for the elimination, and it’s down to Orton and Reigns. Reigns goes for the spear on Orton, but Orton catches him with an RKO then eliminates him. Winner: Randy Orton

  • Jim Ross Predicts That Kurt Angle May Wrestle Once For WWE, Talks Royal Rumble

    Jim Ross was recently a guest on The Straight Shooters Podcast where he discussed Kurt Angle and Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. On the topic of Angle being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, J.R. believes WWE did a thorough evaluation of his health before pursuing the idea.

    “Some people say, ‘Well, it’s a long time coming.’ Damn right, it’s a long time coming,” Ross said. “But it was a long time for [Angle] to get his priorities back together and for him to stop making bad decisions. So thank God he’s doing really well.”

    Ross said that Angle looked great when he saw him wrestle back in October in England. Ross says that while Kurt could still wrestle a match, he doesn’t see him doing more than one bout for WWE at-most. “He doesn’t owe anybody four more matches or six more matches or anything,” Ross said. “I think that he could have a big match if it was made that way, a significant match for WWE. A one-off deal.” Ross added that Angle transitioned from amateur wrestling to pro wresting better than anyone else.

    The 2017 Royal Rumble takes place this weekend, and Ross recalls the 30-man elimination match being a challenging one to call. “It’s going to be over an hour and your stories change at the same intervals that the talents are entered –then the stories change again when talents are eliminated,” he noted. J.R. says it’s hard to predict the winner of the Rumble matches unless you know the WrestleMania card in advance.

    You can listen to the entire podcast with Ross at WildFireRadio.com.

  • AJ Styles Talks Royal Rumble Poster, Says He Wouldn’t Be Surprised To See Samoa Joe On Sunday

    AJ Styles Talks Royal Rumble Poster, Says He Wouldn’t Be Surprised To See Samoa Joe On Sunday

    In a recent interview with Brian Fritz of The Sporting News, WWE Champion AJ Styles commented on reports that Samoa Joe is heading from NXT to the main WWE roster soon. Styles is good friends with Joe, and says there’s no doubt that he is an “amazing wrestler.”

    “It’s just a matter of time before he’s on the roster,” Styles said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he showed up on Sunday. There’s always surprises in the Royal Rumble and you try not to get surprised, you try to see it coming but that’s what makes the Royal Rumble so fun. If Joe doesn’t show up on Sunday, he’ll definitely show up soon. I know it.”

    Outrage on social media over Styles being featured behind rows of several other wrestlers on the Royal Rumble promotional poster has been turned into a TV storyline, and Styles has mixed feelings about it.

    “It’s actually people reacting on Instagram and Twitter showing me. I think they were a little more upset than I was. I get what’s going on here on the poster. Those are your stars that have been here for a long time. So I get it. They’re in marquee matches as well. They’re faces that people recognize. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy with it. I think that the WWE Champion should be definitely up front but, at the same time, I understand the reasoning for the poster.”

    You can read the entire interview here.

  • Stone Cold Says He Wouldn’t Mind Seeing Kurt Angle In The Royal Rumble, Talks Undertaker

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YYZ4iUgVGo

    WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin recently did an interview with TV Insider to promote his Broken Skull Challenge show, and he noted that he’s looking forward to watching Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. During the interview Austin gave high praise to The Undertaker, who will be a participant in the Rumble.

    “I mean, how much left does The Undertaker got?” Austin asked. “He is a friend of mine. I don’t have his phone number or his email address. When we see each other we do catch up, though. The career that guy has at being almost 7 feet tall. The bigger you are in the business the more toll I think it takes on the body. You observe bumps differently. That guy has been through some wars. We used to always kid each other with who is going to last the longest. I got out in 2003, and that was 14 years ago, and this S.O.B. is still going.”

    Austin says Taker’s career has been an “unbelievable ride,” and calls him a true badass. “There is only one guy who could have pulled that gimmick off the way he is doing it, and his name is Mark Calaway,” Austin said.

    Stone Cold also commented on Kurt Angle’s Hall of Fame induction, and has fond memories of his backstage skits with the Olympic gold medalist. Austin noted that he had three broken bones in his back at the time and couldn’t wrestle, so he had to rely on comedy with Angle. He says he wouldn’t mind seeing Angle as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble on Sunday.

    You can read Austin’s entire interview at TVInsider.com.

  • Ryback Says Vince McMahon Sabotaged His Merchandise Sales, Talks CM Punk Feud

    Ryback Says Vince McMahon Sabotaged His Merchandise Sales, Talks CM Punk Feud

    Former WWE star Ryback recently took part in a Q & A with fans for North East Online Wrestling, where he says he feels he was ready to be given a WWE Championship run back in 2012. The question and answer session was broadcast on The Buzzards Wrestling Podcast, and we hear Ryback discuss what was going on behind-the-scenes during his on-sceen feud with CM Punk. He also claims that sometimes his merchandise outsold John Cena’s.

    “I absolutely was ready [for a WWE Title run] and we would’ve created a new star right then and there but with the ankle injury, WWE were never going to let that happen,” Ryback said of the company limiting his push. “If people knew the merchandise numbers and how well we were doing on everything and I was sometimes beating John Cena. I had to fight to get all the merchandise that I had and I still had a core of what John had at the time, or half of what he had, and they wouldn’t let it go anymore, whereas now, they can’t make enough stuff for people. They were not allowing me that opportunity when the numbers were there and the crowd support was there.”

    Ryback says he lost out on a lot of those merchandise sales because Vince McMahon doesn’t want heels to sell as much merchandise as the babyfaces. He says when WWE turned him heel after WrestleMania 29, McMahon gave the order for the company to stop prominently displaying his merchandise.

    “Vince personally came up to me and told me ‘I want your merchandise to tank’ and they quit promoting it,” Ryback claims. “So, from a business standpoint, he told me ‘I don’t want you selling merchandise as a heel.’ Kevin Owens is a heel, Seth Rollins was a heel and all their other heels all have merchandise, so explain that. It all goes back to my ankle situation.”

    You can listen to the whole thing via The Buzzards Wrestling Podcast at AudioBoom.com.

  • Kurt Angle Booked For WWE Axxess, Speaks On Stephanie McMahon & Steve Austin

    Kurt Angle Booked For WWE Axxess, Speaks On Stephanie McMahon & Steve Austin

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNUw9MsIJ7c

    – The Hall of Fame ceremony on March 31st isn’t the only WWE event Kurt Angle is booked for on WrestleMania weekend. It was announced this week that Angle will also be appearing at WWE’s Axxess fan convention. He’ll be meeting fans and signing autographs at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando on April 2nd at 8 AM.

    Tickets for WWE Axxess go on sale on February 4th. You can find more ticket info at WWE.com.

    – Speaking of Angle, he recently did a Q & A session with fans on Facebook, where he talked about who he wants to induct him into the Hall of Fame on 3/31. Angle said his three top picks to induct him would be Steve Austin, John Cena, and The Undertaker. Angle was asked about his favorite feuds from his WWE days, and mentioned his storylines with Austin, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Brock Lesnar, and The Rock. You can read the whole thing on his Facebook page.

  • AJ Styles Wants To Face Kurt Angle In WWE, Speaks On Working With Cena

    AJ Styles Wants To Face Kurt Angle In WWE, Speaks On Working With Cena

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLMSnfBQC00

    WWE Champion AJ Styles recently told FOX Sports that John Cena has made him a better performer. In an interview to promote Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, the former TNA Champion discussed Cena and his status as a part-time performer. Styles said that Cena works harder than anybody he’s ever seen.

    “I mean, the guy’s on The Today Show in the morning and and comes and does live events, or comes and does SmackDown Live. The guy works hard, I get that,” Styles said. “And to tell you the truth, I’ve become a better performer because of John Cena, and I like that.”

    The topic of the Royal Rumble poster came up when he talked about his motivations. Despite being WWE Champion, Styles is featured behind rows of several other wrestlers on the poster. AJ says he’s motivated by respect and will earn it from Cena, “the girls on The Today Show,” and the people on the Royal Rumble poster on Sunday.

    AJ has a lot of history with soon-to-be WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, and told FOX Sports that he would jump at the opportunity to wrestle him in a WWE ring.

    “I would love that. Kurt and I have had a lot of matches together, and I would love to jump in the ring with him one more time,” he said. Is that possible? I don’t know… but it sure would be fun and I would love the opportunity to do that.”

    You can read the full interview at FOXSports.com.

  • John Cena Rumored To Face NXT Star At WrestleMania 33

    John Cena Rumored To Face NXT Star At WrestleMania 33

    WWE is still laying out plans for WrestleMania 33, and it sounds like the company is reportedly considering a big between a top NXT star and a top SmackDown star. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Samoa Joe’s name has been pitched as an opponent for John Cena at WrestleMania.

    Meltzer noted that he hadn’t been told what Vince McMahon’s reaction to the pitch was, but that Joe is believed to be heading to the main roster for ‘Mania. The former NXT Champion will reportedly featured be featured prominently at WrestleMania, which takes place on April 3rd in Orlando, FL.

    Cena and Joe were in WWE’s developmental system together in the early 2000’s, and the company does have footage of the two together. WWE uploaded the above video to their YouTube channel in December about their history.

  • WWE SmackDown Results & Discussion (1/24)

    WWE SmackDown Results & Discussion (1/24)

    The January 24th edition of WWE SmackDown aired live from the Huntington Center in Toledo, OH, and was the final episode before Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

    – SmackDown kicks off with The Miz backstage complaining to Daniel Bryan about not being treated well enough by management. Daniel Bryan sets up a Lumberjack Match between The Miz and Dean Ambrose for Ambrose’s Intercontinental Title.

    – Randy Orton def. Luke Harper: We get a recap of the history between Orton and Harper before the match. They come out to the ring at the same time, lead by Bray Wyatt. Wyatt is at ringside in a rocking chair for this one. They trade right hands in the ring until things fall out to ringside. Harper beats down Orton in front of Bray on the floor, but Bray doesn’t look at either of them. Back in the ring, Orton comes back with some clotheslines and a draping DDT from the middle rope. Orton takes things outside and backdrops Harper into the fan barricade then onto the announce table. After some more brawling at ringside, Harper is down and Orton rolls in the ring to recover. Bray throws Harper in the ring to prevent the count-out. Back in the ring, Ortin hits a superplex off the top rope and a spinning powerslam for a two count. Harper comes back with a Michinouku Driver for a two count of his own. Orton goes for an RKO but Harper sees it coming and rolls up Orton for two. Harper follows up with a superkick for another two count. Orton ducks a discus lariat from Harper and hits the RKO for the win.

    – After the match, Bray Wyatt shakes hands with Orton. Wyatt hugs Harper, but then hits the Sister Abigail on him.

    – Renee Young is in the ring and she introduces Mickie James. Mickie runs down her list of accomplishments then cuts a heel promo on Becky Lynch. Becky comes out and beats down Mickie until Alexa Bliss makes the save. Mickie hits a spinning heel kick to Becky’s face, then Alexa hits the Twisted Bliss off the top.

    – We see footage of Carmella taking James Ellsworth out shopping. Ellsworth is in the store in his ring gear, then he tries on several outfits until Carmella gets fed up and insists on picking his clothes for him. She picks a shiny gold shirt, gold chain, and hat for him.

    – 10-Man Battle Royal: Rhyno tries to immediately eliminate Heath Slater after the bell, but Slater hangs on and yells at Rhyno. The Vaudevillains charge at them and they duck, sending the Vaudevillains both over the top rope to the outside to eliminate them. Mojo Rawley eliminates Kurt Hawkins next. Slater eliminates Viktor, then Konnor eliminates Slater. Mojo eliminates Rhyno and Konnor next, leaving Mojo alone with Tyler Breeze and Fandango as the final three. Breezango double teams Mojo and they almost eliminate him. Mojo ducks a superkick from Breeze and it hits Fandango instead, eliminating Fandango. Mojo throws Breeze outside next for the win. Winner: Mojo Rawley

    – AJ Styles comes out to the ring and complains about the Royal Rumble poster. Cena points out that John Cena is right up front, but the WWE Champion Styles is in the back. AJ says that Shane has no respect for his champion, then he calls out John Cena to come to the ring. Cena makes his way out to the ring and grabs a mic. Before Cena can say anything, AJ shows a clip from The Today Show where Cena bashes AJ. AJ cuts a promo on Cena and says nobody missed him while he was gone. Cena says he’s been holding WWE down for over a decade while AJ has only been here six months. Cena says he wasn’t built for the indy wrestling scene, he was built for WWE. Cena says his time is now and AJ will learn that on Sunday.

    – Dolph Ziggler def. Kalisto: Ziggler hits a neckbreaker early on for a one count. Kalisto ducks a clothesline and comes back with a spinning heel kick. Kalisto springboards off the middle rope for another kick, but Ziggler catches him in mid-air with a superkick for the win after a short match. Ziggler grabs a chair from ringside after the match, and JBL stands up at gets in his face. Apollo Crews comes out of nowhere and clotheslines Ziggler then chases him to the back for the save.

    – Naomi vs. Natalya – No Contest: This one doesn’t happen, as Natalya gets in a backstage fight with Nikki where Nikki gets the better of her. Naomi issues an open challenge, and Alexa Bliss comes out. Alexa cuts a promo on Naomi and decides that she isn’t giving her a match, then heads backstage.

    – Dean Ambrose (c) def. The Miz: This one is a Lumberjack match with the Intercontinental Title on the line. The lumberjacks get some shots in on both men early on. The heel lumberjacks pull Ambrose outside when he goes for the Lunatic Lariat, which leads to The Miz hitting a DDT back in the ring. Ambrose gets attacked by the heel lumberjacks again, but this time he fights them off. Both in the ring, Ambrose hits an elbow off the top rope for a two count. The action goes back outside and all hell breaks loose with the lumberjacks. Miz and Ambrose go back in the ring, but Maryse grabs Ambrose’s leg which leads to The Miz hitting a flying knee for a two count. Miz follows up with a series of dropkicks in the corner until Ambrose ducks one and throws him outside. The lumberjacks beat down The Miz at ringside until Ambrose hits a splash off the top rope onto all of them at ringside. The Miz hits a slow kick to the head of Ambrose, and Ambrose comes back with the Lunatic Lariat. Corbin breaks up the pin, and all of the lumberjacks hit the ring. Corbin throws all of the other lumberjacks outside, then Ambrose throws Corbin outside. The Miz rolls up Ambrose, but Ambrose gets out and hits he Dirty Deeds on The Miz for the win.

  • WWE RAW Results & Discussion (1/23)

    WWE RAW Results & Discussion (1/23)

    The January 23rd edition of WWE RAW was the final episode before the 2017 Royal Rumble on 1/29. RAW took place at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH.

    – RAW opens up with Roman Reigns coming out to the ring. Reigns cuts a promo with the shark cage in the ring, and he quickly gets interrupted by Univeral Champion Kevin Owens and U.S. Champion Chris Jericho. Jericho gets a huge pop from the crowd when he calls Reigns a stupid idiot. Reigns demands a rematch for the U.S. Title tonight. Owens accepts on behalf of Jericho, and says that tonight Reigns will be the one locked in the shark cage. Reigns says he’ll win the U.S. Title tonight, and the Universal Title on Sunday.

    – Luke Gallows def. Cesaro: After some back and forth action in the opening moments, Gallows drops Cesaro with a big boot to take control of the match. Cesaro comes back after reversing a vertical suplex, and he hits a series of European uppercuts. Cesaro follows up with a Tornado DDT for a two count. Cesaro gets Gallows in the Sharpshooter, but at ringside Anderson dropkicks Sheamus and then distracts the ref on the apron. Gallows comes behind Cesaro with a big boot and a facebuster for the win. Gallows is busted open under his eye.

    – Backstage, Mick Foley has Stephanie McMahon on speakerphone. Sami Zayn walks in and asks about the Royal Rumble. Stephanie tells him he’ll have to beat Seth Rollins tonight to earn his spot in the Rumble.

    – Mick Foley approaches Seth Rollins to inform him that Stephanie booked him in a match against Sami Zayn tonight.

    – Sami Zayn def. Seth Rollins: Seth Rollins takes control of the match after the first couple minutes with a suicide dive on Zayn outside. Back in the ring, Zayn comes back with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a two count. Zayn follows up with a Michinoku Driver for another two. Rollins ducks a splash from the top and comes back with a Blockbuster off the middle rope for a two count. Rollins hits a Falcon Arrow for another two count. He knees Zayn in the face then goes for a Pedigree, but Zayn gets out and hits a tornado DDT. They go to the top rope and Zayn hits a sunset flip powerbomb for a two count. Rollins climbs out to the apron and Zayn follows. Rollins hits a pedigree on the corner of the apron and rolls Zayn back in the ring. Before Rollins can pin, Triple H’s music hits. The distraction leads to Zayn rolling up Rollins for the win.

    – Backstage, Seth Rollins chews out Mick Foley for Triple H’s music playing during his match. Foley says he doesn’t know anything about it, and Rollins says he knows Stephanie was behind it.

    – Jack Gallagher, TJ Perkins, & Mustafa Ali def. Ariya Daivari, Tony Nese & Drew Gulak: Gulak goes to work on Perkins then tags in Nese. Nese hits some kicks and knees then locks Perkins in a leg-scissors across the torso. Ali tags in and hits a running hurricanrana then a series of kicks. Ali hits a running neckbreaker and pins, but the aprons clear and all six men brawl. The dust settles and Ali hits a reverse 450 splash for the win.

    – Titus O’Neal, Braun Strowman, Jinder Mahal, & Rusev def. Kofi Kingston, Big E, Enzo & Cass: After some competitive action in the opening minutes, Cass drops Jinder with a big boot and then hits he Bada Boom with Enzo. Titus breaks up the pin, then Big E comes in and drops Titus with a belly to belly suplex. Rusev drops Big E, then Cass sends Rusev to the outside with a big boot. Kofi hits a suicide dive on the heels outside, while in the ring Enzo hits a boot to the head of Mahal. Strowman tags in and hits a couple strikes, but Strowman quickly drops him with a running powerslam for the win. As Strowman is celebrating, The Big Show comes out. Big Show gets in the ring and there’s a stare-down. Strowman backs down and heads up the ramp.

    – Chris Jericho (c) vs. Roman Reigns: Jericho’s U.S. Title is on the line in this one and Owens is at ringside. After some competitive brawling in the opening minutes, Reigns sets up for a Superman punch. Jericho blocks it with a dropkick, then goes for a Codebreaker. Reigns blocks the Codebreaker and hits a powerbomb on Jericho for a two count. Reigns follows up with a Superman punch, then Kevin Owens interferes and beats down Reigns. Owens and Jericho put Reigns in the cage, but Reigns fights out and puts Owens in it instead. Reigns locks the door with Owens inside, then he Superman punches Jericho.

    – Back from commercial, Jericho helps Owens out of the shark cage. An interviewer approaches them and informs them that Mick Foley has made Owen’s Title Match against Reigns at Royal Rumble a No DQ match.

    – Nia Jax def. Miss Lynn: Nia gets the win in a very short squash match against a jobber. After the match, Nia cuts a promo saying she dedicated her win to Sasha Banks. Sasha’s music hits and she comes out. Sasha hits the thing and knocks Nia outside, then hits the flying double knees off the apron onto Nia.

    – Rich Swann def. Noam Dar: Alicia Fox is at ringside with Dar. Dar tries to use Alicia Fox as a shield at ringside, but he still gets a boot to the face from Swann. Back in the ring, Swann continues with a series of kicks. Dar hits an elbow and goes to the top rope, but Swann tosses him off with a hurricanrana. Swanna follows up with a kick to the face for the win. Swann calls out Neville after the match and he comes out. Neville gets in the ring, but then apparently has a change of heart and he climbs back out to ringside. Swann hits a suicide dive on Neville to the outside. Swann tries to bring Neville into the ring, but Neville rolls away and retreats up the ramp.

    – Cedric Alexander is doing an interview backstage, then Noam Dar and Alicia Fox interrupt. Cedric shoves down Noam, and Alicia says he’s just jealous.

    – Goldberg emerges from his dressing room and he’s out next. Goldberg is bleeding from his head as he steps into the ring. Goldberg trips over his words a couple times, but eventually he gets it right and begins discussing the Royal Rumble match on Sunday. With blood running down his face, he says he will stop at nothing to obtain the WWE Universal Championship. Paul Heyman interrupts and introduces Brock Lesnar. Heyman explains to Goldberg that he will be beaten and conquered on Sunday at the Rumble. Goldberg interrupts and asks if Lesnar is going to come down to the ring and get it on, or is he going to “sit there like a dumbass.” Lesnar walks down to ringside, and hops up on the apron then gets in the ring. They stare each other down, then The Undertaker’s music hits. The lights go out, and when they come back on, The Undertaker is standing between Lesnar and Goldbreg in the ring. The lights all turn blue, and RAW goes off the air as the three of them stare each other down.

  • Austin Reveals How Vince McMahon Convinced Trump To Take The Stone Cold Stunner

    Austin Reveals How Vince McMahon Convinced Trump To Take The Stone Cold Stunner

    “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is in the unique position of being able to say he gave a Stone Cold Stunner to a United States President. Austin recently took part in an interview with Complex Magazine where he discussed working with Donald Trump at WrestleMania 23 in 2007, and revealed how Vince McMahon went about convincing Trump to agree to take the Stunner.

    “Vince says to me, ‘Steve, I’m going to see if I can get Donald to take the Stunner. I said, ‘you think?’ He says, ‘Oh yeah, it’ll be great, it’ll be great,’” Austin recalled. “[Vince] goes up to Donald and says, ‘Hey Donald, this is Stone Cold Steve Austin.’ I shook Donald’s hand. He goes, ‘Listen, I want to know if after the match, when everything is done, if Steve could hit the Stone Cold Stunner on you.’ Donald says, ‘You think it’d be a good thing?’ and Vince goes, ‘Oh, of course it would be. It would just blow the roof off the place.’ And Donald’s right hand guy was saying, ‘No, no, no! You don’t need to do this, we got other things to do!’ He’s trying to talk him out of it. And Donald says to Vince, ‘You think it’ll help?’ and Vince goes, ‘I promise you it’ll help.’ And Donald says, ‘Okay, I’ll do it.’”

    Stone Cold ended up delivering the move to fellow Trump, and while his fellow WWE Hall of Famer didn’t take the move as well as a trained wrestler would, Austin gives him credit for trying.

    “It wasn’t a picture-perfect stunner, but I give Donald Trump a hell of a lot of credit for being a man,” Austin said. “He was a stand-up guy, he was there to do business and we did business, so I respect the man for that. If I see him giving a speech on the TV, I don’t think, ‘Hey, I gave this guy a stunner.’ We were doing business and we did business. The fact that he is going to be the next President of the United States, it’s a hell of a story.”

    You can read Austin’s entire interview at Complex.com.

  • Abyss Speaks On Matt Hardy’s “Groundbreaking” Transformation, The Decay, Hogan

    Abyss Speaks On Matt Hardy’s “Groundbreaking” Transformation, The Decay, Hogan

    Longtime Impact Wrestling talent Abyss was recently interviewed on The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast, where he discussed the rise of the “Broken Hardys.” Abyss called the characters “incredible and awesome,” and credits the Hardy brothers with successfully reinventing themselves.

    “I think it is groundbreaking in a lot of different ways,” Abyss said of the Broken Matt Hardy saga. “Matt and Jeff both have reinvented themselves and Matt really is the character and he is that. So it is such a great transition for them, so unique the whole angle with the Delete or Decay stuff, The Great War at Bound For Glory and everything that we have done with them has been incredible and I think it has been groundbreaking in a lot of ways and very different and very talked about. It has been fantastic and a great effort by a lot of different people.”

    Abyss feels his Decay group has come a long way in the last year, and says he had almost-instant chemistry with the other members. Abyss changed his look for the group and says while his previous masked look was successful, he feels his new look with the face paint fits The Decay better.

    “I do it with a blank slate each time and it is never the same which is kind of cool,” said of his face paint. “It’s something different and another layer to the character I’ve been able to add over the years.”

    Abyss also touched base on working with Hulk Hogan, saying it was a highlight of his career and he had a great relationship with The Hulkster. You can listen to the full podcast with Abyss at podomatic.com.

  • WWE Working On Seth Rollins DVD, Nikki Bella Wants To Marry John Cena (Video), More

    WWE Working On Seth Rollins DVD, Nikki Bella Wants To Marry John Cena (Video), More

    – WWE is reportedly working on a DVD set about Seth Rollins titled Building The Architect. The set would feature both a documentary and some of his matches. Below is the synopsis for the DVD, courtesy of Wrestling DVD Network:

    The Architect” has created the perfect blueprint for success in WWE with multiple championships, a massive fan base, and a plethora of incredible matches under his belt. Now for the first time ever, hear from Seth Rollins himself as he tells his story of how he became a sports-entertainment megastar.

    – In a recent video on her YouTube page, WWE star Nikki Bella answered some questions from fans. During the Q&A, Nikki was asked about her relationship with John Cena, and what her answer would be in Cena were to propose to her. Bella answered that she would say yes to marrying Cena in a heartbeat. You can watch it below:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBZS22L3Lvs

    – In Cathy Kelley’s latest video on the WWE YouTube channel, she runs down some of the top reactions from WWE stars to the announcement of Kurt Angle’s Hall of Fame induction. Kelley shows Lana Rusev asking Rusev to “crush” Angle, and some classic footage from the Olympic gold medalist’s career.

  • Jonathan Coachman Discusses What It Was Like Leaving WWE For ESPN

    Jonathan Coachman Discusses What It Was Like Leaving WWE For ESPN

    Former WWE personality Jonathan Coachman was recently a guest on Eric Bischoff’s podcast, where he discussed his departure from WWE. On the latest edition of the Bischoff on Wrestling podcast, Coachman described leaving the McMahon empire for ESPN, where he still works as an anchor.

    Coachman, who was with WWE from 1999 to 2008, said that ESPN brought him in for an interview while he was still working with WWE. While he was on the way home from the interview, ESPN called him to tell him he got the job. The next week, he says WWE executive Kevin Dunn met with him and they discussed his talks with ESPN.

    The Coach says WWE wanted to sign him to a new deal, but he never knew if he would get another opportunity like the ESPN anchor position, so he had to take it. Dunn told Coachman they’d be immediately taking him off the air, but that they weren’t upset with him. WWE replaced Coachman with MIck Foley on SmackDown, and Coachman went home for the birth of his daughter.

    Coachman shared a story about WWE calling him in to tape something in the studio after sending him home. When he arrived, there was a big tent set up in the parking lot and they threw him a going away party. Coachman feels that says volumes about the company and the respect they have for each other.

    You can listen to the entire podcast with Jonathan Coachman and Eric Bischoff on iTunes.